“Okay!” Yi Chunjun answered without hesitation.
"Why are you working so hard for someone else's wife?" Who is this? His tone of voice is similar to Yi Chunjun's usual tone, only lower and deeper, and he seems to be older.
"Take my tendons." This time it was Pei Junwu.
Everything's a mess! Where is she? Who are all these people around her? And why can't she open her eyes?!
"No! Pei Junwu, this time... it's all my fault! I shouldn't have scared her, I never expected, I never expected..." Yi Chunjun was so agitated he couldn't speak? What? He scared her? What does that mean? Could it be—he was faking his death?!
“She is my wife, it is only right that I take the tendons for her,” Pei Junwu said calmly and indifferently.
"I know!" Yi Chunjun said, somewhat annoyed. "As long as she lives, whether she marries you or hates me for the rest of her life, I must save her!"
"Don't argue about that yet. The pain of severing tendons and removing meridians is unbearable even for a strong person; it's considered one of the most excruciating pains imaginable. Once, someone who had their tendons removed died from the excruciating pain. You've lost all your internal strength and are currently very weak. Now is the time to remove your tendons..."
She remembered—that voice belonged to Master Zhu! Was she in the bamboo forest?
"It's alright. I'll accept anything, even having my tendons pulled out, my skin peeled off, or my bones torn apart." A hand gently stroked her cheek. "As long as she can live."
Her heart stirred; it ached a little, and tasted a little sweet.
"Little fox, if only you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place!" The unfamiliar voice spoke again. "You've been full of evil schemes since you were little. I've warned you countless times that you would reap what you sow, and now it's come true?"
"Master! You've been living a long and wicked life all this time, haven't you? Haven't you suffered any retribution? Is it just that your time hasn't come yet?"
Yi Chunjun retorted impatiently.
Could it be... Senior Uncle Lan?
"I would never pretend to be dead to scare my sweetheart, would I?"
Yi Chunjun remained silent.
"You just wanted to see what would happen to her if you died, didn't you? See? Happy now?"
Yi Chunjun snorted.
"Junwu, just pull out his tendons, make him suffer to death, and you and your little wife can live a carefree and happy life." Lan Yanfeng could even laugh.
"Junior brother!" Zhu Liancheng snorted at him, both amused and exasperated.
Xiao Yuan also wanted to laugh a little. Uncle Zhu said that Uncle Lan's tone was very similar to the tone Pei Junwu used to use when speaking to Yi Chunjun.
"Isn't it funny, little fox? If I hadn't arrived in time, even your senior uncle wouldn't have been able to reconnect her pulse. The little beauty's heart and lungs were completely severed, and her internal organs were also injured. If it weren't for you and Junwu using all your inner strength to barely protect her heart and lungs, she would have turned into a wisp of fragrant soul long ago."
As Uncle Lan spoke, he reached out to touch her face. She couldn't dodge, so she could only smile bitterly and let him pinch her nose and cheeks.
"Take your hand away!" With a loud slap, Yi Chunjun shouted, unable to contain himself any longer, having likely slapped his master's hand away.
"I had to go to so much trouble to save her, what's wrong with touching her face?" Lan Yanfeng sneered, unconcerned about his disciple's sour expression. "No wonder you were so willing to do it, she's really beautiful. I've never seen you suffer a loss for nothing, this time you actually used all your inner strength to save someone else's wife, little fox, you're so generous." Lan Yanfeng couldn't help but laugh.
"Stop talking nonsense, get the tendons out, hurry up," Yi Chunjun said coldly.
"No rush, no rush. I need to finish saying everything I have to say, otherwise if you're in so much pain, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
"Junior brother..."
“Master,” Yi Chunjun sneered, his tone malicious, “Have you ever seen me unable to get a woman? This time I got the short end of the stick because she is Uncle Li’s daughter, and she was already betrothed to your nephew Pei.”
Lan Yanfeng remained silent for a moment.
After a long pause, he finally murmured, "No wonder..."
"Chunjun, have you thought it through?" He asked again solemnly, without any more teasing.
"Well, if I survive, I'm lucky; if I don't... well, I'll consider it my way of fulfilling my senior brother's wish." Yi Chunjun, however, regained some of his sarcasm.
“Even if you manage to pull through,” Zhu Liancheng sighed, “you probably won’t be able to use your left hand freely for at least five years.”
Xiao Yuan was a little anxious, but he couldn't move, speak, or open his eyes.
“Take mine.” Pei Junwu spoke very little, but his words were always resolute.
"No, Pei Junwu, this is all I can do for her. I—love her! Pei Junwu, to be honest, if it comes to giving her a peaceful life and taking good care of her, you've done a better job than me. If I die, you take good care of her; if I live..."
"If you can live, I'm willing to give up the engagement. It all depends on Xiaoyuan's wishes." Pei Junwu made a solemn promise, and after saying that, he smiled softly, "Yi Chunjun, you have to pull through. Your chances of winning are greater than mine."
Yi Chunjun laughed too, "But this little vixen knows I lied to her again, she'll get revenge on me." He affectionately touched her face. "Let's begin, I'm ready."
No……
Are they going to pull out his tendons and connect them to her body? He might die from the excruciating pain!
"Put this in your mouth." Was Uncle Zhu speaking to him? "Otherwise, your teeth will break. I'm going to take one from your chest and one from your back. Take a deep breath, your master will protect your internal organs. As long as you can endure the pain, there shouldn't be any other danger."
"Um."
No! Yi Chunjun!
"ah--"
Xiao Yuan was almost shattered by his screams; he must be in so much pain! She never wanted to hear that scream again in her life!
"Oh no!" she heard her Uncle Lan exclaim in a low voice, "The little fox seems to be about to collapse!"
In her panic, her consciousness went blank, and she knew nothing more...
Yi Chunjun, she truly hated him. Why did he make her repeatedly experience the fear of losing him?