"Eyes met in a subtle exchange, their gazes seemed to flow with longing." — Li Yu, "Bodhisattva's Charm"
"The evening sky threatens snow; shall we share a cup?" — Bai Juyi, Tang Dynasty, "Asking Liu Nineteen"
Lightly
( ) Yuan Qingze was somewhat drunk, and when he woke up the next day, Tang Yi was already gone. He inquired about her whereabouts for three days in a row, but to no avail.
To everyone's surprise, on the fourth night, Tang Yi knocked on his door again.
She stood at the doorway, her already pale face now almost translucent. Upon seeing him, a faint smile played on her lips before she collapsed into his arms. In an instant, the thick, pungent smell of blood filled the air, mingled with a faint, cool fragrance of plum blossoms.
He then realized she was injured. After hesitating for a moment, he finally carried her into the house. When he removed her blood-stained outer robe, he was shocked to see that her entire inner garment was almost completely stained with blood, with only the white edges still faintly discernible.
Yuan Qingze couldn't bear to watch her die, so he treated her wounds. Fearing she would have lost too much blood by the time a doctor was summoned, he trembled as he removed her undergarment. Her body was covered in countless sword wounds, large and small, all fresh. The largest wound was on her left shoulder, with a tungsten steel arrowhead broken off inside. The wound was already festering and turning black, indicating the arrow was poisoned.
He could cut away the rotten flesh and forcibly remove the arrowhead, but he hesitated because the poison needed to be sucked out.
Tang Yi suddenly awoke, pulled out a dagger from her bosom, and actually slashed a cross across her shoulder. Then, she forcibly dug out the arrowhead with her hand, and a stream of foul blood immediately gushed from the wound. She was clearly in extreme pain, her delicate brows furrowed, but she only let out a muffled groan. After doing all this, she was completely exhausted, but she still bit her lip tightly to prevent herself from fainting from the pain.
She whispered, "Suck the poison out for me. Quickly!" It was a request, yet there wasn't a trace of pleading in her voice.
Yuan Qingze knew that if she didn't do as he was told, she would die. Although he still despised her actions, he also admired her for pulling out the arrow. So, disregarding the rules between men and women, he bent down and sucked the poison out of her mouth. Seeing his actions, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and then fainted.
He sucked out more than a dozen mouthfuls of poison, his lips numb, before the blood gradually turned from dark black to crimson. Only then did he realize that he, as a drug addict, could also be poisoned, but he couldn't worry about that now. He applied the special wound medicine made in Shu Mountain, bandaged her up hastily, and went out to find a doctor.
He couldn't find a renowned antidote expert in the martial arts world, and since Fenglu Temple was located in a remote area, he could only find a substitute husband in a nearby town to brew some ordinary antidote for her.
Unfortunately, she refused to drink the medicine while unconscious. He forcibly pried open her teeth and tried to force it down her throat, but she couldn't swallow it. He watched as the dark medicine slowly flowed from the corners of her once vibrant lips, then closed his eyes, steeled himself, and fed her spoonful by spoonful with his own mouth. Only after she had swallowed the entire bowl of medicine did he breathe a sigh of relief.
That night, he couldn't fall asleep at all, so he got up, lit a lamp, and stared blankly at her sleeping face, staying by her side all night.
Fortunately, she had a good foundation in martial arts and woke up the next day.
When she woke up, her face was still as pale as paper. The first thing she asked for was water, her voice low and hoarse, like the wind rustling through the treetops, soft yet crisp in the sand. He felt as if a handful of fine sand had been sprinkled on his heart, grinding and itching at the same time, but he didn't have time to think about it carefully. He quickly helped her up and fed her water.
Tang Yi's injuries healed day by day, and she gradually regained her mobility. She treated Yuan Qingze's house as her own, without the slightest discomfort, much like a mountain king. Naturally, Yuan Qingze would not take the initiative to ask her to leave.
To his surprise, she became increasingly demanding, asking for vegetarian food from the temple one minute and clean clothes the next. He treated her coldly, but she remained unperturbed, saying that since he had saved her life, he had an obligation to take care of her until she recovered.
Yuan Qingze was utterly baffled. How could Tang Yi, such a stoic and gentle person, suddenly become so shameless? Even in her shamelessness, her attitude remained cold and unyielding. He couldn't understand why, knowing she was being unreasonable, he couldn't do anything about it.
One day, she asked him to buy Su Ji's Dongpo pork. Yuan Qingze returned with the oil paper package, but she had already gone elsewhere to buy wine. She was only wearing her undergarments, leaning against the couch. Under the red candlelight, her eyes seemed to be moist with tears, and a smile played on her lips, captivating and alluring. She wrapped her arm around him, inviting him to sit with her.
He sat down helplessly and said, "Your injury has just healed, so you shouldn't drink alcohol."
She ignored him, poured herself a glass of wine, and said, "I'm leaving. This is a farewell drink. Aren't you going to drink it?"
He felt a sudden emptiness in his heart, and without thinking, he raised his glass to drink with her. Before he knew it, several glasses had passed, his skin burning hot, and a fire slowly ignited in his heart, eventually spreading like wildfire. She leaned closer, resting her head on his arm, her brow flushed crimson, which made his thoughts snap, and his reason vanish in an instant like boiling water.
Her sash was gently loosened, her sachet was secretly untied, and at this moment, her soul was captivated...
The next day, Yuan Qingze woke up in a daze, not knowing where he was. When he regained his senses, he found that she was gone, and the brocade quilt beside him was cold, with only a lingering fragrance.
He deeply resented her for drugging him and ruining his spiritual cultivation, and he hated himself even more for his inability to control himself. Yet he couldn't help but worry about her, so he hurriedly went out to look for her.
Heaven rewards those who persevere; she truly hadn't gone far. Seeing her drinking, Yuan Qingze dared not show himself and followed her all the way.
As they were about to leave the town, she suddenly turned back and said coldly, "You saved my life. I have already repaid you with my body. What more do you want?"
A moment of pleasure, it turned out, was merely a repayment. He felt a sharp pain in his heart, unable to utter a single word. He thought to himself: What do you want? I truly do not know.
Seeing that he wouldn't leave, she sneered, "I've been with countless men in my life, one more won't make a difference. Come along if you want."
Yuan Qingze, being young and untamed, had never suffered such humiliation before, and finally turned and left.
Unexpectedly, when he checked into the inn that night, he heard some news. The night Tang Yi was seriously injured, she had gone to keep her appointment with "Master Nuanyang." This man practiced evil arts under the guise of cultivating Taoism, defiling the purity of countless female disciples. She, alone with her sword, killed more than a hundred of his masters, which is why she was covered in wounds.
It is only natural for ordinary heroes to slay demons and monsters, let alone wicked people, whom everyone has the right to kill. However, Yuan Qingze was truly puzzled by Tang Yi's actions.
He couldn't resist any longer and sought her out again. He only wanted to ask her why she was willing to risk her life to kill "True Man Warm Sun." But what he said next was, "Can you just have me as your only man?" He was stunned as soon as the words left his mouth.
She expected Tang Yi to be sarcastic and cynical, but to her surprise, Tang Yi remained silent for a long time, tears streaming down her face like raindrops. She slowly turned away and whispered, "Do you really want a crippled person like me?"
Seeing her shoulders trembling slightly, Yuan Qingze wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms, so he answered confidently and decisively, "Yes."
Only later did he realize that his promise had been far too hasty.
Author's Note: While this episode leans towards romance, there will be plenty of riddles and intrigues. The story of the Immortal Elder is just a seasoning, a catalyst. The Immortal Elder serves as a stepping stone to introduce Tangtang, the gem in the story.
Because Xiao Mo will be going on a mission in the next episode and experiencing real bloodshed, the cat plans to let her "not do her job" for the time being, so as to balance work and rest.
This novel will be available for purchase on Thursday the 25th, with three chapters released on that day. The chapters will be available for purchase starting from chapter 62.
The Jinjiang author guide says that saying too much about this issue is bound to lead to mistakes. However, I still want to tell everyone a few honest words. I know that after I make this a paid novel, many friendly IDs on this platform will disappear. Writing this story has taken me a lot of time and energy; if the goal is to make money, it's really not worth it, completely disproportionate. However, without paid status, there are no rankings. As a new author, without rankings, there's no popularity. I've been delaying making it paid for a long time, but now I really can't delay any longer.
I know many of you are about to leave the cat, sigh... I sincerely thank you all for your continued support.
Qin Guan's poem "Man Ting Fang" includes the lines: "My soul is captivated at this moment; the sachet is secretly untied, and the silk sash is lightly loosened."
Fate plays tricks on people
( ) If the first half of this story is a poignant and beautiful poem, then the second half is a stark reality of despair.
People say that youth is unaware of sorrow, let alone the first taste of love.
At first, Yuan Qingze and Tang Yi were inseparable, like being in a honey pot. He buried his original intention to find the Langya Staff deep in his heart. But in reality, it was like a seed that had already fallen to the ground; even if it encountered a drought, as long as there was rain, it would take root and sprout.
The two found a beautiful place with mountains and rivers and lived a peaceful life of farming and weaving.
However, as the day he agreed to return to Mount Shu with his master drew closer, Yuan Qingze became more and more uneasy and irritable each day.
Tang Yi naturally noticed and asked him if he had something on his mind.