“Wu Qing, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me.”
The person on the bed was convulsing in pain. He hadn’t expected someone who shouldn’t have been in the room. A hint of anger flared within him. Why hadn’t Qingfeng and Mingyue returned yet?
Sweat beaded on his face and rolled down. His eyes were bloodshot, his complexion a darkish red, but his lips were a grim grey. His shock of white hair was particularly striking.
At this moment, he was enduring some kind of inhuman torment within his body, forcing even such a strong person to writhe on the bed.
Qingyao reached out to help him, inadvertently pushing aside his long sleeve and revealing a small segment of his arm, as white as jade. She saw that it was covered in splotches of blue marks, intricately crisscrossed. Qingyao lifted the sleeve further and found many more. Her heart ached so fiercely she felt she would faint. What in the world was happening?
“Wu Qing, tell me, didn’t you say you would tell me the whole truth? What is going on? Who beat you until you are injured like this?”
Qingyao’s eyes were misty, her voice trembling. She felt she was going mad. If he would only tell her who it was, she swore she would never let that person off. She would kill them, tear them to shreds, and even if she couldn’t defeat them, she would detonate herself to destroy them.
“Tell me! I’ll find a way to help you.”
Wu Qing endured the heart-wrenching pain with all his might. Slowly, after a period of torment, he calmed down and lay motionless on the bed, as if he had exhausted all his strength.
Looking at him again, apart from his pale complexion, the dark red glow had receded, and his lips had also returned to their normal state, not grim grey, but pale. He looked as if he had just emerged from water, sweat clinging to his clothes, his hair damp and matted. He seemed like someone who had struggled back from the Dead Sea.
No wonder he had been suffering from a poor appetite lately and seemed so much weaker. So this was what he had been enduring. The thought made tears finally spill from Qingyao’s eyes.
She reached out and held his hand tightly. For some reason, she was terrified that something might happen to him. He was like a part of her life now. The thought of him being in real danger made her wonder how she would cope.
“Wu Qing,” Qingyao couldn’t help but weep, her tears falling like pearls, one by one.
Wu Qing turned his head. His spirits had recovered slightly, and a faint smile touched the corners of his lips. He spoke weakly, “I’m fine, Qingyao, truly. It only flares up once in a while, but it’s not life-threatening. Don’t worry about it; it’s an old ailment I’ve had for a long time.”
“I don’t believe you. This is clearly poisoning. Tell me, who poisoned you? The marks on your body are clearly from you pinching yourself in unbearable pain.”
Qingyao stared intently at Wu Qing, refusing to believe his words. Someone must have poisoned him.
Who could be so cruel as to do this to him? A man as indifferent as he was, who could he have offended? To be tortured like this. The thought made Qingyao’s chest ache.
“Yao’er, this is my own bodily ailment. Don’t overthink it. See how cold my body temperature is? It’s because of this.” After speaking, Wu Qing took two deep breaths. It seemed that each bout of pain consumed a great deal of his energy, which was why his complexion grew paler and he appeared so gaunt and haggard.
Qingyao, however, did not believe his explanation. Her eyes were sharp as a blade. All of this must be related to someone. This person was probably the mastermind behind the scenes. What did they want?
“Wu Qing, if you don’t tell me today, I’ll die right in front of you.”
Qingyao’s expression turned cold. She brought the jade thumb ring on her right hand to her mouth, tilting her head back slightly. Her other hand rested on the ring’s mechanism. As soon as she moved her finger, the poison within the jade thumb ring would be released into her mouth.
Wu Qing knew there was poison in the jade thumb ring and immediately cried out in alarm, “Qingyao, what are you doing? Are you crazy?”
“Will you tell me or not? A few days ago, when we went to Ling Mountain, you were going to tell me the truth. Why are you not saying anything now?”
Qingyao spoke with imposing force. Wu Qing on the bed sighed, his delicate eyebrows furrowed. His demeanor held a touch of desolation that made one’s heart ache from the core.
“Alright, put it down, and I’ll tell you.”
After speaking, he let out a long sigh and slowly began.
“This isn’t poison. If it were truly poison, I would have cured it long ago. This is a type of sorcery, a form of curse magic, called blood sorcery. It is formed by the caster using their own blood. The antidote requires the caster’s blood to be effective.”
After Wu Qing finished speaking, Qingyao remained still, gazing at him steadily, and asked in a low voice.
“Who cast the sorcery on you?”
Wu Qing was stunned when she asked. Based on his understanding of Qingyao, she would likely go find the caster to take action. However, with her abilities, she was no match for that person. Doing so would only endanger her.
But if he didn’t reveal the person’s identity now, she might not give up. What should he do? Wu Qing raised an eyebrow slightly and spoke in a deep voice.
“If I tell you, can you promise me not to look for them? I am currently trying to find another way to cure it, and the frequency of its outbreaks is decreasing.”
“Really?” Qingyao asked suspiciously. Wu Qing nodded vigorously.
However, Qingyao remained outwardly calm. She didn’t believe him at all. If the outbreaks weren’t so severe, why had his complexion been worsening lately? But to avoid arousing Wu Qing’s suspicion, Qingyao maintained a composed demeanor.
“Who is it? Who has such power?”
“Someone from Evilbone Island,” Wu Qing replied. He looked at Qingyao. The reason he mentioned Evilbone Island was because he made it up on the spot. He didn’t want Qingyao to be in any danger, so he casually fabricated a place.
“Evilbone Island.”
Qingyao looked somewhat bewildered. Such a place was entirely unknown to her. Were those people truly that powerful? Could even Wu Qing not defeat them? But for Wu Qing, she had to make this journey. Qingyao slowly looked up at Wu Qing.
“I’ve never heard of this place.”
A smile touched Wu Qing’s lips. He said gently, “Qingyao, don’t worry. I’m finding a way. Everything will be alright.”
“Mm,” Qingyao nodded, saying nothing more. She then slowly asked, “Why would the people from Evilbone Island trouble you?”
Wu Qing paused. He hadn’t expected Qingyao to ask that. After a moment’s thought, he slowly replied, “Perhaps because I couldn’t save their islanders, they hold a grudge.”
As they were talking in the room, footsteps sounded outside the door. Qingfeng and Mingyue rushed in, “Young Master, is the medicine collected?”
Upon seeing the people in the room, the two of them stopped talking. They hadn’t expected Miss Mu to be here. Naturally, they didn’t dare to say much. Mingyue hid the herbs behind his back. Qingyao knew it must be medicine for pain relief. Perhaps Wu Qing’s elixirs had run out, hence their trip to gather herbs.
“I know everything. Don’t hide it.”
“Young Master?” Qingfeng spoke. Wu Qing nodded.