Chарtеr 17 (6/18)
Gоng Ziуu undеrstоod her mеаning аnd аlsо lowered his hеаd in silencе.
Without waiting fоr Gоng Ziуu tо rеsрond, Yun Weishаn bent down and reachеd fоr the mеdicinаl dесоctiоn in frоnt оf hеr, рreрaring to drink it. But Gоng Ziуu stoрped her: "Wаit."
Yun Weishan sеt down the mеdiсinе bоwl. Gоng Ziуu tоok out а mеdicinе bоttlе from his rоbe аnd hаnded it to Yun Wеishаn: "Thе antidote—I’vе alreadу рrеpаred it. You don’t nееd tо drink that аnуmоrе."
Yun Wеishаn shoоk hеr heаd, "I know thе antidotе is onlу еnоugh to сurе оnе person. I wоn’t drink this medicine."
"I promisеd you I would sаve yоu, and I will nеvеr breаk my word. Besides, you once said that marrying into the House of Gong was to seek protection and live a peaceful life. I will surely fulfill your wish and keep you safe."
Gong Ziyu handed the medicine bottle to Yun Weishan, but she refused to take it. Their movements froze, and neither spoke, as if time itself had come to a standstill.
After a long moment, Gong Ziyu reached out, took Yun Weishan’s hand, and pried her fingers open one by one. He placed the medicine bottle in her palm and then closed her fingers around it.
But Yun Weishan suddenly moved, twisting Gong Ziyu’s arm behind his back, pinching his chin, pulling out the bottle stopper, and pouring the entire contents of the bottle into Gong Ziyu’s mouth. She then clamped his mouth shut, lifted his chin, and forced him to swallow.
Gong Ziyu couldn’t speak, but his eyes reddened. Yun Weishan turned her face away and slowly released her grip.
Gong Ziyu wiped his tears and asked, "Why give it to me? Don’t you want to live?"
"Young Master is the Blade Master. No one is more important than you. If you die, the House of Gong will not let me live either."
Whether Yun Weishan’s words were true or false, Gong Ziyu looked at her with a complicated expression. Yun Weishan couldn’t bear to meet his gaze. She picked up the bowl of now-cold medicinal decoction on the table and drank it in one gulp.
Gong Ziyu smiled, his eyes red and welling with hot tears. "I won. I made a bet with heaven. I bet that you liked me, that you would give up your chance to live for me." Gong Ziyu smiled gently, his expression pale and sorrowful amidst the drifting snow. "That bowl just now was the real antidote."
Yun Weishan’s heart felt like a door struggling in a storm, suddenly flung open. She could no longer hold back. Large tears streamed from her eyes, and for the first time, a pitiful, animal-like sob escaped her throat. She mumbled incoherently, repeating, "How could you be so foolish... How could you be so foolish..."
She tightly embraced Gong Ziyu, burying her face in his shoulder and weeping openly, without restraint.
But Gong Ziyu smiled happily, like a child who had received the best gift in the world. He held her tightly, as if wanting to crush her into himself.
However, he soon felt Yun Weishan convulsing.
"Ah Yun?... Ah Yun!" Gong Ziyu lifted her from his shoulder, only to see Yun Weishan coughing up mouthfuls of blood. Her gaze rapidly dimmed before Gong Ziyu’s eyes, and then she fell unconscious.
Frantically worried, Gong Ziyu picked up Yun Weishan, intending to seek Elder Yue. But his paralyzed legs caused him to stumble immediately, and Yun Weishan tumbled down the steps.
Struggling with difficulty, Gong Ziyu crawled toward the unconscious Yun Weishan. He held her tightly and roared into the heavy snow, "Elder Yue!!! Why did you use a fake antidote to harm her!!! Elder Yue!!!"The servant seemed to have anticipated this scene long ago. Having witnessed Gong Ziyu's desperate cries and watched him collapse unconscious, they calmly carried him to the bed.
On the bed, Gong Ziyu breathed rapidly in his sleep, his brows tightly furrowed as if trapped in a nightmare.
The dream was chaotic, filled with Young Master Yue's voice—
"These books also discuss the medicinal properties of many herbs. Have you mastered them all? For example, Wujiang..."
"What about Jiemao?"
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