Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Han Xu stood before the doors of Cangfeng Hall, a saber hanging at his waist.

“I don’t agree!”

The sound of a hand slamming heavily onto a table carried clearly through the cracks around the doors and windows.

Inside the hall, Wei Chengjun sat in a chair. He lifted his eyes and looked at Wei Yi with cool indifference, one hand raising his teacup. He blew away the steam gathering over the surface and took a slow sip.

Yet the words he spoke were nothing like that idle, unhurried motion. They stabbed out like a knife. “Don’t forget, you were the one who set this trap in the first place and tricked her into killing Liu Qi. Isn’t it a little late to say no now?”

Wei Yi gritted his teeth. “I only agreed to let you test her loyalty. I never gave you permission to send her to Capital City.”

Wei Chengjun glanced at him sidelong. “She is a Shadow Guard of the Wei Clan. Since when do you have the right to say what is or isn’t allowed?”

“From the very beginning, when you said you wanted to test her, your real plan was to send her to Capital City?” Wei Yi demanded in return.

Killing Liu Qi had only been the bait, an excuse to lure her into the trap. Wei Chengjun knew perfectly well that without Wei Yi’s approval, no one could have deceived Sheng Zhaoning.

And at the time, Wei Yi had been in the middle of his anger. He had never considered Wei Chengjun’s true purpose in proposing the matter, and even less had he expected Wei Chengjun to bring Ao Chun into it.

If he had known the one taking Sheng Zhaoning away would be Ao Chun, he would never have agreed to join Wei Chengjun in setting this trap from the start.

“I thought the matter with Chen Shao had already taught you a lesson. Have you ever considered what would have happened if our people hadn’t discovered that letter back then? If that letter hadn’t been intercepted? If that letter had reached Capital City!” Wei Chengjun had once thought Wei Yi was the same as him, someone who could sacrifice anything in the face of greater interests. He had not expected him to become so indecisive now over a single woman.

His tone inevitably turned earnest and grave. “Although we also have people in Capital City, the heart of the imperial court has always been a blank space for us. Without a qualified pair of eyes there, without a proper pawn, any single betrayal could make us lose the entire game.”

Wei Yi clenched his fists. Blue veins stood out on the backs of his hands, and his knuckles whitened from the force. After thinking for a long time, he finally asked the question that had been weighing on him. “Why must it be her?”

Wei Chengjun looked back at him, his tone certain. “Because only she will never betray the Wei Clan.”

More accurately, she would never betray Wei Yi.

What Wei Chengjun had been testing had never been her loyalty to the Wei Clan. It had only ever been Wei Yi.

“I will consider this matter,” Wei Yi said, drawing in a deep breath and making a concession.

Wei Chengjun did not press him too hard. Otherwise, it would only backfire.

“Give me your answer in two days.”

Wei Chengjun rose and left.

Steam curled from the teacup. A slant of light fell across the table, brushing past the rim of the cup before spilling in a bright swath over half the floor. Wei Yi stared at the drifting dust in the air, lost in thought.

Another sound came from the doorway.

Wei Yi half lifted his eyes. In his line of sight, Han Xu walked in expressionlessly.

“News came from that side. She has awakened.”

Wei Yi’s brows shifted slightly.

He released his hand. Red marks had appeared across his palm from how hard he had been clenching it.

“When did she wake?” he asked.

Han Xu replied, “This morning.”

“Is Zhou Lingsheng still there?”

“He is.” Han Xu hesitated for a moment, then spoke again. “Second Miss Chi… sent people to follow him today.”

Wei Yi raised a brow. “How did she find out about that place?”

“Second Miss Chi came to the manor early this morning, noticed Zhou Lingsheng, and had her guards follow him there.”

Wei Yi’s eyelid twitched twice. He closed his eyes and rubbed the space between his brows. “If they followed him, then so be it. There is no need to bother with her.”

Chi Wan did not have the nerve to make trouble over there. At most, once Sheng Zhaoning came out, she would pick a fight and cause some fuss, make her suffer a little. The one who truly warranted caution was Chi Yu.

“Keep a close eye on the Chi Residence over the next few days. Block all news of Sheng Zhaoning. If Chi Yu goes looking for her, beat him back for me. No need to show him any courtesy. Breaking his legs would be best.”

Han Xu said, “…Yes.”

The door opened and shut, sealing tight once more, and silence returned to the room.

Wei Yi picked up his cup and took a sip. The tea had already cooled slightly.

He walked to the window. The setting sun shone on the treetops flickering amid the snow, swaying restlessly in the cold wind.

Sheng Zhaoning.

For some reason, merely thinking of that name stirred something strange in his chest.

It was a peculiar feeling.

There was a faint heat tangled in the pain, dense as needle pricks. His heartbeat lost its rhythm, sometimes racing, sometimes skipping. It was a feeling he had never had when facing anyone else.

He could not tell what emotion it was.

All he knew was that toward Sheng Zhaoning, that vicious, ghostlike woman with her ruthless methods, he had felt nothing but loathing from beginning to end.

And because that strange sensation that rose from the depths of his heart whenever he faced her came with a hint of pain, he instinctively took it as proof that he disliked her.

After standing by the window for a long while, his restless mood gradually settled.

Once he calmed down, Wei Yi suddenly realized something.

In truth, he had no need to dwell on Wei Chengjun’s thoughts at all.

Someone as stubborn as Sheng Zhaoning would never do anything unless she accepted it from the bottom of her heart.

Aside from him, no matter whose orders they were, if she was unwilling, she would rather die than compromise.

And on the matter of whether she would stay or leave, Wei Yi had more than enough confidence to believe that she could not possibly leave.

Sheng Zhaoning was absolutely loyal to him.

Wei Yi even believed that if lives could be exchanged in this world, she would do it without the slightest hesitation.

So he did not need to think about anything or do anything. All he needed was to wait. Wait for Sheng Zhaoning to cut through thorns, overcome every obstacle, and walk toward him step by determined step, always standing somewhere he could see the moment he turned back. That would be enough.

…

In the blink of an eye, it was mid-spring in the second month.

Sheng Zhaoning had spent more than two months quietly recovering from her injuries, and by now she could walk again.

However, her movements were slow. She could not move quickly and could only shuffle along with careful, measured steps.

Recently, Zhou Lingsheng had taken a liking to making medicinal meals, and he was gradually becoming obsessed.

Because, to his astonishment, when everyone else faced his medicinal meals with a look of bitter hatred, as if they would rather vomit up their bile, only Sheng Zhaoning could eat them without changing expression-and finish every last bite.

This gave him tremendous encouragement.

So he changed all three daily meals into medicinal cuisine and ate along with her.

The consequence of overnourishing himself was that Zhou Lingsheng became unbearably thirsty, could not sleep at night, bled from the nose for three days straight, and broke out in blisters all over his mouth from internal heat.

Yet Sheng Zhaoning was perfectly fine. Her complexion even grew rosier by the day.

Zhou Lingsheng sat in silence for an entire night, utterly unable to figure out where the problem lay.

Could it really be that he was too weak?

Deep down, Zhou Lingsheng would never admit that fact.

So he changed the formula overnight and served it at the table early the next morning.

Sheng Zhaoning looked at the black, muddy lump in her bowl. The hand holding the spoon paused for a moment. Then she set the spoon down, held the bottom of the bowl in both hands, tipped her head back, and drained it in one go.

Even Zhou Lingsheng was stunned.

It had just come out of the pot. The lady warrior was ruthless!

“Is it good?”

Zhou Lingsheng stared at her, his eyes filled with hidden expectation.

Sheng Zhaoning put down the bowl and unhurriedly cast him a look.

Right. No need to say anything.