Chapter 31 Red Marks, He's So Delicate

It's so hot.

Yu Wenxue looked around and found herself in the midst of a raging fire.

It was the same courtyard, but Gu Yun Shen was nowhere to be seen, and it was unclear how old he was at that time.

Cries for help kept coming in, and the fire was gradually spreading.

A group of soldiers in full armor were fighting recklessly in the courtyard.

A crimson glow filled the sky, indistinguishable between blood mist and fireworks.

Suddenly, a charred beam fell down, startling Yu Wenxue so much that she retreated several steps.

Footsteps approached, and she hid in a corner where it was still relatively safe, eavesdropping.

"Has everything been checked thoroughly?"

"Reporting to you, sir, a total of nine bodies were found, all of them charred."

The leader casually flipped through the area with his spear, then frowned and said, "I heard there's a six-year-old child here?"

The group looked at each other, all saying they knew nothing about it.

"child?"

"Hey, isn't it the one on the far right that's charred? The short one."

"The Emperor has ordered that no one be left alive. Go and check again."

"yes."

Yu Wenxue felt a chill run down her spine, and a sense of unease welled up within her.

After those people left, she covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve and began searching for Gu Yun Shen's whereabouts.

We must find him before those people, no matter what.

Apart from the water vat used to display lotus flowers, everything else in the courtyard was burned to ruins.

She was still just a child, and there were limited places for her to hide. She rummaged through the charred corpses, but every time she touched them, her hands would turn transparent.

A deep sense of powerlessness washed over her; she couldn't change anything.

"My lord, we've found it!"

A loud voice pulled her back to reality. Looking in the direction of the voice, she saw a soldier holding a little boy with his hair in a bun.

His bangs obscured his eyes, and the left half of his face was covered in dirt and blood.

Her clothes were burned to shreds, and her little face was dirty, no longer the fair and lovely girl she used to be.

He remained motionless, like a marionette.

The boy finally opened his eyes very slowly after being hit hard on the shoulder by a stone.

His eyes were vacant, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Even in such a disheveled state, Yu Wenxue still recognized him at first glance.

His body was suspended in mid-air by the well, his shoes nowhere to be seen, and he was only an inch away from the edge.

The moment the soldier lets go, he will fall in.

The memories cannot be changed. She wanted to save people, but there was nothing she could do; she could only watch helplessly as it all unfolded.

With a "plop," Gu Yunshen was thrown into the well.

Throughout the entire process, he did not utter a single cry, nor did he show any fear.

To face impending death calmly.

He is only six years old.

He was only six years old.

Not long after, the soldier who had thrown Gu Yunshen into the well returned and pulled the little boy out of the well.

With so many people around, he couldn't keep the gold necklace from the child, so he could only secretly take it off.

The soldiers looted him thoroughly, and finally strangled him again with a gold necklace.

Suddenly, a flash of cold light appeared.

A sharp pain shot through his shoulder, and he opened his eyes wide, staring blankly at the six-year-old boy in front of him.

Gu Yun Shen held a short blade in his hand, his long eyelashes fluttering, and he tilted his head as if he were looking at some new trick.

No one could have imagined that such a childish and innocent-looking person would wield a short blade and viciously pierce the shoulder and back of an adult man.

Although it was dangerous, Yu Wenxue breathed a sigh of relief.

The stinging pain in his shoulder instantly ignited the soldier's anger.

He knew the boy was taking revenge on him.

He had never seen such a vicious and vengeful heart in a child. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he went berserk in an instant. His large hand gripped Gu Yun Shen's fragile neck, and he snarled, "You little brat, how much do you think you can hurt me...?"

Gu Yun Shen simply curled the corners of his lips.

He wasn't quite sure when to laugh, and he wasn't very good at it either, so he could only pull it up with all his might.

Soon, the soldier was speechless.

He didn't know that the young children, who were often thrown into the well by his mother, had already become adept at swimming before that.

That short blade, meant only for children, was coated with deadly poison.

......

Daylight broke.

Gu Yun Shen stepped onto the stone bench, washed his hands in the lotus pot, tidied his dirty clothes, turned around, and stared blankly at everything in front of him.

Yu Wenxue followed directly after him.

She watched him tie his hair, wash his face, and put on his burnt shoes all by himself.

Even though she knew the other person couldn't see her, she still reached out and wrapped her arms around him.

Gu Yun Shen moved very slightly.

For a fleeting moment, Yu Wenxue thought he could sense her presence.

But he didn't ask any questions or stop walking. Instead, he put on the collar around his neck and walked out of the yard alone.

A six-year-old child had never stepped out of this square courtyard before.

I walked aimlessly down the street.

*

Shuozhou is located north of the capital. The afternoon sun shines on the bed curtains, making people feel warm and cozy.

A few birds chirped outside the window, but Yu Wenxue was still not awakened from that unpleasant memory.

Gu Yunshen sat on the edge of the bed, propped his chin up, and quietly looked at her.

The familiar scent wafted towards him, briefly making him ignore the strange feeling in his body.

When I get close to her, my body always reacts in strange ways.

"You're still such a restless sleeper." He gently poked Yu Wenxue's face, seemingly finding some kind of amusement.

The person on the bed uttered a few indistinct murmurs. He lowered his head and slowly approached her lips.

Immediately afterwards, he was slapped on the side of his face.

Unsurprisingly, this is the second time.

......

Yu Wenxue's hand was still frozen in mid-air when she suddenly opened her eyes and saw Gu Yunshen, whom she had slapped, staring at her without blinking.

He was dressed in black, his thick, long eyelashes drooping. It was still his face, but it was completely different from his previous coldness, exuding a gentle aura.

However, there were very obvious finger marks on his fair cheek, which seemed out of place with his handsome face.

Yu Wenxue awkwardly withdrew her hand, and from the fingerprints, it was clear that she had probably been detoxified and had even recovered about 70-80% of her strength.

broken!

It's one thing to be bullied as a child, but why am I getting beaten up by myself as an adult?

It must be that he was too weak in his sense of vigilance, not that she was a bad sleeper.

Yu Wenxue drew a conclusion.

Just as she was about to examine the severity of the red marks more closely, she saw him part his thin lips slightly and say slowly, "Haven't you seen enough yet?"

"It's alright, can I watch it a little longer?"

After a moment of silence, Gu Yun Shen said calmly, "Whatever you say."

Yu Wenxue stared at him for a long time without any politeness and found that he was indeed a bit ruthless.

She touched it again; the spot where she had been hit was already somewhat swollen.

He's so sweet.

Yu Wenxue reasonably suspected that perhaps she had awakened some kind of superpower after taking a nap.

Otherwise, Gu Yun Shen wouldn't be able to escape no matter how hard he tried.

After thinking it over, to avoid him holding a grudge, she decided to take the initiative. She reached out and hugged his waist, pretending to be scared, and said, "I just had a nightmare. I dreamt that you were being beaten up, and I was getting revenge for you!"

Gu Yun Shen instinctively wanted to dodge.

He sniffed, and after confirming that there was no strong smell of blood on him, he said, "You dreamed about me?"

“Yes, yes.” Yu Wenxue nodded like a chick pecking at rice: “The you in my dream was also… amazing.”

Perhaps the memories were too heavy, her emotions fluctuated, her eyes were slightly red, and she really looked like she was frightened.

This is what it means to survive a catastrophe.

Almost there, just a little bit more, she was about to go down to see her grandparents...

Her arms were still a little sore and numb, so she let go after holding them for a while and asked, "Didn't you go to Yidong? Where are we now?"

The soft warmth in his arms suddenly slipped away, and Gu Yun Shen's lips tightened: "You've been sold out, and you don't even know where you've been sold to?"

After hearing his brief description, Yu Wenxue understood a bit more.

Sure enough, she guessed right. This was not an ordinary marriage at all, but a ghost marriage.

Over the years, the old lady has been abducting and trafficking young and beautiful girls. Some of them were given to high-ranking officials and nobles, while others were sold to other places, making a fortune.

This conspiracy of a ghost marriage can be traced back to the day she arrived. The so-called helping relatives was actually a scheme set up by the old lady from the very beginning.

"What are your plans for the future?" Gu Yunshen asked.

Yu Wenxue tugged at his sleeve: "I want to go find Qingwan, Second Young Master, can you take me there?"

"Aren't you afraid of the plague outbreak in eastern Yunnan?"

"I'm not afraid." Yu Wenxue gently shook his arm and said softly, "Didn't you say you would take me away last time? Let me go with you this time."

Gu Yun Shen caught the key words and asked in return, "You want to be with me?"

"..." You misunderstood again.

Before she could object, he continued, "That's true, after all, you like me, which is normal."

Yu Wenxue fell silent.

A few knocks came from the door.

The waiter respectfully greeted from outside the door, "Honored guest, your clean clothes have arrived."

Yu Wenxue felt like she had met a savior and got up to get out of bed. "Really, I'm so sorry to trouble you to buy me clothes."

Gu Yunshen's gaze gradually froze, sweeping over the glaring red on her body.

He reached out and put his arm around her waist, then turned and went to the door.

As soon as the door opened, the waiter secretly tiptoed inside, unable to hide his curiosity, but was scared back by a look from Gu Yun Shen.

The door was gently closed.

The wedding dress was too elaborate, adorned with various gemstones and pearls. The effects of the bone-softening powder had not yet been completely eliminated, and Yu Wenxue couldn't untie it even after trying for a long time. Her palms were sweating with anxiety.

She sighed, pulled the hairpin from her hair, and used it to poke at the knot in her chest.

This is what Gu Yun Shen saw when he came in.

The girl struggled to remove her gorgeous outer garment, revealing a white undergarment underneath.

The material is very sheer, offering almost no coverage.

He tightened his grip on her clothes slightly, turning his head away from her.

Yu Wenxue, not understanding why, assumed he was tired from traveling and took the initiative to approach him, saying, "Second Young Master, I've had enough sleep, would you like to take a nap?"

Gu Yun Shen ignored her.

How can someone change their mind so easily?

It was fine just now.

Yu Wenxue silently grumbled to herself, took the clothes from his hand, and held them up in the bronze mirror. Surprisingly, they fit her perfectly.

At the same time, something else disturbing was discovered.

shroud.

Yu Wenxue was so frightened that she almost dropped the clothes in her arms. She shrank back and turned around, tightly gripping Gu Yunshen's hand, swallowing hard: "Are you sure you've taken care of all those people?"

"Um."

"That's good." Yu Wenxue loosened her grip, her heart pounding in her throat at the thought of almost being sacrificed.

Her subtle expressions didn't escape Gu Yun Shen's notice. He stroked her loose hair, his meaning ambiguous, and asked, "I killed them, aren't you afraid of me?"

"What am I afraid of?" Yu Wenxue found him a bit puzzling and said seriously, "You took care of the bad guys for me and saved my life, why should I be afraid of you?"

"But you said that killing too many people would turn you into a wild boar demon."

“That doesn’t mean you can’t fight back,” Yu Wenxue said as she put on her new coat, only to be stumped once again by the knot in her chest.

She murmured, "If weapons can be used to protect oneself, one's family, or to uphold justice and rid the world of evil, then they are useful..."

"How exactly was this knot tied...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Yun Shen reached out and slowly tied a neat knot for her.

His fingers were long and nimble; the fabric he touched seemed to come alive with warmth, and even her face burned.

Your face is very red.

“That’s because the wedding dress has faded…” Yu Wenxue jumped up and covered his mouth.

In the empty room, the sound of a heartbeat clamored wildly.

But soon, her attention was diverted to something else.

My eyes couldn't help but glance downwards.

They were so close, it was obvious, you couldn't help but feel it.

Author's Note: Daughter: Oh no, we've run into Little Gu again! (Shaking with fear)

I drew a retro-style little figure for my daughter [rainbow fart][rainbow fart] (hands on hips)