Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“Get out!”

That night, I went to find Yun Jian with a plate of grape jelly.

Just as I entered the courtyard, I heard the sound of porcelain shattering in his room.

As expected, his chronic headaches had flared up again.

The herbs from Changling could alleviate his daily symptoms, but their effects were ultimately slow-acting.

After a moment’s hesitation, I pushed the door open and went in.

Yun Jian stood amidst a floor covered in shards of celadon Ru ware. He even held a piece of broken porcelain in his hand, blood dripping steadily from his palm.

His cold, pale eyes looked over, seemingly using every ounce of his reason to suppress the surging agony in his mind. “Get out.”

I didn’t listen to him. Instead, I opened the tightly closed windows, letting the silvery, jade-like moonlight flood the dark, oppressive bedroom.

In the bright light, I opened my needle pouch in front of Yun Jian.

When I was young, a hermit doctor had lived in Changling Valley for a long time. I had shamelessly pestered him, gathering and testing herbs for him in exchange for the chance to study under him.

At the time, I didn’t know what use those skills would have. I only knew that for someone like me, the more skills I had, the better.

“Sit here.”

Yun Jian frowned, trying his best to remain calm as he tried to drive me away. “My headaches… even the doctors in the Imperial-the doctors in the capital couldn’t cure them. Jiang Rui, get out.”

I grabbed his reaching hand and pulled him toward me, forcing him down.

Silver needles were inserted one by one in precise order.

By the time the last needle was placed, the manic energy inside Yun Jian had mostly subsided.

He was like a startled, bristling beast that had suddenly been fed a piece of fragrant meat.

His body had softened, but his mouth remained stubborn.

“Applying needles to my body at will… Jiang Rui, you have quite the nerve…”

His cold, deliberately overbearing voice came to an abrupt halt.

The crescent moon chain hanging from the Little Young Master’s ear trembled slightly.

I used a clean, thick cloth to rub his reddened lips. “Open up.”

His stubborn lips were pried open, and the blood he had been biting back finally found an outlet, staining the cloth as it flowed out.

The horse and its master were truly alike.

One was tortured by dull pain but didn’t make a sound, holding on until reaching the destination before collapsing.

The other was in extreme pain but said nothing, dismissing everyone else and locking himself away to vent by smashing inanimate objects.

He bit his lips and tongue, holding a mouthful of blood and pain without showing a hint of it on his face.

“Jiang Rui…”

Yun Jian looked up, letting me wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

His light-colored pupils trembled slightly, like moonlight reflecting on melting water.

“Why didn’t you say it hurt?”

I pressed gently against his cheek through the cloth, only letting go once I was sure no more blood was seeping out.

Yun Jian tilted his head slightly, and I used the cloth to gently lift his chin.

“Hmm?” I prompted again.

His pupils shook as he dodged my gaze.

Like a stray cat unable to handle being handled and preparing to bolt, he snapped in embarrassment, “Jiang Rui, you…”

Before he could finish, I immediately let go of him, my gaze honest and full of concern.

“Next time it hurts, you have to say so, Young Master.”

He froze, clutching the fallen, blood-stained cloth as he looked at me blankly.

He looked like a discarded beast cub in a dark cave; his cries and aura were intimidating, but when he poked his head out, his eyes were full of confusion.

I bent down to clear away the porcelain shards, planning to end things there for the night.

However, just as I was about to pick up a piece of the celadon Ru ware in front of Yun Jian, a fair hand with distinct veins reached out.

It circled my wrist.

The usually arrogant Little Young Master lowered his eyes, not daring to look at me.

“It hurts.”

“Jiang Rui.”

As the moonlight cascaded down like a waterfall, Yun Jian hesitantly and slowly leaned his head against those hands-hands that weren’t particularly fair and even had some calluses.

The scent reaching his nose wasn’t the feminine fragrance of a young girl described in frivolous ancient books.

It was the crisp, clean scent of soap nuts.

Those hands were capable of anything.

He had seen her use those hands to carry a whole sack of flour with a steady gait.

He had seen her fingers fly as she made delicious pastries.

He had also seen her hold a needle between her fingertips to relieve someone’s pain.

Now, those hands gently supported his forehead, as if firmly digging a frozen heart out of the snow.

“Where does it hurt?” Jiang Rui asked.

Yun Jian closed his eyes for a moment, remaining silent for some reason.

Jiang Rui assumed his Young Master’s pride and stubbornness were acting up again, so she didn’t press him.

After a long while, he took her hand and placed it against his temple.

“Here.”

“Jiang Rui.”

His fingers were long and well-defined, but his palms were fleshy.

Jiang Rui inadvertently brushed against them.

*They really are like a cat’s paws,* she thought.