CH 135

Villainous Fake Eunuch (12)

“Xu Yi, wake up!”

The system’s call jolted Song Xu Yi out of her sleep.

She felt a numbness in her hands and feet, as though they had lost all sensation. She sensed that something heavy was weighing her down, making it difficult for her to move.

With a shudder, Song Xu Yi mustered her strength and managed to sit up. She gazed at the bulky “object” that had been pressing down on her.

Gu Ruyu’s brow furrowed tightly, and his originally pale lips lost all color. He was as cold as ice, and if it weren’t for Song Xu Yi detecting his faint breath, she would have thought that Gu Ruyu was already dead.

As Song Xu Yi looked at the blood-soaked back half of Gu Ruyu’s shoulder, her expression turned complex, and she bit her lips tightly. She still remembered the muffled groan that had come from Gu Ruyu when the bomb exploded. She never thought that he would come to rescue her in such a critical moment.

Checking herself, Song Xu Yi found that she didn’t seem to have any external injuries. However, Gu Ruyu’s condition seemed precarious. She had no idea where the water had washed them to. They were in an extremely deep gorge, and there were no signs of human habitation. What made matters worse was the overcast sky and the raindrops already floating in the air, hinting at a heavy downpour.

“There’s a cave under the cliff over there,” the system’s reluctant voice echoed in Song Xu Yi’s mind.

The system still didn’t like Gu Ruyu, but it acknowledged that if it wasn’t for him, Song Xu Yi would probably have already perished. The system prided itself on being fair and impartial, so despite its reluctance, it quickly helped Song Xu Yi find a place to take refuge.

Upon hearing the news, Song Xu Yi breathed a sigh of relief and struggled to stand up and pick up Gu Ruyu.

Although Song Xu Yi was uninjured, Gu Ruyu was still a man, and she had braced herself to bear his weight. To her surprise, Gu Ruyu was extremely light, and Song Xu Yi didn’t have to use much force to lift him halfway.

“Why go through all this trouble?” As she thought about Gu Ruyu’s past, skinny and frail appearance that could be blown away by a gust of wind, Song Xu Yi’s emotions became complex. She couldn’t help but turn her head to glance at Gu Ruyu. “You worked so hard every day, became so thin, and didn’t even get to live happily.”

The extremely weak Gu Ruyu naturally did not respond to Song Xu Yi’s words, but his eyelids trembled silently.

Song Xu Yi was unaware of Gu Ruyu’s small movement. She still felt hesitant towards him and only dared to speak her mind when he was unconscious. After finishing her words, Song Xu Yi also felt like she had been too meddlesome and stopped speaking, focusing on half-supporting Gu Ruyu into the cave that the system had found.

The raindrops in the sky grew larger and larger, and as she saw the impending storm, Song Xu Yi felt extremely fortunate to have the system as her cheat tool. With the system’s guidance, she found some dry wood around the area and collected some wild vegetables and fruits to satisfy their hunger. When everything was piled up in the cave, thunder rumbled, and heavy rain poured down.

Song Xu Yi used the principle of wood-based fire-making and worked hard to start a fire. The cold cave finally felt a bit warmer.

Song Xu Yi carefully cleaned the dirt around Gu Ruyu’s wound and boiled some water on a slate.

Despite his weakness, Gu Ruyu’s complexion still appeared strikingly beautiful, adding a touch of fragility to his appearance that made people feel sorry for him at first sight. It was hard to believe that this sickly-looking man was the ruthless and violent demon king who killed without batting an eye on ordinary days.

Song Xu Yi inwardly sighed at the thought and took off the sachet hanging from Gu Ruyu’s waist. Perhaps due to the frequent assassination attempts, Gu Ruyu had the habit of carrying medicine with him, which came in handy for Song Xu Yi.

As Song Xu Yi was about to apply the golden sore medicine to Gu Ruyu’s wound, he suddenly woke up and attacked her violently. He elbowed Song Xu Yi’s neck and pinned her down under him…

Caught off guard and pushed to the ground, Song Xu Yi felt the force around her neck fill with intense killing intent. Wide-eyed, she looked up at Gu Ruyu, whose eyebrows were tightly furrowed, but his eyes remained tightly shut, indicating that the movement was only a subconscious reaction.

“You don’t know how to appreciate kindness!” The system angrily grumbled in Song Xu Yi’s mind. “You shouldn’t have bothered with him!”

“Gu Ruyu, it’s me, Song Xu Yi,” Song Xu Yi was startled but tried to cautiously grasp Gu Ruyu’s hand that was choking her neck. She softened her voice and spoke slowly, “I don’t have any other intentions. I just want to give you medicine…”

Whether due to exhaustion or recognition of Song Xu Yi, Gu Ruyu’s grip on her neck slowly loosened.

Afraid of creating any complications, Song Xu Yi seized the opportunity and flipped over, pressing Gu Ruyu under her. She was worried that he might struggle and tear the wound while she applied the medicine, so she used the outer garment he had taken off to bind his hands.

“Xu Yi, you…” The system was clearly shocked by Song Xu Yi’s move, and its voice sounded surprised.

Song Xu Yi looked down at the sickly beautiful person, now bound and obedient, and felt a pang of guilt in her heart after hearing the system’s voice. She coughed lightly and said, “I have no other intentions. I just want to make it easier to apply the medicine.”

Initially, Song Xu Yi had only planned to bandage Gu Ruyu from behind, but when he struggled, she feared that the bandage wouldn’t be secure enough. After a moment of thought, she decided to take off Gu Ruyu’s clothes and bind his entire arm, which would be more secure.

Song Xu Yi quickly removed Gu Ruyu’s clothes and realized for the first time how complicated his attire was. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that Gu Ruyu always dressed in this manner, even in the relatively warm weather recently, he still wore multiple layers of clothing.

“His skin looks even better than a girl’s!” Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but exclaim to the system.

As she removed layer after layer of clothing, she revealed Gu Ruyu’s skin, which was as white and tender as jade. Perhaps because he was always covered and never exposed to the sun, Song Xu Yi felt that Gu Ruyu’s skin looked even more delicate and fair than that of most women.

When she unbuttoned his inner garment, Song Xu Yi was surprised to find a thin piece of special metal tightly wrapped around Gu Ruyu’s chest with a strip of cloth.

No wonder his chest feels so firm when touched!

At first, Song Xu Yi didn’t think much of it and assumed that it was a protective device that Gu Ruyu had put on to prevent others from attacking him. While admiring Gu Ruyu’s meticulous thinking and comprehensive protection, she also noticed that the cloth was wrapped too tightly, making it difficult for Gu Ruyu to breathe. A red mark was clearly visible on Gu Ruyu’s tender and white skin.

In order to allow the patient to rest fully, Song Xu Yi exerted a lot of effort to untie the cloth that was wrapped around the thin sheet. As she inspected it more closely, she realized that it was actually a type of corset made of special metal, designed to shape the wearer’s chest. Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised at the discovery.

Thinking that the cloth could be used to wrap the wound, Song Xu Yi placed them by the fire to dry, with one hand holding the gold sore medicine and the other hand holding the thin sheet, ready to apply the medicine.

?!!

At first, Song Xu Yi thought she was mistaken and rubbed her eyes a few times before realizing the undeniable truth. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she instinctively covered her eyes, hastily dressing Gu Ruyu.

Except for the parties involved and the automatically censored system, no one knew what happened in that cave.

How could this be possible?

Song Xu Yi felt utterly devastated, but the alluring scenery she had just witnessed was etched into her mind and couldn’t be erased. She felt like a woman who had been taken advantage of, with her hands tied and her clothes disheveled…

“Sys…system,” it took Song Xu Yi a while to come back to her senses. She covered her hot face with her hands and felt like she was about to cry: “Gu Ruyu, she’s a woman–“

The system also felt like crying.

The fact that Gu Ruyu was a woman was like a bolt from the blue to the system. Song Xu Yi’s reaction made it feel even more ominous, but the system had experienced many worlds and considered itself a mature entity. Despite feeling shattered inside, the system still tried to calm its emotions and told Song Xu Yi: “Now that you know the big villain’s secret, she might come after us when she wakes up, and she might even kill us to keep us quiet. We need to clean up the scene and act like we didn’t see anything.”

The system’s words successfully brought Song Xu Yi back to her senses.

Although she still felt immensely embarrassed, Song Xu Yi bravely picked up the medicine bottle again and sat next to Gu Ruyu, trembling as she administered the medicine.

She dared not touch the cloth binding Gu Ruyu’s chest again, tore her own skirt to bind Gu Ruyu’s wound, and struggled to reapply the thin slice to Gu Ruyu’s chest. She then deliberately pretended that nothing had happened and carried Gu Ruyu to the fire to dry their clothes, which had been soaked by the river water.

Outside, the rain continued to pour, and for some unknown reason, the system became extremely silent. Song Xu Yi stared at the top of the cave’s stone roof, her mind in chaos:

Various images flooded her mind, sometimes of Gu Ruyu’s cunning and scheming appearance from before, and sometimes of the resolute embrace Gu Ruyu had held her in before they fell into the river…

Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but look down at Gu Ruyu’s shoulder: the wound on Gu Ruyu’s shoulder was so bloody and messy that it was likely to leave a scar. Just the thought of a hideous scar appearing on Gu Ruyu’s white, jade-like shoulder made Song Xu Yi feel extremely guilty…

Countless thoughts were swirling in her mind, and Song Xu Yi thought she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. But perhaps due to exhaustion from the day’s events, she didn’t know when she had already fallen asleep.

Song Xu Yi was awakened by the heat.

Gu Ruyu was lying close by, with rosy cheeks and shortness of breath.

Although they were so close, there was not a single flaw visible on Gu Ruyu’s beautiful face. She held onto Song Xu Yi tightly, her cheeks flushed and her breathing quickened. She seemed to be dreaming about something, tears streaming down her closed eyes as she whispered some names. Her expression looked incredibly sad.

Gu Ruyu’s mind was clearly confused, and upon hearing the names she was calling out, Song Xu Yi paused for a moment, a vague guess about Gu Ruyu’s background forming in her mind.

However, she couldn’t afford to think about it now. The worst-case scenario had come true: Gu Ruyu had a fever.

Although Gu Ruyu’s cheeks were abnormally red and her forehead was frighteningly hot, her limbs were as cold as ice, and she trembled uncontrollably.

“It’s okay, it’s okay…” Song Xu Yi’s usually cold and strong demeanor gave way to a fragile one. Overwhelmed with guilt for causing Gu Ruyu’s condition, she gently patted Gu Ruyu’s shoulder and comforted her in a soft voice, struggling to hold Gu Ruyu closer to the fire.

In her sleep, Gu Ruyu instinctively leaned towards the fire. Afraid that she might get burned, Song Xu Yi had to hold her tightly and comfort her, while once again heating up water to warm Gu Ruyu’s hands and feet…

Even though Song Xu Yi didn’t know if the unconscious Gu Ruyu could hear her voice, she continued to gently pat her arms and comfort her while she was trapped in a nightmare. Perhaps due to her good physical fitness from years of martial arts practice, Gu Ruyu’s crying gradually became quieter and her sleeping face became more peaceful. The fever on Gu Ruyu’s forehead finally dissipated the next morning.

Song Xu Yi breathed a sigh of relief and carefully wiped Gu Ruyu’s face clean. Gu Ruyu was extremely fastidious, and waking up to find herself covered in dirt would make her uncomfortable. Besides, Gu Ruyu certainly did not want her subordinates to see her in this state.

Shortly after daybreak, earlier than expected by Song Xu Yi, some of Gu Ruyu’s loyal subordinates arrived outside with a commotion.

Song Xu Yi breathed a long-held sigh of relief upon seeing the familiar faces and accompanied them in lifting Gu Ruyu onto a carriage filled with soft cushions.

Song Xu Yi didn’t know if it was her imagination, but when the doctor examined Gu Ruyu’s pulse, his eyelids seemed to move…

However, Song Xu Yi didn’t look closely. She had been immersed in the river for a long time and had been holding on because she had to take care of Gu Ruyu. Now that they were out of danger, Song Xu Yi felt dizzy and couldn’t help but lean against the carriage wall and fall asleep since she couldn’t be of much help.

A familiar hoarse voice spoke, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet. As if being given a bowl of ginger soup in a daze, when Song Xu Yi opened her eyes again, she was already at the post station. Song Xu Yi took a bath, changed her clothes, drank the medicinal soup with sleep herbs prescribed by the doctor, and fell asleep again.

When Song Xu Yi woke up again, she felt completely refreshed, as if all the discomfort had disappeared.

Almost the moment Song Xu Yi woke up, the maidservants entered the room one after another, bringing in the washing utensils and breakfast for her.

After finishing her breakfast in a few bites, Song Xu Yi was about to ask about Gu Ruyu’s condition when a maidservant approached her with a submissive look and said, “Eunuch Gu would like to see you.”

Since Gu Ruyu was already able to speak, Song Xu Yi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that she was out of danger. She started to ponder about her current situation.

Gu Ruyu wants to see her as soon as he wakes up. Did she notice something?

“Gu Ruyu wants to see you as soon as she wakes up. Did she notice something?” The system gave Song Xu Yi some advice in her mind. “Gu Ruyu is ruthless and must not show any unusual behavior. Just say that you didn’t remove her clothes and only helped her bandage it while she was still dressed. Absolutely do not admit that you saw her naked! Continue to pretend that you don’t know Gu Ruyu’s secret and treat her as a Eunuch!”

Song Xu Yi pursed her lips. That was her original plan – to pretend that she didn’t know Gu Ruyu’s secret. However, the system’s words sounded too strange, and she felt like a scumbag who took advantage of Gu Ruyu and was too ashamed to admit it.

And upon seeing Gu Ruyu, Song Xu Yi’s guilt reached its peak.

In an attempt to avoid touching the wound, Gu Ruyu had changed into a loose white robe, the fabric of which hung down, revealing her exquisitely shaped clavicle. She appeared a bit weak, and her usually meticulous hair bun looked a bit looser, adding a hint of lazy beauty. When she looked up, the red mark at the corner of her eye added three points of obvious charm to her overall appearance.

Gu Ruyu was drinking medicine, and the bitter taste of herbs lingered in the carriage. Song Xu Yi recognized the aroma of the herbs and could pinpoint several extremely bitter ones. Despite the unpleasant taste, Gu Ruyu’s movements remained calm and graceful.

Song Xu Yi felt guilty as she realized that it was her fault that Gu Ruyu had to drink these bitter medicines at all, yet she still had to lie to her.

The feeling of guilt in Song Xu Yi’s heart grew stronger and stronger. She couldn’t even meet Gu Ruyu’s gaze and shrank in the corner of the carriage with a red face, feeling restrained.

Although she didn’t raise her head, Song Xu Yi could feel Gu Ruyu’s gaze on her, and the pressure from Gu Ruyu hit her face. Song Xu Yi bit her lip and realized that despite having organized her thoughts beforehand, she was extremely nervous and couldn’t speak a word in front of Gu Ruyu’s scrutiny.

There was silence in the carriage.

Song Xu Yi knew that Gu Ruyu was waiting for her to speak, but all her mental preparations collapsed at the moment she saw Gu Ruyu. The more flustered she became, the more she couldn’t speak.

Gu Ruyu’s gaze grew colder and colder, causing Song Xu Yi to lower her head and break out in a fine sweat. It seemed like an eternity had passed in that moment until the sound of the medicine bowl being placed on the table ahead could be heard, followed by two soft coughs from above.

Gu Ruyu had finished the medicine.

“Xu Yi! Don’t panic,” the system saw Song Xu Yi’s expression and knew that she was always honest. It was too difficult for her to tell lies, so it had to resort to drastic measures. “Don’t forget your mission! Gu Ruyu will kill countless people in the future. You two are destined to be enemies.”

Song Xu Yi’s body trembled, and she bit her lip. She remembered the tragic scene of the fall of the mountains and rivers in the original plot summary, took a deep breath, and bravely lifted her head.

Perhaps the medicine was too bitter, as Gu Ruyu’s expression was a little sullen.

When she saw that Song Xu Yi had finally raised her head, Gu Ruyu’s imposing aura finally eased up a bit. She raised her chin slightly and narrowed her eyes as she looked at Song Xu Yi, her expression unreadable.

“Ruyu,” despite it being a familiar form of address, Song Xu Yi felt that it was extremely strange to use it at this moment. But since she had already spoken, Song Xu Yi didn’t want to give up halfway. She gritted her teeth and continued hesitantly: “Thank you for saving me yesterday. Are you feeling better now?”

“A little better,” Gu Ruyu spoke softly after a moment. Her voice sounded very gentle, but Song Xu Yi heard a shiver behind Gu Ruyu’s voice. Gu Ruyu’s tone and intonation were very familiar, but her voice was obviously that of a woman!

“She’s testing you, Xu Yi. Don’t panic, you have to stay steady!” The system quickly reminded her.

“This… this is really great!” Song Xu Yi paused in her breathing, feeling that the system made a lot of sense. She bit her lip, pretending not to notice the strangeness in Gu Ruyu’s voice, and continued dryly: “I’ve been worried all along. I’m not good at dealing with injuries. After I pulled you out of the river yesterday, I didn’t dare to touch your wound. I only applied some medicine on the surface. Fortunately, your subordinates arrived in time–“

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault for causing trouble for you…”

Facing Gu Ruyu’s gradually colder and icier gaze, Song Xu Yi’s voice became smaller and smaller. She knew her acting was very poor, and Gu Ruyu was a highly intelligent and cunning person. Her mediocre acting may not be able to deceive her. Under Gu Ruyu’s cold eyes, Song Xu Yi felt her whole body tense, unable to stop her nervousness, mixed with a hint of inexplicable grievance. Although she didn’t want to cry, tears still wet her eyes, and her voice was trembling with a hint of crying.

Suddenly, Gu Ruyu shifted her gaze away.

She took a few deep breaths, perhaps choking on the speed of her breathing, and Gu Ruyu coughed a few times, her forehead furrowing tighter.

“I understand.” To Song Xu Yi’s surprise, Gu Ruyu seemed not to have detected her lie. She coughed a few more times, covered her eyes with her hand, and spoke softly as if tired, “You’ve also been busy all day, go back and rest first.”

?!

Song Xu Yi was taken aback, not expecting Gu Ruyu to let her go so easily. She couldn’t help but glance at Gu Ruyu, who had a calm expression while partially covering her eyes. If Gu Ruyu knew that Song Xu Yi had caught her, she probably wouldn’t react like this…

With that thought, Song Xu Yi felt relieved.

She wanted to leave immediately, but perhaps because her body had been too tense earlier, she now realized that her legs were numb and couldn’t move at all. Song Xu Yi had to move her legs bit by bit while keeping her eyes fixed on Gu Ruyu, afraid of being caught acting strange…

However, Gu Ruyu seemed extremely tired and had not opened her eyes the whole time.

At that moment, Song Xu Yi noticed how pale Gu Ruyu’s face had become. She also remembered that Gu Ruyu had been injured because of her. She felt guilty for trying to deceive her, and the guilt that she had managed to suppress came flooding back.

Meanwhile, Gu Ruyu was listening to the sounds beside her and felt like she was in an icy abyss.

She had actually remembered everything that had happened the day before. She hadn’t expected to risk her life to save Song Xu Yi. The bond between them had gone far beyond what one would have with a pet.

Moreover, Song Xu Yi had discovered the secret that she had been trying to conceal.

Gu Ruyu was in a dangerous situation that seemed beyond her control. She knew that the safest course of action would be to kill Song Xu Yi as only a dead person could keep her secret.

But despite this, Gu Ruyu found herself unable to go through with it. She kept remembering the gentle way Song Xu Yi had taken care of her in the cave and felt an inexplicable sweetness in her heart.

Since Song Xu Yi’s life had been saved by her, Gu Ruyu decided to spare her life if she continued to treat her kindly in the future.

Thus, she summoned Song Xu Yi with the intention of coming clean and revealing her plans. However, Gu Ruyu was taken aback when she realized Song Xu Yi was denying everything and shamelessly pretending as if nothing had ever happened.

For a moment, Gu Ruyu felt so angry that she wanted to strangle the little liar who had disturbed her mind while pretending to be innocent.

However, Song Xu Yi’s voice was trembling, and Gu Ruyu could see the fear and tears in her eyes.

Suddenly, a dense pain pricked Gu Ruyu’s heart.

Gu Ruyu had never expected Song Xu Yi to be so afraid of her. It wasn’t what she wanted.

This shouldn’t be happening!

Gu Ruyu didn’t know what was happening to herself. She had always boasted that she was fearless, but now she couldn’t bring herself to look into Song Xu Yi’s eyes, afraid of seeing rejection and fear there. She could only close her eyes, as if tired, pretending to believe Song Xu Yi’s flawed lies and letting her leave her side…

What was wrong with her?

Gu Ruyu bit her lip, feeling bitter and pained inside, as if it was even more bitter than the medicine she had just taken.

She was completely finished – not only could she not bring herself to kill Song Xu Yi, she couldn’t even bear to see a hint of sadness in her expression…

Gu Ruyu was disgusted with herself for being so emotionally affected by Song Xu Yi…

And just then, she heard the strangely familiar voice of the little liar who had caused all this turmoil in her mind: “Ruyu, the medicine is so bitter, do you want a candy?”

During breakfast, a maid had brought out a plate of local pine nut candies, which Song Xu Yi had found delicious and had absentmindedly put two in her pocket.

At this moment, seeing the pale complexion of Gu Ruyu and thinking of the extremely bitter medicine she had just taken, feelings of remorse arose in Song Xu Yi. Unable to resist, she took out one of the candies–

Song Xu Yi felt somewhat uneasy in her heart: she knew that Gu Ruyu had heard her words, and her pale lips seemed to have tightened, but there was no reaction.

Thinking that Gu Ruyu had always been tough and might not be afraid of the bitter taste of the medicine, Song Xu Yi didn’t want to disturb her rest anymore and spoke softly, “Rest well. I’ll come to see you at dinner.”

Song Xu Yi was about to retract her hand, but was unexpectedly stopped by Gu Ruyu, who pressed down on her hand.

Gu Ruyu opened her eyes.

Her dark, deep gaze was full of emotions that Song Xu Yi couldn’t quite discern. She grabbed her wrist with one hand and slowly pinched a pine nut candy with the other, placing it in her mouth.

“I’ve changed my mind!” Song Xu Yi heard Gu Ruyu speak softly, and before she could even process the meaning of her words, she felt a sudden force on her hand and fell into Gu Ruyu’s arms!

“I am a narrow-minded Eunuch,” due to the force she used, the wound on Gu Ruyu’s shoulder began to bleed again. However, looking at Song Xu Yi’s worried and flustered expression, Gu Ruyu’s smile became extremely joyful. “I risked my life to save the Princess. Shouldn’t the Princess show some gratitude?”

“The servant is heavily injured, and it’s not convenient to have others take care of me, so I can only trouble the Princess.”

Please proofread and edit the following:

It was you who came over again!

If you care more about me, give me more candy to make me happy, I won’t kill you, and I will treat you well.

Is that okay?