comfort
Inside the inn.
Gu Ziyu and Shan Yanzhi were using candlelight to gently soothe He Lin's worm bites. The group waited outside the room. Fortunately, Qi Junxu had booked the entire inn, otherwise, the crowd would have grown even larger.
The two had been inside for quite a while but hadn't come out yet, so Jiang Yi paced back and forth at the door in a panic.
Xia Zhi stepped forward and comforted her, "Miss, don't worry, the young master will be alright."
"Um."
Qi Junxu leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and asked, "Does He Lin's poison flare up very frequently?"
Jiang Yi didn't know what he meant by "frequently," so she pursed her lips and said, "Once a month."
Although this poison will not kill, it is worse than death. It is clearly meant to torture people and wear down their will. One can imagine how vicious the poisoner's intentions are!
Upon hearing this, Qi Junxu frowned deeply, his brows furrowing into a distinct "川" shape.
“Yin Zhaobai, do you know who poisoned He Lin? He won’t tell me.”
“I…” Yin Zhaobai sighed helplessly, “Jiang Yi, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s just that… let He Lin tell you himself.”
Qi Junxu sneered: "What's there to be ashamed of? It's just that the previous sect leader poisoned him, isn't it?"
"The previous Pavilion Master?" Jiang Yi blinked and continued, "He Lin took over as the Pavilion Master of Yu Ling Pavilion. Shouldn't he be highly regarded? Why did he poison her?"
"Pay attention?" Qi Junxu scoffed, "Then you probably don't know how the Pavilion Master is chosen. Simply put, it's the law of the animal kingdom: the winner takes all. So, whoever succeeds as Pavilion Master isn't a ruthless madman who has fought his way out of countless dangers..."
Jiang Yi could hardly believe it. No wonder He Lin had so many wounds on his body and whip marks on his back. Before meeting Su Tong, he had always lived a life of constant danger. You must know that he was originally a prince born into royalty, with a noble status and bloodline! What happened in between that made him fall from the highest heavens to the lowest depths overnight?
If she finds this answer, does that mean she can travel back in time?
For some reason, Jiang Yi secretly hoped that the answer would come later. She was afraid that she wouldn't even have time to say goodbye. If that were the case, wouldn't it be too cruel to He Lin? Perhaps she shouldn't have provoked him in the first place. But if she didn't provoke him, she had no other way to go back. It was a dead end with no solution...
"...Jiang Yi, do you know that He Lin has a nickname, 'Cold-Faced Yama'?"
Jiang Yi shook her head honestly, thought for a moment, and agreed, "But this nickname does suit him quite well."
He appears cold and ruthless, but acts decisively and cruelly.
"The fact that you can make someone as feared as the 'King of Hell' like you shows that you are no ordinary person either."
"What? Our He Lin may seem aloof, but he's actually quite easy to win over. Just keep pursuing him."
Qi Junxu was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly.
As they were talking, the door was opened from the inside.
"Gu Ziyu, how is He Lin?"
"The young master's poison has been temporarily suppressed."
Jiang Yi breathed a sigh of relief and ran into the side room, bypassing the screen to go see him.
"He Lin!"
Hearing the sound, He Lin looked up at her, his hands still busy tying the belt of his undergarment. His face and lips were completely bloodless, frighteningly pale, and he looked extremely weak, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.
Shan Yanzhi put away the silver needles on the table and took the brazier away.
"Young master, young mistress, I'll be going out now."
He Lin responded.
How are you feeling now?
"It doesn't hurt anymore, don't worry."
Jiang Yi was still uneasy and insisted on seeing it with her own eyes, so without saying a word, she reached out and pulled open his undergarment.
"you……"
"Shh, don't talk, let me see where that Gu worm is."
Upon seeing this, Yin Zhaobai quickly stepped in front of Shangguan Muya, refusing to look at her.
Qi Junxu raised an eyebrow, unfazed by Jiang Yi's bold actions, and coughed twice to remind her, "Ahem..."
Jiang Yi snapped back to reality, realizing that several people had followed her in. She quickly withdrew her hands and obediently put them behind her back. She slowly looked up at He Lin, who stared at her with a helpless expression. He silently tidied his clothes and undergarments, and considering that there were other women present, he took a cloak from the rack and put it on.
Yin Zhaobai looked worried. He had personally witnessed how He Lin had gotten to where he was today and how much hardship he had endured.
“He Lin, this can’t go on. I think we should go to the Southern Frontier to find the antidote as soon as possible.”
"It's alright, we've gotten used to it over the years, there's no rush. Besides, the idea that there's an antidote in Southern Xinjiang is just speculation, what if..."
Jiang Yi interrupted him: "There's no 'what if'! Even if there is, we'll definitely find an antidote!"
After she finished speaking, there was a brief silence in the room. No one expected Jiang Yi to react so strongly. Her face was puffed up with anger. She wouldn't allow the hypothesis He Lin had mentioned to exist, and she wouldn't even allow anyone to say it.
He Lin reached out and touched Jiang Yi's hair twice, but she slapped it down instead. She turned half her body to the side, clearly angry, and a bitter smile appeared on He Lin's lips.
"I'm fine. You should all go back and rest. It's late."
"Okay, if you feel unwell during the night, the doctor is right next door, so don't try to tough it out."
"knew."
After everyone had left, Jiang Yi turned around and glared at him.
He Lin reached out and pinched her puffed-up cheeks, finding it inexplicably amusing: "If I die, you won't have to be a widow for me."
Jiang Yi was furious: "Bah! If you die, I'll immediately go off and have fun with someone else! Who wants to be a widow for you!"
"That's good."
"you……"
Jiang Yi was furious at his nonchalant, indifferent attitude, as if life and death didn't matter. She got angrier and angrier and kicked his shin. He Lin didn't dodge and groaned, wincing in pain.
"You murdered your husband!"
"He Lin! I'm not joking with you!"
He Lin pulled the person in front of him into his arms and said, "I know."
Jiang Yi punched his chest and snorted, "You know it, yet you still say that. You're obviously just trying to annoy me! Hey, by the way, how did you know that Xia Zhi and I were kidnapped, and even went to Wang Dahu's stronghold?"
“He led us there himself. You and Xia Zhi hadn’t returned for a long time, and I sensed something was wrong. Just as I was about to go out to look for you, an arrow suddenly shot in from outside the dilapidated temple. There was a note attached to it. Wang Dahu said you were in his hands…”
Jiang Yi nodded: "Understood."
Ultimately, it was Wang Dahu who was too confident. They were probably already being watched when they entered Linzhou territory. Wang Dahu's capture of her and Xia Zhi was just a pretext to lure He Lin over. His real purpose was to avenge the arrow that blinded him.
But who could have imagined that Qi Junxu was also there? With his status as the second prince, he easily borrowed government troops and wiped out the entire bandit gang. What Wang Dahu probably didn't expect was He Lin's identity. He never would have imagined that the guards from Yu Ling Pavilion would arrive so timely...
Black Tiger Stronghold had been able to run rampant in Linzhou for so many years, robbing whomever they wanted without worrying about the government coming to clean them up. This must have involved some dirty dealings, like collusion between officials and bandits. Well, after being arrogant and domineering for so long, they've offended the wrong people. It's time to wipe them all out.
"Come over here to apply the medicine."
What medicine should I use?
He Lin's gaze fell on her swollen half of her face, and Jiang Yi belatedly realized what was happening.
"Hiss—I'd almost forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it! That damned bastard Wang Dahu! He has absolutely no sense of chivalry! No wonder he can't find a wife!"
He Lin poured the medicinal wine from the table onto a cotton cloth. The smell was slightly pungent and not very pleasant.
Jiang Yi glanced at the boiled egg beside her and giggled, "Can I skip the medicated wine? You can roll the egg over it to reduce the swelling, right?"
Helpless, He Lin put down the cotton cloth and began peeling the eggs.
"sit."
Jiang Yi's lips twitched, and her face started to hurt again. She hissed and gasped for breath several times.
...
When Jiang Yi woke up the next morning, He Lin was not in the room.
I asked Gu Ziyu and found out that he had gone out on business and had taken Yin Zhaobai with him.
The waiter brought the food to the table, and Jiang Yi had just taken a couple of bites when she saw Shangguan Muya coming downstairs. She quickly called out, "Hey, Muya, come and have breakfast with us!"
Shangguan Muya smiled faintly and walked towards her.
The waiter, being very perceptive, brought out bowls and chopsticks, and added two new side dishes.
Jiang Yi put several chopsticks on her plate, and the bowl was almost overflowing.
"That's enough, Jiang Yi, I can't eat this much."
"Oh dear, you're so thin. You need to eat more. If you don't like these, I'll have them make some of your favorite dishes instead."
"No need, these are already very good."
Xia Zhi smiled and said, "Miss Shangguan, my young lady is quite knowledgeable when it comes to food and drink. Whenever she goes to a new place, she always finds out the best local food as soon as possible. Her sense of smell is so keen that no one can match it. Why don't we eat something first to fill our stomachs, and then go for a stroll with my young lady in the streets later? I guarantee we'll be stuffed."
"Yes, yes!" Jiang Yi nodded repeatedly, then realized something was wrong after a while. "Wait a minute, Xia Zhi, are you praising me? Or are you praising me?"
Xia Zhi covered her mouth and chuckled.
After a night, she had recovered and, following Jiang Yi, had become much bolder. She wasn't frightened at all by what happened last night. If it were before, she probably would have cried her eyes out. Now, she wouldn't joke with Jiang Yi and Shangguan Muya.
Jiang Yi was pleased and playfully wrinkled her nose at her.
"Xia Zhi is right, Mu Ya. I've noticed you've been looking downcast and haven't been talking much lately. We've all finally managed to get out of the capital for a trip, so don't be sad. Smile! No matter what, you still have us friends with you. You're not all alone."
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Muya finally showed a slight smile.
"Jiang Yi, thank you."
"Nothing is more important than food! There's nothing a good meal can't solve! Anyway, He Lin and the others haven't come back yet, so let's go for a walk around later?"
"OK."
"That's more like it."
"..."
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