Chapter 55 Memory Recovery I'd rather die alone than...
Gu Xi kept walking with her head down. When she could no longer walk, she chose a secluded, dilapidated temple nearby and hid inside.
After a few days, once everyone had left, she would find a place to stay. She had made up her mind: she could open a clinic someday. She had learned some medical knowledge from Old Man Shi, and she wanted to be like him, treating the sick and saving lives.
She curled up under the altar, thinking she would just make do for the night, but as soon as she put the tablecloth down, she heard footsteps.
Gu Xi was startled. They found us so quickly?
She held her breath and told herself not to panic; maybe it was just a passerby.
The footsteps grew closer, and her heart clenched. Then the tablecloth was suddenly ripped off, and a masked man in black stood before her, a cold sword pointed directly at her.
Gu Xi froze in fright, her voice trembling as she asked, "Who are you? Have you mistaken me for someone else?"
The man in black snorted and said, "That's right, you're the one I'm looking for!" He then ripped off his mask.
Gu Xi was so shocked that her eyes widened. The person who came was Lu Yong, the man who was by her husband's side!
Was he here to see her? But why was he pointing a sword at her?
"You're surprised to see me, aren't you? I told you not to come back, but you wouldn't listen. So don't blame me!" He shouldn't have been so kind as to spare her life back then.
Gu Xi looked at him in shock. So the words that had echoed in her ears every day were spoken by this person!
"You used this face to bewitch the master." Before she could react, the cold tip of the sword was pressed against her cheek, followed by the sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh, and blood flowed down her cheek.
Gu Xi immediately cried out in pain, instinctively wanting to cover her face but not daring to do so. A sharp, burning pain shot through her, making her clench her teeth and stare at the person in front of her in disbelief.
"You've been lucky enough to live a few more days, but today is your death day."
He knew that his lord had already suspected him, so he sent people to monitor him. He didn't kill him because he wanted to find out who was behind him.
But the Lord forgot that those people were trained by him personally, and he knew best how to avoid them.
He wanted to kill this woman before the Lord killed him, so that he could never return to the Lord's side.
Gu Xi stared intently at the murderous man in front of her, thinking desperately, "Am I really going to die here today?"
Why did her husband's men kill her? Was it her husband's idea?
Just as Lu Yong was about to thrust his sword into her throat, a dark figure suddenly pounced, knocking him to the ground, and grabbed him tightly, yelling at Gu Xi, "Run!"
The sudden shout startled her awake. Gu Xi endured the pain on her face and scrambled out from under the altar, wanting to help the masked man who had suddenly appeared to save her.
The man yelled at her, "Run! Don't worry about me! He won't hurt me!"
Gu Xi's heart clenched. Seeing that Lu Yong was only wrestling with the masked man and didn't seem to intend to hurt him, she gritted her teeth and ran out of the dilapidated temple.
Watching Gu Xi's retreating figure, Lu Xiao grabbed Lu Yong's collar and asked fiercely, "Brother, why can't you tolerate her!"
“You were one of the first among us to follow the Lord, and you know perfectly well what she means to the Lord!”
They had followed Xiao Heng since they were teenagers and always knew that he had someone in his heart. They didn't know who it was before, but now they all knew very well.
"Since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you, so you won't keep bothering me."
"This woman will become the master's weakness. The Black Wind Stronghold incident was merely a test, yet the master mobilized all his personal guards for her, losing six thousand soldiers in the process. Now, he even wants to kill Mr. Bai for her sake!"
If he hadn't found the second-in-command, the losses would have been far more than six thousand!
"Do you know that most of those who support the emperor in the court today were persuaded by Lord Bai? And now the emperor is even willing to kill him for such a woman! I absolutely cannot let her stay by the emperor's side!"
Lu Xiao looked at him in disbelief: "I think you've been blinded by greed. If it weren't for your probing, why would the lord have mobilized all his personal guards, and why would he have suffered such heavy losses? If you hadn't tried to kill her, how could she have been saved by Lord Bai!"
Lu Yong was stunned by the question. No, that person was right. He was not wrong. He did all this for the good of his master.
He insisted, "Your Majesty is facing not only the Empress Dowager, but also the Right Chancellor and the State of Qi. You may be willing to give up your troops for her this time, but who knows what you might be willing to give up for her in the future!"
"I can't reason with you!" Lu Xiao shoved him away, his eyes red, and said, "I will report this to the lord. Don't blame me. You were wrong, brother. Even if the lord wants to kill you, it's only right."
Lu Xiao had just reached the entrance of the dilapidated temple when Lu Yong knocked him unconscious with a single palm strike.
“I will inform my lord when he has accomplished his task.”
*
After leaving the dilapidated temple, Gu Xi ran around in a panic, blood gushing from her face, in excruciating pain.
She ran forward until she disappeared into the street. Perhaps because the injuries on her face were too shocking, people on the street looked at her with strange eyes.
She suddenly saw him, the man who claimed to be her husband.
But just now, his men tried to kill her.
"Gu Xi!" Xiao Heng cried out in alarm as he looked at her face covered in blood and new wounds.
Gu Xi instinctively stepped back, a sharp pain shooting through her chest. She abruptly raised her hand to cover it, tears streaming down her face, mingling with the blood on her cheeks. The pain felt like it had seeped into her very bones.
She turned to run away, only to find that she had been surrounded by three groups of people without her noticing.
"Gu Xi! Come here quickly!"
"Kill that damned emperor!"
"Kill that woman!"
Before Gu Xi could react, two figures rushed towards her in a panic. One was Xiao Heng, and the other was Bai Xingzhi.
But her gaze fell on the arrow that was aimed at Xiao Heng's back. She pushed Xiao Heng away with all her might and went straight to meet the arrow.
"Gu Xi!"
At the critical moment, Bai Xingzhi suddenly grabbed her wrist. The arrow tip only grazed her shoulder, but he was oblivious to the enemy in front of him, who was stabbed in the shoulder blade.
"Young Master Bai!"
The three groups of people instantly engaged in a chaotic battle.
They shielded her behind them, and Gu Xi watched these people fighting bloody battles with a mixture of shock and fear.
Amidst the clash of swords and the flow of blood, something in her mind suddenly collapsed.
Those past experiences she would rather die alone than face suddenly surged towards her like a tidal wave.
She saw Cailian die before her eyes, calling out "Your Majesty, Your Majesty" again and again amidst the blood. She saw the hairpin in her hand suddenly turn into a sharp sword, then into a cold, venomous snake that burrowed into her body. She saw her beloved man bury her sincere heart in the most ruthless way.
She was in so much pain that the agony burst through her throat, causing her to scream repeatedly.
"Ah!" Gu Xi suddenly covered her head and squatted down on the ground.
A sudden, sharp pain shot through her chest, and she could barely withstand the agony.
The world was spinning, she could see nothing, hear nothing, she wanted to shout but couldn't make a sound, she wanted to escape but had no strength.
She could only let the pain consume her.
Suddenly, everything went black before her eyes, and her body went limp and fell to one side.
Before she was swallowed by darkness, she heard a voice in her mind asking: Ah Heng, why did you kill me? I want to hear you say it yourself.
"Gu Xi!"
Xiao Heng looked at Gu Xi, who had fallen to the ground, in a panic. Ignoring the swords that were constantly thrusting at him, he quickly picked her up and ordered, "Retreat!" His voice was full of panic.
*
Inside the inn's private room, Gu Xi lay unconscious on the bed.
"Where's the doctor?" Xiao Heng asked anxiously.
Unlike her previous fainting spells, he could clearly feel that her breathing had become weak, as if she would leave him at any moment.
Wei Lin replied, "My lord, the doctor is still on his way."
Their previous inn was exposed, so they moved to a secluded one. The accompanying doctor had not yet arrived.
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Yin suddenly rushed over, followed by Bai Xingzhi.
Zhu Yin glanced at Gu Xi, who was pale, checked her breath, and tremblingly took out a pill and put it into her mouth.
Xiao Heng frowned at her: "What did you feed her?"
"It's...it's..." It's medicine for treating heart disease, but the young lady forbade her to say so. Zhu Yin choked up as she said, "It's medicine for calming the nerves."
Bai Xingzhi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. Xiao Heng didn't know? Didn't the people from the Imperial Hospital diagnose it? But the doctor in his mansion and Old Man Shi could tell that she had a pre-existing condition that day.
Does this mean that her pulse only becomes apparent when she is near death?
Xiao Heng was about to ask another question when Zhao Fuquan's voice suddenly came from outside the door: "The doctor is here! The doctor is here!"
It's Shen Yichen!
Xiao Heng suddenly stood up and made room for him on the bed.
Shen Yichen glanced at Gu Xi, whose face was covered in wounds, and was startled. He quickly checked her pulse and said with a solemn expression, "You all go out. Zhu Yin, stay."
Xiao Heng frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Do I need to go out too?"
Shen Yichen lowered his eyes and said, "Yes." Gu Xi had said she didn't want him to know.
Xiao Heng clenched his fist, gave Gu Xi a deep look, and then left as instructed.
Only Shen Yichen and Zhu Yin remained in the room.
Without saying a word, Shen Yichen fed Gu Xi a pill and then began to administer acupuncture, which ended after an incense stick had burned.
"Young Master Shen, how is Miss?" Zhu Yin asked anxiously, though she already had a bad feeling.
Shen Yichen shook his head: "It's not good, I'm afraid..."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yin collapsed to the ground.
"Don't panic," he said, pulling a porcelain bottle from his pocket. "This medicine, along with some medicine Master gave me, can be given to her daily; it should help for a while. Wait until she's feeling better before talking to her, to avoid further agitation..."
“I’m going back to Medicine Valley to see my master first,” he said, adding that he hadn’t been able to contact him recently. “Before you return to the palace, try to find me once more, and I’ll explain everything to her in detail.”
Zhu Yin nodded solemnly.
*
After Shen Yichen left, Xiao Heng stayed by Gu Xi's side.
He said she fainted from shock. At first, he was a little suspicious, but he gradually felt relieved when he saw her breathing return to normal.
As Xiao Heng bent down to wipe the cold sweat from Gu Xi's forehead, his fingertips just touching something icy cold, the person on the bed suddenly sat up.
"You're awake..."
Gu Xi looked at him in panic, shrinking back like a frightened cub until her back hit the bed frame, letting out a broken groan.
Then she seemed to fall into a state of bewilderment, and sobbed, "Cailian, Cailian... don't go..." Her eyes were unfocused, and tears fell onto the brocade quilt.
She suddenly looked at her hands and murmured, "I killed someone... I killed someone..." She curled up and hugged her knees, her shoulders trembling violently.
"Gu Xi..." Xiao Heng called out to her with heartache, and pulled her into his arms.
He knew she had remembered.
Gu Xi trembled violently, as if the warm chest had suddenly scalded her. She struggled desperately, screaming in anguish, "Aheng, why are you killing me! Why are you killing me!"
She screamed hoarsely, "Give me back Cailian..."
In that instant, he was incredibly grateful that he hadn't killed the maid. He had intended to kill her, but before he could even make a move, she died.
Xiao Heng hugged her tightly with all his might, kissing the top of her head, explaining again and again, "Gu Xi, I didn't mean to kill you, it wasn't me..."
Seeing her in pain, at that moment he wished she would never think of him again, or even if she completely forgot him.
Gu Xi seemed not to hear anything, and continued to scream hysterically. Her voice was so sorrowful that it broke the hearts of everyone who heard it.
Bai Xingzhi finally couldn't bear the torment in his heart any longer and rushed in, looking at the heartbroken woman with a pained expression.
Upon hearing the sound, Xiao Heng looked over, his dark eyes seemingly filled with venom: "Bai Xingzhi, don't force me to kill you!" His voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.
Bai Xingzhi froze on the spot, his fingertips clenched so tightly they turned white. After a moment, he retreated.
Gu Xi fainted several times and then woke up again.
Xiao Heng held her tightly, explaining to her again and again until she gradually relaxed.
Her face was streaked with tears, which, together with her wounds, caused him unbearable pain.
He ultimately dragged her into this abyss. He originally wanted to wait until everything settled down before bringing her into the palace, but he was afraid that if he waited any longer, she would no longer belong to him.
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Author's Note: I made a minor revision to the last two paragraphs of the previous chapter on September 27th. The original female lead's reaction was a bit off.
My memories have returned! Are my male and female leads too talkative? Will no one like reading this? I'm constantly doubting myself. [laughing and crying emoji]
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