Chapter 7: Waking Up

On the third morning after leaving Soul-Severing Valley, inside a small inn on the road to the capital, several attendants stood before a bed in the corner room, filled with both surprise and worry.

The surprise was that their master, who had been in a coma for three days, had finally woken up. The worry was that their master seemed very strange after waking; he didn't respond at all when they greeted him, just sitting there in a daze.

"What should we do? Even if we travel day and night, it will still take ten days to reach the capital. Should we go find a doctor to take a look?"

"In a small place like this, what kind of good doctor could there be?"

"Then what do we do?" The attendants paced back and forth, anxious and chattering.

Jiang Yurong, standing to one side, bit her lip as she watched her cousin’s state. She truly regretted her actions. What if that woman had really done something to her cousin, and the answer was something only that woman knew?

Jiang Yurong didn't dare to continue that line of thought. She remembered her father once saying that when traveling in the pugilistic world, one must never be careless or underestimate those obscure, common folk. The strange skills and tricks they possessed were formidable, and the ways they used to survive in the martial arts world were not things just anyone could crack.

Why had she been so irrational? Why couldn't she have waited for her cousin to wake up and confirm he was truly unharmed before dealing with that woman?

"Master, what exactly is wrong with you?" Zhuo Yan knelt down with a thud. A man of seven feet, his voice was thick with tears.

The person sitting on the bed suddenly got off, stood up, and walked toward the window.

"Master, whatever you need, just tell us," the kneeling and standing attendants rushed forward to support him, terrified that he might trip or bump into something in an environment he wasn't familiar with.

Another quickly grabbed the master's cotton robe to drape over him, fearing he would catch a cold in the freezing weather.

However, the moment their hands touched him, he shook them off. He reached the window, stopped, and extended his slightly trembling hands to push it open.

It was snowing outside, and a gust of cold wind swirled snowflakes into the room.

The man who had pushed the window open held his palms flat, catching the snowflakes carried by the wind, watching them land and melt in his palms.

"Master?" Zhuo Yan, standing to his side, suddenly called out in surprise.

The others also began to snap out of their daze, their faces filled with the same shock and disbelief. Could it really be? How was it possible?

Dressed only in his undergarments, he ignored the cold entirely, his gaze fixed on the distance outside the window—seeing the eaves across the street and the smoke curling from chimneys further away.

He turned slowly, looking around the room, then at each person one by one!

How could this be? During the eight years he was blind, the Emperor had posted imperial notices far and wide to seek famous doctors for him. He himself had traveled everywhere seeking treatment, having seen countless renowned physicians across the country. He had consumed endless bowls of bitter medicine and tried countless methods of treatment, all of which had ended in disappointment.

Just when he had abandoned hope and accepted that he would be blind for life, he could suddenly see?

"Master, your eyes are truly healed! Oh, heaven has eyes!" The attendants finally confirmed that their master’s eyes were indeed healed, and they were overcome with excitement.

The one holding the cotton robe wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeve and stepped forward to drape it over his master.

Someone else quickly helped the master sit back on the bed, wiped his feet with a cloth, and put on his socks.

"Cousin, it’s me, Yurong." Jiang Yurong, having finally regained her composure, stepped forward cautiously and joyfully.

His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, but he only nodded at her: "You all go out first. This Prince wishes to be alone for a while."

"Yes." The attendants immediately responded and walked out. Jiang Yurong didn't want to leave, but she didn't dare stay. She turned to look at her expressionless cousin one last time and hurried out.

The door was closed. Inside the room, only the unlatched window remained, letting in the howling wind.

The man sitting back on the bed extended his hands again, looking at them, then scanned the room once more. He took a few deep breaths, struggling to steady his emotions.

He was the fifth son of the current Emperor, enfeoffed as Prince Ji at the age of twelve. His surname was He, He Zexu.

When he met her, he had lied about losing his memory, so she gave him a name. She said she met him under a locust tree on the road, so she called him Lu Huai.

Recalling everything one by one, the last scene in his mind was eating and drinking with Sanniang.

He had been thinking about how to explain to her that he hadn't actually lost his memory and hadn't been trying to deceive her.

At that time, he hadn't even imagined that three months later, he would be married to her.

But the moment he opened his mouth, she told him to eat first and talk after the meal.

The first cup of wine was fine, the second was normal, but after the third, he began to feel drowsy, and then he knew nothing more.

He didn't know how much time had passed since then. It felt as if he had just taken a nap—a very comfortable one without dreams. When he opened his eyes upon waking, they felt uncomfortable, as if stung by the light.

He had just lain there, not knowing what was happening, but as his eyes adjusted and the discomfort faded, he realized his vision had been restored. He could see.

And it wasn't blurry; it was crystal clear. He could even see the individual threads of a spiderweb in the corner of the room.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a call came from inside the room, and the waiting attendants hurried in.

After the initial surprise, the group was now filled with trepidation. Someone glanced secretly at Jiang Yurong, sensing her even greater anxiety.

Knowing fear now? What were they doing before?

Dressed neatly and washed, He Zexu sat on a chair, looking full of vigor. Because his eyes had recovered, his gaze swept over them, and everyone felt a sense of oppression quite different from before.

"Where is she now?" He Zexu asked, his voice slow and heavy, suppressing the urgency in his heart.

She? The attendants looked toward Jiang Yurong in unison, then quickly lowered their heads, none of them daring to be the first to answer their master.

He Zexu’s gaze rested on Jiang Yurong’s face, watching her turn deathly pale, feeling her terror even more clearly.

"Speak." The reaction of the attendants and his cousin made He Zexu’s heart sink; a sense of unease welled up from the depths of his soul.

"Cousin, she... during the escape, she lost her footing and fell into the river. We wanted to save her, but fierce beasts in the river surrounded us, and we... we simply had no chance." Jiang Yurong’s body trembled slightly, her voice shaking as well. After finishing, she turned her gaze away, not daring to meet He Zexu’s eyes.

Hm? Lying?

The attendants had expected that this young cousin would, as she always did, rely on her status and tell the truth.

The attendants did not look at the young lady, but nervously watched their master’s reaction. Some were even wondering, if the master were to get angry and strike the young lady, should they intervene...