Chapter 63 (Chapter 63) My lips are swollen.

Seeing Ning Jue lean forward slowly, his eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and desire, Bai Hua turned her head uncomfortably and subconsciously pushed his shoulder lightly.

She didn't use any force at all, but the moment she touched him, Ning Jue's brows furrowed, and he hissed, looking as if he was in unbearable pain.

Bai Hua's hand trembled, and she panicked. She suspected that she might have accidentally touched the young master's wound. But when the physician changed his blood-stained clothes the day before, she clearly saw all the wounds on his body and remembered them. She was sure that there was no stab wound on his left shoulder.

"Young master, are you alright?" she asked anxiously.

Ning Jue didn't cry out in pain, but her brow remained furrowed for a long time: "It's okay, don't worry."

How can this be considered normal?

Bai Hua's eyes showed worry. When the doctor used forceps to peel back his flesh and remove the pointed hidden weapons one by one, blood and rotten flesh were mixed together. She witnessed the whole process and was terrified. Her eyes were so scared that they were almost slits. Now, just thinking about it makes her feel the pain in her own flesh.

She felt sorry for the young master who had suffered so much, and had been taking care of him closely these past two days. Now that he had just started to recover, she had pushed him so hard that he was screaming in pain, and of course she felt guilty.

"It's my fault. I didn't know my own strength. I remember there was no wound on your shoulder, so how could it hurt so much from such a light push?"

Ning Jue glanced at her, his expression already back to normal, and replied, "It's not your fault, it's nothing serious. It's probably just an internal injury flaring up."

Bai Hua had no doubts. When internal injuries flare up, they do indeed move along the meridians and blood vessels, causing occasional tightness or pain, which is normal.

Perhaps the force she used when she pushed just now was just right.

Regardless, she still felt she had done something wrong, so she cautiously reached out again, her palm tentatively touching the area around where Ning Jue had just been in pain. Seeing that he didn't show any obvious resistance, she relaxed and began massaging him with incredibly gentle movements.

"This massage will help loosen the meridians and perhaps alleviate the pain somewhat. How does it feel, young master? Is the pressure just right?"

Ning Jue glanced at her, said nothing, and simply reached out and grabbed her wrist, easily pulling her in front of him.

His voice was slightly hoarse, as if there were grains of sand rolling in his throat. His words were deep and tinged with a hint of seduction: "I already told you, if you want me to feel better, you have to kiss me..."

Bai Hua was filled with concern for his injuries, but she was unexpectedly led astray again.

The method she just mentioned for relieving pain by massaging the meridians is based on medical records, but what he said about kissing... is just utter nonsense.

Bai Hua's ears burned, and she reached out to push him, but dared not exert any force, afraid that the situation would repeat itself.

Seeing Ning Jue getting closer and closer, Bai Hua turned her head to avoid him, feeling that she couldn't let him do whatever he wanted during her recovery period.

Ning Jue, however, stubbornly refused to comply. He reached out and placed his hand behind Bai Hua's head, forcefully pushing her forward to face him.

At such close range, Bai Hua had no chance to dodge. Her lips were pressed precisely against his, followed by biting and sucking, lingering on them as if she were some kind of magic pill that could automatically heal wounds and prolong life with constant licking.

But how could she have such magical effects?

I am nothing more than an ordinary person, and all I can bring to the young master is a little comfort and pleasure.

Pleasure can relieve pain? That's unheard of.

Ning Jue likes to close his eyes when kissing her, thoroughly enjoying the focused exploration process, and the deeper he explores, the more addicted he becomes.

Bai Hua's shoulders trembled uncontrollably as she tilted her head back to endure the hardship. She dared not reach out to touch Ning Jue's shoulders or arms, for fear of aggravating his wounds. So she could only tightly grip his sleeve, her nails turning white from the effort. Her waist went limp, and she had no strength left.

Ning Jue supported the back of her head with one hand and placed the other hand on her waist, seemingly to help her gain strength, but in reality, he was holding her firmly in his arms so that he could lower his head and linger, penetrating her even deeper.

After a long while... until Bai Hua could not breathe properly, Ning Jue reluctantly let go, giving her a chance to catch her breath.

As soon as the two separated, long strands of saliva appeared between their lips, a sight that was utterly decadent.

Bai Hua was panting, her eyes were wet, her face was bright red, and she looked somewhat dazed.

After catching her breath, her first words were, "Young master, did you aggravate your wound?"

The force and manner with which he kissed her just now were excessive, as if he wanted to devour her alive. His movements were forceful and his momentum was strong, which could easily aggravate his wounds. He had a total of six wounds on his body, all of which were in the areas where he exerted force. If one wound was torn open, the others would definitely need to be re-bandaged.

Ning Jue was a little surprised. He had thought she would be angry, but her first words were full of concern.

A warm feeling welled up in his heart, and he couldn't help but let out a laugh: "You still care about me. Don't worry, the wound is fine."

Bai Hua: "Really?"

Ning Jue raised an eyebrow: "How about I lift up my clothes and show you?"

He always finds a way to silence her.

Bai Hua turned her eyes away and refused to look at him again.

...

Her lips were noticeably swollen, especially her lower lip, which was strikingly red.

If anyone came later, she would be too embarrassed to be seen like this, so she quickly sat down in front of the dressing table and carefully used makeup to cover her bright and deep lip color, so as not to give others any chance to have wild thoughts.

Fortunately, she had concealed it beforehand. Not long after, Jiang Shen'er heard the news that Ning Jue had woken up and came to the side courtyard to visit him.

The young master's injuries were all caused by her. Bai Hua was protective of her own, siding with her family regardless of right or wrong, and didn't care about fairness in the competition. Bloodshed was commonplace for her. She only cared that Jiang Shen'er had harmed the young master so badly, which was truly despicable. So how could she give her a kind look at the moment?

However, Ning Jue did not share her hatred. Facing the culprit who harmed him, he remained calm and showed no aversion.

Bai Hua stood up, warily standing between the two, prejudiced that Jiang Shen'er's visit at this time was like a weasel paying respects to a chicken, and didn't seem to have any good intentions.

Ning Jue propped himself up and suddenly said, "You go out first, we have something to say."

Bai Hua was stunned, wondering if she had misheard. The young master's order to leave wasn't directed at Jiang Shen'er, but rather at her.

Ning Jue looked at her, his eyes signaling again, clearly indicating that his words were meant for her.

Bai Hua confirmed Ning Jue's meaning; she didn't want to leave, but what was the point of just staying?

Let's go then.

She stormed out, slammed the door shut, and deliberately made a big show of slamming the door.

However, she stopped again as she descended the steps.

Jiang Shen'er was no pushover. She was worried about the young master being alone in the same room with Jiang Shen'er. The young master was currently injured and in a weak state. If Jiang Shen'er still had malicious intentions, how would he cope alone inside?

Having just escaped danger in the ring, we must not let our guard down now.

Thinking of this, Bai Hua did not choose to leave in a huff.

She cautiously looked around the courtyard to make sure Jiang Shen'er was alone and without any maids. Only then did she feel relieved and quietly moved to the edge of the corner of the wall. She crouched down, tilted her head, and pressed her ear to the side, ready to eavesdrop on what the two had to say.

...

Playing the eavesdropping trick in front of two of the most outstanding masters in the martial arts world—should we laugh at Bai Hua's naivety, or should we reflect on ourselves for being so looked down upon?

Ning Jue and Jiang Shen'er exchanged a glance, and a strange tacit understanding arose between them. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Although Bai Hua was trying her best to conceal her movements and walk very quietly, Ning Jue and Jiang Shen'er's hearing was far superior to that of ordinary people. It was extremely easy for them to detect that someone was eavesdropping outside, separated only by a wall and a door.

Jiang Shen'er did not comment on this.

In any case, what the two were going to say didn't involve her secrets at all, so she would leave the handling to Ning Jue's discretion.

Ning Jue looked away, thinking to herself—this little careless one, only concerned with carefully crouching down, didn't even notice that her shadow was already reflected on the window behind her.

He gave a helpless laugh and said in a low voice, "Let her be. I have no secrets from her."

Jiang Shen'er deliberately brought up the sore spot, and of course, she lowered her voice as well, intentionally so that Bai Hua wouldn't hear what she said: "So... she has a secret about you? You know about those things about her cousin, right? Even so, you still can't bear to let her go. Are you heartless, or do you want to be a hopeless romantic?"

Ning Jue was a little impatient. He didn't like his relationship with Bai Hua being casually discussed as a joke, so he said bluntly, "This matter has nothing to do with you, senior."

"You really are a traitor who abandons his benefactor after using her..."

Jiang Shen'er glanced at him sideways. She had originally wanted to take credit for herself. If it weren't for her, how could the two of them have progressed so quickly?

Seeing Ning Jue's indifferent expression, she stopped speaking, wisely shut her mouth, and then began to talk about serious matters with him.

"You've been poisoned in all four limbs and around your waist, and you've been on the verge of death. You should be able to tell the difference by now, right? Obviously, my poison only adheres to the skin and flesh. Although it causes excruciating pain, it doesn't affect the heart. As for Xie Tan, the Whip Demon, his poisoned whip is the same. Almost everyone in the martial arts world knows that Old Man Xie is incredibly skilled with his whip and can also concoct excellent poisons. However, few people know that he actually learned his poison-concoction method from me in secret."

Jiang Shen'er spoke logically and logically, looking at Ning Jue and saying, "I heard that you went to Xiangcheng to find him before, and even fought with him and personally tested his poison? Since you have experienced both, you can naturally easily compare that the torment felt after the poison takes effect is very similar, right?"

That is indeed the case.

Although Ning Jue had noticed something, he never imagined that Xie Tan would humbly ask Jiang Shen'er for advice. The Whip Demon was always arrogant and relied on his seniority.

Ning Jue: "For so many years, he has never revealed a single word about it. He boasts of being a master of drug production and use, receiving much praise and feeling perfectly at ease..."

Jiang Shen'er smiled lightly: "Isn't it because he values ​​face? We are equally famous in the martial arts world, but he considers himself my elder brother because of his age. If word gets out that an elder brother is asking his younger sister for advice, how embarrassing would that be? Of course, he has to keep his mouth shut."

Ning Jue sized up Jiang Shen'er and said indifferently, "Senior doesn't seem like an easy person to talk to."

Jiang Shen'er shrugged and replied easily, "Of course I couldn't say anything, but Old Man Xie promised me a large sum of hush money after I finished my studies. At that time... I was a bit strapped for cash, but after thinking about it, I decided not to turn down the money. Later, because of this money, I had the travel expenses to go north, and I also had the chance to meet your master on the way..."

She spoke crisply and decisively for the first few sentences, but when she mentioned her master, her tone unconsciously became a little sticky and cloying.

Ning Jue interrupted her: "So, neither you nor Xie Tan are the murderers of my master. I have tried all the poisons you used, and I can survive them. Even if my master was drunk, the poison would not be life-threatening. At that time, you and Xie Tan were at the table with my master. You were the most suspicious and were the first to be ruled out."

Jiang Shen'er breathed a sigh of relief, finally clearing herself of any wrongdoing.

She said, "When you first fought me, you used every move to provoke me, and I quickly guessed what you were trying to do. But I was too lazy to explain. Anything I said would be empty words, and you're so suspicious that you definitely wouldn't believe me. So I simply went along with your plan and let you figure me out step by step. That was much easier than me trying to prove my innocence."

Ning Jue remained silent, his expression somewhat grave.

Xie Tan was cleared of suspicion, and Jiang Shen'er was also cleared of suspicion.

Of the four masters, Mad Fist died the earliest, ten years ago, while Master passed away two years ago. Only Umbrella Immortal and Whip Demon remain, but they are not suspects...

Looking across the entire martial arts world, besides these four who can kill each other to determine the winner, who else has the ability to be the murderer who stays out of it?

Ning Jue felt a sense of bewilderment, as if she had no direction to continue.

He murmured, "The trail goes cold again..."

Jiang Shen'er glanced sideways at Ning Jue, noticing his forlorn expression, and felt a pang of pity.

She originally wanted to stay out of it. Even if the person who died was Situ Kong, their relationship had lasted for more than 20 years, and she wasn't someone who couldn't let go of it.

However, letting go is also a process.

In the process, she wasn't as carefree as she had imagined.

"Perhaps... there is another master among them? You went to great lengths to find Xie Tan, and then traveled thousands of miles to find me. Who should you look for next? It would be a pity to give up if you didn't look for him... Why not keep going? Maybe there will be a way out."

Jiang Shen'er's words were somewhat meaningful.

Ning Jue felt that she seemed to know something, but when she pressed her for details, she remained tight-lipped, saying that she was just offering a casual word of encouragement and had no other meaning.

There was nothing obviously suspicious, so even if he pressed him for answers, he wouldn't know what to ask.

Jiang Shen'er changed the subject, reminding him: "I heard that your Yan Kingdom's General Wang Zheng is setting up a arena to recruit swordsmen and sages in a high-profile manner. The arena will officially open soon. When the swordsmen gather in Jiling, the scene will definitely be lively. Don't you plan to go and take a look, and maybe even participate? Once you step onto the stage, who can defeat the Sword Saint's only disciple?"

She said this on purpose, so that Bai Hua outside the door could hear it.

With a sense of morbid curiosity, Jiang Shen'er wondered whether to choose her cousin or her lover. This choice... was indeed difficult.