Injuried
Pain... A burning pain spread from her shoulder, making her head numb.
Aruo could feel something constantly draining from her body, but the heart-wrenching pain didn't ease even a bit. Her mind was filled with fragments of her initial struggles in this world, the faces of her senior brothers and sisters, and the many people she met along the way, both remembered and forgotten... Finally, it was the cake shop she passed on her way home from work and the owner's harsh expression.
Is this... a state close to death? If I die like this, can I... go home?
When the pain overwhelmed his consciousness, this was the only thought left in Aruo's mind. He unconsciously stopped struggling and allowed himself to be swallowed by the endless darkness.
"Old Xue, what happened to her?" Su Zirui asked in a hoarse voice, staring at her pale face.
"This arrow nearly pierced her body, what do you think?" Old Xue frowned, retracted the silver needle, and placed two fingers together to probe her pulse. After a moment, his brow furrowed even tighter. "The pulse is too weak, there's no will to live. She's in so much pain. If this continues, she'll give up on her own."
Some seriously injured people can still be saved, but there are always those who are overwhelmed by pain and give up on their own. And these are the people that doctors fear most, because most of them cannot be saved.
Su Zirui keenly sensed the slow loosening of her frown. His fingertips lightly touched the tip of her nose, and the breath was almost nonexistent. A sinister look flashed through his dark eyes, and his fingers suddenly grabbed her shoulders.
"Su Zirui, you're crazy!" Old Xue was shocked. Seeing the blood gushing out of the wound, he was so angry that he slapped his hand away and quickly inserted silver needles into Aruo's shoulder. "She was dead, but you brought her back to life!"
The intense pain made Aruo crawl out of the darkness, her eyelashes trembling. Old Xue's noisy scolding made her furious. She tried her best to only slightly hook the palm of his hand that was holding hers. It was so painful.
Damn it... When she wakes up, she's going to kill this bastard who has a face for nothing! No one can stop her!
Su Zirui ignored Lao Xue's nagging. His sharp eyes were fixed on her furrowed brows and trembling eyelashes. His tense heart was soothed by the slight itch in his palm, but the sharp pain in his heart did not diminish at all.
Cai Xin, who had just returned from changing a basin of blood, saw this scene before she even entered the door. She was anxious, heartbroken, and angry, but she couldn't say a word. She could only grit her teeth and silently walk in with the basin of water.
I don’t know how long it took before Lao Xue slowly retracted the needle and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Old Xue, what happened to her?" Cai Xin asked in a hoarse voice, her eyes red from crying.
"Steady her now, take care of her. Luckily the arrowhead isn't poisonous..." After comforting her, Old Xue turned around and threatened Su Zirui fiercely, "Su Feng, have some conscience. The person I finally snatched back from the King of Hell is still as vulnerable as morning dew. Don't go crazy and kill her!"
He raised his eyes slightly, and a cold glare swept across Old Xue's body. He was so frightened by the hostility in his eyes that he couldn't speak. He endured it again and again, and put away the needle bag fiercely, "You better watch her carefully, otherwise... otherwise... I'll be so angry! Caixin, come with me."
"Oh." Cai Xin had just wiped the sweat off Aruo's face, so she had to put down the handkerchief and follow Lao Xue out.
Walking out of the room angrily, Lao Xue looked back at the girl covered in blood on the bed, and the murderous man standing beside the bed. He closed the door irritably and muttered, "That damn girl wants to die just by having a headache. I have to find a way to relieve it... Ma Fei San can be used, but if you use too much, you'll become stupid..."
The room fell silent, with only her imperceptible breathing and her chaotic heartbeat as the only sound. After standing for a long time, Su Zirui sat down beside her bed and held out his hand.
His slender fingers trembled slightly as they brushed across her eyebrows, nose, and gently rubbed her bloodless lips. The lifeless face overlapped with the bright and rosy image of her in his mind. Su Zirui slowly leaned forward, letting her weak breath brush against his lips.
He had no intention of flirting with the seriously injured girl, he just wanted to make sure she was still alive.
Only when he truly felt that she was still alive could his frantic heartbeat calm down and the uneasiness that was engraved in his bones be soothed.
Perhaps it was the pain, or perhaps it was the entanglement and pull of his breath, but Aruo unconsciously raised her chin, and her pale lips brushed against his. Her dark eyes half closed, unable to contain the outpouring of affection, Su Zirui leaned forward and kissed the girl he had cherished in his heart.
He kissed her softly, biting her lips gently until her breath faded. Seeing with satisfaction that her moist lips had finally turned a little red, Su Zirui whispered sinisterly against her lips, "If you dare to die... I promise to destroy everything you care about."
He knew what she wanted, and what she put before him. So what? She had said herself that she wouldn't give up on him... So what? She couldn't let go.
Not sure if he heard a threat or instinctively sensed danger, Aruo frowned even deeper, as if in protest.
Su Zirui raised his eyebrows, reached out and pulled away the hair stuck to her forehead, and coaxed her softly, "Ruoruo, be good. I will get back all the pain you have suffered..."
He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, so tender and patient, coaxing her to smooth out the slight wrinkle between her brows.
For the past two days, the people of Niujiazhuang Village have been in a state of panic. Ever since the village chief's wedding was busted by officials at the beginning of the year, where a live infant was sacrificed as part of a witchcraft ritual, their ancestral hall has been largely sealed off with the consent of several elders.
Unexpectedly, just over half a year later, officials from the Ministry of Justice and Jingzhao Yin once again surrounded their ancestral hall and searched the hall for days, as if they were looking for some evidence.
The sacred ancestral hall square was a sea of blood, and several people died there. The villagers of Niujiazhuang, who were frightened again, did not dare to raise any objections and could only burn incense near the ancestral hall to apologize to their ancestors.
In the backyard of Furong Building, the graceful proprietress Huan Niang walked quickly, her long skirt brushing against the smooth floor. The peonies embroidered with gold and silver threads on the hem of her skirt swayed faintly with her movements, looking luxurious and gorgeous.
Pushing the door open forcefully, Huan Niang's usually smiling face was rarely filled with a gloomy expression. Her beautiful eyes, filled with murderous intent, glared fiercely at the beauty who was leaning against the chaise longue, holding a guzheng.
"What a good thing you did?" Huan Niang could not hide her anger, and her usual leisurely and elegant demeanor was completely gone.
The beauty lazily sat on the chaise longue, bare of makeup. Her cool, delicate features were as delicate as a painting, and she wore an emerald green dress, looking gentle and charming. Her cold, thin eyes flickered slightly as she plucked the zither indifferently, her voice soft and amused. "I've done so many things. I wonder which one you're referring to?"
"The Ministry of Justice surrounded the ancestral hall, and Qi Ruoyu broke the formation left by Master Shen..." Huan Niang frowned, her tone sinking, "Ruxian, what are you thinking? You planned for her to go to the ancestral hall, didn't you? You knew she was Master Shen's disciple, yet you still lured her there..."
"I was just responding to her last plot against me and the Zhou family." Ruxian smiled softly, revealing a touch of pitiful charm after removing her heavy makeup. "Su Zirui has long discovered that there is something wrong with the ancestral hall. The Ministry of Justice is simply trying to uncover its secrets. Ordinary people can't see it, but the Ministry of Justice is still obsessed with it... Now, luring her over, she can just break the formation and dispel the Ministry of Justice's suspicions. That way, the rest... will be safe for the time being."
Elder Shen had set up more than one formation there. Since the man from the Ministry of Justice was suspicious, it would be difficult for him to give up unless he discovered something. Now that the descendants of the Shen family had broken one, it would be easier to conceal the others.
Huan Niang stamped her feet and said angrily, "It's fine for you to send assassins to deal with Su Zirui, but you know he didn't go alone... Qi Ruoyu was seriously injured!"
With a bang, the guzheng string snapped, and a sharp pain came from her fingertips. Ruxian's eyes turned cold, "You said Aruo was... seriously injured?"
"The hidden arrow pierced your body... You, the Marquis is furious. No one can save you this time..."
Qi Ruoyu can die, and even must die, but not now.
"The Marquis has already taken action. You'd better take care of yourself." Huan Niang paused, and finally turned around and closed the door of the bedroom.
Ruxian looked at the blood on her fingertips calmly, raised her head slightly, and the carved mercury mirror on the ground just reflected her eyebrows and eyes. In a trance, she thought she saw Shen Nan, and the cold eyes made her back cold.
Aruo was injured... If Shen Nan knew, he would definitely not let her go. And the Marquis... was he also disappointed in her?
What a...little bastard.
"How did it come to this... This shouldn't be the case... This clearly shouldn't be the case..."
I don’t know how long it took, but I dropped the guzheng in a state of confusion, staggered up the stairs, and opened the door to the dormitory on the second floor.
A cold gaze fell on her, and she suddenly looked up and forward.
In the slightly chilly night, a handsome young man in white sat by the window, his long black hair and jade crown on his head, half of his face hidden behind the moonlight, his cold and gloomy eyes shone with murderous intent.
Why wasn't he the one injured?
Seeing this man, Ruxian was furious. She picked up the green-glazed plum blossom vase from the antique shelf and threw it at him. However, she was too weak and the vase hit him not far away. She fell to the ground because of her excessive movement.
"Miss Ruxian seems to have realized something about my visit this time." The voice of the visitor was as cold as dripping spring water, without revealing any emotion.
Ruxian was startled, then regained her composure. When she raised her eyes, there was a look of panic in her eyes. "Su, Master Su?"
The other person stood up slowly. When the candlelight lit up, the man was handsome and cold, with a hint of cruelty between his brows.
"I was so scared..." The frail beauty leaned against the door, looking adorable. "I thought some scoundrel had broken in..."
Her jaw ached. The man who had been leaning against the window moments before suddenly appeared before her, his calm, black eyes gazing at her with a piercing clarity. Ruxian was horrified, her fair, delicate skin reddening from being pinched. A surge of fear washed over her.
"Did you arrange the killer in Niujiazhuang Village?" Su Zirui looked at the woman in front of him, whose brows were cold but whose beauty could not be concealed, and his voice was soft and murderous.
"Master Su, I don't know what Niujiazhuang Village is." Ruxian's delicate white hand touched the hand that was holding her chin. Seeing that he was unmoved, a layer of mist appeared in her eyes, making her look even more delicate. "If you want to see Ruxian, why bother to barge in at night? Just send a visiting card, and Ruxian will surely be waiting with delicious food and wine."
"You deliberately sent people to lure Chen Changsheng to hide in Niujiazhuang Village and let her know because you expected that she would go there and find the formation left by Mr. Shen." Su Zirui ignored her words and looked down at her with dark eyes.
He'd known something strange about the Niujiazhuang Village ancestral hall a while back when he and Beili were secretly investigating. The attack wasn't a pursuit, seemingly intended only to keep them from getting any closer. Later, when Aruo told him Chen Changsheng was hiding in the village, he had a hunch that something was amiss, but couldn't put his finger on it. Beili had searched nearly every corner of the village and couldn't find him, so why did Aruo appear so easily after following him?
The most important thing is, why is the formation in the ancestral hall only triggered when Aruo is present?
The more he thought about it, the more the strange feeling of disharmony grew in his heart. It was as if someone had deliberately let the girl walk into that formation, and even... see the spirit-calling banners in the ancestral hall.
In the past few days, the people from the Ministry of Justice had searched carefully but had not found the flag-like object. But that day, he also saw it.
Could it be some strange formation?
If so, does that mean that all this is directed at his girl?
"I don't know what you are talking about, sir." Ruxian frowned as if in pain, her watery eyes rippled with a trace of water, and a faint fragrance lingered between the two of them.
"Until I have more patience, I urge you to answer honestly." Su Zirui could hardly suppress his murderous intent when he thought of the man in front of him as the one who had caused Aruo's injury. "Put away those useless incense sticks. The same poison will be useless to me."
The men in black had the same ylang-ylang scent on them, which made him suspicious of Furong Tower. Aruo had previously approached Ruxian about matters of immortality, so it was no wonder she hadn't pursued Yanhong too much in Sizhou, because she already knew who had sent her.
If he hadn't seen Shen Nan in the formation before, he wouldn't have been able to associate her with him. It wasn't Huan Niang, but Ruxian, the woman whose eyebrows and eyes were extremely similar to Shen Nan.
"Sir Su," Ruxian struggled, the skin on her chin reddening, her face darkening. "Are you trying to force a confession? But I'm not a prisoner in your Ministry of Justice. I have no evidence... Do you really think I have no one to rely on in Furong Tower?"
Su Zirui narrowed his black eyes and slowly let go of her, letting her fall limply to the ground. "You should be thankful there's no evidence, otherwise, I would have interrogated you for much more than this... People in the Ministry of Justice never have the bad habit of not beating women."
Compared to the cold words just now, this gentle tone was even more chilling. Ruxian gnashed her silver teeth, suddenly raised her eyes, and replaced them with a look of grievance and indignation, which made people feel pity. "What is the spirit-calling flag? I know nothing about it. However, my lord came to visit me late at night, but without a visiting card... Although Ruxian is humble, I am also a person of considerable reputation in the capital. Countless people are willing to spend a fortune to see me... My lord, this is not appropriate."
"I know what Luo Ziran wants to do, but I will never let him get what he wants." Su Zirui's eyes were cold and there was a hint of determination in his whisper.
Ruxian's eyes flashed with sarcasm. "I don't understand the undercurrents between you, my Lord, and the Marquis, but everything I do has a legitimate reason. But my Lord, there's something I'm wondering if you've ever heard of it?"
She raised her head, and her beautiful face, as pure and beautiful as a fairy, was unusually cold, which reminded Su Zirui of a very annoying woman, and his expression became even gloomier.
"Heh..." Her red lips parted slightly, and her voice, as soft as an angel's, lost its charm and became more meaningful. "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
Su Zirui's expression turned stern.
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