Chapter 48 Jade Hall Song: Embrace and Fusion
Even if you include both phases of her life, this is the first time Jiang Geyun has been stabbed in the back.
It felt like I'd been shoved backward by something icy cold, followed by a burning pain that spread from my abdomen. The pain was like a spark on a dry meadow that quickly ignited into a raging inferno.
The sudden stiffness in her body almost prevented Jiang Geyun from speaking. It wasn't until she gripped the white blade and regained her composure that she was able to speak again.
—Something was at play, but she remained unusually lucid. The pain and the roar in her head were reduced to background noise, loud and annoying, but not unbearable.
"Then answer now."
Ul was stunned by Jiang Geyun's words.
He thought she would be incredulous, at a loss, praying, collapsing weakly, or calling out for someone to save her.
But she received none of his answer; she waited patiently for it.
Pale skin and vibrant blood, the prey still dazed...
Jiang Geyun's question made Ur feel both nervous and excited.
Ur's eyes darkened further. He leaned closer and said in a cheerful tone, "Sure, go ahead and ask."
Jiang Geyun stopped the churning sensation in her throat, controlled her voice, and looked down at the gushing blood flowing from her body.
She asked, "Were the 143 envoys killed by the Crown Prince himself? Why?"
Ur's expression turned to surprise and disappointment, as if he couldn't understand why Jiang Geyun would pay attention to such a "trivial" question.
He said nonchalantly, "To die for me is their honor. Besides, who knows how many shady people are mixed in there? They deserve to die."
In the end, his voice was full of arrogance.
Jiang Geyun remained silent.
She thought of the eagle heads on the neatly folded clothes of the foreign men, and now she could see the wolf patterns on Ur's clothes when she looked down. Those so-called "dishonest people" were probably the subordinates of the prince's brothers.
In a sense, the answer really is right there in the riddle itself.
To outsiders, it seems impossible for members of the same clan to kill each other. In reality, however, this is a self-purification. Sometimes, members of the same clan are most adept at harming each other.
Jiang Geyun simply couldn't understand how such behavior, which treated human life as worthless, was taken for granted by the person in front of her.
Jiang Geyun then asked, "Then how should the Crown Prince... explain this to the Great Zhou?"
The loss of blood caused her body temperature to drop further, and in a daze, she truly experienced what it meant to fall into an ice cave.
Ul laughed heartily and said, "Miss Jiang suffered an accident. This scene stimulated me and brought back my memories, just like what happened. How about it?"
“But…” The dizziness made Jiang Geyun pause before continuing, “Isn’t the Crown Prince afraid that the Great Zhou will become suspicious?”
Ur said, "What's there to doubt? If you die, it'll be a good thing for you if I don't pursue the death of the Tulan envoy."
Jiang Geyun frowned and said, "The young master just asked me to be the Mirage Needle..."
"You finally realized it!" Ur said with satisfaction. "Tu Lan will no longer be subject to your constraints! With the production method back with me, I don't know how many people I can win over—thank you so much, Jiang Geyun!"
Ur's Zhou language skills were both good and bad. He knew words like "restraint" and also bluntly said things like "winning people's hearts," which people from Zhou wouldn't say directly. He was humorous.
Okay, I shouldn't be thinking about these things at a time like this.
Jiang Geyun said, "If the Great Zhou discovers that you stole the secrets, they will definitely hold you accountable."
Ur grew impatient, took a step back, and suddenly drew his knife.
Jiang Geyun could almost hear the sound of blood gushing out even faster.
Blood gushed out, and without external force, Jiang Geyun slid down in front of the offering table.
Ur casually wiped the knife in his hand with the corner of his clothes, like a alpha wolf who had just finished a hunt and was feeling quite pleased with himself.
He said with a defiant tone, "So what? I'm back in Tulan now, why should I care about all this? Let's fight then, I've wanted to take over Jingzhou for a long time!"
After wiping the knife clean, Ur flicked the blade. "I will still use your name as a memorial. Before you die, thank me."
—That's roughly the truth, and that's roughly how she was used.
Zheng Yi may well be aware of Wu Er and Ji Songci's underhanded tactics.
She needs someone from Xuandujian to confuse Wu'er and Ji Songci. Ji Songci is inside Xuandujian, and the old fox can easily deal with the young fox. However, Wu'er's whereabouts are unknown, and she needs someone to lure out this elusive wolf.
Jiang Geyun, a "person from the Department of Suppressing Strange Things" who possesses the magic of the Xuandujian and happens to be caught in the vortex, is the perfect candidate.
Even the so-called method of making the Mirage Needle may not be true. Even if it is true, Xuandujian can track the soul-summoning ritual and the Mirage Compass.
The old cat that had been lying on the altar behind her had disappeared sometime earlier.
He must have gone to call someone.
Guess what? Aren't there rows of puppets surrounding the temple?
Using her as bait, they lured out the big fish, Guttulu Ur.
Still want to break free from the constraints of the Great Zhou?
If she pays 10% less tribute next year, she'll consider it a loss.
Jiang Geyun had figured out exactly how she had been used.
For a moment, before her anger and dissatisfaction could fester, she felt a sense of relief that she had expected it—the events were unfolding exactly as she had anticipated, wasn't that a good thing?
Looking at the girl who had collapsed under the statue, Ur stopped smiling.
Because Jiang Geyun is smiling.
The ground was covered in blood, like dark red silk. Large, strangely beautiful patterns had also spread across her moon-white robes. Perhaps because new blood was still gushing out, the rich red on the ground continued to flow.
Ur's voice turned hoarse and somber, "...What are you laughing at?"
Jiang Geyun maintained a faint smile and said, "Ah, what a pity."
Ur became alert, closed his eyes for a moment, and seemed to be doing some kind of probing.
He found nothing.
Jiang Geyun's blood pooled under the offering table, in front of the statue, and at the feet of the two people. Due to excessive blood loss, her face was deathly pale.
Ul opened his eyes, a look of suspicion in them. "What do you mean?"
“Oh,” Jiang Geyun said, “Your plan is very interesting, but unfortunately, I am a genius.”
"Varied--"
Before Ur could finish speaking, the blood that had been winding on the ground suddenly shot into the air, rising in several crimson streaks that swept towards Ur!
He reacted quickly, immediately drawing his knife and attempting to slash at the blood.
How can liquid be cut?
They were chilling, eerie, and ruthless, and quickly wrapped around Ur's neck!
While Ur was battling with her blood, Jiang Geyun seemed lost in thought, even having moments of distraction. She wondered if it was because she had learned the Xuandujian technique that she could withstand such a large amount of blood loss and still have the energy to think.
Won't the brain receive insufficient blood supply?
She tapped her head.
Unable to break free from the entanglement, Ur glared at her hatefully. If looks could kill, she clearly wouldn't live much longer.
Even if she couldn't kill anyone, she looked like she was about to die.
Jiang Geyun sat cross-legged on the ground, saying weakly, "Your Highness, you shouldn't resist anymore. Resisting won't change the outcome. You've already used me, so what's wrong with letting me use you a little?"
She had wondered if she was wrong, if Ur hadn't hurt her intentionally, and if Ur had suddenly stabbed her, wouldn't that be strange? Besides, she needed to be mentally prepared to do it; what if she couldn't bring herself to do it?
Thankfully, Ur is not a good person.
……fine.
Jiang Geyun stopped laughing.
Ur is struggling in a web woven from blood.
Jiang Geyun rested her chin on her hand and looked down at the feet of Ur.
The formation is complete.
Yes, Jiang Geyun had prepared double insurance. This was a crucial step for her to become a weapon that Zhengyi could not discard, so she had to be careful.
The amount of bleeding was really... If she hadn't been holding her chin up with difficulty, she probably would have been half-lying on the ground.
Ul's eyes were filled with confusion, and he stopped moving.
It's unclear whether he lost consciousness due to being strangled or whether the formation on the ground took effect first.
Bang--
Ur fell down.
Jiang Geyun breathed a sigh of relief, shifting from resting her chin on her hand to propping up her forehead. She had to wait a little longer, just a little longer... until she was certain the spell was complete...
...She was so dizzy, and her fingers and forehead were so cold that she was shivering.
...
Footsteps could be heard again in the once quiet temple.
Footsteps pierced through numerous obstacles, ignoring the wolf-like foreign youth, and walked towards Jiang Geyun beside the offering table.
She appeared to have relaxed and fallen into a coma.
The person who came bowed slightly.
A sharp blade sliced through!
Jiang Geyun, panting, half-opened her eyes, and struggled to grip Shouzhuo, aiming the stab at the intruder's chest!
For some reason, Shouzhuo was unable to harm the person who came; he only managed to tear open the front of the man's clothes, stopping at the flesh.
But Jiang Geyun was relieved.
She saw the familiar red mole.
Her consciousness was fading away, and she was too weak to think about why Cheng Xi was there, or even to look up at the person's face.
Once she was sure it was safe, she leaned forward, using his embrace as a place to rest, and then truly sank into the darkness.
Following her movement, Su Heng gently embraced her.
He adjusted his position, letting her fall completely into his arms, and looked down at her for a long time.
You knew she was going to hurt herself, you knew she was going to take a risk...
[They actually let her act instead of protecting her, hahaha!]
[Monster! You're a monster! How could you possibly know what love is?!]
The voices in my ears never stop: endless curses, endless resentment, endless speculation.
Su Heng ignored those voices, just like every other day.
When she is in front of them, even those voices seem distant.
Perhaps because, as she said, he saw her.
The sight evokes emotions, leaving one dazzled and mesmerized.
He gently took Shouzhuo from Jiang Geyun's hand, and then, without hesitation, made a vertical cut along the veins on the inside of his arm!
Blood gushed out, mingling and fusing with the blood of the person in his arms, cruel yet beautiful, like an external, fiery embrace.
Then came the fusion, the upward flow, mixing into the girl's blood, entering her body. He could vaguely hear a very soft song of joy from the depths of his heart.
Tangible and intangible bonds completely bound him and her together. Before he "ate" her, he was the one who willingly let her "swallow" him.
While waiting for the blood to return to her body, he glanced at the fallen Guttulu Ur.
—He wanted to kill him.
Even if it doesn't go according to plan, even if it disrupts too many things.
But that won't work.
The person in his arms did a good job—she had taken Ur's soul hostage.
Like the most ingenious crossbow mechanism, it is ready to be detonated at any moment. If Ur makes any unusual move, she can detonate the "crossbow" and kill him instantly.
Furthermore, if she could manipulate things more precisely, it wouldn't be unreasonable to use Ur as a puppet.
That's good.
He gave Guttulu Ur one last look, his gaze dark and brooding.
Then he lowered his head, suppressing all the unfamiliar, turbulent violence, leaving only a calm tenderness in his eyes.
He silently tightened his arms, holding the person in his arms tighter and tighter. Their blood mingled and intertwined beneath them, as if some ancient and secret pact was being made.
Body temperature, blood, vitality—he shared them with her.
He certainly has better treatment options.
But he wanted to merge with her.
So that's how it is!!
So that's how it is! So that's how it is!!
I initially thought it wasn't affection, after all...
[So that's how it is, hahaha!]
The sound changed, for some unknown reason.
Su Heng was completely unaware, only gazing intently at the pale face of the person in his arms. He remembered clearly the way she smiled, the way she pondered, and the way she looked when she was troubled.
He gently brushed the strands of hair that covered her face, gazing at her silently and persistently, his obsession so profound it was almost terrifying.
...
The divination stick container on the altar fell off by itself and rolled right in front of him, with one of the sticks landing right in front of him.
The gods handed him the prophecy.
Without even lifting his eyelids, he casually smashed the thing that was making the inappropriate noise.
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Author's Note: Happy Qixi Festival! Time for some sweets!
Also: Actually, I think putting chapters 47 and 48 together would make it much more coherent, with a good balance of tension and release, explanations, and plot. But I just couldn't finish writing last night, and I wanted to post a little bit every day if I could… In the future, when I encounter similar situations, I'll prioritize updating every other day and putting them together. I feel that this would be a better reading experience for adults? (Would it?)
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