Chapter 189: All Seen

In the dream, Lan Wu could no longer even hear Chu Mingheng’s faint voice.

Realizing something, she reached out to touch his face, yet she couldn’t feel anything at all. Like a useless person, she could only weep over and over again.

Chu Mingheng was dead.

She had never truly allowed herself to dwell on this thought, but now, a set of dry bones and a cold, lifeless body lay before her eyes.

Fresh tears welled up continuously in Lan Wu’s eyes, streaming down in rivulets. No matter how she wiped them, they wouldn’t stop. Her vision blurred, and she could see nothing clearly, nothing at all.

Her entire body ached.

Her flesh felt as if scorched by raging flames, her heart as if pierced inch by inch by silver needles. The pain was so intense she couldn’t straighten up.

Until the familiar white light began to spread around her, she even felt as if an entire lifetime had passed.

Her vision turned pitch black once more, but it was soon followed by a familiar voice, gently calling her name by her ear, soft and intimate.

What was he saying?

Lan Wu couldn’t make it out. Struggling to open her eyes, she seemed to murmur something in her struggle, yet her eyes remained stubbornly shut, as if she were being swallowed whole by that darkness.

Chu Mingheng only saw her crying incessantly, tears flowing as if they would never end. She wept so sorrowfully that he panicked for a moment. Without a thought for his own rain-soaked, drenched state, he reached out and pulled Lan Wu into his embrace.

Calling her name again and again.

His palm rested gently on Lan Wu’s forehead as he whispered, “It’s alright. I’m here, A’Wu… A’Wu, don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

“I’m with you. Don’t cry anymore. Don’t be sad.”

“Take your time, alright? Relax… yes, relax a little. Don’t rush. I’m right here beside you. Be good, don’t struggle.”

He held her patiently, soothing her like this for a long while before Lan Wu finally quieted down somewhat.

But she was still crying.

Chu Mingheng used a handkerchief to wipe her tears, lowered his gaze to carefully kiss her forehead, and murmured softly, almost as if asking himself, “What are you crying for…”

Lan Wu’s consciousness teetered between haze and clarity. She seemed to know that if she woke up, she could escape the sorrow of the dream, escape it all. Yet her consciousness stubbornly refused to leave, allowing herself to sink into that profound despair.

But how could this be?

She had already left Chu Mingheng once. If she didn’t keep her promise, she would despise herself.

The voice by her ear gradually grew clearer and louder. It was Chu Mingheng holding her, speaking close to her ear.

“…Actually, at the very end in the previous life… I think I saw you.”

As he spoke, Chu Mingheng let out a faint laugh, somewhat mocking himself for either going mad or seeing illusions born of his longing for Lan Wu.

“Hearing you cry, I didn’t even want to die anymore.”

But by that point, whether he lived or died was no longer up to him.

“So when I opened my eyes and saw you again, I knew—dying early really was a good thing.”

If anyone else had heard these words, they would likely have trembled in fear, wishing they were deaf. But in this hall, there were only the two of them. Lan Wu was still unconscious, and Chu Mingheng didn’t care at all as he spoke these words.

If Lan Wu heard them, so be it. If she got angry enough to wake up and slap him, that would be even better.

But Lan Wu still didn’t wake.

Chu Mingheng stayed with her a while longer before summoning Chen Li to check if her fever had subsided.

Chen Li thought to herself: How could a high fever and convulsions subside so easily? Earlier, the recurrence of the Guifei’s condition had frightened them all. This fever would likely take all night to break.

However, after taking Lan Wu’s pulse and carefully observing her current state, Chen Li was greatly astonished.

It had truly subsided.

Chen Li quickly reported, “Your Majesty, the Guifei’s fever has already broken. We just need to ensure she doesn’t catch another chill or suffer from nightmares. If she wakes later, she can drink another bowl of medicine to prevent a relapse.”

“Mm. Go and summon the attendants to serve. Have them change the Guifei’s sleeping robe.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Chen Li withdrew, thinking to herself: How miraculous. The moment Your Majesty arrived, the Guifei’s illness improved so quickly.

The palace attendants entered the chamber to attend to Lan Wu. Taking advantage of this time, Chu Mingheng went to the side room to wash up and change his clothes.

When he returned and saw Lan Wu still lying down, he dismissed the attendants once more.

By now, the hour of midnight had long passed.

The fierce wind and heavy rain outside had ceased, and the thunder gradually faded away. Everything seemed to be returning to tranquility.

Chu Mingheng lay on his side beside Lan Wu, his gaze slowly and meticulously sweeping over her, taking in every inch of her face with deep scrutiny, comparing it with the image in his memory. Finally, a faint smile touched his lips.

How wonderful.

Lan Wu awoke at dawn. The moment she opened her eyes, her head throbbed with a dull ache, and her eyes stung. Following a sliver of light from beyond the curtains, her consciousness gradually returned.

Before anything else, she first noticed the arm encircling her waist, holding her close as if she were a treasured possession.

A familiar presence enveloped her without warning. At the same time, a gentle voice she had longed for countless times whispered softly by her ear:

“Ah Wu, I have returned.”

Lan Wu blinked and turned her head to see Chu Mingheng’s face—a face younger and healthier than in her dreams, yet bearing the same stern and imposing majesty she remembered.

Only now, this face was clearly filled with contentment and a smile as he looked down at her.

Lan Wu’s reddened eyes stared blankly at him, as if confirming this was not a dream.

Seeing her on the verge of tears again, Chu Mingheng reached out and pulled her into his embrace. He pressed his cheek against hers, planting several light kisses on her face before cupping her cheeks and using his thumb to wipe away her tears. His tone was gentle yet carried a hint of disapproval:

“You cry the moment I return, from last night until today. If you keep crying, your eyes will be ruined.”

Lan Wu’s nose tinged red, and she frowned, looking utterly aggrieved. She wrapped her arms around Chu Mingheng’s neck, clinging to him as her sobs grew louder.

Chu Mingheng held her tighter, gently patting her back. “There, there, it’s alright now.”

Lan Wu’s choked voice carried helplessness and profound despair, yet her first words were to ask Chu Mingheng: “Are you fully recovered?”

Chu Mingheng’s hand stilled for a moment. He lowered his head, lifted her onto his lap so she was nestled against him, and then spoke: “I am fully recovered now. Ah Wu need not worry about me anymore.”

Even with his reassurance, Lan Wu did not seem entirely at ease. She merely wiped her tears against him, sat up straight to face him, and gazing at his face, slowly said, “I saw everything…”

“Saw what?” Chu Mingheng leaned in and kissed her lips.

Lan Wu gently pursed her lips, wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, and said, “I saw you—you holding my bones and crying, and then… you just died like that—”

After saying this, Lan Wu couldn’t help but lower her head again, sobbing uncontrollably, tears falling one by one like pearls.