Wenjia Secret Treasure
After Li Yin finished speaking to Wen Youqing, he pulled her away. A carriage was parked at the door, with bells hanging from the eaves, which jingled softly in the breeze.
Li Yin pulled Wen Youqing up the steps, but because he was in such a hurry, he slipped and fell backward. Wen Youqing reacted quickly, reaching out to wrap her arms around Li Yin's waist, and then said gently, "Madam, watch your step."
Li Yin tilted his head slightly, pressed his ear against the chest, and heard Wen Youqing's strong heartbeat, which was getting faster and faster, strong yet flustered.
The faint medicinal fragrance emanating from Wen Youqing lingered at Li Yin's nose; it was a familiar scent, exactly the same as the one in his dream, and the one from that long rainy night.
The scent made her feel very at ease, and she lingered there for a while, without even thinking of pushing Wen Youqing away or turning to leave.
Wen Youmo lowered his eyes, looked at the person in his arms, smiled but didn't say anything. After a while, he stopped smiling, coughed lightly and said, "Madam, it's time to go upstairs."
Li Yin then looked up and met Wen Youqing's eyes. She asked, "Where did you pick up this smell?"
After a moment of contemplation, Wen Youqing said, "It's from taking medicine."
After saying this, he led Li Yin into the carriage. Once Li Yin was on board, Wen Youqing pulled him over and said, "I'm not in good health and have had to take medicine since I was a child."
Li Yin originally intended to examine Wen Youqing, but the faint fragrance lingered in her nose, and she hesitated, letting Wen Youqing hold her. Hearing Wen Youqing's words, she asked, "Are you unwell?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Youqing coughed lightly and said, "It's not that, it's just that I took too much poison."
Upon hearing Wen Youqing's first sentence, Li Yin raised an eyebrow. Then, hearing Wen Youqing's next sentence mention poison, she became curious about Wen Youqing's poison-making skills and asked, "Wen Youqing, how much do you actually know about poison?"
Wen Youqing smiled gently. He took out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve, then reached out and lifted a strand of Li Yin's blood-stained hair, wiping it gently in his hand as if it were a precious treasure. His movements were very light and skillful, as if it were not a strand of hair, but Li Yin himself.
His tone was gentle, completely different from the man who had just gone mad. He said, "What you know, I know too, but I also know a little about Gu poison."
Upon hearing the words "Gu poison," Li Yin immediately recognized them and asked, "Gu poison is prevalent in the Western Frontier. How did you learn it?"
The white silk handkerchief was stained with blood, leaving a red mark. He stared at the blood and said, "The Wen family's treasure is actually a Gu. In my generation, I am the only male member of the Wen family. Do you think that's why?"
Li Yin lowered his eyes in thought, and after a moment, he said, "Fighting for power and influence, all of them die?"
Wen Youqing smiled, shook his head, and said, "On the contrary, nobody wants this power. The Wen family selects people through trial and error."
Li Yin then asked, "Using Gu to test people?"
Wen Youqing gave a soft "hmm," and Li Yin was immediately stunned. This was...too cruel. Wen Youqing had no older brothers, probably because of this. If Wen Youqing didn't make it through, then...
This outcome is too bad; she can't bear to think about it.
She closed her eyes, the scent of medicine lingering in her nose, calming her mind somewhat. She then opened her eyes again, looked up at Wen Youqing, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked, "Testing the Gu, does it hurt?"
The Gu was excruciatingly painful. Li Yin still felt a strong aversion to it. The bite wasn't the most painful part; the most painful part was all the unbitten areas, which felt like being slowly torn apart by countless insects.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but shudder. The marks left by the dampness and pain, even after the rain had stopped and even under the sunlight, were still mottled and indelible.
Wen Youqing gave a faint "hmm," put the handkerchief away, and said slowly, "It hurt a lot, but it's all over now."
He wasn't lying; it really hurt. As a child, he knelt in the ancestral hall for a whole day and night, collapsing from the pain into a pool of blood, convulsing in the darkness...
The sound of raindrops pattering outside the carriage could be heard. The rain suddenly intensified, the moon was obscured by clouds, the light dimmed, and the carriage slowed down.
However, although the carriages and horses moved slowly, the wind grew stronger and the rain intensified. The curtains on the side of the carriages were lifted, and just then, a flash of light appeared in the sky, turning the world white in an instant—a fleeting, breathtaking sight.
Wen Youqing lowered her eyes. The rain was exactly the same as when she was a child. However, the rain was similar year after year, but the people were different year after year. The same people, except for him, were all dead.
...
Ten years ago, at the Wen residence, the lonely moon was obscured.
The ancestral hall was shrouded in cold rain, the rain pouring down, the green tiles dripping and pattering like a mournful melody.
Water splashed in front of the door, wetting the corner of the wall and staining the white wall with mud and dust.
Inside the gate, the lights were dim and scattered. There were three thousand seats in a row. At the top, a person sat on a chair, sitting upright.
The carvings on the chair were indistinct in the darkness, but their texture remained. Reflecting the dim light, an old man with white hair and a dignified face sat on the nanmu chair, gently tapping the armrest.
The sounds of "thud, thud, thud" echoed throughout the room, occasionally accompanied by flashes of lightning, followed by a deafening roar.
Below the high platform, a slender young man knelt upright, rain streaming down the threshold and soaking the hem of his clothes.
The wind, carrying a chill, blew open the creaking door and ruffled the hair in front of the person.
With a "drip," a drop of rain fell to the ground. The man's expression remained unchanged, but his lips had already turned pale. He had been able to hold on for so long entirely due to his willpower.
The old man above let out a long sigh, "Ah..." Then he stopped tapping the armrest, gently closed his eyes, and murmured, "How come it all ended up on you again?"
Wen Youqing laughed upon hearing this, a cold laugh as chilling as the biting wind.
Old Wen slowly opened his eyes, staring at the half-revealed face in the sparse light for a while before he heard the man's disdainful laughter.
How arrogant! It's an honor for Wen Youqing that the Gu worm chose her. I wonder if this child can handle it.
Old Wen spoke, and as if calling a dog, he gently raised his hand and beckoned Wen Youqing with a slight twitch of his fingers.
Wen Youqing remained kneeling upright, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. Old Master Wen frowned slightly, and when he spoke again, his tone was angry and his voice was deep and commanding. He said, "Come here."
Wen Youqing remained kneeling, motionless. Old Master Wen's face darkened, his displeasure evident. He pounded the armrest beside him, losing his patience, and said bluntly, "Come here and accept the Gu."
Wen Youqing then raised his head and said, word by word, "I won't answer."
Old Master Wen was thoroughly enraged this time. He stood up abruptly, his hand trembling with anger, and pointed directly at Wen Youqing, saying, "It is your honor that Gu chose you."
Wen Youqing smiled upon hearing this and said, "I don't want this honor. You should keep it."
The rain intensified, and in a flash, everything turned white. With the help of the lightning, Old Wen was able to see the child's face clearly. His face was like jade, his spirit like a pine tree, and his character like bamboo. He was resolute and tenacious, with the same demeanor as his brother in his youth.
Old Wen's expression softened slightly, and he said, "You... never mind."
After saying this, Elder Wen stood up and walked down from the platform to Wen Youqing. He said, "If you don't accept the Gu, your parents will die in your place. Do you want them to die?"
Wen Youqing looked up and asked, "How do we do it?"
Upon hearing this, Old Wen smiled. No matter how intelligent or different this child may be, he is still a human being. As a human being, he has feelings, concerns, and is easily manipulated.
Old Wen pulled a dagger from his sleeve and said, "There are two methods. One is to drink my blood and swallow the Gu. The other is to let the Gu worm crawl out on its own, but that will be more painful and the chances of dying are greater."
After saying that, he held the dagger horizontally in front of Wen Youqing and asked, "You choose..."
Before he could finish asking, Wen Youqing made her choice. The sharp blade cut through her aged skin, and blood gushed out, dripping naturally down her arm, one drop, two drops... slowly mixing with the rainwater on the ground, like flowers blooming, quite enchanting.
Wen Youqing knelt on the ground, put away the dagger, and stared silently at the gushing blood from the wound.
A black Gu worm slowly crawled out, and Elder Wen's face instantly turned pale. Upon seeing this, Wen Youqing raised the hand holding the dagger and cut her own artery.
Blood gushed out, staining his clothes red. Upon seeing this, Old Man Wen cursed, "Are you crazy? You'll die if you do this!"
Wen Youqing laughed upon hearing this, and said quietly, "I never thought about living. You're overthinking it."
The poison dripped with the blood and landed on the ground with a "plop." It looked up, sniffed, then lowered its head again and slowly crawled towards Wen Youqing.
Wen Youqing lowered her bleeding hand, feeling the cold as it touched the ground. She watched quietly as the Gu worms slowly crawled towards her, first her fingers, then her wrist.
A sharp pain shot through him, and Wen Youqing frowned, cold sweat breaking out and wetting his temples. The pain intensified, like waves crashing higher and higher, making him feel suffocated.
My straight back bent instantly, my knees hurt less, but my wrists hurt even more, and slowly, the pain spread to my arms and then my whole body.
With a "thud," he fell to the ground, blood still flowing, a long trail that met the rainwater that had just flowed in.
Vision was blurred, but when the wind came, it felt cold and piercing, and the pain was even worse. It was like drowning, drowning in the sea, having lost all strength, already sinking, but not dying anytime soon.
Just as my breath was taken away, the wind gave me a few more breaths, and so it went on and on.
In the pool of blood, the clothes were no longer recognizable as white, only a blood red. The air was damp and sticky, with a strong smell of rust.
He was trembling with pain, his whole body shaking. He closed his eyes but realized he was still breathing. Why wasn't he dying?
A voice echoed in my mind, "What's your name?"
Slowly, another person appeared, dressed in a pale yellow dress. The person had exquisite features, and the light seemed to favor her.
The person walked over to him and touched his cheek with their small hand. "Why don't you smile? Smiling will make you feel better."
He wanted to argue back, but then he listened to the man's inner thoughts: Why don't you smile? Is someone bullying you? Don't be afraid, I'll teach them a lesson for you.
This was a glimmer of white he discovered in the darkness; unlike the other two sides, this person was very sincere.
Wen Youqing's lips twitched, and she asked, "What's your name?"
The man smiled gently and said, "Li Yin."
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