5 Chapter 5: There’s Hope Yet

It was somewhat difficult for Yun Ruoyan to get through the rest of the night. Having too many questions and almost no answers, she ignored dinner in favor of leaning against the windowsill, ruminating about the past.

"Miss, may I ask what you're thinking about?" Xi Lan walked over with a tray of food. "Miss, did you know? While Miss Yi was receiving her punishment, Young Master Pei actually came over and secretly brought her a few snacks!"

Yun Ruoyan stilled. Pei Ziao had done the same thing in the past: while she was being punished, he had secretly brought food over for her, and that single act of kindness had stuck with her ever since.

It was all because she thought that he was the only one who didn't seem to despise her birthmark, her lack of talent for cultivation. But that simply wasn't true, was it?

"Does Madam An know?"

"Of course she does! But…she didn't say a single thing."

Yun Ruoyan smiled coldly. When Madam An found her with food during her punishment, she had locked her up and beaten her half to death. But now, when Yi Qianying was the one doing it, she was treated all too differently.

Seeing her mistress' face change, Peony quickly stuffed a snack into Xi Lan's mouth. "You blabbermouth!"

Xi Lan didn't seem upset by the gesture as she chewed on the osmanthus cake in her mouth. "Oh, this is tasty!"

Yun Ruoyan would normally have enjoyed their banter, but she was currently too preoccupied with her thoughts. "Alright, settle down. Let me be alone for a little."

Xi Lan wanted to say something more, but Peony pulled her back. After the evening's events, Peony had recognized the change in Yun Ruoyan's behavior and personality, and wanted to help her at least a little---even if that help was simply to give her enough space to think.

Yun Ruoyan's thoughts bounced around her head.

When she was small, she had been tested as a cultivation genius, but for some reason, her talent had decreased by the day. Even now, she was stuck as a novice blademaster, unable to advance even a little.

On the other hand, her birthmark, which had barely been noticeable at a young age, seemed to keep spreading and growing as she did.

Why was that? Could it be that she'd unknowingly interacted with something that had changed her appearance and talent so?

Yun Ruoyan was disrupted from her thoughts by the sound of something heavy falling. She quickly stood up, grabbing a candle-holder close by for protection, and walked out of the cottage. She'd just gone past the door when she saw a shadow lying on the ground, a dark red gash on his leg pulsing out blood.

Yun Ruoyan looked warily at her surroundings, checking for people. When she found none, she clutched the candle-holder tightly in her hands, slowly crept towards the shadow, and checked whether he was still breathing.

He's alive!

Yun Ruoyan quickly rolled up her sleeves. She'd intended to drag him into her cottage, but she found that she didn't have the strength to do so. And because this person's identity was unknown, it would be unwise to have any servants help: who knew what kind of trouble she could get into for doing so!

She began to fret, trying absently to lift the person's collar, but suddenly, he grabbed her wrist.

Yun Ruoyan raised her head and met a sharp, distinct face. In the dark of the night, all she could see was that person's bright, reflective eyes. They shone like dark pearls, but with a dangerous glint that made one fearful.

Yun Ruoyan's heart was pounding in her chest. His grip was so strong that, if he truly had ill intentions toward her, she wasn't sure she could escape.

The black-clad man didn't speak. His eyes seemed to be clouded by some sort of fog. Only when she calmed down did Yun Ruoyan realize his peculiarities. His body temperature was higher than was normal, and although his grip was painful, Yun Ruoyan could feel from his trembling arm that he was already trying very hard to restrain himself---restraining himself from hurting her with his strength, from taking the next step!

"Who are you, and what're you doing here?"

The other party didn't respond, but his grip grew stronger.

Yun Ruoyan struggled a few times to no avail, ultimately deciding to give up and switch to a verbal defense. "You're hurt quite badly. Although I'm the second daughter of this household, I don't have any real authority or power. I'll try my best to help you find a doctor."

Upon hearing "second daughter", the man's arm trembled, and the strength of his grip made Yun Ruoyan feel as though her wrist was about to be dislocated. In pain, she gasped, "What're you doing?! Let go!"

The man's eyes drooped as he frowned, as if trying his hardest to resist something. Only after a long while did he grit out, "Don't."

"Don't?"

"Don't call a doctor."

Just as he finished speaking, Yun Ruoyan felt a patch of warmth against her lips. She opened her eyes wide. Had she… had she just been forcibly kissed?!

Almost subconsciously, Yun Ruoyan slammed a fist against that man's chest, but the man caught her fist halfway! In a moment of panic, she then kicked at his injured, bleeding leg.

The man gasped and let go, but rather than get mad, he laughed. "It really is you."

What do you mean, it really is me? His tone felt somewhat familiar to Yun Ruoyan, but in the heat of the moment, she couldn't discern why.

"Help me treat my wound." His tone was commanding, and it frustrated Yun Ruoyan to no end. After all, it was this man who had suddenly burst into the Yun estate out of nowhere, and she could have gotten a manservant to throw him out at any time. What right did he have to command her around?

Seeing Yun Ruoyan's displeasure, the man raised his hand and clutched at Yun Ruoyan's neck, a marked shift from earlier. "You have to, because I can kill you at any time, even if I'm injured."

Yun Ruoyan couldn't help but frown. She hated being threatened by others, and this black-clad man's attitude was particularly distasteful to her. She responded in a joking tone, "What if you try to do something to me even after you get better? I don't dare save you!"

The man's throat tightened, and he felt heat coursing through his body. He was already trying his hardest to suppress the effect of the drug, but this woman in front of him was stimulating him further! At this point, what she'd alluded to wasn't a "what if" anymore!

How could Yun Ruoyan know what the man was thinking? All she could see were his gradually reddening eyes and ardent gaze, as if he wanted to eat her alive.

"Yun Ruoyan," spoke the black-clad man suddenly, "do you want to remove the birthmark on your face?"

Hearing the man say her name and simultaneously bring up her birthmark, Yun Ruoyan's gaze turned even more wary than before.

Tha man continued, "I can help you think of ways to get rid of it. If you save me, I'll help you. We'll both benefit."

She had to say, this condition was quite alluring to her. Yun Ruoyan lightly touched the birthmark on her cheek. Her eyes were bright, but her tone cold. "What reason do I have to trust you?"

"You've been poisoned," the man concluded in a dispassionate tone, one that left Yun Ruoyan tongue-tied. His gaze was as deep as the ocean, and Yun Ruoyan felt inexplicably that his words were the truth.

Yun Ruoyan's birthmark had steadily grown with her, and it had been with her as far back as she could remember. She'd never entertained the possibility of poison, but this man was able to discern that with a single glance?!

In the end, Yun Ruoyan looked calmly at those eyes shrouded in darkness. "Alright, I'll help you."