My eyes are sore and painful.
That day, Jiang Chuting fell into a deep sleep again. Doctor Yuan took his pulse and shook his head repeatedly: "The attack was fierce, and I'm afraid he won't last much longer."
Xing'er was held in Wei Jia's arms, crying so hard she could barely breathe: "Daddy, Daddy, I, I want Daddy..."
Lu Zhao stayed by Jiang Chuting's bedside, remaining silent.
Yuan Sang slapped his forehead in panic, saying, "How could someone who was perfectly healthy suddenly fall ill like this? It's too sudden. If even Doctor Yuan can't cure him, then there's only... there's only..."
Only the doctor Bai by the sacred tree remains.
This is the last remaining hope.
Lin Zhi almost fainted from crying, and at the same time made up her mind to do the thing she had thought of long ago.
As night deepened, everyone else dispersed, but Lin Zhi remained by Jiang Chuting's side. He was reluctant to leave; he wanted to take one last look at her and etch her into his very being.
If we meet again in the next life, I will treat him well from beginning to end, and I will never let him down or hurt him again.
Jiang Chuting opened her eyes and said weakly, "Go back to your room and rest. Come and keep me company again tomorrow."
Lin Zhi's tears fell, she obediently nodded, bent down, and kissed his bloodless lips.
Jiang Chuting smiled gently, her lips curving upwards, as tender as ever.
Lin Zhi intertwined her fingers with his, tears streaming down her chin. She said to Jiang Chuting, "Although, although I have really wronged you in this life, please don't abandon me, okay? I still want to love you in the next life, and we will never be apart."
Jiang Chuting blinked very slowly, then softly hummed in agreement.
He fell asleep again. As dawn broke, he could no longer delay. Lin Zhi slowly loosened his grip on Jiang Chuting's hand, wiped away his tears, took one last lingering look at him, and went downstairs to his room.
He was in a daze, looking for a pen and paper. He wandered around the room aimlessly for a while, then suddenly woke up as if startled. Looking left and right, he found himself sitting down by the bed.
He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he dragged his weak legs to his feet again. This time he found a pen and paper and sat down at the table.
The very first character I wrote was ruined because my hand was trembling.
He took one and replaced it, but his arm accidentally bumped into the vase, and the still-fresh purple flower fell to the ground.
Lin Zhi wrote two pages and put them in an envelope. Despite his best efforts to hold back, the envelope was still stained with his tears, leaving a large damp patch.
Lin Zhi suddenly heard Xing'er jumping around outside. He opened the door and went out. Xing'er, with a happy smile on her face, rushed into his arms and softly called out, "Daddy! Daddy!"
Lin Zhi kissed his soft cheek and said in a hoarse voice, "You woke up so early?"
"Get up and go out to play." Xing'er reached out and rubbed his face, pleading, "Let's go out and play together, Daddy."
Children are still young and innocent; they don't understand sorrow at all.
Lin Zhiyi hugged and kissed him again and again with reluctance, handed him the letter in her hand, and instructed, "Xing'er, keep this for now, and give it to your father tomorrow."
Although Xing'er was confused as to why he wouldn't give it to her himself, she still readily agreed.
Lin Zhi was filled with sorrow: "Xing'er, Daddy loves you."
"I love you too, Daddy." Xing'er tilted her head: "Daddy, what's wrong?"
"I'm fine." Lin Zhi smiled through her tears, let go of his little hand, and patted his head: "Play here, don't run around, Daddy... has to go out for a bit."
Xing'er obediently replied, "Okay, then come back quickly."
Lin Zhi kept turning back to look at her as he took a step. Xing'er ran to the doorway and stood there, her big, dark eyes staring at him.
Lin Zhi only looked away when his vision blurred and he could no longer see him, and quickened his pace.
As if he were in a chaotic world, Lin Zhi could neither see nor hear any unrelated people or voices. He only focused on moving forward, heading straight for the white-walled house next to the sacred tree, where he knelt down with a thud.
Lin Zhi shouted, "Senior Bai, I have come to beg you to heal someone!"
Just like in a nightmare, he knelt in front of the house, pleading with people through tears.
"If you want me to save people, you have to follow my rules, otherwise, there's no point in talking." The voice coming from inside the house was unexpectedly deep and full of energy.
Lin Zhi hurriedly replied, "This junior knows."
He then explained Jiang Chuting's condition and where he was currently located.
"Don't worry, there's no illness I can't cure." A dagger flew out and stuck in front of him. Doctor Bai said, "Take this and go over there."
Lin Zhi drew his dagger without hesitation, but did not act immediately. Instead, he called out to the inside, "Senior, the person I want you to save is a friend of your Lord. I have left a letter explaining the situation. I have followed your rules, so you must not break your promise!"
Doctor Bai sneered, "If you don't trust me, go and ask around before you come back. Or are you backing down now that it's time?"
"This junior will never back down, as long as you can cure him."
Doctor Bai asked, "Who is he to you?"
"It's the person I love."
Doctor Bai chuckled and said, "So young, yet so responsible. Go ahead, I'll ensure he's perfectly healthy."
"Thank you." Lin Zhi stood up and stepped closer to the divine tree.
He took a deep breath, held the dagger to his neck, said his final farewell to Jiang Chuting and Xing'er in his heart, and closed his eyes.
...
"Xing'er, Xing'er?" Jiang Chuting was asked by Doctor Yuan to help organize medical books last night. She returned too late and slept until now, and her child was no longer by her side.
After a quick wash, he went downstairs to look for Xing'er, who was squatting in the garden playing by herself. She turned around and said, "Dad, I'm here."
Seeing that he was alone, Jiang Chuting couldn't help but feel strange. She looked into the house and asked, "Why are you alone? Where is your father?"
Xing'er said, "He went out."
"His eyes aren't fully healed yet, what would he be doing going out?" Besides, given Lin Zhi's personality, even if he really had something to do outside, he would take the child upstairs and hand him over before leaving, as he would feel at ease seeing the child alone.
Xing'er stood up and ran towards him, the letter she had been holding in her arms falling out.
Xing'er squatted down to pick it up, and Jiang Chuting walked a few steps to him, took it, and found that the envelope was written "To Chuting" in Lin Zhi's handwriting.
"Your father asked you to give this to me?"
Xing'er forgot about the instruction to write again tomorrow, looked up at him with her little face, and nodded vigorously: "Mm!"
Why didn't Lin Zhi say it to his face? Why write a letter? Jiang Chuting opened the envelope in confusion. He hadn't thought too much about it at first, but after quickly glancing at the first part, his expression suddenly changed.
What do you mean by saying I'll have sacrificed my life to the sacred tree by the time you wake up? What do you mean by saying I hope you and your child can live well?!
What is all this nonsense?!
Just then, Wei Jia stretched and walked out. Jiang Chuting, who was extremely anxious, stuffed Xing'er into his arms, told him, "Keep an eye on her," and then almost in the blink of an eye, he had already dashed out the door.
Wei Jia had one arm around Xing'er, rubbed his eyes with the other, and yawned, completely unaware of what had happened.
Jiang Chuting used his lightness skill and ran at his fastest speed towards the divine tree.
He was truly bewildered, not knowing why Lin Zhi suddenly wanted to offer a sacrifice; there must be something fishy about it.
When they arrived, Lu Zhao was there too. He was sitting in a wheelchair, staring blankly in a certain direction. Yuan Xia and Yuan Sang stood silently behind him.
Beneath the sacred tree lay a purple figure, blood staining its neck and clothing.
Could it be that...?
Jiang Chuting's face was deathly pale. He rushed over, knelt down, and helped Lin Zhiruan up, letting him lean against him.
"Lin Zhi, Lin Zhi!"
The person in her arms was still breathing. Jiang Chuting tried to pick him up and said in a trembling voice, "Don't sleep, please don't sleep. I'll take you to see a doctor."
Lin Zhi raised her hand and grabbed his sleeve, opened her eyes and said, "It's...it's no use...I can't live anymore."
Jiang Chuting's face was streaked with tears; her heart was broken.
Tears streamed down Lin Zhi's face as she weakly whispered, "Chu Ting... I'm not reconciled... I... want to ask for an answer at the very end..."
Lin Zhi asked him, "If, if my father were still alive... who would you... tell me..."
Jiang Chuting's breath trembled, but almost without hesitation, her eyes reddened, she firmly said, "I choose you!"
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves.
Lu Zhao looked at them quietly, his whole being like a lifeless stone sculpture.
Lin Zhi managed a weak smile. Jiang Chuting was in unbearable pain and said in a hoarse voice, "I choose you, I only want you, so don't get hurt, and don't speak. I'll take you to see Doctor Yuan right now."
Jiang Chuting tried to pick him up again, but Lin Zhi resisted fiercely, pushing him away and saying, "No, you can't save me, I have to..."
Despite not having any extra strength, he managed to push Jiang Chuting's hand away.
Before Lin Zhi could even understand what was happening, a thunderbolt suddenly exploded in his mind. His body trembled violently, he covered his head with his hands, squeezed his eyes shut, and then suddenly opened them again.
As if awakened from a long slumber, a sudden clarity appeared in his eyes.
He stared blankly for a moment, then, tentatively, slowly sat up from Jiang Chuting's arms.
He raised his hand and touched his neck.
"Lin Zhi...?" The situation suddenly changed, and Jiang Chuting, with tears still clinging to her long eyelashes, also began to realize that something was wrong.
Lin Zhi had a wound on her neck and bled a lot, which looked scary, but it wasn't fatal at all.
He was momentarily flustered when he saw the letter and Lin Zhi's blood-soaked body lying on the ground. Coupled with Lin Zhi's behavior, which made him appear like a dying man, he failed to notice the flaw in time.
Jiang Chuting immediately calmed down and noticed a small bamboo sword, shaped like a dagger, that had fallen to the side of him. He picked it up and examined it.
Except for the slightly sharp edges, it was no different from a toy sold to children. There was blood on it, and it seemed that Lin Zhi's wound was caused by this cut.
Upon seeing this thing, Lin Zhi exclaimed in surprise, "What is this? What's going on?"
He clearly committed suicide with a dagger! But now, how come...
Lin Zhi was completely stunned. Jiang Chuting took a deep breath, tore off a piece of her soft sleeve, and used it to wipe and bandage Lin Zhi's wound.
Lin Zhi was still a little dizzy from blood loss, and after a while, she suddenly looked up at Jiang Chuting and asked, "Chuting, you... can get out of bed now?"
Jiang Chuting was puzzled by his question: "I've been perfectly fine, why are you asking this?"
Lin Zhi, whether more surprised or delighted, stared at him in disbelief, her eyes wide, and asked, "You're not sick??"
But he clearly said it himself, and he even vomited blood. Doctor Yuan also said those things, so he... Wait, no, did Chu Ting really say it? Or... Lin Zhi frowned, suddenly falling into a state of confusion.
"Didn't I tell you? It's just a bit of internal heat." Jiang Chuting hadn't even finished reading the second half of Lin Zhi's letter, so he had no idea what was going on. After thinking for a moment, he turned to look at Lu Zhao.
Lu Zhao sat in his wheelchair with his back to them, loosening the handkerchief covering his mouth and clenching it tightly in his hand, a smear of crimson showing through his fingers. Yuan Xia gazed at him, her eyes filled with worry and heartache.
Yuan Sang looked at Lu Zhao, then at Jiang Chuting and the others, sighing repeatedly. Unable to hold back any longer, he shouted to Lin Zhidao, "Young Master Jiang is not sick. You thought he was sick, but we were just lying to you!"
There are indeed no gods on Penglai Island, but as the lord, he still possesses some extraordinary abilities.
For example, creating dreams, or fabricating dreams for others.
From the moment Lin Zhi saw Lu Zhao lying in bed until he woke up leaning against the bed frame to write a letter, Lin Zhi thought several days had passed, but it was actually only half a night.
Jiang Chuting admitted that his illness and vomiting of blood were a dream created by Lu Zhao, which made him unable to distinguish between dreams and reality.
The dream wasn't completely undone. He used the small bamboo sword as a dagger in his imagination to commit suicide. Because he hit hard and was convinced that he was about to die, he acted as if he was really going to die.
The reason Jiang Chuting had been experiencing nosebleeds these past few days was because of the tea Lu Zhao often gave him. It was very nourishing, but drinking too much of it could easily cause internal heat and inflammation. As for Doctor Yuan and Doctor Bai, they were simply following Lu Zhao's instructions and cooperating.
Jiang Chuting was perfectly healthy; Lin Zhi had been completely deceived.
After figuring out the whole truth, Lin Zhi was both happy and angry. She was happy that Jiang Chuting was perfectly fine and nothing had happened to her, but she was angry that she had been played like this!
Jiang Chuting patted his hand, signaling him to calm down, then stepped closer and asked Lu Zhao, "Brother Lu, why did you do this?"
Lu Zhao coughed twice and said in a low voice, "Before we came to the island, I asked you, weren't you afraid I would lock you up on the island and never let you out? You said you wouldn't do that. Well, let me tell you, if he doesn't risk his life for you today, he will be the only one leaving the island in a few days."
Jiang Chuting's heart skipped a beat: "You..."
By now, Lin Zhi had almost completely understood. It turned out that from the first day he arrived on the island and had nightmares, he had already fallen into Lu Zhao's trap. First, Lu Zhao intensified the shadows in his heart and disturbed his mind. Then, he created a dream that made him believe he had personally heard Chu Ting confess and that he had personally witnessed Chu Ting vomiting blood, making him think that he really wouldn't live much longer. In his anxiety and heartache, he believed everything without much scrutiny and ultimately made his choice.
Lu Zhao was testing his sincerity towards Chu Ting, but Lin Zhi couldn't contain her anger. She glared at his back and said fiercely, "It's my business that I love Chu Ting and am willing to give my life for her! Who are you to test me?!"
Who is he? Lu Zhao's expression was one of numbness and dazedness after extreme pain.
He didn't respond to Lin Zhi's words, but turned his head slightly to Jiang Chuting and said, "From today until you leave, you don't need to come and keep me company anymore."
He gestured to Yuan Xia, who then pushed the wheelchair and led him away. Yuan Sang looked back at Jiang Chuting and the others, and quickly followed.
"Accompany him? What do you mean, accompany him?" Lin Zhi grabbed Jiang Chuting's hand and pressed, "So you really agreed to his conditions, didn't you?"
Jiang Chuting looked away and met his gaze, her expression slightly somber.
Lin Zhi's heart skipped a beat, thinking he was about to get angry, and she dared not speak again.
The next moment, she was tightly embraced by his outstretched arms, a gesture filled with reassuring warmth and acceptance.
Lin Zhi's nose suddenly stung with tears, and she hugged him back. Thank goodness he was alright, thank goodness it was all just a dream.
"Chu Ting, I... I never thought I'd see you again."
Jiang Chuting's eyes reddened, and she said softly, "To be able to see each other again, to be able to see each other every day, every moment from now on."
Since he lost his sight, Jiang Chuting had been very kind to him, but Lin Zhi had no idea what was going on. He was afraid that Jiang Chuting's kindness stemmed from his nature and his affection for him.
But at this moment, Lin Zhi could finally clearly feel that the layer that had always separated the two of them had shattered and disappeared.
Overwhelmed with surprise, Lin Zhi could hardly believe it. He gently pushed Jiang Chuting away, staring intently at his face, and murmured, "Am I still dreaming? Chuting, can you say it again?"
Jiang Chuting cupped his face, kissed his lips, pressed her forehead against his, and said clearly, word by word, "I said, we'll spend the rest of our lives together."
When he saw Lin Zhi lying on the ground covered in blood, he was utterly terrified. He didn't care about the past anymore; he only hoped that this person was still alive.
"Okay, okay! We'll spend the rest of our lives together! It's a promise, no backing out!" Tears welled up in Lin Zhi's eyes again. Ignoring the pain from her wound, she excitedly rushed over and kissed him.
Jiang Chuting responded to him, and the two embraced, reluctant to part.
Five days later, after an examination by Doctor Yuan, Lin Zhi's eyes had fully recovered. After resting for another day, they planned to leave the island.
On the night before leaving, Jiang Chuting found Lu Zhao, whom she had been avoiding for the past few days.
Through a light-colored gauze curtain, his profile, sitting in a wheelchair, was reflected, like a clear moon on a snowy winter night, lonely and cold.
“Brother Lu.” Jiang Chuting took a step forward, but Lu Zhao stopped him and said gently, “You’ve come to say goodbye, right? Just stand outside and talk.”
Jiang Chuting had no choice but to stop, bow to him, and sincerely say, "Thank you so much this time."
"No need for thanks," Lu Zhao said softly. "I'm just glad you... don't blame me for meddling."
“I don’t blame you.” After this incident, he had completely opened up to Lin Zhi. Jiang Chuting continued, “Brother Lu, Lin Zhi’s eyes have recovered. We plan to leave early tomorrow morning.”
Lu Zhao remained silent for a moment before calmly saying, "Yuan Sang and Yuan Xia will arrange the boat and boatman, so I won't see you off personally. Take care on your journey."
"Brother Lu, please take good care of your health in the future."
"Yes, I will."
There was a long silence, as if they had nothing left to say, but Jiang Chuting remained standing, gazing at the figure behind the gauze curtain.
From their first meeting until today, he still couldn't understand why he always had an inexplicable feeling towards Lu Zhao.
Lu Zhao sighed softly, "Let's go."
Stop watching...
Finally, he heard Jiang Chuting say in a low voice, "Then I'll take my leave."
The wind stirred the gauze curtains, causing them to flutter gently. Lu Zhao stood ramrod straight, and in the end, he didn't peek through the gaps to get a final look at him.
After sitting stiffly for an unknown amount of time, Lu Zhao took off the marriage rope from his wrist, rubbed it for a long time, and then let go, the red rope falling into the small brazier in front of him.
Filled with resentment and deep obsession, he earnestly prayed for an afterlife.
Even with the red thread of fate from the Old Man of the Moon, they still couldn't hold onto this person.
The flames licked at him, and the red rope and his heart burned to ashes together.
Jiang Chuting went downstairs, and Lin Zhi was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs with Xing'er in her hand.
When she saw him come down, she smiled, her eyes crinkling, revealing her sharp canine teeth, and reached out her hand to him.
Jiang Chuting smiled, took his hand, and intertwined their fingers.
The next day, Jiang Chuting and his group of four, carrying several large bags full of Qing'er leaves, along with other spiritual herbs, gems, and pearls, which were generously given to them by Yuan Sang and Yuan Xia, boarded the large ship for their return journey, with Yuan Sang and Yuan Xia watching them leave with reluctance.
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Actually, I already mentioned this in the author's notes in the second chapter. This story is not a traditional ancient BL novel and will contain some minor elements. Please ignore these seemingly fantastical settings, as they all serve the purpose of the plot!
P.S.: Only one chapter left! I'll try to finish it tomorrow!
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