Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 19

Under the fading glow of the sunset, the twilight cast its dim light upon the man. His profile was sharp, appearing profoundly cold and detached. Not half a moment later, she witnessed it with her own eyes: in the clearing before the bamboo forest hut, bathed in the light filtering through the gaps in the dense woods, the man—with ruthless precision—plunged a broken sword into the chest of the last person standing.

A massive spray of blood erupted, splattering across the man’s piercing features, adding a sense of terror to the encroaching night.

As the fallen man drew his last breath, the sky turned fully dark.

Jiang Wanshu stared wide-eyed, her gaze fixed on the scene. Her eyes were stained with a bloody hue, and her hands, resting at her sides, moved to cross over her mouth.

Stricken by shock, tears surged uncontrollably from her eyes. Witnessing death once more, she could not suppress her terror and let out a scream.

This sound caught the attention of the man who had just succeeded in his ploy. In less than half a second, his gaze shifted instantly, noticing the young woman in front of the kitchen.

Almost imperceptibly, he suppressed the slight curve of his lips and frowned.

Just as Jiang Wanshu was about to faint and collapse onto the ground, the man—like a leopard encountering its own exclusive trainer—instantly retracted his thorns. His right hand let go of the wooden shaft protruding from the man’s chest, and with a “whoosh,” he flew to Jiang Wanshu’s side.

As Jiang Wanshu’s heart raced from the extreme shock and she lost consciousness, unable to take any more, Zhou Yan caught her.

The wind whistled around them; in the moment before she blacked out, all Jiang Wanshu saw was the rushing wind.

Her body was soft as it fell into Zhou Yan’s arms.

Zhou Yan caught her steadily, the weight lifting from his heart. He gathered her into his long arms, cast an unfriendly glance at the corpses before him, and strode away with her.

Autumn nights always arrive quickly. Before long, the sky was completely dark.

Zhou Yan was accustomed to seeing even the toughest prairie girls—those with spirits like stone—fall into comas for days after receiving a single lash during his executions, let alone a fragile girl like Jiang Wanshu.

Even though the punishment wasn’t inflicted on her, he had, after all, killed someone right before her eyes. It was only natural she would be terrified.

Her current state was something he didn’t want to see; otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked Magulaji to ensure she didn’t return to the hut tonight.

Ultimately, he had miscalculated. Half an hour later, thinking she would remain asleep for the rest of the night, Zhou Yan remembered her love for cleanliness. He turned and went back outside, bringing back a basin of warm water to the wooden bed.

He lowered his gaze to observe her peaceful sleeping face.

Under the flickering candlelight, Zhou Yan’s gaze swept over her dark, crow-feather lashes. Her expression was soft, her smooth long hair unfastened and draped over the pillow. Her nose was high yet delicate, and her pink lips were as tender as congealed fat.

The contrast of her snowy skin revealed a curvaceous figure beneath; even under a moderate quilt, one could see the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in her heavy slumber.

Looking closely, the sight was incredibly striking.

A flicker of lust crossed Zhou Yan’s eyes, but he suppressed it.

While watching her, he crouched down and picked up the cloth she usually used for bathing, soaking it in the warm water and wringing it out.

The man’s palms were rough. Holding the warm cloth, he sat by the bed, reigning in the heavy strength he usually used on others. He gently placed the damp cloth against the girl’s wrist.

Jiang Wanshu remained unresponsive. She was like an exquisite, priceless dress displayed in a fine shop—a treasure that made it impossible for one to look away.

The heel of Zhou Yan’s warm palm followed the cloth as it wiped her fair skin, inadvertently touching the girl who had become increasingly resentful of his touch in recent days.

In her sleep, Jiang Wanshu seemed to sense it and tried to pull her arm away from the man’s grasp.

When her jade-white arm instinctively pulled away, Zhou Yan’s dark eyes flashed with displeasure at this intentional escape. He grabbed her arm again, somewhat roughly, meticulously wiping away the “filth” of the evening.

The cloth moved up her arm until the front of her dress was lifted. Zhou Yan’s breathing grew heavy as he caught a glimpse of her rounded shoulders, white as pearls. With a slight tremble in his hand, he pressed down.

The cloth, damp with water, wiped over her slender collarbones. Even through the fabric, he could savor the sensation.

Unsatisfied, Zhou Yan gazed greedily at her exposed skin. Just as he set the cloth aside and pulled at the clothing on her other shoulder, the girl beneath him began to struggle with the speed of a creature fleeing a predator.

Her long lashes began to flutter uncontrollably, as if she were trapped in a terrible nightmare.

Just as the man’s large hand followed the damp cloth toward the area three inches above her bosom, the girl’s body began to break into a sweat from the nightmare. Finally, as his hand was about to touch her delicate skin, she bolted upright.

In doing so, her forehead slammed right into him.

The man’s chest possessed a natural, burning heat. As if enticed by her previous vulnerability, he instantly pulled her into his embrace.

His arms were powerful, crossing behind her back. He held her with total strength, resting his chin on her shoulder. He didn’t realize that Jiang Wanshu, now fully awake and emotionally unstable, had her hands pinned against his waist.

In her aching and muddled mind, images flashed of the man’s sharp, bloodthirsty eyes from before she fainted—how he had pinned a man down in the shadows and coldly driven a bolt into his chest.

Even though he had been gentle with her lately, making her less afraid of him, the bloody scene of him killing without emotion had completely revived the image of his cruel nature in her heart.

She had grown up in a “greenhouse,” surrounded by living, emotional people. She respected life. Even if she knew he had killed those envoys because of her, she could neither understand nor condone it.

His brutality sparked a sudden panic in her heart. She couldn’t help but wonder: if she ever did something that deeply displeased him, would he treat her the same way?

If it happened once, it could happen again. If one day…

Cold sweat began to pour off her; her breath hitched for a moment.

She had never dealt with such a situation. Combined with her growing desire to leave him, her resentment toward his touch had reached a breaking point.

Jiang Wanshu shrunk back in his arms, her mind in a blur, but in the next moment, she snapped into a cold clarity.

The scenes from before she fainted whirled in her head. She was now terrified even to look at him, let alone be held by him. She tried to build up her mental defenses, fearing that if she displeased him, it would bring dire consequences. She forced herself not to pull away.

However, this resolve didn’t last long. She couldn’t see Zhou Yan panting against her shoulder, struggling with the urge to pin her down. Before he could decide to let her go, Jiang Wanshu used all her strength to shove against his chest before he could brace himself.

He nearly fell back onto the bed, but his reflexes were fast; he propped himself up with his forearm.

Realizing he had been rejected, Zhou Yan’s expression turned undeniably cold. He pursed his lips and looked down at her.

“Are you that frightened?”

He knew she had rarely seen such things and couldn’t process it, so he tried to restrain his emotions like a gentleman.

His body loomed over her like a mountain. His hawk-like eyes drew close to hers. In his gaze was the numbness that follows bloodshed, and the sight turned her beautiful face deathly pale.

Jiang Wanshu clutched the remaining fabric of her clothes and scrambled backward, her heels wrinkling the bedsheets. Finally, she hit the wall behind her—the only thing currently providing a sense of safety.

But what did that matter? A wall is a dead object; the security it offered lasted less than a moment.

Sure enough, as soon as her back hit the wall, Zhou Yan snatched her back into his arms. He picked her up as easily as a chick.

The girl in his arms felt the warmth of his chest, but it only made her heart grow colder. Like a rabbit terrified of a wolf, she began to struggle again, more frantically than before.

She trembled, trying to break his hold, but against the determined Zhou Yan, she was destined to fail. Zhou Yan’s desire had shifted; his towering presence was like a mountain crushing a walnut, shattering Jiang Wanshu’s heart.

“They are dead, so you live. What exactly are you afraid of?”

Zhou Yan lived a life on the edge of a blade; killing was a common occurrence to him. He truly did not understand her fear. Was she afraid of what she saw, or afraid he would turn that violence on her?

Realizing this, the flicker of affection in his heart broke free from its cage. He abruptly stopped holding her and let her pull away from his chest.

He stared intensely at the shivering girl. Though he felt pity in his heart, his expression remained unchanged.

The damp cloth had left wet patches on the messy bed. Zhou Yan glanced at her, and she broke into a cold sweat again. She was trembling, walking on thin ice, her legs so weak she dared not look him in the eye.

He pressed his large hand onto her rounded shoulder. Then, his massive frame loomed over her like a suffocating skyscraper. His aura expanded, and his dark, exotic eyes—filled with complex emotions—gazed deeply into her.

“You truly have no heart!” Jiang Wanshu realized she could no longer push him away, so she spoke with reckless abandon. She was finally clear-headed. She no longer believed that his recent tenderness would lead anywhere but a dead end after this experience.

“I am solving your problems for you,” he replied. “How is that heartless?”

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