#23: Nightfall Palace (4)

When Yao Yin opened her eyes again, she found herself in an unfamiliar room, her head still throbbing slightly. She propped herself up and sat. Just then, the door opened.

“You’re awake? Is there anything else bothering you?” Zi Chen seemed surprised. He walked in, carrying a steaming bowl of porridge.

Yao Yin thought for a moment, then shook her head.

“That’s good.” Zi Chen walked over and sat by the bed. He stirred the spoon in the bowl a few times, then brought the porridge to Yao Yin’s lips.

Yao Yin drank the porridge while secretly observing him. For some reason, ever since Zi Chen had saved her multiple times, she had developed an instinctive fear of him. Sometimes, she didn’t even dare to look him directly in the eyes. She always felt that when she met his gaze, his profound and vast eyes were actually looking at someone else—through her face, at a woman named Ye Jiu. All his complex emotions were because of her. Thinking of this, Yao Yin felt a lump in her throat.

“What’s wrong?” Zi Chen asked, sensing Yao Yin’s unusual mood.

“...I’m fine,” Yao Yin shook her head, then suddenly, as if remembering something, jumped out of bed and circled Zi Chen, anxiously asking, “How are you here? Are your injuries healed?”

Zi Chen smiled faintly and shook his head, saying, “My injuries are fine. I followed your aura all the way here. What about you? Why are you here?”

“Yun Yan was captured by Wen Ren Liansheng. I followed them into the tree cave. I... I’m worried sick! Has A-Yan already been eaten by them?” When Yun Yan was mentioned, Yao Yin became genuinely anxious, unconsciously pacing back and forth in the room.

Zi Chen sighed and said, “You care about him a lot?”

“Of course! He’s my younger brother!” Yao Yin’s gaze was firm and resolute, without a hint of hesitation in her heart.

Zi Chen froze for a moment, looking somewhat lost. For the first time, an expression of disappointment appeared on his handsome face, making Yao Yin wonder if she had said something wrong.

No... she hadn’t said anything wrong, had she?

Just then, Zi Chen suddenly remembered something. He took out a token from his waist—the very one Yao Yin had for the Blood Sacrifice. He held up the token in his hand and said, “Is this yours?”

“...Yes.” Yao Yin nodded, about to explain, but Zi Chen suddenly stood up, grabbed her wrist, and urgently asked, “Are you trying to die?”

Zi Chen’s gaze was intense, fixed tightly on Yao Yin. Being stared at like that made Yao Yin’s heart pound.

Yao Yin looked at his exquisite and aloof face. At this moment, she suddenly felt that in this world, no one could fail to be attracted by his appearance, unless they were blind.

“I didn’t intend to participate... it’s a misunderstanding, I just wanted to save Yun Yan...” Yao Yin struggled to explain, but Zi Chen remained unmoved, his grip tightening instead.

“You like him?” Zi Chen’s face darkened, saying words Yao Yin completely didn’t understand.

“It hurts! Let go of me!” Yao Yin cried out in pain, not answering his question.

This cry, when it reached Zi Chen’s ears, seemed to be some kind of signal. His gaze became less clear than before, even somewhat wicked. He leaned over, cornering Yao Yin against the bed, desire evident in his eyes.

“This time, I will never back down, never!” Zi Chen enunciated each word, then seized Yao Yin’s hands, pressing his body close to hers, and kissed her lips. His lips were slightly cool, but his tongue was like a burning fire, raging in her mouth.

A masculine scent enveloped Yao Yin. Her heart pounded wildly, and she instantly felt overwhelmed with shame and anger. When had she ever been treated so disrespectfully?

“Zi Chen!” Yao Yin roared in anger, and seizing his momentary daze, she swiftly pulled out her right hand and slapped him squarely across the face. “Are you insane!”

Zi Chen froze, the lust in his eyes fading abruptly. He stared blankly at Yao Yin, then suddenly held his forehead and shook his head, slumping onto the edge of the bed. Yao Yin seized this opportunity to quickly smooth her disheveled clothes and jump off the bed.

“I...” Zi Chen looked at Yao Yin with a bewildered gaze, his expression having returned to normal. But he seemed unaware of what he had just done.

Yao Yin remained silent, her expression slightly angry.

Zi Chen looked at Yao Yin’s disheveled clothes and messy hair, probably guessing what he had done. He didn’t dare to look at her, quickly mumbled “I’m sorry,” and left.

Yao Yin watched his retreating back, noticing that a large amount of fresh blood was seeping from the spot on his back where he had previously shielded her from injury, staining his spine red.

His injuries had not healed.

Yao Yin urgently chased after him, but when she opened the door, she couldn’t find him. She called out repeatedly, but no one answered. He seemed to have vanished suddenly.

“Zi Chen, what’s wrong with him? Is he... to me...”

Yao Yin returned to the bed, recalling that cold and domineering kiss, and realized that she wasn’t actually angry. Rather, she was flustered. Never before had she felt as agitated as she did just now.

Does he like her?

Probably... yes.

And does she like him?

It seems... she doesn’t dislike him either.

Yao Yin shook her head, trying to stop herself from overthinking. She pulled the covers over her head, forcing herself to sleep. But she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, so she simply got dressed and went out to look for Zi Chen, wanting to clear things up with him.

________________________________________

After nightfall, the Everbright Stone dimmed, and the night glowed faintly. In a side room of the west wing of the Lotus Palace, candlelight flickered, and the atmosphere was ambiguous. A man and a woman were intimately intertwined, their bodies entangled in a raging fire of passion, creating a lewd atmosphere... A woman, her back to the window, was astride Zi Chen, gasping sensuously.

Moans filled the air, reaching Yao Yin’s ears. Yao Yin only took one look before quickly running away.

Yao Yin walked along the bluestone path, not far from the river pond. The night wind blew, feeling somewhat cold. She clutched her clothes tighter, her heart still chillingly cold.

She had intended to clarify things with Zi Chen; if they liked each other, she was willing to try being with him, without needing to hide. Who knew, she would instead see him engaged in such an illicit act with someone else... She had seen such scenes before, but none were as shocking as today’s. Yao Yin truly wished not to recall them, but that recent image kept swirling in her mind, refusing to vanish.

She didn’t understand. How could the person who had just minutes ago expressed affection for her now be entangled with someone else?

Yao Yin scoffed at herself, feeling like a fool.

The night in Nightfall Palace was dim and yellowish, possessing a unique charm. The surroundings were silent, only the rustling of leaves could be heard. Near the Lotus Palace, there were no tents, and no one dared to act presumptuously here. Yao Yin was preoccupied with her thoughts and momentarily forgot her vigilance, when suddenly, her vision went black, and she couldn’t see anything.

“Who? What do you want?!” Yao Yin questioned loudly, but received no response. She was stuffed into a cloth sack, carried on someone’s shoulder, and no matter how much she struggled, it was useless.

“Who are you? If you don’t speak, I won’t be polite!” Yao Yin roared, but still, no one answered. Just as she was about to cast a powerful spell, she suddenly felt a heavy drop, and she was thrown onto the ground. The sharp stones poked her, causing dull pain throughout her body. Before she could react, the next moment, she was brutally kicked in the abdomen. Soon after, punches and kicks rained down. Her chest and stomach churned, and a metallic taste filled her mouth. She violently spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Let’s see if you dare to be arrogant now!” As soon as the person finished speaking, Yao Yin felt herself falling into water, her body sinking heavily. But she recognized the voice—it was the group Zi Chen had taught a lesson to earlier. Ha... When it rains, it pours. The severe pain combined with the confinement of the sack made it impossible for Yao Yin to break free. She felt the air gradually disappear, and her consciousness grew weaker. She wanted to call out, but choked on water, all her words blocked...

“Oh no, someone fell into the water!” A woman on the bank shouted loudly.

Just as Yao Yin felt suffocated, a huge force suddenly pulled her onto the bank.

“Cough, cough, cough—” Yao Yin lay on the ground, unable to take a deep breath before coughing violently. Her coughs were heart-wrenching, as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat.

“Not dead yet.” The woman’s surprised exclamation and hurried footsteps came from in front of her.

“Don’t touch it, be careful you dirty your hands.” Soon, the young man beside her stopped her.

The man’s voice was calm and gentle, soft as jade, yet devoid of any emotion. But it was this cold tone that gave Yao Yin a strangely familiar feeling.

Light appeared overhead. Yao Yin immediately brushed off the torn cloth on her body, struggling to crawl out of the sack. Yao Yin wanted to thank him, but when she saw the person in front of her, she found herself speechless.

It was Hua Li Luo and Hua Jun Yan.

Hua Jun Yan’s amber eyes made one involuntarily fall into them. Beside him, Hua Li Luo had bright eyes and dazzling teeth, beautiful as a painting. Standing together, they seemed to emit their own radiance in the darkness. They looked like a match made in heaven, impossible to ignore.

Hua Li Luo looked at Yao Yin with interest, while Hua Jun Yan’s eyes remained unruffled.

Yao Yin froze on the ground, unsure what to do. She remembered Hua Jun Yan’s numerous teases in the past few days, and she suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu, as if she were the mistress.

Seeing Yao Yin staring at Hua Jun Yan, Hua Li Luo immediately took Hua Jun Yan’s hand and said, “Palace Master, she’s too dirty. Let’s ignore her and leave.”

“Mm.”

Hua Li Luo intimately embraced Hua Jun Yan’s left arm, smiling charmingly and clinging to his hand as they left. Finally, she turned her head and gave Yao Yin a look of profound pity.

And Hua Jun Yan, from beginning to end, never even looked at her directly.

After the two had walked far away, Yao Yin had also finished coughing. She was almost completely exhausted and simply lay down on the grass.

The wind by the river was strong, biting cold against her body, magnifying the pain countless times. But she paid no mind to it. She only felt an emptiness in her heart, as if something had been drained from her.

She suddenly felt very deflated.

Even when life offered no hope, she always found ways to comfort herself. But at this moment, she felt an unprecedented sadness. She had always been alone, accustomed to solitary journeys. She never thought there was anything wrong with it. But now, she desperately wished for someone to comfort her.

Just like in her childhood in the Pure Heaven, whenever she went astray during practice, a kind elder sister with long white hair would caress her forehead and hold her in her arms, gently soothing her.

Her master would scold her thoroughly, then give her a piece of candy.

And in her dreams, there was also a clumsy junior brother who would also injure himself and tell her, “I’ll hurt with you.”

Thinking of this, Yao Yin unexpectedly chuckled, but tears seemed to stream from the corners of her eyes. Yao Yin was startled and immediately wiped away her tears. She didn’t even know why she was crying.

She forced herself to calm down, sat up, and laughed loudly: “I’m a woman who’s been through storms! What’s the big deal about this?!”

Yes, it’s not a big deal.

But it has been so long, so long since she had a close friend.

Yun Yan is missing, and with Zi Chen... they can’t go back to the way they were.