Chapter 39: Dream

In two lifetimes, Yu Lingxi took pride in her purity and openness, never having done anything to betray Ning Yin. She told herself she could forgive and forget, but couldn’t forget what she had experienced.

However, once a person repeatedly reminds themselves of past grievances, how is it possible not to feel any resentment? She took in Ning Yin, considering him as a stepping stone to protect the Yu family. She warned herself not to follow the same path as in her past life and not to develop any feelings beyond a mutual benefit.

But in the end, unraveling the layers, she realized she was both a victim and a tool used for murder. The one truly without guilt was this brazen madman.

Yu Lingxi knew the fault wasn’t hers; she just felt a great sense of irony for the obstacles and prejudices of the past six months.

“No one bullied me.”

Yu Lingxi’s nose was slightly red, looking at him with moist eyes. She added softly, biting her lip, “In the future, no one will bully us again.”

She used the word “us,” and there was an indiscernible emotion in her eyes, different from before.

Strangely, Ning Yin didn’t dislike these two words.

“Miss, what did you hear from the alchemist?” he asked.

“The poison Zhao Yuming suffered is called ‘Hundred Flowers Assassination.’ It was a unique poison used by the rebel tribes through the ‘beauty trap’ to plot the assassination of the previous emperor,” Yu Lingxi recounted what the alchemist had said, trying to steady her wavering voice.

Ning Yin was interested in malicious things in the world and commented, “This poison is quite interesting.”

“Not interesting at all.”

Yu Lingxi’s expression was solemn; she clenched her fingers and continued, “Using an unsuspecting living person as bait to poison another, it’s extremely malicious.”

Of course, the most venomous was the one administering the poison. Ning Yin looked at Yu Lingxi for a long time, loosened the hand holding her jaw, moved his fingertip up, and wiped away the wet marks at the corner of her eyes.

The man’s knuckles were firm, the force not too gentle, but it provided an unprecedented sense of stability.

“So, why does Miss care so much about this poison?” he inquired.

Yu Lingxi’s moist eyelashes trembled slightly.

If Ning Yin knew that in her previous life, she was the vessel for this poison and spat his entire body of blood after lying in bed with him… he would probably snap her neck, throw her into the secret room, and let her corpse decompose again, right?

She shook her head, no longer continuing the conversation. In two lifetimes, she hadn’t shed many tears, and every time she lost composure was in front of Ning Yin. Taking a step back, she sniffed, and when she lifted her head again, she had regained some calmness.

Ning Yin was unaware of his past life, but she couldn’t forget. Some matters needed resolution.

“Zhao Yuming was poisoned the day before entering the palace. Could someone be using her to harm the Crown Prince?” Yu Lingxi deduced in her mind. In her past life, Ning Yin had too many enemies, making it challenging to investigate. But if the person poisoning Zhao Yuming was also a rival to the Crown Prince and had connections with the Ning, Zhao, and Yu families, the scope of investigation would be much smaller.

While she was thinking, Ning Yin’s deep and indifferent voice sounded, “If the target is the Crown Prince, they wouldn’t let that woman die before entering the palace.”

Yu Lingxi found Ning Yin’s words reasonable. Perhaps only “bad people” truly understood the thoughts of other bad people.

Thinking of this, Yu Lingxi turned her head slightly, her voice carrying a hint of nasal sound, “What do you think Zhao Yuming did to incur such a fatal disaster?”

Ning Yin, carefree as always, thought, What reason does one need to kill? Kill someone when you’re in a good mood, kill another when you’re in a bad mood; there’s nothing significant about it. However, whether it was because Yu Lingxi looked too serious at the moment or her previous tearful appearance was too intriguing, Ning Yin swallowed the cold and heartless words he was about to say and slowly replied, “Maybe she blocked someone’s path or knew a secret she shouldn’t have.”

Yu Lingxi nodded, realizing that the answer might only be revealed when they found out who Zhao Yuming met before her death.

“Miss!” Hutao’s anxious call came from a distance. Yu Lingxi quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve, composed herself, turned around, and saw Hutao leading guards coming from below the temple wall.

“Go back, Wei Qi.” Yu Lingxi was afraid that the attendants would become suspicious. As she took a step, her sleeve was caught.

Following the slender fingers holding her sleeve, her gaze landed on Ning Yin’s handsome and profound face. She tilted her head in confusion. Ning Yin absentmindedly played with the soft and thin fabric of her sleeve with his fingertips. His pitch-black eyes were unfathomable, and after a while, he bent down slightly, getting a little closer.

“Don’t forget, Wei Qi is ready to serve you at any time.”

As the wind rose, his low voice, accompanied by the fluttering bamboo leaves, echoed in her ears, creating ripples in her heart.

“This Jinyun Temple has some sinister aura,” Hutao said on the carriage, fanning Yu Lingxi to cool her down. Angrily, she continued, “Otherwise, why does Miss always act strangely whenever she comes here?”

Yu Lingxi ignored Hutao’s grumbling, her mind filled with thoughts of the two dead goldfish tails and the toxicity of the “Hundred Flowers Assassination” poison.

Taking the fan from Hutao, she began to fan herself, trying to focus on more important matters.

“Hutao, instruct the steward to raise Wei Qi’s monthly allowance by two levels. Also, get some comfortable fabric to make a few sets of summer clothes for him,” Yu Lingxi decided that it was something Ning Yin deserved.

Hutao, however, was thinking about something else.

Since the handsome beggar entered the mansion and was given the name Wei Qi, he not only was sheltered by Miss but also granted freedom beyond that of a guard. Every time Miss disappeared, she reappeared with this “Wei Qi” by her side. Now, raising his monthly allowance to that of a guest, it seemed like an extraordinary level of trust.

Could it be that Miss is really interested in him?

Hutao felt a bit conflicted. In terms of emotions, as Miss’s personal maid, she would support whoever Miss liked from the bottom of her heart. In terms of reason, she hoped Miss would marry someone suitable, someone who could protect her.

However, Wei Qi, despite his good looks, was still a servant of unknown origin, unable to provide Miss with a comfortable life. If he harbored ill intentions and was swayed by the power of the general’s mansion, that would be a concern.

The more Hutao thought about it, the more worried she became for her mistress, hesitating to voice her concerns.

Back at the general’s mansion, Lady Yu was inspecting the items purchased by the steward, including embroidered parasols and fans. With General Yu’s wedding approaching in a month, Lady Yu took charge of these matters while he was still in Luozhou providing disaster relief.

Yu Lingxi stepped forward, helping to select invitation styles and silk fabrics. Lady Yu gently stroked the damp strands of hair on Yu Lingxi’s forehead and asked, “Why is your face so red? Don’t rush; I’m here to oversee. Go and rest.”

Putting down the invitations, Yu Lingxi pressed her cheek against the back of her hand. It was indeed hot.

In her ear, Ning Yin’s words echoed again, “Ready to serve you at any time.”

She knew what Ning Yin meant: Tomorrow would be the final onset of the poison. As long as she didn’t mention it, everything was fine. But once it was brought up, her cheeks would heat up, and amid restlessness, there was a hint of indescribable fear.

She didn’t know what she was afraid of.

Ignoring even dinner, Yu Lingxi returned to her room to rest. The fan in her hand swayed faster and faster. After some contemplation, she opened the door and summoned the maid waiting outside.

With a soft and weak voice, she gave instructions, “Tidy up the cool pavilion. I will sleep there tonight.”

The maid was a bit surprised. It was only early summer, and nights were still somewhat cool. Why would Miss want to move to the cool pavilion?

However, seeing Yu Lingxi’s flushed face, genuinely looking overheated, the maid stopped any further persuasion and quickly went to carry out the order.

Yu Lingxi decided to move to the cool pavilion for a reason. Her bedroom was adjacent to Yu Xinyi’s, very close. She was afraid that any disturbances at night might wake her elder sister and reveal her embarrassing state.

The cool pavilion was quickly tidied up, and as soon as the sky darkened, Yu Lingxi lay down on the bed, dressed in loose garments.

The dripping sound echoed, and she could feel a turbulent force within her, uncertain when it would burst forth uncontrollably. After lying for an hour without being able to sleep, she decided to get up. She opened all the windows of the cool pavilion, letting the night breeze dispel the restlessness on her body.

Hutao knocked on the door, saying, “Miss, the calming soup you ordered is ready.”

Yu Lingxi rubbed her arms and whispered, “Leave it by the door. No need to attend to me tonight.”

Hutao acknowledged and left the tray by the door before going to the adjacent room.

Yu Lingxi opened the door, picked up the still-warm calming soup from the floor, and drank it in big gulps.

A good night’s sleep would solve everything. As long as she was asleep, she wouldn’t feel anything. She comforted herself, closed the door, returned to the bed, curled up quietly, and closed her long, curled eyelashes.

Yu Lingxi had a dream.

In the dream, it was the vast bedroom of the Regent Prince’s mansion from her past life. Everything seemed to be veiled in mist, with the glow of flower-shaped lamps and the red silk curtains outlining a magnificent color.

She walked barefoot on the soft Persian carpet, approaching the man lazily reclining on the bed.

With each step, her heart trembled a bit. When she reached the bed, she raised her hand and untied the thin sleeping robe, slipping into the quilt. The silky quilt closely adhered to her tender skin, absorbing the warmth from her body.

Once the quilt warmed up, she carefully shifted to the side, giving up the warmed spot, and reached out with her fair and slender fingertips to tug at the man’s clothes, “Your Highness…”

The man glanced over with his beautifully raised eyes, looked at her, and put down the book in his hand.

His lips curled slightly, and his pale hand grabbed a corner of the quilt. With a lazy pull, Yu Lingxi’s entire snowy, undulating body was exposed to the air, making her shiver from the cold.

The quilt that had just warmed up now cooled again, but the man didn’t mind. He half-closed his eyes, casually scrutinizing her. From head to toe, inch by inch, as if patrolling his own territory.

Yu Lingxi tried hard to suppress the desire that made her teeth tremble, and a lovely peach blush appeared at the corners of her eyes. Until she was frozen stiff, a much hotter body covered her…

When Yu Lingxi woke up, the quilt was surrounding her body.

The dream just now and her current actions made her feel incredibly ashamed, like a mirage in the desert.

But it was hot, very hot.

The suppressed desire from the calming soup now rebounded twice as intense, surging and breaking through, making her head dizzy, and her limbs as weak as overcooked noodles.

She knew that the day of the third onset of the poison had finally arrived.

Not early, not late, just at this moment.

In a hazy consciousness, her whole body swayed, and Yu Lingxi couldn’t distinguish whether she was in a dream or awake. She uncomfortably gripped the quilt, and the top-grade Shu embroidery quilt she clutched was wrinkled. But it was useless; her body trembled uncontrollably, every inch of her skin clamoring for comfort.

She thought of Ning Yin, wanting to see him, almost as if enchanted, wanting to follow the indulgence and debauchery in the dream.

Once suppressed, her body seemed on the verge of explosion, more painful than scraping bones.

Yu Lingxi went to reach for the cool tea prepared on the desk, but her hands were completely powerless, and the tea spilled everywhere.

She pinched her palm until blood oozed out, bit the corner of the bedding for a while, and finally staggered off the bed, opening the door.

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