Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 112
Chapter 112 - Elder Brother Has a Cloak
After consecutively shooting two bandits, Chu Yi flipped down from his horse and walked toward his son.
Who would have thought that someone would beat him to it and embrace Yu Ge'er a step faster.
Seeing that woman holding Yu Ge'er, a faint sense of familiarity stirred within him; Yu Ge'er's brows, eyes, and facial features seemed somewhat similar to the woman before him.
Wait, Changsheng looked even more like Madam Xie—eyes, nose, mouth... as though they were carved from the exact same mold...
An absurd thought surfaced in Chu Yi's mind. Could it be...
Just as his thoughts wandered, the bandit whose eye had been pierced suddenly grabbed the long saber beside him and slashed blindly toward Yun Chu's direction.
Yun Chu executed a nimble turn, but she couldn't completely evade the attack as the long saber grazed right past her waist, and the bandit continued hacking wildly like a madman.
Chu Yi's gaze darkened. He raised his foot and delivered a fierce kick, then picked up the long saber and directly sliced through the bandit's neck.
Before long, the flesh and blood around the wound on the bandit's neck rapidly turned jet-black.
"Madam Xie, the blade is poisoned!"
Lifting his terrified son and handing him over to a nearby guard, Chu Yi turned his attention to Yun Chu: "Madam Xie, offense is taken."
Before Yun Chu could figure out what was happening, the man swept her up horizontally in his arms, carrying her straight into the unburned wooden shack nearby.
Had she not possessed a sufficient understanding of this man to know he was no petty scoundrel, she would have long since pulled out a hairpin and stabbed him.
"Madam Xie, that blade carries a deadly poison," Chu Yi said, keeping it brief. "There are no physicians on the mountain; I will first help you suck out the poison before we head down the mountain for treatment."
Yun Chu immediately pulled back her cloak.
The clothing around her waist had been slashed open, revealing a long, jagged gash where the flesh appeared stained with black ink, making one's heart tremble.
She hadn't felt the wound to be all that painful initially, but the moment she laid eyes on the gruesome laceration, her entire body went weak.
It had only been a little over two months since her rebirth, and there were still so many, many things left undone. How could she possibly die here like this?
"Your Highness is a member of the royal family, supreme and noble. This humble person dares not let this poison taint Your Highness's body," Yun Chu spoke up. "I must trouble Your Highness to simply find anyone else to do it."
This body of hers had already been ruined back on her wedding night. What chastity? What purity? These things held zero meaning for her anymore.
Chu Yi caught the despair reflecting in her eyes.
She wasn't necessarily unconcerned about her chastity, but rather... felt no need to care about it at all...
He had heard that Lord Xie and Madam Xie shared a deep and devoted marital bond, with profound affection between husband and wife. How could she treat her own chastity with such utter indifference?
Yet now was not the time to dwell on that. Chu Yi stated: "Madam Xie was injured by the bandits solely for the sake of protecting Yu Ge'er. I will suck the poison out of Madam Xie's body simply as repayment for saving his life."
With those words, he leaned down.
Instinctively, Yun Chu flinched.
A woman's chastity was like a cage trapping her within its bars; no matter how little she cared, she could never completely ignore the body's instinctive resistance.
"Madam Xie, do not be afraid."
The man's large palm pressed firmly against her waist, followed by a soft contact and a burning heat that spread from her waist out to her limbs.
She closed her eyes, commanding herself to stay calm.
If she wanted to survive, the poison had to be extracted immediately; otherwise, by the time they descended the mountain, it would likely be beyond saving.
Just pretend... just pretend the man before her was merely some random guard, pretend she didn't know him at all, and perhaps it wouldn't feel so difficult to face.
Her mind began recalling events from her past life, one by one, reviewing them over and over again... Finally, the sensation of touch upon her waist vanished.
Yun Chu opened her eyes and met Chu Yi's gaze; his lips had turned a pitch-black hue.
"Madam Xie, the remaining poison is negligible and poses no further threat to your life." Chu Yi took a sip of water, spat it out, rinsed his mouth three times, and then spoke: "As for today's affair, you know of it, and I know of it—just the two of us knowing is enough. I kindly ask that you—"
"Bang!"
Before he could finish his sentence, the door of the wooden shack was kicked open violently.
"Chu'er!"
Yun Ze rushed in with a panicked expression, only to freeze entirely upon taking in the scene inside.
It was one thing for the Prince of Pingxi and Chu'er to be alone together in a single room, but Chu'er was in a state of disarray with half her waist exposed. Had there not been a gruesome scar across the bared skin, he would have almost jumped to the wrong conclusions.
Noticing that the Prince of Pingxi's lips were stained black and seeing the pools of dark toxic fluid on the floor, he instantly understood what had transpired.
Yun Chu swiftly grabbed the cloak, wrapping her body back up.
Being caught in such a compromising state by her own biological brother was, to say the least, somewhat awkward.
Maintaining his composure, Yun Ze stepped inside, cupped his fists, and said: "Many thanks to Your Highness for saving my younger sister's life. My Yun family will never forget this kindness."
"It was Madam Xie who saved my unworthy son; this is only what I ought to do." The Prince of Pingxi's expression remained calm. "Lord Yun, do not waste any more time. Hurry down the mountain to seek medical treatment for Madam Xie. As it happens, I know of a female physician and can dispatch someone to invite her to treat Madam Xie's injuries."
"This official happens to know that very same female physician as well, so I won't trouble Your Highness."
Yun Ze walked to Yun Chu's side and tugged at the cloak wrapped tightly around her.
Unaware of what he intended to do, Yun Chu held onto it for dear life.
Yun Ze lowered his voice: "Your elder brother here also has a cloak."
With an embarrassed look, Yun Chu let go.
Yun Ze pulled away the cloak, swiftly draped his own outer garment over Yun Chu, and only then looked toward the Prince of Pingxi: "Many thanks, Your Highness."
Chu Yi took back his cloak. Beneath the scent of blood, he could faintly detect a lingering fragrance unique to a woman.
He had caught this exact scent while clearing the toxins for her just moments ago—a very familiar fragrance...
Lifting Yun Chu up in his arms, Yun Ze strode outward.
A cushioned sedan chair awaited outside, and she was gently placed inside it.
The Prince of Pingxi's men and the Yun family's contingent quickly descended the mountain.
Upon reaching the base, Yun Ze cupped his fists toward Chu Yi, and the two parties parted ways.
Resting weakly against Chu Yi's embrace, Chu Hongyu stared intently at the Yun family's carriage: "Father, why aren't we taking Mother back to the Prince's Estate for treatment?"
"She is not your mother," Chu Yi stated. "Her surname is Yun, and she is Madam Xie. She can go to the Yun residence, or she can go to the Xie residence, but the one place she cannot go is the Prince's Estate."
"That Xie-whatever-Yu she married is not nice to her at all. I heard from a servant at the Xie household that for all these years, that Xie-whatever person has never once stepped foot into her quarters..." The little fellow bit his lip. "That man must not like Mother at all... or rather, he doesn't like Auntie Yun. Auntie Yun must be having a very hard time..."
Chu Yi's gaze darkened.
Everyone said the Xie couple shared a deep and devoted bond; could the rumors actually be untrue?
Yun Chu was brought directly back to the Yun residence by Yun Ze, who summoned a renowned female physician from the capital to clean her wound, apply medication, and bandage her waist.
After taking her medicine, Yun Chu fell asleep, not waking up until the sun was high in the sky.
Ting Feng and Ting Xue attended to her as she finished her prescribed decoction.
Just as she finished the medicine, her eldest sister-in-law, Liu Qianqian, walked in with a smile: "Last night your elder brother went to the Xie residence and mentioned that the carriage you were riding in met with an accident and you sustained some injuries. You should stay right here at the Yun estate to recuperate for the next few days."
Yun Chu nodded. Ever since discovering the truth about her wedding night, she indeed had no desire to return to the Xie residence anytime soon.
"About that..." Liu Qianqian cleared her throat and began, "For us women, while chastity is certainly important, in the face of preserving one's life, chastity isn't worth a damn thing. You must not take what happened last night to heart."
Yun Chu burst into a chuckle.
To comfort her, her eldest sister-in-law—raised in a scholarly household—had actually uttered such vulgar words.
In truth, after sleeping through the night, yesterday's events already felt mostly like a distant memory.