60.2

"Begging Changyi is useless. I don't get to see anything inside this room, my body isn't getting any better, I have no appetite to eat, and I have to vomit blood… The days are way too difficult."

Ji Yunhe opened her palm and summoned the black gas that had been dormant inside her body. It seeped out of the tip of her index finger and swayed around without a rhythm.

"Not many days left, let's disrupt a bit. Why not." A spark of black fire broke out on top of her hand as she spoke.

... ... ...

At the same time, on the other side of the land covered in a blanket of snow. The capital city of Dacheng was under curfew and quiet. The snow had not yet fallen here, but it was very cold.

Inside the Grand Master's room, behind layers of bed curtains, a woman in red breathed out a mouthful of white air. She was wrapped in bandages, her left leg, hands, neck, and even her whole face. Only a mouth and one eye were exposed.

She looked at the lamp by the bed and stared at its flame. The white mist coming out of her mouth became more rapid, and terror grew behind her one eye. Her chest heaved violently even though she could not move her limbs. She breathed hard and her throat let out a whimper.

The flame inside the lamp, to her, was the same as the fire that had burned her throat, boiled her blood, and scorched her skin. She felt the pain again, so painful it distorted her mind.

Until a man's calm face appeared in front of her and shielded the lamp from her view. Just like that day, when all the fire extinguished as soon as he appeared. He was like a god saving her life once again, no matter how far away...

"Ruling."

Princess Shunde eased her tension. Master... She wanted to shout but nothing could come out. After he came, the burning pain around her body slowly disappeared and her breathing calmed.

The Grand Master said, "This will cure your throat but it might cause some discomfort." Princess Shunde blinked as the Grand Master helped her up and fed her a bowl of medicine.

She suddenly felt like she was being choked by a pair of invisible hands. She opened her mouth and gasped for air, but nothing flowed in. The horror of suffocation made her struggle, but her limbs only managed a slight tremble. Her one eye filled with blood as she desperately looked at the Grand Master. Master, master...

She wanted to call for help while he just stood by the bed and watched. It seemed like he was looking at her, yet not really her. He wanted to heal her, but he did not care about her at all. Finally, her throat opened up and air flowed in. Princess Shunde breathed for a long time.

"Master..."

She finally squeezed out a word. The Grand Master nodded his head without showing any joy or satisfaction.

"The medicine is effective. Ruling, I will be able to heal your face."

Princess Shunde was silent for a moment then asked, "Master, do you want to heal me, or do you want to heal my face?"

"Ruling," without hesitation or contemplation, he bluntly said, "that is not a smart question."

It was not a smart question. The Grand Master did not answer stupid people or stupid questions. Why did he stand by her side all these years, saving her, protecting her, and even giving her the power to rival the emperor?

Princess Shunde had always been crystal clear, so she never asked him. She just relied on her leverage and did all the things that others could not. Because she had an asset that gave her shelter with the most powerful person in the world.

And she ended up… being just an asset. The Grand Master left. Under the blanket, her hands tightened and her blackened fingertips digged into the sheets.