Chapter 75 075 What did he see in her?
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Dark clouds loomed over the city; a storm was brewing.
suburbs.
The manager called out, "It looks like it's going to rain soon, everyone hurry back!"
The little poisoner put down the last heavy bag, rubbed his sore shoulders, and saw a faint trace of blood through his thin clothes, which were probably worn through again. Since one of his coworkers said, "Spring is coming," he had been working even harder to move goods. He usually moved ten boxes a day, but these past few days he had been moving fifteen or twenty boxes.
Spring is the season for wearing skirts.
When the snow melts and the flowers bloom, she'll look beautiful in a dress.
Whenever I think of him, I can't wait any longer, and I feel an immense surge of energy to make up for all the goods I missed while tending to him at his bedside a few days ago.
The foreman saw him hurrying over and said, "Zichu, come here, here's your pay."
The little poisoner paused, his brows furrowing, and said sparingly, "Too much."
For some reason, the old steward, who was only a boy who had not yet reached adulthood, was terrified by the little poison master's mere glare or even a slight furrow of his brow, fearing that he might displease the boy.
"...No, no, you've not only been moving goods for me, but you've also acted as a part-time doctor. Consider this half a string of cash for your consultation. Oh well, just take it!"
After the old steward finished speaking, he stuffed two strings of coins into the little poisoner's hand and ran away as if someone was chasing him.
The little poisonous creature stared at the copper coin in its palm, silently tapping it, somewhat bewildered. It had thought it would have to move goods for another half a month…
It seems like that's enough now.
——
Before nightfall, Little Poison arrived at the only tailor shop in Qing Shi Town.
"Young man, you're lucky. They close just a moment later," the chubby tailor Uncle X joked. "What a handsome young man! Which lady are you planning to buy this for?"
The little poisonous creature's gaze was fixed on the only phoenix coronet and wedding gown in the center of the small tailor shop. Its beautiful, dark eyes gleamed with a faint light, as if it was stunned by the beauty of the phoenix coronet and wedding gown.
"Ah, it was originally a gift for the bride-to-be." The chubby uncle frowned with worry. "But this is the most expensive item in our shop. All the others combined don't even amount to half the price of this phoenix coronet and wedding gown."
The portly man glanced up and down at the little poisoner's wrinkled, faded clothes—clothes that had clearly been washed multiple times—after a day of heavy work, and said with some difficulty, "I'm afraid you, young man..."
The little poisoner clenched the two strings of coins in his hand, and finally pointed to a red dress next to the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe. It wasn't as grand and gorgeous as the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, but it was still elegant and pleasant: "This is it."
Finally, he added, "Keep the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe; I will definitely come back to buy them."
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Evening clouds, midnight rain.
The dark clouds gathered and dispersed for a while, and finally it started to rain.
The little poisoner ran along clutching the red dress in his arms, even using his lightness skill to keep it dry. Fortunately, not a single corner of the dress got wet. But when he reached the inn and his doorstep, he froze in place.
He always came home late, whether he was carrying goods, collecting herbs, or going to the ghost market. When he returned, the house was quiet and dark.
Now, warm light shines through the window.
Among the myriad lights in the city… there is one that shines his.
The little poisoner felt as if it had been struck a heavy blow to the heart. Even in the freezing cold, it felt warm all over. It quickened its pace, almost running back, until it suddenly stopped at the door of the room. It slowly took a deep breath and pushed the door open—
Jiang Ling'er turned around upon hearing the sound and smiled:
"You're back."
The little poisonous creature was startled and stood frozen in place.
He looked at Jiang Ling'er wearing an unfamiliar apron, at her inviting him to sit down, at the table full of food that didn't look very appetizing, his long eyelashes trembled, as if he were still in a hallucination.
It was like a dream he had imagined when he saw that magnificent phoenix coronet and embroidered robe.
It was like a dream come true. They were just like a young married couple. Jiang Ling'er washed her hands and cooked for him, waiting for his return. She brushed the dust off his clothes and took off his bundle. When she saw a brand-new red dress inside the bundle, Jiang Ling'er paused and smiled.
"Why did you bring back another dress?"
The little poisoner suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "I bought this with my own money!" Seeing that Jiang Ling'er seemed to be startled by him, he paused, coughed twice, and lowered his voice, "No... I didn't steal it."
Jiang Ling'er answered quickly: "I know."
The little poisoner paused. He should have been happy that Jiang Ling'er believed him, but because she answered so quickly, as if without thinking... he became uncertain again. His dark eyes stared intently at her, filled with an unexpected nervousness.
"You really..."
Jiang Ling'er smiled and said, "You don't need to lie to me for a dress."
Upon hearing this, the little poisonous creature finally breathed a sigh of relief and revealed its first smile of the night. Its already beautiful color was even more striking under the lamplight.
His smile seemed to brighten the room.
Little Poison will always remember their first meeting in prison, when Jiang Ling'er wore a flamboyant red dress.
Even though he didn’t want to admit it, from that moment on he thought that she was the only one in the world who deserved the red dress.
He watched Jiang Ling'er holding the red dress he had bought for her, its vibrant red color seeming to hold his burning heart within her. He couldn't wait to see Jiang Ling'er in the red dress, but the next second he saw her casually fold it up and set it aside, then pick up a bowl of hot tea and place it in front of him, urging him:
"Let's have some tea to warm ourselves up first."
"Don't you want to try it on?"
They each spoke their own words, but when they spoke at the same time, they both froze as soon as they finished.
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Little Poison: "..."
Jiang Ling'er paused, then spoke first: "You drink it first, it won't be good if it gets cold later."
He pushed the hot tea an inch closer to the little poisonous creature and stared intently at him.
Little Poison: "..."
The little poisonous creature lowered his long eyelashes, glanced at the scattered tea leaves floating on the hot tea, looked at Jiang Ling'er's almond-shaped eyes fixed on him, and finally glanced at the red dress casually placed to one side... After a long silence, he slowly spoke:
"I never knew... you were so thoughtful."
After saying that, Jiang Ling'er's smile faded considerably, and she reached for the hot tea in front of him: "Fine, don't drink it then."
“I’ll drink it.” The little poisoner picked up the hot tea first, a smile playing on her lips. “This is the first time you’ve poured tea for me. I’ll drink it even if it’s poison.”
Jiang Ling'er's long eyelashes suddenly trembled, and she saw the little poisoner pick up the hot tea and drink it all in one gulp.
The tea was scalding hot, not something one could gulp down. Yet he seemed oblivious to the heat, letting his lips burn red and raw. Jiang Ling'er endured it, but finally couldn't resist any longer, reaching out to snatch the bowl and stop him.
"Enough!"
The little poisoner held a teacup in one hand and used the other to deflect Jiang Ling'er's hand, laughing wildly and mockingly:
"This is the first time you've poured tea for me; how can I not drink it all in one gulp?"
Jiang Ling'er gritted her teeth, used her inner strength in her hands and her legs to snatch the teacup with the Thirty-Six Forms of the Unseen Leg. The two of them actually started fighting over the small teacup in the cramped room!
The entire table of food was overturned on the floor, along with the red dress, which was also swept to the ground.
It looked like a pool of blood.
The moment the little poisonous creature looked uncontrollably at the trailing red dress, the teacup in its hand was shattered by Jiang Ling'er's "Thunderclap" palm strike!
It shattered on the ground, shards flying everywhere!
It also shattered the false, dreamlike illusion of the room.
However, in the blink of an eye, Jiang Ling'er snatched the shards of teacup that had splashed out, but stopped abruptly just as she was about to stab the little poisonous creature in the chest.
Her breathing was rapid, and beads of sweat dripped down her temples.
Her hand holding the shard trembled, and beads of blood slid down her fingers. The sharp tip of the shard pressed against the little poisonous creature's heart, tearing its outer garment, but it couldn't penetrate it no matter what she did.
The little poisoner first praised her, saying, "Your martial arts have improved a lot recently." Then, in a hoarse voice, he added, "Can't bring yourself to do it?"
"I'll do it."
The little poisonous creature grasped her hand and plunged the needle in, staining her white clothes with blood, and murmured a question to her:
Are you satisfied now?
Do you know... how much my heart is aching?
The so-called "Heart-to-Heart Gu" uses heart's blood as feed and medium. Once activated, the person who casts the Gu and the person who is affected share the same heart and feelings, hence the name "Heart-to-Heart Gu".
Jiang Ling'er let out a muffled groan, feeling as if the shard had stabbed her heart. Her hand trembled, and she gritted her teeth, thrusting the shard deeper before pulling it out again!
Almost simultaneously, both of them shuddered. The little poisonous creature stumbled back three steps, finally tripping over something behind it and falling to the ground. Blood gushed from its chest, which was covered in a large, blooming red patch. Jiang Ling'er wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and glared at him hatefully.
"You never intended to truly help me; you only wanted the 'Longevity Manual' and the 'Trumpet Flower' to rid yourself of the old poison!"
The little poisoner was heartbroken, but wasn't she also suffering from a poisonous sore in her heart?
A sharp pain surged through her chest, hundreds upon thousands of times, and her consciousness began to blur. Jiang Ling'er shook her head, clenched the shards in her palm, and staggered toward the door.
"Jiang Ling'er, you've gone too far! You can't do this... You can't do this! You were the one who wanted to stay by my side, and you can't just leave without my permission after I've become dependent on you!"
Seeing Jiang Ling'er resolutely rushing out the door without turning her head, the little poisonous creature staggered to its feet but fell to the ground again and again.
He stared at Jiang Ling'er's resolute back, his eyes filled with a red mist, almost bloodshot:
“I approached you intentionally for the Longevity Manual. Do you think only the Demonic Sect and the Old Poison Master are eyeing the Longevity Manual? The whole world is eyeing the Longevity Manual! You are Jiang Leilong's daughter, and the whole world is watching you! I know how much you've done to survive... How can I bear to send you to your death? If you were me, tell me what to do! What should I do!”
As Jiang Ling'er's figure was about to disappear into the night, the little poisoner went berserk, her voice trembling with barely suppressed sobs:
"You lied to me! You clearly said you would help me change slowly, you lied to me! You lied to me!"
"Give me liberty or give me death."
The little poisonous creature paused, its bloodshot eyes, like spiderwebs, staring blankly at Jiang Ling'er's resolute back as she turned around and looked at him:
"You're wrong. I'm never afraid of death. What I fear is being trapped in a cage, with my mind imprisoned."
The little poisonous creature caught its breath and was completely unaware that its fingernails were digging into its palm.
"You planted a love potion in my body, you chained me to your side like a dog, and you expect me to be grateful!" Jiang Ling'er glared at him, her almond-shaped eyes also red, tears streaming down her face. With a sob in her voice, she looked at him in disbelief, "How could you... how could you do this to me?"
Why are you doing this to me?
Jiang Ling'er rarely cries, but when she does, the little poisonous creature panics.
His chest felt as if it had been stabbed hundreds or thousands of times. He struggled to get up from the ground, wanting to wipe away her tears, murmuring:
"Don't cry...don't cry...you can hit me, hit me as many times as you want, just don't cry..."
Jiang Ling'er wiped away her tears fiercely, and in front of the little poisoner, cut off the sachet he had given her and threw it on the ground:
"We have never had any connection, not in the past, not now, and certainly not in the future!"
The moment the sachet hit the ground, a lock of hair he had cut off fell out as well.
The little poisonous creature stared blankly, then shuddered and vomited a mouthful of blood.
When I looked up again, Jiang Ling'er was gone.
He hastily wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and was about to stagger out when he suddenly stopped and instead blocked the doorway.
His eyes, shrouded in crimson mist, were like blades, staring straight at the edge of the X-shaped window!
Suddenly, a hoarse, sinister laugh echoed in the air:
"Tsk tsk tsk... Did you call your master here to collect your corpse?"
Suddenly a gust of wind swept by, and an old man with gray hair, hanging upside down like a bat, appeared abruptly in the half-closed window frame!
It was none other than the old poisoner, Gongye Chi.
“That kid Luo Chong is all show and no substance, far inferior to you.” Saying this, he suddenly threw down a bamboo flute in front of the silent little poisonous creature, “You actually gave it to someone else.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he used both hands and feet to leap into the room through the window frame, peeking out and looking around:
"Where is that girl?"
The little poisonous creature, which had been silent for so long, suddenly opened its eyes wide, its words carrying a heavy, bloodthirsty stench:
"I told you not to touch her!"
The old poison master was taken aback by the shout, glanced up and down at his pitiful appearance, which was almost covered in blood, and laughed: "I told you to get close to Jiang Leilong's daughter, but I didn't let you get yourself killed! You really disappoint me. In this respect, that kid Luo Chong is better than you. I'm really curious."
The old poison master scratched his head in utter bewilderment. He had tried the girl, but he still couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he thought about it: "She's just a girl with mediocre martial arts skills. She's somewhat pretty, but she's not some rare beauty... I originally thought you wanted to keep the 'Longevity Manual' for yourself, but you obediently handed over a copy... If it wasn't for the 'Longevity Manual,' what did you see in her?"
What did he see in her?
Little Poison hadn't thought of that.
When he finally realized it, he found that he had already fallen deeply in love.
He had always faced things alone, but this was the first time someone had stood in his way, and it was Huo Wu, one of the seven great masters of the Demonic Sect, against whom he had no chance of winning.
It's quite fresh.
He had no hope that she would come, no hope that anyone would come, but for the first time, someone protected him.
In the blizzard of that eternal night, someone finally called his name and found him.
I'm never afraid of death; what I fear is being physically imprisoned and mentally confined.
For many years, he had been avoiding the old poisoner Gongye Chi because of the Gu worms in his body, but now he no longer wanted to hide.
"Sooner or later this day will come... This was originally a contest between us, master and disciple, and no one else can interfere."
The little poisoner quickly tapped his chest twice to stop the bleeding, then bent down to pick up the bamboo flute.
The old poison master raised an eyebrow, a shadow of gloom flashing across his deep, gleaming eyes, quite surprised:
"Who taught you to rebel against your master? That girl? My Gu worm is still inside you, aren't you afraid of exploding and dying?"
As he spoke, he urged the Gu worms to crawl toward his damaged heart.
He admired his beloved student's pale, superior face, which was filled with unbearable pain.
The little poisoner froze in place as he bent down to pick up the bamboo flute, a horrifying vein bulging on his forehead. He endured the increasingly intense, bone-deep pain in his chest, slowly exhaled a breath of pent-up frustration, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged like coiled dragons. Slowly but firmly, he picked up the bamboo flute and gripped it tightly.
He lifted his eyelids, looked up, and his bloodshot eyes fixed on the old poisoner:
"Old man, I'm not running away anymore... and I will never let you control me again!"
"Very well." The old poison master Gongye Chi sneered, "I have nothing left to teach you. You've grown too strong. Since you've become disloyal and can no longer serve me... then only one of us, master and disciple, can survive!"
The moment he finished speaking, the old poison master appeared in front of the little poison master in the blink of an eye, his long fingers like eagle claws, twisting towards his neck!
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On the other side, the night deepened and the dew grew heavy, while the torrential rain had just ceased.
Jiang Ling'er collapsed to the ground, her fate unknown.
"Tsk... How tragic."
Someone broke the shard she was clutching in her palm, wiped the blood off the shard with their fingertips, and smeared it on her lips. She subconsciously licked it, along with the fingertips that hadn't yet been pulled back...
The man paused, seemingly muttering something, and then Jiang Ling'er felt herself being lifted up onto a cloud.
Swaying and swaying, soft and groggy, she belatedly realized that it must have been Chunhua carrying her again.
Later, she completely fell into darkness and lost all consciousness.
As dawn broke, a young Taoist priest led a donkey, along with the person on it, leisurely walking through a birch forest shrouded in thick fog.
Suddenly, something fell off the donkey.
The young Taoist priest paused, bent down to pick it up, and found it to be a familiar medicine packet.
The packaging was sealed tightly, clearly indicating that it had never been opened.
The young Taoist priest chuckled, glanced at the person fast asleep on the donkey, and gave a soft sneer:
"Just like your father... soft-hearted."
It won't work.
The young Taoist priest, leading his donkey, gradually disappeared into the thick fog of the birch forest at the foot of Dagushan Mountain.
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The author's note: ① This is from Shao Hengzhen's "Zhu Yingtai Jin He Yunxi Laoren Qiu Huai Yun".
Leaving is for a better reunion; even the little poisonous creature needs to solve its own problems.
See you tomorrow!
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