"Not surprising, maybe it was used to escape."
"Oh...how are you feeling today?"
"You can go out for a walk."
"Don't leave, hurry up and clear away the remaining poison."
"I'll just force it out with my internal energy; I don't want to see any blood."
"Can your body handle it?" Before he could answer, she realized it wasn't right and added, "I don't want to hear ambiguous answers."
"It's alright, it's windy outside, don't stand here."
He had barely finished speaking when he let go of me, turned his back, and started coughing. I patted his back and helped him into the house. These days, he has become increasingly frail.
"Where have all these people gone? When we need them, we can't find a single one. Where are the Shao brothers?"
"Shaoyou and Shaoming went to take care of Shaoyan."
"Huh? What happened to Shaoyan?"
“Just like me…” He sat back on the couch, put his arm around my waist, and pressed his face against my lower abdomen. “You’re injured.”
"How could this be..." I stopped halfway through my laugh. "Is it Xiao Lianjue? How serious is it?"
Asking is pointless; if it weren't serious, Shaoyou and Shaoming wouldn't have both gotten through it.
"Let's not talk about that. Just give me a bowl of lotus seed soup."
"What are you doing? Are you afraid I'll blame myself?"
He chuckled softly, lifted his face, and rubbed his chin against my waist and abdomen. "You've always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart."
She pursed her lips, slapped his hand away, and turned to walk outside.
"Where are you going?" He stood up abruptly and grabbed my arm.
"Didn't you want to drink lotus seed soup?"
"Oh." Only then did he let go.
When I brought the lotus seed soup back to my room, I opened the door and saw him sitting cross-legged on the couch. A cool, refreshing fragrance rushed in, so strong it was almost pungent.
Sweat slid down his sharp chin, soaking his clothes, which gradually turned from pale green to dark green. Black blood clung to his slender, jade-like fingers, the blood dripping down his pale fingertips, drawing faint, scattered knife marks.
His delicate eyebrows furrowed, and he coughed up a mouthful of black blood. His body slumped limply onto the couch, fragile enough to shatter at the slightest blow.
His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and a drop of sweat trickled down his face, outlining his pale complexion. He looked so weak that it seemed as if one could kill him with a mere flick of the wrist. But once you thought that and looked closely, a chilling, eerie feeling arose from his very bones, as if a pair of skeletal hands, engraved with a crimson hell lotus, were tightly gripping your neck.
I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "I told you not to push yourself, but you wouldn't listen?"
Seeing my furrowed brow and fierce look, he bit his lip and turned his face away, still upset about being slapped by me.
She took a handkerchief and wiped the remaining blood from his mouth and hands. "Did you force it all out this time?"
He nodded and obediently brought his face closer. "Thankfully... you're alright."
His eyelids were lowered, so I couldn't see his eyes, but a weary chill slowly spread with the cold fragrance. I unconsciously pulled my hand back, but he grabbed it.
“Although I didn’t suffer any superficial injuries, Yunzhi, next time you make a decision, please ask me first, okay? This…” I pointed to my left chest, “You scared me quite a bit.”
He pursed his thin lips slightly, carried me to the bed, and simply held me without saying a word.
"...It won't happen again." He murmured in my ear after a long while.
"Hmm." I tugged at his sweaty shirt. "Go wash up. It's cold now, and you're already injured and weak. Do you want to get sick?"
"You stay with me."
I glared at him and pushed him away, only to find that his expression was completely serious.
"Do you still want me to scrub your back?" No problem, I'm thick-skinned anyway.
He frowned. "No. You're clumsy; you'll definitely touch my wound."
"You, me... who cares! You're not a child who needs someone to accompany you, go wash yourself!"
She picked up the handkerchief beside her and threw it at him. What a load of rubs! I'm doing you a favor by wiping your back!
Just as he was about to turn over and get off the bed, his waist suddenly tightened, and he was pulled back down.
"Be careful." He carefully removed the thin blanket that had somehow gotten wrapped around my feet. "You're about to become a mother, and you're still stumbling around like this. What if you fall?"
"So what? At worst, we'll both die..."
He didn't dare utter the last two words. He glanced at me sideways, his gaze as cold and sharp as a knife held to my neck.
"It's fine if you don't speak, but once you do, people will want to grind you to dust."
I looked up and chuckled twice. He was stunned and didn't react for a long time.
"It doesn't matter who else is involved, but you can't bear to part with them anyway." She pushed him away and got off the soft couch.
"Where are you going again?"
"Have someone bring you hot water to wash yourself."
I rolled my eyes at Chaotian. It's better for this guy to be busy. When he's free, he likes to meddle in everything. He gets upset as soon as I leave his sight.
When I got down to the lobby, I was surprised to see Shao You, whose face had been thinned out. I had just started talking about him when he appeared.
"How is Shaoyan?"
"Mr. He said things are stable for now, and Shaoming will take care of him for the time being."
"You should go and rest for a few days too. I'll take care of things here in Yunzhi."
"But Madam's health..."
"He Xiuqi will be fine, even if he's slacking off, there's still his son."
I waved my hand to interrupt him before he could finish speaking, "This time, Shao Yan's trouble was my fault. Last time, Shao Ming was also poisoned by an arrow because of me. I will go see Yun Zhi after he recovers."
Shaoyou nodded, his eyes even a little red.
"What's wrong?"
"...If it weren't for your mercy, Madam, the three of us brothers wouldn't exist today."
Wait a minute, where did this come from?
Chapter 121
"Does Madam still remember Mr. Kui Min?"
I thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with anything, so I shook my head.
"It's that Taoist priest who's accompanied by Peach Blossom Red and Plum Blossom White."
"Oh, him? What happened?"
Speaking of red peach blossoms and white plum blossoms, I'm reminded of those two little tagalongs who I always teased mercilessly.
"Does Madam still remember the Seven Kingdoms of Lianshan?"
"Weren't the Seven Kingdoms long gone?" I frowned, a sudden thought striking me. "You wouldn't happen to be triplets kidnapped from the Seven Kingdoms by that fake Taoist priest, would you?"
He nodded, and I looked at him in disbelief.
"Shaoyou, how old are you this year?"
"Twenty-six."
I always thought he was only sixteen or seventeen years old, but he's actually older than Yunzhi. How come he looks so young?
"...Back then, the fake Taoist captured you so that you would serve Xiling, right? You were the only three sons of King Qi, and now the Seven Kingdoms are down to just the three of you?"
"In fact, the Seven Kingdoms were already outmatched at that time. Mr. Kui Min captured us, and the Seven Kingdoms surrendered to Xiling in less than half a month."
He mentioned it, and it seems there was such a thing. "That's why I said he was a fake Taoist priest. I've never seen someone who lives in a Taoist temple and still has such a strong desire to kill. He wanted to kill you all when you were no longer useful. If it weren't for the fact that my family and his family are old friends, I wouldn't even let such a person into the Rong family's house."
"If it weren't for you, Madam..."
"I just can't stand that person." Having gotten used to people's deliberate flattery and sarcasm, I'm not used to Shao You's behavior.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside. Judging from the sound, there were quite a few people. Yunzhi always preferred peace and quiet. Who would dare to break this rule?
Shao You's expression also changed, and he lowered his brows and pricked up his ears, "It's the protectors and the Tianqi!"
I had just sat down and hadn't even had a sip of tea when I saw Qionghua's long boots step through the door, followed by Xiao Jinse, A Yue, and A Qing.
What are you doing here? Where is the emperor?
"You can tell me if you have anything to say."
Then Qionghua fell silent, raised her eyebrows, and turned her face to Shaoyou.
Shao You glanced up, said nothing, and then withdrew.
"Didn't you go back to your older brother's place?" Xiao Jinse asked curiously.
So, they still don't know about Yunzhi's injury?
"Where is Cang Zhe?"
"He's in the capital with Qiongying, what happened to him?"
So they split into two groups. "Just pretend I didn't ask. Li Mu hasn't been captured yet?"
"Don't try to cover it up. What happened to Cang Zhe? And what about the Lord?"
Qionghua frowned as she asked, not out of blame, but out of doubt and worry. With the situation unclear and no news of Yunzhi for so long, even the composed Qionghua began to feel uneasy; otherwise, she wouldn't have taken the risk of returning.
I pursed my lips and briefly explained what had happened. As soon as I finished, Xiao Jinse, her face dark, tried to rush upstairs.
“He needs to rest now, it’s best not to disturb him.” I raised my eyes, glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, and took two steps before finally stopping. “I said, if you have something to say, talk to me.”