63 Peeling the Cocoon
He hated that she always spoke passionately through those eyes.
How can I describe his current feelings?
Like a traveler who has wandered in the desert for many days, finally encountering a sweet spring. Like a treasure hunter who has nowhere else to turn, finally finding the legendary lost treasure.
But what if the spring is just a mirage, and what you swallow is actually sand? The lost treasure is nothing but a death dream; one more step and you'll be exhausted and turn into a skeleton in your grave.
Ying Jianhua suddenly realized that he couldn't say anything.
He unconsciously released his hand from her eyes, and the two looked at each other in silence.
Rurikyo. Legend has it that in the imperial city, the emperor built a palace covered with glazed tiles for his beloved concubine. Sunlight streamed through, filling the room with shimmering light and dazzling splendor.
He had never seen that palace, but when he looked into her eyes, he felt to himself that no one could be more radiant than Du Zhijin's eyes.
It was so bright it was blinding.
When Ying Jianhua remained silent, Du Zhijin continued to look at him with those two pieces of glass that shimmered like gold and jade in the dark room.
Something began to subtly change. Perhaps it was the growing ambiguity between the two below, which also caused a dull and restless atmosphere between them.
He averted his gaze in disarray, like a gambler fleeing in defeat.
Could anyone truly remain unmoved by her gaze? Occasionally, he thought that she might also like him just a tiny bit.
He hated her for always speaking passionately with those eyes. Didn't she know that the embers after passion are the hardest to bear? But what he hated most was Du Zhijin's indiscriminate treatment of everyone. Her eyes had looked at more than just him, and he wasn't the only one tossing and turning in bed feeling the coldness after the burning sensation.
In such a grand and glorious light, will there really be, or only one person's figure?
"...It's a bit stuffy in here, let's go out first." In the end, he could only use the most clumsy excuse to cover up his shame. Fortunately, Du Zhijin did not refuse, and while Wu Ti was shyly covering his face, the two figures disappeared in an instant.
"What's that noise?" Wu Ti asked alertly.
Zhao Zhonggan quickly pulled her hand to cover for the two of them: "Maybe it's a cat."
"Yeah?"
Thus, Zhao Zhonggan and Wu Ti had another argument. By the time he left, he was exhausted, both physically and mentally.
He didn't feel tired at all. After his outer garment "accidentally" slipped off, Wu Ti didn't do anything about it, but insisted on "not looking at what is improper" and urged her to put her clothes back on quickly.
Amidst the surprise, he inexplicably felt that he was being disliked?
He told Du Zhijin his thoughts. Du Zhijin squeezed his arm and sincerely commented, "It is indeed a bit lacking."
"Ahem. So, did you manage to get any information out of him?" Ying Jianhua changed the subject. He was in a state of great mental turmoil, and in an instant, he recalled that she had once said Lu Ping was "quite skilled."
Zhao Zhonggan's expression froze; it was obvious without asking that he hadn't gotten any useful information.
Du Zhijin patted his head: "It's okay, Amo already guessed that Wu Ti wouldn't reveal it easily, leave the rest to us."
As she spoke, she winked at Ying Jianhua, trying to express her meaning.
Look! She's comforting someone! Don't you think she's kind-hearted and compassionate? Do you like her?
Ying Jianhua subtly brushed past the hand that had touched Zhao Zhonggan's head, the knuckles beneath the sleeve turning slightly white.
She never touched his head.
"...Senior sister, you mean I was still of some use, right?" Zhao Zhonggan felt better after being comforted by her and eagerly sought Ying Jianhua's opinion.
Du Zhijin also stared intently at him. Being stared at like that by the two of them gave him the illusion that he had raised two little yellow dogs.
No, only Zhao Zhonggan is a dog.
He cleared his mind of these wild thoughts and pondered, "I'm not surprised you'll come back empty-handed. Now it depends on whether Wu Ti accepts my 'pledge of allegiance'."
In the past, Zhao Zhonggan always thought he was somewhat clever. Although he couldn't become the top scholar in the imperial examinations, he was still his mother's biological son, and his brain was certainly capable enough. But ever since he got involved with the "Yu Nie Zhenren" incident, compared to Ying Jianhua, his intelligence had completely vanished.
Could this be the reason why his senior sister looks down on him?
As if to confirm Ying Jianhua's words, Banzhu's voice rang out from outside the door at just the right moment: "Young master, Miss Biao has sent someone to deliver something to you."
So fast?
Du Zhijin met his gaze. She understood, grabbed Zhao Zhonggan by the collar, and climbed onto the roof beam.
She's been doing this a lot lately, and she's hardly made a sound.
Suddenly, Zhao Zhonggan, clinging to the beam, asked in confusion, "Senior Sister, were you carrying Young Master Mo like this just now?"
He felt like a sack of potatoes, being tossed around by her.
She touched her nose and remained silent.
Of course, you hug Amo.
Ying Jianhua thought that Wu Ti's two maids would come, but she didn't expect that she would change her clothes and come in person.
Perhaps something important has happened.
As usual, Wu Ti put down the food box, opened one of the layers, and got straight to the point: "Young Master Mo, this is my usual Hibiscus Beauty Pill. Could you take a look at it for me?"
His heart skipped a beat.
It was a peach-pink pill, quite different from the elixir Lady Hou had taken. But he smelled a familiar scent.
Demon blood.
He put the pill back, maintaining his composure as if he hadn't noticed anything amiss: "At first glance, there seems to be nothing wrong. Miss Wu, could you please describe the symptoms you experienced after taking it?"
Wu Ti: "At first, nothing unusual happened, except for occasional drowsiness, which I just attributed to spring fatigue and summer lethargy. But recently, about a few days ago, while walking on the road in broad daylight, I suddenly felt tired, leaned against a lacquered pillar and fell asleep... And it seems to be accompanied by sleepwalking. This time is very short, and when I wake up, I am in another place."
Drowsiness, sleepwalking...
Du Zhijin tightened her grip on the sword, and Zhao Zhonggan also realized what was happening, whispering to her, "Is it possible that a possessed person thinks they are asleep?"
She nodded, her gaze fixed on the people below. At the slightest movement from Wu Ti, she would draw her sword and leap down.
She will never let Ying Jianhua be in danger again, never.
Ying Jianhua clearly guessed what Wu Ti was talking about. Not just a few days ago, but just two days ago, when she came to him to discuss an alliance.
She was sleepwalking because her body was possessed by a demon during that time. When Wu Ti approached her, he clearly sensed something was wrong.
But this demon has been lying low for three years and should be very cautious in its actions. Why is it making a rash move now and revealing its true colors one after another?
Setting aside his doubts for the moment, he continued, "Cinnabar, magnetite, dragon bone, and Coptis chinensis all have calming and sleep-inducing effects. Perhaps the doctor didn't get the dosage right. Or maybe Miss Wu has been eating something lately? Some of the medications might be interacting with each other."
Wu Ti vehemently denied it: "Impossible." After a pause, she explained, "I'm not questioning your medical skills. It's just that the doctor who made the medicine for me is highly experienced and would never have miscalculated the dosage."
A highly experienced physician? Perhaps it is "Master Yu Nie".
The fog was gradually dissipating. Ying Jianhua feigned annoyance and sneered, "Since there was no miscalculation of the weight, then it must be my lack of skill. Miss Wu, you'd better find someone more capable. I won't see you off!"
Seeing his anger, Wu Ti hesitated for a long time before finally telling the truth: "...Young Master, please calm down. I do not doubt you. You were praised by Physician Lin himself. How could I not believe you? Just now, I thought about it carefully and found something unusual."
Ying Jianhua snorted, her face indifferent, but her mind was completely focused on what she was about to say. The thief Zhao Zhonggan was also tense; approaching the truth, he couldn't wait to share his excitement with his senior sister, but when he looked up, he saw Du Zhijin's lips slightly pursed, her expression grave.
He was shocked, thinking he had missed another important clue, but he clearly heard every word: "Senior sister? Is...is something wrong?"
Du Zhijin shook his head, his lips pressed even tighter.
She felt a vague unease, and it had been many years since she had felt something slip out of her control.
It's as if some unseen hand has forcibly tied all the threads together, weaving them into a net. No matter which path she takes, there is only one destination.
As she watched Ying Jianhua's clothes sway slightly, a thought suddenly pierced through the chaos and surfaced in her mind.
Now, everything should be restored to its original state.
Does that bizarre dream hint at anything?
————
"I haven't taken this Hibiscus Beauty Pill for the past six months. A woman dresses up for the one she loves, but with my cousin not here, I have no heart for grooming myself."
Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua silently grumbled inwardly.
It's not that they don't care about taking care of it, it's that they're too lazy to pretend.
Wu Ti: "Recently, my cousin came back for the rare occasion. I was worried about my appearance, so I used a little more."
He pressed further, "How much exactly?"
Wu Ti spoke vaguely: "Originally it was one every two months, but this time... I ate two in three days." After saying that, she added, "I'm not the kind of person who can't think straight, but for some reason, after eating one, I always have this thought in my mind that it wouldn't hurt to eat another one. Young Master Mo, could I be addicted?"
In the end, she spoke urgently, seemingly genuinely afraid of becoming addicted. But if it were just ordinary beauty pills, taking ten or even a hundred wouldn't cause any problems. Wu Ti's anxiety clearly indicated that she knew the medicine was problematic.
However, he did not show it on his face, only saying that taking too much would indeed have side effects, and that he would need to study how to deal with the side effects.
"Why don't you leave the beauty pills with me for now?"
Wu Ti hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Alright. However, I only have one of these beauty pills left, so I hope Young Master Mo will handle it carefully."
He nodded, indicating that he would, but immediately after the person left, he presented the pills to Du Zhijin.
Du Zhijin leaned closer and smelled it, confirming, "Yes, it tastes just like the elixir that Lady Hou ate that day."
Zhao Zhonggan squeezed in as well, looking at the medicine as if it were an enemy. Ying Jianhua kept her distance from him, worried that he would destroy the clue they had worked so hard to obtain.
He said, "Wu Ti only noticed the abnormality because he took it multiple times in a short period of time, which means that the demon possessed him with the help of the so-called 'medicine'."
"Moreover, Lady Hou takes one pill a month, while Wu Ti takes one pill every two months. We might guess that in that demon's mind, controlling Lady Hou is more important than controlling Wu Ti."
Du Zhijin: "What did that demon want to achieve by using the Lady Hou's body? It hasn't succeeded in three years."
Ying Jianhua shook his head.
Only Zhao Zhonggan probably knows what happened in Liulijing in the past three years; we need to find out more.
But one thing is certain.
“Wu Ti clearly only needed to take the medicine once, but she inexplicably took it twice. I suspect that the demon deliberately influenced her mind to make her do it.”
Zhao Zhonggan asked blankly, "What is the purpose?"
He looked at Du Zhijin, his eyes gradually turning cold, concealing murderous intent: "It's afraid."
Four years ago, Du Zhijin visited Liulijing. Three years ago, "Yu Nie Zhenren" suddenly appeared in the capital.
It deliberately avoids people from ordinary mountains.
Now that its fake identity, which it has used for three whole years, is about to be exposed, it is naturally afraid.
In truth, he didn't care what this demon wanted to do, whether it was to wreak havoc on the human world or overthrow the dynasty. He was only willing to help investigate because she wanted to get involved.
But if it attempts to harm Du Zhijin...
He'll be the first to disagree.
[Author's Note]
Zhou: I will never let Amo get into danger!
Mo: He'll be the first to object to anyone trying to harm Du Zhijin!
Everyone was so enthusiastic yesterday, I'll be posting two chapters tomorrow!
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