75 Chapter Seventy-Five
◎Even the dignified Lord Xie Lang has things he dares not do.◎
Chapter Seventy-Five
So annoying.
This was the first time Xie Lang had felt such an ordinary emotion.
Was he born in the Year of the Dog?
How can your nose be so sensitive?
However, he quickly realized that Ying Yucheng must have buried people on his side earlier.
They underestimated General Ying.
As for whether his wife knew, he originally intended to proceed slowly and test the waters gradually. However, Li Ying and Ying Yucheng arrived in a hurry, seemingly not giving him any time.
Fortunately, Xie Lang now has a Gu (a type of poison) connected to her body, which allows him to understand many emotions he previously did not comprehend.
Even someone as strong as Xie Lang felt a pang of sadness for the first time, a sadness he felt for her.
From her perspective, how heartbroken she must be.
My chest felt heavy, and my throat felt tight.
He felt sorry for her.
Xie Lang lifted her eyelids and looked at the tightly closed door. His heavy gaze seemed to pierce through the paper window and land on her.
"Understood. Do not let him approach the clinic. Whether to see him or not, ask the lady first."
She couldn't even bear his slights, and she wasn't blinded by wealth. If she knew her biological mother was still alive but didn't acknowledge her, she would be heartbroken.
After Xie Wu left, Xie Lang pushed open the door again and quietly went inside.
In the early morning, the first rays of sunlight streamed into the room through the window, waking her up along with the cheerful chirping of birds.
Liu Qingqing opened her eyes and rested on the bed for a moment. The events of yesterday flooded back into her mind. She was facing the spot where Xie Lang had been lying. She didn't rush to get up, but instead turned over to face outwards and wrapped herself in the brocade quilt again.
The golden sunlight cleared away the floating dust. Liu Qingqing stared blankly for a while before getting up to wash up.
My gaze swept over the next room; the door was closed.
He's obedient now, isn't he? Liu Qingqing's eyes flashed with mockery.
She wasn't lying to Xie Lang; since she settled in Yingcheng, quite a few matchmakers had come to her door.
Who wouldn't want to marry a wealthy wife?
Many people are watching secretly.
She had already been given many portraits, which she used as an excuse to procrastinate.
After washing up, she took out all the portraits that had been buried at the bottom of the trunk and placed them on the desk in the study. Liu Qingqing stood beside the desk and looked at them carefully for the first time.
Someone knocked on the door. Liu Qingqing opened the window and saw Lin Mei. She asked what was wrong.
"Dr. Zhang, now that you have some free time, didn't you say you wanted to take my pulse?"
Liu Qingqing nodded, walked around to open the door, and after stepping out, she thought for a moment and said, "Let Doctor Zhang come to the study."
Doctor Zhang arrived shortly afterward; that's one of the advantages of a small courtyard.
"Dr. Zhang, I've been feeling very tired lately. Could you please take a look and tell me what's wrong?"
It's best not to openly discuss the matter of Zeng Zhongyao.
Upon hearing this, Doctor Zhang focused intently on taking her pulse. After a moment of contemplation, he hesitated, glancing at her first before tilting his head to probe again.
Liu Qingqing's heart tightened.
"But is it not good?" she asked tentatively.
"It's not that it's bad... It seems like you've been under the influence of a cursed drug, but I can't detect it anymore since the effects have mostly worn off. If you don't know, then your family must have secretly found a way to nourish your body."
He paused slightly, "However, this medicine is not easy to counteract; the young lady's family must have used a great deal of force. Also, the young lady's health is much better than last time. It's just that..."
"What will happen?" Liu Qingqing asked hurriedly.
"It may cause slight damage to the other party."
Liu Qingqing was taken aback. After thanking Doctor Zhang, she told him to go and rest.
She leaned back in her chair, thought through the whole story, and had a clear understanding of what had happened. Then, she let out a soft sigh.
Why doesn't he say it?
Then she thought back and scoffed, wondering when he had ever said anything to her.
In his eyes, there was no need for her to know, and he would not tell her anything, regardless of whether it concerned her or not.
Just like raising cats and dogs, what do you need the cats' or dogs' consent for?
My fluctuating emotions cooled down again.
She endured hardship and subservience under the care of Madam Ying for over a decade in the Liu family, and her greatest skill was understanding people.
After shedding her feelings of love for Xie Lang, she clearly saw his cruel, straightforward, and extremely cold true nature.
Her room remained quiet, so she took out all the portraits that the matchmaker had sent earlier from the painting cabinet.
Although Yingcheng was wealthy, the families who would specially commission portraits of potential suitors couldn't be too bad. She looked them over carefully for the first time; some were gentle and refined gentlemen, while others seemed unruly and rebellious.
After watching for a while, and having breakfast, the person in the room was still asleep.
That's really strange.
After much deliberation and hesitation, Lin Mei came from the front carrying a bowl of medicine.
"It's medicine for adults."
Liu Qingqing nodded, but didn't take it when Lin Mei was about to hand it over. "Take it in yourself."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the study.
Lin Mei stared blankly at the young lady's departing figure without hesitation for a moment, then turned around and knocked on the door. When no one answered, she mustered her courage and pushed the door open.
"ah!"
A startled scream.
Lin Mei is usually calm and never makes a fuss. Could something have happened?
Liu Qingqing quickly turned around and walked over, holding onto the door frame and stepping over, but she was stunned when she saw what was inside.
Something really happened!
Xie Lang, who was usually serene and composed, was now sitting on the floor in a disheveled state, leaning against the bed. His head was drooping, and the bloodstains on his moonlit nightgown were like red plum blossoms in the cold winter, a shocking sight!
"Close the door quickly."
Liu Qingqing hurried inside, gave Lin Mei instructions, and then went over.
Xie Lang cannot afford to get into trouble here. Whether considering the medical clinic or his status, he cannot afford to have anything happen to him here.
Where did Xie Wu go? Why is there so much blood? Was he assassinated again outside, or was he injured in the dark last night?
Xie Lang came to Yingcheng to inspect military supplies. Could it be that some corrupt official has secretly sabotaged the operation?
Various speculations swirled in her mind, but she couldn't ask about matters involving the imperial court. However, she knew what was important and what was urgent. If Xie Lang died in Yingcheng, the entire population of Yingcheng would suffer the consequences.
Not knowing the details, I dared not send Doctor Zhang over for the time being.
Fortunately, she has made a lot of progress in the past six months and is no longer the idle person who knew nothing.
So she hurriedly rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out a medicine box, which contained her usual powders and ointments.
Holding the box, she squatted down beside him, first checking his breathing. Seeing that it was normal, she breathed a sigh of relief and was about to unbutton his clothes to check his injuries.
In her panic, she carefully lifted her loose collar and realized something was wrong. The knife wound on her chest had healed remarkably well; it had to be said that Xie Lang was extremely robust. If she had been subjected to such exertion, she would have been half-dead long ago.
Just as he was thinking about checking where all that blood came from, something else caught his eye.
He was awake!
Those beautiful eyes were filled with bitterness, a mixture of emotions she couldn't understand for a moment, which made her freeze.
From the moment she entered, while she was busy, Xie Lang would look up and search for her, his gaze fixed intently on her.
His dreams were horrific, tormenting him every night.
In his dreams, she is brutally murdered in various ways, and he frantically tries to save her, only to be blocked by a transparent membrane at the crucial moment each time. She looks at him in despair, her eyes filled with pleading and hope. But he can only watch helplessly as she is killed.
Today, a bandit stabbed her in the neck. The bandit's knife was extremely sharp; with a flick of his arm, he slashed her neck open, and warm blood splattered all over her face! It burned her so much that she trembled!
Xie Lang woke up with a start, unable to tell whether he was dreaming or not.
Sometimes he would dream of Liu Qingqing being killed, and in the next instant, she would appear before him in a different scene.
But before that, he had never been able to touch her.
Like a terrifying nightmare, he could only struggle with all his might to break free from the dream, and then slash his arm open with a knife. The excruciating pain brought him back to his senses, offering a brief reassurance to his pounding heart and twisting, screaming soul—the dream was all an illusion.
At that moment, he stared at her blankly, his eyes suddenly reddening. He reached out to her, touched her cheek, and then his arm trembled violently, his fingertips shaking uncontrollably.
"You didn't suffer, did you?"
Even the slow-witted Liu Qingqing noticed something was wrong. His face turned deathly pale, and the bluish-gray color under his eyes deepened.
His gaze was fixed on her face, and his lips trembled as he spoke, "Did it hurt just now?"
Liu Qingqing was stunned, suddenly remembering what Xie Wu had confided in her.
Xie Wu said back then—those were all cuts made by the adults themselves, one by one! Since you left, the adults have had trouble sleeping every night, as if they are always having nightmares, and every time they wake up they will cut themselves. Blood flows freely, but the adults will laugh, and then tears will flow again as they laugh.
Just then, tears slid down from the corners of his reddened eyes and fell onto his blood-stained nightgown.
She lowered her eyes and took his hand, while gently lifting her wide sleeve with her other hand.
His pupils contracted sharply; sure enough, there was a fresh cut on his arm. He must have used tremendous force; the bone was visible deep inside! Blood was flowing from the wound.
His arm was still trembling slightly, whether from pain or something else, it was hard to tell.
Every single time, this hand just couldn't grasp her. It would brush against the ends of her hair, but ultimately, it would miss her!
Xie Lang always seemed aloof and in control in front of others; when had he ever been so disheveled?
Even on the day they reunited in the cave, though he shed tears, he remained assertive and aggressive.
I've never seen anything like this before.
She felt a pang of sadness and murmured softly, "Why are you doing this to yourself?"
No longer looking at him, Liu Qingqing took out the white jade ointment and applied it to the wound, then sprinkled on some golden wound powder.
She breathed a sigh of relief after the bleeding stopped once the medicine was applied.
Then carefully wrap it with gauze.
With such good medicine and Xie Lang's strong body, the scab should heal in a few days.
Warm fingertips glided back and forth across his skin, and the stinging sensation of the powder as it fell gradually brought Xie Lang back to reality. His eyes were still glued to her, his gaze filled with an unspoken, wet infatuation.
Since their reunion, I had never been so close to her in broad daylight, close enough to see the golden down on her face. I could see the rise and fall of her chest with her breath, the gentle throbbing of the veins on the side of her neck, and the small mole on the back of her neck.
She was living a good life, and everything about her was wonderful; even the wrinkles on her skin pleased him.
He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms, but then he noticed the bloodstain on her neck and remembered her fierce struggle last night, so he didn't dare.
If the dignified Lord Xie Lang were to find out that he dared not do something, his political enemies in the court would surely gloat and mock him.
He curled his fingers impatiently.
His gaze slowly descended, but suddenly settled on her ankle.
Summer is almost here, and in my haste, my skirt was mostly lifted up and folded over my legs, revealing the injury on my ankle. It was in this same spot that I was injured when I was rescued by the chains.
Xie Lang grasped the injured spot on her ankle. After a long while, he seemed hesitant to touch it.
"How did you do that?"
Liu Qingqing paused in tying the gauze, glanced up at him, and realized he had regained consciousness. She brushed away the trembling tear on his cheek, and looked at him again; his gaze had returned to normal.
Liu Qingqing subtly withdrew her hand, then shifted her skirt over to cover her ankles again before getting up.
But Xie Lang, contrary to his previous reluctance, now held on loosely without exerting force, refusing to let go.
"How did you do that?"
His voice was soft yet firm, and he relentlessly pursued the challenge.
“I slipped and fell down the hillside, and the chain got caught on a tree,” she replied.
He asked with a bitter voice, each word seemingly uttered with great difficulty, "Is it my chain?"
He asked the question he already knew the answer to.
Liu Qingqing glanced at him and responded softly, but then saw him suddenly clench his fist, and the gauze on his wrist was stained red again.
His wrists, those jade-like hands, are now completely bare.
She had also cut her own wrists, so she knew how painful it was.
"It's all in the past, there's no need for that."
Her voice was slightly cool, unlike her previous rejection. Instead, she seemed to have the inclination to joke with him, "I should thank you for putting chains on me, otherwise I would have fallen into the rapids and certainly wouldn't have survived."
"Liu Qingqing!"
He suddenly interrupted her sharply. As she looked at him in surprise, Xie Lang gently grasped her fingertips and said in a very soft voice, "Don't say that."
No one can say she is dead, not even she herself.
Liu Qingqing stared at him, looking at him so intently for the first time since they met again.
Since their reunion, she has been unusually calm.
She was very happy at first in the Marquis's mansion, but things didn't go so well later.
He didn't seem to be doing well after she left.
The handsome young master Ruyu has become this inhuman, ghostly figure in private. He was the dream lover of countless young women in the capital, a first-rate gentleman of refined taste.
In this marriage, they each gained some benefits, but also experienced different kinds of bitterness.
She thought that in the end, there seemed to be no winners in this marriage.
They... should all move on by now.
Whether it's sympathy, guilt, or something else.
She realized that she seemed to hold some weight in his heart.
She longed for intense love, but Xie Lang would never be. He was rational, dignified, and aloof, but if it was worthwhile, he would throw himself into the situation.
Even though she knew he couldn't, his appearance gave her a strange, subtle sense of satisfaction, like a shriveled belly stuffed with cotton, feeling bloated.
Words that were once too embarrassing to say are no longer so difficult to say.
She no longer carried a sharp edge; instead, she exuded a sense of calm.
"What's past is past. I won't make things harder for myself anymore, and neither will you, okay?"
Xie Lang suddenly looked up at her, and his heart suddenly felt empty, as if something was flowing out from between his fingers and he couldn't grasp it.
"What do you mean by that, Madam?"
Suddenly, his voice became extremely hoarse.
He wanted to treat her even better, so why wouldn't she accept it?
[Author's Note]
Next chapter preview:
This was the first time he had ever heard what she was thinking.
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