La pluie printanière est comme du vin, les saules comme de la fumée

Chapitre 197

As soon as Qingyun stepped into Lige's room, her brows furrowed tightly, and she felt a strange unease. The room lacked its usual fresh pear blossom scent and faint medicinal fragrance; instead, there was a nauseating stench of blood.

Qingyun had drunk too much of Li Ge's blood, so she could naturally distinguish the taste of Li Ge's blood.

But now—Qingyun's pupils suddenly contracted, and her heart tightened.

That bloody smell was the smell of Li Ge's blood.

She scanned the room, finding nothing amiss. However, she could definitely smell blood. But what was emitting it?

Suddenly, she noticed the white clothes on Li Ge's bed.

Her clothes were still pure white, as white as snow. It seems that Li Ge returned to her residence to change into her court attire before entering the palace.

Qingyun stepped forward, her slender hands gently lifting a corner of her clothes, and she saw something she would never forget in her life.

Eight blood-red beads, shaped like red beans, are strung on a highly elastic silver wire, but their surfaces are covered with a thin layer of crystal.

It lay quietly in its pure white garment, and in the stark contrast, it resembled eight red beans fallen on snow, or even red plum blossoms on snowflakes.

Qingyun leaned closer and took a sniff; a strong, pungent smell of blood filled her nostrils.

Qingyun trembled; it was the blood of Lige.

What exactly is this?

Just then, the door creaked open, and the dull sound made Qingyun's heart skip a beat. She didn't turn around; she kept staring at the eight blood-red beads, and an unbelievable thought quietly surfaced at the bottom of her heart.

Extremely light footsteps sounded behind Qingyun, accompanied by a series of helpless sighs.

Those sighs brought her thoughts to the surface, and Qingyun's heart sank heavily. She felt the blood in her limbs begin to freeze, making her feet firmly planted on the ground.

Qingyun's shoulders began to tremble.

A pair of slightly warm hands slipped through her arms and gently embraced her from behind, tightening their grip little by little, as if trying to meld her into her very bones.

“Li Ge…” Qingyun’s voice trembled as she covered the large hand that was holding her waist and held it tightly.

Without needing to say more, Li Ge sensed her trembling heart and whispered in her ear, "Women are indeed as you think."

Qingyun's body trembled even more, and her heart ached terribly.

Hot tears slid down her face, landing on Li Ge's sleeves, gradually forming teardrops.

"This is the only way to cure the root cause."

The moonlight shone brightly outside the window, casting a silvery glow through the half-open window. The air was especially fresh after the rain, and a night breeze, carrying the freshness of autumn, blew into the room, gradually dispelling the strong stench of blood.

Qingyun calmed down, pulled Lige's hands away, and turned to face him. In the dim candlelight, his face was as pale as ever. Qingyun gently stroked his bloodless face. "When did you start?"

"Woman, don't worry. Your blood will return soon."

"When did you start?" Qingyun asked stubbornly, having received no answer.

Li Ge could only reply, "After returning from Elder Xian's place."

Qingyun's brows furrowed tightly. It started months ago?! No wonder he's always looked pale when she sees him these past few months.

"Where did you learn about this method?"

Li Ge reached out and gently rubbed her brow until it was smoothed out. Then he said, "The glass bead bracelet that Father made himself can suppress the demonic nature within you. And the blood in my body can also suppress your demonic nature. The Immortal Elder told me a long time ago that at the summit of Tianshan Mountain, deep within the thorns, there is a very special crystal. It can hold any liquid and keep it inside the crystal forever."

"So you put your blood into the crystal?"

“Yes. But we’re still missing two beads. You used to have ten beads on your glass bead bracelet, so this time you need to collect ten beads as well. Woman, you can’t stop me.” Li Ge’s chapped lips parted into a faint smile.

Qingyun sniffed, and just as she was about to say something, Lige pressed his finger against her lips.

He said with feigned resentment, "Woman, I've already given my all, and now I only need two more pills. You can't let me waste all my efforts!"

Qingyun remained silent, but the hand that had been stroking his face suddenly moved slowly downwards. Li Ge trembled as if he could feel the trembling in his body. Qingyun looked up at him and smiled, her eyes radiating a captivating charm.

With a "hiss," Li Ge's shirt tore in two and fell to the ground.

"Woman, what do you want to do?" Li Ge's eyes narrowed slightly, exuding a dangerous aura.

Just as Qingyun was about to tear his undergarment again, Lige grabbed her hand tightly.

"Woman, this is a very dangerous thing."

Qingyun pursed her lips. "I need to see the wound."

"There are no wounds."

"Then I'll keep tearing."

"Woman, you're playing with fire."

"Even if I get burned, I still want to see the wound." At this moment, Qingyun was as stubborn as an ox.

“…Okay, I surrender.” Li Ge sighed; he could never refuse her request.

Li Ge put down her hand and carefully took off half of her undershirt, revealing her scarred left arm.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Qingyun's cold fingers trembled as she traced the wounds. With each additional wound, her heart clenched deeply; these eight scars seemed etched into her very soul. She could imagine how Lige had painstakingly carved each wound into her arm, the blood flowing freely until it finally settled into the translucent crystal.

Her mother once told her that if a man was willing to tie up her hair, then that man would be her soulmate. She encountered three men who had all tied up her hair—three hands, three affections—but not all of them were her soulmate. However, she met a man who was willing to tie up her hair, make clothes for her, cook for her, and even bleed for her.