Chapter 60

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

Chapter 60: Asset

When Ji Yunhe woke up again, it was still deep in the night. Candle flames flickered and quality coal burned, making the room warm and cozy. The wind and snow outside the window howled with a sound that was unique to the Northlands. It was difficult to predict how many people would be buried by the bitter cold tonight.

But in this world of chaos torn by war, death might come as a relief.

On the other side of the room, a black robed man sitting by the candle glanced at Ji Yunhe.

Her face was pale, the hands that supported her body were horribly thin, and veins popped out from under the skin, making them look extra creepy.

Changyi tightened his grip on the letter he was reading. But his eyes moved away from her and fell back onto the text, showing no concern for her struggles to sit up.

Ji Yunhe, on the other hand, did not avoid looking at him. She stared for a while then asked out of curiosity, "What are you looking at?" From the part not hidden behind his arm, Ji Yunhe could see the words "Grand Master's house" and "jade phoenix" vaguely written on the paper.

The jade phoenix had appeared in the north a month ago, and as a result, Princess Shunde suffered major defeat and was nearly killed. The Grand Master was pulled to the north and battled Qing Ji for many days in the bitter cold.

Changyi broke into the Grand Master's house during that time, burned it down along with Princess Shunde, and took Ji Yunhe away.

And Ji Yunhe knew nothing about what happened after that.

In the days she spent locked up in the center of this lake, she only saw the maid who delivered her food along with the cleaning servants who occasionally walked by… And of course, Changyi.

The servants would not tell her anything, and neither would Changyi.

Seeing familiar names on the letter, Ji Yunhe felt a vague connection to the outside world, so she kept asking, "You broke into the Grand Master's house and killed Princess Shunde... From my understanding of the Grand Master, he would never let this go. Did he give you any trouble?"

Changyi turned sideways and looked at her sitting on the bed. "From your understanding of the Grand Master..." he looked a bit displeased, "how would he give me trouble? "

Ji Yunhe thought he would keep ignoring her, or tell her it was none of her business. But he took such an unexpected angle that she did not know how to answer him.

"He..." Ji Yunhe pondered for a moment, then responded with a question, "didn't do anything?"

Changyi held the letter against the candle flame and waited until it almost burned to his fingers before releasing. With a wave of his sleeve, the ashes were brushed away and he stood up, returning the topic back to what Ji Yunhe had guessed.

"These things are none of your concern."

Ji Yunhe nodded her head and smirked. As expected after all.

She looked at Changyi who was about to leave and asked, "Then what should I be concerned about?"

Changyi paused his steps but did not answer her, so Ji Yunhe continued, "Changyi, are you going to keep me locked up even after I die?" She lowered her head and looked at her pale, boney fingers. "You know what I want most and what I hate most, so you are doing this on purpose to torment me and to punish me. You want me to suffer and feel hopeless..."

While Ji Yunhe was speaking, Changyi did not turn around nor did he walk away.

Until she said, "... You succeeded."

He turned and looked at her apathetically. "Good."

Then he left.

Ji Yunhe got out of bed, walked to the window and pushed it open. The howling snowstorm outside immediately washed onto her extremely thin face.

Ji Yunhe stood there until it took away her last bit of warmth before closing the window. She sat down by the dresser and looked at herself in the mirror. "Even though I owe him, this is a little bit too harsh." She touched her cheek and sighed at her withered skin and visible fatigue.

"Begging Changyi is useless. I don't get to see anything inside this room, my body isn't getting any better, I have no appetite to eat, and I have to vomit blood… The days are way too difficult."

Ji Yunhe opened her palm and summoned the black gas that had been dormant inside her body. It seeped out of the tip of her index finger and swayed around without a rhythm.

"Not many days left, let's disrupt a bit. Why not."

A spark of black fire broke out on top of her hand as she spoke.

...

At the same time, on the other side of a land covered in a blanket of snow.

The capital city of Dacheng was under curfew and quiet. The snow had not yet fallen here, but it was very cold.

Inside the Grand Master's room, behind layers of bed curtains, a woman in red breathed out a mouthful of white air. She was wrapped in bandages, her left leg, hands, neck, and even her whole face. Only a mouth and one eye were exposed.

She looked at the lamp by the bed and stared at its flame. The white mist coming out of her mouth became more rapid, and terror grew behind her one eye. Her chest heaved violently even though she could not move her limbs.

She breathed hard and her throat let out a whimper.

The flame inside the lamp, to her, was the same as the fire that had burned her throat, boiled her blood, and scorched her skin.

She felt the pain again, so painful it distorted her mind.

Until a man's calm face appeared in front of her and shielded the lamp from her view. Just like that day, when all the fire extinguished as soon as he appeared. He was like a god saving her life once again, no matter from how far away...

"Ruling."

Princess Shunde eased her tension.

Master...

She wanted to shout but nothing could come out. After he came, the burning pain around her body slowly disappeared and her breathing calmed.

The Grand Master said, "This will cure your throat but it might cause some discomfort."

Princess Shunde blinked as the Grand Master helped her up and fed her a bowl of medicine.

She suddenly felt like she was being choked by a pair of invisible hands. She opened her mouth and gasped for air, but nothing flowed in. The horror of suffocation made her struggle, but her limbs only managed a slight tremble.

Her one eye filled with blood as she desperately looked at the Grand Master.

Master, master...

She wanted to call for help while he just stood by the bed and watched. It seemed like he was looking at her, yet not really her. He wanted to heal her, but he did not care about her at all. Finally, her throat opened up and air flowed in.

Princess Shunde breathed for a long time.

"Master..."

She finally squeezed out a word. The Grand Master nodded his head without showing any joy or satisfaction. "The medicine is effective. Ruling, I will be able to heal your face."

Princess Shunde was silent for a moment then asked, "Master, do you want to heal me, or do you want to heal my face?"

"Ruling," without hesitation or contemplation, he bluntly said, "that is not a smart question."

It was not a smart question. The Grand Master did not answer stupid people or stupid questions.

Why did he stand by her side all these years, saving her, protecting her, and even giving her the power to rival the emperor? Princess Shunde had always been crystal clear, so she never asked him. She just relied on her leverage and did all the things that others could not.

Because she had an asset that gave her shelter with the most powerful person in the world.

And she ended up… being just an asset.

The Grand Master left. Under the blanket, her hands tightened and her blackened fingertips digged into the sheets.

Proofreader: Gem