Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In an instant, a loud explosion echoed as the spinning Chestnut Balls in mid-air burst apart, and countless sharp needles shot toward her like a swarm of fine hairs.
At that moment, Xia Muxin forgot to breathe, her eyes wide open as she stared at the myriad of needles flying toward her, less than a meter away. The needles suddenly converged, forming the shape of a sword that aimed directly at her brow.
Just as she was about to be struck, a Chestnut Ball fell onto the back of her hand. Without time to inhale, she tilted her body, disregarding the numerous Chestnut Balls scattered on the ground. She leaped into the air, eyes tightly shut, with only the chilling sound of the fierce wind roaring in her ears.
She thought that even if she survived this time, her body would be riddled with Chestnut Balls. However, just as she was about to land, a long arm reached out to her, filled with the familiar scent of mint. Xia Muxin suddenly opened her eyes and found Shen Muhan's deep Cold Eyes locking onto hers.
Xia Muxin felt her heart racing wildly, whether from narrowly escaping death or from the fury reflected in Shen Muhan's Cold Eyes.
Shen Muhan wrapped his long arm around Xia Muxin and spun her in mid-air for several circles. In her peripheral vision, Xia Muxin seemed to see the previously formed sword of needles scattering in all directions, surrounded by a powerful inner force.
With a flick of his sleeve, as his toes touched the ground, those needles turned mid-air and flew straight toward the man beneath the tree.
Xia Muxin watched in astonishment; she knew Shen Muhan was skilled in martial arts and very proficient at it, but she had no idea his abilities were so extraordinary.
The man remained motionless, arms extended with palms facing upward. In an instant, dark energy began to gather in his palms; within that darkness flickered faint flames like candlelight. A cold glint passed through Shen Muhan's eyes as he executed a graceful move in mid-air. Xia Muxin was dazzled, feeling as if his hand had multiplied into countless others, resembling Thousand-Handed Avalokiteshvara dancing before her. Suddenly, a chill enveloped her as numerous icy shards flew toward the man.
The man also waved his palms, sending countless sparks flying toward them.
Fire and ice collided in mid-air, intertwining and becoming indistinguishable. In an instant, a tremendous explosion erupted. Xia Muxin barely had time to comprehend what was happening before everything went dark.
After launching his attack, Shen Muhan removed his outer coat and wrapped it around Xia Muxin completely. She felt engulfed in darkness as her toes lifted off the ground; it felt like she was spinning again in mid-air before finally landing.
At that moment, Shen Muhan quickly donned his coat again and looked down at her bare feet with a furrowed brow.
Xia Muxin closed her eyes and then opened them again. As she adjusted to the bright light, she realized that the man who had been under the Chestnut Tree was no longer there, nor was the Golden Python in sight. Instead, three massive tiger corpses lay on the ground.
"Python Brother..."
As she sighed in relief, she called out into the air.
"Uncle, Golden Python, is it okay?"
After calling out several times without any response from the Golden Python, panic set in. She tightly grasped Shen Muhan's clothing at his chest, her voice trembling as she asked.
Shen Muhan exhaled deeply, seemingly holding back something. He then lifted Xia Muxin into his arms and muttered three words: "It won't die."
Xia Muxin didn't understand why Shen Muhan was so angry. However, as he spoke, her heart felt less tense because she knew he wouldn't lie to her.
*
"Uncle, are you tired? Do you want to put me down?"
The two of them remained silent as Shen Muhan continued to carry Xia Muxin. His gaze was fixed ahead, his steps steady, but in places unseen by her, a trail of bloody footprints wound along behind them.
Xia Muxin leaned tightly against his chest, listening to his steady and powerful breathing. Her heart felt inexplicably calm, yet that calmness was laced with a sharp pain. She didn't even know what caused this pain within her. As time passed, an unexplainable panic began to rise in her heart. To distract herself, she tilted her head back and stared at Shen Muhan's perfect chin for a while before finally speaking.
"I'm not tired!"
Shen Muhan didn't look at her; instead, he paused slightly in his steps and softly uttered two words.
From Xia Muxin's angle, she could only see his throat move slightly.
"Uncle, can we go watch the sunset?"
At this moment, Xia Muxin clung to Shen Muhan's embrace like a little woman, reluctant to let him go. As she gazed at the sun gradually sinking in the west, she asked with a hint of longing.
"I'll take you next time."
Finally, Shen Muhan lowered his head to glance at her, his eyes filled with deep affection. Xia Muxin's heart skipped a beat.
It seemed she was becoming more and more attached to him.
However, since they had met, this was the first time Shen Muhan had directly refused her like this, leaving her feeling somewhat hurt.
Before she knew it, she found herself sitting on a smooth Phosphor Stone, being held by Shen Muhan.
Then, Shen Muhan squatted down beneath her, his large hand grasping her delicate foot that had been scratched by a tiger. In his palm appeared a delicate medicine bottle. Xia Muxin felt a cool sensation at her wound as the Orange Powder covered all her injuries.
Next, Shen Muhan rolled up her pant leg, revealing her Bai Xi knee. He took out a small package from his body and pulled out a Silver Needle, carefully extracting the thorns from her Chestnut Balls.
The black thorns on her knee were dotted like the size of Chestnut Balls, contrasting sharply with her Bai Xi delicate and tender knee.
Xia Muxin watched in a daze as his clean and slender fingers moved back and forth over her knee, observing as the tiny thorns gradually diminished...
His hands were warm and his movements gentle, so light that they brought about a comfortable laziness akin to cotton.
"Does it hurt?"
As only a small number of thorns remained, Shen Muhan finally looked up at her and softly asked in a voice as gentle as a spring breeze.
Xia Muxin stared at him with wide, watery eyes, watching him for a long while before shaking her head.
His face seemed a shade paler than usual.
Shen Muhan raised his hand and gently brushed her nose, a faint smile gracing his lips before he continued to focus on his task.
Suddenly, a strange sound caught Xia Muxin's attention. She lifted her gaze slightly towards the source of the noise and saw a plump gray rabbit hopping past Shen Muhan. She instinctively wanted to leap forward, but in her peripheral vision, she noticed spots of blood.
Her eyes followed the trail of blood, and an inexplicable ache filled her heart.
At the same time, Xia Muxin felt a tightness in her chest as she jumped barefoot off the Phosphor Stone. Shen Muhan reached out to catch her but missed. Xia Muxin dashed behind him and lifted the hem of his shirt, only to find his back stained red with blood.
Her eyes turned red as she reached out again, trying to lift his inner garment, but her hand was caught by a slightly cold grip.
Xia Muxin looked up at him and noticed that his complexion had grown even paler, his breathing somewhat rapid, yet his gaze still held deep affection.
His hand had just been warm...
Tears began to fall in quick succession as she panicked and said, "Uncle..."
Her heart felt as if it were being tightly squeezed, aching painfully; she had never felt so frightened and helpless before.
The fear within her made her tremble all over, leaving her feeling drained and icy cold.
Shen Muhan pulled her into his embrace, pressing her head down gently as he whispered in her ear:
"Be good and go back with Ming Yi. The uncle will be back soon."
Xia Muxin didn't have time to say anything before she felt herself lifted into the air. The refreshing mint scent vanished, and in front of her stood a tense-faced Ming Yi.
"Ming Yi, where's the uncle? Where did he go? He’s hurt, I need to find him."
Xia Muxin glanced around but didn't see Shen Muhan. Panic set in as she grasped Ming Yi's arms tightly, shouting in desperation.
Tears streamed down her face like pearls spilling from a broken string.
"Miss Muxin, the master will be fine. He just went to handle some matters and will return shortly."
It was the first time Ming Yi had seen Xia Muxin in tears, and he felt at a loss. Thinking of how the master risked his own safety to protect her, he closed his eyes and spoke soothingly.
Upon hearing this, Xia Muxin cried even harder. She had never felt so anxious and helpless before. Ming Yi tried several times to persuade her to go back, but she stood there like a statue, her watery eyes unfocused as she stared intently at a certain spot.
With no other choice, Ming Yi pressed on her acupoint to calm her down, then carried her into the carriage before driving away...
*
In a dry and ventilated cave, Shen Muhan sat cross-legged with his palms facing up on his knees. In front of him knelt a figure in black, seemingly reporting something. After finishing the report, the figure vanished like a ghost into the cave.
Shen Muhan slowly opened his deep-set eyes and glanced at the Golden Python lying on the ground, panting heavily. A flicker of complexity crossed his gaze.
The Golden Python was severely injured; most of its golden scales had fallen off, revealing its crimson flesh beneath. At that moment, it lay there motionless with half-closed eyes.
Suddenly, there was a noise from inside the cave. As the sound faded away, a stone door broke open, and a shadow emerged. The figure in black held a tray containing a vial of potion and a small sharp knife.
"Master, the only way to counter the poison of Ming Lie in your body is with the gallbladder of the Golden Python. For your safety, please give the order."
The man in black knelt down with a thud, holding a tray, casting a sorrowful glance at the unmoving Golden Python before turning his head away and speaking in a deep voice.
At this moment, two swirling masses of heat, one black and one white, converged at the center of Shen Muhan's brow, resembling clouds of alternating colors. His brow twitched slightly, his gaze darkening as he remained silent for a long time, not issuing any command.
The man in black grew anxious and pleaded again, "Master, please give the order."
The back of the Golden Python twitched in pain, finally shifting its gaze towards Shen Muhan. Its eyes were cold and clear, seemingly saying: Master, use my gallbladder.
Perhaps it had known all along that it was merely waiting for the day someone would take its gallbladder to make medicine for the lady. Trained by Ming Yi and his companions, it had played and fought alongside them but never forgot its true mission.
After all, its life as a snake was given by its master; otherwise, it would have been chopped into minced meat long ago to serve as a dish.
It wasn't that it didn't understand gratitude; rather, there was a hint of suffering in its eyes that humans could not perceive.
In truth, it was nearly three hundred years old. Though just a beast, sometimes a beast's thoughts could be more profound than those of ordinary people.
At this moment, it longed for Xia Muxin to lean against it and chatter away about how she dealt with those landlords and her stepmother, how she cooked dishes that made mouths water, how she built it a cozy little nest, how she met its master, and how much she enjoyed being with it...
Perhaps whether master or this lowly snake, encountering Xia Muxin was the greatest fate of their lives—a blessing even.
Seeing its master willing to risk his life for her and endure torment just to keep her unharmed solidified its resolve. Even if its master wanted to chop it into pieces, it would harbor no resentment.
Shen Muhan remained silent for a long time, while his kneeling subordinate grew increasingly anxious.
Suddenly, Shen Muhan furrowed his brows tightly, clutching his chest in pain and curling up into a ball.
With a cough...
As his body slightly arched, a mouthful of black blood was spat out.
"Master..."
The man in black, upon seeing this, could no longer care about anything else. He sprang forward to Shen Muhan's side and placed his hand on his back, slowly channeling his energy.
His exquisite features were filled with intense worry; upon closer inspection, one could discern that he was an absolute beauty.
After channeling his energy, the man in black helped Shen Muhan lean against the stone wall behind him, bowing respectfully yet distantly, his gaze fixed directly on the tray on the ground.
He then walked over to the tray, picked up the tools on it, and heavily made his way toward Golden Python.
- End of Chapter -
Comment 0 Comment Count