Slow poison

Chapter 62: Slow poison.

"Good. Now go and sleep. Good night" Ling Yue spoke in a cold tone but that didn't let Li Wei obey her. He sighed and adjusted her position such that her head was in his lap.

"If I go, I will only make your fears come true. Which I will not." Though Ling Yue's face didn't reveal anything, her grip on Li Wei's hand tightened and Li Wei knew she was hearing him.

"What are you scared about sweetheart? That I will see you as a burden? That I might take you for a monster? Or a witch? Or that you might drag me into trouble? Hmm?" There was long silence after Li Wei said this till Ling Yue's pitiful sobs disrupted this quietness. Li Wei didn't stop her and pulled her into his embrace. Tonight, Ling Yue's emotional control was already not so good and Li Wei's sweet endearment broke the dam.

It took few minutes for Ling Yue to get hold of her emotions back and sat on bed wiping away her tears. Li Wei cupped her face and kissed her forehead.

"It's okay. No one will force you. Don't stress yourself more. You should get more rest now. Okay?" Li Wei coaxed her as if she was child. He handed her a glass of water and brought the paracetamol pill to her mouth. But Ling Yue simply completed her glass of water without the pill and looked at Li Wei. She seemed to be now ready to talk.

"Sigh.. The pills will not work on me." Li Wei was confused hearing her. Doesn't work on her? What does it mean?

"M-My body has traces of p-poison." Ling Yue said as she carefully observed Li Wei's expressions. He had a frown hearing her. Poison?

"What poison? Who poisoned you? And why did you not get treated? Because of that yellow lizard?" Li Wei questioned worried about this poisoning. Ling Yue sadly chuckled hearing him.

"N-No one poisoned me. I was born like this." Ling Yue took a deep breathe. Even she didn't know why she was born like this. Which human will be born with traces of poison? No wonder Su family labelled her a monster.

Li Wei blinked his eyes. How could someone be born like this? But then again, he had seen Xenxi do magic. And Ling Yue was saying this meant she trusted him with her secrets.

"How?" Li Wei asked and Ling Yue shook her head.

"I don't know. Mrs Su once fed me poison and it was then they got to know that I was resistant to it because it was already in me." Ling Yue had her head down as she spoke. Only she knew how it felt to be on the receiving end of disgust and contempt. As she was reminded of the day when the Su family locked her in the basement two large hands pulled her into a warm embrace.

"It's okay. We will find something. Okay? Let us try everything we can do." Li Wei gentle touch and comforting voice put Ling Yue at ease as she leaned into his hug.

"Hmm.. Even if I go for a surgery, there are no medicines I can use after that. That's why I searching for a medical unit."

"Then why did you not want it from me?" Li Wei questioned as he rubbed her back. Her temperature was still hot and breathing slightly irregular.

"If something goes wrong in the unit, then even you will be implicated. I don't want that to happen." Ling Yue replied weakly.

"You will not be implicating me at all Yueyue. Let's do whatever we can, okay?"

"No.. I will find some other unit. Don't get yourself into this." Ling Yue still had objections with this, but Li Wei was determined.

"You will not object anymore. This is my decision to do this. You will sound unreasonable if you try stopping me. Don't be stubborn." Li Wei chided her gently, still rubbing her back as she rested her forehead on his shoulder.

"When I said that I wanted to be your friend, it meant I would be there for you when you need me. That I would take care of you when you couldn't take of yourself. That I would laugh with you when you are happy and lend you my shoulder when you are sad." Li Wei's words stirred unknown emotions in her. It was just so beautiful hearing someone say these things to her. Short of words, Ling Yue didn't know how to explain and simple rested her head on his chest. Li Wei took this as her approval and put her on bed.

"Rest now. I will be here." Li Wei said and though Ling Yue wanted to protest and tell him that he should rest too, she was now completely drained off her energy bank and simply frowned which was removed by Li Wei's kiss. Ling Yue slept with no more weight on her heart. Li Wei replaced the wet napkin on her forehead from time to time till he too dozed off beside her.

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Min Hua's cautious steps landed out of the palace walls. The darkness of the blue moon night spread over the capital of Min dynasty. Making sure that no one is following her, Min Hua carefully treading her way towards the Ji Jing mountains. She didn't go directly to Jiang Yuan's humble abode, but instead went on to the peak.

Li Wei saw her climbing a tall tree with ease and positioned her bow and arrow. The arrow left the bow and only stopped after piercing through the heart of a man hiding behind the bushes. Her shooting didn't stop at that. She aimed her bow again and again till it took a total of 16 men. Only then did Li Wei realize that they were all here for Jiang Yuan. Being protected by our loved ones always felt good, but a sudden sadness gripped his heart looking at Min Hua dirtying her hands because of him.

Min Hua climbed down the tree and checked the area before going to making her way towards the cozy cottage. But unlike the last time, the cheerful girl was nowhere to be found. It felt like she had grown up a lot in a single day. Her eyes were sad and also looked determined. Li Wei knew this would be their last meeting as Brother Yuan and Hua'er. Min Hua stopped in front his door and took a deep breathe before mustering up a beautiful smile on her face. That smile can surely deceive anyone.

KNOCK .. KNOCK ...

There was rustling sound behind the door and soon Jiang Yuan opened the door and found Min Hua standing there with a sweet smile on her face. Yuan didn't expect to see her in the middle of the night, alone in this forest.

"Brother Yuan. I missed you." Min Hua spoke as she hugged him as soon as he opened the door. This would be probably the last time she would be hugging this man. She expected him to hug her, but instead got pushed away as Jiang Yuan fiercely glared at her.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? How did you even get out of the palace this late? Ahhh... Woman.. Don't you care about your safety at all?" Min Hua stood rooted as she heard his loud and angry voice.

"I am taking you back to the palace and reporting your sneaking out to his majesty." Min Hua didn't even have the time to refute as Jiang Yuan held her wrist and harshly dragged her towards his horse.

Sob.. sob.. sob .. Sob..

Jiang Yuan stopped when he heard Min Hua sob behind him. Turning around, he found her silently crying with her head down and clenching her robes with her free hand. Min Hua didn't want to cry, but when the dam finally broke when her Brother Yuan dragged her to lock her back in that extravagant prison called palace.

Li Wei clenched his fists and his jaws tightened as he looked at Min Hua's tears. She was completely shackled and today her only ever hope was extinguished by her father. It was painful to see her like this. Suffering but still smiling. Except for the name, everything was same between her and Ling Yue. Between her and Xenxi.

Jiang Yuan was not wrong here. In a time and society where a woman's safety cannot be guaranteed, it was not unreasonable of him to reprimand her to not roam around in the night. But watching everything as the third party, Li Wei can only sympathise with Min Hua. She evaded every guard in the palace and alone took more than a dozen men down so that he can be safe. But Jiang Yuan didn't even return her hug. Instead he wanted to return her back to her father. Of course Li Wei can understand why those tears refused to cease.

"Sorry.. I'm sorry.. Sob.. Sob.. Yuan.. I'm sorryy.." Min Hua apologized again and again. Those apologies were not because of her venturing alone in the night, but because she was soon going to break Yuan's heart. Because she couldn't make is dream of marrying her come true. Min Hua was always aware that she would have to marry the man her father chose for her. But she still fell in love. She didn't know, where, or how, but it just happened and by the time she realized it, it was already too late. Her heart only and only craved for Jiang Yuan.

"I'm so sorry.. Sob"

"Shh.. Hua'er. Please.. please don't cry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice at you. I was just worried about you my love. Please stop crying." Jiang Yuan hugged and coaxed Min Hua gently. But that only made her sobbing worse.

It took her some time to cease her sobs. Yuan asked why she came here and she simply said that she missed him. She did miss him terribly. And from now on she wouldn't be able to come here even she missed him to death.

Jiang Yuan coaxed her but still told her that he was dropping her back at the palace.

"Brother Yuan.. wait. I want to drink some water. I will come back in a minute. Get me down." Min Hua said and Jiang Yuan got her down from the horse. Min Hua rushed into the house and Li Wei followed her. She didn't go to the kitchen, but sneaked into his bedroom and took out a wooden bottle under the bed. Li Wei didn't know what it was but Min Hua hid it carefully in her robes and went out as if she didn't steal anything.

"Come, let's go." Jiang Yuan put her on the horse first before climbing the horse himself and guided it to the palace. He dropped her near her usual sneaking out gate and she bid him goodbye. Min Hua peeked from the gate and looked at Jiang Yuan's departing figure till it disappeared from her sight.

Li Wei stood beside her looking into the emptiness she was gazing at. The deserted road ahead the gate strangely resembled Min Hua's inner state. A complete void and vaccume. She then closed herself to everything and anything around her. Being devoid and numb was better than getting hurt because of those unachievable dreams.

She turned around and mechanically went back to her room and slept. Tomorrow will be another hectic day. Li Wei sat at the edge of the bed, his gaze fixated on the secret cabinet she had placed the wooden bottle in. As he sat there, he noticed his surrounding move, dissolve and collapse till they teleported him back to Ji Jing.

"Yuan. What is this?" Li Wei heard Min Hua's confused voice from the bedroom and went in to see Min Hua looking at the wooden bottle and the contents inside it. Jiang Yuan too entered soon and immediately grabbed the bottle from her.

"Huh? What happened? What is it?" Min Hua questioned again and Jiang Yuan answered as he closed the cap.

"Don't play with it. It is slow poison." Min Hua got distressed hearing his answer.

"Then why is it with you? Throw it away." Jiang Yuan chuckled hearing her panicked tone and gently cupped her face.

"I am not going to use it okay? It was with some of the spies and I happened to take it. We still have to find the cure for this poison. So I can't throw it yet." Min Hua calmed down hearing his explanation. It was okay till he doesn't use it.

---

"You should stop drinking that your highness." Lu Tang's desperate and resigned voice sounded in the chamber, indicating that this was a request made lot of times and never once was it considered.

"Haha.. You have a lot of patience Lu Tang. Why do you say this again and again when you know I wouldn't head to it?" Min Hua asked as she filled her most cherished clay mug with water and added a spoon of purple powder to it. Lu Tang shut his eyes and took a deep breathe as he saw her drink the mixture.

"I am requesting you to stop drinking that because that thing is killing you. Why are you even torturing yourself with that poison?" Lu Tang questioned dejectedly.

"I am not torturing myself. I am simply punishing myself for hurting him." Min Hua replied calmly as she stirred the liquid poison.

"How? By sentencing death to yourself? If you want to die, then you don't have to go through lot of trouble. Here is the dagger. You can kill yourself right now." Lu Tang put his dagger with a bang on the table. He looked vexed at Min Hua's behaviour.

"Sigh.. I wish I could do that. But I am still selfish. I want to meet him once before I leave this greedy world. Only once is enough. I dare not wish for more." A lone tear escaped Min Hua's soulless eyes as she remembered the man she loved more that anything and anyone in this world.