Chapter 62. Cui Huai stares at that drop of bloody tear.
The urge to kill Cui Huai was incredibly strong.
The intensity was so strong that Shen Yunzhi even suspected she was possessed, but she did not stop what she was doing.
She once boasted to Cui Huai.
If someone is humiliated, kill him and give him another life in return.
When you're truly in this situation, you'll know that even ending your own life will become a luxury, let alone taking someone else's life.
She was at a loss.
Shen Yunzhi's breathing suddenly became rapid.
However, just as the sword tip touched Cui Huai's chest, Lin Yue shouted from behind, "Miss!"
She trembled all over.
In a moment of panic and confusion, he saw Cui Huai, who should have been unconscious, raise his hand and grasp the long sword.
Shen Yunzhi's face drained of color instantly.
Cui Huai slowly opened his eyes, calmly and indifferently meeting her gaze: "Cousin Zhi, do you want my life?"
With each additional word he spoke, Cui Huai increased the pressure on his hand.
As soon as he finished speaking, the blade had already slashed his palm, and blood stained the sword, dripping continuously and seeping into the mud and dust of the mountain forest.
Cui Huai's silent rage crashed down on Shen Yunzhi, instantly shattering her reason.
It turned out that it was just a trap set for her to lure her into it.
Shen Yunzhi felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Her hands, gripping the longsword, trembled uncontrollably. A heavy sense of despair pressed down on her heart like a boulder, making it hard for her to breathe, almost suffocating her. Her vision blurred, and she didn't know where to look.
Lin Yue rushed forward with a pounding heart and decisively snatched the long sword from Shen Yunzhi's hand.
He then looked at Cui Huai, whose palm wound was extremely deep and bleeding profusely.
"Your Highness is seriously injured; your wounds need to be treated quickly," Lin Yue said, breaking the eerie and chilling atmosphere.
But nobody paid any attention.
Cui Huai's gaze was fixed on Shen Yunzhi.
He leaned against the tree trunk to get up and slowly walked to her: "If you were to take my life today, would you, Cousin Zhi, repay me with your own life as you said?"
Cui Huai's tall figure loomed heavily over Shen Yunzhi.
She trembled violently, her chest heaving as if something was choking her, making it hard for her to breathe.
"Won't."
Why should I give you my life in return?
Shen Yunzhi's lips trembled.
He spoke each word with great difficulty, yet still managed to say them clearly.
"Yeah?"
Cui Huai asked indifferently, his eyes deep and cold like a frozen pool, silently emanating a chill.
For Shen Yunzhi, this was nothing more than a harbinger of Cui Huai's madness.
She found it absurd. Was the one who should really be going crazy, this high and mighty Prince of Chu?
"Why not?" Shen Yunzhi smirked, her voice suddenly turning sharp. "I'm just a daughter from a good family, all I want is a decent marriage. Who's it bothering? I want to live an upright and honorable life, what's wrong with that?! Why should I be trapped by you and become your plaything? Cui Huai, I don't like you, I don't want to stay by your side, is that wrong?!"
Cui Huai coldly grabbed Shen Yunzhi's chin with his injured hand.
Bright red blood stained her pale face, and he said in a sinister tone, "I won't believe you."
“I’ve never treated you like this before, but how did you treat me?” Cui Huai said calmly, bringing up the past. “Back when we were hunting at the villa, I was attacked and injured. You thought I was unconscious and left me on the ground without a care. Even if I had never treated you like this, you still despised me, didn’t you? You provoked me first and then discarded me like trash.”
Shen Yunzhi's head was buzzing.
At that time, he was deliberately acting and testing the waters.
How much more is left to do...?
Shen Yunzhi was driven to the brink of collapse by Cui Huai's indifference and gloom: "Yes! I loved you, I provoked you, I hated you, so what?"
Today, Cui Huai has seen through her intentions. One can imagine how painful and terrible life will be if he takes her back to the capital. She can no longer pretend, no longer play along with his pretense, and can completely disregard everything.
He didn't know where the strength came from, but he snatched the long sword from Lin Yue's hand and stuffed it into Cui Huai's hand.
She glared at him resentfully, sneering through gritted teeth, "Then kill me, Cui Huai. Kill me, and you'll be free from my influence forever."
Cui Huai was surprised for a moment.
In an instant, the coldness emanating from him faded, and even his tone became gentle.
"I will not be free."
"If you die, all I will feel is pain."
Cui Huai spoke softly, "Stay by my side, and we'll pretend today's events never happened." He lightly brushed Shen Yunzhi's lips with his fingertip, smearing the warm blood on her lips, "I won't hold it against you."
The lenient and absolutist attitude made Shen Yunzhi feel increasingly absurd.
Talking to this person is always a waste of breath.
"Cui Huai, what about my pain?" She lost the strength to argue with him, her voice lowered, "Why do you never care about my pain? You told me time and time again to stay by your side, but why wasn't it you who tried to make me believe that you were worth my willingness to stay by your side? Why am I the one who has to compromise, be coerced by you, and suffer humiliation by your side?"
"Then let it be."
"Cui Huai, I'm tired, and I can't give you anything more."
Shen Yunzhi's eyes were empty, and she let her tears wash away the bloodstains on her face. Dejected, she hung her head and walked back blankly.
Warm tears mixed with Cui Huai's blood dripped onto the back of his hand.
Cui Huai stared at that single drop of bloody tear.
He was puzzled, as if asking himself, or perhaps Lin Yue, "Is she lying to me again?"
Lin Yue couldn't comment on the matter between Cui Huai and Shen Yunzhi: "Your Highness must go back immediately to treat your wounds." Seeing that Cui Huai was somewhat lost in thought, he paused and said gently, "Miss Biao just said that she had feelings for Your Highness."
Cui Huai pursed his lips tightly.
He lifted his foot to leave, but his stomach churned, and he vomited a mouthful of blood.
"Your Highness!"
Lin Yue reached out to support Cui Huai, while Cui Huai looked at Shen Yunzhi's back. She seemed oblivious and did not turn around.
...
The Crown Prince of Chu was injured, and the post station was thrown into chaos by war.
Although the imperial physicians and medicines were prepared for the group, the inn was too poorly maintained and not a suitable place to recuperate. So the group hurried to Jinling.
Shen Yunzhi didn't care about these things.
Even though Cui Huai was seriously injured and bedridden, she was still closely guarded by that deaf-mute maid.
So what if she manages to escape? Cui Huai will still do everything he can to find her. Not to mention that the Fifth Prince must already know she's alive, and she's repeatedly suffered setbacks at Cui Huai's hands. Falling into the Fifth Prince's hands won't be any better than her situation with Cui Huai.
Shen Yunzhi felt tired and weary.
Since Cui Huai said he wanted her to live, then let's see how he intends to keep her alive.
"Where is my cousin Zhi?"
After a brief period of unconsciousness, Cui Huai opened his eyes and woke up to find only Lin Yue by his bedside. He couldn't help but ask him something.
Lin Yue said, "Miss Biao is resting in another room."
Cui Huai glanced at the sky outside; it was still broad daylight. He lowered his eyes to hide the fleeting disappointment in them and remained silent.
He was bedridden for three days, and Shen Yunzhi never came to see him once.
She was indifferent to his injury.
After barely enduring a day, Cui Huai's patience ran out. Ignoring Lin Yue's advice, he insisted on getting out of bed to find Shen Yunzhi.
Upon entering the room, he finally found her on the bed.
Cui Huai sensed something was amiss.
He walked slowly forward and looked at Shen Yunzhi, who was facing the wall and motionless: "Is Cousin Zhi still angry with me?"
He was met with complete silence.
Cui Huai frowned, coughed softly, and reached out to turn her body around, but his frown only deepened.
Shen Yunzhi's eyebrows drooped, her appearance withered, like a lifeless piece of dead wood. After he turned her around, she didn't even lift her eyelids, as if no matter how she was treated, it couldn't arouse the slightest emotion in her.
Cui Huai sat down on the edge of the bed and gently stroked Shen Yunzhi's cheek: "Cousin Zhi?"
Ignoring his wound, he bent down to kiss her, his lips pressed against hers, and he even went so far as to pry open her teeth, but received no response.
Cui Huai kissed Shen Yunzhi passionately and intoxicatingly for a long time, only to find that she showed no resistance whatsoever. Like a puppet, she showed no disgust, no love, no emotion whatsoever, as if she didn't care about anything and let him do as he pleased. He felt a strange tightness in his chest, followed by a surge of anxiety.
"What happened?"
After leaving the room, Cui Huai asked Lin Yue in a deep voice.
“After returning that day, Miss Biao has been like this ever since, neither eating nor drinking.” Lin Yue dared not hide anything and reported to him, “The maids feed Miss Biao as much as they are fed, but she vomits a lot after each meal.”
Cui Huai asked, "Where is the imperial physician?"
"The imperial physician examined her, but..." Lin Yue hesitated slightly before saying, "She was given medicine, but she vomited it up."
Cui Huai, who should have been resting, instead moved in with Shen Yunzhi.
He then witnessed firsthand that she was unable to eat and was vomiting incessantly, which was much more serious than Lin Yue had described.
Cui Huai had lived a life of luxury and had never taken care of anyone.
This often caused him to panic and get his clothes dirty several times.
He did not leave.
After changing into clean clothes, he hugged Shen Yunzhi and kissed her cheek: "Cousin Zhi, you want to force me to let go, don't you?"
"But you said you had feelings for me, and I don't want that."
"The imperial physician also said that if you don't eat or drink like this, your health will collapse, and I don't want anything to happen to you."
Cui Huai whispered in Shen Yunzhi's ear.
"Cousin Zhi, tell me, what should I do?"
Shen Yunzhi remained unmoved.
Two days later, Cui Huai relentlessly said to her, "Cousin Zhi, if you are in so much pain by my side, I will let you leave."
Even so, it failed to affect Shen Yunzhi's emotions.
She remained like a puppet, showing him no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.
But Cui Huai had a carriage prepared.
Despite his injuries not yet fully healed, he traveled day and night to personally escort Shen Yunzhi back to that small town.
I want you to live.
Cui Huai carried Shen Yunzhi down from the carriage and onto the bed, leaving her with a light kiss and these words.
-----------------------
Author's note: Merry Christmas! Sending out small red envelopes to everyone~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com