The palace doors were closed, and in the dimly lit palace, the cold moonlight sparsely spilled onto the floor through the window lattices, casting a faint glow.
Ayu couldn't sleep while still dressed. She glanced at her father, who had his eyes closed, withdrew her hand, and got up to take off her clothes.
Yan Beimo heard him muttering softly and opened his eyes.
Ayu sensed someone watching him, raised his tender little face, met their gaze, and his eyes lit up.
"Father."
A soft little bundle of joy suddenly pounced over and crashed into his arms, pressing her tiny hand against the wound on his chest.
Yan Beimo lifted him up by the back of his neck and used his strength to sit up.
Ayu seemed to notice, and seeing the wounds on his body, she leaned over and blew on his face.
Yan Beimo stepped aside from his bed, walked to the table, took out the pills from the box, and swallowed them.
"Father---"
Ayu tried to get off the bed by kicking her legs, but they were too short to reach the ground.
Yan Beimo glanced back, walked over, and lifted him to the ground.
"What's all the fuss about?"
Ayu clung to his long legs, reaching out her little arms for a hug.
Yan Beimo ignored him and turned away.
"Hug me, Mom--"
Yan Bei Mo lowered his eyes, and his cold demeanor frightened A Yu so much that she immediately closed her eyes.
He covered his mouth, stared at his father with his big, dark eyes, and dared not call out "Mother" anymore.
------
"Chu Changning!"
A heart-wrenching scream came from beneath the city wall. She glanced to the side and saw his figure charging alone through the heavy snow.
Arrows rained down from the city walls, whizzing past her head.
Amidst the swirling snow, she witnessed firsthand that solitary figure standing alone in the cold wind.
A ghastly crimson pierced his body, and the blood seeped into her eyes. She could see nothing around her except his eyes.
Those usually calm and expressionless eyes were now bloodshot. The wind and snow seemed to stand still, and the cold wind whistled past his ears, making everything gradually blurry.
She opened her mouth and shouted in vain, but the sound of the wind cut everything apart, and it was so quiet that it was as if there were no human voices.
The warhorse suddenly reared up, and a sharp arrow pierced through the west wind, carrying snow mist as it shot straight at the figure on horseback.
"Yanbei Desert---"
With a sudden thud, the figure lying on the couch sat up abruptly.
Hearing the noise, the maid outside hurriedly asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"
Chu Changning opened his eyes wide and looked at his surroundings, and after a long while he came to his senses.
"girl?"
The sound came from outside again. Chu Changning breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "It's nothing."
It's been over a month, and I still keep dreaming about that day.
She wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, put on her shoes, and got out of bed.
Northern Xinjiang is vast and expansive, with boundless forests, rolling mountains, and clear waters. On the misty mountains, courtyard houses are shrouded in a light mist, creating a beautiful scene.
It was still early, and Chu Changning, who hadn't seen the sun for a long time, dragged her weak and thin body out of the courtyard.
She stood on the mountain, looking at the surrounding scenery, her brows relaxed, and she took a deep breath.
"Girl, it's time to take your medicine."
A moment later, the high shaman came out and spoke up to remind them.
Chu Changning composed himself, glanced at the guards surrounding the courtyard, and spoke.
"Where is Helian Ye?"
"Young Master has returned to the Western Regions. I will take good care of you, Miss."
Chu Changning laughed and said, "It's fortunate that the young master found such a good place in the northern frontier. It's quite remote and sparsely populated."
"Great Shaman," ---
sarcastic and unsettling.
After finishing his medicine, Chu Changning glanced at the medicinal herbs drying in the yard and casually flipped through them.
"Young lady, why don't you go back and rest for a while?"
Chu Changning paused, then turned around. "What are you afraid of, Great Shaman? I'm just a patient who woke up less than a month ago. Do you think I can run away?"
“Miss, you have misunderstood. I did not mean that. You have been in a coma for nearly four months and your body cannot take it. You need to rest on the Cold Jade Ancient Bed.”
Six months ago, when the young master was searching around the snow cave, he found the woman's body. When he brought her back for burial, he discovered that she was breathing.
There are precedents for this in ancient books. The cold poison she gave this woman was both antagonistic and complementary to the original Jiu Yu Ye poison. She vomited out the poisoned blood and her body appeared to be in a state of suspended animation. She would recover after a while.
He used a sacred elixir nurtured by the Fiery Lotus to keep her alive, and she stayed on the Cold Jade Bed for more than four months before she finally woke up.
"The great shaman's medical skills are superb. Thank you for taking care of me during this time."
"You're too kind, young lady."
Chu Changning continued, "Judging from the Great Shaman's medical skills, it seems that he shares the same lineage as Elder Liang of the Northern Frontier."
As soon as the words were spoken, the atmosphere around them stiffened slightly, and the great shaman lowered his head, his expression unreadable.
"You're overthinking it, young lady. I don't know this person."
Upon hearing this, Chu Changning nodded and went inside to sleep.
She lay on the jade bed, staring blankly at the curtains above her head.
A breeze blew in through the window, adding a touch of coolness to the quiet room.
In fact, after she vomited blood and fell into a coma, she was indeed unconscious. When she regained consciousness, she felt her body suddenly lose weight, as if she were falling into an endless abyss.
But at that moment she lost consciousness, all five senses were gone, she could not see, hear, or smell, and she opened her mouth wide to shout, but no sound came out.
As cold water filled her throat, she knew she had fallen into the sea.
The water was very, very cold, and it instantly covered my entire body.
Panic and unfamiliarity swept over her. She tried desperately to swim upwards, but her limbs were weak, her clothes were soaked with water, and she felt so cold. Her body sank heavily downwards.
The icy seawater felt like knives scraping her skin; she was so cold that her consciousness blurred, and she vaguely heard someone calling her name.
With dark eyes, pale lips, and a cool, indifferent face, she vaguely saw light piercing down, and a white figure appearing and disappearing before her eyes.
She tried desperately to open her eyes, but—she couldn't see anything clearly; even the icy hand flashed by.
So cold, so cold, my whole body is cold, tears and blood are mixed together, and there is a sticky feeling in front of me.
Her body gradually stiffened and slowly sank down.
As her consciousness began to fade, she recalled many memories from the past.
She seemed to see that gentle face. The morning light of spring fell on the peach blossom forest, and he stood behind her, teaching her to play the zither. The moon rose and the wind blew, and the surroundings were filled with the sounds of birds singing.
In the vast wilderness, Little White galloped merrily, the surrounding scenery rushing past behind him. Stars scattered across the night sky danced among the grass and thorns, and the starlight illuminated the earth.
In the autumn, a stage was set up in the western suburbs for opera performances. People drank wine and displayed their refined tastes. On the tall tower, the dazzling fireworks were in full bloom. She heard his deep voice as he enveloped her warm chest.
In the very end, she seemed to see that proud and resolute figure leaping down amidst the swirling snow.
With a splash, sunlight streamed into the water from above, blurry outlines flashed before her eyes, and a large, sticky, bloody hand suddenly grabbed her waist, so powerful, pulling her upwards.
She struggled to open her eyes, wanting to turn around and look.
Her consciousness gradually faded, she couldn't see clearly, she couldn't see anything at all, all she could see was blood.
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