Ye Luan returned to her room and stood before the wooden rack to wash her face.
A basin of clear water instantly bloomed with spreading blood.
The reflection of a man's sinister face appeared in the bloody water.
Her hands gripping the basin were chillingly pale.
With a 'ch' sound, the door was pushed open.
"A'luan."
Lu Feibai, sitting in his wheelchair, leaned slightly forward, his pale fingers gripping the armrest. His face, sallow from illness, was devoid of any color.
Ye Luan quickly fetched a small blanket and covered his legs.
"It's so cold, why aren't you wearing more?"
Lu Feibai smiled faintly, "There's sunshine, it's not cold."
"The medicinal porridge spilled. I'll make another pot later."
"A'luan, there's no need to trouble yourself. I'm truly sorry just now, he mistook you for an assassin."
Ye Luan touched her neck and grinned, "It's fine."
"This is ointment. Apply it for a few days, and it will be fine."
Ye Luan took the ointment, looking at his frighteningly pale complexion, and took a deep breath.
"How have you been feeling lately? Better?"
She pushed his wheelchair towards the Bodhi tree.
The sky was clear, a vast expanse of azure without a cloud, the sun blazing like fire.
Lu Feibai leaned back wearily in his wheelchair and said faintly, "Since you gave me acupuncture, the pain at night has lessened."
Congenital frost sickness, and delayed for so many years, it was difficult to cure.
"A'luan, have you thought about that matter?"
Ye Luan paused at the sound of his voice, recalling the man she had seen in his room earlier.
She lightly tapped her teacup and asked, "Is that man in purple from Northern Qi?"
"Yes."
In the courtyard, there was a lotus pond. A gentle breeze swept by, rippling the water's surface and releasing waves of subtle fragrance.
The air was filled with the scent of medicine, mingled with the fresh fragrance of lotuses, permeating Ye Luan's nostrils. She lowered her eyes and smiled faintly at the man.
"Jingzhi, I'm not going to Northern Qi."
Lu Feibai turned his head, "Is it because of Bei Han?"
"He is Xie Beihan?!"
"Yes."
Escaping one wolf's den only to fall into another, what was the difference?!
"A'luan, if you dislike Bei Han, I won't let him disturb you."
Ye Luan put down the small cup with its peach branch pattern and shook her head, remaining silent.
Lu Feibai gazed at her for a few moments, then after a pause, smiled tenderly, "I respect your choice." He added, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Upon hearing his words, Ye Luan looked directly at him, "Jingzhi, you've thought of a way out for everyone, even for me, a friend you've only known for a short time, but what about yourself?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, by tomorrow night, the capital will be in chaos, the Lu family will be captured, and face execution of the entire clan. How will you handle yourself?"
She was concerned about him!
Lu Feibai's pale hand lightly tapped the armrest, and he said gently, "His Majesty has pardoned my death sentence. When the Lu family falls, I will spend the rest of my life in this temple."
"And then?"
At this, he spread his hands and gave a wry smile, "In less than a month, I'll be twenty. A dying person, what could they covet?"
Ye Luan looked at his eyes, which were as dim and lifeless as dead wood, devoid of any spark. Her heart felt bitter.
"A'luan, you don't have much time left. Descend the mountain early tomorrow to make preparations. I know you will seize this opportunity to leave."
Saying this, Lu Feibai took out a deed from his embrace and handed it to her.
"A letter of annulment?!"
Lu Feibai tugged at the corner of his mouth, "I requested it from His Majesty. The marriage between the two families is void. The Lu family's affairs will not implicate you. Leave the capital and live well."
Ye Luan's heart was startled.
No wonder the Ye family had not sent anyone to find her. The day before the wedding, the marriage was suddenly annulled. She could only imagine the chaos in the Ye family now.
She pursed her lips and looked at him.
His deep, dark eyes held a gentle smile, his long brows were like willow, and his form was like a jade tree. Even seated in his wheelchair, his noble bearing could not be concealed.
Such a good person, yet born to suffer so much.
This mortal world always brought sharp pain.
Clutching the paper in her hand, she suppressed the ache in her heart and looked at him with a smile, "There's one more treatment. After the final acupuncture session tomorrow, I'll be leaving."
"Alright."
At night, Ye Luan lay on the bed.
She stared at the canopy above her, her fox-like eyes unusually cold.
She had studied medicine for so many years in her past life, only to find she couldn't even save the person she wanted to.
Congenital frost sickness! Beyond all remedies.
This was a rare and difficult illness in the world.
Why did it have to be this disease, an incurable one!
She couldn't help but feel a surge of sadness within her.
Suddenly, the window latch opened, and a gust of cold wind blew in.
Ye Luan immediately came to her senses and sat up.
The man, wrapped in a chilling wind, entered through the window. The moon was bright, the night suddenly cold, and the bronze bells on the eaves of the pavilion chimed with the mountain breeze, a sound ethereal and pleasant.
"Why has Your Highness come?"
Ye Luan put on a robe and got out of bed.
Xiao Chizhan closed the window and glanced at her, "Can't I come?"
"If Your Highness is here to stay, there are chanting monks at the front courtyard. I need to rest, so I cannot entertain you."
Xiao Chizhan ignored her, disrobed himself, and glanced at the annulment letter on the table.
Ye Luan's eyebrows knitted, and she immediately put away the deed.
"What are you hiding! Without my consent, could he have so easily broken off the engagement?"
So it was his doing!
What trick was he playing now? How could he let her go so easily?
"What do you want to do?"
Xiao Chizhan scooped her up and threw her onto the bed, then leaned over and pressed down.
His face was cold. He pinched her chin and sneered, "You won this game!"
Ye Luan pressed against his chest with her hands and said coldly, "Then will Your Highness let this humble girl go?"
He looked at her coldly, his features illuminated by the moonlight filtering in. His deep red pupils were subtly shadowed, and the deep shadows on the sides of his nose added a touch of ferocity.
"I'm tired of hearing that sentence."
Ye Luan sneered, 'Has Your Highness not had enough of playing?'
Xiao Chizhan remained silent, staring at the woman beneath him.
A pair of eyes, as dazzling as rubies, were filled with an unfathomable expression. He stroked her face, caressing it inch by inch.
Silence.
A strange, unnerving silence, where a needle's drop could be heard.
Ye Luan felt as if she were being stared at by death, a terrifying sensation. The aura emanating from him was strangely eerie, sending shivers down her spine.
Her heart---trembled.
"Yes, I compromised first. I lost to you."
He was smiling, the curve of his lips chilling and sinister.
His hand moved down her smooth skin, lingering on her fair neck.
Ye Luan felt a chill on the back of her neck, an unsettling feeling as if fate's throat were being clutched by death.
She looked at the man radiating killing intent, her hands clenched, unconsciously rubbing the hidden weapon on her wrist.
The next moment, Xiao Chizhan suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, a malicious grin spreading across his face, "Trying to kill me?"
Seeing her silence, his eyes suddenly dimmed. He released her wrist and pressed down heavily on her.
Ye Luan felt as if she could barely breathe under his weight.
He buried his head in her neck and murmured, "I lost."
His voice was cold and calm, yet it made Ye Luan's heart pound with dread.