Memories of blood surged forth once more. Her hands trembled uncontrollably. It was as if she could hear the mournful wind from that day again. She could almost viscerally feel the icy sting of a blade slicing across her back.
Bai Shuang’s eyelashes fluttered as she lifted her gaze, following the line of the pristine white robes upward.
The man smiled like a spring breeze, his face exquisitely handsome. His thin lips were curved in a slight, seemingly compassionate smile. But his eyes, which should have been his most striking feature, were closed, their long lashes casting soft shadows on his cheeks.
Even though he had grown up, and even though she hadn’t clearly seen his face before, at that moment, she was certain it was him.
No one else in the world could blend gentleness and cruelty so perfectly.
Ignoring the curious stares around them, Bai Shuang gritted her teeth and drew a dagger from her sleeve. She knew in her heart that this madman wouldn’t care if there was an audience; anyone who displeased him would be eliminated.
She couldn’t back down any longer. Suppressing her instinctual tremors, she thrust the dagger toward his eyes without a moment’s hesitation. At this distance, no one could possibly dodge.
The sharp blade sliced through flesh, sending drops of blood falling like petals. The tip of the dagger stopped right before his eye, a hair’s breadth from piercing it.
She had failed.
Bai Shuang let go of the dagger as if all her strength had left her. She stared blankly, clutching the wound on her knee.
“Are you insane? If you could dodge, why didn’t you?!”
A young woman’s voice, both loud with anger and trembling with pain, snapped Bai Shuang out of her dazed state.
Her focus returned, landing on Li Ruoshui’s blood-soaked hand, and then on the gentle, smiling lips of Lu Zhiyao.
Someone actually stepped in to take a blade for this madman.
“I’m talking to you! Why didn’t you dodge?”
Li Ruoshui threw the dagger aside, her tone noticeably worsening. The more she thought about it, the more she suspected he had done it on purpose.
Bai Shuang had been close to him, but he definitely could’ve dodged her attack. After all, she had seen with her own eyes how he had caught Lu Feiyue’s saber between two fingers.
“…What are you laughing at?”
Li Ruoshui looked at his smile and felt a chill run down her spine, making her instinctively take a step back.
“I’m laughing because you won the match,” Lu Zhiyao replied.
After saying this, he picked up the dagger from the ground, his expression soft as he “looked” in Bai Shuang’s direction. The dagger twirled once around his fingertip, staining his pale skin a brilliant red.
“You ruined my mood, for which the price should be your life. But now, your merits have canceled out your faults. I will only take one of your arms.”
Memories flooded Bai Shuang’s mind. She wanted to flee, but her legs refused to obey, leaving her frozen in place.
Li Ruoshui watched Bai Shuang trembling like a leaf, her lips pale. She raised her hand to stop Lu Zhiyao.
“Wait. Come with me to get bandaged. I’m going to bleed out at this rate.”
Hearing this, Lu Zhiyao understood her intention perfectly. He gave a helpless smile and withdrew his hand.
Bai Shuang glanced at the two of them, then, enduring the pain in her knee, swiftly turned and fled.
Li Ruoshui had defeated Bai Shuang and advanced to the final four. The four remaining contestants would draw lots and fight two more rounds to decide the winner. However, due to Li Ruoshui’s unexpected injury, the competition was temporarily paused.
The Zheng family had booked a tavern and hired a physician on the first floor for emergencies. This was where Li Ruoshui went to have her wound treated.
“You didn’t calculate that I would step in to help you, did you?”
The more Li Ruoshui thought about it, the more something felt off. She didn’t beat around the bush and asked him directly.
“I can’t see,” Lu Zhiyao said, pointing to his own eyes. “How could I dodge if I can’t see?”
“You’re lying through your teeth.”
If he was blind, how had he managed to help her block so many of Bai Shuang’s moves?
Lu Zhiyao let out a soft laugh, holding her hand, visibly in a good mood. “Whether my eyes are open or closed, everything I say is a lie.” [1]
Li Ruoshui: “…”
Having spent so much time trying to scheme against him, she now found herself, rather unexpectedly, on the receiving end of it. Li Ruoshui didn’t reply. She turned to the physician instead.
“Doctor, could you take a look at his eyes while you’re at it?”
The white-bearded physician glanced at him and continued packing his things. “If it’s a condition from birth, I can’t treat that.”
Li Ruoshui’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know?”
“I’ve been a physician for more than a decade. I can tell.” The doctor took a bandage and medicinal wine from his assistant and began cleaning the blood from her hand. This chapter is updated first at NovelPing.
Just as Li Ruoshui was marveling at this, the cool grip on her wrist tightened slightly, turning her admiration into trepidation.
Lu Zhiyao lightly tapped the table with his other hand, his tone melodious. “And how did you know?”
Li Ruoshui’s eyes darted away, and she instinctively straightened her back. “I’ve lived for over a decade. I can tell.”
The physician was dumbfounded: “…”
Once the blood was cleaned out of the wound, the physician began disinfecting the wound with a cloth soaked in medicinal wine. “This will hurt. Bear with it.”
The yellowish-brown liquid swept over the edges of the wound, bringing a fiery, stinging pain that brought tears to Li Ruoshui’s eyes.
“Young lady, stop shaking. The more you shake, the more it hurts.”
Li Ruoshui held back her tears, her voice trembling. “It’s not that I want to shake. I can’t control it.”
Hearing this, Lu Zhiyao immediately used both hands to steady her right arm, preventing her from making any more involuntary movements.
Li Ruoshui’s wound was deep, and disinfecting it took some time. As the medicinal wine was applied to the cuts on her palm and fingers, the pain caused the muscles in her hand to twitch uncontrollably. She habitually clenched her jaw and endured it in silence.
Lu Zhiyao seemed to think of something. He leaned slightly forward, offering his shoulder to her mouth, his tone gentle. “Why don’t you bite me instead?”
Her jaw was already sore from clenching. Now that the culprit’s shoulder was right here, it would be a waste not to bite it.
She didn’t hold back at all, opening her mouth and sinking her teeth in.
This bite wasn’t just to alleviate the pain; it was also fueled by other, more complicated emotions.
Thinking of everything that had happened recently, Li Ruoshui bit down even harder, as if trying to release all the pent-up frustration of the past few days in this one act.
Unfortunately for her and fortunately for him, the pain in his shoulder wasn’t pain—it was pleasure.
The corners of Lu Zhiyao’s eyes curved, his smile growing even more radiant. He spoke words of encouragement. “A little harder.”
Flesh and blood were clamped between her teeth, pressed hard to elicit pain. He savored the sensation, feeling the pleasure welling up from the depths of his heart.
If a mere bite could bring such joy, would being killed by Li Ruoshui one day be what people called bliss?
However, before he could fully enjoy the sensation, Li Ruoshui’s wound was cleaned. The physician was now applying a cool ointment.
Li Ruoshui lifted her head and let out a long sigh. “That was satisfying!”
Whether particularly referring to her wound or her state of mind, the only word that could capture how she felt was ‘satisfying’.
“Doctor, could you apply a little more of that ointment?”
“My ointment is expensive,” the doctor said, giving Lu Zhiyao a strange look before continuing to apply the medicine. “You’re here for the marriage contest, right? Have you thought it through?”
Li Ruoshui nodded absently, blowing on her wound lightly. “I’ve thought it through.”
What was there even to consider? Once she got the Fire Blaze Grass and the evidence for Lu Feiyue, she would leave.
Li Ruoshui’s eyes were clear and seemed sincere. Lu Zhiyao also wore a smile and seemed to be completely unbothered.
“This old man is truly getting old. I don’t understand you young people.” The physician shook his head and took two green ceramic bottles from his basket. “Change the dressing three times a day for three consecutive days. That should do it.”
Li Ruoshui pulled her hand back, instinctively covering her meager purse containing twenty taels of silver. “Doctor, I don’t have any money.”
“No charge.” The physician packed the two bottles and handed them to her. “The Zheng family is covering it.”
Looking at her bandaged right hand, Li Ruoshui took the medicine bottles and walked back to the competition stage with Lu Zhiyao.
Halfway there, Lu Zhiyao suddenly spoke. “Why did you stop me from taking her arm earlier? Don’t you want revenge?”
???
This man’s train of thought was impossible to follow.
“What grudge do I have against her?”
Lu Zhiyao stopped walking, his brow slightly raised. “She injured you.”
Li Ruoshui looked at him and mimicked his raised brow. “By that logic, you could dodge but didn’t, counting on me to help you. Can I consider that you indirectly caused me harm?” Read the latest chapters at novelping dot com.
Lu Zhiyao was stunned for a moment, then broke into a brilliant, flower-like smile. “That’s an interesting perspective. Then, by all means, take it.”
Looking at the arm he offered her, Li Ruoshui swatted it away dismissively, somewhat exasperated. “Don’t joke around. I’m not some kind of pervert.”
Lu Zhiyao withdrew his hand, rubbing the bloodstain on his sleeve, his expression gentle, his words almost a whisper. “This is no joke.”
Li Ruoshui didn’t quite catch what he said and poked his shoulder. “Did I break the skin here?”
Lu Zhiyao paused for a moment, then shook his head. “No.”
“That’s good.”
Li Ruoshui murmured this, then took his sleeve and led him forward. “You lost your cane, so stick close to me. This tavern is full of tables and chairs. If you bump into one and hit your funny bone, the pain will bring tears to your eyes.”
When the two returned to the stage, the other women who had come to compete were sitting to the side, giving her congratulatory gestures. The heads of the Zheng family were sitting below the stage, looking as if they had been waiting for a while.
A Zheng family servant approached, holding paper and a brush. “Young miss, may I ask what your date of birth is?”
Li Ruoshui looked at the others in confusion. “What is this?”
Madam Zheng, who had remained silent until now, spoke up, her stern expression finally softening a little. “Miss Li, we would like to formally invite you to join our family. What do you think?”
The way Madam Zheng said it sounded less like she had found a good wife for her son and more like she had hired a reliable bodyguard.
This was all too sudden.
“What about the others?” Li Ruoshui pointed to the other female contestants.
“The original plan was for the winner to marry into our family. But now, we are the ones breaking the agreement. We’ve already compensated them. We’re just waiting for your agreement, young lady.”
Li Ruoshui looked at the people around her, then at Lu Zhiyao, hesitantly nodded. “I agree.”
She truly couldn’t figure out what the Zheng family saw in her.
The young lady of the Zheng family, dressed in a blue gauze dress, stepped forward. She looked Li Ruoshui up and down, then glanced at Lu Zhiyao standing beside her. “Joining our Zheng family means you cannot have any lingering romantic attachments. Miss Li, what is your relationship with the gentleman beside you?”
“Friends,” Li Ruoshui answered without hesitation.
The young lady in blue nodded, gave Lu Zhiyao another look, raised her brow slightly, and stood behind Madam Zheng with a haughty air.
Madam Zheng stepped forward and took Li Ruoshui’s hand, her expression carrying a hint of caution. “Young lady, are you… afraid of ghosts?”
“Ah?” Li Ruoshui was taken aback by the sudden hand-holding, but then understood her meaning and shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
She knew the strange occurrences at the Zheng residence were man-made; there were no actual ghosts or monsters involved.
Hearing this, Lu Zhiyao let out a soft laugh, clearly not believing her.
However, Madam Zheng did.
“Young lady, your birthday isn’t the fifteenth of June, is it?”
Li Ruoshui had no idea what the original “Li Ruoshui’s” birthday was. But regardless, the answer now had to be no. “It is not.”
Tears welled up in Madam Zheng’s eyes. She patted Li Ruoshui’s hand. “Good child. In three days, we will come to escort you through our doors.”
This was probably the most rash engagement ever. The onlookers were bewildered, and Li Ruoshui was doubly so.
The Zheng family hadn’t even done a background check on her. There was no betrothal letter, no consent from family members. The clear feeling of how desperate they were to “grasp at any straw” was almost stifling.
But whether it was a trap or not, agreeing was more beneficial than harmful for Li Ruoshui.
This time, it wasn’t just about getting the antidote and finding evidence. Li Ruoshui had another goal.
In the original story, this substitute marriage served as a catalyst for the relationship between Lu Feiyue and Jiang Nian. Naturally, it could also serve as a catalyst for her relationship with Lu Zhiyao.
Li Ruoshui understood clearly that Lu Zhiyao treated her noticeably differently from others, but he didn’t seem to have realized it himself.
Whatever the reason for this difference, she had to use this opportunity to make him aware of it.
If he showed even a hint of jealousy or anything else, she could ramp up her efforts to draw out more of it.
[1] Now this is a reference/pun of the line before, ‘lying through your teeth’. The direct translation of the phrase would’ve been ‘speaking lies with open eyes’ but we don’t say that in english, thus I switched to this.
TLN: At this point in the story, Lu Zhiyao still feels and acts like a child to Li Ruoshui. A very dangerous, very handsome one nonetheless. I wonder what will upgrade his image in her eyes…
[1] [1]Now this is a reference/pun of the line before, ‘lying through your teeth’. The direct translation of the phrase would’ve been ‘speaking lies with open eyes’ but we don’t say that in english, thus I switched to this.