Chapter 23
Shang Rongyue was already exhausted to the extreme. First, she had been frightened. Then she had been tormented until the middle of the night. When she could finally rest, Shen Sanniang insisted on going out, leaving her alone in the room.
Although the inner room was brightly lit, Shang Rongyue kept feeling as though there was a dark figure outside the window, as if that person with evil intentions might rush in at any moment.
She was extremely tense and did not dare close her eyes at all. That feeling of being powerless to save herself—she was truly afraid of it now. She did not even dare think about what would have happened if Shen Sanniang had arrived one step later.
As for her and Shen Sanniang…
Although Shang Rongyue was not a casual person, she also did not have the original owner’s mindset of being willing to sacrifice her life for chastity.
In her heart, nothing was more important than staying alive. Only by surviving was there hope.
And ever since she had come into this world inside a book, she only knew a few people. Among them, she had spent the most time with Shen Sanniang.
Although she felt wronged over being drugged, when she thought that the one who helped her was Shen Sanniang, the sorrow in Shang Rongyue’s heart seemed to lessen just a tiny bit.
At least it was better than those people of unknown origin and sinister motives.
Thinking about it from another angle, although Shen Sanniang was a bandit, she had saved her from danger twice and had once risked her life to pull her up at the cliffside.
Besides, this bandit leader’s looks were first-rate. A tall, long-legged, martial-arts-skilled beauty sister could be counted as the only pleasant thing amid thousands of frustrating matters.
Shang Rongyue did not pay attention to the red stain on her palm. She was really too tired. She casually wiped her hand with a cotton handkerchief, then burrowed into the bedding and consciously rolled to the inner side.
Sitting on the bed, she looked at Shen Sanniang, who was still standing outside in a daze, and asked, “Is Sanniang not resting?”
Gu Wan froze for a moment.
She saw the girl lift a corner of the quilt, her fair hand patting the bedding beside her, calling Gu Wan over.
Originally, Gu Wan had only planned to come back for a look, change clothes, and then go directly to the archery range to practice. But today, the wind was strong. It was unsuitable for archery.
Thinking this, Gu Wan removed her outer robe and slipped into the still-warm quilt.
With Shen Sanniang beside her, Shang Rongyue felt much more at ease. Her tense nerves gradually relaxed. Lying beside the other woman and feeling the warmth from her body, she soon fell asleep.
Under the brocade quilt, Gu Wan only felt a cool, soft body press close. When she turned her head, the girl had already leaned against her shoulder and lightly fallen asleep.
She fell asleep rather quickly.
After the drug’s effects faded, the girl’s hands and feet returned to their usual icy coldness. Unconsciously, she moved closer to Gu Wan, rubbing against her leg bit by bit to borrow warmth.
Truly delicate.
Gu Wan thought this, but she still tucked the quilt around the other woman properly and then allowed her to move closer without restraint, drawing warmth from her body.
However, Gu Wan wondered: earlier, just a little red stain on her clothes had frightened Li Yueyue like that. If she knew about Gu Wan’s ways of tormenting people, would she still sleep so peacefully with her head on Gu Wan’s shoulder?
Forget it. Since she was this delicate, Gu Wan would not scare her.
When Shang Rongyue opened her eyes, the space beside her pillow was already empty.
Hearing rustling sounds, Su Zhaoyun knocked on the door from outside. “Miss Li?”
Shang Rongyue quickly got up and answered.
When Su Zhaoyun entered, the first thing she saw was Li Yueyue, who had just woken up. At this moment, her cloud-like hair was loose and fluffy. The sleeping clothes she wore did not fit her. The sleeves were rolled up a section, barely exposing her delicate hands. The trouser legs were directly piled around her ankles. Clearly, these clothes did not belong to her.
This disheveled state was completely different from her usual appearance.
This was Su Zhaoyun’s first time seeing Li Yueyue wearing only sleeping clothes. In their previous meetings, the other party had always been properly dressed, her skirt neat. She had always looked perfect.
Perhaps only under circumstances of extreme trust would she relax like this.
“I came to take Miss’s pulse.”
“Thank you, Miss Su.”
The two sat by the table. Shang Rongyue rolled up her sleeve and handed her wrist to Su Zhaoyun.
And on the exposed fair wrist, there happened to be a finger mark. One could imagine what kind of scene lay beneath the parts covered by fabric.
But Su Zhaoyun did not mention it. She only checked her pulse as usual. After pondering for a moment, she withdrew her hand and took silver needles from the medicine case she carried.
“Miss Li, please bear with it.”
After saying this, the silver needle landed on the web between Shang Rongyue’s thumb and index finger. It pierced the skin and was quickly withdrawn. Then a bead of blood emerged from the needle hole.
It was dark red.
Su Zhaoyun frowned.
Shang Rongyue noticed that her expression was not good and said, “Miss Su, please speak frankly. You must not hide anything from me.”
After hesitating for a while, Su Zhaoyun still told her everything about Spring-Welcoming Sigh.
“That drug is extremely poisonous. It will soon seep into the five organs. Although it will not endanger Miss’s life, it is not easy to clear it completely while ensuring your body is not harmed. The strength of the medicine must be increased little by little and progress gradually. At minimum, it will take several months; at most, half a year before you can fully recover.”
Spring-Welcoming Sigh—Shang Rongyue had heard this name before.
In the later part of the original novel, a supporting character had used this drug to secretly harm the female lead. Fortunately, the male lead arrived in time. The female lead had inhaled only a little, so she was not deeply poisoned. But because of it, she lost her reason and became intimate with the male lead, with no danger to her life.
But when it came to her, someone without a protagonist halo, why had it become this serious? From Su Zhaoyun’s meaning, there was even danger of harming her life?
“Miss Su, please tell me the truth,” Shang Rongyue asked in a low voice. “If I obediently drink the medicine on time, will what happened last night happen again?”
The process had been chaotic and muddled. In Shang Rongyue’s hazy memories, she only remembered fighting Shen Sanniang over the candlestick and her own madness in wanting to burn her skin.
That feeling of insects crawling all over her body until she lost control—she truly did not want to experience it a second time.
Su Zhaoyun wanted to comfort her, but Li Yueyue’s gaze was burning, and in the end, she could not open her mouth. She could only sigh. “I will do everything I can.”
Shang Rongyue already had her answer and thanked her.
At this moment, Lanxi happened to knock on the door and enter. “Miss Su, have you prepared Young Master’s medicine?”
Hearing the words “Young Master,” Shang Rongyue instantly became alert. He was the chief culprit who had caused her to fall into this state. Just mentioning him made Shang Rongyue’s teeth itch with hatred. She wished she could stab a knife directly into his body and make him taste pain too.
But Shen Sanniang had arranged for Lanxi to deliver medicine to him, so perhaps because they were family, she would not stand up for Shang Rongyue.
That was understandable. How could she ask a bandit to abandon her own younger brother and help an unrelated person like Shang Rongyue, who did not even have money?
“Miss Li?” Seeing that Shang Rongyue’s expression was poor, Lanxi called out to her.
Shang Rongyue came back to herself and quickly covered her mouth to cough twice, temporarily hiding the hatred in her eyes.
After Su Zhaoyun handed the item to Lanxi, Lanxi withdrew.
Only Su Zhaoyun and Li Yueyue remained in the room again.
Seeing Li Yueyue lost in thought, Su Zhaoyun vaguely guessed what she was thinking. However, Li Yueyue probably did not know that Gu Wan had already taught Gu Ze a lesson on her behalf. Even when Gu Wan arranged for Su Zhaoyun to treat Gu Ze’s injuries, she had instructed her that the medicine she sent could treat the wounds, but it could not make the injured person comfortable.
It would be best if, while stopping the bleeding, he also suffered greatly.
This was the cruelest Su Zhaoyun had ever seen Gu Wan since knowing her.
In the past, Gu Wan had merely ended someone’s life with a single slash of her blade. But now, Gu Wan did not want Gu Ze’s life.
She was even afraid his injuries would become too severe and endanger his life. She wanted him alive—alive and suffering.
“Miss Li need not worry,” Su Zhaoyun suddenly said without context.
Shang Rongyue thought she was talking about detoxification and smiled faintly at Su Zhaoyun. “Naturally, I trust Miss Su’s medical skills.”
Through their previous interactions, she knew Su Zhaoyun was highly skilled in medicine, and the wound medicines she made took effect especially quickly.
“That’s not what I mean.” Su Zhaoyun lowered her eyes, her gaze sweeping over Shang Rongyue’s cheek. The red slap mark there had faded a lot, but if one looked closely, it could still be distinguished. As for who had made it, that was self-evident.
She took a small porcelain bottle from her medicine chest and gestured toward the side of her face. “This treats external injuries and can also reduce swelling.”
“Thank you.” Shang Rongyue pinched the porcelain bottle in her hand, seemingly in no hurry to use the medicine.
Su Zhaoyun also knew that wounds on the face were the easiest to heal. What was truly difficult to heal was the pain in the heart.
But Gu Wan did not allow her to tell Li Yueyue about Gu Ze’s matter. Presumably, she was afraid of some other concern.
“What I mean is, Miss Li does not need to worry about Young Master coming to bother you again. With the chief here, forget him—even in the entire camp, no one will come trouble you again.”
“?”
Shang Rongyue did not understand what Su Zhaoyun meant.
Could it be that because she had slept with Shen Sanniang, these bandits now regarded her as the boss’s woman and therefore did not dare touch her?
Sleeping with this bandit leader really was not a loss! From a certain angle, didn’t she count as the bandit chief’s wife?
That sounded so impressive! Shen Sanniang’s thigh really was worth hugging!
Seeing Shang Rongyue’s expression ease, Su Zhaoyun thought the other woman had understood her meaning. After giving a few more instructions about taking medicine, she went back to prepare the prescription.
On this side, Shang Rongyue’s clothes had all been moved over from the small Bamboo Courtyard by Ziying. She took off Shen Sanniang’s sleeping clothes and once again tied up her hair, only to realize that she had nothing to do.
“Where is the chief?” Shang Rongyue asked Ziying, who had come to deliver her meal.
“The chief went out at noon.” Ziying relayed Gu Wan’s message word for word to Shang Rongyue. “She will hurry back before dark. Miss Li need not be afraid and need not wait for her to eat.”
Shang Rongyue gave a faint response.
Fortunately, today, they were no longer “feeding rabbits.” Although the flavors were still very light, the minced-meat eggplant at least counted as having meat. This was the happiest meal she had eaten during this period.
After eating her fill, she circled the room twice. In the end, her gaze landed on the bookshelf in Shen Sanniang’s room.
Although Shen Sanniang did not recognize many characters, there were truly quite a few books in this room. Some were even packaged very beautifully, with red covers. A set had several volumes, probably upper and lower installments, all neatly arranged in one row on the bookshelf.
Shang Rongyue casually pulled out one volume. When she clearly saw the image on it, her eyes instantly widened.
Two little figures overlapped and intertwined with each other.
With a bang, the book was closed.
Her originally hazy memories gradually became clear, slowly appearing before her eyes like an unfurled scroll.
Every movement, every tremble.
Especially during the time last night when the rain had been heaviest—it had been exactly like the picture just now. Shen Sanniang had gripped her waist and tormented her softest place.
No wonder!
She had thought that, according to the setting of this world inside a book, Shen Sanniang should not have known how to begin. But last night, it was as though Shen Sanniang’s entire meridian system had opened up, and she had handled it so skillfully. So it turned out she had studied in secret!
This bandit leader looked dignified and proper, but what exactly was she hiding in her room and reading every day when no one was around?
Shang Rongyue quickly inserted the book back into its place, pretending she had never touched it, afraid of being associated with these “books” in the slightest.
Because she used too much force, the bookshelf shook a little. Then, with a bang, a brocade box fell from above, nearly hitting her.
Hearing the sound, Ziying knocked on the door. “Miss Li, did something happen?”
Shang Rongyue quickly pushed the red book farther inside, restoring it to its original appearance. Only then did she let Ziying in.
“I was bored and wanted to find an illustrated storybook to read, but I accidentally knocked something over.”
But when Shang Rongyue lifted her eyes, the person who entered was not Ziying, but Shen Sanniang.
Gu Wan saw Shang Rongyue standing in front of the bookshelf. By her feet, the pearwood brocade box had shattered into pieces, and the item inside had fallen out.
Seeing that Shang Rongyue was not injured, Gu Wan called someone to come clean up the wood fragments.
Shang Rongyue lowered her eyes. Her gaze happened to land in the middle of the wood shards, where a moon-white brocade sachet lay. It still carried a faint fragrance.
This must be the sachet Shen Sanniang had asked her to make last time. The little flowers embroidered on it had pink-white petals. At a glance, it was clearly the handiwork of a young lady.
But no matter how one looked at Shen Sanniang, she did not seem like someone who could make this kind of thing.
Gu Wan saw Shang Rongyue staring at the object in her hand with great interest and did not know what that little head of hers was thinking. But since the two of them already had this kind of relationship now, there was nothing wrong with telling her.
“My younger female cousin gave it to me. If you like it, you can keep it.”
See? As expected, another woman had given it to her. And it had been placed together with those storybooks. Could it be…
“Since it is your cousin’s heartfelt gift, you should wear it with you every day. Why hide it away?” Shang Rongyue presented the item back to Shen Sanniang with both hands while secretly observing the expression on the other woman’s face.
Even Ziying could hear the sourness in her words.
She knew that both the Young General and Miss Li disliked this item, and now that the two were already staying in the same room, naturally this unwelcome object should no longer remain here.
She found another box and put the sachet away. “Last time, when I helped the chief tidy the bookcase, I was in a hurry and left it there. It was Ziying’s mistake.”
Gu Wan casually waved her hand, signaling for Ziying to leave.
Afterward, she held Shang Rongyue’s soft, boneless hand and placed it on her own left arm. Through the sleeve, Shang Rongyue could clearly feel something wrapped around her wrist, with a pearl hanging below it.
Last night, Gu Wan had seen a thin chain above the other girl’s collarbone, threaded with the same kind of pearl and decorating her neck. Only then did she know that the pearl hanging from this five-colored cord had originally been one of a pair.
Who would have thought that such a little intention had been hidden so early?
Her breath fell beside Shang Rongyue’s ear. Gu Wan imitated last night’s tone and asked in a low voice, “I wonder if Yueyue is satisfied?”
Hearing the word “Yueyue,” the scenes from the rain once again appeared before her eyes.
The originally fair hibiscus-like face instantly flushed bright red.
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