Ch 13: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

The rain was getting heavier as Jing Li hurried along the mountain path.

Of course, he wasn’t afraid of the rain; he wore the raincoat and bamboo hat because he didn’t want the villagers to see him. This small, isolated village wasn’t used to strangers, and a newcomer would definitely stand out.

Besides, the fish scales on his face hadn’t disappeared yet.

Fortunately, it had been raining for a while now, so there were hardly any people on the road.

He had rushed out and only grabbed a robe to wear. The robe was so long that it almost reached his ankles, hiding the fact that he wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

Even though there was no one around, Jing Li still felt a bit self-conscious and tightened the raincoat around him.

But soon, he ran into a new problem.

He didn’t know where Qin Zhao had gone to collect the herbs.

Jing Li didn’t consider himself directionally challenged, but the last time he had been to that place, it was because that stupid cat had carried him there. He had been so scared out of his wits that he fainted on the way back and had no idea how to retrace his steps.

The sky was a murky gray, and the rain further obscured his view, making it even harder to find the right path.

Rain mixed with mountain wind, and the boy, barefoot on the mountain path, trudged through the mud, his body soon shivering from the cold.

Without the protection of his fish scales, it turned out he was still afraid of the cold.

Where on earth was Qin Zhao…

The sky had fully darkened, but luckily, Jing Li’s night vision seemed to have improved quite a bit since before. Even in the pitch-black forest, he could still see clearly.

At least navigating through the forest wasn’t an issue.

Jing Li didn’t know how long he had been walking through the mountains before he finally spotted a small, dilapidated thatched hut.

His eyes lit up, and he hurried over.

The small hut had been abandoned for a long time; it had no windows or door and seemed to have been used by villagers to store miscellaneous items. It was so small that even lying down inside would feel cramped.

As Jing Li approached the entrance, he indeed saw the familiar figure sitting against a corner of the hut.

He didn’t dare enter immediately and instead hid outside, peeking in.

Qin Zhao wasn’t too wet, likely finding the hut to take shelter as soon as the rain started. He might have planned to wait for the rain to stop before heading back, but he hadn’t expected the rain to last this long, keeping him there until nightfall.

The hut was drafty, which might have been tolerable for others, but it was no good for someone like Qin Zhao, who was already frail and sickly.

His eyes were closed, and it wasn’t clear if he was sleeping or resting, but his face was exceptionally pale.

Suddenly, Qin Zhao’s body tilted and collapsed to the ground without warning.

!!!

Jing Li couldn’t wait any longer and rushed inside.

Qin Zhao was lying on the ground, his arms tightly wrapped around his body, shivering uncontrollably. It was cold outside, but Qin Zhao’s body was burning hot, so much so that it almost scalded Jing Li.

Jing Li gently pushed his body. “Qin Zhao?”

There was no response.

Qin Zhao’s brows were tightly furrowed, as if he was deep in some kind of torment. Despite his body being so hot, there wasn’t a trace of color on his face.

“What… what should I do…”

Jing Li had never encountered a situation like this before and was so anxious that he didn’t know what to do. He removed his soaked raincoat and bent down to hold Qin Zhao in his arms.

His own body was already cold, having been outside for so long, and now he felt like an ice block. Jing Li placed his cold palms on Qin Zhao’s face. The touch of something cool made Qin Zhao’s furrowed brows relax a little.

…But he still didn’t wake up.

Jing Li held him tightly. “Qin Zhao, wake up. How about we go home and sleep?”

The rain had unknowingly stopped, but the sky was still overcast with clouds, with no sign of light. The scorching body in his arms suddenly moved, and Jing Li’s wrist was grabbed tightly.

“…Who?” Qin Zhao’s voice was hoarse, cold as if it belonged to another person.

The searing heat from his wrist made Jing Li tremble, and when he spoke, his voice was shaking. “I… I was just passing by and saw you fainted here, so I…”

In the darkness, Jing Li could clearly see Qin Zhao open his eyes and look at him with a cold, unfamiliar gaze.

At that moment, Jing Li could even hear his own heart pounding rapidly.

Qin Zhao didn’t respond for a long time. The two of them remained in a standoff until the grip on Jing Li’s wrist loosened slightly.

Jing Li looked at him, but Qin Zhao had already turned his head away and closed his eyes.

The hut was very dim, and Qin Zhao was so ill that he likely couldn’t see Jing Li’s appearance clearly.

Jing Li felt a bit more at ease and said, “You can’t keep going like this. Can you still stand? Let me take you home, alright?”

After another moment of silence, Qin Zhao softly replied, “…Thank you.”

Jing Li packed the raincoat into his backpack, shouldered it, and then helped Qin Zhao up, letting him lean on his shoulder as they walked out.

Qin Zhao’s consciousness was still very muddled, and he didn’t even realize that the person beside him didn’t ask where he lived but directly took him back to the village.

In his daze, he only felt that the body holding him was small, soft, and cool to the touch, with an exceptionally pleasant feel.

Instinctively, Qin Zhao leaned closer.

Jing Li was still not fully accustomed to his newly regained human form, and with Qin Zhao being almost a head taller than him, supporting him was quite a struggle. The two of them walked unsteadily, taking twice as long as usual to return to the village.

The village of Linxi was silent at night, and with the rain earlier, most villagers had gone to bed early.

Li Dali stepped out with an oil lamp to relieve himself and happened to see two figures slowly walking past his house, supporting each other.

He looked at the familiar figure and rubbed his eyes.

Was that Qin Zhao?

It shouldn’t be; Qin Zhao was all alone, with no one in his house.

Li Dali didn’t think much of it and turned back into his house.

Jing Li helped Qin Zhao back to the bed.

He had been in human form for too long this time, and he could feel his energy depleting rapidly. The fish scales on his skin were more prominent than before, making it hard to maintain his human form any longer.

But he gritted his teeth and held on.

Worried that Qin Zhao might see him, Jing Li didn’t dare light a lamp. He fumbled in the dark, fetching a basin of water and wringing out a cloth to wipe Qin Zhao’s body, trying to bring his fever down.

But Qin Zhao’s body remained scorching hot. Jing Li wiped him down several times, but the fever showed no signs of reducing.

He must be feeling awful; his brows were tightly furrowed, and every now and then, a low groan of pain escaped through his clenched teeth.

This situation seemed far worse than a typical fever.

What exactly was wrong with Qin Zhao?

Jing Li wanted to ask but couldn’t find the right moment. After wiping Qin Zhao down one last time, he pulled the blanket over him and went to the outer room.

Qin Zhao needed to drink his medicine every morning and evening, but since he had returned late today, he hadn’t had a chance to take it yet.

Perhaps that’s why he had suddenly fallen so ill.

Fortunately, Qin Zhao would always prepare a dose of medicine in the morning, which only needed reheating at night. This saved Jing Li the trouble of brewing it from scratch. However, he had never done this before, and it took him a while just to get the fire started.

After some time, he finally returned to the bedroom with the warmed-up medicine.

Qin Zhao’s condition had worsened even more.

He lay restlessly, his body trembling, the blanket already kicked to the side, and his collar had come loose in his struggle.

“Stop moving around!” Jing Li quickly put the medicine aside and rushed to hold Qin Zhao’s shoulders. “You’ll catch a cold like this…”

The loosened collar revealed Qin Zhao’s pale skin, with his delicately shaped collarbones standing out due to his thinness. Further down, the faint lines of his chest muscles were visible.

Jing Li nervously averted his gaze, feeling his ears heat up.

He didn’t dare look any longer and reached out to grab the blanket at the foot of the bed.

But before he could touch it, his wrist was suddenly grabbed, and with a strong pull, he was yanked down.

The room spun, and Jing Li found himself falling into a scorching embrace.

!!!

In that instant, Jing Li felt as if his heart had skipped a beat. The scent of medicine unique to Qin Zhao filled his nose, leaving his mind in a dazed, hazy state.

Jing Li struggled to regain his composure and gently pushed against Qin Zhao, his voice soft and tender. “Qin Zhao, let me go…”

But it seemed Qin Zhao was completely unconscious.

He held Jing Li tightly between his arms, clinging to him as if drawing in his coolness.

“I’ve heated up the medicine. How about drinking it first?” Jing Li was starting to feel uncomfortable from the heat radiating from Qin Zhao, and he pushed a little harder. “You… you shouldn’t—mmph—”

A burning hand had slipped directly onto his waist.

Jing Li’s eyes widened in surprise.

He was wearing Qin Zhao’s clothes, which didn’t quite fit him. He had put them on hastily, so the ties weren’t secured properly. After all the tossing and turning that night, the ties had somehow come loose.

When Qin Zhao pulled on Jing Li earlier, the tie on his robe came completely undone, causing the clothing to slip off his shoulders, revealing his smooth, bare skin.

And that was only the beginning of the mess.

Jing Li realized how he had put on the clothes and immediately flushed red from his neck to his ears.

Those hands seemed quite satisfied with the coolness of his skin, especially the fragile fish scales on his waist, lingering there without moving away.

The heat from those hands against his skin made Jing Li tremble uncontrollably, his eyes filling with tears out of fear. “Qin… Qin Zhao…”

A heavy silence filled the room, like thick ink slowly spreading. Jing Li could hear his heart pounding frantically, his entire body trembling as if he had become a fish pinned down on a chopping board, awaiting its fate.

He was terrified but had nowhere to run.

Suddenly, a low, hoarse, and pained voice whispered in his ear, “Don’t go…”

Jing Li froze and looked up at him.

Qin Zhao had opened his eyes.

They were bloodshot, devoid of their usual vitality.

He seemed to be looking at Jing Li, yet it was as if he saw nothing at all, only mindlessly repeating those two words.

“Don’t go…”

It was the first time Jing Li had seen him so helpless, and it tugged at something in his chest, leaving a bitter feeling.

“I’m here,” he said, no longer resisting. He endured the discomfort and buried his head in Qin Zhao’s chest, staying still. “I’m right here.”

He curled up against Qin Zhao, feeling like he was embracing a burning fire.

In the darkness, the sound of their rapid heartbeats echoed back and forth.

Finally, Qin Zhao calmed down.

After some time had passed, the grip on Jing Li loosened completely.

Jing Li gently pushed him away, and the moment he fell off the bed, there was a flash of red light, and he turned back into a small koi fish that landed on the floor.

The little koi had used up all his energy, and even his fins drooped weakly.

He wobbled his tail and slowly returned to the wooden bucket, sinking to the bottom of the water.

Exhausted, he let out two small bubbles.

xxx

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