"We'll never get to see Lan Wuxie's handsome face in this lifetime, but being able to play with his women is already a blessing!"
Her consciousness was hazy and drifting, but the voice in her ear was clearer than ever.
Never before had she so strongly wished to die immediately.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness, the fat man lying on top of her stopped and slowly turned around.
Before Hua Chongyang had fully opened her eyes and regained consciousness, the fat man fell onto her again. When she opened her eyes, she saw a headless corpse before her, blood gushing out like a fountain over her body, the stench of blood everywhere. The fat man scrambled off her, and Hua Chongyang struggled to open her eyes, just in time to see someone stumbling and running towards her in the dim light.
She slowly closed her eyes again.
A pair of hands gently wiped her swollen face, and a hoarse, trembling voice sounded more beautiful and reassuring than heavenly music to her ears.
"...Double Ninth Festival?"
Hua Chongyang, with his eyes closed, grinned and answered in a barely audible voice:
"I...I'm not dead yet."
Lan Wuxie knelt beside her, one hand supporting her neck, the other repeatedly wiping the blood from her face and body with a handkerchief. He didn't even bother to dress her first, making her already bruised and swollen face ache even more. Hua Chongyang gradually regained consciousness, opened her eyes, and grabbed his hand, her voice trembling as she spoke:
"...No, don't wipe it...it's not...it's not...my blood."
Lan Wuxie then stopped, took off his cloak and wrapped it around her naked body, picked her up and placed her on the bed, holding her tightly.
When the lamp was lit, the surroundings were as bright as day, illuminating her hunched body, her long, disheveled hair covered in dust, the swollen, purplish-blue mark on her left cheek that was an inch high, the bruises on her neck and chest, and the bloodstains at the corners of her mouth that had not yet dried.
This time, not only was she trembling, but even Lan Wuxie's hands, which were holding her, began to shake. His long, narrow eyes watched her tremble like a leaf against his chest, his pupils gradually contracting. His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word. After a long while, he finally managed to gently touch her face with trembling hands, his voice hoarse and trembling:
"Don't be afraid, it's all over, you're alright now. It's my fault for not finding this place sooner, making you suffer."
Hua Chongyang lowered his head and closed his eyes, and after a long while, he spoke weakly:
"...I want to go back."
Lan Wuxie wrapped her tightly in his cloak and answered her repeatedly:
"...Okay, okay, whatever you say, we'll go back right now."
As he spoke, he picked up Hua Chongyang and was about to leave. Seeing this, Lan Shu cautiously stepped forward:
"Master, these two people—"
A headless corpse lay in the corner, blood still gushing from its neck; the leader of the men in black had been stabbed in the arm, and he and the fat man were being held at swordpoint by two Lan Ying Palace disciples, trembling in the shadows under the window.
Lan Wuxie, carrying Hua Chongyang, turned and walked out without turning back when she heard Lan Shu's question, her voice as cold as ice:
"Save one alive; the remaining one, cripple his martial arts, chop off his hands and feet, and feed him to the wild dogs."
34. Leafy Green Flower
Upon hearing Lan Wuxie's words, Hua Chongyang suddenly spoke up:
"etc."
Lan Wuxie stopped in her tracks.
She struggled to her feet, wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, and bent down to pick up the sword from the ground.
Lan Wuxie watched quietly from behind her. Hua Chongyang's hand was clearly still trembling, yet he slowly approached the fat man in black, raised an eyebrow, and swung his sword.
The blade was incredibly sharp; the fat man's right arm fell to the ground, and he writhed and howled in pain. Blood splattered everywhere, staining the black cloak of Lan Wuxie that Hua Chongyang was wearing. She tossed the sword aside, her eyes cold.
"I'm not killing you because I don't want you to die so easily."
If Lan Wuxie hadn't arrived in time, she would be the one suffering unbearable pain right now. Having lived for over eighteen years, she had seen and done countless things, but she had never actually killed anyone; yet today, she showed no mercy with that sword strike.
She did nothing, yet others could be so cruel to her; she even retaliated against those who wanted to destroy her with a sword, showing that there are too many merciful people.
The fat man, rolling on the ground, yelled and shouted, his words unbearable to hear. Lan Wuxie supported Hua Chongyang, whose legs had given way and who was about to collapse, and scooped her up in his arms, whispering instructions to Lan Shu:
"Tell him to shut up first."
Lan Shu pulled a dagger from her sleeve and walked towards the fat man.
Hua Chongyang didn't want to look anymore, so he closed his eyes and snuggled into Lan Wuxie's arms.
Back at Banlianzui, Hua Chongyang took a bath, changed his clothes, and curled up on the wooden couch to go to sleep.
She was genuinely tired.
Throughout the day, she drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally hearing Lan Wuxie's soft coughs. In the evening, he gently woke her to feed her porridge. Hua Chongyang leaned lazily against the couch, watching him slowly blow on the porridge to cool it down, then clumsily scooped a spoonful and brought it to her lips.
She slowly swallowed a mouthful of porridge. One mouthful, then another; Lan Wuxie watched her eat half a bowl, a happy smile on his face. He wiped her mouth with his sleeve and scooped up another spoonful:
"Eat some more."
Hua Chongyang frowned and pushed the bowl of porridge away:
"I can't eat anymore."
"If you can't eat, then don't eat." Lan Wuxie said obediently, putting down the bowl of porridge and picking up a glass bottle from the table. "I'll put some medicine on your face for you."
After applying the medicine, he carefully washed his hands before taking off his robes and climbing onto the wooden bed, where he reached out and embraced Hua Chongyang.
"This will never happen again..."
Hua Chongyang nodded absentmindedly, then turned to face Lan Wuxie:
"Is my face ugly?"
She knew perfectly well how hard the fat man's slap had hit her; the bruises and swelling on her face hadn't completely subsided, and with the thin layer of ointment applied, she looked absolutely awful. But Lan Wuxie reached out and touched her face, simply smiling.
"It's still very beautiful."
"I know it looks bad."
You're prettier than everyone else, no matter what.
Hua Chongyang turned his face away:
"You're just trying to sweet-talk me. I don't want to talk to you anymore."
"It's only temporary. You'll be fine tomorrow after tonight." Lan Wuxie didn't argue with her, changing the subject, "The medicine from Lan Ying Palace is always very effective."
Hua Chongyang also realized he was being a bit unreasonable. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked:
"That...that assassin, what did you do with him?"
Lan Wuxie smiled, picked up a cup of tea from the table next to her, and brought it to her lips:
Why worry about that?
"I just want to know."
"Drink some water first."
Hua Chongyang took a small sip, glaring at him relentlessly. Lan Wuxie put down his teacup, wrapped her in a blanket, and then said:
"If someone touches my things, I'll make them pay tenfold. Knowing you're one of my people, if you dare to try and kill me, you should be prepared to die a horrible death."
With a few words spoken casually, Lan Wuxie wrapped his arm around her waist and lay down on his side:
"I'm not going to talk about it anymore, I'm going to sleep a little longer. The bruises on my face will be gone when I wake up tomorrow."
Hua Chongyang nodded and lay down quietly with him.
The candlelight flickered on the opposite table. Nestled against Hua Chongyang's chest, she suddenly reached out to untie the sash of Lan Wuxie's inner garment. Halfway through, Lan Wuxie raised his hand and pressed it down on hers.
"Don't move."
Hua Chongyang gritted his teeth, squeezing out a voice that was as low as it could possibly be:
"I...want you."
She tilted her head back and bit the corner of his mouth.
Lan Wuxie turned her face away. With the candlelight behind him, he gazed at her intently for a long time, then gently took her hand in his.
"Don't think about that now. Just get some rest tonight."
Seeing Lan Wuxie fall asleep with an innocent expression, Hua Chongyang couldn't fall asleep at all.
It was nearly midnight when Lan Wuxie wrapped his arms around her from behind, his breathing quiet and deep. The candlelight had gone out sometime earlier, and she stared into the darkness, not knowing how long she had been staring. She noticed that Lan Wuxie's breathing behind her had become shallow, so she coughed a few times, carefully removed his arms, put on her clothes, and got up.
She turned her head slightly and watched him carefully and silently approach the table to pour water and drink tea, then whispered:
"Leftover cold tea is bad for your health, don't drink it."
Lan Wuxie was taken aback. She put down her teacup, raised her hand to light the lamp on the table, and then walked back to sit down on the edge of the couch.
Did I wake you up?
"No." Hua Chongyang grabbed his snow-white sleeve and covered his eyes. "I haven't been able to sleep."
Lan Wuxie remained silent for a moment, then leaned down and pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her back with his hand:
"What's past is past, don't dwell on it."
Hua Chongyang still covered his face with his sleeve, and after a long while, he said in a low, intermittent voice:
"I just... got touched by that jerk, and I felt like I was somehow dirty."
She soaked in the water for almost an hour, washing and scrubbing, but no matter how she washed, she just couldn't get it clean.
His hand, which was stroking her back, froze and remained motionless for a long time. Just when Hua Chongyang thought he had probably fallen asleep again, he suddenly lowered his head, forcefully lifted Hua Chongyang's chin, and said in a hoarse yet gentle voice:
"...Chongyang, I want you."
This time, it was Hua Chongyang's turn to look differently:
"Never mind... I'm a little tired."
But Lan Wuxie turned her face away, kissing her inch by inch, seducing her little by little. The candlelight was gentle and tender, and Hua Chongyang could not resist the temptation and finally succumbed.
The next morning, Hua Chongyang opened her eyes to find the sun already high in the sky. She lazily got out of bed and saw Lan Cao carrying hot water into the room. Lan Wuxie wasn't there, so she casually asked:
"Where is your sect leader?"
Lancao grinned and carried the basin of water to the bedside:
"The Pavilion Master is busy with some matters and asked me to help you dress and apply medicine. Miss Chongyang, your—ah! How did you get so badly injured! It must hurt a lot!" She looked at Hua Chongyang's half-exposed shoulder, covered in bruises and red welts, with a face full of shock and pain, and simply burst into curses, "Those trash! They hurt you like this! In my opinion, they deserve to be punished no matter what!"
"……"
Hua Chongyang quickly pulled up her collar to cover her shoulders. Lancao took the ointment and was about to pull up her collar again:
"Let me apply the medicine. Does it still hurt?"