Night fell, and a typhoon struck the southeastern coast without warning.
Howling winds drove sheets of rain against the windows, lashing them like countless whips. The relentless crack-crack of the storm grated on the ears.
From time to time, a blinding bolt of lightning split the sky, flooding the room with ghostly white light before darkness swallowed everything once more.
This kind of oppressive, low-pressure weather was what Huo Zhixing hated most.
On the spacious double bed, the man’s brows were tightly knitted together. Cold sweat had already soaked through the sheets beneath him.
He was dreaming.
Or rather… he had returned to that living hell.
“Brothers! Fall back! Retreat!”
“My leg… help… someone help me…”
Artillery thundered across the battlefield. Severed limbs flew through the air. The stench of gunpowder mixed with the sickening odor of charred corpses filled his nostrils.
Everywhere he looked was awash in blood.
Twisted faces loomed before him. Enemy bayonets. His comrades’ lifeless eyes, forever frozen open…
“Kill… kill them all…”
Trapped inside the nightmare, Huo Zhixing trembled violently, a beast-like growl rumbling from deep within his throat.
Reality and nightmare completely merged beneath the roar of thunder.
The bipolar disorder he had suppressed for so long erupted like a dam collapsing, sweeping away the last remnants of his sanity.
Beside him, Su Jiuyue stirred awake from the commotion.
“Zhixing?”
Still half asleep, she propped herself up and instinctively reached over to check his forehead.
Before her hand could touch him—
A hand like an iron vise clamped onto her wrist.
Crack!
A sharp burst of pain shot through her arm.
Before she could react, an overwhelming force flipped her onto the bed.
The next instant, a solid body pinned her beneath it.
Huo Zhixing’s eyes were blood-red.
There wasn’t a trace of recognition left in them.
Only boundless killing intent.
His large hand wrapped mercilessly around her slender neck.
His grip was so powerful it seemed ready to snap the “enemy’s” throat at any moment.
“…Urgh…”
The air was instantly cut off.
Su Jiuyue’s eyes widened in terror.
She desperately clawed at his fingers, trying to pry them away, but his hand wouldn’t budge. It felt as though it had been welded around her neck.
The oxygen in her lungs dwindled away.
Darkness crept into the edges of her vision.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.
He was trying to kill her.
He truly was going to kill her.
Looking into those scarlet eyes, Su Jiuyue finally understood.
Huo Zhixing was no longer himself.
He had become nothing but a beast driven mad.
If she fought back—or used acupuncture to strike one of his vital meridians—she might save her own life.
But Huo Zhixing’s qi would reverse course, crippling him forever.
She decided to gamble.
As her consciousness teetered on the edge of fading away, Su Jiuyue stopped struggling.
Enduring the suffocating agony, she slowly released the hand clutching at his fingers.
Instead…
Her trembling arms wrapped gently around his neck, offering herself completely into his grasp.
The overwhelming terror of death and the violent surge of emotions completely activated the mysterious ability hidden within her body.
The fresh, rain-soaked forest fragrance that usually lingered around her underwent a dramatic transformation.
It became rich…
Sweet…
Irresistibly intoxicating.
Like a poppy blooming wildly in the heart of a storm, it burst forth within the tiny space between them, carrying an enchanting allure that reached straight into one’s soul.
With great effort, Su Jiuyue tilted her head upward.
Under the gaze of those murderous crimson eyes, her trembling lips lightly pressed against the center of his tightly furrowed brow.
“Huo… Zhixing…”
Her voice was weak and broken, yet somehow possessed a strange, penetrating power.
“It’s… me…”
“I’m Jiuyue…”
“…Your wife…”
“The one… you saved…”
Scalding tears slid down her cheeks.
Plop.
A single tear landed on the bulging veins across the back of Huo Zhixing’s hand.
That lone teardrop felt like molten lava.
In an instant, it burned through the blood-red haze imprisoning his soul.
The sweet fragrance filling his nose…
Wasn’t the stench of blood from the battlefield.
It was the scent that brought peace to his shattered soul.
The warmth beneath his palm…
Wasn’t an enemy’s throat.
It was soft, living skin.
A deafening buzz exploded inside his mind.
The crimson mist vanished.
Huo Zhixing jolted as though struck by lightning.
Endless horror flooded his eyes.
A flash of lightning outside illuminated the room.
He finally saw the person beneath him.
The petite woman lay deathly pale.
A vivid ring of purple-red bruises encircled her neck.
Her lips were parted as she struggled desperately for air, like a fish dying on dry land.
What…
What had he done?
He had almost strangled her to death with his own hands.
A tidal wave of panic and remorse engulfed him.
He flung his hand away as if burned, stumbling backward until his back slammed violently into the bedside cabinet.
“GET OUT!!”
Clutching his head, his hoarse voice sounded almost inhuman as his entire body shook uncontrollably.
“Get out! Stay away from me!”
“I’m a monster…”
“I’ll kill you…”
“GO!”
Su Jiuyue coughed violently, desperately gulping in fresh air.
Her throat burned like fire.
Yet seeing the man curled into the corner of the bed, drowning in self-loathing, hurt her even more than the pain in her neck.
She didn’t leave.
Sniffling softly, Su Jiuyue reached beneath her pillow.
Her fingertips found the cool acupuncture pouch.
It was the one Elder Qin had given her earlier that day, and she had casually tucked it beneath the pillow.
She withdrew three silver needles.
Taking a steadying breath, she dragged her exhausted body toward the man who radiated an unmistakable aura of keep away.
“Why are you still coming over?!”
Huo Zhixing’s eyes were bloodshot.
Seeing her approach, he wanted to push her away—
Yet feared hurting her again.
All he could do was let out a helpless growl.
The next second…
The soft, warm woman threw herself straight into his arms.
Su Jiuyue wrapped both arms tightly around his waist.
Her cheek rested against his violently heaving chest.
Her voice was hoarse, yet carried an unmistakably stubborn determination.
“I’m not leaving.”
“You saved my life once.”
“You almost strangled me just now.”
“That makes us even.”
Huo Zhixing’s entire body froze.
His hand hovered awkwardly in midair, trembling too much to dare touch her.
At that moment—
A sharp glint flashed across Su Jiuyue’s eyes.
The silver needles shot out like lightning.
Shenting (GV24)!
Baihui (GV20)!
Neiguan (PC6)!
Three needles struck simultaneously.
The Soul-Calming Needles from the legendary Ghost Doctor’s Meridian-Severing Technique.
Combined with the sweet fragrance that permeated every inch of the room…
It was like giving Huo Zhixing’s overheated mind an instant physical cooling treatment.
The blood-soaked hallucinations screaming inside his head were forcefully suppressed.
The tension drained from his muscles as though every tendon had been pulled loose.
His body finally relaxed.
“…Mm…”
Huo Zhixing let out a muffled groan.
His eyelids became unbearably heavy, as though filled with molten lead.
Bonus Mini Scene
Commander Huo (looking pitiful): “Wife… how about you strangle me back?”
Su Jiuyue (expressionless): “I’m afraid I’d actually kill you.”
Commander Huo (gazing at her lovingly): “I wouldn’t mind… As long as I die in your arms.”
Su Jiuyue: “…Get lost!”