She smiled.
My gaze gradually focused, and what came into view was a simple wooden beam, with tiny specks of dust and cobwebs hanging from it. Beneath me was a hard bed board, covered with a rough but clean linen sheet.
She's not dead?
Yun Wei felt a slight ripple in her heart, but she quickly suppressed it with reason. The life-or-death situation was no longer a turbulent wave for her. She twitched her fingertips slightly and tentatively propped herself up, but this tiny movement was like a stone thrown into water, waking the person who was waiting by her bedside.
A figure almost immediately stood up from the low stool beside the bed, instantly blocking out most of the light and casting a shadow over her.
"woke up?"
It is Xie Lanchen.
His face was expressionless, but his eyes were fixed intently on her.
Did he bring me here? That look in his eyes… Yun Wei thought, it’s that same look again, like he wants to tear a piece of my flesh but has to endure it. It was the same back in Guiyun Sect.
Forget it, why think about these things? Anyway, he is already his father's most favored adopted son.
Yunwei looked at him, her throat dry and tight, and managed to squeeze out a single word: "Water."
Xie Lanchen didn't speak, but turned around and walked to the simple wooden table in the center of the room. On the table was a rough pottery kettle and a cup of the same material.
He picked up the kettle and poured half a cup of water.
As he moved, Yunwei's gaze caught a few subtle, recent burn marks on his fingertips.
He returned to the bedside with the water glass in his hand, but instead of handing it to her, he brought it directly to her lips.
The rim of the cup was slightly cool, and the clear water slid down my throat, quenching the burning thirst.
"You've been unconscious for three days." Xie Lanchen's voice came from above, still calm and unwavering, showing no concern whatsoever.
Yun Wei ignored him and tried to focus her mind to sense the situation within her body. Her heart sank. She was weaker than before, her spiritual energy was almost depleted, and she could hardly gather even a trace of warmth. She had to recover as soon as possible; the sect competition was her only chance to stand openly before her father.
"Where's Aya?" she asked, her voice still hoarse.
"Outside," he answered succinctly, a hint of barely perceptible repulsion in his tone, as if even mentioning that name displeased him. Was it because she came from the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, or because she was someone close to me?
It's good that Aya is alright.
Yun Wei secretly regulated her breathing, suppressing the discomfort emanating from her body. She coughed almost inaudibly before slowly saying, "Okay... thank you." Finally, she raised her eyes, her lips curving upwards with an extremely slight effort. The smile was faint, clearly deliberate and forced.
The boy's gaze lingered for a moment on the extremely unnatural, weak smile on her face. After a long pause, he turned his head away again: "You've been possessed? Your smile is uglier than a grimace." He paused, the contempt in his eyes becoming even more obvious. "Instead of putting on an act, you should think about how to prolong this remnant soul of yours. Your life is now tied to two people, so keep it safe and don't cause me any more trouble." With that, he turned and walked away.
The door was pulled open forcefully and slammed shut with a bang, causing dust to fall from the door frame and intensifying the suppressed disgust in Yun Wei's heart.
Sure enough, you can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. Yun Wei looked at the wooden door that was still shaking slightly, and the deliberate expression on her face instantly vanished, leaving only cold indifference. This was just right. If he always maintained this cold-hearted demeanor, then one day when the boy was no longer of any use to her, and she could discard him like a worn-out shoe, she would have fewer reservations.
Yun Wei threw off the thick quilt covering her, pushed open the door, and the afternoon sun was a bit dazzling. It was a small farmhouse courtyard, surrounded by earthen walls. There was a stone table and chairs in the yard, and some firewood was piled in the corner. Beside the courtyard wall, an old tree with gnarled branches stood, and Nangong Ya was squatting by the roots of the tree, her back to Yun Wei, head down, staring intently at something, not even noticing Yun Wei push the door open.
Yunwei walked over quietly. When she got closer, she could see that Nangong Ya was carefully parting the damp soil next to the tree roots, revealing the tangled roots underneath.
"Have you found the heart of the tree?" Yunwei asked softly.
"Whoa!" Nangong Ya was startled and turned around abruptly. She saw Yun Wei leaning against the tree trunk, her face pale but with a faint smile on her face. Still shaken, she patted her chest and said, "Yun Wei! You scared me to death! How did you get out of bed? How are you feeling?" She quickly stood up and took Yun Wei's arm.
He won't die. Right now, he's just a remnant soul floating in the air. He'll stabilize in a while; there's no need to rush it.
"It's alright." Yun Wei let her help her sit down slowly on the stone chair, her gaze falling on the exposed, mud-covered brown tree roots, a faint look of puzzlement on her face: "Seeing you digging so diligently, I thought you were looking for some incredible treasure."
Nangong Ya patted her chest, straightened her back, and said with a smug look on her face, "When I was in the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, I dealt with herbs and poisonous insects all day long, and I often had to dig in the soil. Every time I dug up the soil and saw those intertwined tree roots, I felt a sense of wonder! They were so deeply embedded in the soil, silently absorbing nutrients, silently supporting the whole tree, standing firm against wind and rain. Don't you think that's like the heart of a tree? Hidden in the deepest and darkest place, yet the most resilient and powerful." As she spoke, her eyes sparkled, filled with a simple and profound understanding of life.
Looking at the girl's innocent smile and bright eyes, Yunwei felt a momentary relaxation in her tense state, and nodded in agreement: "That's an interesting idea."
It's truly rare to retain such purity at such an age. Back in the Guiyun Sect, when her junior brothers and sisters saw her, they would either stand with their heads bowed or avoid her. How could they be so uninhibitedly close to her like this?
Yun Wei straightened her expression and asked, "Aya, what happened after I fainted? What is our current situation? How did we get here?" She never liked being passive. Now that her remnant soul was inhabiting this body, she was restricted in every way. If she didn't even know what happened while she was unconscious, it would be like handing her safety over to others, which was definitely not her style.
Nangong Ya's smile faded, and her face became serious: "You really scared me when you fainted that day! That kid Xie Lanchen tried to help you stabilize your soul, and he tried again and again, but you just wouldn't wake up!"
"Later, he didn't care about anything else and carried you on his back. We searched all the way to this village. By then it was already dark. He knocked on doors from house to house asking for medicine. The villagers saw that he had a cold face and spoke in a harsh tone. At first, they all avoided opening the door and were almost scared away by his appearance. I don't know what he said in the end, but he actually managed to get these folk remedies and herbs and even had someone clear out this room."
She paused, recalling the scene, and continued, "You didn't see how he looked when he was brewing the medicine. He stood by the stove, staring at the medicine pot, his eyes practically spitting fire. He stared at the flames without moving, as if he had some deep-seated grudge against that pot..."
Yunwei listened quietly, her face remaining calm.
If it weren't for that life-sharing pact, he would probably be more than happy for me to vanish into thin air, so that he would have one less major threat. This pretense is not to be taken seriously at all.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about that kid anymore." Nangong Ya seemed to be trying to dispel the gloom, her gaze falling on Yun Wei's long hair draped over her shoulders. Perhaps from sleeping for so long, her hair was a bit frizzy and disheveled. Her eyes lit up, and she suddenly stood up, patted the dirt off her hands, and rushed over to Yun Wei's back: "Look at your messy hair! Let me comb it for you and braid it?"
Yun Wei subconsciously turned her head away, her brows furrowing slightly: "No need, this is fine." She wasn't used to such intimate behavior. Back in the Guiyun Sect, she was the sect leader's daughter, a sword genius revered by all, used to being alone, and always kept a distance from others.
"Oh, don't be so polite with me!" Nangong Ya ignored her, reaching down to untie a plain-colored hair tie from her waist and holding it in her hand. Her fingers deftly slipped through Yun Wei's hair, gently gathering the stray strands together. "You're so stubborn! It's just combing my hair, is it going to eat you up? Sit still and don't move!"
Is it possible that this isn't just politeness...? Yunwei was somewhat helpless against her shamelessness. Her body was already weak, and she really didn't have the strength to argue. She could only sit stiffly and let her do whatever she wanted behind her.
There's just no way to deal with her.
Nangong Ya's fingers flew as she divided her long hair into three strands, deftly intertwining and braiding them into a plait. She walked around to Yun Wei, clapped her hands, and said proudly, "Look! Doesn't she look much more energetic? A hundred times better than when she was so sickly!"
Yunwei raised her hand and gently gathered the braid to her shoulder. The black hair was braided with just the right amount of tightness, and the plain rope at the end was tied neatly. Although it was not complicated, it gave off a refreshing and neat feeling. This look was much more pleasing to the eye than when it was worn loose.
She lowered her eyelashes slightly, and the corners of her pale lips involuntarily curved upwards. The smile was genuine. So this is what it feels like to be cared for so deeply.
Just then, Xie Lanchen walked in carrying a freshly reheated bowl of medicine. He looked up and his gaze fell on Yun Wei, who was facing Nangong Ya, a smile on her lips, her brows relaxed, a sight he had never seen so at ease.
That smile was bright, genuine, and completely unguarded.
In an instant, Xie Lanchen froze in place, his fingers tightening sharply as he held the medicine bowl.
He could hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest, as if trying to break free of its restraints.
On what grounds?
Just now, when she was facing him, her smile was uglier than a cry, and the curve of her lips was perfunctory, as if looking at him was a burden.
But when she turned to face Nangong Ya, the ice in her eyes melted, and even the smile on her lips was warm. Even the braid hanging over her shoulder seemed particularly irritating.
Xie Lanchen lowered his eyes, concealing the dark emotions churning within them.
Back in Guiyun Sect, Yunwei was the high and mighty senior sister, while he could only ever watch her back.
Now that Yunwei has fallen on hard times and become a remnant soul, she can still smile so sincerely at others.
A burning, acrid anger rose from the bottom of his heart, searing the boy's internal organs.
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