As Su Zhenzhen pursed her lips, the bitter taste of medicine from the young man's lips seeped in between them.
He pressed against her lips, gently grinding them without any technique, yet his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
It was very comfortable.
Su Zhenzhen moved her wrist, which was captured by the young man, only to find that his grip did not loosen. Instead, because of her squirming, the hand he had clasping her jaw moved to the back of her neck.
The pressure on the back of her neck forced Su Zhenzhen to press even closer to him.
The young man kissed her more smoothly now, instinctively learning how to grind against her soft lips.
The room was stifling and humid. The bitter scent of medicine flowed subtly between them as their breaths intertwined.
Mmm...
Mmm...
So soft.
The young man's wet hair drooped down, brushing against the tip of her nose.
It tickles.
Su Zhenzhen felt a bit tickled and glanced slightly upward.
Mu Dan lowered his eyes, his dark pupils meeting hers. The corners of his eyes were suffused with a deep red, looking as though he had been bullied mercilessly.
But clearly, the one being bullied was her.
The grip on the back of her neck loosened a bit, and the two parted. Mu Dan stared at her moist lips, his gaze still wandering and hazy.
It seemed he hadn't regained his senses yet.
"Does your head... still hurt?" Su Zhenzhen murmured softly.
Lu Hexu stared at the woman in front of him for a long while before he seemed to understand her meaning and shook his head.
Great, so he was using her as a tranquilizer?
The next day, Su Zhenzhen woke up very early.
Well, actually, she hadn't slept at all.
They had returned late last night to begin with. To confirm Mu Dan's condition, she had carefully checked his pulse and examined him, then stayed up late sorting out herbs to calm his mind. Just as she threw the herbs into the medicine pot to brew, a loud crash suddenly came from the room.
Su Zhenzhen's expression changed, and she quickly turned and rushed inside.
The window had been left open, and the bright white morning light of summer flooded into the room. The young man was covering his eyes and head to block out the sun, but he still couldn't escape the overwhelming sunlight. He curled up on the floor, trembling all over, his face deathly pale.
Su Zhenzhen froze for a moment, then hurriedly grabbed the thin silk blanket from the bed and draped it over him.
Covered by the thin blanket and enveloped in darkness, the young man seemed to recover a bit of strength and immediately darted into the wardrobe on the side.
The wardrobe door was broken and couldn't close completely, leaving a slight gap.
Su Zhenzhen walked over and quietly peeked inside.
Mu Dan was curled up inside. Hearing the noise, he opened his eyes and met Su Zhenzhen's gaze.
He looked like a timid cat on its first day at her house, darting around before choosing to hide in the wardrobe.
After getting into the wardrobe, Mu Dan seemed a little calmer.
Su Zhenzhen quickly realized what was going on.
Could it be... he's afraid of sunlight?
Su Zhenzhen recalled that she had never seen Mu Dan during the day before. She had always assumed he was off working like a dog for Wei Heng during the daytime, but she never expected this to be the reason.
Su Zhenzhen closed the window and the door, and the room instantly darkened. Then, she suddenly remembered her medicine.
Slapping her forehead, Su Zhenzhen hurried back to the small kitchen.
Fortunately, the medicine hadn't boiled dry, and she managed to pour out half a bowl.
Although one shouldn't take too much of this kind of sedative medicine, he definitely needed some in this situation.
On one hand, it was to prevent the patient from hurting others; on the other hand, it was to alleviate his anxiety and tension, preventing him from hurting himself.
Holding the medicine bowl, Su Zhenzhen stood at the door of the room and quietly pushed it open a crack, only to be instantly stunned by the scene inside.
She had only been gone for a short while, but the room was in such a tragic state she could hardly bear to look. It was as if a feral cat had rampaged through it.
The young man was clearly not satisfied with the simple method of closing the doors and windows to block the light.
He had piled tables, chairs, and stools in front of the window and door, pressing the bed curtains and quilts against them to completely block out any gaps and the translucent screens.
Not a single trace of light penetrated the room. Looking through the crack in the door, she saw the wardrobe slightly ajar, revealing a corner of clothing. The young man was still hiding inside.
With things piled up in front of the door, Su Zhenzhen couldn't get in.
She reached out and gently pushed the round stool aside, barely managing to squeeze in sideways.
Placing the medicine bowl on the table, Su Zhenzhen took a look around the room.
It was even darker than before.
It seemed he really, truly hated the sunlight.
Su Zhenzhen walked in carefully and crouched by the gap in the wardrobe door.
The wardrobe was too small. The young man sat inside hugging his knees, his pitch-black eyes landing on her face as if trying to recognize her. After identifying who she was, the hostility hidden in the darkness dissipated by half, and he slightly relaxed his brows.
"Have some medicine, okay?"
Su Zhenzhen brought the medicine bowl over. Lu Hexu looked at the steaming bowl and frowned, turning his head and leaning further back into the wardrobe.
Su Zhenzhen was speechless. She had the distinct illusion of raising a stressed, fearful cat.
Su Zhenzhen carefully squeezed back out through the door gap and returned a moment later with honey and ice cubes.
She dropped some ice cubes into the medicine bowl and added honey, making it taste better without affecting the medicine's efficacy too much.
While waiting for the ice to melt and cool the liquid, Su Zhenzhen took another look at the room.
It was truly airtight.
Just like a vampire's lair.
Looking again at the young man's deathly pale face and his lips bitten dark red, the striking beauty of a gloomy, damp, beautiful youth leaped right before her eyes.
Ah, I want to kiss him.
Su Zhenzhen, are you even human?
Afraid that Mu Dan would die of heatstroke, Su Zhenzhen quickly brought over the bucket of ice that was delivered daily to the small kitchen.
"I brought some ice."
Su Zhenzhen hurriedly chipped at the ice, picked out a small piece, and stuffed it into the wardrobe.
The young man reached out with pale fingers, pulled the wardrobe door open, and took the ice bucket from Su Zhenzhen's hands, pulling it inside.
Su Zhenzhen looked at the remaining piece of ice in her hand, raised it, and popped it into her own mouth.
All this tossing about had made her hot, too.
Taking care of a sick, beautiful youth was truly exhausting.
But taking another look at that face, it was truly a feast for the eyes.
The young man began haphazardly dumping the ice out of the bucket.
Su Zhenzhen pulled open half the wardrobe door to stop him. "Wait a minute."
If he did that, the ice would melt quickly and make a mess everywhere.
She got up, fetched a towel from the washstand, wrapped some ice in it, and pressed it against the back of his neck.
The young man tilted his head back slightly, his eyes narrowing and his lips parting slightly.
The grip of his hand on the ice bucket loosened.
Su Zhenzhen took the opportunity to snatch the ice bucket back, then picked out another small piece of ice and popped it into his mouth.
There were too many clothes piled up inside the wardrobe; in such hot weather, it was easy to get heatstroke.
Su Zhenzhen pulled the clothes out of the wardrobe, instantly freeing up a lot of space inside.
The young man sucked on the ice cube, and wet trails of water flowed down from the corners of his lips and along his jawline.
He tilted his head slightly, his beautiful eyes narrowing to reveal only a sliver of dark pupils as his gaze landed on her.
"Do you want more?"
Su Zhenzhen thought he wanted more ice, so she picked out another piece for him.
The young man leaned his head out of the wardrobe and lowered his head to bite the ice cube right out of her hand.
He rolled the ice cube into his mouth and bit it to pieces, making a crisp cracking sound, his lips turning a beautiful, wet red.
Su Zhenzhen saw his raised neck as he swallowed.
He must have chewed the ice up and swallowed it down.
Despite his pure and innocent face, as he chewed on the raw ice cubes, a rare, gloomy coldness emanated from him—as if he were chewing on bones rather than ice.
After finishing the ice, the young man's gaze fell upon her face.
"Stay here by yourself for a bit. I'm going to brew your medicine."
With that, Su Zhenzhen handed him the towel that had been wrapped around the ice. Just as she stood up, a sudden force yanked her from behind. She stumbled and was pulled straight into the wardrobe.
Earlier, when the wardrobe had been full of clothes and bedding, she couldn't fit inside. But fearing Mu Dan would be too hot, she had cleared all the garments out.
Now, the narrow space barely accommodated the two of them.
The wardrobe door was shut.
In the completely sealed darkness, Su Zhenzhen could only feel the young man's hand clamped tightly around her wrist.
Because he had just been holding ice, his hand was freezing cold. Wet droplets trickled down her skin, and she realized her dress was probably soaked.
Instinctively, Su Zhenzhen reached out to push the wardrobe door open and escape.
It was too hot.
And far too dark.
The moment her fingertips brushed the wood of the door, her wrist was pinned down again.
It was a familiar movement.
The young man leaned in. At first, he missed his mark in the dark; his lips brushed from her cheek to the tip of her nose, before finally pressing heavily against her dry lips.
It was a kiss unlike the one from yesterday—this one was far more sticky and wet.
In the pitch black, Su Zhenzhen's senses were heightened to the absolute extreme.
Evidently, Lu Hexu found it very comfortable as well.
The young man let out an uncontrollable, low groan—a short, breathy whimper.
The air inside the wardrobe was unbearably stifling. Su Zhenzhen tried to pry the door open several times to get out, but each time, the young man wrapped his arm around her waist and dragged her right back.
At one point, she managed to crawl halfway out, only to be yanked back inside again.
All that was left on the floor were the wet streaks of her five fingers.
Su Zhenzhen could understand a person's vulnerability and helplessness when they were sick.
Back when she had been locked in the imperial prison, despite the sweltering weather, she had only felt cold.
It was a bone-deep chill, the kind of cold that no heating device could ever dispel.
All you craved was for someone to come and hold you.
It was a need for spiritual comfort, rather than a simple physical embrace.
Aside from physical ailments, psychological illnesses in humans were actually much more widespread.
Unlike bodily diseases, they couldn't be quickly cured with medication. Mental illness required an agonizingly long, painful, and volatile healing process.
Physical pain could be measured and detected.
Mental anguish, however, could not.
Unfortunately, she was no longer young.
The humid, suffocating heat inside the wardrobe, combined with the young man's relentless kisses, almost gave Su Zhenzhen the illusion that she was suffocating.
She was so tired.
She tilted her head and collapsed against the inside of the wardrobe.
The young man's lips remained pressed to hers, nibbling gently, as if confused as to why she had stopped moving.
After the woman passed out, the irrational young man continued to enjoy his "buffet" for a little while longer before he, too, tilted his head and fell asleep.
Su Zhenzhen woke up first. She finally managed to extricate herself from the wardrobe.
The enclosed space had felt like a miniature sauna. She reached up to wipe her face, unsure if the dampness on her skin was their shared saliva or hot sweat.
Su Zhenzhen crawled out on her knees, casually kicking the wardrobe door shut with her foot.
The room was simply too hot.
After taking a heat-relief pill, she chugged several cups of iced tea to cool her body down. Then she fetched some water, washed up, took a bath, and changed into fresh clothes. With her hair still wet, she pushed open the room door.
The young man was still asleep inside the wardrobe.
After tossing and turning all day, he was finally sleeping soundly.
As night fell, the temperature dropped slightly. Su Zhenzhen moved the tables and chairs that had been blocking the doors and windows, opening them up to let the air circulate.
The evening breeze blew in through the back window, brushing comfortably against her skin.
Having just bathed, Su Zhenzhen still carried the faint scent of mint.
It was from her homemade mint soap. Before she had transmigrated into this book, her pet cat used to love this exact scent.
To prevent the young man from getting into any accidents, she didn't return to her own room, opting to sleep in Mu Dan's room instead.
She was utterly exhausted; Su Zhenzhen fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
The lantern hanging under the eaves had not been extinguished, casting a faint glow into the room from outside.
In her drowsy state, Su Zhenzhen felt something wet glide across her face.
It was damp, like a cat licking her.
Su Zhenzhen raised a hand, wanting to bat her cat away and tell it to stop fussing, but then she felt her fingertips being licked as well.
Wait, she didn't have a cat right now.
Su Zhenzhen snapped her eyes open. The young man's face was mere inches from hers.
He really had a lot of energy.
She fluttered her eyelids and stealthily closed them again.
Then, a hand reached out and pried her eyelids open.
Su Zhenzhen: ...
Sometimes, when she wanted to know if her cat was asleep, she liked to pry its eyelids open with her fingers just to check.
Su Zhenzhen asked helplessly, "What are you doing?"
The young man stood by the edge of her bed, leaning over slightly. He sniffed the faint, crisp scent of mint lingering on the woman's body.
"Lamp."
Lamp?
Su Zhenzhen wasn't fully awake yet. A wave of drowsiness washed over her, and her eyelids slowly drooped, only to slowly flutter open again a moment later.
Wait a minute, he can speak?
Su Zhenzhen was instantly wide awake.
She struggled to sit up and lit the gauze lantern painted with a little puppy for Mu Dan.
His colored glass lamp was nowhere to be found, so this would just have to do.
Carrying the lantern in his hand, the young man turned around and climbed right back into the wardrobe.
"Then I'll go to sleep?"
Su Zhenzhen asked tentatively.
There was no response from inside the wardrobe.
She could finally sleep.
She was far too tired to think anymore. Su Zhenzhen buried her head and collapsed back into the bed.
-
Fearing that the eunuch delivering their meals might frighten Mu Dan, Su Zhenzhen had locked the door in advance.
Even though it was daytime, the room was entirely draped in cloth, just as the young man had arranged it yesterday. Not a single sliver of light could seep through.
The little puppy gauze lantern was still lit.
Under the hazy glow of the lamp, a basin sat in the middle of the room. It contained a pitiful amount of crushed ice, leftovers from the day before.
Su Zhenzhen watched as the young man sat in front of the basin, frowning down at the meager ice. He reached out, pinched a small piece, and popped it into his mouth.
The eunuch knocked on the door outside. The young man, who had finally coaxed himself out of the wardrobe, visibly darkened in expression.
Su Zhenzhen quickly soothed him, "It's okay, it's okay."
She swiftly stepped outside, sent the eunuch away, and carried the food box back inside.
The meals provided to their small courtyard were always quite decent.
Because of the sweltering heat, Su Zhenzhen didn't have much of an appetite and only ate a few bites. Mu Dan didn't touch a single thing. In just these few short days, the youth's frame had grown noticeably thinner.
If he wasn't going to eat, he might as well consume more ice to stay hydrated, and maybe have some fruit.
-
The symptoms of a dissociative fugue usually lasted for a few days, though Su Zhenzhen couldn't say exactly how many.
It was a state where accidents were highly prone to happen.
She had encountered a case in the past where a girl woke up in the dead of night to find herself standing in the middle of a major intersection. The blaring of car horns and police sirens had violently jolted her out of her dissociative state.
Luckily, it had been the middle of the night with very few cars on the road. Otherwise, blindly wandering into traffic like that was an easy way to get killed.
No, doing that was practically courting death.
Just like Mu Dan.
Seeking out a well all on his own.
His behavior was no different from that girl's.
Fortunately, Mu Dan didn't have an extreme or aggressive personality; he was just a bit clingy.
Wherever Su Zhenzhen went, he followed.
During the day, he hid in his room, but as soon as the sun went down, he would start following behind her.
Su Zhenzhen was brewing medicine for him. The herbal scent emitted during the brewing process was beneficial to the sick, so she did not drive him away.
She crouched by the small stove. Her fair, smooth face grew hot from the steam, and beads of sweat gathered on her cheeks, trickling down her temples.
Mu Dan crouched beside her. He was someone who was extremely afraid of the heat. As the hot air from the stove hit his face, a flushed red appeared on his pale skin.
He stared at the fire in the stove, his expression gradually fading, something different from the firelight slowly dancing in his eyes.
Su Zhenzhen fanned herself, but the breeze it produced was warm, making it feel even hotter.
She took a heatstroke prevention pill and then handed one to Mu Dan.
The young man opened his mouth, swallowed the pill, and continued to crouch beside her.
A knock sounded at the courtyard gate again.
Su Zhenzhen instinctively tried to stand up, but suddenly realized that Mu Dan, who was crouching beside her, was a step faster.
A bizarre crimson hue bled into the young man's eyes.
Su Zhenzhen grabbed him. Be good, do not move.
The woman's soft fingertips, carrying the scent of herbs, grasped his wrist.
Lu Hexu lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over her wrist.
Su Zhenzhen picked up the scented sachet hanging at her waist and brought it to the young man's nose.
She remembered that this sachet could soothe Mu Dan's emotions.
Because she grabbed it a bit hastily, a strand of her hair got caught on the sachet.
The young man leaned in, holding the sachet and sniffing it gently.
Compared to the sachet, he seemed more interested in the strand of hair tangled around it.
Feeling inexplicably agitated, the beautiful young man stuck out the tip of his tongue and bit down on the strand of hair.
A faint herbal scent mixed into his mouth, suppressing that strange, murderous urge.
She could feel the sensation through her hair.
Su Zhenzhen felt a tingling sensation spread all over her body like an electric shock.
When her little cat at home was nervous, it liked to bite catnip toys to relieve its stress.
What Mu Dan was biting was... her hair.
At the courtyard gate was a eunuch delivering ice.
During the day, the young man had been hiding in his room, refusing to come out. Afraid he might get heatstroke, Su Zhenzhen paid the eunuch who delivered meals to bring over some extra ice blocks, and then she made homemade sour plum juice and other summer drinks.
Su Zhenzhen took out the soaked smoked plums and threw them into a clay pot, then added licorice, dried tangerine peel, and white sugar to boil together.
About half an hour later, the sour plum drink was ready.
The small kitchen was filled with the tart aroma of the ingredients and the scent of medicine.
Su Zhenzhen scooped out a bowl and added some ice cubes to it.
The ice cubes melted quickly, making the sour plum drink pleasantly cool.
Su Zhenzhen tasted a bowl herself, gave Mu Dan a bowl with extra honey, and then put the rest into an ice bucket. After a while, they would be able to drink iced sour plum juice.
Because of his aversion to sunlight during the day, Mu Dan always seemed restless and poorly rested. At night, he also looked exhausted.
Lacking so much sleep, his energy was naturally low.
Taking advantage of the fresh ice, Su Zhenzhen made Mu Dan a large shaved ice dessert, adding plenty of fruits to replenish his energy.
Two days had passed since she brought Mu Dan back.
After taking medicine for two days, the young man's emotions were no longer as reactive as they were at the beginning.
Proper interaction helps with a patient's recovery.
The two sat together on stone stools in the courtyard. By the pale moonlight, Su Zhenzhen felt a whim, pointed at a plate of stir-fried radishes the eunuch had just delivered, and said, Radish.
Lu Hexu slowly raised his eyes and glanced at her.
Su Zhenzhen persisted, Radish.
He still did not speak.
Full of patience, Su Zhenzhen took out her handkerchief. Handkerchief.
The young man still had no reaction.
Su Zhenzhen held his wrist and placed his palm on the handkerchief.
Great job!
Lu Hexu frowned and tilted his head.
Five days had passed, and Mu Dan showed no signs of recovery. Su Zhenzhen started to feel a bit anxious.
Because individual differences are significant, the recovery time for each patient varies. It usually ranges from a few hours to a few days. Very severe cases might be delayed for weeks or even months.
Su Zhenzhen sat on the stone stool, tilting her head to look at Mu Dan sitting beside her.
Although the young man was trapped in a dissociative fugue, it did not have a huge impact on his daily life, other than him being a bit slow to react and unable to speak.
Afraid that Mu Dan might unconsciously harm himself when she was not paying attention, Su Zhenzhen put away all the knives and sharp tools in the courtyard.
Because ancient times lacked a professional psychological intervention medical system and medication, Su Zhenzhen could only perform simple interventions through daily life activities.
Come, today we are going to wash clothes.
Daily activities help strengthen the perception of self-identity.
The young man crouched by the wooden tub, stared at the clothes inside for a moment of silence, and then reached out to start scrubbing.
He actually looked quite competent doing it.
Su Zhenzhen took out her little notebook and started recording.
This was a daily fugue episode record sheet she had specially created for Mu Dan.
Of course, having the young man help her wash clothes was something she could omit from the notes.
In just a few days, the small notebook was already densely packed with words.
However, Su Zhenzhen could not help but frown, unconsciously beginning to ponder.
The soothing and nerve-calming herbal decoctions he was currently drinking only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. What exactly was the trigger for Mu Dan's dissociative fugue?
Seeing Mu Dan obediently washing the clothes, Su Zhenzhen went to the kitchen to brew medicine herself.
When she came out after brewing the herbs, she saw the young man sitting on the small wooden stool, holding a piece of clothing with both hands, completely motionless.
It was quite normal.
Patients entering a dissociative fugue would occasionally space out.
Su Zhenzhen went to bring back the herbs she had taken out to dry today, and then tidied up her room a bit.
When she came out again, she found the young man still maintaining that same posture without moving.
It seemed to have gone on a bit too long.
She still needed to intervene.
Su Zhenzhen walked over and softly reminded him, Once you finish washing, hang it up to dry.
Patients in a state of dissociative fugue are very easily startled. When speaking to them, one should be as gentle as possible to avoid frightening them.
The young man's eyebrows twitched slightly. He turned his head slightly to look at her, and then continued to lower his head, staring at the clothing he was gripping.
Su Zhenzhen smiled, reached out to hold his wrist, and guided him to wring the clothing dry. But just as she was about to hang it on the drying pole, she realized there was a huge hole torn in the garment.
Su Zhenzhen was speechless. This was her favorite skirt.
She would never be lazy and let Mu Dan wash her skirts again.
When it was time for a late-night snack, the young man preferred cold and refreshing food.
Su Zhenzhen made him another bowl of shaved ice.
Watching the young man sitting there eating the shaved ice slowly and methodically, Su Zhenzhen could not help but sigh.
He was really easy to take care of.
After that thought, Su Zhenzhen tilted her head to look at the torn skirt hanging in the courtyard, and then glanced back at the beautiful young man who was staring at his shaved ice.
You might say he was in a dissociative fugue, but he still knew to hide the skirt he had ruined while washing.
Night fell, and Su Zhenzhen prepared to go to bed. She lit a silk lantern and handed it to Mu Dan.
The young man stood in place carrying the silk lantern, then turned around and climbed into the wardrobe.
Seeing the young man obediently enter the wardrobe, Su Zhenzhen rested at ease.
The room fell completely silent, save for the occasional chirping of birds and insects outside.
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed. The wardrobe door was pushed open by a pale, slender hand, and Lu Hexu stepped out, holding a lantern.
The naive look in the young man's black eyes faded, replaced by a gloomy darkness.
He seemed deeply confused about his current whereabouts.
Lu Hexu raised the lantern in his hand, and the state of the room came into view.
A messy pile of bedding, curtains, boots, and blankets was heaped upon the table, with some spilling over onto the chairs.
Tables, chairs, and benches were piled up by the window and door, draped with several torn bed curtains.
Behind him was the empty wardrobe; half of the clothes inside had been thrown onto the bed, while the other half hung over the back of an armchair.
Someone was lying on the bed.
Lu Hexu walked over with the lantern. He saw a woman with her head tilted, her black hair scattered. A thin layer of fragrant sweat coated her face. Her breathing was steady; she was sleeping soundly.
Although the bed curtains had been torn down, many scent sachets hung from the carved hollows of the wooden bed frame, emitting a faint aroma of mint and mugwort.
They were the familiar, ugly sachets.
Lu Hexu's sinister brow slowly relaxed, though confusion rose in his eyes. He reached out, his fingertips hovering just under the woman's nose.
Still breathing.
His fingertips slid down Su Zhenzhen's lips, landing on her collar.
There were no injuries on her exposed skin.
Lu Hexu withdrew his hand, trying to recall the events of the past few days, but his head began to ache again.
He furrowed his brows and turned to leave the room.
Before leaving, he noticed a booklet on the table.
Lu Hexu picked it up and opened it.
Page one: Has a tendency to jump into wells, pay attention!!!
This was written in red cinnabar ink, while the rest was in black brush ink.
Maoshi Sunrise: Hiding in the wardrobe, so good.
Wushi Midday: Still hiding in the wardrobe, drank a bowl of medicine, so good.
Youshi Late Afternoon: Still hiding in the wardrobe, drank a bowl of medicine, so good.
Xushi Dusk: Came out of the wardrobe, followed behind me to watch me brew medicine. Asked him to wipe the table, wiped it very clean, so good. Rewarded him with a bowl of sweet shaved ice, so good.
Haishi Night: Refused to sleep, admired the plants together, so good.
...
Five days of records.
Almost entirely filled with these things.
Lu Hexu couldn't remember.
His gaze on the booklet grew strange, and then he simply walked out with the book in hand.
Outside, the moonlight was bright. The courtyard door had already been locked by Su Zhenzhen.
Lu Hexu directly snapped the lock off with his bare hands.
Night had fallen, and it was very quiet outside. Lu Hexu stood at the door, raising his eyes to look at the night sky.
Shadow One dropped down silently from the top of the wall. Master.
Lu Hexu asked expressionlessly, How many days?
Five days.
It was much shorter than before.
The first time Lu Hexu had an episode, he killed many people.
The bodies of those people piled up into a small mountain. The blood beneath his feet flooded the entire main hall, sliding down the jade bricks and flowing all the way onto the stone steps.
Since then, he began to lose control.
Why isn't she dead? Lu Hexu asked, gripping the booklet in his hand.
Shadow One's mind suddenly recalled the words the woman in this courtyard had constantly kept on her lips these past few days.
So good, baby.
Shadow One swallowed back this treacherous phrase.
Perhaps your illness is cured.
Cured?
The young man tilted his head and looked at Shadow One. But I want to kill someone right now.
Shadow One stood there with his head bowed, cold sweat trailing down his forehead.
Suddenly, Lu Hexu turned around and looked behind him.
Su Zhenzhen woke up from the heat after sleeping for a while. When she turned her head, she found the wardrobe door open, the room door open, and the person gone.
She quickly got up and went out. Seeing the courtyard door wide open, her expression instantly changed drastically.
She ran out in a hurry, her outer robe not even properly worn, only to see the young man standing at the courtyard entrance with his back to her, holding that puppy-ink-blot gauze lantern.
Su Zhenzhen let out a heavy sigh of relief.
But soon, her breath caught again.
In front of the young man stood a robust man dressed entirely in black; one look at his face and she knew he was not a good person.
What kind of good person would paint themselves pitch black like they had put on a black algae mud mask!
Su Zhenzhen's face instantly turned deathly pale.
Yet she still stiffly walked toward the young man.
Lu Hexu turned his head to look at the woman walking toward him.
Her face looked awful, but she still reached out and grasped his hand.
Don't be afraid, Mudan.
[Don't be afraid.]
Lu Hexu felt the woman's fingertips trembling.
Just who was the one afraid here?
Shadow One stood there stiffly, unable to leave, yet unable to stay.
It was his negligence.
He is not in his right mind right now, Su Zhenzhen spoke with trembling lips, trying hard to shift her body forward in an attempt to shield Mudan behind her.
You may go first, Lu Hexu said lightly.
Shadow One immediately turned and left.
Hmm?
Su Zhenzhen raised her eyes to look at Mudan.
You're better?
Yes.
A smile appeared on Su Zhenzhen's face, but it quickly dimmed.
Did the people from that side come to find you for a task?
[It should be someone sent by Shen Yanci, regarding the matter of Dayan from the Mongol Empire.]
Shen Yanci.
The Mongol Empire.
Dayan.
Lu Hexu lowered his eyes, the expression on his face unchanging. Yes.
If possible... don't get involved in this matter.
Lu Hexu's gaze fell upon the woman's hands. Why?
Su Zhenzhen subconsciously stroked the young man's fingertips, her voice becoming very soft, and her eyes gently fell on Mudan's face. Because I don't want you to be in danger.
[We both need to live well.]
This was a battle for power, an extremely chaotic political struggle, and a border war that would result in countless deaths and injuries.
The woman's eyelashes fluttered, her lips slightly parted. I don't like dead people.
[I hate it.]
Thank you
Chomp chomp eat it up
