Novel Full Chapter 172
Chapter 172: 172
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 .