Chapter 128: Stubbornly Waiting for Only One Thing

Most of the people here are like mere passersby; their expressions are even more indifferent and detached than those of strangers. They stand by as if watching a performance, watching with blank faces until the curtain falls on the grand drama, only to turn and leave with the same vacant look.

For the first time, I have truly seen the coldness and warmth of human nature in this world.

That day, I did not return to the Green Phoenix Palace. Instead, I stayed in the Luofu Palace with Fendudu, tending to Fengshi Liuying. Looking at the person lying on the bed, now drenched in blood and clinging to life, my heart ached uncontrollably.

Yesterday, that stunning, beautiful face was slashed all over by a long sword. The crisscrossing cuts, numbering no fewer than twenty, were so deep that the flesh was visible, and the blood flowed incessantly, its redness stinging to the eyes.

Because the wounds were so deep, we could not apply medicine directly. We had to keep wiping the blood away with white cloth, then gently sprinkle powder onto the clean areas. Yet, no matter how careful we were, blood would immediately well up from the deep gashes, instantly soaking the newly applied powder and turning it into a clump of red sludge within her wounds.

I do not understand it. Throughout her days and nights of unconsciousness, she murmured only two words: "hair" and "Master."

As for what her Master means to her, I have a slight inkling. The angry reprimands Lan Duo'er shouted outside the gates of Luofu Palace a few days ago still echo in my ears.

"Seducing your Master?" I whispered to myself, gazing at the unconscious Fengshi Liuying. Is your affection for Fengqiaoyexue the same as mine for Zijian? Now that you are in such a plight, does he know? Why, after so many years, has he still not appeared by your side to take you away?

What is it that you are holding onto? What is it that you are waiting for so bitterly? There is too much I cannot comprehend.

"Cough, cough, cough..." A few soft coughs broke my train of thought.

"Water... water, I need water..."

Three days later, today, she finally woke up.

I pulled myself together, ran to the table to pour a cup of water, and hurried back to the bedside. I gently propped her up and fed her the water.

Having not awakened for days, Fendudu and I had tried many ways to get her to eat or drink, but she would swallow only a little before spitting out the rest. As a result, three days later, her complexion did not look well at all; she was as pale as rice paper, appearing as if her life force were nearly extinguished.

After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was dull, staring fixedly at the rafters of the ceiling. Her expression was filled with a trace of confusion, and she did not say a word.

"Are you feeling any better?"

The catastrophe was caused by me, and I felt such guilt that I did not have the face to look into her eyes, nor the courage to confront that once-peerless face now marred by such cruel scars.

"Is my appearance very frightening now?"

After a long pause, she broke the silence and asked me.

I bit my lip and slowly shook my head at her. "I am sorry, I am sorry, Senior Sister. This is all Xiaoyu's fault. It is because of me that Fairy Lan Duo'er harmed you today."

"She would harm me because of you?"

Hearing this, she let out a scoff. "Lan Duo'er has likely been waiting for this day for a long time. She loves my Master, but because my Master fell in love with a mortal woman, she transferred all the hatred and resentment in her heart onto me. For these past three thousand years, I have guarded against her day and night, yet in the end, I could not escape."

"And what about you? Are you also in love with the Second Martial Uncle?" I could not help but ask.

I expected her to be furious or to fall into a stony silence, but instead, I saw a smile bloom on her scarred face. Her expression seemed to be reminiscing, filled with a hint of sweetness.

"Yes. It is a secret I have hidden in the depths of my heart for a very long time—so long that I almost forgot it myself. Others never knew, he never knew, and he will never have the chance to know."

"More than three thousand years ago, he brought me back from the mortal world, taught me immortality arts, taught me to read and write, and taught me how to get along with others. But it seems I have disappointed him. From childhood to adulthood, whether in the mortal realm or here, I have never had a friend, nor has anyone been willing to speak to me voluntarily. However..."

At this point, she looked at me with a smile in her eyes. "However, you are the first—the first person who purely wanted to talk to me. I am very happy, and very touched."

"Yuge, Fendudu, and Fendudu's Master, Senior Brother Sanshi, all like you, Senior Sister Liuying. There are still many people in this world who care for you. You are not alone."

She smiled at my words and continued: "Since I was small, the hair ribbons I used were all bought by him. My undergarments, my cycles—he taught me about all these things, stern-faced and blushing, slowly and hesitantly."

As she spoke, she could not help but laugh out loud. The wounds on her face, which had only just been medicated, split open instantly. Yet, watching the fresh blood trickle down her face, I did not have the heart to interrupt her, only crouching by the bedside, listening quietly to her words.