Chapter 25: Mei Xi (Twenty-Five) Comfort

What came into view was the familiar, somewhat dim dome of the side hall. The charcoal fire in the fire pit made a faint crackling sound. Chun's little face, full of worry and tears, came close to her. Seeing her open her eyes, she instantly burst into great surprise: "My Lady! My Lady, you're awake! That's great! You scared me to death!"

Wanyan and the other two girls immediately gathered around them. Miss Yan's eyes were red and she cried, "Sister! You finally woke up! You scared us to death just now!" Although Miss Wan didn't say anything, her tightly pursed lips and the concern in her eyes were equally strong.

Lin Jiaojiao felt weak and limp all over, as if all her muscles and bones had been drained away. A dull ache emanated from the wound on her right shoulder, reminding her that what she had experienced before her coma wasn't a nightmare. She opened her mouth, but her throat felt dry like sandpaper, and no sound came out.

"Water...water..." Chun immediately understood and hurriedly brought her warm honey water and carefully fed her a few sips.

The warm liquid slid across her dry throat, bringing a faint ray of life. Lin Jiaojiao's consciousness gradually became clearer. The scene before she fell into coma was like a shattered mirror, instantly flooding into her mind - Xia Jie's red eyes that seemed to burn with the flames of hell, the excruciating pain of his cold fingers pinching her chin, his words filled with endless fatigue and irritation, "I'm... tired!"

Lin Jiaojiao rolled her eyes and looked towards the palace door. The door was tightly closed and there was dead silence outside. Only the occasional whimpering sound of the cold wind blowing through the window lattice could be heard. The strong smell of blood and violent pressure seemed to have dissipated.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Lin Jiaojiao's voice was hoarse and weak.

"The king entered the main hall and never came out again." Chun replied quickly, a lingering fear on his face. "He... he told everyone to get out... He only left a few guards inside... General Shi Hu and his men were guarding outside... No one dared to get close..."

Didn't come out? Lin Jiaojiao's heart moved slightly, but before she had time to think about it, a shocking noise suddenly came from outside the hall.

The heavy footsteps rolled across the ground like thunder, the clanging of weapons and armor, the shouts of soldiers, and... a heart-pounding atmosphere mixed with blood and violence, surging like a real tide.

Xia Jie obviously did not go to rest directly.

Immediately afterwards, an extremely violent roar like that of a wounded beast suddenly exploded, shaking the entire royal court as if it were trembling.

"Useless! A bunch of useless people! They all deserve to die! Damn it--!!"

It was Xia Jie's voice! Filled with raging rage, deep hatred, and... an indescribable madness.

"Ah——!" Lady Yan screamed in fear, covered her ears tightly and curled up into a ball. Lady Wan's face turned pale and her body trembled uncontrollably.

Lin Jiaojiao's heart instantly rose to her throat. What was he doing?

Then, there was the loud noise of heavy objects being smashed, accompanied by Xia Jie's hysterical roar: "Drag them out! Chop them up! Take these three pieces of trash! Drag them out and chop them up for me--!!"

"Your Majesty, please spare me! Your Majesty, please spare me!" Several shrill and desperate cries were heard, and were then drowned out by the sound of rough dragging.

A moment later, a few short and shrill screams were heard in the distance, like a chicken with its neck pinched. Then, a stronger and fresher smell of blood, like a real poisonous fog, spread in an instant, penetrated the heavy palace door, and poured into the side hall.

Lin Jiaojiao's face instantly turned pale as paper. He... he was killing people! He'd just come back and was already killing people to vent his anger! Those three screams were like cold knives, stabbing her heart. She could almost see the blood splattering and heads tumbling across the square. Xia Jie's tyranny was even more insane than she had imagined! Even more unreasonable!

The hall fell into a dead silence. Chun and Wanyan were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they even forgot to breathe.

Lin Jiaojiao tightly grasped the animal skin mattress beneath her, her nails digging deep into the soft fur, her knuckles turning white from the force. She forced herself to remain calm, but her body trembled slightly uncontrollably.

The heavy footsteps sounded again, this time coming towards the side hall. The footsteps carried a suffocating sense of oppression, and every step seemed to step on everyone's heart.

"Bang!" The palace door was pushed open by a huge force, and hit the stone wall with a dull thud.

The tall figure of Xia Jie appeared at the door. He was still wearing the torn royal robe stained with blood and mud. His long hair was disheveled, his face was covered with dust and undried sweat, and the blue stubble on his chin made him look even more rugged.

But the most frightening thing was his eyes - red as blood, burning with lingering anger, madness, and a kind of... fierce light like a wounded lone wolf. The strong smell of blood and violence emanated from him like a substance, instantly filling the entire side hall.

His eyes swept across the hall like a searchlight, and finally, they locked onto Lin Jiaojiao, who was lying on the couch with a pale face and had just woken up, with precision and like a magnet.

Lin Jiaojiao's heartbeat stopped instantly. Xia Jie strode in. He ignored Chun and Wanyan who were kneeling on the ground and shivering, and walked straight to Lin Jiaojiao's couch. His tall figure cast a thick shadow, completely covering her.

He stared at her intently. She had clearly just experienced the rage of beheading a general. Even though her face was as pale as paper and her eyes were full of panic and weakness, her breathtaking beauty was still like a pearl in the dark night, emitting a light that could not be ignored. That beauty was pure and fragile, yet it carried a strange attraction that could penetrate blood and violence.

Deep in Xia Jie's crimson eyes, the crazy brutality seemed to be slightly diluted by this beauty, but was immediately replaced by an even hotter and more twisted possessiveness. It was an almost pathological comfort of confirming the safety of "property", the ecstasy of grasping the only unquestionable "treasure" that belonged to him after experiencing a devastating defeat and betrayal.

"My beloved!" Xia Jie suddenly growled in a hoarse voice, with a gentleness that made people's hearts shudder and an unquestionable dominance. He was no longer satisfied with the possession of her gaze, but suddenly bent down, stretched out his big hands with distinct joints, covered with calluses and blood, and without saying anything, roughly pulled Lin Jiaojiao's thin body from the couch into his arms.

"Ah!" Lin Jiaojiao was caught off guard. The wound on her right shoulder was severely pulled, causing her to feel a tearing pain. She couldn't help but let out a cry of pain, and her body stiffened instantly.

Xia Jie seemed not to hear her cries of pain. He hugged her tightly with such strength that he almost crushed her in his arms. That action was more of a declaration of sovereignty than a hug. He was confirming that his "property" was safe and sound. After all the successive failures and betrayals, he was grabbing the only thing that could prove that he "owned" it.

"You are alone! You will always be alone!" Xia Jie's voice rang in her ears, with a hot breath and unquestionable dominance. He greedily sniffed the clear and clean scent in her hair, which was in sharp contrast to the smell of blood on his body, as if it was the only antidote that could soothe his manic soul.

Lin Jiaojiao was almost suffocated by him. The strong smell of blood, sweat and violent aura wrapped her tightly. The severe pain in her right shoulder made her eyes go black. Fear and nausea coiled around her heart like a poisonous snake.

Let me go! She screamed madly in her heart, but she knew that she could not struggle or resist. Any resistance might ignite the remaining anger in the heart of this furious beast and tear her to pieces.

She endured the severe pain and surging feeling of nausea, forced herself to relax her body, and let him hold her tightly. She even tilted her head slightly and gently pressed her cheek against his cold, blood-stained leather armor. Although this action made her stomach churn, her voice was filled with a hint of forced weakness, gentleness and just the right amount of concern: "Your Majesty, you are finally back. I... I miss you day and night, but Your Majesty, you have worked hard on the way and must be exhausted. Please... rest first..." She spoke intermittently, her voice trembling with just the right amount, trying to play the role of a weak wife who "worried about her husband", trying to soothe this violent beast with gentle words.

Xia Jie's body seemed to stiffen for a moment. He lowered his head and looked at the pale and beautiful face in his arms, which was now filled with pain, endurance and "concern".

That beauty, under the blessing of pain and "obedience", not only did not diminish, but instead presented a thrilling and fragile sense of purity, like the snow lotus that he forcibly grasped in his hand during a storm, so fragile that it made people's hearts tremble, and that purity also carried a strange, docile temptation.

The crazy brutality in the depths of his crimson eyes seemed to be slightly diluted by this strange sight. His Adam's apple rolled and he let out a low and satisfied sigh. The strength in his arms seemed to relax a little, but he still did not let her go. He just rested his chin on the top of her soft head, greedily sniffing the fresh breath.

"I... am tired..." His voice was filled with indescribable fatigue and hoarseness. The raging rage and murderous intent seemed to be temporarily suppressed by the soft body in his arms and its "docile" beauty.

He suddenly raised his head and roared like a wounded beast at Chun and Wanyan, the two girls kneeling on the ground, terrified out of their wits: "Get out! What are you doing standing here?! Get out!"

"Yes! Yes!" Chun and Wanyan, the two girls, retreated as if they had been pardoned, not even daring to look back.

Xia Jie's gaze once again fell on Lin Jiaojiao in his arms. His expression was complex and indescribable, containing scrutiny, possessiveness, a subtle hint of... pity? And... deep fatigue and violence. He finally loosened his arms, but his gaze remained locked on her like a chain.

"Take good care of yourself too! I'm... tired!" His voice was hoarse, carrying an indescribable sense of exhaustion and... irritation. He stopped looking at Lin Jiaojiao and strode out of the hall. His heavy footsteps were like thunder, hammering at everyone's heart. His burly figure disappeared into the darkness outside the hall, leaving behind only a thick stench of blood and a suffocating pressure.

It was not until the sound of Xia Jie's footsteps had completely faded away that Lin Jiaojiao's tense nerves suddenly relaxed like a cut bowstring. She could no longer hold on, her body softened, and she collapsed on the couch, gasping for breath. Cold sweat instantly soaked her underwear. The severe pain in her right shoulder, the sore ribs from being squeezed, and the nausea in her stomach all came flooding over her like a tide.

Madman... this madman... She curled up on the couch, her body shaking uncontrollably. Xia Jie's rough hug, the strong smell of blood, and the twisted possessiveness in his eyes were imprinted in her mind like a nightmare.

Host Physiological Indicators: High Stress Response (Sustained). External Threat: Temporarily Resolved. Xia Jie's Behavior Pattern: Rage (Venting) → Possessiveness (Confirmation) → Exhaustion (Dominant). Emotional Simulation Unit: ...Redundant Data (Fear, Nausea) Surges...] The system's notification tone was faint and confused.

Chun and Wanyan sneaked back carefully, and seeing Lin Jiaojiao curled up and trembling, their eyes were filled with worry and fear.

"My Lady..." Chun's voice was filled with tears.

Lin Jiaojiao waved her hands to indicate that she was fine. She forced herself to sit up and looked towards the palace door, her eyes filled with solemnity and fear.

She knew that this "safety" was as fragile as a spider web in a storm. Once Xia Jie regained his strength or became enraged again... what awaited her would be an even more terrifying abyss.

Outside the hall, Shi Hu's deliberately lowered and solemn voice could be heard faintly, as if he was giving instructions to his subordinates. Words like "reinforce the city defenses", "stockpile rolling logs and stones", and "count arrows" were like cold needles, piercing the brief tranquility.

Lin Jiaojiao's heart sank! Strengthening the city's defenses? Stockpiling stone arrows? Xia Jie had suddenly returned, not to rest, but... to defend the capital to the death? He... was going to fight the Shang army to the death in this capital?!