"You’ve grown even more skeletal these past two days. Have you not been eating and sleeping properly?"
The woman in her arms didn't answer, but Chu Ruo continued to chatter to herself. "You never listen to me anyway. You little scorpion, you aren't cute at all. If you waste away until you're nothing but skin and bones, I won't want you anymore."
Nan Muxue had remained silent with her eyes closed in that familiar embrace, but finally, she spoke. "Mhm."
A single, faint word, yet it carried a mountain of emotion. Chu Ruo leaned in slightly, pressing her lips against the other woman’s forehead. "Say something, won't you? It’s exhausting being the only one talking."
"Mhm."
Chu Ruo sighed helplessly. "Xue’er..."
"You’ve grown thin."
"I haven't..."
"You are becoming weaker by the day. You might be blind and still scold me, but do you think I am blind as well?"
"Anyway, let’s talk about something else. I—"
"Ruo’er."
"Let’s not talk about it. Please?" Chu Ruo pleaded.
Nan Muxue looked up and cupped Chu Ruo’s cheek. She offered a small smile—one of breathtaking beauty, yet it held no trace of joy. "Had I known it would come to this, I should have killed you with my sword back then."
"...You really are something," Chu Ruo murmured.
"Are you going to call your master a 'little scorpion' again?"
"I wouldn't dare. Everything Master says is right. Whatever you say goes."
"If I had killed you then, you wouldn't be suffering this torment now."
"What torment? I can eat and sleep just fine..."
Nan Muxue pressed a finger to Chu Ruo’s lips. "I told you, I don't like it when you lie to me. Do you think a forbidden technique is so easily practiced? The internal energy surges through your body before my mother drains it away, leaving your meridians in chaos and your blood flow reversed. These past few days, you must have found it impossible to swallow food or find rest, haven't you? You cannot see how ghastly your own complexion has become." *And you cannot see the heartache in my eyes.*
Chu Ruo took Nan Muxue’s soft hand and pressed it firmly against her own cheek. "I’ll be fine. Trust me. I swear I won't let anything happen to me until I’ve rescued you."
"I won't let anything happen... for your sake."
"Holy Envoy, time is up."
"Time really does fly," Chu Ruo joked, even now. "If only it went this fast when I was outside. Wait for me obediently; I’ll come back tomorrow... Mmph!"
Nan Muxue’s kiss came abruptly, right in front of the disciple who had come to fetch Chu Ruo. In a time like this, they shouldn't have had the heart for such things; if anything, it should have been a light kiss of longing. But this kiss was so fervent, so desperate, that it left Chu Ruo dazed. She responded instinctively, yet today, the kiss tasted of bitterness.
"Xue’er..."
"Go. Be careful."
...
Naturally, every move they made was reported to Nan Menghua. When Chu Ruo stood before her, the Sect Leader’s cruel smirk was enough to make one’s blood run cold.
"What a pair of devoted lovers," she sneered.
Despite the chilling tone, Chu Ruo remained defiant. "Does the Sect Leader have further business?"
"Hahaha..." In the blink of an eye, Nan Menghua flew forward and stood directly in front of her. "You have a lot of nerve, speaking to me like that!"
Her hand clamped around Chu Ruo’s throat with lethal force. Chu Ruo struggled to breathe, yet she refused to bow her head. "Kill... me... then..."
"You want to die? Can you bear to leave your beloved woman behind? That wench!"
"Don't you... insult Xue’er..."
"Fine! Today, I’ll let you experience a fate worse than death!"
Nan Menghua began to violently drain the internal energy from Chu Ruo’s body. Chu Ruo’s martial arts had already been sealed, and the forbidden technique Nan Menghua practiced was extremely yin and venomous. Chu Ruo was being used as a vessel to refine the energy; the essence was taken by Nan Menghua, while the toxic dregs were left to ravage Chu Ruo’s body. To have her energy repeatedly drained in such a short period was a strain even a master could not endure for long. Usually, Nan Menghua would limit the duration, but today, she had already put Chu Ruo through one session and now seemed completely indifferent to her survival. Chu Ruo feared she might actually die here today. *Heh, I’m not afraid of death... but Xue’er, what will happen to you?*
*Pfft!*
Unable to hold on any longer, Chu Ruo violently coughed up a mouthful of black blood and collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Nan Menghua stood aside with a frown, her eyes filled with disgust at the bloodstains. Nan Yunshuang stepped forward to examine her and reported, "She likely couldn't withstand it. Her qi and blood are severely depleted..."
Nan Menghua waved her hand impatiently. "How long will she need to recover?"
"At the earliest, half a month. At the latest, two to three months."
"Hmph!" With a flick of her sleeve, the nearby tables and chairs were shattered into splinters. "Ten days. Watch her closely. If anything goes wrong, I’ll hold you responsible!"
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Devoted lovers? You’d better not die so quickly. How could I forget the Hundred Flowers Gu? When she wakes up, take her to the dungeon. I want my dear daughter to see exactly how her beloved suffers the pain of a thousand stings piercing her heart and bones. Hahaha..."
***
