Broken Jade - Chapter 127

Chapter 127

“Sheng Zhaoning!” Wei Yi’s voice broke with panic.

He reached out to feel her forehead. It was frighteningly hot.

Panic seized his mind. The corners of Wei Yi’s eyes reddened as he addressed the figure hidden in the darkness. “Bring the medicine over!”

A black-clad figure leaped down from the roof and swiftly darted into the room.

Several porcelain bottles were held out at once.

Wei Yi took out a pill that would bring down a fever, lifted Sheng Zhaoning’s chin, and fed it to her.

Only then did he realize how terrible her complexion really was.

It felt as though something had viciously tugged at his heart. Wei Yi’s brows drew into a deep frown as countless tangled emotions closed in around him.

Only now did Wei Yi truly understand that she really was no longer invincible.

The black-clad figure withdrew, and the room once again fell silent.

Wei Yi undid his outer robe and draped it over her. Then he shifted her farther inside and carefully gathered her into his arms.

His hand rested on her waist, which was frighteningly slender and frail.

He had originally wanted to stay with her for a few more days.

Forget it. He would send her back tomorrow.

In her current condition, even the slightest injury could take her life.

……

With Wei Yi no longer deliberately holding them back, the Yulin Guard quickly found the traces and followed them.

Sheng Zhaoning slept for a long time, not waking until around ten the next morning.

That outer robe was still draped over her.

Sheng Zhaoning opened her eyes groggily, and the rich aroma of meat seeped into her nose.

She rubbed her throbbing temple and slowly sat up. The outer robe slid down to her waist with the movement.

Wei Yi turned around at the sound and looked at her, still not fully awake. The corner of his mouth lifted involuntarily.

“Come over and eat something.” He softened his voice.

She had not eaten anything all day yesterday and had slept for so long. By now, she was probably starving.

Sheng Zhaoning followed the sound and saw Wei Yi holding a rabbit he had gotten from somewhere. Beside him lay a roasted wild chicken.

“Where did you get……” The moment the words left her mouth, she realized that her voice was terrifyingly hoarse.

“I went outside and caught them while you were asleep.”

Wei Yi lied.

In truth, he had ordered someone to go out and catch them.

He had not felt safe leaving while Sheng Zhaoning was unconscious.

“Your leg is better?” Her gaze fell to his lower leg. Only when she noticed the bloodstains on his plain white inner robe did she realize that Wei Yi was not wearing his outer robe.

“I can walk. It still hurts a little.” He answered with a light cough.

Sheng Zhaoning did not miss the brief guilt in his tone, and a thought flashed through her mind.

She lifted the outer robe off herself and set it aside, then slowly got to her feet. After thinking it over, she picked up the garment, walked over to him, and held it out.

“Put it on.”

It was broad daylight, and they were a man and woman alone together. What kind of lecherous behavior was he trying to pull?

Wei Yi looked up at her but did not argue. He reached out to take the robe and calmly put it on.

The roasted meat continued to give off an enticing aroma.

Sheng Zhaoning still did not know that she had passed out the day before. She only felt a little light-headed.

Her hunger had become uncomfortable. When Wei Yi handed her a roasted rabbit leg, she accepted it and took two bites.

It actually tasted pretty good.

She must have been truly famished. In just a few bites, she had eaten more than half the rabbit leg.

Seeing this, Wei Yi handed her the other one as well.

“Slow down. There’s still a chicken over there.”

He liked how Sheng Zhaoning never held back with him, as if they had always been meant to be this familiar and natural around each other.

Sheng Zhaoning had eaten half of the second rabbit leg when she could not manage another bite.

She shook her head, stopping Wei Yi’s hand as he reached for the chicken leg.

“No, that’s enough.”

She set the remaining half of the rabbit leg aside and glanced at Wei Yi. “You eat. Once you’re done, we’ll leave.”

There was no telling how far they were from the hunting grounds. Both she and Wei Yi were injured, and they were already moving slowly. No one knew how long it would take them to make it back.

Wei Yi said nothing.

He looked into Sheng Zhaoning’s eyes, not missing the look on her face that said she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Was she really that desperate to get back and find Wei Heng?

Was being with him really so unbearable for her?

A suffocating pressure rose in Wei Yi’s chest. He clenched his fists, his appetite vanishing completely.

“Forget it. Let’s go.”

Wei Yi tossed aside the roasted chicken in his hand, his voice edged with coldness.

Sheng Zhaoning noticed the change in his mood and was baffled.

What was wrong with him now?

Wei Yi rose to his feet without a word and simply looked at Sheng Zhaoning, clearly waiting for her to come over.

Sheng Zhaoning drew a deep breath. She felt as though this man had come to collect a debt from her.

“I thought you could walk now?” she said, meeting his gaze.

“I could a moment ago. I can’t now.”

Wei Yi did not even bother pretending anymore.

He stood there in silence, staring at her. His eyes were as deep as a bottomless pool, dark clouds of emotion gathering beneath their surface, impossible to read.

Sheng Zhaoning said nothing either. The two of them faced off, neither willing to yield.

By now, there was nothing she could not figure out.

Wei Yi had been deceiving her from the very beginning.

He had not been unable to walk. He had simply been waiting for her to give in, toying with her without the slightest qualm and watching her struggle forward step by laborious step after losing all her martial abilities, just so she would regret the choice she had made.

Sheng Zhaoning did not know how to describe what she was feeling at that moment.

She suddenly found herself rather ridiculous. Such a clumsy trick had actually been enough to fool her.

And yet, unexpectedly, she felt far calmer than she had imagined she would.

She could not even be bothered to get angry.

“Is this supposed to be fun?” she asked, looking at him calmly.

That look pierced Wei Yi. He would rather Sheng Zhaoning question him with red-rimmed eyes, or hit and curse him, than have her look at him with such composure, as though she did not care about anything at all.

“It is.” Wei Yi tilted his head and let out a laugh.

“Watching you covered in dirt, so miserable you can barely stay on your feet, is certainly fun.”

He turned his words into the sharpest of blades and drove them into her with the most vicious tone he could manage.

Sheng Zhaoning heard the mockery in his voice, but her gaze did not waver in the slightest.

Wei Yi had always been like this. He always watched from a superior vantage point, like a spectator enjoying a show, as he observed her helplessness and struggles.

She had always felt stifled by his side. Not for a single moment had she been allowed to be herself.

In the past, she had been willing to compromise for him, willingly lowering herself and submitting to him.

But she was unwilling to do that now.

Sheng Zhaoning had never regretted the choice she had made today. Even if it meant losing everything and becoming crippled, she would never regret it.

Because there was someone worth doing it for.

Respect, warmth, and protection given with everything one had to offer-these were things Wei Yi would never understand in his entire life.

He would never understand why she had fallen in love with Wei Heng.

Just as he could not even distinguish whether what he called “love” was genuine affection or possessiveness.

Sheng Zhaoning felt that every moment she spent with him was a waste. She withdrew her gaze and walked past him toward the door.

One hand seized her wrist without giving her a choice.

A violent pain shot through the wound in her arm. Sheng Zhaoning’s face went pale, and her body abruptly stiffened.

Only then did Wei Yi realize that something was wrong. He frowned and was about to examine her arm when a chaotic clatter of hoofbeats had already surrounded the wooden cabin.