Rumors, no matter how baseless, spread like wildfire. The news of Shi Luoyi's worsening injuries and that she was on the brink of death spread throughout the Mingyou Mountain in just one day.
Shi Luoyi, who did not even know that she was about to die: "..."
In her previous life, she never bothered to refute escalating rumors. Ironically, the more underhanded the methods, the more ruthless the soft blades. In the end, they wounded her to the point of dripping wet with blood, and bringing her to a situation of people rebelling and friends deserting.
Huixiang couldn't help but say, "Fortunately, Miss is vigilant. As long as the Sect Master still cares about his reputation, he'll have to restrain himself in the future and won't dare to openly confront Miss. Our situation might be much better."
Shi Luoyi pondered, "No wonder the Sect Master used this trick against me."
Huixiang thought, everyone tends to appreciate and miss someone more when they are about to die. Former fellow disciples would think that without her father, Shi Luoyi would be a pitiful person after all. Regardless of her actions, Shi Huan Daojun had really sacrificed too much for the world. With the death of the Princess of Nanyue and Daojun also being on the verge of falling, the current plight of their daughter was indeed lamentable.
"Miss should take this opportunity to recuperate properly. There's no rush to clarify this matter."
Shi Luoyi thought about it and nodded, planning to pretend to be a "dying person" for a few more days, who knows, maybe she could see who genuinely cared about her and who was hoping for her death. But at this time, no matter what she couldn't anticipate the several inexplicable events that would follow this rumor.
The next day, a large amount of spiritual elixirs was delivered to Shi Luoyi's courtyard, and the Sect Master came to visit Shi Luoyi that very day.
He still retained the appearance ingrained in Shi Luoyi's memory—white beard and hair, with kind and benevolent eyes.
Shi Luoyi didn't dare feign illness in front of him. As it happened, she was indeed injured, so she hurriedly complained pitifully: "Master Uncle (shībó), Senior Brother Wei attacked me because of Junior Sister and caused me to be seriously injured by a Chi Li!"
The Sect Master scrutinized her for a moment, chuckled, and said, "Shībó will definitely have a good talk with Changyuan later. Since you're injured, you shouldn't have gone to attend the morning class in the first place. Just rest well; there's no need to rush. If you need anything, just tell your shībó ah."
He was like the gentlest teacher. Shi Luoyi responded, looking at him with dependence and trust. The Sect Master explained a few more matters before taking his leave.
Later that evening, a cold-faced beauty was sent over to examine and treat Shi Luoyi.
At that time, Shi Luoyi was holding a flower brought by Hui Xiang, drinking its nectar. Before anyone entered, she had already hidden the flower. The cold-faced beauty came in and wiped Shi Luoyi's mouth, saying expressionlessly: "From your condition, you're still far from death."
Shi Luoyi stared at her for a long time, feeling excited. Suddenly, she hugged her, "Elder Han Shu."
For those she was fond of, she could actually be quite coquettish. Seeing the affection showered upon her by Huixiang and the doting from the former Wei Changyuan, it was evident that a girl who grew up being cherished and treasured like a precious gem would radiate sweetness from her brows to the edges of her lips, having yet to weather the storms of life.
Han Shu was momentarily stunned. A rare hint of bewilderment appeared on her usually icy face. After a long while, she woodenly pushed Shi Luoyi away, and expressionlessly placed her fingers on Shi Luoyi's pulse. With an air of impatience, she said, "Exhausted strength, minor blood deficiency, and only some superficial wounds. Taking a few Heart-Replenishing Pills will suffice."
Shi Luoyi nodded.
Han Shu frowned.
Han Shu was one of the few people from the Hengwu Immortal Mountain who watched Shi Luoyi grow up. In her memory, Shi Luoyi had never liked her and was always very wary of her. The sudden intimacy made Han Shu feel awkward inside, so she pretended to be indifferent and went to the side to fetch dan elixir for Shi Luoyi.
Regardless of whom she dealt with, Han Shu always wore a stern face, keeping people a thousand miles away. Many disciples in Hengwu Sect were afraid of her and secretly called her "Void/Annihilator".
Shi Luoyi had once disliked Han Shu. When she was young, she knew Han Shu had been in love with her father for thousands of years. Later, after her mother died, Han Shu's concern for her was interpreted by Shi Luoyi as wanting to occupy the magpie's nest while it was empty.
Han Shu was also the master of Bian Qingxuan, and was currently the head of the alchemy pavilion of the Hengwu Immortal Mountain. However, unlike others, she was one of the few who didn't like Bian Qingxuan. She had once coldly criticized Bian Qingxuan, condemning this disciple of hers for having an unrighteous heart and being too ruthless!
On that day, when Bian Qingxuan ran away crying, all the senior brothers and sisters felt heartbroken for her.
Shi Luoyi was often injured in her previous life, and Han Shu sent people to deliver medicine many times. Even after Shi Luoyi's father fell into a deep sleep, Han Shu always treated her the same way.
Shi Luoyi was once confused. Why did the people she thought were good could coldly watch her struggle and cry while the one she deemed evil would show her warmth?
Later, whenever she thought of Elder Han Shu, she would remember the gentleness beneath her cold demeanor.
But Han Shu died very early.
She died two months later, in Qingshui Village after Daxue.
[大雪 - dàxuě (solar term) or Great Snow, 21st of the 24 solar terms of Chinese lunisolar calendar. It more often refers to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 255° which stays from 7 December to 21 December (22 December East Asia time).]
At that time, many people had returned safely, and Bian Qingxuan was still being praised. Only Han Shu, in order to save Shi Luoyi, stayed in that Daxue forever. This incident also became the last straw that broke the camel's back for Shi Luoyi. She felt that it was her who killed Han Shu and was in great pain. The agony overwhelmed her, triggering her second inner demon episode and she could not control herself.
Thinking of this, Shi Luoyi felt a pang in her heart.
Han Shu did not know what Shi Luoyi was thinking, and turned back to look at her. Seeing that the girl was fine without any problems, but was sweating cold, she hesitated before asking: "Are there any other places that feel uncomfortable?"
Shi Luoyi shook her head: "Elder Han Shu, thank you for always being so good to me."
Han Shu pursed her lips and coldly responded.
Shi Luoyi found her adorable.
Such a lovely Han Shu, she wouldn't let anything happen to her this time.
At her request, Han Shu agreed to conceal her "illness" for now and publicly declared it as a severe injury.
"Wait a few more days," Shi Luoyi pondered. "Rumors will be dispelled on their own."
The snow stopped the day before and the sun shone through.
The wind stirred the paper kites in the corridor, and Ding Bai was in the courtyard organizing the pills sent by Bian Qingxuan this afternoon.
He muttered, "How can Senior Sister Bian be so good at alchemy? While others refine one furnace, she can make three pots at once. It's a waste for Young Master not to appreciate it. Such excellent pills, and he wants me to feed them to the dogs."
And the weirdo who asked him to feed them to dogs was sitting outside the red wall at this moment.
This was another strange thing little Ding Bai couldn't understand. Although Senior Sister Bian had set up restrictions in the courtyard so that neither cultivators nor outer disciples could easily get in and out, Bian Lingyu treated the barrier as if it didn't exist, sitting outside every day in the early afternoon.
What was there to listen to? Listening over and over, it was just some gossip from disciples who had finished early morning classes and meditation.
Ding Bai had been taking care of Bian Lingyu for two years, yet he still felt unfamiliar. The ten-year-old thought to himself, 'I don't want to grow up to be such an unpredictable weirdo.'
Although he was only ten years old, his roots were not yet strong, and for the rest of his life he might only be an outer gate disciple. However, he longed to become a powerful cultivator like Senior Brother Wei Changyuan!
He thought back to last year when he voluntarily offered to help Senior Sister: "Sister does not want the young master to go out, but the young master goes outside every afternoon. Should I stop him?"
At that time, the Senior Sister's expression was strange as she said, "Stop him? If you're not afraid of death, you can try."
She whispered with a sneer: "If he really gets angry, even I won't be able to stop him, but you can stop him? Just let him go, it's just a ridiculous idea, he'll get over it sooner or later."
Ding Bai didn't understand, but vaguely sensed danger, so he never actually tried to stop Bian Lingyu.
Bian Lingyu sat outside the wall, snowwater dripping from the eaves in a very light pitter-patter accompanied the disciples' whispers.
"Has anything big happened in the sect today? I heard some senior brothers and sisters talking about that Buye fairy again."
Another said: "A few days ago, the young miss of the Shi family was missing. Did you know?"
The fellow disciple nodded: "Of course, I even went out in the middle of the night to look for her with the Senior Brothers. It was so cold that night."
"It was then, I heard she fought a fierce battle with Chi Li and was gravely injured, she's nearly at her limit." The disciple sighed, "Pity, if Daojun was still around, there's no way he would have let her die like this. An immortal without parents, it seems she won't have a much better fate than ours."
"She is still quite young, just a Golden Core cultivator, yet she was able to defeat the monstrous Chi Li alone! I heard that even disciples in the Nascent Soul stage would have a hard time with that. It really is a pity."
"Who knows what might happen if Daojun were to wake up one day and find out his daughter was no longer in this world."
"You don't know, the protective formation of Buye Immortal Mountain has already dissipated, so Daojun might never wake up again. Even if little miss Shi dies, I'm afraid no one will care."
......
Ding Bai went as usual to push the young master inside, but saw that his hands gripping the wheelchair were clenched so tightly that his veins popped out, and his face looked unsightly.
Ding Bai was startled, and looked at his face, but saw it was deathly pale.
"Young...young master?" [Gongzi]
Bian Lingyu's expression was eerily calm, contradicting his ghastly pale face. He ordered, "Bring me a knife, and I'll tell you about a few herbs, go gather them."
Ding Bai was most afraid of his cold demeanor, so he hastily nodded.
He anxiously gathered all the herbs, and Bian Lingyu took them in before closing the door. Ding Bai stood outside, and soon, he caught a strange fragrance. He couldn't quite describe it, but the scent seemed to entice his soul, it was so intoxicating that it made him salivate.
Just as Ding Bai was almost bewitched out of his mind and was about to fling open the door and rush inside, the fragrance abruptly disappeared.
The ten-year-old boy scratched his head in confusion, wondering what had come over him just now?
As the setting sun finally fell, Bian Lingyu finally pushed open the door. His face was even paler, but his demeanor was still as cold as ever.
Ding Bai hastily stood up straight: "Young master."
"Push me to Mingyou Mountain."
During the day, sunlight bathed the surroundings, while rare moonlight graced the nights. The moonlight illuminated the vast, snow-covered white landscape. Ding Bai, trembling from the cold in the snowstorm, went to check on Bian Lingyu.
Bian Lingyu wasn't faring much better too.
His brows and eyes looked like they were frosted with ice, and his long, jade-like hands were frozen red from the cold.
Those dark obsidian cold eyes were like a lonely wolf lurking in the dark of night. He uttered in a frigid tone: "Have you not had your meal?"
Ding Bai blushed and pushed harder.
No wonder no one likes Bian Lingyu, Ding Bai thought. Bian Qingxuan had such a good temperament, but Bian Lingyu was like an unsheathed sword.
He had a pair of eyes that were completely inconsistent with his gradually withering body.
Cold, sharp, oppressive.
Bian Lingyu was one of the least likable people Ding Bai had ever seen - his temper was really quite bad.
The master and servant went through all kinds of difficulties, Ding Bai was almost paralyzed from exhaustion, his lips and teeth were numb from the cold and they finally reached Mingyou Mountain.
Except for the moon, only they were still awake. The courtyard door was open for some reason, casting a pallid glow of forlorn white moonlight, painting a scene of desolation.
Bian Lingyu pursed his lips and remained motionless for a long time.
Long enough that Ding Bai was on the verge of freezing to death, so he weakly called out, "Young Master."
Only then did he move, driving the wheelchair into the courtyard.
Shi Luoyi lay in bed, waiting for Huixiang to bring her Moon flowers.
[Tropical white morning-glory (Ipomoea alba) moonflower or moon vine, is a species of night-blooming morning glory]
The honey of Moon flowers had the sweetest fragrance, and Huixiang said many little spirits liked it.
She liked it too, liked the sweet taste of still being alive now, liked lively Huixiang, liked everything that could be changed.
Vague wheeling sounds came from outside, she was stunned and suddenly realized it wasn't Huixiang.
It did seem somewhat familiar though. She thought of the young boy who came a few days ago to throw away the lock, and Shi Luoyi suspected she misheard.
Why would he come here?
She wanted to know Bian Lingyu's purpose to come, so she hurriedly closed her eyes. She was still wearing that deathly pallor disguise on her face.
The wheeling sounds grew closer and closer and finally stopped in front of her.
Moonlight streamed in through the window. Shi Luoyi closed her eyes and her senses magnified infinitely. She felt the coldness of the wind and snow, without a trace of warmth, and a faint…cedar-like cold fragrance.
She was slightly uneasy and somewhat resistant.
Suddenly, a pair of hands pinched her soft cheeks like clamps, causing her lips to part.
At this point, Bian Lingyu suddenly stopped moving, sensing that he seemed to be engrossed in watching something. With her eyes closed, she could feel the young man's gaze falling upon her lips. As the air stilled, Shi Luoyi raised her heart, speculating on his intentions.
To harm her? Kill her while she was sick? Trying to avenge shame?
She felt that it must look very silly for her to have her face pinched and her mouth open waiting to be fed.
Should I wake up?
In the next moment, a pill was roughly shoved into her mouth, his movements were as rough as the chill of his hands.
She nearly choked, and realized that Bian Lingyu was considering how to make her swallow it just now.
Was he really going to kill her? Even though she had hurt him, driven by her inner demons, in the end her crime was not worthy of death, nor could she obediently let him kill her!
Furiously, she bit down on the young man's fingers, still trying to prevent the overly large pill from entering down her throat with her teeth, and suddenly opened her eyes.