Сhарtеr 16 (10/16)
Time раssеd swiftlу, уet Gong Ziyu реrsisted in his seаrch for аn аntidоtе fоrmulа.
His cоughing grew more severe; whеn hе cоverеd his mоuth with а hаndkerсhiеf, hе wоuld sрit out flеcks of bloоd. Fоllowing thе principlе of "treаting the symрtоms," hе fliрреd thrоugh books, sеаrching fоr rеmеdies tо addrеss "hеmoptуsis"...
During thе daу, inside the Arсhive Paviliоn, Gоng Ziуu pоred over tехts withоut rest, thе flооr strеwn with sоrtеd boоks аnd scrоlls; at night, thе full moon сast its shimmеring rеflеctiоn uроn thе water, ripрling like fish scales. Inside thе stone cаve, Gong Ziуu laу оn his bed, his fоrehead beaded with fine, dense sweat. The excruciating pain in his internal organs made him curl up on the bed, trembling uncontrollably.
Beside the bed stood a basin of water. Yun Weishan, coughing softly, carefully replaced the cloth on Gong Ziyu’s forehead. She reached out to touch his brow—it was scalding hot, his face flushed crimson, undoubtedly suffering the torment of the poison.
Young Master Yue entered and saw Gong Ziyu holding Yun Weishan, the two of them nestled together in sleep. In the corner lay handkerchiefs stained with blood from their coughing. Seeing that the delivered meals remained nearly untouched, Young Master Yue sighed quietly. He walked softly to the bookshelf, took out a few books, and gently placed them on the desk before turning to leave.
The full moon in the night sky had waned slightly, and Gong Ziyu’s left leg seemed to show signs of numbness. He could only sit in a chair, lightly tapping his leg. On the open book beside him were words like "paralytic properties," with occasional herbs tucked between the pages.
Gong Ziyu murmured to himself, "Numbness in the legs and feet..."
Yun Weishan covered her mouth with her hand, coughing softly, then walked over and sat beside Gong Ziyu. She picked up a bowl of porridge and fed him a spoonful.
The moon set, the sun rose. Inside the Archive Pavilion, a wide table held one medicinal bowl after another, each pressed beneath various prescription notes. The prescriptions were marked with circles and crosses... Now, he had prepared another antidote for himself. Dragging one leg, he limped toward the desk, picked up the last bowl on the table, and without hesitation, raised it to his lips and drank. Then he pulled up his sleeve, only to feel a wave of disappointment—clearly visible black lines had nearly reached the crook of his elbow.
Time passed indeterminately, and the sky darkened once more. Exhausted, Gong Ziyu slumped over the desk and fell asleep. Yun Weishan sat beside him, watching him with a mix of calm and agitation, her thoughts in turmoil.
First, she recalled what Shangguan Qian had said to her.
"Gong Ziyu is a soft-hearted, sentimental man, and as the Blade Master who leads the entire House of Gong, if you were just an ordinary woman, marrying him would be such a blissful match, don’t you think?"
Yun Weishan asked, "What should I say? Or rather, what do you want to hear?"
"I want to hear your true feelings. A young, handsome man of high status, offering you a passionate heart, caring for you attentively and with great effort—would you be moved by that?"
Meeting Shangguan Qian’s probing gaze, she replied, "Wufeng only trains us in how to act, never in how to feel."
Shangguan Qian said meaningfully, "Feeling doesn’t need to be taught, and it cannot be taught."
"Then the answer is no," Yun Weishan stated firmly.
"Hmm, that’s for the best. If a spy falls in love with her target, the outcome can be truly tragic. I remember Wufeng once had a foolishly devoted assassin—one could almost describe it as 'dying a miserable death'..."Shangguan Qian emphasized the words "die a miserable death," causing Yun Weishan to shudder involuntarily upon hearing them.
Shangguan Qian then adopted a much more serious expression than before. "Don't fall in love. This is my advice to you. I truly hope you can control yourself, lest you harm others and hurt yourself."
Afterward, Yun Weishan recalled the scene with Han Ya Si in the Wufeng training room.
"Do you know what the most fatal weakness is for a female spy?"
"The disparity in strength compared to men."
Han Ya Si shook his head. "No. It's not martial arts, nor is it willpower or fear. It's here..." With that, Han Ya Si pointed at Yun Weishan's heart.
Han Ya Si stared at Yun Weishan with a warning look. "The greatest taboo for a spy is to fall in love. Women have always been more devoted than men."
OpenNovel