Venerable Demon King & The Doting Immortal (QT) novel Chapter 130

Chapter 130: “If you keep it up, I will poke your eyes out.”

As Xiang Yu applied the medicinal herbs to Han Xin’s arm the man’s gaze was unwavering, his dark eyes intense and searching. He could feel him following his every movement with his eyes making Xiang Yu’s skin prickle under his scrutiny. It was as if he were peeling back layers, trying to see the person hidden beneath his disguise.

"Are you going to keep staring at me?" Xiang Yu quipped lightly, a teasing tone in his voice meant to deflect some of the tension between them. "If you keep it up, I will poke your eyes out."

A rich and warm chuckle escaped Han Xin’s lips while he shifted his gaze away. He still liked his eyes very much and didn’t want to lose them. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed hard, something stirring behind those dark pools of emotion.

"Did you get hurt?" he asked softly, concern threading through his words. Xiang Yu had told him what happened but he didn’t go into great detail so as not to worry him.

He shook his head but couldn’t help but notice how close they were now, their knees almost touching. "No," he replied candidly while tying branches around his arm to set it in place. "But this will hurt."

Han Xin grimaced at the tightening grip of the makeshift splints against his skin. He knew that she was doing it for his own good, but why did it feel like she was doing it on purpose? The pain soon subsided and he heaved a sigh of relief. In a trance, he watched her as she tied a neat bow. It was a simple gesture, yet it was filled with so much care, which spoke volumes about who she truly was beneath all pretence.

"You’re so good at this," he remarked quietly after a moment, genuinely impressed by her skillfulness. She didn’t even panic under such dangerous circumstances. She took charge of the situation and knew exactly what to do. It was almost as if she had done this countless times before. "Where did you learn?"

Xiang Yu tore another piece from his outer robe, his mind elsewhere. "I got beaten up as a kid and broke my leg, so I had to learn to heal myself. Couldn’t afford a physician," he said absentmindedly. It wasn’t until the words left his mouth that he realised he had revealed a part of his real past that didn’t fit the image of a princess.

Han Xin wanted to ask more, but he feared she would realise the slip and become guarded. Instead, he watched as she moved closer again, almost hugging him as she fastened a makeshift sling for his arm. In that brief moment when their bodies nearly collided, time stood still.