Everyone in the residence had left, and the courtyard was quiet once again.
Lizi handed the freshly brewed medicine to Gu Jianli with a cheerful smile, “The medicine is ready!”
Gu Jianli hesitated for a moment and asked, “Lizi, can you manage to feed him the medicine?”
Lizi shook her head vigorously, her neck shrinking as she pointed fearfully at the threshold of the inner room, then waved her hands repeatedly, “Not allowed inside!”
Ji Wujing doesn’t allow Lizi inside the inner room?
“Then call Nanny Lin.”
Lizi still shook her head, “She’s not allowed inside either!”
Gu Jianli frowned. It was understandable if the somewhat clumsy Lizi was not allowed inside to serve, but why was even Nanny Lin not allowed? With no other choice, Gu Jianli had to brace herself and carry the medicine into the room.
Ji Wujing was still as pale as when she first saw him, as if that day of sudden awakening had been just an illusion.
“Could it be that you were really just having a last flash of life before death?” Gu Jianli muttered to herself, “If I had known, I should have asked for a divorce while you were conscious…”
Gu Jianli turned her face away and couldn’t help but cough lightly.
She put down the empty bowl and pressed the back of her hand against her forehead. As she thought, she had a bit of a fever.
She had fallen asleep this morning in the steam-filled western room. When she woke up and opened the window, a gust of cold wind hit her head, giving her a chill.
That night, Gu Jianli slept on the Luohan bed, holding a mandarin duck-patterned quilt. Because of the cold, her head felt heavy, and her body was chilly. The warming brazier was set at the head of the bed but was too far away. Gu Jianli couldn’t possibly fight a patient for the brazier, so she had to curl up under the quilt to stay warm.
If anything unusual happened, Gu Jianli would usually wake up immediately. But tonight, perhaps because of the chill and the heaviness in her head, she only woke up when Zhao Fengxian approached and pulled her quilt away, letting in the cold.
“Zhao…”
Zhao Fengxian covered Gu Jianli’s mouth, preventing her from calling out.
In the darkness, Gu Jianli widened her eyes and glared at Zhao Fengxian. She could clearly see the determination in his eyes—he wasn’t drunk; he was sober and premeditated!
In her frantic struggle, Gu Jianli kicked Zhao Fengxian and bit down hard on his hand.
Zhao Fengxian let out a pained gasp and released his grip.
Gu Jianli quickly retreated, but before she could call for help, a cold, gleaming dagger was pressed against her jade-like neck.
“Shout, and I’ll stab your throat immediately!” Zhao Fengxian threatened in a low voice.
Gu Jianli’s chest heaved with anger as she questioned furiously, “Zhao Fengxian, how dare you come back! Have you forgotten what happened last night?”
Zhao Fengxian sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm, “Last night, I was momentarily fooled by Ji Zhao’s empty threats! The imperial doctor has said repeatedly that he won’t live to see the new year, yesterday was just a final burst of energy before death. Hmph, I shouldn’t have left yesterday! So what if he woke up? He’s just a useless cripple! Even if I take you in front of him, what can he do?”
Zhao Fengxian’s expression changed, turning from vicious and cruel to lecherous. His lustful gaze swept over Gu Jianli’s full chest and slender waist. The dagger in his hand moved closer, pressing tightly against Gu Jianli’s neck as he threatened, “My dear, think carefully. No one in this household cares whether you live or die. Even if someone hears your cries for help, they won’t intervene. They might even join in. Be obedient and take off your clothes yourself. I’ll be gentle with you…”
Gu Jianli slowly raised her hand, placing it on the ribbon at her waist.
Zhao Fengxian swallowed hard.
In the darkness, there was a flash of silver, not from Zhao Fengxian’s dagger, but from a dagger Gu Jianli drew from under the quilt. She leaned back, narrowly avoiding the dagger at her throat, and with all her strength, kicked Zhao Fengxian.
Zhao Fengxian let out a cry and fell to the ground.
Gu Jianli, with her delicate and soft body, had little strength and shouldn’t have been able to knock Zhao Fengxian over. However, Zhao Fengxian was so consumed with lustful thoughts that he hadn’t expected someone as weak as Gu Jianli to resist, thus he was caught off guard.
Gu Jianli jumped off the Luohan bed and shouted, “Lizi—”
Indeed, no one in the Guangping Marquis residence cared whether she lived or died; some even wished for her death. She couldn’t trust even Nanny Lin or Changsheng. But Lizi was different; she was as pure as a blank sheet of paper, unaware of schemes and intrigues. Perhaps she was a glimmer of hope.
“You ungrateful thing!” Zhao Fengxian got up and easily grabbed Gu Jianli’s wrist, pulling her back and throwing her onto the Luohan bed before pouncing on her.
Gu Jianli tightened her grip on the dagger and, without hesitation, slashed at Zhao Fengxian’s neck.
Zhao Fengxian cried out and pushed her away, touching his neck and finding blood. Unfortunately, Gu Jianli’s strength was too little, and the wound on Zhao Fengxian’s neck wasn’t deep.
Gu Jianli took the opportunity to shout for Lizi several more times.
Zhao Fengxian, baring his teeth, pointed at Gu Jianli, “I’ve been kind to you, but if you don’t behave, don’t blame me for being rough!”
Seeing the shallow wound that hadn’t truly harmed Zhao Fengxian, a flicker of disappointment appeared in Gu Jianli’s eyes. If the neck wasn’t effective, what about—
The eyes!
Her father had once said, “If you know there is no way out and death is certain, it’s better to fight to the end than to surrender.”
Before Zhao Fengxian could pounce on her again, Gu Jianli, gripping the dagger tightly, aimed and struck towards his eye with all her might. If one is not afraid of death, then there is nothing to fear.
“Are you crazy!” Zhao Fengxian kept retreating.
He also had a dagger, but he was reluctant to slash Gu Jianli’s tender body, fearing it would ruin the perfection and lessen the pleasure…
Zhao Fengxian only wanted to force Gu Jianli, not hurt her. As Gu Jianli swung her dagger wildly, he had to keep stepping back. It wasn’t until he received two scratches on his arm and face that he finally lunged forward. After his hand got a deep cut from Gu Jianli, he grabbed her wrist and wrested the dagger from her hand.
The dagger fell to the ground.
“I really underestimated you! Tsk, you look so delicate and fragile, but…” Zhao Fengxian sneered as he pinned Gu Jianli against the wall.
The room was very dark.
As Gu Jianli retreated, she stumbled, causing Zhao Fengxian to glance down instinctively. In that moment, Gu Jianli suddenly pulled out a hairpin from her hair, causing her raven-black hair to fall.
In the instant Zhao Fengxian looked up in surprise, Gu Jianli thrust the hairpin into his eye socket with all her might. Blood spurted out.
“Ah—” Zhao Fengxian screamed in agony.
He staggered back, tripping over a small stool and falling to the ground.
Gu Jianli quickly picked up the dagger from the floor and rushed towards Zhao Fengxian, stabbing him repeatedly.
Gu Jianli didn’t know where the heart was, so she just kept stabbing over and over. When Zhao Fengxian tried to block, she slashed his hands. She would stab wherever she could reach.
In her most desperate times, even though she had pawned her mother’s keepsake, she never sold the iron-cutting dagger her father had given her.
Gu Jianli didn’t know how many times she had stabbed. She was in a daze, repeating the actions of stabbing and slashing until Zhao Fengxian could no longer move.
The dagger slipped from her hand, and Gu Jianli collapsed to the ground, trembling as she stared at Zhao Fengxian lying in a pool of blood. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. The courage she had while fighting for survival vanished, leaving only immense fear.
She had killed someone…
In the pitch-black night, she sat trembling, sobbing helplessly.
The sound of coughing behind her startled Gu Jianli so much that she felt her soul leave her body. She turned around stiffly and stared in shock at Ji Wujing.
Ji Wujing propped himself up on his forearm, struggling to sit up, and immediately spat out a mouthful of black blood. He had not been completely unconscious, always somewhat aware of his surroundings. He could awaken from his semi-conscious state, but doing so was detrimental to his recovery.
Something shot out from his fingertips, suddenly lighting several lamps in the room. Ji Wujing surveyed the mess in the room before finally looking at the tearful Gu Jianli.
Ji Wujing hadn’t wanted to wake up to intervene with Gu Jianli. Whether she lived or died was none of his concern; he hadn’t killed her simply because he found it troublesome.
This young girl actually managed to kill someone. Interesting.
“Pour me a glass of water,” Ji Wujing rasped.
Gu Jianli’s body stiffened. She numbly got up, poured the water, and handed it to Ji Wujing. She was trembling so much that half of the water had spilled out of the cup by the time she brought it to him.
Ji Wujing took a sip of the water, raised his eyelids to look at Gu Jianli, and asked, “Are you scared?”
Gu Jianli was at a loss, her eyes vacant.
Ji Wujing handed the cup back to Gu Jianli and said, “Drink it.”
Gu Jianli blinked slowly at Ji Wujing, took the cup with a trembling hand, and sipped the remaining water. The cold water in her stomach made her shiver, and the emptiness in her eyes gradually faded.
“Calmed down?” Ji Wujing asked.
Gu Jianli stiffly nodded.
Ji Wujing coughed again before grasping Gu Jianli’s wrist. His hand was as cold as the water Gu Jianli had just drunk.
Ji Wujing pulled hard, causing Gu Jianli to stumble before he pulled her down to sit on the bed. Ji Wujing wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her from behind, with his chin resting on her shoulder.
While playing with Gu Jianli’s stiff hand, he whispered in her ear, “Throat, heart, eyes—none are the best places to strike.”
On this cold night, Ji Wujing’s cold, low voice brushed past her ear and through her heart.
Ji Wujing massaged Gu Jianli’s stiff hand, kneading it until it became soft and warm.
“A man’s weak point is here,” Ji Wujing said nonchalantly.
Gu Jianli, who had just begun to relax, tensed up again.
Ji Wujing held Gu Jianli’s small hand, teaching her, “A gentle squeeze here, and a man will be powerless, dropping everything. Twist like this, and a man’s life is in your hands. Hiss—”
Ji Wujing drew in a sharp breath, his teeth grazing Gu Jianli’s earlobe, “I’m teaching you, not telling you to crush it.”
Gu Jianli tried to pull her hand away. Ji Wujing held her hand firmly and asked, “Did you learn it?”
Gu Jianli hurriedly nodded, and Ji Wujing finally let go. She bowed her head low, her face flushed with embarrassment. Ji Wujing bent down to look at her face, his fox-like eyes smiling faintly, “I’m teaching you self-defense, don’t let your mind wander.”
His breath on her cheek made her heart quiver.
Suddenly, the sound of chaotic footsteps approached. Ji Yueming stormed in, “I didn’t expect Fifth Aunt to have an affair with Cousin while Fifth Uncle is gravely ill!”
A large group of people surged in, and they froze upon seeing the horrific corpse on the ground.
“This, this is…”
Ji Wujing smirked darkly, “It’s been a while since I killed anyone. My hands were itching.”