Путешествие безумки по династии Сун

Глава 43

No, she was injured saving him; how could he sleep soundly alone? Xuan Yuan rolled out of bed, quickly dressed, and went out. Seeing that the light in Leng Jie's room was still on, he involuntarily walked to the window. He looked inside, and his expression changed drastically. Without a word, he had already slipped into the room through the window, his right hand gripping Leng Jie's chin with lightning speed.

"What do you want to do?" the angry question blurted out.

The sudden force on her chin and the questioning voice in her ear jolted Leng Jie awake from her daze. Her body involuntarily stiffened.

Uh! What am I doing? She couldn't help but ask herself.

"Were you trying to bite your tongue and commit suicide just now?" Xuanyuan asked again.

No way? She'd try to bite her tongue and kill herself? Leng Jie stared wide-eyed at Xuan Yuan in disbelief, as if to say, "Are you mistaken? How could I possibly commit suicide?"

Xuanyuan noticed that her current expression was completely different from her dazed state earlier. Still uneasy, he asked...

Are you sure you're not thinking of taking your own life?

Unable to speak, Leng Jie could only blink a few times to reassure him. Only then did he notice her tears flowing like a spring. He immediately released his hand from her chin and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of his hand. He said urgently:

"I'm sorry! Don't cry, it's my fault. I really thought you were going to do something drastic. Did I pinch you too hard? Don't cry!..."

Xuanyuan wiped away her incessant tears with one hand, and gently stroked her chin, which had been pinched by his large hand and left two blue finger marks, with the other. He kept saying comforting words.

Covered in wounds, Leng Jie didn't care whether he had inflicted new ones. Her entire mind was focused on the words "biting her tongue to commit suicide." The scene from just moments ago replayed in her mind. Leng Jie herself couldn't believe that she had actually considered biting her tongue to kill herself. How could she have such a cowardly thought? Finally, she concluded that the answer was:

"It must be a ghost possession."

"Possessed by a ghost?" Xuanyuan looked at her in confusion and repeated.

Coming to her senses, Leng Jie suddenly noticed two large hands roaming all over her pitiful little face. She immediately protested:

"Hey, take your hand away, you're blocking my view."

Two warm, large hands froze abruptly. Completely unprepared for her sudden remark, Xuan Yuan paused for a moment, then awkwardly withdrew his hands. He then took a half-dry towel from the washbasin stand beside the bed and continued to carefully wipe away her tears.

Upon recognizing the owner of the large hand, Leng Jie realized she hadn't even known when he had entered. She asked in astonishment, "..."

"Xuanyuan? What are you doing here?"

What was she thinking just now? She only noticed his presence now? Could she really be possessed by a ghost? Xuan Yuan looked at Leng Jie with suspicion and tentatively asked:

"You don't know what just happened?"

“I know! I was thinking about some unpleasant things, and then I felt an excruciating pain. I wanted to get rid of that pain. Then you grabbed my chin and said I wanted to bite my tongue and kill myself. But, I really don’t know when you came in?” Leng Jie answered truthfully.

A chill ran through him! The pain was so intense she wanted to die to escape it; how much pain must she be in? Xuan Yuan looked at Leng Jie, who was pretending to be nonchalant, with pity. His hand unconsciously stroked her tightly bandaged arm, and he said softly:

“I knew the wound would hurt more at night, so I came to check on you. I didn’t expect to see you biting your tongue as soon as I got to the window. I was afraid you would bite down if I made a sound, so I just jumped in through the window…”

"You went out of your way to see me in the middle of the night?" Leng Jie asked incredulously. When did they become such good friends? Then she realized and said, "Is it because I got injured for you? You must feel bad about it!"

Seeing her surprised expression, Xuanyuan couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Then, hearing her pinpoint his initial purpose, he felt a moment of melancholy. A strange thought suddenly popped into his head: If it were Qingfeng, she certainly wouldn't have such an expression, would she?

Seeing that Xuanyuan remained silent, Leng Jie knew she had guessed correctly. She continued:

"You don't need to feel guilty. I just didn't want the world to descend into chaos. If you weren't the emperor, and Qingfeng wasn't my senior brother, I don't think I would have knowingly done something impossible. That's not my nature. I've always believed in making foolproof plans before acting, assessing my capabilities, seizing the right opportunity, and striking decisively..." Perhaps because she had finally found someone to talk to and share her pain, she launched into a long, eloquent speech. She didn't stop until her throat was dry.

Xuanyuan listened attentively to her eloquent speech. He found every word she said to be reasonable, yet he also felt that those words shouldn't have come from the mouth of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl. They sounded more like the words of a wise and experienced elder. Seeing her stop, Xuanyuan naturally picked up the tea from the bedside table and carefully fed it to her with a spoon.

Leng Jie forced a smile at Xuan Yuan and readily opened her mouth to catch the spoonful of water. One fed the other, and the other drank. Half the glass of water was quickly gone. Leng Jie suddenly realized the awkward situation she might encounter if she drank any more. She immediately closed her mouth and shook her head, indicating that it was enough.

"Have some more!" Xuanyuan said softly.

"No need, thank you! I am truly flattered to have His Majesty the Emperor personally serve me water! Do you think my commoner ancestors would be so excited if they knew?"

Leng Jie found that she would forget some of her pain when she started talking. But as soon as she stopped, the pain returned. Therefore, she didn't want to let Xuan Yuan go; she wanted to find a topic to keep him here listening to her rambling. After all, he was the one who bumped into her.

Unbeknownst to her, from the moment Xuanyuan saw her biting her tongue, he had never considered leaving her alone there again. Seeing her face streaked with tears, her expression dazed, and her pitiful state, he had already decided to personally guard her. Xuanyuan, playing along with her dry humor, continued:

"Were your ancestors all commoners? Why don't I posthumously confer upon them the titles of dukes and marquises!"

Leng Jie happily continued:

"Very well! I thank His Majesty on their behalf. But I don't know who they are, or if I have any ancestors?"

Xuanyuan paused, suddenly remembering what Qingfeng had said: she was an abandoned child taken in by her master. Because she didn't know who her parents were, she was named Wuming (meaning "nameless"). Was this what she meant when she mentioned thinking about some unpleasant things? His pity for her seemed to deepen. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but he couldn't find the words to comfort someone abandoned by their loved ones. So he blurted out:

"How about I make you a princess?"

Leng Jie immediately closed her eyes, and after a long while, she spoke:

"Again? Didn't you already make me a prince once? Didn't you think that incident caused a big enough stir?"

"Your chatting with me is already a huge help. You know, after sleeping for the past three days, I'm not sleepy at all. But the long winter nights are eerily quiet, without even the croaking of frogs or the barking of dogs! And as you said, at times like this, people focus all their attention on one thing: pain. Even the slightest injury will feel incredibly painful..."

The winter night was truly cold and long, and Leng Jie felt she had exhausted all the topics she could think of. But the watchman's drum had only sounded four times when a sudden gust of cold wind blew in, making Leng Jie shiver involuntarily even inside the covers.

Xuanyuan got up, walked to the window, glanced outside, and pulled it down. He turned back to the bedside and asked, "It's snowing outside, are you cold?"

"Is it really snowing? Then hurry and open the window! This is the first snow of the year. It would be such a shame to miss it." Leng Jie was too lazy to get up, otherwise she would have run out to see it already. Looking at Xuan Yuan, she noticed that he was only wearing a few thin layers of clothing, and couldn't help but shiver for him. She thought she couldn't be too selfish, so when Xuan Yuan went to the window again, Leng Jie said:

"Forget it, let's not turn it on, it's really cold." He then shivered dramatically.

Xuanyuan glanced back at her, but didn't heed her words and returned. He opened the window, stretched out his hand, paused for a moment, and then slipped back to Leng Jie's bedside. With a large palm, several six-petaled snowflakes, each the size of a goose feather, immediately appeared before Leng Jie.

"Wow! What huge snowflakes!" I've only ever seen snowflakes like this at artificial snow fields. Leng Jie couldn't help but exclaim. Although the snow melted quickly, she was still very grateful for Xuan Yuan's kindness. She said earnestly:

"Thank you! But aren't you cold wearing so little? Or should I sit in the blankets?"

Xuanyuan's body suddenly stiffened, his phoenix eyes widening as he stared blankly at Leng Jie. His expression froze the moment he heard the word "bed." Good heavens! Did she even know what she was saying? She was actually inviting a man to sit in her bed! But seeing how sincere and innocent she sounded, he figured she must have spent too much time surrounded by men in Wuyou Valley and was completely ignorant of the proper boundaries between men and women.

Seeing Xuan Yuan's exaggeratedly shocked expression, almost screaming "molestation!", Leng Jie knew he had misunderstood. If Qing Feng or Shi Yu had shown such an expression, she would have teased them. But she didn't want to cause trouble for Xuan Yuan, so she quickly explained:

"Don't get the wrong idea. I just wanted to share some of the heat with you. Besides, even if I had ulterior motives, why would I choose a time like this? I can't move at all right now."

In a flash, Xuanyuan's face turned ashen. Did she mean she didn't understand anything? She clearly understood everything. He couldn't help but angrily ask:

"Aren't you afraid I might have bad intentions towards you? I can move."

Leng Jie was completely taken aback by Xuan Yuan's question. She paused for a moment, then immediately said seriously, "Uh! This joke isn't funny at all!"

"You know it's not funny? Then why are you making jokes like that?" Xuanyuan said seriously. "I think you're trying to act like a man again. Stop joking around, you're a girl. If you keep talking so recklessly, let's see which man would dare to marry you?"

The thought of her getting married and leaving with someone else suddenly made Xuanyuan feel a tightness in his chest. Why did she have to be a woman? If she were a man, it would be so much better; then he could be her brother for life without any reservations. But then he thought, perhaps she wouldn't get married. It seemed there was no man in this world worthy of her.

Leng Jie glanced at him unconsciously, thinking to herself, "You're that unlucky man, aren't you? But don't worry, since you kept me company through this awful night, I definitely won't harm you."

"Xiaojie! You're not asleep, are you?"

The person arrived as soon as the voice was heard; before Leng Jie could even reply, Qingfeng had already appeared beside Xuanyuan.

"What are you doing here?" Qingfeng asked Xuanyuan in surprise, then scanned the already small room with her eyes. Her face darkened instantly, and she asked coldly, "Where is Shi Fang?"

"I told her to go back to her room and sleep. Why are you up so early?" Leng Jie replied softly.

"Why is your voice so hoarse?" Qingfeng asked with concern. She also noticed her eyes were swollen. Qingfeng suddenly turned to Xuanyuan, glaring at him with a cold expression, and asked:

Did you make her cry?

Seeing Qingfeng's murderous look, Xuanyuan shrugged helplessly. He then turned his gaze to Leng Jie on the bed, pleading for her help.

"It's none of his business, I'm in so much pain I'm crying. Senior brother, don't you have any medicine to relieve the pain?" Leng Jie said, trying to smooth things over.

“Yes, there is, but if you use painkillers, the wound will leave a scar. How can a young lady like you have so many scars on her body? That will cause you pain for the rest of your life. So, just bear with it for a few more days. In two more days, the wound will heal and you'll be fine.” Qingfeng explained to Leng Jie while taking out a pea-sized pill from his pocket and feeding it into her mouth.

"Swallow this, and your throat will feel better."

The moment the pill entered my mouth, a cool sensation immediately traveled down my throat. My parched throat instantly felt moisturized and soothed.

Qingfeng turned to Xuanyuan and asked:

"You've been keeping watch here all night?"

Xuanyuan nodded without saying a word.

Qingfeng glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and said, "You can go back to sleep now. I'll stay with her."

"I'm not going to sleep anymore, it's almost dawn," Xuanyuan replied calmly.

"Senior brother, you didn't sleep all night either, did you? How is Shi Yu?" Leng Jie asked.

Qingfeng glanced at Xuanyuan, then at Leng Jie. Seeing Leng Jie nod at him, he then revealed the purpose of his trip.

“I just went to his room. The curse has been lifted, and he has now turned back into Prince Xuanyuan Xiuyu.”

Leng Jie breathed a sigh of relief; her efforts hadn't been in vain. However, she was very curious about what the grown-up Xiao Shiyu would look like.

Xuanyuan Yunlu stared blankly at them, seemingly unable to understand what they were saying at all. After a long while, he asked in surprise:

"Did I hear that right? Did Qingfeng just say that Shi Yu's curse was broken?"

“You heard me right, it’s true,” Qingfeng replied, raising his head.

"Is this Xiao Jie's idea again?" Xuan Yuan looked intently at Leng Jie.

"I just randomly found a few methods to break the curse and had my senior brother try them out. I didn't expect that I would actually guess right," Leng Jie replied modestly.

Suddenly, he felt excluded by the siblings. Xuanyuan questioned him in an unfriendly tone, "Guess? Then what about that lightning at the Prince's mansion? You didn't just guess that too, did you? And you broke the sword formation that forced Qingfeng and me into a desperate situation in just three moves, did you guess that too? And that waterwheel that brought water to higher ground, teaching the fishermen to salt fish, those thirty-six military strategies you left me... Don't tell me you guessed all of that!"

"Uh..." Leng Jie herself was unaware that she had already revealed so many suspicious points. She gave an awkward smile and said:

"Your Majesty, you truly are Your Majesty! You had so many questions about me, yet you waited until now to ask them. And throughout this time, you acted as if you trusted me so much. Weren't you afraid that I might be some kind of spy or a bad person?"

"Are you? Are the injuries on your body a staged injury?" Xuanyuan asked in return.

Leng Jie chuckled and said, "That's possible! You'd better be careful. Should we isolate and interrogate me?"

"Don't try to change the subject. Tell me what really happened? I really dislike feeling isolated by you all." Xuan Yuan's sharp eyes stared directly into Leng Jie's eyes. He spoke sincerely.

Seeing that she couldn't avoid it any longer, Leng Jie weighed the pros and cons and decided to play a game of truth and falsehood with him.

"That method of breaking the curse was truly discovered by accident during experimentation. But I cannot reveal the specifics of how it works, because if I do, the method will lose its effectiveness. If the Prince of Ying were to revert back, there would be no way to undo the damage."

As for that thunderbolt, it was indeed something I made. It was an explosive charge I made, using the same materials we usually use to make firecrackers, only I increased the quantity and density to create that kind of power.

As for breaking the sword formation, it wasn't actually me who broke it, but that sword, number twenty. The Green Robe Swords are ranked by their hilts, and in that desperate situation, I had no choice but to try the young master's sword. Although I guessed correctly, I truly went out with a death wish.”

Xuanyuan kept looking into her eyes, which remained clear as a spring. He couldn't help but believe her words.

Chapter Eighty: Requesting an Imperial Decree for Marriage

"Ooh-ooh-ooh--!"

Finally, the rooster's crowing came from outside the window. I had never realized that a rooster's crow could be so melodious and sweet; it was practically heavenly music!

"Woof woof-woof woof--woof----"