Guan Fusha rose and walked over to Xiaoyuan, lowering her gaze.
“I think you understand just how grave a mistake you’ve made this time.”
“This servant… knows she was wrong.”
Crushed by the killing intent rolling off Guan Fusha, Xiaoyuan kept her head lowered, not daring to look up.
“According to the sect rules, you attempted to assassinate a Protector. The punishment is death.”
Xiaoyuan’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
She had already guessed this would be the outcome, but as long as it was for the Protector’s sake, she would never regret it. Biting down hard on her lip, she steeled herself inside.
“This servant is willing to accept punishment.”
Off to the side, Yan Hong, who had been watching the show, let out a derisive laugh and clapped.
“How touching.”
Xiaoyuan’s face burned as if it were on fire. She lifted her head and quietly met Guan Fusha’s eyes, deep and calm as a still pool.
“As long as it’s for Protector, this servant will never regret it.”
Guan Fusha let out a soft chuckle.
“Very well. I’ll grant you your wish.”
Xiaoyuan resigned herself and shut her eyes. She waited and waited, but the pain she had braced for never came. Instead, there was a metallic clank, and the cold, heavy weight on her wrists vanished. When she opened her eyes again, her hands were free, and the icy shackles lay quietly on the floor.
“…Protector?”
Xiaoyuan stared at Guan Fusha in disbelief.
“Get up.”
Guan Fusha did not extend a hand to help her, but her tone was much more gentle than before.
“You have indeed committed a grave offense. But in light of all you’ve contributed to the Night God Cult over the years, and your original intention of protecting your master, I’ve decided to spare you from the death penalty.”
Guan Fusha’s mercy moved Xiaoyuan so much her heart surged with emotion. Her voice carried a faint tremor.
“Protector…”
“However,” Guan Fusha went on, “though you’re spared death, you won’t escape punishment. You’ll spend one month in the Punishment Hall reflecting on your mistake, and your rank will be reduced to a third-class servant.”
Xiaoyuan froze, then finally processed the words, and bitterness flooded her heart.
Of course. After committing such a crime, how could she dream of leaving without being punished? She wasn’t afraid of the Protector’s punishment. She had done everything of her own will and had long since prepared herself to accept any consequence without complaint. But… why did it have to mean being sent away from the Protector’s side?
To her, this punishment was worse than death.
The light drained from Xiaoyuan’s expression. Her lips moved soundlessly for a while; her throat was so dry that no words would come. Only after a long time did she manage to say hoarsely:
“…This servant thanks Protector for sparing her life.”
Guan Fusha answered with a soft, indifferent sound, then turned and walked out of the cell. Yan Hong followed, glancing back at the heavy door as it closed. Xiaoyuan’s look, as if she had just lost her entire world, was still seared into her mind.
“You really are heartless.”
“Since ancient times, deep feelings have only ever led to regret. Sometimes, being heartless is not such a bad thing.”
Guan Fusha was smiling, but the smile never reached her eyes.
She was well aware of Xiaoyuan’s feelings for her. Because she could not return them, she had chosen to ignore them all this time. She never imagined Xiaoyuan’s infatuation would run this deep, that she would even do something so foolish for her sake.…
For some reason, Guan Fusha suddenly thought of that day at the lakeside pavilion—the peach blossom brushing across her cheek, the touch of that kiss. An unfamiliar emotion was spreading through her chest, vast and boundless, as if it would overflow and fill her entire heart. The feeling, one she had never experienced before, made her uneasy, both excited and afraid. The tips of her fingers trembled slightly.
Yan Hong noticed something off about her.
“What’s with you spacing out? Still thinking about Xiaoyuan?”
“No. I was just thinking of something else.”
Guan Fusha quickly reined in her emotions and forced herself not to recall what had happened that day. She made her voice sound as calm as usual.
“Come on. Your senior sister has just taken the Protector’s seat. I’m sure Qiyong will pile a whole mess of trouble on us to clean up.”
Night had fallen completely. The moon hung high among the branches.
Most of Hibiscus Court had been ruined by Xiaoyuan, so it was only natural for Taohua to stay overnight in the side courtyard.
After what had happened that morning, the exhausted Taohua went to bed right after dinner. It wasn’t even the hour of the dog yet, and most of the lamps in the side courtyard were already out, leaving only a few small lights burning.
In her sleep, Taohua seemed to hear a faint rustling, sliding sound. She couldn’t make it out clearly. Thinking it was just Guan Fusha coming over because she had nowhere else to sleep, she didn’t pay it much mind.
Then the hand she had left resting beside her pillow suddenly felt a chill, as if something strange was gliding across her skin, damp and sticky.
The sensation was so revolting that Taohua jolted awake from her dream.
The moment she opened her eyes, she heard a sharp hiss, just like a snake flicking its tongue. At first she thought she was still half-asleep and hallucinating, but the sound was far too vivid, echoing incessantly by her ear.
Cold seeped through her heart. Clinging to a sliver of hope, she slowly lifted her gaze.
A small snake as thick as a hemp rope was coiled right beside her pillow. Its tail swayed lazily, brushing from time to time across the back of the hand she’d left outside the blanket.
As a child, Taohua had once been bitten by a snake while playing. Fortunately it had been nonvenomous and her life was not in danger, but the incident had left a deep, indelible shadow in her heart.
Now, girl and snake locked eyes. The snake’s golden pupils gleamed with an eerie light, and the childhood terror surging up inside her shattered her composure at once. She screamed instinctively and flung the blanket at it.
The blanket fell right over the green snake, covering it completely, but in no time it wriggled nimbly out through a small hump in the fabric. Tongue flicking, it probed its surroundings, and the panicking Taohua quickly became its target. Baring its sharp fangs, it struck at her with lethal speed—
Taohua had already backed up to the edge of the bed and hadn’t realized that there was nothing behind her. As she retreated, she tumbled straight off the mattress and hit the floor, but by sheer luck, that fall let her dodge the strike.
“Help… help!”
Terrified out of her wits, Taohua scrambled up from the ground. By the bright moonlight streaming in through the window, she saw the green snake slithering after her like a shadow. Those golden eyes were like icy blades that could take her life without the slightest effort.
She didn’t even bother to put on her shoes. Crying for help at the top of her lungs, she bolted toward the door, too afraid to look back at the snake for fear that one glance would scare her legs weak and stop her from running.
Just then, the door suddenly flew open. Xiaozhu, dressed in sleepwear, rushed in, having heard Taohua’s screams.
“Protector, what happened?”
“There… there’s a snake!”
