“Too noisy…”
Ji Wujing’s voice was already cold by nature. Having not spoken for so long, when he suddenly spoke, his voice was hoarse and dry, eerily chilling. Hearing his voice, Gu Jianli felt as if a cold snake was crawling up her spine.
A “plop” sound was heard as a drop of cold sweat from Zhao Fengxian’s forehead hit the ground. Zhao Fengxian’s eyes widened in horror, as if he had seen a ghost. He lay on the ground, his neck stretched out stiffly.
“Fi… Fifth Cousin…”
“Shh…” Ji Wujing slowly raised his hand, placing his index finger in front of his lips. The room was dimly lit by a single lamp, making Ji Wujing’s face appear even paler.
Zhao Fengxian didn’t dare to make even a breathing sound.
Next to him, Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing and couldn’t help but hold her breath as well.
Ji Wujing lowered his hand, supporting himself on the bed with his palm, and very slowly lifted his upper body, sitting cross-legged on the bed. His hands rested casually on his legs. He had long arms and legs, and his white nightclothes hung loosely on him, with the side collar still undone, revealing part of his chest.
Having been unconscious for too long, his limbs were stiff. Ji Wujing performed these actions very slowly. To Gu Jianli, it felt like an entire night had passed. She involuntarily moved back until her back was against the bedpost, with no more room to retreat. Her gaze at Ji Wujing was one of astonishment and relief, mixed with fear and dread.
Ji Wujing glanced coolly at Zhao Fengxian, raising the corner of his eye with a hint of a smile. The teardrop mole followed, lifting slightly.
Although he was smiling, Zhao Fengxian felt a chill down his spine.
“Repeat what you just said.”
Zhao Fengxian scrambled to the bedside, grabbing the edge of the bed with both hands, trembling as he said, “Fifth Cousin, I was wrong! I was wrong! Fengxian was drunk and spouting nonsense!”
Ji Wujing merely looked at him with a faint smile, neither angry nor annoyed.
The more this happened, the more fearful Zhao Fengxian became. He looked up at Ji Wujing, frozen in place, and after a long while, swallowed hard. The cold wind of late December night blew in through the open window, striking Zhao Fengxian’s back, already drenched in cold sweat, making him feel as if he had fallen into an icy cave.
Ji Wujing was not inclined to repeat himself.
“Fifth Cousin is about to die, knows nothing… even if I… if I…” Zhao Fengxian forced himself to repeat the earlier words, but halfway through, his voice faltered, unable to continue.
“Keep talking.” Ji Wujing lazily glanced at him, his tone revealing no emotion.
“Fifth Cousin is about to die, knows nothing… even if I took off my pants and peed on his face, he would…” Zhao Fengxian shouted the rest of the words with all his courage, then knelt down and cried, kowtowing and banging his head on the ground repeatedly.
“Fifth Cousin, please spare me! I won’t dare to do it again!”
Ji Wujing’s hand, resting on his lap, supported himself on the bed. He very slowly leaned forward slightly and said, “You’re missing a word.”
“W-what?”
Zhao Fengxian, with tears and snot running down his face, lifted his head, staring blankly at Ji Wujing. Missing a word? In his extreme nervousness, his mind became unusually clear, probably the sharpest it had ever been in his life.
“Fifth Cousin is about to die, knows nothing… even if I took off my pants and peed on his face, he would…”
“Hic!”
Zhao Fengxian ended with a hiccup.
Ji Wujing’s lips curved slightly, his raised eyes showing a three-part smile. He chuckled softly, “That’s correct now.”
Ji Wujing laughed, but Zhao Fengxian couldn’t even cry anymore. His throat gurgled as he repeated over and over, “Fifth Cousin, Fifth Cousin, Fifth Cousin…”
“Dear nephew, there’s something you said that’s not quite right.”
Zhao Fengxian cried, “Yes, yes, whatever Fifth Cousin says is right…”
Ji Wujing spoke slowly, “Compared to the living, I prefer the dead. But what I like most are those I kill myself.”
Zhao Fengxian’s loud sobbing stopped abruptly, and he shuddered.
“When Fifth Cousin was in good shape, he liked the dead and hated the living the most. His courtyard is the most secluded. There’s no one around, you can’t call for help…”
—These were the words he had used to threaten Gu Jianli when he sneaked in that morning.
Zhao Fengxian’s snot hung long, and he sniffled, “Fi…”
Ji Wujing frowned, looking at Zhao Fengxian with a hint of disgust.
“Enough, get out,” he said.
“Yes, yes… Fengxian will leave now!” Zhao Fengxian, as if granted amnesty, scrambled up, crying and laughing as he ran out in a panic. As he stepped over the threshold, he tripped and fell face-first to the ground. He quickly got up, moving nimbly.
“Close the door.”
Ji Wujing’s hoarse voice came from behind. Zhao Fengxian lowered his head and ran back, closing the door with trembling hands. Then he turned and ran, tripping again in his haste, quickly getting up to continue his flight…
He must have been out of his mind to act so brazenly while Ji Wujing still had a breath left. Why couldn’t he have waited until Ji Wujing was truly dead?
In the room, Gu Jianli’s back was pressed tightly against the bedpost, her hands gripping a dagger so tightly that the broken skin on her fingers started to bleed again. Yet she didn’t feel any pain.
She should have felt relief at escaping disaster, but as she stared at Ji Wujing, she was gripped by a different kind of terror. Her whole body was tense, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Only then did Ji Wujing lift his eyelids to look at her. His icy gaze swept over her as he spoke in a low voice, “Why are you still holding the dagger? Didn’t manage to stab the mongrel, so you’re planning to give me a stab for fun?”
Though his face was expressionless at first, by the end of his sentence, there was an inexplicable smile.
“N-no…” Gu Jianli let go in a panic, the dagger falling heavily to the ground.
She was utterly flustered.
She had indeed considered the possibility that Ji Wujing might wake up, but she could never have imagined such a scene upon his awakening.
Stay calm, stay calm.
What should she say? Tell him that she was the wife brought to him by the Guangping Marquis’s household while he was unconscious? But that wasn’t the whole truth. The complexity of the situation couldn’t be explained in just a few words.
“I… I… you…” For the first time, the usually composed Gu Jianli stuttered.
She realized she was sitting at the corner of the bed and awkwardly stood up, her voice trembling, “I’ll go get a doctor for you…”
She wanted to escape.
But just as she took a step, Ji Wujing suddenly grabbed her wrist. His hand was cold. Despite being a seriously ill patient who had just awakened, his grip was strong. Ji Wujing pulled hard, causing Gu Jianli to stumble and fall into his arms. One leg was straight against the bed, the other bent with her knee on the edge, her slender and soft body bowing into Ji Wujing’s embrace. Her chin knocked heavily on his shoulder, one wrist was held by Ji Wujing, while the other hovered awkwardly at his side, unsure of where to place it.
Ji Wujing remained in his cross-legged sitting position, unmoving, except for the hand holding Gu Jianli. He raised his other hand to touch her waist.
A woman’s waist is so slender and soft, even when tense.
Gu Jianli felt that Ji Wujing’s voice was like a cold snake, and so was his hand. This cold snake was now crawling along her waist. She tried hard to endure it, but her body couldn’t help but start trembling. Her nerves were exceptionally sensitive when she was tense, and she felt Ji Wujing’s long fingers slip inside her clothes.
At that moment, what came to Gu Jianli’s mind was not a flirtatious gesture but the image of a human-skin lantern.
Ji Wujing suddenly let go.
Gu Jianli stumbled slightly, falling to sit beside Ji Wujing. She propped herself up with her hands on the bed, leaning back slightly, taking a few silent breaths before cautiously looking at Ji Wujing.
Ji Wujing was holding a snow-white handkerchief to his lips, coughing lightly. The clean handkerchief gradually stained with crimson. The fresh blood spread, soaking most of the handkerchief.
It was Gu Jianli’s handkerchief.
Gu Jianli realized that Ji Wujing had pulled her over just to take the handkerchief from her waist.
Finally, Gu Jianli calmed down a bit and asked softly, “How… how are you?”
Ji Wujing stopped coughing, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his fingertip, and looked down at the blood-stained handkerchief for a moment. He then slowly and meticulously folded the bloodied handkerchief and placed it to the side. In a hoarse voice, he asked, “What time is it now? Has the New Year passed?”
“December 21st,” Gu Jianli whispered.
Ji Wujing’s hand paused slightly as he put down the handkerchief. He frowned imperceptibly and said, “Too early.”
Gu Jianli didn’t understand what he meant. She sat up straight carefully and said, “Do you need water? Or are you hungry? I’ll go get a doctor for you right away.”
Ji Wujing moved slightly and lazily raised his eyes, staring at Gu Jianli’s face. She looked familiar to him. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He reached out and pinched Gu Jianli’s chin, lifting her face.
Squinting, Ji Wujing stared at Gu Jianli’s face and asked, “What relation do you have with Consort Li?”
Gu Jianli was stunned for a moment before she said, “The Consort is my aunt.”
Ji Wujing’s fingertip gently rubbed Gu Jianli’s chin. After a moment of thought, he asked, “Are you Gu Jingyuan’s youngest daughter?”
“Yes.”
Gu Jianli’s appearance closely resembled her biological mother and also bore some resemblance to Consort Li.
Ji Wujing’s fingertip had a thin callus, and his light touch left a red mark on Gu Jianli’s chin. Her heart pounded as his fingers moved.
Ji Wujing softly hummed, then smiled absently and asked, “Is your father still alive?”
“Father is fine!” Gu Jianli’s voice grew a bit louder when mentioning her father. But remembering her father’s current situation, her eyes dimmed.
Gu Jianli was taken aback, looking at Ji Wujing in surprise. How did he know about her father’s trouble after being unconscious for half a year?
Before she could ask more, she heard the sound of footsteps outside. Nanny Lin’s voice followed, “Madam, what happened?”
Ji Wujing let go and propped his chin on his hand, saying, “Fish.”
“What?” Gu Jianli didn’t understand.
“I said I want to eat fish.” Ji Wujing lazily leaned to one side, intending to lie down.
“Alright, I’ll go make arrangements.” Gu Jianli quickly got up and hurried out, just in time to meet Nanny Lin, who was about to knock on the door.
“Fifth Master is awake. Go call a doctor.”
Nanny Lin was taken aback and slapped her thigh, “That’s great! I’ll go to the front courtyard and summon the imperial physician right away!”
Nanny Lin left happily, but Gu Jianli, standing under the eaves, didn’t feel much joy. She looked up at the lantern hanging from the eaves, somewhat dazed. A gust of cold wind blew, sending a chill down her spine. She frowned and touched her neck. The chill seemed to spread from her fingertips throughout her entire body.