What to do? Calling for Xuanwu was the right course, but she dared not cry out like this. Making noise would certainly be fast, but with the other person so close to her, killing her would be even faster.
What to do? Her body was weak, otherwise she might have been able to risk diverting this person’s attention and run to the door to seek Xuanwu’s help—
She kept her eyes tightly shut, not daring to move, but although everything was pitch black before her eyes, she clearly felt that person staring intently at her—all the hair on her body was about to stand on end.
The next moment, the other person’s hand fell upon her skin.
Damn it, her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
He was touching her.
His fingers slowly caressed across her cheek. His middle two fingers had calluses, with the thickest callus on the outer side of his ring finger. Her face burned with shame and her heart raced. Where her cheek was slightly swollen, he lingered the longest, and the force of his hand became much gentler.
There had been too many incidents recently, and she had encountered danger repeatedly, making her naturally wary. But if she still didn’t know who this person was at this moment, she might as well end her own life.
With Xuanwu’s martial arts skills and such tight security, who could possibly enter?
Unless it was his master.
Moreover, the two of them had been intimate after all, and his scent… she was familiar with it.
What exactly did this person want to do? What was the meaning of this!
Suzhen was filled with painful anger, yet her body curled up uncontrollably despite her attempts to control it.
Should she rebuke this person or do something else?
Just as she was pondering this, he suddenly stood up. Suzhen’s heart lurched—had he discovered she was pretending to sleep?
At this thought, she suddenly realized something strange.
Since he had chosen to come at this time, it seemed he didn’t wish to say anything to her, but how could he be certain that she was sound asleep?
Could it be that…
Before she could investigate further, he reached out and felt her forehead several times, then turned around and lightly clapped his hands.
Someone quickly entered.
“For some reason, she’s burning with quite a high fever. Have the Imperial Medical Academy prepare a few doses of fever-reducing medicine. With her amateur medical skills, it would be good enough if she doesn’t kill herself with her own prescriptions.”
“Yes, this subordinate will immediately order someone to handle it.”
It was indeed Xuanwu’s voice.
“Wait, have the old man come over instead. This person was lively and energetic, yet suddenly developed a fever at night. Her constitution has never been good, so it’s better to have a proper diagnosis.”
The person then changed his mind. After giving instructions, he paced back. Suzhen’s eyes felt warm, and she heard him sigh deeply. Soon, the bedding was gently lifted. Her heart jumped in alarm, and without thinking, she sat up at once: “What do you want to do!”
Xuanwu was startled and immediately stepped forward to light a lamp in the room, then quickly withdrew.
Under the lamplight, Lian Yu stood just inches from her bed, his lips slightly pursed, a hint of sternness in his eyes, as if she were a mischievous child who had gotten into trouble again.
“You didn’t drink the medicine?” His tone was also unkind, slightly deepening.
“The medicine I just drank contained sedatives. Your orders, wasn’t it?” Suzhen clutched the blanket tightly, gritting her teeth as she questioned him back.
He didn’t answer. His silence was the best answer.
So that’s how it was! No wonder she felt so drowsy afterward, naturally falling into a deep sleep—though of course, developing a fever was not within either of their expectations.
“Why won’t you speak? What’s the meaning of only coming here now?”
He still didn’t answer.
She suddenly realized something.
“Because she just fell asleep, isn’t it?”
This sentence took great effort for Suzhen to say, and once spoken, her whole body felt drained.
He still wouldn’t speak, though his gaze darkened slightly.
Suzhen’s heart grew half cold. Finally, she laughed and said slowly: “You bastard! You couldn’t be more of a bastard!”
Lian Yu still said nothing. After a long while, he finally spoke.
“Tonight you’ve been concealing something all evening. What exactly are you hiding in that left sleeve of yours?” he asked, his tone extremely measured but carrying imperial authority.
Suzhen hadn’t expected him to be so sharp-eyed. In her moment of hesitation, he unexpectedly pulled away the blanket.
“Go back.” Suzhen moved toward the corner of the bed. Whether it was unwillingness due to the ugliness of her disability, or whether he had ultimately come but still too late—she could no longer distinguish between them.
Whatever it was, she no longer wanted him to see this hand.
Lian Yu’s lips pressed even tighter, his handsome features becoming somewhat frightening.
“Will you show me yourself, or shall I take action?” He looked at her, speaking coldly.
Suzhen had never been particularly afraid of him, but today was different from yesterday. His cold, fierce tone made her heart alarmed and chilled, yet she only hid it tightly behind her back, equally stubbornly confronting him.
“Very well.”
With those flat words from Lian Yu, his figure moved. His tall frame suddenly pressed forward aggressively. Suzhen was greatly alarmed. Knowing his shoulder bone was severely injured, she showed no courtesy and struck directly at his wound with her palm. She thought Lian Yu would at least be gentleman enough not to retaliate. Who knew he wouldn’t even lift an eyelid, using his uninjured hand to forcefully block. This counterattack landed on her hand, and she cried out in pain, her hand instantly going limp and falling. Her defense was wide open, and Lian Yu had already unceremoniously grabbed her left hand.
In her shock and anger, she struck out with another palm.
This second strike, Lian Yu didn’t block. His gaze fell on her hand and suddenly he became motionless.
Her palm struck solidly on his collarbone. He groaned, his fingers almost digging into her skin.
“Feng Suzhen, where is your finger!”
He roughly jerked her wrist, both eyes blazing with fury, as if fire would shoot from them.
Suzhen was in extreme pain. Seeing his calm expression torn apart, frost in both eyes, her heart finally felt somewhat satisfied. After thinking, she replied: “When you fainted, the drug’s effect on me had just worn off and I woke up. Leng Xue suddenly appeared—it turns out… he had been secretly protecting me all along. A’luo took you away first, while we delayed that person. In the chaos, my finger was sliced off by the opponent.”
Since he wanted her to speak, she might as well bring up Feng Shaoying’s matter as well.
“The finger is still there, isn’t it?” However, Lian Yu completely ignored what she had said, cutting her off with one sentence.
“Yes.”
Lian Yu’s gaze instantly darkened. In a flash, Suzhen saw deep, cold killing intent in his eyes.
At this moment, was he actually still thinking of killing her? Suzhen couldn’t help but laugh bitterly, laughing until both eyes stung.
“You didn’t pick it up?”
“At that time I even thought we might not escape. In that situation, how could I possibly pay attention to such things?”
Lian Yu forcefully closed his eyes. Soon, he roughly released her hand, turned around and commanded in a deep voice: “Xuanwu, come in.”
Xuanwu pushed open the door. He quickly glanced at Suzhen, his gaze lacking its usual hint of roguishness. With his superior martial arts and excellent hearing, he had already heard what had transpired in the room.
“Master.” Of course, he still immediately looked toward Lian Yu, awaiting his orders.
Lian Yu said: “Deploy double the manpower to search the mountain, focusing on the area around the shrine. Within one hour, bring that severed finger back to Us. If this cannot be accomplished, have the leader bring his head to see Us.”
Suzhen almost immediately spoke up: “My medical skills may not match Lian Jie’s or the old court physician’s, but I know that too much time has already passed. Not to mention that in the wilderness, the bone was probably carried off by some animal long ago. Even if it hadn’t been, reattaching it would be useless now. It’s just a small bone—it looks somewhat unsightly, but it won’t prevent me from holding a brush or wielding a sword. I’m not left-handed after all. Xuanwu, there’s no need to go.”
As if her words were also an order, Xuanwu looked toward Lian Yu.
“Search the mountain!”
Lian Yu only said these two words.
Having finished, he waved his hand dismissively.
“I understand. It’s because of the wound that you couldn’t sleep. Let’s talk.” He looked at her, his expression already restored to the calm demeanor from moments before.
The shameful, hateful fire that had reignited in her heart was extinguished again.
In the end, he remained calm.
Suzhen, fighting dizziness and blurred vision, pointed to the two wine jars on the table: “Shall we drink? Talk while drinking?”
She suddenly remembered that the last time she bid farewell to Li Zhaoting, it was also over drinks.
“No, you can’t touch alcohol right now. When you want to drink, there will be opportunities and fine wines. When you investigated the Mochou case years ago, you borrowed Lian Qin’s ice cellar. After we were together, I brought you to his mansion as a guest. You saw that thing and were quite envious, saying that using it to chill wine would surely be a great pleasure. But since that ice cellar had been used to preserve corpses, you said you wouldn’t dare use it. I had an ice cellar built in the palace for you, ordering people to place the palace’s finest wines inside, originally planning to surprise you next year.”
His voice unexpectedly reached her ears.
The two of them were separated by a table, one at each end. She watched him speak earnestly, seeming to recall something, even a faint smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
Warm and gentle, just like that night on Chang’an Street—she realized it had already been a year.
“Since it’s next year’s surprise, why tell me tonight?” So she found herself unable to maintain a confrontational attitude and even managed a smile as she asked back.
He looked at her: “No particular reason. Since tonight began, there’s been something I’ve wanted to ask you—it’s something I shouldn’t ask, so I’ve held back, but now I want to ask.”