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墨書 Inktalez
With two cries of pain echoing in unison, amidst the torrential rain, two figures fell to the ground.
Ming Yi had been delayed by official duties, and by the time he arrived with his companions, it was already dawn. Half an hour had passed since Xia Muxin sent out the signal. The entire village was shrouded in darkness, and the chilly wind mixed with the rain made the ground a muddy mess. With each step, one could barely see their feet, and the sound of water splashing echoed with every movement.
When they finally found three people in the mud, they were taken aback, unsure of what to do. Their minds buzzed with confusion, rendering them incapable of coherent thought...
The sunset was just right, casting a warm glow through the window bars into the tranquil room, adding a touch of color that was almost enchanting.
In a daze, Xia Muxin slowly opened her eyes. The familiar window bars came into view, bathed in soft light that highlighted her pale face. Suddenly recalling her last struggle with Qingyue, she jolted upright.
“Muxin, what are you doing?”
Yan Zhouwan, who had just entered with medicine, was startled by the sight. Her heart raced as she rushed forward to stop Xia Muxin from getting out of bed.
It was then that Xia Muxin realized she was truly at home, in Yan Zhouwan's room. She must have been too injured to be taken back to her own room.
“Where is he...?”
As she looked around and found no sign of Shen Muhan, not even outside the window where Ming Yi and the others should be, her heart tightened. With tears welling in her eyes, she asked softly.
“He's lying in the next room; he's fine.”
Yan Zhouwan scooped some medicine into a spoon, blew on it gently, and brought it to Xia Muxin's lips. However, she refused to drink it and instead scrutinized Yan Zhouwan with a piercing gaze. Startled by her intensity, Yan Zhouwan paused before speaking soothingly like one would to a child:
“Drink this medicine first; I’ll take you to see him afterward. He should be waking up soon.”
Upon hearing this, Xia Muxin finally complied and drank the medicine obediently.
True to her word, once Xia Muxin finished her medicine, Yan Zhouwan led her to the next room to see Shen Muhan.
When she arrived, Shen Muhan was sitting against the headboard, drinking medicine. After swallowing a bowl of bitter concoction, he furrowed his brows for a moment before relaxing them. Upon seeing Xia Muxin's pale and haggard face, a flicker of confusion crossed his eyes, but it quickly vanished, leaving no trace behind, as if she were just a passerby to him.
In the room, besides Ming Yi and others, there were also several older men dressed in matching deep brown robes, all sporting beards. After he finished his medicine, they began to poke and prod him like a test subject, but ultimately shook their heads and sighed.
Xia Muxin was on the verge of screaming in shock, but Yan Zhouwan tightly grasped her hand. As her emotions surged, Yan Zhouwan's fingers pressed harder against her palm. Suddenly, tears burst forth like a faucet turned on full blast, uncontrollable and overwhelming.
At the same time, she noticed that besides these people, there was an old man and a young one—who else could they be but the Retired Emperor and Tian Ming Rui?
Boldly speculating in her heart, she realized that when the imperial physician reported to the two that Shen Muhan was no different from an ordinary person, he finally lost his breath and fainted. Instantly, everyone scrambled to take Xia Muxin back to Yan Zhouwan's room.
Xia Muxin had no idea when the palace people arrived or when they left; she had fainted for a full two days. The Imperial Physicians had no energy left to assess her condition either. When she finally opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was Shen Muhan's enlarged face and heard his voice filled with anger.
"Fool, were you scared?"
Shen Muhan seemed to be recovering well; his face was slightly pale but still looked at Xia Muxin with tenderness. Knowing the circumstances now, Xia Muxin could no longer be angry with him. She simply gazed at him quietly for a long while before shaking her head with red eyes.
Shen Muhan leaned down and gently kissed her forehead before picking her up and carrying her upstairs into their room. He removed her shoes and socks and held her close.
Meanwhile, Shen Muhan was seething with frustration, unsure how to vent this pent-up anger inside him.
He had gone so far for Xia Muxin that he was diagnosed by the physicians as having lost all foundation—meaning he would never be able to serve in the court again. All hopes from his mother were dashed; he had easily escaped it all and could now live as an ordinary person—a successful merchant at that.
However, thinking about his own helplessness made him feel irritated. Wasn't it just for a woman? Did he really think she was everything to him?
Yan Zhouwan felt genuinely happy for Xia Muxin; in this lifetime, there was a man willing to give up his bright future just because she was his woman.
She vaguely remembered Shen Muhan's last words to them: "After experiencing so much, my life is now filled with memories of Muxin. In this peaceful era, the court needs me as a burden; without me, it would be tranquil. Therefore, I want to shed this high hat on my head and live as an ordinary person—Xia Muxin's husband and one day the father of our children."
In just seven days, he proved himself to be nothing more than an ordinary man who had lost everything. At that moment, she even sensed the Retired Emperor's barely audible sigh of relief.
Being with a ruler is like being with a tiger; at that moment, she suddenly understood deeply.
His decision was a good one, at least in her eyes.
From now on, he would do what he loved and love whom he wanted. One must wonder, how many men in this world could achieve that?
She was genuinely happy for Xia Muxin.
While feeling grateful, she continued to stir the flour that had just been mixed with boiling water, watching the large Wooden Basin turn a thick white, inexplicably filled with a sense of accomplishment.
Her bread-making skills were getting better and better, so much so that everyone praised her. No matter how much she made each day, it would be sold out completely. At this rate, Xia Muxin would probably have to open a business just to hold all the money.
One was busy with her own tasks while the other approached slowly, filled with anger. During this time, Shen Muhan didn’t even look where he was going; his steps were heavy and quick, each one radiating intense frustration. Yan Zhouwan was lost in her own thoughts until she collided with Shen Muhan and fell toward the scalding Wooden Basin, letting out a sharp scream.
“Ah... Shen Muqing, you jerk.”
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Shen Muqing quickly wrapped his arms around her waist. Her long hair had already plunged into the mixture, and she was drenched in cold sweat from fear. She thought that at the very least she would lose her skin this time. But just as disaster loomed, a strong arm pulled her away from danger. However, her hair fell into the thick white batter, covering Shen Muqing's arm. His brow furrowed deeply as veins popped on his forehead; he gasped slightly but did not push Yan Zhouwan away.
He knew that if he pushed her away now, those scalding strands of hair would stick to her back, and with her delicate skin, it would surely tear off a piece.
At that moment, even he didn’t understand why he was acting this way.
Meanwhile, after recovering from her shock, Yan Zhouwan noticed Shen Muqing’s gasping behind her and turned to see what was wrong but was pressed down by Shen Muhan’s hand.
“Don’t turn around.”
His calloused palm rested on the delicate nape of her neck, warmth radiating from his hand. Yan Zhouwan froze for a moment, not daring to breathe.
Since they met, aside from that one unexpected night, they had been practically strangers. Today’s close contact made her heart race and her cheeks flush.
Cursing herself silently a few times, she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths until she sensed something unusual behind her and finally became aware of it.
"Are you... okay?"
The words came out awkwardly, but there was a hint of tension underlying them.
Shen Muqing picked up a bamboo strip from beside him and used it to lift the thick, white strands of hair that were stuck to his arm. Hot droplets of water fell directly onto Yan Zhouwan's ankle, the heat startling her.
"Don't turn around yet, just walk with my steps."
Shen Muqing's brows were tightly knitted, and his tone carried a hint of impatience, though his gaze was fixed on a nearby basin of clear water. After speaking, he began to walk.
His pace did not slow because Yan Zhouwan was a woman; instead, he walked even faster. With her back to him, she could only move backward in response to his pull, making her steps somewhat slow. The tugging of her hair caused her scalp to tingle painfully.
However, she did not show any obvious signs of discomfort.
With a splash, Shen Muqing plunged his arm and Yan Zhouwan's hair into the basin. The cold, smooth sensation alleviated some of the burning pain in his arm, and the tension in his brows gradually eased.
Without a doubt, his arm had lost flesh at the elbow. When Yan Zhouwan turned to look at the bloody mess that was once his arm, she gasped in shock.
In a moment of panic, she leaned down to grasp his bleeding arm, her lips trembling. For a long time, all that could be heard was her low sobbing.
- End of Chapter -
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