Небо над реками и озерами очень чистое - Глава 29
A brocade screen blocked his view in front of the pool. He gently placed the tray on the edge of the screen and was about to retreat when there was a splash, as if something had risen from the bottom of the water. A weary sigh echoed in the room.
After a long silence, the sound of footsteps leaving the water was heard, and a hand reached out from behind the screen and grabbed the tray.
Her snow-white arms were adorned with bright red virginity marks, but what was truly shocking were the purplish-blue bite marks, pinch marks, and bruises.
My blood suddenly turned ice-cold.
In an instant, I understood many things, yet I couldn't believe it.
His mind went blank, and he unconsciously rushed through the brocade barrier into the misty room, instinctively wanting to verify something.
Jia Ye sat by the pool, her slender legs dangling in the water, her long, wet hair cascading down her front. A gruesome laceration ran across her thin shoulder blade. She bent over slightly, struggling to apply medicine to herself, her small face appearing even paler in the steam. Her body was covered in numerous bluish-purple marks, the most alarming being on her chest.
Suddenly hearing footsteps, she looked up, instantly enraged. With a flick of her wrist, the tray and the bottles and jars on it flew up and crashed down through the air.
He didn't dodge, and a jade bottle hit him on the head with the force of a heavy hammer. His vision went black, and the impact carried him back a few steps until he was outside the bathroom.
A trickle of blood flowed down his forehead, and he was simply stunned.
A buzzing sound filled my ears; the scene I had just witnessed seemed to be branded into my heart, burning me to the point of losing my mind and feeling like my heart was about to break.
After an unknown amount of time, Jia Ye stepped out from behind the screen.
Her black hair was still dripping wet, stray strands falling across her cheeks. Her clothes were slightly disheveled, still damp with mist. She glanced at him indifferently and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"It's good that you're out. Go and rest now."
After a long silence, a hoarse voice broke the silence.
"What method did you use?"
"Didn't you guess?" Jia Ye wiped her long hair with one hand, her face almost transparently white. "Lust killed him. The King of Shanshan is cunning and unpredictable, and he has a fondness for young girls. I took advantage of that."
"You never... use sex to kill."
“There’s always a first time.” She glanced at it expressionlessly. “Anyway, there’s no loss, and it’s very effective.”
Overwhelmed by surging emotions, he could no longer speak and clenched his teeth tightly.
"Go and light some incense, the kind that's light and soothing for sleep."
He silently complied, and a faint fragrance wafted through the air. Then the curtains were drawn again, and the room dimmed.
"Go down, I need to rest."
As the footsteps faded away, she carefully lay down on the soft silk mattress, trying not to touch her wound, and her tense emotions finally relaxed little by little.
Killing the King of Shanshan was a temporary solution to the problem of the King of the Sect, but she still couldn't relax at all. There were still a lot of backlogged affairs, and she didn't have much time to rest. She closed her eyes and was gradually overcome by sleepiness.
In a hazy state, someone approached the bedside, getting closer and closer...
She suddenly woke up, and the short sword in her sleeve flashed out like lightning.
The man who had left and returned knelt by the bedside, a sharp, cold glint of light pressed against his throat. He seemed oblivious, silently watching her.
Perhaps due to her injury, she felt dizzy. She moved the sword away inch by inch, which aggravated the wound on her back, causing her to break out in a cold sweat.
"What are you doing back here?"
Her dark eyes swept over the jade plate in his hand. "I've already applied the medicine, it's nothing serious."
"Bandaging the wound on your back is difficult, let me apply the medicine for you."
"No need, it's not a serious injury." Her forehead was getting hotter and hotter; she couldn't hold on any longer. "Get out."
“I’ll take care of it quickly. You don’t want anyone to find out you’re injured.” He pulled open the bottle cap himself, reached out and turned her over onto her stomach, his movements light but firm.
"Just bear with it for a moment."
Perhaps due to the weakness brought on by her injuries, she did not refuse again. He took the sword from her hand and placed it aside. She lay softly on the couch, her breathing slightly disordered.
He used silver scissors to cut open the clothes on her back, and as expected, he simply wrapped it haphazardly without any careful treatment. He carefully cleaned and applied medicine, but the open wound shouldn't have gotten wet at all, yet she had soaked it for so long, which would definitely delay the healing process.
The skin beneath his fingers was burning hot, his pale face flushed an unnatural red, and his eyes had lost their usual sharpness, making him look weak and powerless, like a sickly child.
"The wound on his back...who is it?"
After a long while, a low, slightly dazed voice spoke.
“National Preceptor of Shanshan. It’s just that my meridians were only just opening when I escaped… so my reaction was a little slow.”
"Meridians?"
"They were very vigilant... I managed to get away with it by using my self-imposed isolation martial arts with golden needles." The numbing and hypnotic ingredients in the powder gradually took effect, and her mind relaxed.
"You used poison?" He couldn't imagine suppressing his martial arts skills in such a dangerous environment.
"Hmm... I hid medicine in my fingernail, scratched his skin... and then pierced his heart with a gold needle..." The girl's voice grew softer and softer, becoming indistinct as fever and exhaustion overwhelmed her, eroding her senses.
He silently bandaged the wound, his movements extremely gentle.
The dazed woman was oblivious to everything. Her pale pink lips were slightly ulcerated, which he knew must be from her own biting. He lightly applied some medicinal powder.
The jarring bluish-purple discoloration on the tender skin was particularly unsightly. Long, slender fingertips touched it gently, lingering for a long time.
Hidden thoughts are like the rising fragrance of burning incense.
It disperses in mid-air, unnoticed by anyone.
Xinlan
The setting sun streamed in through the window, bringing a gentle warmth.
At the large desk, the man perused intelligence reports from various countries, meticulously categorizing and organizing them. He concentrated intently on extracting key points. The desk was somewhat low for him, causing his tall frame to lean slightly forward. His sharply defined eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his lips were beautifully pursed. His profile was strikingly handsome, and coupled with his cold, sharp aura, it was enough to captivate anyone.
How could such a man have fallen to such a state?
She lay on her pillow, lost in thought.
As a subject, he must have felt extremely wronged.
Cruel and merciless fate, like a terrifying giant hand, arbitrarily manipulates people's destinies. With a flick of its finger, it twists a dashing young man from Jiangnan into a subservient shadow slave.
Faced with a harsh and unforgiving reality, what else can one do but submit?
He has adapted quite well.
There was no resentment, no foolish struggles, and no self-destructive behavior.
Even with his fluctuating distance and cold demeanor, he never complained, nor did he betray her. If she were in his shoes, she wondered if she could have done better.
How difficult it is to survive in an environment rife with evil. How long can he hold on as his long-held beliefs and will gradually crumble?
The man suddenly looked over and met her eyes.
His deep eyes reflected the sunlight, and for a moment I was completely captivated.
After gazing at each other silently for a long time, he walked over, brushed a strand of hair that had fallen on his cheek, poured a glass of water, and carefully helped her up.
She often felt thirsty after her injury.
He leaned against his chest, took the teacup, and drank too quickly, choking unintentionally. The movement aggravated his wound, causing a sudden sharp pain in his back. He gently rubbed his back, avoiding the injured area, to calm his rapid breathing.
Once she calmed down, she gently wiped the water from her lips with her slender fingers and took the cup away.
"Slow down, it's not good to drink too much at once." The soft voice whispered in my ear, so gentle.
She nodded unconsciously.
Do you want to sleep some more?
"No need. There's too much to do; we need to deal with it as soon as possible." The fever had subsided, and as long as she didn't touch the injured area, she was fine except for feeling weak and limp. She tried to sit up, but he stopped her.
"I've summarized some of the important points, I'll show them to you in a bit, and I'll read out the urgent ones to you. Since you were injured, you've been traveling for days without rest, so you're still very weak and it's best not to get out of bed for now."
His attitude was both gentle and firm, which she found very difficult to accept. He had always been someone who simply followed orders, so why was he making such a proactive decision?
Before she could speak, he took several soft pillows and placed them behind her so that she could lie on her side more comfortably. He also took the key points he had just copied and let her read them.
A stroke of elegant and flowing cursive script caught her eye, and she couldn't help but be slightly surprised.
"You have beautiful handwriting."
Secret matters within the church are mostly communicated orally, and he is rarely seen writing them down. Documents are often given to him but he never even glances at them. Compared to his own casual and sloppy handwriting, his is indeed much more beautiful.
"You're always reading my writing, it's really unfair to you." Thinking about how rough her handwriting was, she laughed self-deprecatingly.
“You just haven’t practiced enough,” he replied seriously, without smiling.
"Today I've witnessed firsthand the power of family learning." She teased slightly, noticing the slight stiffness in the person beside her, but continued as if unaware. "I haven't practiced calligraphy since I was four years old, so feel free to say I'm terrible at it."
"Practicing calligraphy is of little use."
She smiled slightly, then listlessly lowered the note in her hand.
"You're right, the only practical skill here is killing."
"You shouldn't be in a place like this."
He spoke in a very low voice, but she pretended not to hear him and casually changed the subject.
"By the way, I met the little princess of Shanshan Kingdom. She is indeed beautiful, even more so than Yan Rong. No wonder you couldn't bring yourself to do it."
“That’s not the reason…” Junyan awkwardly looked away, unable to reveal the real reason.
She didn't press further, offering only a gentle reminder.
"No matter the reason, don't make the same mistake again next time. Giving her a chance is tantamount to throwing your own life away."
He remained silent for a long while. "Why did you save me?"
The likelihood of someone who is historically most adept at weighing pros and cons and weighing gains and losses making such a decision is almost zero. The risks involved are far beyond imagination, and the consequences of a misstep are self-evident.
"You still have some use." She lowered her eyelashes, her tone flat. "That's all."
That's a response very much in line with her usual style.
Looking at her indifferent, bare face, she showed no emotion whatsoever, as if this answer was already expected.
“Gaye”.
"Um."
"What do you want?" He stared at her face. "What makes you willingly stay in this godforsaken place?"
He wanted to know what reason it was for someone who wasn't greedy for power and wealth to hold onto power, who wasn't a dark and bloodthirsty person who was constantly killing and plundering, and who wasn't cold-hearted and ruthless.