Chapter 98 The Master of Metallurgy—Ying Xing
Hearing Ren's words, Chen Mi lowered his eyes, his voice so soft it was as if he were talking to himself: "Is that so?"
My thoughts drifted away—had they gone to deal with Bai Xuan's matter?
Blade took in her expression, then walked unhurriedly towards the door, reaching out to grasp the doorknob with gentle, steady movements, as if unwilling to break the tranquility of the room.
Before leaving, he thoughtfully closed the door behind him. Just as the wooden door was about to close, he glimpsed Shen Mi jumping out of bed like a lively little animal. He paused involuntarily, watching as she quickly untied the rubber band from her wrist, swiftly tied her hair up, and then practically skipped to the wardrobe.
His concern just now was not only in accordance with Jing Yuan's instructions, but also contained his unspoken selfish motives.
Last night, Jing Yuan came to see him. The man always had a smile on his face and a relaxed look in his eyes, but tonight, under the cold, pale moonlight, his expression suddenly darkened, and his first words were a question: Why did you drag an innocent person into their entanglement?
entanglement?
Ren frowned and looked up at him unhappily. Did Jing Yuan see through his intention to use the relationship between the three of them to get revenge on Dan Heng?
After a long silence, Ren replied in a low voice, "It wasn't my initiative, but hers."
Jing Yuan's expression remained unchanged, and the anger in his eyes was almost impossible to suppress: "Stop hiding it. I'm grateful that you brought her out of the cell, but why let her also be tainted by the sudden blood source?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ren felt a chill run down his spine, realizing the true purpose of tonight's questioning.
It turns out he didn't come to persuade me to "leave".
Thinking of this, Ren looked up at Jing Yuan, her lips twitching almost imperceptibly. She had indeed overthought things. With the clarity that Shen Mi maintained in her emotional balance, she would never rashly make a promise between the two of them.
Since I have no official title or status, why should I honestly answer his questions?
From the moment he realized the relationship between the three of them, Ren had secretly made up his mind. As long as Dan Heng didn't leave, he would stick to their side like a shadow, never leaving their side.
He wanted to use his presence, day and night, to pierce Danheng's life like a needle, making him feel pain at all times.
The thorns of friendship, the pain of love—everything Dan Heng cared about, his fantasies of starting over, would be torn apart by him. Those experiences, and those yet to come, would be etched into Dan Heng's heart like sharp blades. The thought of Dan Heng's pained expression filled him with a twisted sense of pleasure, making even the still angry Jing Yuan seem more agreeable.
In high spirits, Ren naturally found Jingyuan's questioning fascinating: "Whether you believe it or not, it wasn't my choice to let her get infected as well. Under those circumstances, do you really think Shen Mi, an ordinary person with no strength to even kill a chicken, could have escaped from there unscathed?"
He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over Jing Yuan, before recounting the harrowing escape: "I suppose she didn't have time to tell you about that experience. After escaping from the prison, she carried me, blind as I was, for countless kilometers, with over a hundred Jurchens close behind, a vast, endless horde. She leaped off a hundred-meter-high waterfall cliff, and miraculously survived without losing an arm or a leg. Isn't that a stroke of luck amidst misfortune?"
"After falling into the water, she didn't have time to change into dry clothes and developed a high fever that night. I tried everything to bring her down, but nothing worked. Seeing that her breathing was getting weaker and weaker, I had no choice but to resort to this."
Jing Yuan listened blankly to his nonchalant statement, his hands clenching unconsciously, his heart churning like a tsunami. He realized that he had always thought he was in control, focusing on the impact of the outcome, but had overlooked the cruelty and hardship of the process.
He had tried to numb himself with the words, "It's good that she's alright, it's good that she's back," but he was shocked to realize that he had never truly asked what she had gone through during the time she was abducted. If he hadn't waited for that opportunity to find her sooner, perhaps everything would have been different. Regret tore at his heart like a sharp blade. Jingyuan understood that it wasn't due to negligence, but rather that he had deliberately avoided the question.
Being arrogant and self-important is nothing but deception and trickery.
Perhaps others didn't realize it, but Jing Yuan knew it best. Since the chaos of Yin Yue a hundred years ago, Luo Fu has been torn apart. The alliance has been testing him step by step, and the various ethnic forces have each held their own side. Since he took office as general, he has been planning, scheming and waiting.
Even former friends can become pieces on his chessboard, forming the foundation for his high platform. If that's truly the case, is that emotion he claims to possess, so fragile that it can't support the questions posed in his heart?
Jing Yuan remained silent for a long time, as if all his strength had been drained. He felt like a stranger to himself—he had always been accustomed to hiding his emotions behind reason, cloaking every concern in a veneer of political maneuvering. Yet now, Chen Mi's presence was like a warm current, surging through his cold calculations. He suddenly realized that some things, no matter how meticulously planned, were beyond his control: her safety, her choices, even the subtle bond between her and Dan Heng, were all silently stirring his heart.
Jing Yuan lowered his head in guilt, his fingertips unconsciously digging into his palms, leaving deep marks. The oppression in his chest made him almost forget to breathe. After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice dejected and somewhat broken: "I'm sorry... I overlooked this point."
Ren lowered his eyes to look at Jing Yuan, a smile playing on his lips—he didn't mind stepping on the withered flowers, but a play is only interesting when two people perform together.
It is easy to break if it is too tight.
After a moment of silence, he spoke softly, his tone suggestive: "You don't need to apologize to me. Even after everything we've been through, she still cares about you, without a single complaint, right?"
Seeing the questioning look in Jing Yuan's eyes, Ren unexpectedly felt a little guilty. He didn't want to find out the reason, but even though he was telling the truth at this moment, it made him inexplicably nervous.
“I know what you care about, and I care about it too.” Blade’s gaze fell on him, his tone calm, and he laid out his thoughts. “If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have chosen to stay. As far as I can see, she doesn’t have any other symptoms of demonic possession yet. Perhaps it’s because it’s still early, and everything hasn’t shown up yet.”
Jing Yuan nodded slightly, his expression grave: "I understand. Taking her for a check-up now is not advisable. Luo Fu's sensitivity to the power of abundance is far beyond the ordinary. If word gets out, it will only cause more trouble. The safest course of action right now is to leave her here. I will bring the equipment over as soon as possible to confirm. As for tomorrow, Dan Heng and I need to handle Bai Xuan's funeral arrangements. I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you to look after her for me."
"Hmm," Blade simply responded softly.
His thoughts came to an abrupt halt. He snapped back to reality, his gaze falling on the pages of the book he had turned just over ten minutes earlier. He gently pinched the corner of the book with his fingertips, then wearily rubbed his temples.
Footsteps came from upstairs. As Chen Mi changed his clothes and came downstairs, he happened to meet Ren's gaze in the living room.
"Have you changed your clothes?"
"Hmm." Shen Mi nodded. Ren's eyes were as deep as a still pond, making her heart tighten slightly. She unconsciously clasped her hands on her arms, hesitatingly asking, "...Why are you looking at me like that?"
The moment their eyes met, Ren subconsciously looked away, as if his thoughts had been exposed. He pursed his lips slightly and casually made up an excuse: "You have toothpaste on your lips."
"Nonsense," Shen Mi retorted immediately, her eyes widening. "I didn't brush my teeth at all, so where would I get toothpaste?"
Hearing Shen Mi's self-destructive answer, Ren couldn't help but chuckle softly, raising his head to say to Shen Mi, "Then probably... I misread it."
Shen Mi narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She knew he was hiding something, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She just felt a slight prick in her heart and a strange sense of unease.
Although Ren explained, she still carefully went upstairs to the bathroom to check it out, and brushed her teeth thoroughly, because she couldn't let someone secretly laugh at her for not being clean.
When she came downstairs after brushing her teeth, she ran into Jingyuan and Danheng changing their shoes in the entryway. Both of them looked exhausted, and Jingyuan was carrying a wooden box that she had never seen before.
Shen Mi curiously went up to him, pointed to the small wooden box, and asked, "Jing Yuan, what is this?"
"A device to help you check your body."
Before Jing Yuan could speak, Ren, who was sitting in the living room, heard the noise and slowly walked out from behind Shen Mi, adding, "You had a fever the night before last, these are used to check if there is any inflammation in your body."
Shen Mi suddenly realized. She had hardly felt any other discomfort after the fever subsided, so she hadn't paid much attention to it. But now it seemed that Jing Yuan was more thoughtful and had kept this in mind. A warm feeling welled up in her heart, and she nodded slightly.
"Chen Mi, you check first, I'm going back to my room to rest." Perhaps it was the presence of someone that made Dan Heng feel a little restrained, or perhaps something else was bothering his thoughts, but at this moment he just wanted to be alone and have some peace and quiet.
Seeing Shen Mi's concerned gaze, Dan Heng couldn't bear to make her worry, so he raised the corners of his lips and returned a slight smile: "I'm fine, call me when it's time for dinner."
Looking at Dan Heng's smile, Shen Mi felt a surge of tenderness in her heart. She nodded gently, "Okay, you get some rest. I'll get my checkup done first."
Ren stood to the side, his gaze sweeping over the two of them indifferently, but he didn't say a word, simply putting his hands behind his back.
Shen Mi followed Jing Yuan into the living room. The mysterious wooden box slowly opened, and Jing Yuan took out a piece of equipment that looked very similar to the experimental instruments used in junior high school science classes.
Shen Mi blurted out in surprise, "A microscope?"
Jing Yuan paused, his hand hovering in mid-air, then smiled slightly: "How do you know its ancient name?"
Blade stood to the side, raising an eyebrow slightly, and added, "However, this instrument isn't called a 'microscope,' but a 'clarifying microscope.' It was modified by the Bureau of Industry and Technology based on ancient texts. By simply adding a special medicine, one can observe the body's condition. The designer... is none other than me, standing right in front of you."
Shen Mi paused, looked up at Ren, his eyes filled with surprise.
Ren smiled faintly, as if he had expected her reaction. He tapped the edge of the instrument lightly with his finger, his voice clear and deep: "Don't worry, we're just using it to make sure there are no other hidden problems with your body."
Shen Mi leaned closer to the instrument, carefully examining the intricate gears and fine graduations; every detail was breathtakingly meticulous.
The person who can reproduce the microscope image based solely on text is truly a master craftsman, deserving of the title.
"Just drip your blood on it."
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Author's Note: Don't worry, everyone!!! It's a happy ending!!! Absolutely a happy ending!!! [Kiss][Kiss][Kiss][Kiss]
P.S.: The term "clarifying microscope" is something I made up. Just think of it as a reaction between chemicals and the clarifying microscope that can achieve the level of an electron microscope.
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