Chapter 178 Are You My Wife?

Chapter 178: Are You My Wife?

With a soft thud, the hall door slowly closed behind him, cutting off the outside world.

Zhou Mingqi stood before the door, glancing up at the cold, full moon in the sky before turning away.

He turned and stepped into the watery moonlight, walking slowly toward the Eastern Palace.

Inside the hall, the soft glow of the palace lanterns flickered, as if casting a hazy veil over everything.

Cheng Ge's eyes were as if washed in water, carrying a nearly pure devotion.

"—Hmm—"

Cheng Ge slightly opened his mouth, and a warm liquid with a heavy metallic taste carefully trickled into his mouth.

The taste was extremely strange—both the sweet, metallic taste of blood and the bitter, astringent taste of some unknown medicinal herbs.

Cheng Ge's throat instinctively contracted, and he subconsciously wanted to close his mouth and spit it out, his brow furrowed in discomfort.

However, a soft, feather-light moisture touched his burning forehead.

At the same time, the low voice echoed in his ears again: "Dear, drink it."

These words, like the final spell, shattered all of Cheng Ge's remaining resistance.

He seemed to recognize the owner of this voice, and he swallowed with difficulty.

He actually obediently swallowed all the foul-tasting liquid.

As the liquid slid down his throat, a strange warmth slowly rose from his abdomen, spreading through his limbs and bones.

The burning, gnawing pain seemed to truly begin to recede little by little, replaced by a heavy sense of exhaustion.

At some point, the last palace lantern in the hall went out, leaving only the faint moonlight from the window barely piercing through, outlining blurry silhouettes.

After some time, the heavy hall door was pushed open from within with a creak.

A figure stumbled out, one hand lightly covering the door edge, blood staining his sleeve.

His face was nearly translucent under the moonlight, and his clothes were thrown on hastily, looking even more disheveled.

He had just stepped onto the stone steps when he suddenly staggered and fell forward, tumbling down the cold steps, collapsing in the shadows.

After a moment, he slowly pushed himself up with both hands, swaying unsteadily as he stood.

He looked back once at the closed hall door, his eyes dark.

Then, without pausing, he walked away step by step until he vanished into the thick night, leaving only a crimson stain on the steps.

---

On the third day, daylight filtered through the window lattice, casting several hazy patches of light in the hall. Motes of dust silently drifted in the light beams.

Cheng Ge's eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes. What came into view was the blurred golden canopy above, embroidered with majestic dragons.

However, there seemed to be a small, inconspicuous dark stain on the edge, as if... something had been tightly gripped.

He just lay there quietly, his gaze empty, fixed on that spot, his pupils unfocused, like a lump of mud.

His body felt as if it had been hollowed out, leaving him feeling light and disconnected.

His mind was even more chaotic, as if shrouded in thick fog. Occasionally, a few vague, burning fragments tried to break through the barrier.

But everything was too fast, too broken; he couldn't grasp anything substantial, leaving only a bone-deep, terrifying exhaustion.

He lay there in a daze, unaware of the time or place, not even knowing who he was; he would have to slowly piece himself together.

Cheng Ge's eyes moved with difficulty, and his dry, chapped lips twitched.

"Sister Lvrou—" His voice sounded like a broken gong, hoarse and scratchy.