Chapter 62 Kiss Me
Bai Hua clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, standing motionless. The two people on the stage were exchanging blows at such a fast pace that she couldn't keep up and dared not be distracted for even a moment.
Besides her, there were several male and female servants watching the fight. While the battle was in full swing on the stage, they would bring Bai Hua a rattan chair and brew her fresh tea, as if she were their true mistress.
Bai Hua was so nervous that sweat beaded on her nose, while the others remained calm and quiet, like wooden figures with no reaction whatsoever. It was unclear whether they were overly confident in Jiang Shen'er's martial arts skills, convinced that their master would not lose, or if they simply didn't care about the outcome on stage.
The weapons clashed, clanging and banging.
On stage, the two figures, one in red and one in white, intertwined and fought for a long time, with no clear winner or loser.
Bai Hua's eyes were sore from staring at it.
Although she couldn't understand the intricacies of a fight between experts, she could tell from their auras that Jiang Shen'er was clearly taking this fight seriously compared to their last encounter.
What the young master wants is to have a good, satisfying fight with her.
In a flash, Ning Jue launched another attack, his sword flashing swiftly, the blade aimed straight for Jiang Shen'er's throat. Jiang Shen'er used her umbrella to defend herself, retreating as her clothes fluttered wildly. The colorful ribbons tied to the ends of the umbrella ribs, affected by the fluctuations in their qi, tangled and twisted erratically, some breaking off, others getting knotted.
Retreat, retreat again, until there's nowhere left to retreat...
Jiang Shen'er's back slammed against the wooden stakes surrounding the arena. The wood snapped, splintering out barbs that scraped against her flesh, leaving a long, bloody gash. The bloodstains on the wood were particularly noticeable, while those on her shoulders and body were less visible. Jiang Shen'er was dressed in a bright red dress, making it difficult to discern the dark red blood.
After taking this blow, Jiang Shen'er's gaze turned icy cold, shooting straight at Ning Jue, as if to say through her eyes, "I underestimated you."
Then, her gaze sharpened, and with both hands working in tandem, she rotated the umbrella handle, from lowering it to lowering it, and then from lowering it to lowering it again, successfully escaping Ning Jue's sword. She then began a full-scale counterattack. The umbrella's edge concealed a sharp point; she had pressed some mechanism somewhere, and in an instant, a sharp point emerged, gleaming with a cold light.
Using the umbrella as a shield, Jiang Shen'er pressed forward step by step.
Ning Jue drew his sword to block, and at the same time kicked around, striking without restraint. Jiang Shen'er's long robes, which had been fluttering like a fairy just moments before, were now trapped in their own web, her steps restricted.
Bai Hua felt that the young master's chances of winning were getting better and better, but in the blink of an eye, Jiang Shen'er tore off the hem of her skirt with one hand, removing the cumbersome part, and then narrowed her eyes dangerously, pressing the umbrella handle mechanism for the second time.
The colorful umbrella spun rapidly in her hand, and then the sharp spikes at the ends of the ribs began to shoot outwards one by one, rustling and whistling through the wind.
There were so many spikes, like a swarm of bees whose nest had been destroyed, all aimed at the poisonous needles, ready to strike. They swarmed in, dark and overwhelming, surrounding Ning Jue and charging and piercing her.
Although the Qingying Sword is sharp and not afraid of fighting against many, how can a thin blade protect against a hundred or so spikes coming at once?
Just like even the most skilled martial arts master can hardly withstand a thousand troops. Enemies come one after another, and even if each person can only pull out a single hair, one after another, group after group, wave after wave, they can eventually pull a person bald.
Ning Jue managed to protect his chest and face, but his arms, shoulders, and elbows were still pierced by sharp blades.
Fresh blood slowly trickled down from the wound, and soon five or six bloodstains appeared on his spotless white robe, a truly shocking sight.
The spikes were coated with poison, and after piercing the flesh, they spread with blood. Ning Jue gripped the hilt of the Qingying Sword tightly, his brows furrowed, but he didn't utter a sound. The poison in his calf wound quickly took effect, his knees bent, his body became unsteady, and he staggered to his knees, but his face remained calm.
This is what he's been waiting for.
Jiang Shen'er fought him with all her might, even using her poison skills, because he wanted to personally test the potency of the poison to confirm whether she was suspected of committing the crime.
Seeing this, Jiang Shen'er stopped and stood three or four steps away from Ning Jue, glancing at him with narrowed eyes.
Both of them were injured and bleeding, so it was fair; she had no intention of actually fighting him to the death.
Instead of offering weak and ineffective explanations, it's better to let someone experience and see things for themselves before making their own judgment.
The arena was quiet, but the area below was in an uproar. Bai Hua was desperately trying to rush forward to protect her master, but was stopped by her maidservant who pulled her arm.
Her constant shouting of "Young Master, Young Master" was quite loud. Jiang Shen'er glanced at her and deliberately threatened, "If you keep making noise, I'll pull your tongue out."
Bai Hua's eyes reddened, and when she met Jiang Shen'er's gaze, her shoulders trembled; she was naturally afraid.
But she didn't stop, gritting her teeth and continuing to cry out in fear, "Young master, wake up, what's going on..."
She was still conscious and alert just now.
When Bai Hua saw that he had been stabbed by a hidden weapon, she quickly covered her mouth, afraid that she might make a sound and distract him. At that moment, she was worried and thought that the young master was injured but fortunately, it was not a vital spot. If she could defeat him in one move, she would still have a chance of winning.
Unexpectedly, after the young master knelt down, he was unable to get up again. He simply stuck the Qingying Sword downwards into the solid wooden board of the arena to steady himself. Then he lowered his eyes and drooped his head, slowly freezing in silence.
Bai Hua's mind went blank for a moment, and the most repulsive thought flashed through her mind: Could the young master already be dead...?
In a duel between masters, life and death can be decided in a split second, which is why it is necessary to sign a life-or-death agreement beforehand.
Now, is the life-or-death contract about to come into play?
In an instant, a heavy weight of grief struck her heart, and Bai Hua's mind went blank.
She didn't know where she got the strength from, her eyes fixed on the young master's half-bent body, her eyes red with shock. She stretched her left arm and pulled with her right arm, her arms almost twisted into a knot. With this desperate effort, she actually managed to break free from the encirclement of the three purple-clad maids.
Freed from the restraints around her waist and arms, she ran straight toward Ning Jue, completely ignoring Jiang Shen'er still on the stage, watching her with narrowed eyes.
She was reckless and tried to climb onto the ring.
Jiang Shen'er, unable to bear it any longer, walked over with a frown and almost stepped on the back of her hand as she clung to the edge of the arena's wooden planks.
But he didn't hurt her in the end, only saying impatiently, "Behave yourself, she's not dead."
Bai Hua was momentarily stunned. Looking closely at the young master, who was almost silent, she believed only what she saw and couldn't listen to Jiang Shen'er's words. At that moment, she only had hatred in her eyes for this senior Umbrella Immortal.
Just as he was about to continue climbing, Ning Jue suddenly moved.
At first, he only shrugged his shoulders slightly, then his breathing suddenly intensified, and then he coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
The scene was certainly horrifying, but after spitting out that mouthful of black blood, Ning Jue's complexion improved noticeably.
Bai Hua paused for a moment, glanced at Jiang Shen'er, then stared back at Ning Jue. She didn't impulsively approach him, but instead watched as his heart tightened and his chest slowly regained its rhythm.
Is it... that it has come back to life?
Jiang Shen'er remained calm and even smiled slightly. She squatted down, grabbed Bai Hua's wrist, and easily pulled her onto the stage.
"See? He's not dead yet. He's injured and still has a beautiful woman to comfort him. That's quite a treat."
Jiang Shen'er spoke in a joking tone, showing no concern or surprise at Ning Jue's recent brush with death.
Bai Hua didn't reply; her attention was entirely on Ning Jue at that moment.
She slowly approached, but dared not reach out to touch him. At this moment, Ning Jue's white clothes were stained with blood everywhere, and she could not tell which were real wounds and which were just bloodstains.
"Young Master..."
She tentatively called to him softly.
Ning Jue slowly opened his eyes, opened his mouth, and said in a weak voice, "Don't be afraid. I was just testing the poison by holding my breath and circulating my qi to expel it. Now I just need to spit out all the poisoned blood..."
These words were clearly meant to comfort her.
The perilous process, however, came out of his mouth as simple and easy as eating and drinking.
Bai Hua reached out, her fingertips trembling slightly, and gently wiped away the bloodstains on Ning Jue's lips with her fingertips, saying worriedly, "You still have so many external injuries on your body."
As she spoke, her eyes reddened again.
How painful it must have been to have so many pointed darts embedded in flesh...
Ning Jue felt weak all over, and the pain made him somewhat numb, but he still responded to her every word: "External injury, it's nothing."
Bai Hua pursed her lips, silently shedding a tear, her heart clenching with anguish.
Jiang Shen'er stood there awkwardly, listening to their conversation. She felt extremely uncomfortable. It was obvious that if this were a scene from a storybook, she would be the villainous character who would hinder the male and female protagonists from achieving happiness and harmony.
She's used to being the lead and doesn't want to play the clown.
Jiang Shen'er was too lazy to watch any longer, so before the two could continue their sweet nothings and tearful moments, she waved her hand and ordered her men to bring a stretcher and carefully take Ning Jue away to treat his injuries and recuperate.
Bai Hua followed closely behind, protecting him.
Jiang Shen'er watched their figures, one horizontal and one vertical, fade from view, and unconsciously recalled what Situ Kong had once told her—
“My apprentice is quite handsome, but he’s aloof and unapproachable, and he’s clueless about romance. What if he stays single his whole life? I’ll lose face!”
She replied, "If you're handsome, you won't have trouble finding girls who like you."
Just like Situ Kong, he has a bad temper, but he is handsome. Jiang Shen'er just likes him and is happy to follow him.
Situ Kong shook his head: "No, liking someone at first sight is useless. If he gives you the cold shoulder every day after you get to know him, who can stand it?"
Jiang Shen'er: "If the other person is good-looking and really suits my taste, even if he gives me a hard time, I'd still be happy to watch."
Situ Kong glanced at her, not needing to be polite since they were too familiar, and said directly, "You're sick..."
After that, Jiang Shen'er couldn't remember what she refuted or replied to, because so much time had passed.
But she now knows everything that Situ Kong was curious about when he was alive. She has personally seen what a devoted lover his handsome disciple, who was clueless about love, was like after he became interested in love.
It was completely different from what he had imagined.
His worry that his disciple would grow old alone was completely unfounded and a waste of time.
Then, thinking of Ning Jue's injuries, Jiang Shen'er felt quite apologetic.
Although she injured Ning Jue, she also helped him.
If it weren't for her provocation earlier, which made Bai Hua think that the two of them were really facing a life-or-death separation, how could she have agreed to take things a step further and become so intimate with him?
She wasn't at the villa last night, but she found out everything that happened there when she returned.
The side courtyard was small, and even through the courtyard wall, one could vaguely hear the sounds coming from inside. She had instructed the maids beforehand not to approach the bedroom door and disturb them, but she never said they couldn't eavesdrop from the courtyard.
It is said that inside, it was like a house was being demolished, with groans and whimpers that lasted until almost dawn.
As dawn broke, the two of them, trying to conceal their true intentions, went out together to burn the quilt.
As for why it was burned, it goes without saying; Jiang Shen'er knew without even thinking that it must be something shameful.
She sighed inwardly, thinking that young people were indeed full of energy, and that it was time for her to have a new batch of people serving her.
...
Ning Jue slept for two whole days before waking up. The doctor had applied medicine and bandaged all the wounds on his body. Although they still hurt a little, they were basically bearable.
Bai Hua stayed by his bedside the whole time. If she got really sleepy, she would lie down on the edge of the bed and doze off for a while. After waking up and regaining some energy, she would continue to take care of him.
When Ning Jue woke up, Bai Hua was lying down taking a nap.
He didn't wake her. Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, he reached out and touched her face. Noticing that her brows were slightly furrowed, he moved his fingertips over and gently smoothed them out.
Ning Jue hadn't expected Bai Hua to sleep so restlessly; even the slightest movement could make her notice.
Bai Hua opened her eyes and met Ning Jue's gaze. She was stunned for a moment and did not react, as if she was confirming something.
Ning Jue winked at her knowingly.
Bai Hua felt a lump in her throat and rushed over to hug him tightly. She knew there were no wounds on his chest or neck, which was why she dared to get close.
“Young master…you’re finally awake. The doctor said you’d wake up in a day, but it’s already the second day since you fell into a coma. I was so afraid you’d stay lying here like this forever…”
Hearing her sobbing, Ning Jue gently patted her back: "It's okay, you're awake now, you're all right, no missing arms or legs, you're still whole."
Bai Hua loosened her grip slightly and looked at him, saying, "Does the wound still hurt a lot? I counted, there are six external wounds in total, and each one was pierced very deeply."
Ning Jue shook his head and replied, "This minor injury is nothing to me, not worth mentioning."
Bai Hua disliked his flippant tone, which suggested he was completely irresponsible about his own body.
Seeing her expression change slightly, Ning Jue realized what she was unhappy about, so he quickly cooperated by frowning and hissing, "Ouch, ouch."
"It hurts, it really hurts. I just woke up and didn't realize what was happening... I need to be careful and take my medicine properly to recover."
Bai Hua glared at him and said with a hint of reproach, "Isn't it nothing to worry about?"
Ning Jue looked at her sincerely and replied, "It hurts terribly, I have to keep talking about it. I'll have to keep mentioning it every day until I'm fully recovered. Or... could you give me a kiss to ease the pain?"
Bai Hua blushed and glared at him again.
This time, however, her eyes held not only anger but also a captivating, watery light.
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