Сhаpter 326: Firе Моth Раrty 58
“What would уоu do if I died?”
“If уou died, I’d… I’d…”
Zhu Yаn widеnеd hеr dаrk еyes, а flash of light crossing her mind. Hеr liрs pаrted slightlу аs shе stаred dоwn аt Shеn Du in disbеliеf, her hаnd covering hеr mоuth.
Shen Du wаs thin and palе, but his eyеs were ехсерtiоnаlly bright. Hе gаzed bасk аt Zhu Yan withоut blinking, the соrners of his liрs lifting in а faint, gеntle smile.
Zhu Yan lаughed and criеd аt оncе, her trembling hand gеntlу сarеssing Shеn Du’s сhееk bеforе finаlly rеsting on his рale liрs. Feеling thе wаrmth therе, shе suddеnlу crumpled intо tears.
Shen Du’s heart instаntly grew unsettlеd. He rеaсhеd out tо embrace her, but after days of unconsciousness, his limbs were weak. His arm only lifted halfway before falling back down. After several attempts, Shen Du couldn’t help but feel frustrated with himself.
“I’m sorry, I made you cry.”
Zhu Yan shook her head through her tears. Her deer-like eyes were red and swollen from crying, misty with moisture. Her nose was flushed, and she sniffled between sobs.
“Don’t cry anymore. If you keep crying, my heart will grow restless again.”
Zhu Yan shook her head once more, lifting Shen Du’s hand and using his sleeve to wipe her tears. “You’re the one who made me cry, so I’ll use your sleeve to dry them.”
Shen Du couldn’t help but laugh. It was rare to see Zhu Yan acting so childlike, and knowing it was because of him only deepened his affection for her. He took a deep breath, feeling that his chest no longer felt as tight and congested as before, and remarked with surprise:
“Has the poison been cured?”
He was quite astonished.
Zhu Yan nodded and briefly recounted what had happened. Shen Du felt a mix of emotions upon realizing—Pan Chi had actually gone to such lengths for Zhu Yan.
Sounds came from outside as Pan Chi and Su Guang entered together. Shen Du listened intently for a moment, and Zhu Yan understood. She stood up to help him over.
By now, Su Guang was already pulling Pan Chi toward the door, nearly out.
“Wait.”
Pan Chi hurriedly grabbed Su Guang, refusing to leave. This angered Su Guang, who said something to him furiously before finally, in a fit of rage, throwing the tightly wrapped medicine packet in her hand at Pan Chi.
“Are you trying to poison me!” Pan Chi shouted, dodging the packet and urgently calling out to Shen Du for help. “Shen, I only offended this woman because I was looking for the antidote for you. Hurry up and find a way to save me.”
Shen Du glanced at him. “Did I ask you to offend her?”
Pan Chi: …
Pan Chi looked at Zhu Yan. “Yan’er…” He sounded deeply wronged, still jumping around to avoid Su Guang’s attempts to catch him.
Zhu Yan paid no attention, her focus entirely on Shen Du. “Are you hungry? I’ll make you some plain congee and light dishes.”
After a serious illness, it was best not to indulge in heavy food.
“Alright.”
Shen Du’s intention to speak with the Holy Maiden was interrupted by the chaos. He sat at the table and said, “The food can wait. Stay and sit with me for a while first.”
Zhu Yan naturally agreed. The exhaustion of the past days was forgotten as she thought only of how to help Shen Du recover his health.
Noticing Shen Du staring at the teapot, Zhu Yan picked it up first to test the temperature. Finding it still warm, she poured a cup and handed it to him.
Shen Du drank it in one gulp, still unsatisfied, his eyes filled with longing.
Zhu Yan shook her head. “You’ve been unconscious for days. It’s not good to drink too much tea.”
Shen Du obediently settled down and didn’t ask for more water.
“Give me your hand.”
He obediently extended his hand, and Zhu Yan placed it on the table to check his pulse. A look of joy spread across her calm face. “Your pulse is steady. It seems the poison has been cured.”
“With proper care, you’ll recover fully.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a sting in her nose. A tear slid from the corner of her eye and fell onto the back of Shen Du’s hand, cool and clear, dripping straight into his heart.
Shen Du hurriedly reached out to wipe her tears, his throat tight with emotion.“How come you’re still crying when I’m fine? The dignified Sixth Lady of the Zhu family has turned into a crybaby.”
Zhu Yan pouted, swatted Shen Du’s hand away, and lifted her sleeve to wipe her tears on her own. She felt a bit embarrassed by her own outburst, but unexpectedly, Shen Du grasped her hand firmly:
“Don’t wipe them. The more you wipe, the more swollen they’ll get.”
With that, he leaned in and pressed his lips to the corner of Zhu Yan’s eye, gently kissing away her tears.
Zhu Yan’s breath grew unsteady, her face flushed crimson, and she hurriedly pushed Shen Du away. But Shen Du, in his current state, couldn’t withstand her full-force push. Caught off guard, he fell backward. Zhu Yan quickly reached out to grab him, only to tumble down with him, her head resting on his chest. She could feel that the once firm and muscular chest from just days ago now felt so thin, as if she could trace his ribs.
“I’m so happy,” Zhu Yan said sincerely.
The hardships she had endured these past few days had finally come to a perfect resolution. Looking back, the memories were filled with pain, so much so that Zhu Yan wished she could erase them entirely.
Since arriving in Yingzhou, nothing good had happened to them.
First Pan Chi, then Shen Du—one injury after another had subjected them all to different kinds of physical and mental torment, making their suffering unbearable.
They had come only to investigate the “Half-Faced Ghost” case but had been dragged into a greater storm. Once caught in the whirlpool, they could only sink along with it.
Shen Du was also happy. With his arm wrapped around Zhu Yan, he felt a secret joy of having survived a disaster.
After much thought, Zhu Yan slowly voiced what had been on her mind these past few days: “Let’s return to the capital.”
Staying here any longer would only invite more danger. It was better to leave this perilous place sooner rather than later.
Understanding her thoughts, Shen Du fell silent for a moment.
Now that the Fire Moth Party had been defeated, only Lai Luofu remained, struggling in her death throes. They were just one step away, and he naturally didn’t want to stop here. Even if not for himself, he couldn’t let Mo Qianzhi’s death be in vain.
Moreover, the bow had already been drawn, and the arrow had to be released. They had already clashed head-on with the Fire Moth Party and angered Lai Luozhi. It was too late to stop now.
Once the arrow was loosed, there was no turning back. They had no retreat.
After a long pause, he said, “If we leave now, I’m afraid we won’t make it back to the capital alive.”
Their foreheads pressed together, Shen Du’s gentle breath brushed against Zhu Yan’s face, soothing her anxious heart.
Shen Du kissed the top of her head. “We’ve already declared war on the Lai faction. Only by wiping them out completely can we return to the capital safely.”
“But,” Zhu Yan looked up, her gaze meeting his, only for Shen Du to cup the back of her head and pull her back into his embrace. “If we stay any longer, even more terrible things might happen. I… I’m worried.”
What she was worried about, even if left unsaid, Shen Du knew. He silently cursed himself for dragging Zhu Yan into such a situation and gently stroked her cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
This time, he couldn’t hold her back. Zhu Yan pulled away, leaning over him, her swollen eyes fixed on him as she explained:
“It’s not that I doubt your ability to protect me. I’m worried that, in order to protect me, you’ll end up like this time—unconscious for days, teetering between life and death.”
Zhu Yan shuddered with fear, tears welling up in her eyes once more. Even the toughest of men would soften at such a sight, their hearts melting like spring water flowing eastward.
Only then did Zhu Yan realize their compromising position. She hurriedly stood up, her face flushed, and helped Shen Du to his feet. Shen Du let her brush the dust off his clothes before pulling her back into his embrace, gently patting her back to comfort her:
“It’s alright. I’m tough.”
Those words again."Moreover, with family vengeance unfulfilled and the malignant tumor yet to be removed, I truly cannot rest easy," his voice carried a weight of sorrow. "The only regret is having dragged you into all this because of these matters."
"Why should you feel guilty? I am also a member of the Shen family." She suddenly realized what she had said and buried her face in Shen Du's shoulder.
Shen Du narrowed his eyes, a captivating smile curling at the corners of his lips, filled with deep satisfaction.
The two leaned against each other, finding solace in one another's presence.
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