Chapter 30
Shen Ah Heng looked at the blood oozing from his fingertips, his heart suddenly tightened, and the itching of his fingers was instantly suppressed by the heartache. When he let go of his hand, he quickly grabbed his finger to check. Seeing that the wound was still bleeding, his nose suddenly felt sore.
Ashina Yu lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes like butterfly wings casting a light shadow under his eyes. Although his fingertips were still bleeding, his expression was gentle, as if he didn't feel any pain.
My heart suddenly felt like being pricked by a needle.
When he worked as a medicine man, he had to suffer countless cuts and endure countless pains before he could accept pain as a daily occurrence and even forget to frown.
Shen Ah Heng pursed his lips, touched his wound lightly with his fingertips, and said in a voice as light as a feather: "Don't you feel any pain? My hand is itchy, just bear with it, why... why don't you take your pain seriously?"
As she spoke, she took out a handkerchief and carefully bandaged his wound, but her fingertips trembled uncontrollably. He was always like this, taking her little things more seriously than his own, caring so simply and directly that she couldn't even say a word of blame.
Ashina Yu just watched her movements quietly, his fingertips occasionally rubbing against her palm, and he paused slightly with very little force, as if he was afraid of hurting her, or like a little animal instinctively holding on to the person it cares about.
Shen Ah Heng paused in wrapping the handkerchief, lowered his eyes and sighed softly: "I always trouble you along the way, but if one day I am not with you, what will you do alone?"
As soon as she said this, she was stunned for a moment, inexplicably feeling that this sentence was a bit strange, so she quickly made up for it: "I mean, from now on... uh..."
Ashina Yu tightened his grip on her wrist, his dark eyes reflecting a flickering fire, losing their usual coldness. He stared into her eyes, his Central Plains dialect a little more slurred than usual, but every word was filled with seriousness: "Without you, I...it doesn't matter where I go."
He paused, his cold white fingertips gently brushed across her palm, and repeated it again, his voice softer but more determined: "So, don't, don't leave me. I will follow Ah Heng, and we will never, ever separate."
The words "never separate" were like a small stone thrown into Shen Aheng's heart, and ripples spread out in an instant.
Shen Ah Heng lowered his eyes in a hurry, his fingers clutching the handkerchief tightened slightly, and he felt his heartbeat become disorderly.
The young man in front of her even spoke haltingly, but he revealed his most straightforward feelings to her, which were more important than any promise.
-
The two of them spent the night in the temple. When dawn broke, the fire had already gone out. The morning light leaked in through the window lattice, casting tiny spots of light on the ground.
Shen Aheng was awakened by a burst of bird calls.
She opened her eyes and looked around, and found that she was sleeping on Ashina's legs. His clothes still had the residual heat from last night's fire, and he was very warm.
Ashina Yu closed his eyes, his long eyelashes drooped slightly, the morning light fell between his eyebrows, and even his nose was cool and beautiful.
Shen Ah Heng was actually a little dazed for a moment, and even his breathing became lighter.
Just as he was in a daze, Ashina Yu seemed to notice something and opened his eyes with trembling eyelashes.
The moment their eyes met, Shen Ah Heng suddenly tried to sit up as if he was scalded, and almost fell down in a panic.
Ashina Yu also subconsciously reached out, holding her wrist firmly with his palm, and his fingertips rubbed her palm.
They both paused at the same time.
Shen Aheng felt her cheeks suddenly burning, even her fingertips were burning, and she hurriedly tried to pull her hand back.
Ashina Yu's ears also turned red, but he didn't let go. Instead, he gently squeezed her wrist and slowly helped her sit up straight. He spoke in a soft voice with a bit of hesitation in the Central Plains dialect: "Slow down, slow down, don't, don't fall."
After Shen Aheng sat down steadily, she stood up almost immediately, her hands still subconsciously clutching the gray robe on her body. She didn't dare to look at Ashina Yu again, and her voice was a little panicked: "The rain, the rain seems to have stopped? Then let's go to the town quickly, just in time... just in time to eat a bowl of hot noodles!"
Ashina Yu looked at her slightly flushed face and said "hmm" softly.
When Shen Ahheng came out of the hall, the redness on her cheeks had not completely faded, and the two horses in front of the hitching post were still leisurely chewing the grass on the ground.
Shen Ah Heng took a deep breath, and just as his fingertips were about to touch the horsewhip, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the temple gate, mixed with rough shouts with a unique accent of the Western Regions.
Shen Ah Heng's body froze, and when he turned around, he saw more than a dozen figures rushing in from outside the door. The man in the lead had a cold and hard face. It was Na Luozhen, the elder of the Yaochen Sect who had not been seen for many days.
Na Luozhen rode a dark horse, his eyes piercing Shen Aheng like a knife, his Western dialect mixed with a stiff Central Plains accent, cold and without a trace of warmth: "You... long time no see, finally, I found you."
Shen Ah Heng's heart tightened, his hand holding the whip was shaking, and he subconsciously wanted to run into the hall.
As soon as she turned around, she saw Ashina Yu walking out with a dagger in his hand. His eyes were fixed on Na Luozhen. The gentleness of the past was gone from his handsome eyebrows, leaving only coldness.
Na Luozhen reined in his horse and his eyes fell on Ashina Yu who came out of the hall. His tone instantly lost its coldness and revealed a bit of respect as he spoke in the Western language.
[Spiritual Servant, come back with us to the sect. The Sect Master is already waiting inside. Please do not resist any further, as this will only cause unnecessary trouble.]
Ashina Yu tightened his grip on the dagger and protected Shen Aheng behind him. There was no warmth left in his dark eyes, and he replied quickly and coldly in the language of the Western Regions.
[Now that I have left, I will not return. You go.]
Seeing that neither of them would give in, Na Luozhen's face instantly darkened to the point of dripping water. He immediately raised his hand and waved it back, saying in the Western dialect, "Got it!"
The disciples of the Yaochen Sect behind him immediately drew out a number of scimitars. The blades were as curved as new, and the handles were wrapped in animal skins and decorated with tiny copper bells. They were a kind of weapon unique to the Western Region tribes. They rushed towards the two of them with a biting cold air.
Ashina Yu almost instinctively blocked Shen Aheng behind him, and spun around with a short knife in hand to meet him.
His moves were extremely fast, his body was as graceful as the wind, and the blade drew a strange arc in the sunlight. Before the group of people got close, the blade had already brushed past their wrists.
There were only a few loud cries of pain, and scimitars fell to the ground one after another. In just a moment, seven or eight disciples fell to the ground, covering their arms and crying out in pain.
Na Luozhen on horseback could see everything clearly, his eyes were very dark. When Ashina Yu left the last disciple behind, he suddenly jumped off the horse, swooped down like an eagle, and with the poisonous mist unique to Yaochen Sect condensed in his palm, he rushed straight towards Ashina Yu's heart.
Ashina Yu reacted extremely quickly, swinging his sword back to block the attack, and the blade grazed Na Luozhen's wrist and went straight for his heart.
But the other party did not dodge at all. Instead, he suddenly raised his hand, and with a wave of his wide sleeves, the pale purple poisonous powder suddenly sprinkled towards Ashina's jade face.
Ashina Yu only felt a fishy and sweet taste passing through his nose, his heart suddenly felt numb, and all the strength in his body seemed to be drained away. The hand holding the dagger loosened, and with a "clang", the dagger fell to the ground.
When Ashina Yu staggered and fell backwards, Shen Aheng's heart tightened, and he rushed over with a cry of surprise, holding his arm, and just when his fingertips touched his wrist, he felt a chill.
Ashina Yu's face was as pale as paper, with cold sweat oozing from his forehead, and even his breathing was a little weaker. He looked exactly the same as when she picked him up from Qingxiu Mountain, weak and dying.
"Ah... Ayu! Ayu, how are you..."
Shen Ahheng's voice trembled. He hurriedly took out a porcelain bottle from his arms, poured out two pills that were originally used to detoxify him, and wanted to feed them to him.
Seeing this, Na Luozhen suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, his laughter full of pride: "It's useless! This is... my Yaochen Sect's 'Sugu Powder', the sect's top-secret poison! In one hour, his muscles and bones will be limp and he won't be able to move!"
He tightened the reins of his horse, and glanced at the porcelain bottle in Shen Aheng's hand with contempt: "In this world, only my Yaochen Sect has the antidote. Your broken pill is useless!"
Shen Aheng paused as he fed the medicine. Looking at Ashina Yu's hand hanging by his side, even his fingertips were trembling slightly, he felt panic and pain in his heart, but he still gritted his teeth and stuffed the pill into his mouth, his voice a little stubborn: "You care about me! Even if it's useless, I can't watch you like this!"
Na Luozhen waited patiently for a while, and when he saw that the pill hadn't worked after Shen Ahheng had taken it, his face became more determined. His Central Plains dialect was still halting, but with a hint of persuasion: "Miss, don't, don't force yourself. The spirit servant is originally from our sect. Let him come back with me... If he doesn't make a fuss, everything will be fine."
Shen Aheng tightened his grip on Ashina Yu's arm, his fingertips turning white from the force. He raised his eyes with red eyes and looked at him: "Let him go back? Let you continue to use him as a medicine man, drain his body and then kill him? He was almost half dead back then, and it wasn't you who caused it!"
Na Luozhen's face turned cold, and his tone left no room for doubt: "It's different! He is the only surviving medicine man in our sect in the past hundred years! He is now the sect's 'Saint Blood Spirit Holder', and he is worshipped! Everyone respects him and will not harm his life again."
Shen Aheng supported Ashina Yu, his eyes full of disbelief, his voice tinged with sarcasm: "Worship? Receive incense? Why should I believe you? It was you who tortured him to death in the beginning, and now you change your mind so easily, how can I know that it's not just a lie you used to fool me?"
Upon hearing this, Na Luozhen lowered his head and glanced at Ashina Yu.
His face was paler than before, and even the strength with which he leaned against Shen Aheng was a little greater. Cold sweat on his forehead dripped down his jaw, and it was obvious that the poison in his body was slowly taking effect.
Na Luozhen sneered, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "You little girl... you're quite capable. I don't know what trick you used to delay the onset of the poison."
He paused, then twisted a little lavender poison powder between his fingers in his sleeves, waving it in the sunlight. A threatening tone filled his voice, "But you must understand that the poison in his body... is incurable. The powder in my hand can even accelerate the poisoning. If you don't let him go with me, his poison... will immediately return, and he'll be even more potent than before."
Shen Ah Heng's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly raised his hand to pull open Ashina Yu's clothes, and saw that the dark purple poisonous pattern that had faded to his arm was slowly spreading upwards along the direction of his heart, and the pattern was deeper than before.
Like a vine that comes to life, it corrodes the entire body bit by bit.
Shen Ah Heng's fingertips lightly touched the poison pattern, and his heart sank to the bottom instantly.
Na Luozhen's lips curled into a cold smile, his voice tinged with threat, "Believe it or not... it's up to you. His poisonous pattern will... attack his heart in an hour. By then, it won't be just cartilage turning into bones, it will be sudden death! If you want to save him, just let him come with me."
Na Luozhen saw that Shen Aheng's face was pale, and the smile on the corner of his mouth became even thicker. He raised his hand and waved in the direction behind him.
The next second, the sound of orderly footsteps came from afar, and outside the courtyard, several white soldiers in green armor surrounded them with spears in their hands. The cold light of the spear tips was pointed directly at the two men, blocking their retreat.
The air suddenly became eerily quiet, with only the soft clatter of soldiers' armor colliding.
The wind swept by with dust, ruffling the girl's long hair. The fine strands were entangled on her thin shoulders, like a slender willow that could be broken at any time. She kept her head down, and the soft hair stuck to her pale face, covering most of her expression and revealing only a little bit of her lips that were pursed and turned pale.
The whole person was as quiet as a fragile porcelain doll.
The officers and soldiers around did not dare to urge her. After a long while, everyone heard her speak softly. Her voice was so soft that it seemed to be blown away by the wind. She had no strength at all.
"Okay, I promise you."
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