172 – Epilogue Volume 3, the Bright Red of that Day (I)

  The consciousness gathered a little .

  — she heard some sounds .

  The swaying of candlelight and the sound of gentle breathing are humming in the ears .

  The world seems to be empty, with only her in it .

  Bursts of pain and heaviness assaulted the head . It feels like she’s suffering from a heatstroke .

  A strong sense of dizziness shrouded her .

  After overcoming the feeling of weakness and opening the eyes, a strange and luxurious ceiling entered the eyes . The sensation coming from the back and the head is really soft, giving off the impression that you will submerge in the things underneath .

  Everything is unfamiliar .

  “.…… the decorations are really luxurious . ”


  While staring blankly at the ceiling, Xihe voiced her inner thought involuntarily . Since her consciousness is still fuzzy, she isn’t aware that her voice is hoarse .

  “Yes, I think so too! Really, it’s just flashy . Money should be used wisely . Decorative swords are akin to putting fine timber to petty use, a waste of money . ”


  A voice sounded beside the bed .

  A red voice .

  However, this red is different from the frightening red of Jialan’s eyes . It gives off a warm feeling .

  A fire that tries to destroy everything and a fire that protects everything in winter . The former is dazzling, while the latter is warm and radiant . This is probably the most appropriate analogy to describe the difference between the two .

  The “red” beside the bed is the latter .

  Xihe slowly turned her head on the soft pillow, and the girl sitting by the bed immediately caught her eyes .

  An immaculate, delicate face entered her eyes .

  The girl’s eyes look like flickering scarlet flames . Dressed in a red dress, she is the spitting image of a red flower swaying gently . There is a fragrance of jasmine wafting out from her .

  As expected, she grew up into a great beauty…… Xihe felt a range of emotions as she recalled the little girl from 10 years ago .

  It has been 10 years . Before this, they had only met once . Far from being familiar with one another, the two can only be regarded as “acquaintances” .

  However, the little girl from Xihe’s memory, who saved her, still overlapped with the girl in front of her in an instant .

  Red as always, there are still some traces of the past on that pretty face .

  When they met again on the battlefield not long ago, Xihe still easily recognized the girl as the little girl from that time .

  Well, Qi Qiqi left such a deep impression that even time could not erase it .

  “.…… ‘putting fine timber to petty use’, this is the first time I heard this expression . ”


  Xihe showed a helpless smile .

  “How disagreeable . I just couldn’t think of a suitable description momentarily, okay? Qilin calls this ‘brain fart’ . It’s normal for people to experience this occasionally . How do I put it…… It’s like when you forget how to write a character!”


  As she complained, Qi Qiqi’s face flushed, as if she’s unconvinced only on the surface, but in fact feels embarrassed .

  “Xue Qilin has a…… glib tongue . ”


  “She’s particularly mischievous as well!”


  Hearing Qi Qiqi’s indignant appraisal of the lass, who is god knows where, Xihe’s face showed curiosity .

  “Mischievous?”


  “Exactly . She always causes me trouble, like a child . Did you know that she……”


  Qi Qiqi looks likes she’s complaining about the naughty and disobedient behavior of her family’s child, which prompted Xihe to giggle . Qi Qiqi, who didn’t notice it, continued to enumerate Xue Qilin’s faults .

  “– right, where is she?”


  Suddenly, the scene before she lost consciousness — Xue Qilin, who propped her bruised body up, is moving laboriously towards her — appeared in her mind, and Xihe couldn’t help but interrupt Qi Qiqi and ask about Xue Qilin’s whereabouts .

  “Hmm? Are you asking about Qilin?”


  “Yes . ”


  Qi Qiqi wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms unhappily .

  “She’s alive and kicking! Her injuries were much lighter than yours . She hasn’t even laid two days in bed, when her injuries have nearly recovered . She’s rather energetic now . ”


  As if she recalled something, Qi Qiqi added quickly: “Right! In fact, she is very worried about you . She was here just a moment ago, but then was called away . So, don’t think she hasn’t come to visit you!”


  “Well, don’t worry, I didn’t think that . ”


  Her gaze fell on Qi Qiqi’s still somewhat pale lips, and Xihe asked the other party about her condition .

  “Rather, how’s are you?”


  Although her tone is calm and flat, but she still expressed her hard to conceal concern .

  “Well, I’m fine, the wound has healed . ”


  Qi Qiqi stroked her left chest, where she was injured .

  “Although I don’t know what miraculous skill Qilin used to make it heal and become as good as ever…… but the feeling — the feeling of being pierced through is still there……”


  Qi Qiqi gazed into empty space .

  Probably because the swaying candlelight that illuminated the other party’s face flickered, Xihe failed to see Qi Qiqi’s expression clearly .

  “I still vaguely remember the pain at that time . This lingering residual feeling seems to rebuke me and remind me of my stupidity, naiveness, and powerlessness . ”


  Xihe moved her gaze away and looked at the ceiling again .

  “However, that is what saved me . ”


  Xihe’s comforting made Qi Qiqi stunned .

  Then, Qi Qiqi smiled and revealed a deep dimple . Xihe found that Qi Qiqi’s right cheek dimple happens to form a pair with Xue Qilin’s left cheek dimple .

  “Well, I was thinking, I must have no regrets . ”


  After a short pause, Qi Qiqi said “but”, yet then hesitated .

  “Yeah?”


  “If Qilin had been there at the time, then things might have gone differently . She would definitely have supported my idea to bring you back to Merak Temple…… However, there are no ifs . In the end, I didn’t bring you back to Merak Temple . ”


  “No, it’s already enough, you saving me at the time is already enough . ”


  Xihe, who’s abdomen is hurting, tried to prop her upper body up .

  Probably because she hasn’t fully recovered from her injuries, Xihe’s arms couldn’t muster much force . She couldn’t even accomplish the simple action of sitting up .

  Seeing the struggling expression on Xihe’s face, Qi Qiqi frowned and pressed her against the bed .

  “Wait, you mustn’t! Don’t force yourself . You’re badly hurt — your tails have been torn off . According to Qilin, you have to rest and recuperate for at least one or two months . ”


  “‘Rest and recuperate’ doesn’t mean that I can’t sit up, right?”


  Xihe looked helplessly at Qi Qiqi . As a result, Qi Qiqi’s eyes shifted .

  “This……”


  “My body is stiff . At least let me sit up . ”


  “What do I do with you…… how come there are two people around me who don’t listen to my advice? Let me help you . ”


  Although she complained, but Qi Qiqi still supported Xihe and put a pillow behind her back .

  Xihe adjust herself slightly and leaned back comfortably .

  At this time, Qi Qiqi poured a glass of water for Xihe .

  “Drink some water . Your voice is hoarse, you haven’t had a drop of water in a few days . ”


  “Sorry to bother you . ”


  Xihe took the large bowl filled with water . She had never seen such a large bowl . After a closer look, she found that the words “Property of the Temple Master” are engraved on it, and surprise flashed across her face .

  The moment when the lips touched the water, Xihe lost control of her mouth, and drank all the water in one breath . She had intended to remain reserved and drink the water slowly, but her throat was much dryer than she had expected . She could not resist her body’s thirst for water .

  Seeing that the bowl was emptied in an instant, Qi Qiqi took a kettle and filled it for Xihe again .

  In the end, Xihe drank three large bowls of water before she was satisfied, and returned the bowl to Qi Qiqi .

  “Please excuse my unsightly behavior . ”


  Xihe apologized . Qi Qiqi used a handkerchief, which she got from who knows where, to wipe the residual water from the bowl, and then put the bowl back in her sleeve .

  “I really want you to lie down . But since you are so obstinate, there’s not much I can do . ”


  Speaking till here, Qi Qiqi suddenly put on a worried expression .

  “Are you really okay? Can you sit properly?”


  When she heard Qi Qiqi’s questions, Xihe sighed helplessly .

  “It’s more comfortable than lying . ”


  In fact, sitting is better for the body than lying . Just sitting up has dissipated the heavy feeling of Xihe’s body to some degree .