In Bi Lianyi's room.
Fu Zhumei had been channeling his inner energy for over half a shichen. Wenren He was growing increasingly anxious. If it were anyone else, continuously expending their true power to save someone would have long exhausted them. But Fu Zhumei clearly wasn’t concerned about when he might harm himself—he was only focused on doing everything he could to expel the sinister inner energy from Bi Lianyi’s chest.
Yet despite his prolonged efforts, Bi Lianyi’s condition showed no improvement. His chest rose and fell weakly, the charred wound stark against his pale skin, a horrifying sight. Wenren He had inserted twelve silver needles into Bi Lianyi’s major acupoints, coordinating with Fu Zhumei’s energy transfer, but it only barely managed to prevent the intense heat in Bi Lianyi’s chest from further invading his qi and blood. For now, he could think of no other solution.
The gentle sunlight gradually slanted, winter rays always carrying an extra warmth as they slowly spilled into the room. Bi Lianyi’s breathing grew increasingly labored. Despite Fu Zhumei and Wenren He’s combined efforts, they could not stop his injuries from worsening.
A figure slowly appeared in the doorway, silhouetted by the light.
Wenren He turned around. Standing there was Hong Guniang. He disliked this young woman, who served the Dissolute Shop, from the bottom of his heart. Seeing her at the door, he snorted heavily and strode away. The silver needles had already been placed on Bi Lianyi’s body, and with Fu Zhumei present, he doubted this woman would dare harm Bi Lianyi.
Though Fu Zhumei was channeling energy, he could still open his eyes and speak. Seeing Hong Guniang at the door, he very much wanted to smile at her but feared she might suddenly grow angry. Torn between smiling and holding back, his face flushed red. Noticing this, Hong Guniang gave a faint smile and stepped inside.
Bi Lianyi slowly opened his eyes, glanced at her, then closed them again. Fu Zhumei sensed a slight disturbance in the inner energy at his chest before it stabilized again. He couldn’t help but feel deep admiration—if it were him suffering from such a likely incurable injury, wouldn’t his emotions be in turmoil if the one he loved came to see him?
"You…" Hong Guniang bent down to look at Bi Lianyi, her voice soft. "Are you about to die?"
"Ahem…" Bi Lianyi opened his eyes. "Yes."
Hong Guniang stared at him unblinkingly, as if testing whether he was lying. After a long moment, she said slowly, "If… if you were dying for me, perhaps… I wouldn’t have come to see you." The evening breeze stirred, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with an elegant grace. "Just like if I died for the Revered Master, he certainly wouldn’t come to see me either. But I didn’t expect you… you could still fight so desperately for something else…"
Fu Zhumei listened blankly. He seemed to understand a little, but most of it eluded him. He earnestly objected, "Ah, are you talking about A-Yan? He wouldn’t want you to die for him. He’d be very upset."
Hong Guniang ignored him and continued indifferently, "Is this what men are like?"
"I won’t allow the Azure Fall Palace to suffer any harm." Bi Lianyi’s gaze was calm, as if he didn’t consider his injury incurable or even painful. "That’s all."
Hong Guniang looked at the wound on his chest. "Even if it means suffering injuries like this, you’re not afraid?"
Bi Lianyi replied, "I’m not afraid.""Aren't you afraid of death?" Hong Guniang asked softly. "To die like this, having nothing in your life except living for Azure Fall Palace—don't you regret it?" Bi Lianyi closed his eyes. Though his voice was quiet, it remained deep. "No regrets." Hong Guniang studied him—he hadn't even fluttered an eyelash. "You... you're truly a resolute person." Her voice trembled slightly. "Have you never... doubted or feared? Never felt unwilling, never been torn between gain and loss?"
Bi Lianyi remained silent. Fu Zhumei listened to her words in stunned silence, feeling his already dull mind grow even more confused the longer she spoke.
"I don't believe anyone can be that steadfast," she continued quietly. "There's... there's..." She spoke slowly, "There's a suspicion that you don't want anyone to worry."
Bi Lianyi gave a slight shudder. Fu Zhumei felt the Inner Energy circulating steadily within him suddenly grow chaotic. Hong Guniang's voice rose, "I don't believe anyone can have no regrets! Whether it's someone about to die or someone who keeps living—as long as they're alive, I think there are regrets every day! There are always things left undone, all kinds of hopes, plans and thoughts about the future! There will always be mistakes, failures, and hopeless situations—that's why people keep regretting and feeling remorse! Like how you like me, yet I not only disregard you but repeatedly harm your sacred, inviolable Azure Fall Palace! Can you really say you have no regrets? That you don't want to change anything? Dare you say you have no expectations?" She paused, "Even if you're about to die—precisely because you're about to die—you refuse to admit your unwillingness, to cover up your regrets, pretending to be someone who won't make anyone worry. That's what makes people feel..." Her voice trailed off. After a moment, she said, "Very regretful. Very unwilling."
Fu Zhumei struggled to prevent Bi Lianyi's True Power from going astray. In that instant, his internal energy was so disordered it was nearly impossible to trace. "Cough..." The wound on Bi Lianyi's chest darkened further. Fu Zhumei felt his voice was a hundred times calmer than his energy. "Hong Guniang, please leave," he said composedly. "It's getting late."
"Hey, if you don't die this time, I..." Hong Guniang didn't move, speaking slowly. "I... have an idea." Bi Lianyi said, "Miss, you should go back early. You're disturbing me..." Hong Guniang cut him off, "From now on, don't die for Azure Fall Palace, and I won't die for the Revered Master, alright?" she asked softly. "Alright?"
Fu Zhumei's eyes widened. He somewhat understood her meaning. Bi Lianyi's chest rose and fell, his breath uneven. "I..."
"I don't want you to die at all, do you know that? You're the only person in my life who truly cared for me," Hong Guniang continued quietly. "I... I want to treat you better from now on, so... don't pretend to be someone who won't make anyone worry. Don't think that will make people believe you died a worthy death—it only makes them worry more." She suddenly smiled faintly. "Don't die, alright?""Hong Guniang," Bi Lianyi's lips curled into a faint smile, "weren't you always so courageous, having long decided to sacrifice yourself for Liu Yan, ready to die for him at any moment?" Hong Guniang turned and walked out, "Yes, but today I've begun to understand that dying for something isn't necessarily..." She stepped outside and murmured, "...not necessarily a good thing."
Fu Zhumei watched her leave without looking back. "Xiao Bi, I think she really won't die for A-Yan anymore!" Bi Lianyi closed his eyes and coughed a few times. "You should stop now." Fu Zhumei was startled. "Why?" Bi Lianyi spoke in a low voice, "It's been an hour. If you continue, you'll exhaust your Internal Force and severely damage your Vitality. If Zhu Yan comes again... cough..." His face grew increasingly pale. "Azure Fall Palace is in peril."
"I won't let go." Fu Zhumei sighed. "Anyway, Zhu Yan hasn't come yet. What if, what if—none of those 'what ifs' have happened... You're badly injured. How can I let go?" He wasn't as thoughtful as Bi Lianyi, nor did he have any clever strategies to repel enemies, but letting go and watching Bi Lianyi die was absolutely impossible for him.
"Cough..." Bi Lianyi suddenly began coughing violently. "I..."
"Don't pretend like you won't let anyone worry about you," Fu Zhumei softened his slightly childish voice. "Hong Guniang was right. She worries about you, I worry about you, everyone worries about you. This is good now. I think she's changed a little. Maybe she'll really treat you better in the future. Doesn't that make you look forward to it?"
"I..." Bi Lianyi suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. "But I..." In an instant, the blockage in his chest broke through, and his Inner Energy flowed unimpeded. The bleeding from his wound stopped immediately. Fu Zhumei released his hands, and Bi Lianyi coughed uncontrollably, spitting out several more mouthfuls of blood. The blood sprayed out scalding like fire, splattering onto the bed covers, which twisted and curled from the heat. "Cough, cough..." Bi Lianyi could barely breathe. After expelling that scorching Inner Energy that seemed capable of burning flesh to charcoal, his chest felt filled with blood, leaving no room for air.
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