Ultimative Intelligenz

Kapitel 44

"Shut up too!"

Hua Jiuye was clearly at his limit; Shen Zhili pushed him down with a gentle push.

Seeing Shen Zhili's resolute determination to apply the medicine, he closed his eyes in despair.

As Shen Zhili silently undressed Hua Jiuye and applied medicine, she noticed that the struggle earlier had caused Hua Jiuye's wounds to bleed again. It was clear that the other party did not want to kill Hua Jiuye; all the wounds were deep but not fatal, and some of the more serious ones had even been treated, though the method of treatment was...

Shen Zhili unconsciously bit her lip and used her fingers to wipe away the undissolved salt from the edges of the wound...

Such a simple and brutal method must be incredibly painful.

Shen Zhili felt a mix of emotions.

Knowing he couldn't get up, Hua Jiuye, who was pinned down by Shen Zhili, became much more obedient. He turned his head to one side, pursed his lips, and let Shen Zhili carefully treat his wounds one by one.

The man next to her said, "Young lady, you really do know medicine... cough cough, I wasn't hitting your lover just now, I was helping him to expel the bruises..."

Shen Zhili carefully removed the splinter from Hua Jiuye's wound: "I know."

You could tell from her tone that she was in a very bad mood, and the other person shrank back and stopped talking.

The dungeon fell silent, save for the sound of Shen Zhili's constant movements.

After treating the last wound, Shen Zhili wiped the sweat from her forehead and stepped away from Hua Jiuye.

Hua Jiuye remained motionless in that position, her eyelashes trembling slightly, like two fluttering butterfly wings, fragile and beautiful.

Another silence followed.

Shen Zhili: "Senior brother, can you escape alone?"

Hua Jiuye slowly straightened his clothes, slowly stood up, propped himself up on one leg, and slowly turned his head as if he were reviving, saying, "What do you mean I'm all alone?"

Shen Zhili swallowed hard: "It's...you..."

Hua Jiuye: "You want me to leave first by myself?"

Shen Zhili nodded quickly: "Yes, that's exactly what I mean! Anyway, their target is you, as long as..."

Hua Jiuye: "They won't kill you as long as I'm not around?"

Shen Zhili nodded.

Hua Jiuye: "What's in your head? A pig's brain? Or is it all mush?"

He smacked Shen Zhili on the head hard, aggravating his wound. Shen Zhili gasped for breath before sneering, "If I hadn't come, do you think you'd still be whole? Gechui wouldn't be affected, but the Elders' Hall... and once they realize they can't use you to threaten me, do you think you'd have many more days to live?"

Shen Zhili remained silent.

So, Hua Jiuye came, and Hua Jiuye endured all this pain, all for her sake?

For the first time, she truly hated her body. Why couldn't she be as healthy as others? Why couldn't she learn martial arts? If only…

You can clearly see what Shen Zhili is thinking just by looking at her face.

Hua Jiuye coughed, leaned against the wall, and said in a lazy and playful tone, "You're not that important. Saving you was just a side thing. I'll come back to Southern Xinjiang sooner or later. I've said it before, I'll kill back those who hurt me one by one, and that's not a joke."

Shen Zhili grabbed Hua Jiuye's hand: "Please tell me, what exactly happened?"

Hua Jiuye said decisively, "No."

Shen Zhili asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Hua Jiuye: "It has nothing to do with you, and you don't need to know."

Shen Zhili: "Senior brother! Can you please stop being so stubborn!"

Hua Jiuye: "I'm tired. Either sleep with me or get out."

Shen Zhili: "..."

Someone chimed in, "Young people are so energetic. I wouldn't mind if you wanted to sleep."

Chapter 38

Sleep is essential.

Sleeping with my senior brother is out of the question.

There were no beds or blankets in the dungeon, so they had to make do with the cold, hard floor for the night.

When Shen Zhili got up and stretched, she saw a broken basket on the ground.

Inside was food: two bowls of porridge and four cold steamed buns.

Shen Zhili picked it up and took a bite of the steamed bun...

Then... she gasped and covered her mouth.

My tooth is so painful from the diaphragm!

She soaked the steamed bun in the still-warm porridge until it softened slightly, ate one, and then turned to ask Hua Jiuye, "Senior brother, you..."

Hua Jiuye: "I have no appetite."

Shen Zhili moved closer, holding the bowl: "Don't be willful!"

Hua Jiuye clearly hadn't slept well either; his eyes were slightly dark, and he gave her a disdainful look, saying, "Eat it yourself if you want, you poor wretched thing."

Unlike Shen Zhili, who grew up in hardship and was willing to do anything as long as she could fill her stomach, Hua Jiuye was always picky about food and clothing, but at this moment...

Shen Zhili held the steamed bun in her hand, her eyes fierce: "Are you going to eat it or not?"

Hanako: "I..."

Shen Zhili repeated the question while clenching her fist, as if to push.

Hua Jiuye took the steamed bun, glanced at it with disdain, and sighed, "A tiger fallen into the plains..."

After replenishing her strength, Shen Zhili studied her surroundings in the dim light, looking for a way to escape.

Hua Jiuye smiled lazily: "I've been here before, don't waste your energy. The entire cage is carved from huge stones, and the railings are all made of black iron."

The other person chimed in, "And judging from the footsteps, there are at least twenty people guarding outside. Your lover, in his current state, has no chance of getting out."

Hua Jiuye frowned: "Who exactly are you?!"

The person replied, "Uh, just a passerby."

Hua Jiuye snorted coldly.

After a pause, the man scratched his head and said, "Young man, you look somewhat familiar. Do you recognize me?"

The man peeked out, revealing his horribly disfigured face from yesterday. Hua Jiuye was startled, then said coldly, "You've become like this, how can anyone recognize you?"

The man seemed to hesitate for a moment, then pulled something out of his pocket through his chained hands: "This...do you recognize it?"

Backlit, enveloped in a thin halo, it resembles a jade pendant, its surface smooth and lustrous.

Hua Jiuye: "Can't see clearly, bring it closer."

The man said, "No, what if you take it?"

Hua Jiuye didn't care: "Then forget it."

The person seemed to have gone through an even more intense struggle before managing to get a little closer.

Hua Jiuye smiled and suddenly snatched it away. The person on the other end immediately said, "Give it back to me!" At the same time, he struggled, and the chains jingled.

Shen Zhili knew that Hua Jiuye was just being playful, and sighed, "Senior brother, stop teasing him, give it back to him."

Casually examining the jade pendant in his hand, Hua Jiuye scoffed, "I thought it was something valuable, but it's just a piece of..." His words trailed off, his expression suddenly changed, and he placed the jade pendant in his palm, carefully rubbing and examining it.

He looked up after a moment, darted to the cell door, stared intently at the man, and said in a voice trembling with barely suppressed emotions, "You are..."

The man snatched the jade pendant back and was about to ask a question when footsteps suddenly sounded.

"Hana-ya, the master has summoned you again."

Hua Jiuye shouted sharply, "Wait..."

The black-robed man who came this time saw that Hua Jiuye was covered in injuries and knew that he was all bark and no bite. He obviously stopped being polite and said, "What are you waiting for? Come with us now."

He then stepped forward, grabbed Hana Kuya, and started walking away.

Shen Zhili clenched her fists silently.

Only after Hua Jiuye's figure reached the end did Shen Zhili slam his fist against the wall.

This feeling of being unable to do anything is awful.

The leader of the black-robed men suddenly turned around and said, "Oh, right, the master also instructed that we bring that woman along as well."

Shen Zhili stood up straight, a hint of joy in her expression. Compared to being alone in the dungeon anxiously waiting for news from Hua Jiuye, being able to see it with her own eyes, even if it meant suffering, was always better.

The man beside her whispered, "Young lady, I don't know if you'll ever come back. Consider this a thank you for spending this day with me. I'll tell you something. The royal family of Southern Xinjiang is actually surnamed Hua. Your lover must have some connection with the royal family. Escaping won't be easy for you."

The royal family of Southern Xinjiang?

If he's from the royal family of Southern Xinjiang, then why would they treat him like this...?

What exactly did Hana Kuya go through?

Before Shen Zhili could think any further, she had already been taken away from the dungeon.

The sunlight outside made Shen Zhili feel slightly uncomfortable. With chains on her hands, she could only follow closely behind the man in black robes.

The palace was very large, with a spacious and desolate atmosphere, and we walked for quite a while before stopping.

When they stopped, Shen Zhili looked up and saw the two characters "Xingdian" written in bold, elegant strokes.

My heart sank for a moment.

The man in black robes stopped, and Shen Zhili had no choice but to stand outside the hall as well.

Screams echoed from inside the hall, extremely shrill, and the entire hall exuded a chilling atmosphere.

The doctor's intuition gave Shen Zhili a strange chill, as if this palace harbored a deep resentment.

She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the sounds.

I can't hear you, I can't hear you, I can't hear you...

The door was suddenly pushed open.

From Shen Zhili's position, he could see a person lying on the ground with their limbs twisted in pain, their facial features contorted in agony, veins bulging on their forehead, constantly hitting their head with their hands, as if they wished they could die immediately.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't Hua Jiuye.