Chapter 55: Coma

Chapter 55: Unconsciousness

Qiu Shuiyi activated a mechanism on the bracelet concealed behind her back.

As she withdrew her hand, her sleeve slid down, covering the bracelet.

Living constantly on the edge, she always kept tools for self-defense on her. Who knew when she might actually die?

She sighed inwardly, glancing at Shen Yuchao and the other man, her gaze complex.

Zhao Xiping had been slammed headfirst, blood streaming from his wound, crimson droplets dripping onto the ground.

His features were obscured by blood, unrecognizable. The once defiant light in his eyes had already dimmed.

Though disgusted by Zhao Xiping, this madman, she couldn't stand by and watch Shen Yuchao beat him to death right before her eyes.

Pursing her lips, Qiu Shuiyi shouted, "Your Highness!"

Shen Yuchao paid no heed.

Beneath his thick, long lashes, his eyes seemed as if forged from ice.

Their pupils were blood-red, brimming with hatred that seemed ready to drip blood.

He appeared to have sunk into a frenzied state, the voice of that wretched Taoist echoing incessantly in his ears.

"Years ago, I once saw her. At the time, she was with you, sewing clothes for her husband."

"Her face was rosy, her expression gentle. One could tell her husband treated her extremely well."

"When she looked at you, her gaze held a tenderness I had never seen before."

"You are not her. How do you know she had no sincerity at all?"

Liar.

They were all liars.

What sincerity?

Did that woman ever have a heart?

Her heart was as venomous as a snake or scorpion; even arsenic or realgar couldn't compare.

What heart did she have?!

He wished he could grind her bones to dust and tear her body apart with five horses.

A voice in his mind urged him on.

Kill her, kill her.

Kill him...

He lifted Zhao Xiping high.

"Shen Yuchao!"

A voice seemed to ring out from above, like clear, celestial music, scattering the haze that had clouded his vision.

Shen Yuchao froze.

His gaze shifted to the source of the voice.

The young woman's figure was frail, tears streaming down her face. Her hairpins had fallen out somewhere, her dark hair completely disheveled.

Though disheveled, it added a touch of delicate, disordered beauty.

Her eyes were brimming with tears, her slender shoulders trembling slightly. "Your Highness, please don't be like this. I'm scared."

Shen Yuchao replied with a faint smile, "You're not scared."

At Chengming Temple, when she saw him torturing that assassin, she hadn't shown any fear. Why would she be scared today?

Qiu Shuiyi unexpectedly understood his meaning. She walked slowly to stand before Shen Yuchao, placing her delicate hand on the back of his.

"But Your Highness, he is not an assassin."

He was an official appointed by the court, backed by the entire might of the Chengguo Ducal Estate.

Although the current Duke of Chengguo didn't care much for this illegitimate son, the old Duke had placed high hopes on him, wishing for him to bring glory to the family.

If Zhao Xiping died at Shen Yuchao's hands, no one knew what the old Duke, who had no heir, might do.

Shen Yuchao might not fear it, but if it implicated her and then affected the Yun'an Marquis and his wife, that would be disastrous.

Thinking of this, Qiu Shuiyi couldn't help but sigh to herself.

Fortunately, she had stopped in time and no longer provoked Ji Rui and the others. Otherwise, with the madness of these lunatics, her parents would inevitably be implicated sooner or later.

After much thought, Shen Yuchao was still the best.

She didn't need to exhaust herself searching for targets; she only needed to stay by Shen Yuchao's side and wait for chance assassination attempts.

He needed to stay alive so she could accumulate enough lifespan.

Qiu Shuiyi lifted her face and said softly, "I don't wish for Your Highness to take risks for me."

Shen Yuchao's hand trembled.

The soft sensation on the back of his hand occupied half of his mind.

The other half was lost in her eyes, bright as shooting stars.

The young woman's delicate fragrance seemed to surround him, tendrils of scent drifting into his nostrils. It was as if a fan gently swept across his heart, brushing away the dust that had settled there.

The ferocity in his eyes gradually receded.

His grip loosened, and Zhao Xiping slumped to the ground.

Blood-soaked black hair covered half of his face. His eyes were tightly shut, his breathing faint, but at least he was still alive.

Qiu Shuiyi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Master!"

The man in black let out a mournful cry.

Shang Ze no longer stopped him, even stepping aside to make way.

The man in black crawled to Zhao Xiping's side, trembling as he pulled several bottles of medicine from his waist. Without caring about their effects, he frantically dumped them onto Zhao Xiping's head.

Shen Yuchao's detached glance swept over him before he turned, took Qiu Shuiyi by the hand, and led her outside.

Qiu Shuiyi obediently followed him.

With her next step, under the cover of her swaying skirt, she mustered all her strength to stomp on Zhao Xiping's foot, then ground her heel down hard.

Zhao Xiping let out a pained cry in his semi-conscious state.

The man in black was at a loss, gazing at him worriedly.

Shang Ze, who witnessed everything, felt his own ankle ache in sympathy. He scraped his foot hard on the ground before hurriedly catching up.

Zuo Yi scanned the surroundings and called out, "Young Master."

"Wh-what is it?"

Zhou Yundun snapped back to attention.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhao Xiping's miserable state and narrowed his eyes in a startle. He forced himself to look directly at Zuo Yi.

Zuo Yi said calmly, "Today, Assistant Minister Zhao unlawfully kidnapped the Princess Consort. In his fury, His Highness momentarily lost control of his strength. Upon returning to the capital, we hope you can bear witness to this matter with the Old Duke. As for Assistant Minister Zhao's medicinal expenses, the Prince of Duan Su's estate will naturally provide them."

Zhou Yundun stammered, "Alright, alright."

Zuo Yi gave a slight nod. "Thank you."

After bidding farewell to Zhou Yundun, Zuo Yi set off after Shen Yuchao.

Zhou Yundun stood in place for a moment, then let out a faint, melancholic sigh.

One can know a person's face, but not their heart.

The injured man in black struggled to lift Zhao Xiping.

Zhou Yundun watched with trepidation, fearing he might accidentally drop him.

After a moment's hesitation, compassion ultimately won out. Zhou Yundun stepped forward and carefully supported Zhao Xiping.

"Let me help you."

...

"Survived the kidnapping crisis. Reward: one year of lifespan."

When the system's reward was issued, Qiu Shuiyi was momentarily stunned.

She had clearly been injured, yet the task was completed.

As her thoughts churned, Qiu Shuiyi thought of a possibility and hurriedly asked the system.

"System, for dangers like set-ups, as long as I don't die, are they all considered complete?"

The system fell silent.

Qiu Shuiyi gritted her teeth. "Why didn't you say so earlier!"

She'd been tiptoeing around, afraid that getting injured would prevent task completion.

Turns out, it wasn't even an issue.

The system replied calmly and unusually reminded her, "Host, the reward issued is inversely proportional to the severity of your injuries."

"Given your level of self-preservation, this rule is not particularly important for you."

True.

Qiu Shuiyi sighed inwardly. "Fine, I forgive you."

The system: "..."

When she came back to herself, Qiu Shuiyi was just stepping out of the temple gate.

A shadow darted toward her, its hot, heavy breath fanning her face, startling her into an uncontrollable scream.

"Don't be afraid."

Shen Yuchao swiftly turned, placing a hand on Qiu Shuiyi's trembling shoulder, soothing her in a low voice. "It's my horse."

A horse?

Qiu Shuiyi clung to Shen Yuchao's arm, peeking out from behind him.

The intimate, intertwined posture like mandarin ducks made Shen Yuchao go rigid for an instant.

The young woman was nestled entirely in his embrace, her scent enveloping him.

Lowering his head, her flower-like face was right before his eyes.

His long eyelashes trembled slightly. Shen Yuchao remained silent for two breaths before averting his eyes.

Qiu Shuiyi was completely unaware of how intimate their position was. She widened her eyes to look ahead.

The bright moonlight poured down, casting a silvery veil over the earth.

Though the light was dim, the outline of the massive creature before them was faintly discernible.

"It really is a horse."

As the young woman's soft voice fell, the delicate hand on his wrist withdrew.

Shen Yuchao instinctively reached after it, grasping only empty air.

Realizing what he had done, he clenched one hand into a fist, veins bulging on the back, his eyes darkening with self-loathing.

Qiu Shuiyi took two steps back.

The cool evening breeze brushed past, and she suddenly furrowed her brows.

Just now... what was that scent?

It seemed familiar, yet she couldn't recall it no matter how hard she tried.

Just as she was about to step forward to identify it, Shen Yuchao spoke. "His name is Wind Chaser."

It took Qiu Shuiyi a moment to understand he was introducing his horse to her.

Shen Yuchao said, "Wind Chaser, this is Second Miss Qiu. Do not be discourteous."

In the next instant, Qiu Shuiyi felt a tightening around her waist, and the wind around her seemed to grow stronger.

The horse beneath her neighed restlessly, making her heart clench in fear.

Shen Yuchao swung up onto the horse, wrapping his arms around her from behind as he took the reins and urged the horse on with a click of his tongue.

Wind Chaser let out a whinny, raised its hooves, and shot forward.

"Your Highness, wait for your subordinate!"

Shang Ze had just grabbed his horse's reins when Shen Yuchao was already racing away with Qiu Shuiyi.

Spotting Zuo Yi coming out, he anxiously said, "But His Highness is still injured."

Zuo Yi said nothing.

Shang Ze couldn’t help but ask, "Why aren’t you saying anything?"

If Second Miss Qiu saw this, wouldn’t she be frightened and bolt like First Miss Qiu did?

Zuo Yi replied, "Second Miss will find out sooner or later."

With that, he mounted his horse and rode off in pursuit.

Shang Ze sighed helplessly and followed suit.

...

There was no telling where Zhao Xiping had taken her, but even after Wind Chaser had run for a long time, there was still no sign of Hongliang City.

Exhausted from the night's ordeal, drowsiness began to set in. Qiu Shuiyi yawned, her eyelids growing heavy.

The jolting of the horse made her head bob, and before she knew it, she leaned backward, settling against Shen Yuchao’s chest.

It wasn't long before Qiu Shuiyi fell asleep.

The night wind was chilly, and she felt both cold and sore, sleeping fitfully.

Half-asleep, a burst of light flashed behind her eyelids.

Qiu Shuiyi struggled to open her eyes halfway.

The sun was rising, its rays bursting through the treetops, casting an orange-red glow across the entire sky.

The clouds were radiant, and the morning mist had completely dispersed.

It took her a moment to process.

It was morning.

A voice, hoarse and weary from a sleepless night, sounded by her ear.

"We’re here."

Qiu Shuiyi opened her eyes.

The ancient and imposing gates of Hongliang City came into view.

The city gates were already open, with people lined up outside, entering in an orderly manner.

A loud thud jolted Qiu Shuiyi fully awake.

Her head snapped around.

Shen Yuchao had fallen from the horse, unconscious.

"Your Highness!"

Qiu Shuiyi panicked.

Dismounting, she hurriedly checked Shen Yuchao’s condition.

Upon closer inspection, she realized his face was as pale as paper, his lips devoid of any color.

"Your Highness?"

As soon as she placed her hand on Shen Yuchao’s chest, the damp, sticky feeling made her tremble.

Her gaze shifted downward—the man’s clothing in front was as if it had just been dipped in red dye. The slightest touch of her finger came away stained crimson.

With trembling hands, Qiu Shuiyi pulled open his collar.

A single glance made her frown tightly, her eyes filled with shock and pity.

Beneath his clothes, the man’s skin was not a single patch intact.

Countless wounds crisscrossed his entire chest, bleeding profusely.

Some were deep enough to reveal bone, while others had flesh torn open, oozing blood.

The wounds were gruesome and bloody, healing at an unbelievable speed under Qiu Shuiyi’s gaze, only to split open again in an instant.

This process repeated endlessly.

Like the ever-renewing cycle of the four seasons, caught in an unending loop of birth and death.

Yet it was a hundred times more cruel.