Chapter 191: That Blood

This remark clearly pleased Chu Mingheng, earning her a smile from him. Gentle kisses fell intermittently upon Lan Wu’s face, each one exceptionally tender, as if she were a precious treasure lost and found again.

Lan Wu opened one eye to look at him, waiting until he had kissed his fill before lightly pushing him away. Straightening her expression, she asked him, “What about you?”

“Does your head still hurt? Have you remembered everything?”

Chu Mingheng nodded gently and told her, “A-Wu prayed for me at Wuji Temple. If I still didn’t recover, it would mean I’ve let A-Wu down. How could I ever let A-Wu down?”

Listening to this, Lan Wu touched her ear and signaled to him, “You… speak properly.”

Who could bear it when every few words were laced with such lingering, sentimental sweet talk?

Chu Mingheng paid no mind to this.

“I saw that there’s a golden statue of me in the Changsheng Hall at Wuji Temple. Did you have it made?” Lan Wu asked him again.

Chu Mingheng’s expression turned slightly strange, and upon closer inspection, there was a hint of guilt in it.

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Lan Wu reached out to cup his face, leaning closer to ask him once more, “You had it made, didn’t you? What’s the story with that blood?”

In truth, Lan Wu could no longer distinguish when that dream had taken place, but looking at Chu Mingheng’s grayish-white hair, she knew it must have been no short amount of time.

One year, two years, or perhaps three to five years?

She absolutely had to get to the bottom of this.

Chu Mingheng wrapped an arm around her waist and, unhurriedly, as if coaxing her, spoke softly into Lan Wu’s ear, “The golden statue was indeed made at my command. As for that blood, you’re thinking too gravely of it. I only gave a few drops of blood; the rest was obtained by Huifan.”

“See how these supposedly compassionate Buddhist practitioners still dabble in such sorcery—isn’t it rather frightening?”

Lan Wu didn’t believe a word of this. Her face tense, she stared at him without uttering a sound.

Her gaze made Chu Mingheng even more uneasy.

He reached out to stroke Lan Wu’s back, trying to soothe her silent anger, but the moment his hand touched her, the person in his arms darted away like an agile cat.

“You’re not being honest,” Lan Wu said, looking at him with an expressionless face, each word enunciated clearly.

Chu Mingheng raised an eyebrow slightly, his smiling eyes concealing a dangerous glint. He reached out and gently patted his thigh, telling Lan Wu, “Who told you to evade me?”

“Didn’t I teach you before not to evade me?”

The tense aura around Lan Wu faltered for a moment, but quickly, she straightened up again, slapping Chu Mingheng’s arm with a resounding smack. “You’re not allowed to be fierce with me.”

The crisp sound echoed as Lan Wu struck with full force.

After hitting him, she instead wore a wronged expression.

Watching her series of reactions, Chu Mingheng found it utterly endearing. How could there be someone like Lan Wu in this world, whose every action seemed so delightfully amusing?

“Was I fierce with you?” he asked after savoring the moment in his mind, not waiting for Lan Wu to respond before gently shaking his head and answering himself, “That wasn’t being fierce with you.”

“It’s just that you’re always disobedient and never learn your lesson.”

Lan Wu shuddered inexplicably, her face flushing crimson as she gritted her teeth and steered the conversation back. “We were talking about that blood, and now you’re doing this again…”

But since Chu Mingheng had diverted the topic like this, it meant that blood was undoubtedly closely tied to him.

“Why is it that all you see are these messy, chaotic things?” Chu Mingheng clicked his tongue lightly, seemingly quite displeased about this.

At that time, he had just drawn the blood from his heart and didn’t have many days left to live. Kneeling before Lan Wu’s golden statue, he looked utterly defeated and wretched—a sight he couldn’t bear to recall. Yet, it was precisely this pitiful state that Lan Wu had witnessed.

“You don’t have to lie to me. I already know. Anyway… you didn’t want to live back then.” As she spoke, Lan Wu nestled into his embrace. “It’s all in the past. Why can’t you talk about it? It’s not like we can go back so I can scold you. Just tell me, don’t let me be a fool who knows nothing, okay?”

With a mix of coquettishness and sweet persuasion, she spoke these words softly. Had Chu Mingheng been less resolute, he might have been swayed by her tactics. Fortunately, he wasn’t entirely taken in.

“It really wasn’t that serious. I only drew less than half a bowl of blood.”

“Huifan said there was impurity in the blood and advised me to drain it clean. I thought he made sense.”

Lan Wu naturally believed Master Huifan meant no harm, but these words sounded more like Chu Mingheng’s own reasoning.

She eyed Chu Mingheng suspiciously, studying his expression carefully. Finding no flaws, she reluctantly let it go for the moment.

“I also have something to ask you.” Chu Mingheng’s tone suddenly turned serious, though he clearly tempered it, mindful of not frightening Lan Wu.

Lan Wu looked at him, puzzled.

“No acting coy.” Chu Mingheng preemptively cut off her attempt to be coquettish.

Lan Wu widened her eyes, thinking it unfair.

She was eager to hear what he had to ask.

“From yesterday when I returned until today when you woke up, I’ve already questioned the palace attendants around you, along with the Court Physician and Yizhen. They’ve all confessed in full.”

“I told you to take good care of yourself. Which part did you listen to?”

“How many times did you fall ill? How many times did you refuse to eat or drink?”

“Hmm? And you even persuaded the guards I assigned you to alter letters.”

“You went to Wuji Temple every day and stayed there all afternoon. What, was I hiding inside?”

With each sentence he spoke, Lan Wu’s expression stiffened further. By the end, she had no choice but to lower her head.

Still, she had something to argue.

“I didn’t… refuse to eat or drink…” She reflected for a moment, sifting through her memories, certain she hadn’t done such a thing, and softly protested.

“Is that so?” Chu Mingheng pinched her cheek, then turned her over and pressed her down onto the bed. “So you admit to the rest?”

Lan Wu nervously pondered his other accusations, guilt slowly creeping into her heart. She blinked at Chu Mingheng but remained silent.

“Open your mouth.” Chu Mingheng looked down, gently pinching her cheek as he gave the soft command.

Without much hesitation, Lan Wu parted her lips slightly, allowing him to kiss her.

After one kiss, they rested briefly before he pulled her in for a second.

Only when her lips were swollen from kissing did Chu Mingheng finally release her.

“I’ll settle this with you once you’re better.” He gently stroked her lips with his thumb, making it clear he had no intention of letting her off easily.

“Doesn’t this count?” Lan Wu felt a slight soreness in her lips. Though she couldn’t see it herself, a glance in the mirror would reveal the tender, kiss-bruised appearance—so vivid it would make her hesitant to show her face outside.

Chu Mingheng tucked her into the blankets. Hearing her words, he smiled, a gentle and refined expression gracing his face, as if he were a true gentleman. “What are you talking about, A’Wu? I’ve held back for three months.”