The atmosphere was stifling. Chu Ruo decided it was better to take the initiative. "Xue'er..."
She had prepared herself to be cut off by a sudden storm of rage the moment she spoke. She even paused, waiting for the blow, but to her surprise, there was no movement from the other side. This Little Scorpion was always so unpredictable. Chu Ruo was forced to call out again, "Xue'er..."
"Every skill you have was taught by me," Nan Muxue said, her voice cold. "I told you: if you’re going to do something, have the ability to keep me from finding out. Don't just come here to make a fool of yourself in front of me."
Footsteps approached. *Ah, this suffocating pressure.* Should she yield to this tyrannical aura? Should she grovel and plead for mercy? Should she drop to her knees immediately and write a hundred-thousand-word letter of apology? *Why are all my thoughts about begging for forgiveness? Is the urge to resist truly gone from my bones? What should I do after upsetting my girlfriend? Waiting for advice, urgent, life-or-death...*
"Let's go."
*Wait, what?* That was it? No explosion of temper? No hysterical screaming? No slaps to the face? Chu Ruo had braced herself for at least a few hits, but this was completely unexpected. Just... "let's go"?
The footsteps began to recede. Chu Ruo didn't dare dither any longer and hurriedly followed.
When she had arrived, she had felt her way forward slowly and cautiously. Now, in her haste and anxiety, she didn't dare hesitate for a second. She tried to keep pace, but she had only gone a few steps out of the cave when—*crack!*—she stepped on a protruding piece of deadwood and violently twisted her ankle.
Seeing this, Fenghuang and Granny Hua moved to step forward. "Oh, slow down there! Watch your step..."
"No one is to help her." Nan Muxue continued walking without looking back, her voice carrying clearly to the three of them. "Since she had the ability to get here on her own, she surely has the ability to walk back herself."
Fenghuang’s expression instantly turned mischievous, and she tucked her hands behind her back. "Well now, it’s not that we won’t help you, it’s that your lady won’t allow it. I’m going back to rest. You really know how to stir up trouble; you've wasted my entire night. I'm off."
Granny Hua chuckled and followed suit. *What kind of people are they?* Chu Ruo thought bitterly. *Leaving just like that?* The most unlovable one was still the Little Scorpion; she knew things wouldn't be as calm as they seemed on the surface. This was pure malice.
"If you don't want to walk, then go back inside."
*...Then why did you come to catch me in the first place? I wanted to hide, but you caught me, and now you're doing this...* Chu Ruo’s heart was full of silent tears as she endured the pain in her ankle, limping after her. To make matters worse, Nan Muxue deliberately walked at a brisk pace, weaving through the trees. Blind and struggling, Chu Ruo slammed into trees several times with a loud *thud*, raising several bumps on her forehead. *Wuuu... Little Scorpion, your conscience is truly rotten.*
***
"Sister Ayue," Xiao Guo'er whispered.
"Shh!" Ayue signaled for silence. "It's fine now. Go back to sleep."
Xiao Guo'er peeked toward the room, though she couldn't see anything. She wore a look of schadenfreude. "She deserves it. How could the Young Palace Mistress not see through those petty tricks of hers? Just wait and see if the Young Palace Mistress doesn't punish her to death. She made us search for so long, and tonight was a real ordeal. She thinks she's so clever."
"Alright, let's go to sleep. By the looks of it, she’s in for a rough night."
Inside the room, Chu Ruo felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. Since their return, the Little Scorpion hadn't uttered a single word. This was completely unlike her usual style. To be honest, this silence was even more terrifying; the fear of the unknown was the most unsettling of all. Chu Ruo sat with her head hanging and shoulders slumped, neither standing nor sitting comfortably. This felt worse than being caught with unfinished homework as a child. It seemed there would be no sleep tonight.
*Rustle, rustle...*
The sound of clothes being removed, followed by the sound of a candle being blown out. *So, the Little Scorpion is... going to bed?*
*Are you kidding me? You're just going to leave me hanging and go to sleep? Do you have no humanity? You dragged me back just to ignore me?* She hadn't said a word, and she was likely sleeping with her back turned. *Fine! Don't talk then! Anyway, I don't think I was wrong this time.*
Her thoughts were defiant, but her movements were timid as she crept toward the bed. She eventually managed to lie down. *Phew, at least I wasn't kicked out of bed.* But the silence persisted. After lying there for fifteen minutes, Chu Ruo finally couldn't take it anymore and spoke up. "Xue'er..."
"There is a bundle on the table."
Hearing the voice, she confirmed Nan Muxue was indeed facing away from her. But that wasn't the point. "Huh?"
"There are clothes and dry rations in the bundle. As for silver notes, if you want them, I will give them to you."
"What are you talking about? Why would I..."
"Didn't you want to hide?"
"It is too late tonight. You can leave slowly tomorrow morning."
"Xue'er, I..."
"Sleep."
Terse and concise—exactly like her usual self. Chu Ruo sighed and cautiously reached out a hand to rest it on the other woman's shoulder. "Don't be angry anymore."
"I said, sleep."
Usually, the more abnormal a person acted, the angrier they were. This was especially true for Nan Muxue. If she had just exploded, it would have been fine, but this coldness left Chu Ruo at a loss. She sat up, thinking she would just sleep on the floor. "Then... you sleep well."
Chu Ruo had just felt her way off the bed to grab a quilt when the person on the bed bolted upright. The sound of grinding teeth followed. "Chu Ruo, do not push me further!"
"Xue'er, you... *cough*... you... let go!" *Damn Little Scorpion, even without your internal power, your grip on my throat is still no joke!* "You..."
Nan Muxue stared at that face. Though her martial arts were gone, her hands still possessed significant strength. She wouldn't truly kill her, of course, but her heart was consumed by a mixture of fury and anxiety—anxiety for Chu Ruo's safety and fury at her actions. In that cave, Chu Ruo had been covered in dirt and scratches. How much effort had it taken for her to reach that cold, damp place? She had been so pathetic, all just to hide from her! The thought only fueled her rage. "I truly ought to kill you..."
But as Chu Ruo struggled and flailed her arms, her hand brushed against the bandages on Nan Muxue's hand. The person who had been turning red and gasping for air a second ago now only managed one word: "Hand... your hand..."
Nan Muxue finally released her grip, but before Chu Ruo could even take a deep breath, she immediately grabbed Nan Muxue's hand. "What happened to your hand? Why is it bandaged? You're hurt. Who hurt you, Xue'er?"
Nan Muxue coldly pulled her hand away. "From this day forward, my affairs are no concern of yours."
*Seriously, every time this Little Scorpion gets hurt, she turns into a hedgehog.* "You..."
"Get away!" Nan Muxue stood up abruptly, causing Chu Ruo, who was already sitting on the floor, to fall backward hard. It seemed Chu Ruo's temper had finally flared up as well. "What exactly do you want from me!"
Nan Muxue let out a cold sneer. "That is a question I should be asking you."
"Asking me? You're the one who—"
"Everything I do is for your sake!"
"I won't allow it! What right do you have to sacrifice everything for me? I don't want it! You've already lost your martial arts, and now you want to give me your eyes? Have you gone mad? How could I have the heart to let you? How could I bear it! You're the foolish one! I'm telling you, Nan Muxue, what right do you have to decide everything for the both of us? What right do you have to take charge without even asking me? You want to give me your eyes? I. Refuse!"
"You think the choice is yours?"
Faced with that mocking tone, Chu Ruo grew even angrier—not because of how she was being spoken to, but because of how stupid her "Snake-Scorpion" was being. How foolish did one have to be to give up their eyes? This was the first time Chu Ruo had spoken so firmly to her. This wasn't like their petty bickering when they first met; this was their first real clash of wills. In the past, one would always yield to the other, but this time, both were unyielding. "Don't think that just because I'm blind, I can't do anything. You found me this time, but next time—"
*Slap!*
What was bound to come had arrived. Chu Ruo clutched her stinging cheek. Opposite her, Nan Muxue was trembling with rage. "Say that again!"
"Hit me then. It's not the first time. And running away isn't a first for me either. You—"
*Slap!*
"Nan Muxue!"
Nan Muxue grabbed her collar and hauled her up from the floor. "You... you actually dare to run!" *And you dare speak to me like this? Your courage has certainly grown.* Nan Muxue could no longer suppress her fury. She glanced around the room by the moonlight, then suddenly let go and stormed out the door, only to return a moment later. This time, she held a medium-sized wooden branch. It was, quite literally, perfect for a beating.
"I'll fulfill your wish today! If I beat you to death, it will save you the trouble of being so dissatisfied!"
The scene was a mirror of the first time Chu Ruo had been beaten by her, also with a tree branch. Back then, Nan Muxue had lacked her martial arts; now, the situation was even worse, and Chu Ruo was blind. As the first strike came down, Chu Ruo relied entirely on her hearing to raise her arms and block. "Agh! Damn Little Scorpion, you're really hitting hard!" Before she could react—"Agh!" Another strike landed. Then, the blows began to fall like raindrops. "Agh! Ow! Stop!"
Chu Ruo cried out as she tried to block. Her long period of training showed some results; relying on her hearing, she actually managed to dodge several times with agile movements. But this was Nan Muxue. After a few misses, she immediately found the weakness. As she swung, she deliberately threw objects in other directions to create distracting noises. This made it impossible for Chu Ruo to distinguish the strikes. Even if she felt the wind of the branch, it was too late. After dozens of strikes, Chu Ruo remained stubborn, refusing to utter a single word of apology. Both were venting their pent-up frustration, and the beating only added fuel to the fire.
"I want to see just how capable you are now! How many times can you dodge?"
"Even if you beat me to death, I won't take your eyes! I'm telling you—*Agh!*—don't even think about it! If you push me again—*Agh! Ow!*—I'll... *Agh!*... I'll just gouge my own eyes out! You want to give them to me? Give them to my ass!"
"Fine! Stubborn to the end! I'll beat the life out of you tonight!"
***
The next day.
Fenghuang looked at Chu Ruo and clicked her tongue. "You were too ruthless. You had her wailing like a ghost all night. People who didn't know better would think the place was haunted. You scared those two farm women so much they couldn't sleep, and neither could we..."
"Enough talk," Nan Muxue said, her eyes bone-chillingly cold. She had already produced her hidden weapons. "Perform the exchange immediately."
"I'm afraid... I can't."
Nan Muxue's gaze turned icy. "You refuse?"
For once, Fenghuang didn't play around. She pointed at the unconscious Chu Ruo. "See for yourself." She lifted Chu Ruo's hand; the fingers were trembling slightly. She smiled faintly. "She's still conscious."
Granny Hua, puffing on her water pipe, also noticed something. "I reckon that girl's eyelids are still twitching."
"No," Fenghuang said, peeling back Chu Ruo's eyelids. She found that the eyes were indeed moving, constantly rotating despite the small range. "The potency of my medicine is extreme. Forget her—even someone with a hundred times her internal power wouldn't remain conscious after taking it."
"Which means..."
"She is struggling. Her subconscious refuses to let your eyes be transferred to her. In this state, she might wake up at any moment during the procedure. If that happens, forget her eyes—her very life would be at risk."
Nan Muxue’s hand, hidden behind her back, clenched into a white-knuckled fist. *You idiot, why are you so stubborn?* "Is there no other way?"
"Unless she is willing. Haven't you noticed? She seems flighty and unreliable, but she has a streak of stubbornness in her bones. You shouldn't push her; it will only backfire. You never actually asked if she was willing."
Nan Muxue reached out to touch her beloved's face. She let out a soft, weary laugh. "All of you, get out."
The others silently withdrew. Only Fenghuang left one last remark before closing the door. "The person she cares about most is you. Why go to such lengths? You even beat her into this state. Do you know that back in Miaojiang, the night she came to find me thinking the Pregnancy Gu couldn't be removed, she was so frantic she coughed up a huge mouthful of blood? You... sigh, forget it. My advice is useless anyway. Just think about it yourself."
"Coughed up blood..." Once everyone had left, Nan Muxue's tenderness returned, reserved only for her. "What am I to do with you? You're a creature that only responds to kindness, never to force." She carefully lifted Chu Ruo's sleeve, looking at the bruises she had inflicted the night before. Her heart ached as she took out a medicinal salve to apply to them. "Why, after all this time, have you still not learned? Don't you know how to hide?" At the word 'hide,' she let out a faint, bitter smile. "Isn't hiding what you're best at?"
After applying the medicine, Nan Muxue slowly leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Ruo'er, don't be afraid."
***
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Master, Spare My Life: A Disciple's Sweet Rebellion | Chapter 156 | A Bitter Lesson | Novela.app | Novela.app
