The group thought that Ruan Ziya was afraid of their numbers and wanted to submit to them, and they were all overjoyed. They rushed to reach out and touch her slender hand that was lying on the table, but they all found nothing.
Ruan Ziya quickly withdrew her hand, stood up, and chuckled softly, "This isn't a suitable place to talk. Let's find a quiet spot..."
The group was overjoyed and exclaimed, "That makes sense!" They quickly swarmed around Ruan Ziya and led her out of the restaurant.
As everyone watched them happily leading Ruan Ziya towards a narrow alley in the distance, they shook their heads and sighed. Suddenly, a white shadow flashed before their eyes, and a person darted out from the corner like the wind, chasing after Ruan Ziya and her group as if flying.
After a long while, Ruan Ziya breathed heavily and leaned against the wall to get out. In the dark alley, several burly men were lying haphazardly on the ground, their bodies turning bluish-purple.
After a cold laugh, Ruan Ziya smiled bitterly: her internal blood and qi had been churning more and more frequently lately, and besides, she was already... If she were to encounter such petty villains again, she wondered if she would still have the strength to deal with them.
She sighed softly and murmured, "It seems the only option is to find a secluded place, hide away, and slowly wait to die. It's safe, but it's also incredibly boring."
Just then, another sharp pain shot through her chest and abdomen. Ruan Ziya clutched her chest, closed her eyes for a long while, and when she opened them again, all she could see was a white blur. Just as she was about to leave the city, she suddenly noticed a small white figure in front of her, running towards her.
Ruan Ziya frowned slightly, her hand retracting as she was about to strike, when a little girl's timid voice rang out: "Sister, are you sick?"
Ruan Ziya paused for a moment, then softly hummed in agreement.
The little girl breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to put something into Ruan Ziya's hand. Ruan Ziya felt that it was hard and thin to the touch, like a bamboo skewer. She heard the little girl say in a crisp voice, "This sugar figurine is for you to eat." After saying that, she turned around and ran away.
Ruan Ziya paused for a moment, then put the sugar figurine in her mouth. The sweet and comforting taste from her childhood memories immediately filled her lips, tongue, and heart, and she couldn't help but smile slightly.
--The End--
Author's Note: Sigh, I finally have the chance to write the words "The End"! *tears*
Don't say I'm a liar, there will be an extra chapter, cough cough cough.
PS: For details about the sugar figurine, please see Chapter 49, Snow Valley Ice Peak 2.
Holding Hands [Bonus Chapter]
Ruan Ziya regained consciousness several days later.
She still remembered that day outside the narrow alley, it must have been because she had previously stirred her inner energy, which triggered the sudden onset of the poison from the stream. When that soul-piercing, bone-corroding pain suddenly struck her again, she could not bear it and collapsed backward.
Before losing consciousness, she vaguely felt a pair of arms reach out and pull her tightly into their embrace.
What followed was endless pain and torment, and long darkness. She spent most of her time in a coma and nightmare. In her hazy state of mind, it seemed as if someone was constantly whispering her name in her ear, feeding her spoonfuls of medicine, and carefully and gently wiping her whole body.
Occasionally, when she regained consciousness, she seemed to see white shadows moving in front of her. She was weak all over, barely breathing, and could only utter a few soft murmurs that she herself could not hear before falling back into unconsciousness.
But this time when I woke up, I felt different from before. Although I still felt weak and powerless, my mind was clear and my chest and abdomen were no longer painful or stabbing.
Ruan Ziya moved her fingers slightly and felt her hand being held. When she opened her eyes, a little light shone through them.
She quickly closed her eyes, and after a moment of adjustment, she slowly opened them. Turning her head, she saw a man lying on his side by the bed, his hand still tightly holding hers, fast asleep with his eyes closed.
His profile was as handsome as ever, with his long eyebrows slightly raised, exuding a hint of unruliness, and a sly smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Even in his dreams, he is still causing trouble.
A slight smile appeared on Ruan Ziya's face as she gently withdrew her hand.
Murong Wuhen stirred and woke up. He looked up and saw Ruan Ziya looking at him. Overjoyed, he blurted out, "You..."
He had just uttered a single word when he suddenly remembered something, his face darkened, he cleared his throat, and said in a deep voice, "Miss, you're awake?"
Ruan Ziya noticed that his voice had suddenly changed from deep to deep, and she felt a little strange. She stared at him blankly without saying a word.
Seeing her dazed look, Murong Wuhen became even more certain and continued in a deep voice, "I happened to find you unconscious by the roadside, so I helped you. It was out of necessity. If I have offended you, please forgive me."
Ruan Ziya's expression shifted, and after a long while, she finally smiled faintly and said in a low voice, "My savior?" As she spoke, she struggled to sit up, but then felt a wave of dizziness and fell backward.
Murong Wuhen hurriedly said, "Be careful!" He put his arm around her shoulder and helped her sit up slowly.
He saw Ruan Ziya with her long eyelashes drooping, leaning softly against his chest, and a surge of tenderness welled up in his heart. But then he remembered that she had gone blind after being poisoned. He was now hiding his identity and was just a stranger to Ruan Ziya. Yet she didn't mind being held so intimately by him. Wasn't that a big problem?
Ruan Ziya turned her head and saw his expression suddenly turn gloomy. Knowing what he was thinking, she smiled and looked up to ask, "Young master, how can I possibly repay your great kindness?"
When Murong Wuhen saw her smiling gently at him, he felt even more uncomfortable and couldn't say a word.
Suddenly, he felt Ruan Ziya turn around in his arms and reach out to touch his cheek. He froze, feeling a surge of anger, but dared not lash out.
He felt Ruan Ziya's soft fingers brush against his cheek, gently caressing it, and slowly lifting it...
With a sharp "slap," a stinging slap landed on his face. Startled, Murong Wuhen saw Ruan Ziya looking at him with a half-smile, and suddenly realized what was happening. He stammered, "Your eyes..."
Ruan Ziya's eyes flashed with annoyance, and she snorted, "You brat, you think you can fool me again just because I'm blind?"
Murong Wuhen coughed repeatedly and said with a forced smile, "I... I was afraid you wouldn't want to see me."
Seeing that he was still holding her tightly with both arms, Ruan Ziya tried to break free with a sullen face. Murong Wuhen did not dare to resist her with force, and helped her lie back on the bed gently, saying softly, "You have been unconscious for many days and your body is very weak. Don't move around. I will go and get you some food."
As Ruan Ziya watched his slightly disheveled figure disappear quickly outside the door, a sweet smile couldn't help but appear on her face.
Two days later, Ruan Ziya gradually regained her strength, and Murong Wuhen helped her out of the room to walk around.
The two had been staying at the Qifeng Inn in Wuzhou City. Ruan Ziya recalled that a year ago, it was from this place that she lured Gu Qingyun into the ambush, and then she first met Murong Wuhen in the forest outside the city. She was filled with emotion.
The innkeeper of Qifeng Inn was a woman in her thirties. When she saw the two of them coming downstairs, she came forward to greet them with a smile.
Seeing that the woman had willow-leaf eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and fair skin, Ruan Ziya realized she was a truly charming beauty. She also noticed the woman's familiar conversation with Murong Wuhen, leading her to surmise that Murong Wuhen, being a womanizer, had likely been using his stay to philander. Ruan Ziya was secretly annoyed when she suddenly saw the proprietress turn to look at her, smiling and saying, "While Madam Murong was ill, your husband stayed by your side day and night, worrying about you tirelessly. Many beautiful women come to our shop every day to express their love for him, but he hasn't given any of them a second glance. He's truly a rare and honest man. Even I can't help but envy your good fortune." She covered her mouth and laughed.
Ruan Ziya looked at Murong Wuhen in surprise and saw that he was standing beside her with a straight face and did not say a word, but a faint blush passed over his face. He then lowered his eyelashes and smiled slightly.
Seeing that she was smiling but not speaking, the proprietress assumed that she was shy and timid. She then teased Murong Wuhen a few times before going to attend to other customers.
The two strolled out of the inn, and Ruan Ziya suddenly smiled and said, "This landlady is quite interesting."
Murong Wuhen snorted and said sullenly, "Just a gossip, I don't find her interesting at all."
With a smile in her eyes, Ruan Ziya turned around and asked, "Are there really so many girls who are infatuated with you?"
Murong Wuhen couldn't help but feel smug, puffing out his chest and saying, "Of course, someone as dashing and handsome as me..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ruan Ziya shook his head and sighed, "I don't see what's so good about it?"
Murong Wuhen paused, but Ruan Ziya's eyes lit up. She pointed to a sugar figurine stall on the street and said, "I want to eat sugar figurines again."
That night, the two went to bed separately. Ruan Ziya turned over in her tent, and heard Murong Wuhen, who was sleeping on the floor, also turn over. She then called out softly, "Murong Wuhen?"
Murong Wuhen straightened up and asked, "What is it?"
Ruan Ziya said softly, "I will be leaving this place tomorrow."
Murong Wuhen's heart tightened, and he asked in a low voice, "Where...are you going?"
Ruan Ziya said, "Beiyuan." She paused for a moment, then said softly, "Stay with me."
Murong Wuhen was overjoyed. He got up and lifted the bed curtains. He saw Ruan Ziya looking at him with a smile in her eyes. He sat down on the edge of the bed and said softly, "Of course I will stay with you."
Ruan Ziya felt a sweet warmth in her heart and was about to speak when she saw Murong Wuhen quickly take off his inner garment. She was stunned and asked, "What are you doing?"
Murong Wuhen coughed and said, "I'll keep you company. I haven't been with a woman for half a year. Now that my own woman has asked me to keep her company, I'll certainly do my best tonight."
He reached out and pulled Ruan Ziya into his arms. Recalling the past, he suddenly chuckled softly, "Actually, I had already made up my mind. Even if you try to drive me away, I will shamelessly cling to you. I'm going to spend my life with you."
[End of article]