Chapter 29 She almost died at someone's hands after her tongue was cut off... He was unhappy...
Meng Shutai carried everyone directly into his bedroom.
"Madam Le has been living in fear and trembling today. Her living quarters are too simple and not conducive to her recuperation."
Gently placing the bewildered Le Jin on the bed, Meng Shutai gave her a new pillow, then told the dumbfounded Qi Sheng not to stand there dumbfounded, but to go find Liu Zhi and Qing Shui to "drive away the trouble," and to bring over the prepared midnight snack.
Le Jin was completely dizzy and had no idea what kind of play he was performing.
Meng Shutai patted the new pillow to make it softer and replaced his old pillow with the new one.
"This pillow is scented with calming herbs, which will help you sleep more comfortably."
His eyes sparkled as he crouched down to look up at Le Jin, as if she were a fairy from a beautiful dream, captivating all who looked at her.
"Are you feeling unwell? I brought the imperial physician with me; may he take a look?"
His room was brightly lit, and the crystal curtains swayed and rattled in the wind and rain outside the doors and windows, adding to the emptiness.
Mengshutai, like this house, is bright and exquisite, but lacks warmth.
Le Jin didn't want to get entangled with him any longer. She had been crying for so long today that she felt as heavy as lead, and her eyelids started to droop when she was on his back.
She shook her head. "I'm sleepy, I want to go to sleep."
Meng Shutai helped her lie down, turned off the bedside lamp, and carefully tucked her in. When he looked at Le Jin again, her eyes were already closed and her breathing was steady.
Sitting quietly beside her, Meng Shutai gazed at Le Jin's peaceful sleeping face, his hand gradually moving towards his own slender calves.
Beneath the layers of robes, there were purplish-blue clumps of blood pooling under the skin, with occasional specks of blood rising to the surface, making it quite mottled.
I lightly pressed my finger on the spot where I had been kicked, and a fresh wave of pain surged through my body.
It was this obedient, sleeping woman in front of him that brought him this.
A strange, overwhelming feeling of fullness swelled within me, spreading throughout my body along my meridians, radiating a warm, joyful sensation to every inch of my skin and every pore.
A feeling clearly arose in Meng Shutai's mind:
He liked the pain she brought, like another world's response and caress to his years of suppressed, mundane, and almost collapsing state.
He is no longer lonely, no longer alone.
The rain outside had stopped. Qi Sheng brought over willow branches and clear water, and asked, "My lord, may I play?"
In Luoyang, it is customary to sprinkle water on someone who has been afflicted by a fire, both to ward off disaster and to pray for good fortune.
"I'll do it."
Meng Shutai gathered his sleeves, picked up a foot-long, soft willow branch, lightly dipped it in water, and touched it to Le Jin.
Her posture was graceful and serene.
Like a green-robed bodhisattva bestowing nectar upon believers.
Mercury fell on Le Jin's face, making her frown from the coolness.
Meng Shutai gently wiped away the water with his fingers, and Le Jin relaxed her brows and fell back into a deep sleep.
Qi Sheng took the willow branch from Meng Shutai and asked in a low voice, "Sir, should we call the physician to come and examine the injury? It must be quite serious..."
Meng Shutai shook his head as he watched over Le Jin.
His fingers trembled slightly, hidden in his sleeve. Le Jin's soft cheeks were so delicate they startled him, like cool, smooth silk. When his fingertips touched hers, Meng Shutai even worried that he might prick her.
She's so weak. She doesn't have much strength or energy.
As Meng Shutai thought this, a wildfire seemed to ignite in his heart, swirling in the wind and spreading fiercely across the plains.
She almost died at someone's hands...
He was unhappy.
——
"Kongshu, I'm going back to the monks' quarters now. You should go back and rest too."
Kong Shu nodded and watched his senior brother leave first, while he stayed in front of the lamp hall to finish up the last bit.
Looking at the dilapidated state of the main hall before him, Kong Shu felt a deep sense of sorrow.
She pressed her palm against the brass lock he had secretly picked up from his arms in the chaos, as if pressing against a red-hot iron.
On the day they failed to properly guard the Dharma Pearl, Kong Shu and his fellow disciple were punished by having their homework increased fivefold when they reported this to the presiding officer.
He was an impatient and restless person. His studies were already torturous enough, and this punishment felt like a heavy blow to his head, causing him unbearable pain. He gradually developed resentment towards that foolish woman.
Coincidentally, she noticed that Meng Langjun was avoiding her for several days in a row. Out of curiosity, Kong Shu asked about it and learned that the woman was not a respectable person and that Meng Langjun did not like her.
It seems that the young master protected her back then only because of his kind heart. Kong Shu was extremely smug. He dared not beg for mercy from the abbot, but surely he dared to mess with her?
He only wanted to keep her locked up, to scare her. But who knew a huge fire would break out? It burned everything, and in the fire, Meng Langjun's fiancée was discovered!
The mere thought of that name sent shivers down Kong Shu's spine.
He had to keep his hands and feet hidden and absolutely could not give himself away.
After instructing the young monks to tidy up, Kong Shu returned to his quarters as usual.
It had just rained last night, and the air was freezing cold. He tugged at his robe, wrapping himself up even tighter.
Turning the corner, I suddenly saw a person standing under the flowering tree.
In the hidden darkness, he wore a floor-length green robe, like a ghostly figure. A cold wind blew, causing his robe to flutter, and there seemed to be faint golden glints, like the spiritual power of a spirit, captivating the soul.
Kong Shu didn't dare to move for a moment, shrinking his neck and bumping into the wall.
The person slowly stepped out from behind the flowering tree and walked towards him.
Kong Shu shuddered inwardly, thinking: How could there be ghosts causing trouble at Huayan Temple? It's probably just a human.
He looked closely and recognized who it was, then breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down.
“Young Master Meng”.
Kong Shu greeted him with a smile, but in his haste, he stepped on the cassock and was about to fall when Meng Shutai caught him.
"Master, be careful."
Upon hearing this, Kong Shu secretly marveled: "Wow, this Meng Langjun is truly a divine being. Even his voice is like a flowing icy spring, sweet and clear, so pleasant to hear."
He grinned and shook his head: "It's alright."
Meng Shutai is a distinguished guest and has a separate meditation hall to rest in. There's no reason for him to be here in the middle of the night.
Kong Shu quickly asked, "What are you doing here so late, young master? Did something happen?"
The person in front of me smiled, their handsome, thin lips lightly touching.
"Wait for you."
"Me?" Kong Shu was completely bewildered. Looking into Meng Shutai's smiling eyes, he wanted to ask why, but his voice came out as a hoarse, incoherent murmur.
“Meng… Lang… Jun…”
Kong Shu's eyes were wide open as if they were about to burst, his mouth agape revealing two rows of white teeth and a trembling pale red tongue, and he dared not gasp for breath.
But after only a moment, his difficulty breathing caused his lungs to convulse, and with each contraction and relaxation of his throat, he coughed up a mouthful of sweet and fishy liquid—blood.
In the blink of an eye, the jade hairpin was plunged into Kong Shu's neck, piercing right through.
Kong Shu grabbed Meng Shutai's hand that was holding the hairpin with both hands. Kong Shu's eyes were full of fear, and his lips moved almost imperceptibly, making a mouth shape: "No."
Warm blood seeped into Meng Shutai's fingers, and he clicked his tongue in disgust.
A hairpin is not as useful as a dagger.
She originally intended to end his life with an ivory dagger, but for some reason she didn't want the dagger to be stained with someone else's blood, so she reluctantly used the hairpin she used to tie her hair.
"Who gave you permission to touch her?"
The voice that had just delighted Kong Shu was now cold and sinister, like a chilling river from hell, filled with the angry words of a demon, full of contempt and ruthlessness.
Meng Shutai scrutinized Shu Kong's distorted face, a hint of resentment flashing in his phoenix eyes.
If Le Jin hadn't been lucky, this pained expression would have appeared on her, and he would never have seen her peaceful and sweet sleeping face again.
Meng Shutai pressed down on Kong Shu's shoulder and pulled out the hairpin. Amidst Kong Shu's roars and howls, he repeated the same action time and time again, stabbing in and pulling out, stabbing in and pulling out...
Blood splattered on the wall, vibrant like blooming red plum blossoms, large and small flowers scattered across the branches, a sweet and pungent aroma wafting through the air.
...Kong Shu finally collapsed and lay motionless, his lips wide open, his thick tongue twitching back and forth.
Meng Shutai lowered his eyes and looked down, his chest rising and falling slightly with excitement.
His long eyelashes cast a thin, feather-like shadow, and with each blink, it seemed as if he were about to take flight, flying back to the day when Le Jin peeled lotus seeds for him.
This person has a foul mouth and has insulted her.
Blood was still dripping from my hands, and the relief I had just felt was replaced by a feeling of unease.
Meng Shutai silently walked into the shady area, found a sharp stone, returned to the corpse, and without regard for the jaw and teeth, smashed it down hard on the tongue.
One, two, three...
He pounded so hard that sweat dripped down his forehead, and only then did Kong Shu's bloodied tongue fall out of his mouth.
With the tongue severed, the lower half of his face was left with only a sticky, bloody hole.
The hole was only about half a fist's size, but because it connected to the esophagus and throat, it seemed endless and bottomless. Looking inside made one dizzy and chilled to the bone. One careless step, and you would fall in—
Le Jin woke up with a start, but her limbs felt like they were chained, twitching and flailing wildly. Air was dwindling from her mouth and nose; she tried to scream, but no sound came out, and she was nearly driven to despair.
Suddenly, a soft cloth was gently covered his mouth and nose, and the cool, slightly bitter medicinal scent seeped into Le Jin's lungs like a wisp of silk, instantly soothing the pain.
She pressed down hard on the soft cloth with both hands, took three or four deep breaths, and only let go when she was almost seeing stars.
As consciousness returned, Le Jin saw a pale purple handkerchief before her, held by Meng Shutai's hand.
The two hands overlapped.
The first light of dawn was breaking.
Meng Shutai sat against the light beside her bed, the pale white beams of light tracing his body from behind, like a layer of soft, ethereal light, serene and beautiful.
He was still wearing that dark green gauze dress with gold peonies embroidered on it, without changing it.
Le Jin's throat tightened. "What's wrong with me?"
Meng Shutai helped her sit up, then moved behind her and gently patted her back, like a mother comforting a crying child at night.
"It's your asthma. Last night after you fell asleep, I had the royal physician examine your pulse. He said that it can be triggered by fright and worry, and you need to take care of yourself recently."
"There is soothing powder on the handkerchief."
Le Zhao did mention that she had asthma, but Le Jin didn't know that it was so painful when it flared up, which explains why Le Zhao was so worried at the time.
"You... stayed up all night for me?"
Meng Shutai nodded.
Le Jin turned her head to look at him; her beautiful and handsome face still bore the faint red marks left from when she slapped him yesterday.
Although Meng Shutai was a madman, objectively speaking, he shouldn't be wronged. Le Jin felt a little guilty.
"I'm sorry, I was just too scared yesterday..."
Le Jin lowered her eyes, looking dazed and embarrassed as if she had done something wrong, which made Meng Shutai want to laugh.
He curled his lips into a smile, like a wolf devouring a piece of meat.
"It's okay, it won't hurt."
Le Jin knew he was trying to comfort her, but she couldn't do anything to make amends. Her face felt hot, and she pulled the blanket up, muttering, "I want to sleep a little longer..."
Meng Shutai's eyes twitched slightly, and he smiled faintly, "Alright."
"What's wrong?"
Le Jin realized that he had something to say.
Meng Shutai just smiled shyly, silently tucked the blanket around her, then withdrew his hand and turned to his sleeve, rubbing his cuffs absently.
She became even more hesitant.
Did the sleeves upset you?
Le Jin was still in a daze, her speech was incoherent, and her actions became bolder.
She freed Meng Shutai's gauze sleeve from his grasp and smoothed it with her small hand.
"It's such a waste to crumple up such beautiful material."
The main problem is that it's expensive.
"You think it looks good?"
"Um."
Meng Shutai smiled and said with a hint of excitement, "Then you should rest well. I'll come see you again tomorrow."
This person is really strange...
He left and closed the door. Le Jin closed her eyes for a long time but couldn't fall asleep.
She reached into her bosom with her right hand and found the sachet from Jiu'an's grave hidden on her person.
This is a real headache.
Meng Shutai was too clever for Le Jin to figure out whether his every move was sincere or feigned.
But she could feel herself.
She is a living, breathing human being, finding it difficult to remain indifferent to warmth, yet also finding it hard to let go of the hurt caused by being trampled on and deceived.
Two forces were pulling at her, causing her excruciating pain.
The mission was to destroy Meng Shutai, but Ke Lejin secretly felt that in the end, she herself would be the one whose remains were destroyed.
A note from the author:
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I'm back with an update! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
After much thought, I'd like to offer a small reminder: starting from this chapter, the male protagonist's crazy behavior will become more frequent and intense. I apologize in advance to any readers who might find it uncomfortable. [Good luck!]
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