Whеn Li Хun woke uр, аll hе sаw wаs a blur of white bеfоre his eуes. Struggling to rеgаin his sеnsеs, hе hеard a girl bеside him ask with concern, "Sir, whаt's wrоng with yоu?"
Startlеd, hе turnеd his hеad аnd sаw а nоrmаl-loоking girl. Li Xun let out а lоng sigh of rеlief and askеd, "Were аll of yоu hеrе just nоw?"
"Yеs," Jin Ling rерlied. "We wеrе having а gооd time whеn yоu suddеnly faintеd!"
Сould it rеally be thаt he had enсоuntеred а ghost? Li Xun frownеd, fееling a sрlitting hеаdасhе. Hе glаncеd arоund and notiсed thrее girls gаtherеd bу thе bеdside. Without loоking closely, he аsked, "What arе your nаmes?"
"Тhis humblе onе is Weiyun."
"This humble one is Jin Ling."
The last girl kept her head down and remained silent. Li Xun looked at her curiously. "Why aren't you speaking?"
Slowly raising her head, Duanxian smiled eerily and murmured, "This servant is Xiaoqin."
The relief he had just felt instantly turned into the claws of a vengeful ghost, gripping his throat. Li Xun's eyes widened in terror as he scrambled backward into the bed, grabbing a pillow and frantically throwing it at Duanxian. "A ghost!!!"
Duanxian sidestepped the pillow, looking aggrieved. "How am I a ghost?"
Jin Ling and Weiyun shielded her as Li Xun, seemingly gone mad, burrowed into the blankets. His eyes were wide open, the whites prominent and his pupils constricted. Trembling uncontrollably, he appeared utterly deranged.
The door opened, and Feng Yue entered, wrapped in an apricot-colored robe, asking with concern, "Oh dear, what happened, sir? Are you all right?"
She then scolded the three girls beside her. "How have you been serving him?"
At the sight of her, Li Xun inexplicably felt an overwhelming sense of security. He abruptly reached out and grabbed Feng Yue's wrist, trembling as he pleaded, "Make them leave! Make them leave now!"
"Sir, don't be nervous. If they haven't served you well, I'll teach them a lesson." Blinking, Feng Yue temporarily took on the role of Mama Jin, smiling warmly at him before giving Duanxian a meaningful glance.
Duanxian nodded, bowed her head, and followed the other two out of the room.
Even with no one else in the room, Li Xun remained restless and anxious, gripping Feng Yue's wrist so tightly it turned blue. "There's a ghost here... a ghost!"
"Sir, you must be joking," Feng Yue comforted him gently. "Our establishment is always bustling with people. How could there be a ghost? You must have mistaken something."
"That Xiaoqin... that Xiaoqin..." Li Xun shook his head stiffly. "Xiaoqin has been dead for a long time. How could she be here?"
"Xiaoqin?" Feng Yue looked at him with a baffled expression, feigning innocence. "Just now, it was Weiyun, Jin Ling, and Duanxian. Where did this Xiaoqin come from? You must have misheard."
Misheard? Li Xun was taken aback. He glanced around the room, breathing rapidly, and it took him a long time to calm down.
Had he misheard and mistaken something? He must have. How could there be ghosts in this world? Xiaoqin had been dead for so long—how could she come looking for him now?
Covering himself with the blanket, he calmed down for a while. Li Xun finally regained his composure, his face pale, and said, "Then... I must have misheard."
"Sir, rest for a moment. I'll pour you a cup of tea." Feng Yue stood up, walked to the round table in front, picked up a teacup, and gently placed it on the table.
With a creak, the door was pushed open, but no one entered.
Li Xun was startled and turned to look. He saw a figure in white, with disheveled hair, crawling in."Ahhhhh!!!"
The piercing scream soared straight into the clouds, making Feng Yue instinctively cover her ears. Holding a cup of tea, she turned back curiously to look at him. "What's wrong with you again, sir?"
"Ghost! Ghost! It's really a ghost! Look!" With Feng Yue present, Li Xun managed to speak, leaping off the bed and pulling Feng Yue to hide behind her.
Following the direction he pointed, Feng Yue glanced over, looking utterly baffled. "Where's the ghost? I don't see anything."
She couldn't see it? His heart sank heavily, and Li Xun was so terrified he could barely breathe, frantically gesturing to her. "On the ground... crawling on the ground! It's crawling over!"
Looking down, Feng Yue reached out and patted the top of the white figure's head on the floor, still appearing confused. "There's nothing here."
The ghost lifted its head, revealing a deathly pale face, and suddenly opened its bloody maw toward Li Xun. Feng Yue crouched beside it, both of them looking in his direction, her expression blank but a flicker of eeriness flashing in her eyes. A faint smile curled her lips.
This scene was even more terrifying than encountering a ghost alone! Li Xun tried to breathe but couldn't catch his breath. He stared at them for a long moment, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted again.
"Really can't handle a scare," Feng Yue shook her head, reaching over to tuck Duanxian's disheveled hair behind her ear, and asked softly, "Do you know how to use a knife?"
"Originally, I didn't," Duanxian snorted coldly. "But seeing him, I have to learn."
"Good." Clapping her hands, Feng Yue went to close the door, then looked up at the ceiling beam and called out, "Lord Guan Zhi, could you lend a hand?"
Yin Gezhi had said he was too busy to get involved in such trivial matters, so he lent Guan Zhi to her for protection. Fortunately, Guan Zhi had come, or else she might not have been able to handle Li Xun earlier.
Just as she was thinking this, a sleeve fluttered on the ceiling beam, and the First Prince, Yin Gezhi, landed expressionlessly in front of her.
Feng Yue: "..."
Didn't he say he wasn't coming? What's this? A surprise?
"What do you want?" he asked impatiently.
He came on his own and still had this attitude? Feng Yue pouted, thinking this lord was becoming increasingly difficult to please. But since she needed his help now, she smiled and said, "Could you keep watch for a while? If he wakes up from the pain later, could you kindly knock him out again?"
Glancing at her, Yin Gezhi asked, "You want to dismember him?"
Covering her lips with a coquettish laugh, Feng Yue shook her head. "Am I such a bloodthirsty person? How could weak women like us do something so cruel?"
"At most, we'll sever the tendons in his hands and feet so he can't move, then let Duanxian take good care of him."
Duanxian gripped the dagger, glancing hesitantly at Yin Gezhi.
Though she didn't know who this person was, he was still an outsider. Seeing them do such things, he'd probably think they were heartless, right? Look, he's not even speaking.
After a moment of hesitation, Duanxian tugged at Feng Yue's sleeve and whispered, "Miss..."
Before she could finish, the First Prince, Yin Gezhi, spoke up. "Be careful when severing the tendons. Don't let him bleed to death. I have medicine here that can keep him alive. After you're done, don't send him back yet. Keep him at the Dream Return Pavilion—he still has some use."
Duanxian: "..."
"Alright," Feng Yue nodded seriously, then turned to Duanxian and asked, "What did you want to say?"
"...Suddenly, I don't have anything to say," Duanxian swallowed and said, "Let's begin."Recalling her tragically deceased sister and her own half-life of drifting, Duanxian’s hand gripping the dagger was exceptionally firm. As soon as Feng Yue pointed out the spot, she struck with precision, not a hair’s breadth off.
"Ah—"
Li Xun woke in agony, thrashing violently. However, the moment he opened his eyes, before he could even see his surroundings clearly, Yin Gezhi’s palm sent him back into darkness.
"Excellent!" Feng Yue grinned at Yin Gezhi. "Young Master’s divine skill truly shakes the heavens and earth!"
With a light snort, the First Prince Yin said disdainfully, "Such a trivial matter."
Indeed, everyone loves praise! Feng Yue immediately clung to his leg. If she had a tail, it would surely be wagging with delight. "No matter how small the deed, as long as it’s done by you, this humble servant finds it utterly awe-inspiring!"
Glancing sideways at her, Yin Gezhi said, "Hurry up and finish."
"Yes." Duanxian responded, her dagger slowly severing the tendons in the hands and feet of the man on the bed. The exhilarating sensation of the blade grinding against flesh finally eased her heart somewhat.
This beast deserved to be hacked to pieces! She longed to plunge the dagger straight into his chest. But thinking of Feng Yue’s words, that would be far too merciful!
For every sin committed, repay it tenfold!
Li Xun’s pain was excruciating, but each time he awoke in agony, he was met with a hard slap from Yin Gezhi. By the time the last tendon in his foot was severed, Duanxian felt the man on the bed was already half-dead.
"How pitiful." Feng Yue pretended to wipe away a tear, then looked seriously at Duanxian. "Since this guest is so pitiful, why don’t you take good care of him for a few days? The wooden wheelchair is in the backyard, prepared long ago."
Duanxian smiled, taking the medicine from Yin Gezhi to keep him alive, then gently bandaged his wounds with white cloth. "This humble servant will take good care of him."
Ensuring that the moment he opened his eyes, he would see Xiao Qin, and even in his dreams, he would find no peace!
The bed was soaked in blood. Yin Gezhi glanced at it and said, "If you help me with something, not only will today’s debt be cleared, but I can also let you stay temporarily at the Envoy’s Mansion."
"What is it?" Feng Yue asked.
"This man is also a close confidant of Zhou Zhenshan." Yin Gezhi leaned down, whispering into her ear. "Zhao Lin’s case is settled, and Zhou Zhenshan has lost his life, but many who deserve death still live in comfort. Think of a way to use his hand to send a letter to Leng Yan."
Her eyes sparkling, Feng Yue smiled, poking his chest with her index finger as she cooed, "You are the most cunning!"
Then she immediately went to fetch paper and brush.
In a moment of clarity amidst the pain and unconsciousness, Li Xun remembered who had invited him today and recalled the recent movements of the First Prince Yin, filling him with terror.
He needed to find someone to save him, to rescue him!
Struggling to awaken, his limbs were in excruciating pain, completely immobile. The sharp agony made him scream again!
"Don’t be nervous, sir. Once the wounds heal, the pain will fade." A faint voice came from behind him. Startled, Li Xun realized he was sitting in a wooden wheelchair, with someone pushing him from behind, heading to an unknown destination.
"You... what do you want to do?" he gasped, turning to glance at the person.
Duanxian smiled, both charming and sinister. "This humble servant doesn’t want to do anything. I only wish to send you home."Send him home? Li Xun's mind was not very clear, only feeling extremely miserable—better to die and be done with it!
It hurts...
A light rain fell over Shadowless City. Duanxian didn't hold an umbrella, slowly, step by step pushing him back toward the Li family courtyard.
Feng Yue spat out a melon seed shell, standing on the balcony watching the distant figure gradually swallowed by the misty rain, feeling quite pleased.
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