Feng Wuya fell silent.
He sat by Chu Qianli's bed, his long fingers resting on her collar.
There was hesitation.
After all, she was a young lady.
But he had no other choice.
Finally, Feng Wuya turned his face away, hardened his heart, and pulled open Chu Qianli's collar.
At the center of her chest, a expanse of snow-white skin was instantly exposed to the air.
Although nothing too revealing was seen, for a young lady of this era, the skin of her chest was not to be seen by any man other than her husband.
Liujin immediately turned his face away, not daring to look any further.
Feng Wuya took a deep breath, then lowered his head and, in the same manner, tore open his own collar.
"Liujin, no matter what reaction I have later, do not stop me, or all our efforts will be in vain!"
He extended his hand, his long fingers slicing across his palm.
Crimson blood immediately flowed from the wound.
His long fingers then drew a line across his own chest.
Equally bright red blood trickled down his chest.
He closed his eyes and pressed his injured palm onto the wound on his chest.
"After this is over, send her back. Tonight's events are as if they never happened. No one... is to speak of it."
Liujin gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
Finally, he walked to Feng Wuya's side with heavy steps, staring at the hand pressed against his chest.
The Gu worm, feeding on the heart, biting through the heart脈, would try to escape when it discovered its host was close to death.
As long as there was blood, it could live. It would think it had a chance of survival if it escaped.
Therefore, after severing the heart脉, it would emerge from the wound.
As long as it was captured before it entered another wound, the trap would be successful.
"If you can't hold on..."
"I can... hold on." Feng Wuya's voice gradually became hoarse.
He was circulating his energy, severing his own heart脉, to let the Gu worm know that its host was nearing its end.
This was not the most painful part. The most agonizing stage would be when the Gu worm, in despair, bit through his remaining heart脉, drank enough blood, and prepared to escape.
"I... can..."
Drops of sweat, large as beans, soon appeared on Feng Wuya's forehead.
The sweat trickled down his face, drop by drop, landing on his clothes and disappearing in an instant.
The Gu worm had begun to gnaw at his heart脉!
"Your Highness..." Liujin looked at the swaying Feng Wuya, wanting to help him.
But Feng Wuya remained still, his entire body radiating a coldness that rejected Liujin's support.
He remained seated on the chair, even as his body convulsed and his face had long lost all color.
Yet, he still gritted his teeth, pressing down hard on his chest, still circulating his energy.
His clothes were already soaked with sweat!
Despite his entire body trembling, he remained seated quietly, not uttering a word, perhaps too much in pain to speak.
Slowly, a trickle of blood slid down the corner of his lips, dyeing his plain white robe red, bit by bit.
"Your Highness..." Liujin's heart ached, and he found it difficult to watch.
But he had to!
Once Feng Wuya felt the Gu worm escaping and released his hand, Liujin needed to intercept the Gu worm immediately!
Otherwise, there was a possibility of the Gu worm re-entering his body through the wound on his hand.
Then, all his efforts tonight would be meaningless!
The Gu worm continued to gnaw at the remaining heart脉.
The blood trickling from Feng Wuya's lips gradually turned a dark crimson.
He could no longer bear it and let out a muffled groan, spitting out a mouthful of dark, stagnant blood.
"Your Highness!" Liujin was startled and wanted to help, but he was powerless.
What to do? If this continued, and the Prince couldn't bear it, he might...
Liujin clenched his fists tightly!
Why hadn't this damned Gu worm come out yet?
Did it have to gnaw through the last bit of heart脉 before it would despair and flee?
It was simply killing him!
"Your Highness, if you truly cannot endure it, perhaps... perhaps..."
But now, it was too late to turn back. If he stopped midway, not only would Chu Qianli not be saved, but all of Feng Wuya's suffering tonight would be in vain!
He could not stop!
But if he continued, the Prince's life could be in danger at any moment!
"Your Highness..."
Feng Wuya couldn't help but grunt twice more.
Pain!
The pain made his muscles convulse, the pain made his nostrils bleed.
It was truly painful!
A pain that pierced his heart, more so than anything else!
Even he himself did not know if he could truly persevere!
The "Hundred Worm Secret Technique" did record methods of dispelling the Gu, but because the method was too wicked and overbearing, it required the sacrifice of one life to save another.
Therefore, the secret technique noted that this method of dispelling the Gu might not succeed, as, from ancient times to the present, only one successful case had been recorded.
Feng Wuya had not told Liujin about this.
Only he himself knew.
The success rate was very low...
But he would succeed.
"Mmm..." A low groan, followed by another mouthful of dark, stagnant blood.
His vision began to blur.
He finally couldn't help but look up at the young lady on the bed.
Her collar was half-open, in a way that was not meant for him to see.
But he was about to break.
A'Li...
In his mind, some scenes slowly began to wander.
The young lady stood under a pavilion by the lake, trying to play the melody he had composed.
Later, she said it wasn't good to just play the melody, and they should add some lyrics.
So he took the harmonica he had just learned to play and played it bit by bit.
The young lady stood facing the wind, looking at the shimmering waves on the lake, and sang softly:
"Qin moon, Han pass,
Ten thousand miles of frontier, men not returned.
If only the flying general of Longcheng,
Would not let the barbarian horses cross Yinshan." (Excerpt from "Two Poems on the Frontier")
At that time, he had stopped in surprise and looked at her, "Why such emotion?"
At that time, the young lady had said: "I used to be a soldier, do you believe me? I am the kind of hero who can hold a pass alone and defeat ten thousand."
He didn't know whether to believe her.
Because she knew she had grown up in the Duke's mansion, had never left the imperial city, let alone fought on the battlefield.
But her graceful robes and dignified demeanor made him instinctively say: "...I believe you."
The young lady turned, looked at him, and smiled, "I will also become a God of War in the future, perhaps even more powerful than your fourth brother."
Soon, she began to sing again: "...If only the flying general of Longcheng, would not let the barbarian horses cross Yinshan."
Would not let the barbarian horses cross Yinshan...
But in his heart, there was not so much surging passion.
He only wanted to live a quiet, ordinary life.
Like the scenes that often appeared in his mind recently, he carried his game down the mountain, happily pushing open the door of the small wooden house.
Inside the small wooden house, there would always be a slender, petite figure, smiling and welcoming him.
Every time, he would raise the spoils of his hunt and say, "Wife, I'm back."
Before, he could never see clearly who the girl was who walked out of the small wooden house to greet him.
At this very moment, the pain was unbearable.
The pain made him delirious.
The pain made his whole body convulse.
He reached out and gently caressed the girl's face.
Finally, he saw her clearly.
A'Li, I'm back.