Broken Jade - Chapter 125

Chapter 125

Wei Yi’s gaze fell on a sharp, broken branch beside him.

He looked up and glanced at Sheng Zhaoning. Seeing that she was still surveying the surroundings, he reached out and pulled the branch toward him.

The jagged end drove viciously into the muscle of his calf.

Yet Wei Yi’s expression remained pleasant throughout. He did not even furrow his brow. Instead, he pushed the branch in deeper, stabbing fiercely into the flesh.

Blood spread soundlessly.

After getting a general understanding of the terrain and the situation around them, Sheng Zhaoning finally turned around and looked back at Wei Yi.

“Get up. We need to leave.”

The later it grew, the more dangerous the forest became. Wild beasts could appear at any moment.

For now, it would be best to find somewhere they could shelter, then make further plans.

For some reason, Wei Yi’s face seemed even paler than before.

He was half leaning against the broken tree, making no effort to stand. He simply stared fixedly at Sheng Zhaoning, his gaze unsettling enough to make one’s skin crawl.

“It hurts too much. I can’t get up.”

This time, he was not lying.

The sharp branch had pierced straight through his calf, leaving a bloody hole that continued to gush blood.

Sheng Zhaoning did not notice.

She knew the extent of Wei Yi’s injuries. Though they were not minor, they could not be considered serious for a martial artist.

She had no idea what he was being so precious about, and she was unwilling to keep wasting time here with him.

As long as Wei Yi was not in mortal danger, there was no need for her to worry.

Sheng Zhaoning turned and walked away.

The smile that had still been curled at the corners of Wei Yi’s lips slowly disappeared.

He stared at her back as she left without hesitation, a dark, vicious look gradually spreading through his eyes.

She was leaving?

A violent rage suddenly surged within him. Wei Yi clenched his fists, and his expression instantly turned cold and grim.

If she had merely been willing to turn around, crouch beside him, and take one look at him, she would have discovered the wound where the branch had pierced his leg.

Yet she would not even spare him a single word. She had simply turned and walked away.

Sheng Zhaoning, you really are ruthless.

Wei Yi closed his eyes and forced himself to steady his ragged breathing, desperately suppressing the darkness breeding in the deepest part of his heart.

The wind stirred the leaves with a rustling sound. Footsteps grew farther and farther away, the crisp crunch of dead leaves beneath them so clear that he could hear it until the sound gradually faded, weakened, and finally vanished.

She probably wished he would die as soon as possible, didn’t she?

Once he was dead, no one would be able to threaten her Crown Prince anymore.

Then she could remain in the Capital City forever, continuing to be the illustrious “Lord Sheng,” and spend the rest of her life with her Crown Prince.

A cold smile tugged at Wei Yi’s lips. He silently leaned against the broken tree and closed his eyes, unwilling to watch her departing figure any longer.

His limbs began to feel stiff and cold. As his blood rapidly drained away, his body grew heavier and his consciousness began to slip away.

Seeing this, the people concealed in the darkness started toward him.

But the instant they moved, the footsteps that had already gone far away suddenly rang out again in their ears. At once, none of them dared to move another step.

“Get up.”

That familiar voice sounded beside him.

Wei Yi slowly opened his eyes, only to see a slender, fair hand extended before him.

His breath caught for a moment. Following the hand reaching toward him, his gaze slowly climbed to her eyes, where he met her calm stare.

His heart suddenly jolted.

Sheng Zhaoning looked at the man before her without expression, yet she keenly noticed that he seemed genuinely weak.

A cold hand pressed into her palm, but instead of using her strength to rise, he merely tipped his head back and gazed quietly at her.

Sheng Zhaoning’s brows drew together slightly, and her gaze slowly lowered.

Only then did she notice that a large pool of blood had somehow spread beneath him, mingling with the dust until the gray earth was stained bright red.

She released his hand and lowered her head to examine his injuries.

“Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

Sheng Zhaoning had not realized that his leg was so badly injured. She had thought she had simply overlooked it, and for a moment, she felt that perhaps she really had wronged Wei Yi.

She had turned back because she did not think she could guarantee her own safety while waiting for the Yulin Guard to find her in this dense forest.

At least with Wei Yi beside her, there would be someone who knew martial arts. If danger arose, he could deal with it.

What she had not expected to see was him sitting on the ground, pale and weak, his eyes closed.

So he had not been deceiving her, nor was he putting on an act. He truly could not stand.

For a brief moment, a faint trace of annoyance welled up inside Sheng Zhaoning.

“If I had told you, would you have cared?” There was a barely perceptible note of grievance in Wei Yi’s voice.

Sheng Zhaoning pressed her lips together, and her fingers curled involuntarily.

She crouched down and carefully examined the wound on his leg. Then she picked up the medicinal powder she had tossed beside his hand and slowly treated the injury.

Sharp pain continued to stab through her arm in waves.

Before long, her forehead was covered in cold sweat instead.

“All right. I’ll help you up.”

After bandaging his wound, Sheng Zhaoning rose and used her uninjured hand to help him to his feet.

Wei Yi deliberately made his movements look stiff and clumsy, letting most of his weight fall against her.

She had very little strength left in her body. Faced with a man who was a full head and shoulders larger than her, she could only grit her teeth and do her best to help him up, taking one difficult step after another.

She could not help wondering what on earth this man had grown up eating to be so heavy.

The two figures moved slowly through the dense forest.

They stopped and started along the way. By the time the sun had begun to sink westward and the red remnants of daylight were half-hidden behind the mountain ridge, a dilapidated, desolate wooden hut suddenly appeared before them.

Sheng Zhaoning had not expected to find a place like this in these remote mountains. She had only intended to make do for one night in some cave or on a flat, open patch of ground, so this unexpected discovery was a stroke of luck.

She quickened her pace and helped the limping Wei Yi toward the hut.

The building was badly run-down, and it was clear that no one had lived there for a long time.

The door was not locked. A single stick had been wedged diagonally across it, and the door could be pushed open with ease.

The wooden hut was tiny, with dust covering every corner. Inside, there was only a bamboo bed, a small square wooden table, a crude chair, and a little brazier in the corner.

Several hunting ropes and tools hung on the walls.

This was probably a temporary shelter used by local hunters when they came into the mountains to hunt.

She first helped Wei Yi sit down on the bed. Only then was the weight pressing down on her finally lifted.

Sheng Zhaoning had no idea how she had ended up picking up such a troublesome burden for no reason.

She had originally thought that if they encountered a wild animal or a trap, at least there would be someone who could handle it. She had not expected that she would instead have to spare the extra energy to take care of him.

Sheng Zhaoning suddenly felt as though her attempt to gain an advantage had only backfired on her.