Chapter 39 [VIP]

Lu Xuejin sank into the soft bed, next to Murong Yue's sleeping spot, and smelled a scent similar to that of the young man. The scent enveloped him, as if he were in someone's arms.

His wrist was gripped, and Murong Yue was above him, a vulnerable position that was somewhat dangerous. He watched as the boy couldn't contain himself any longer; his ears and face turned red, and he stared intently at him, pressing his eyes close as if trying to see him more clearly.

His jet-black hair fell down, and Murong Yue's tiger teeth touched his neck, the sharp teeth rubbing against his skin, as if they could bite through his neck at any moment. Chaotic breaths landed on his cheek, and the boy fell into a state of confusion. Just as his breath touched his neck, his shoulder sank, and he fainted.

"Young Master." At this moment, Ziyan knocked on the door from outside and said to him, "Tengluo has come and said she wants to see His Highness the Ninth Prince."

A moment later, Ziyan and Tengluo came in together, along with the doctor who had been summoned.

The doctor examined Murong Yue's pulse and said to the three of them, "Children are young and vigorous, and often act impulsively without restraint, which is why he fainted."

Lu Xuejin quietly withdrew her gaze, placed her hand on Murong Yue's head, and asked, "Is there a prescription that can cure this?"

Upon hearing this, the doctor looked at Ziyan and Tengluo and said, "This illness cannot be treated with medicine; in fact, it would only make things worse. It's just a matter for adults, so you two should help him."

Ziyan and Tengluo listened from the side, one with a blank expression and the other with wide eyes.

After the doctor left, Tengluo immediately waved her hand and said, "Young master, I'm not good at this. His Highness is still young, and I've never seen him seek out palace maids before. I'm afraid he's been holding back. This matter should be left to you, young master. We men and women should not touch each other."

Ziyan added, "I am not very familiar with Your Highness, so I cannot help you with this matter."

The unconscious Murong Yue was unaware that his ailment had been diagnosed by the doctor and read aloud in front of the three of them. Ziyan and Tengluo pushed and shoved each other, politely declining the diagnosis. This matter should still be left to Lu Xuejin.

“That’s right, that’s right,” Tengluo muttered softly, “His Highness the Ninth Prince is always angry, he has a terrible temper, and now he’s suffering from dissociative illness…”

Looking at the young man on the bed, Tengluo couldn't help but feel that His Highness was too cunning. She had just heard Ziyan say that the persona she was keeping now was the one that feigned innocence in public, which was what pleased her young master the most. The reserved and brooding Ninth Prince was gone; he had temporarily hidden himself away.

"..." Lu Xuejin stared thoughtfully at his palm. If he remembered correctly, the boy had fainted from excitement after he had just touched the other person's hand.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, glancing at Ziyan and Tengluo. The two girls immediately looked away, afraid of being called out by him.

"I understand, Your Highness. I will try to find a solution," he said.

Tengluo and Ziyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Tengluo: "When Your Highness wakes up, I will make you a soup to cool you down, and I guarantee that after drinking it, Your Highness will have no desires."

Ziyan: "I'll go and make two more dolls for Your Highness."

The two exchanged a few words, then bowed and took their leave. Their figures disappeared outside the door, leaving only Lu Xuejin and the unconscious Ninth Prince inside the hall.

The man fainted temporarily, and he took advantage of this time to return to the palace.

He learned of Xue Yi's awakening on the way to the palace. He went to Xiyuan Palace in person.

Outside Xiyuan Palace, layers of guards stood watch, and a group of imperial physicians practically stayed there, having pulled Xue Yi back from the brink of death. Lu Xuejin stepped into the palace, a chilling aura falling beside her. The palace was filled with calming incense, and imperial physicians and guards stood watch by the bedside. The person on the bed was emaciated, seemingly having endured something terrible; he was frail and weak, as if on the verge of death, yet he displayed an extreme vitality.

Xue Yi also saw him. He had just returned from the brink of death, his whole body drenched in sweat, his frail and slender frame almost collapsing. His eyebrows and eyes were dark and deep, the small mole under his eye appeared even more profound, revealing a pale complexion. His skin was pale and thin. He wanted to smile at Lu Xuejin, but he couldn't manage to.

"Changyou...you've come to see me?"

His low, hoarse voice sounded like a shattered drum or gong, ringing out with a metallic clang.

Lu Xuejin could no longer recognize Xue Yi; it was as if a dead person had entered Xue Yi's body, giving him a final burst of life. He looked at the man, then looked away, his voice softening slightly.

"My brother has been in a coma for quite some time. This time, his illness is so serious... How are you feeling now, brother?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Yi coughed. With each cough, his whole body trembled, his dark eyes blending into his pale skin, and blood trickling from his lips and between his fingers. The man on the bed was like a cluster of withered peonies blooming in a place of wealth and luxury, his ink-wash black, white, and gray hues pale in comparison to the vibrant colors of the flowers.

Lu Xuejin couldn't see his own face; he had been staring at Xue Yi for so long that he hadn't even noticed the look of reluctance in his eyes. Xue Yi, however, saw that look and laughed.

"It's alright. I never took care of my health before... Look at me, I'm getting my comeuppance this time. Changyou, could you come closer so I can take a good look at you?"

Lu Xuejin approached, and as he got closer, he smelled the bitter scent of medicine. That bitterness had permeated Xue Yi's entire being, giving him a bitter fragrance. He noticed Xue Yi's pale, slender fingers, and then those blood-stained fingers touched him.

"After I fainted, I went to many places in the past. Then I had a dream... I dreamed that Changyou was now making love with someone elsewhere. I watched from afar, thinking that I must wake up no matter what. Even if I become a demon, I must crawl back." Xue Yi's eyebrows and eyes showed a lifelike vitality, his dark eyes surged, and his slender eyebrows curved.

"We have just gotten married, and my frail body can hardly bear this joy. How have you been lately? What has Changyou been doing during my illness?" Xue Yi quietly observed him.

He looked down at his fingers, his palm stained with Xue Yi's blood. He thought for a moment and replied, "I've been outside the palace recently."

"Then when you come to see me, will you come to inform me? If you prefer to live outside the palace, then so be it... If I miss you, then come back for a visit. What do you say?"

Xue Yi seemed completely unconcerned about the matter, pulling him to sit down on the edge of the bed. His dark hair fell down, and on the brocade bedding, which had just been changed, there were several spots stained with Xue Yi's blood.

Lu Xuejin: "I heard that my brother has woken up, so I came to see him. I also have something to discuss with him. After I finish dealing with my matters in the capital, I plan to go to Liancheng."

"Liancheng? Wherever you suffer, that's where Changyou will go." Xue Yi had just woken up, but he was not someone to be fooled at all.

"This matter requires careful consideration. It's not that I'm worried about Changyou's past, but I'm still haunted by nightmares. In my dreams... I always feel that the fish I killed with my own hands has come back to life and is swimming around Changyou. If he touches Changyou, my heart will break."

Xue Yi sighed softly, his slender eyes drawing closer to stare intently at him, as if trying to discern any change in his expression. His long, delicate fingers traced the strands of his hair, gently touching his earlobe.

The air in the hall suddenly became quiet. Lu Xuejin's expression remained unchanged. He clenched his fist slightly, and the sticky blood on his palm seemed to want to seep into the gaps in his body.

“I see. I’m not in a hurry. Your health is the most important thing. We can talk about these things when you’re feeling better. I’ve already caused you a lot of trouble since you just woke up,” he said.

"How could this be?" Xue Yi moved closer to him, seemingly turning into a ghost and clinging to his side. A bitter aura swept over him, and his shoulder sank. Xue Yi leaned close to his neck, and his skin felt a cool touch.

"I am already very pleased that Changyou has come," Xue Yi said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "But... are you nervous? Look, you're sweating. Is there something you're hiding from me?"

Xue Yi's thumb touched his hair, and just as he was about to speak, Xue Yi grabbed his wrist with such force that it seemed as if he wanted to crush him. He looked up and met Xue Yi's gaze. Xue Yi saw that he was sweating, and his sickly face suddenly flushed red. His eyebrows rolled up, wet and glistening, as if coated with a layer of dense venom.

Those eyes, as dark as the heavens, gazed at him with a half-smile. Then, their depths shifted to a sickly expression. Xue Yi leaned closer and licked the sweat from his neck, his eyes seeming to want to lick every inch of him.

"..." He immediately tried to get up, but Xue Yi grabbed him and sighed, "Changyou. Sit with me for a while."

He coughed softly again as he spoke. Xue Yi patted him gently and said, "You've left the palace now, but I can't leave the Golden Palace. How about you sit with me for a while?"

Lu Xuejin noticed the gaze of the person beside him. He was even more unpredictable after waking up. He glanced at the chessboard that had been set aside and said, "How about we play a game of chess? According to the rules you mentioned earlier, if I win, you should rest well as I say. If I lose, I will stay in Xiyuan Palace to take care of you today."

Xue Yi listened to the first half of the conversation seemingly unintentionally, but when he heard the last sentence, he looked at him thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing.

"This was decided by Changyou himself. He's that confident?" Xue Yi asked.

Lu Xuejin remained silent, instructing a guard to move the abandoned chessboard over. The board was placed between them, and he lowered his gaze, deep in thought, intently observing the game. When playing chess, one must first consider who the opponent is; the game's appeal varies depending on the player's temperament.

He had already lost to Xue Yi twice. When they were young, they studied things together, and Xue Yi always mastered them faster than him, discarding them immediately after learning them. Later, he could do anything better than Xue Yi in anything they both touched.

“Brother, you are exceptionally talented; you can exchange things for things,” he said.

The game of chess lasted from dawn till dusk. His mind was so focused on the game that he didn't notice the changing light outside. A candle illuminated the chessboard, and by the time he placed his final piece, the outcome was decided.

Xue Yi looked at him without saying a word.

“I won,” he put down the chess piece, glanced at the sky outside, and said to Xue Yi, “Since it’s getting late… I’ll stay here to take care of my brother.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Imperial Physician Jia and Imperial Physician Gu entered, preparing warm food for Xue Yi. Xue Yi, however, hadn't heard him clearly. After hearing him, she looked at him, her sickly expression fading, leaving only a silent stillness.

"Changyou... what kind of new scheme is this?"

Lu Xuejin remained silent, her downcast gaze reflecting Xue Yi's arm. It was covered in countless needle marks, tiny red dots, like rashes branded onto Xue Yi's body.

"Brother, please rest early after your meal. Don't worry about any new schemes I used. Just think of it as me personally taking action to catch the criminal," Lu Xuejin said.

He ordered the palace servants to make a small bed next to Xue Yi's bed. When the full moon appeared outside, he remembered when his father and mother were still alive, and how they would stay by his small bed when he was sick. When his mother passed away, he and his father stayed by her bedside. Later, when Xue Yi came to the Prime Minister's residence, he was a weak and sickly child, and he and his father would often stay by his side, sleeping on a small bed they had made together.

When Xue Yi woke up this morning, he was barely holding on. After eating, he fell asleep again. He stayed by the bedside, watching Xue Yi's drooping arm, which was covered in bruises. After a while, Imperial Physician Jia and Imperial Physician Gu came over with a lot of needles and pricked Xue Yi's body, drawing out patches of dark, ghostly blood.

He looked at the person on the bed, who seemed less like a human and more like a clump of precarious aquatic plant. Reaching the surface would come at a heavy price; the entire body was almost shattered. Even so, the person still had to get out of the water and reach the shore.

As dawn approached, he wrote a letter of remonstrance, detailing the case of the lantern vendor couple. Only Xue Yi's approval remained, and Qiu Xiong was not far from his execution.

Back in the courtyard outside the palace, Ziyan and Tengluo were waiting outside, both with heavy dark circles under their eyes. Seeing him return, Tengluo felt like she had found a savior.

“Young master… His Highness woke up not long after you left and insisted on coming to find you. We servants couldn’t stop him, so we had the guards knock him unconscious. After he was unconscious, he woke up again and started making a ruckus. In the end, Ziyan and I gave him some sedatives.”

Lu Xuejin paused slightly. He pushed open the door; the room was dark, and no one was on the bed. A dark figure appeared by the window—a boy sitting alone, waiting for someone, clutching a rag doll. Hearing the noise, the boy's fan-shaped eyes opened, and upon seeing him, it let out a sharp scream.

It felt like I was back on that rainy day, when thunder and lightning shattered the clouds above the beams, and lightning split the rain curtain, the raindrops stinging like needles on my skin.

The shrill sound seemed to tear the boy's voice apart, bringing forth pain and obscurity from the depths of his soul. Lu Xuejin's ears were ringing. As he got closer, he could tell the man was angry. The closer he got, the sharper the sound became, piercing his eardrums like a silent interrogation.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered that the late emperor had once asked him, "What is a gentleman?" He had replied, "A gentleman is one who does not despise things that are silent because they are silent, nor belittle people who are unwise because they are unwise. He does not despise plants because they are silent, nor belittle those who are down on their luck."

"...Your Highness, are you angry?" he asked.

Your Highness, are you angry?

In the boundary between Yin and Yang, the image of a young man appeared in the water mirror. Murong Yue heard unpleasant sounds emanating from his own body; he was now not far removed from a mentally unstable madman. He stared silently at the young man in the lake.

So... we must abandon this madman.

He was an outcast left over from the previous dynasty, a subject unfavored by gods and Buddhas, a rat plague that survived two deaths, and a madman suffering from an unknown illness.

His only future is death after being abandoned.

The path to overthrow has reached its end... Should we abandon it?

A note from the author: