Chapter 212: This Is Really Just a Massage
“If I have to get naked, then fine!” This time, Ye Jiuge decided to risk it all.
She undid her sash and boldly started taking off her clothes.
Her sudden nonchalance about baring herself scared Zi Shang.
He thought: Can it be that I’ve driven this girl insane by going overboard with my teasing?!
Thinking of this, Zi Shang coughed twice. He said solemnly, “Since you are experiencing this for the first time, it is alright if your clothes are not removed. Just lie down!”
Ye Jiuge did not say anything about Zi Shang’s inconsistent behavior, and she chose to lay down quickly instead.
“Close your eyes, and enjoy my touch.” Zi Shang’s cool hands covered Ye Jiuge’s eyes.
Darkness enveloped her. Ye Jiuge smelled a faint, delicate fragrance coming from Zi Shang’s body.
Unlike a woman’s lovely tenderness, this delicate fragrance possessed a penetrative quality. When she breathed it in, her mouth and tongue felt slightly dry. She felt as if her body were bathed in flames.
Ye Jiuge restrained her impulse to lick her lips. She corrected her behavior at once. This was not the right time for her to be sexually aroused.
Perhaps, this was part of Zi Shang’s secret plan. She had to resist his seduction.
Ye Jiuge composed herself. She closed her eyes, on her guard against his next move.
In the beginning, he positioned his large hands three inches below her navel and rubbed there with a suitable amount of pressure. His touch was delightful.
After that, he slowly kneaded upward, pressing her acupoints according to a pattern. The areas around those acupoints were aching and swollen. However, after an initial soreness, she felt rejuvenated.
Just as Ye Jiuge was so comfortable that she almost fell asleep, Zi Shang’s palms slowly reached the acupoint at her chest.
All of a sudden, a pang of acute pain rushed straight to her forehead.
Ye Jiuge’s body jerked upward, like a fish leaping from the water. However, Zi Shang pinned her down forcefully.
“Endure it.” Zi Shang’s voice was humorless. Instead, it had an unprecedented seriousness.
This was the first time that Ye Jiuge had seen Zi Shang with such an attitude. She gritted her teeth and tolerated the pain.
Both of his hands were glowing with a faint, blackish-purple light. He squeezed Ye Jiuge’s chest here and there as if kneading dough.
Ye Jiuge’s face contorted slightly. She could only feel her acupoints throbbing in pain as if ants were biting them. She found it so unbearable that she could not help but curl her toes.
Although the entire process did not take long, Ye Jiuge’s whole body was covered with cold sweat. Her back was completely drenched.
Her long, black hair was disheveled and damp. Sweat clung to her ashen forehead. She looked extraordinarily unkempt and weak.
“Are you alright?!” Zi Shang had not expected Ye Jiuge to have such an intense reaction.
“How much longer will this massage take?” Ye Jiuge was sprawled over the bed like a dead fish.
Although the process was excruciating, she had to admit that, after Zi Shang massaged her, the air circulation in her chest improved.
“You have a high accumulation of qi and blood in that area. You need to clear it once per day. However, it hurts the most during your first time. In the future, you will feel less pain.”
This time, Zi Shang did not tease Ye Jiuge. Instead, he used a soft towel and gently helped her wipe her sweat clean.
“Alright!” Ye Jiuge nodded. As long as this benefitted her, she would put up with the suffering, regardless of how painful it might be.
“Do you want to rest for a while?” Zi Shang asked.
“No need.” Although she was exhausted, this was not the right time to take a break. She still needed to attend to a lot of matters in Medicine Refinery City.
Ye Jiuge rummaged through Liu Yunfei’s Magical Bottomless Satchel and discovered a piece of human skin.
She shook out the human skin and was astonished to find out that it belonged to Gong Hongyu.
When Zi Shang took one look at it, he caught onto Ye Jiuge’s plan. “Are you going to give this to Gong Honglei?”
“That’s right. I should give him an opportunity to avenge his sister!” Ye Jiuge smiled meaningfully. After she stored the skin in a wrapping cloth, she went to see Gong Honglei.
Lately, Gong Honglei had been recovering from his injuries at Medicine Refinery Hall. When Ye Jiuge appeared in front of him, his face could not help but show embarrassment, guilt, and remorse. He greeted her awkwardly, “Ye Clan’s Eldest Miss, please sit.”
“Gong Clan’s Young Master, there is no need to be so formal with me. I am here today because there is something that I wanted to give you.” Ye Jiuge went straight to the point.
“What is it?” Gong Honglei furrowed his angled eyebrows. Suddenly, his curiosity was piqued.
Ye Jiuge placed the tied-up blue wrapping cloth, which was in her hand, in front of Gong Honglei.
Gong Honglei paled instantly. He had a strong feeling in his gut about the contents of the bundle. When he was unraveling it, the tips of his fingers trembled like a leaf. A long time passed, and he still could not bring himself to undo that small knot.
As a Swordsman, he should never experience hand tremors.
Ye Jiuge sighed softly in her heart. However, she did not help him. She just sat beside him, waiting silently.
In the end, Gong Honglei undid the tied-up wrapping cloth.
The skin of a human being with a fair complexion rested on the soft cloth, unmoving. Its head faced him directly. There was a tiny, distinctive mole on its cheek.
Gong Honglei was completely shaken up. His heart ached excruciatingly, while his eyes went completely red. He could not stop his tears from falling.
If a man does not shed tears easily, it is because nothing has yet affected him so deeply that it can make him cry!
Gong Honglei’s parents had passed away when he was very young, leaving him and his sister, Gong Hongyu, to look after each other and fend for themselves.
They were just children, and they were neglected by their clan. In their early years, they’d experienced many hardships.
It was not until he’d turned ten that his sister’s social ranking rose with his because he’d exhibited a talent for sword-fighting and joined the Supreme Blade Sect as a proper disciple.
Perhaps, the experience of being bullied during childhood had caused his sister’s personality to become more headstrong and domineering.
But, he had loved his sister dearly and protected her at every turn.
He thought that, although his sister was slightly willful, she was far from wicked. He’d never expected her to die so violently after being skinned alive.
“Gong Clan’s Young Master, please accept my condolences for your sister’s passing!” Ye Jiuge knew that this phrase was pointless. However, after she racked her brain, she did not have any other comforting words for him.
Gong Honglei pulled himself together after a brief moment.
He carefully stored his sister’s skin in an appropriate place then solemnly performed a fist and palm salute and bowed deeply to Ye Jiuge. “Ye Clan’s Eldest Miss, I was too hot-headed before. This led me to believe those scoundrels’ slanderous accusations. Because of this, I have wronged you. Eldest Miss, please forgive me.”
“Don’t worry about it!” Since Gong Honglei was willing to admit to his mistake, Ye Jiuge’s opinion of him had changed for the better.
“Thank you very much!” Gong Honglei stood up. Then, he said suddenly, “I plan to head to the Capital tomorrow to seek revenge on the Su Clan.”
Ye Jiuge knitted her eyebrows. It seemed that Gong Honglei had already caught wind of Su Junqing’s flight.
She muttered to herself for a moment before shaking her head. “Su Junqing is a conniving and cunning person. I think that it is highly unlikely that he will return to the Su Residence at this time. Gong Clan’s Young Master, if you want to avenge your sister, I have a suggestion for you.”
“Ye Clan’s Eldest Miss, please enlighten me,” Gong Honglei said earnestly.
“The Crown Prince is also one of the main conspirators. Lord Wan is under orders to escort him back to the Capital discreetly. Gong Clan’s Young Master, if you go straight to the Emperor to ensure that justice is served, I believe that the Emperor will not dare to help the Crown Prince to cover up his crimes or protect him from punishment.”
Although Ye Jiuge gave her advice in a relaxed tone, if the Crown Prince had heard her, he would have gone berserk. She’d even gone so far as to prevent him from using his father as a lifeline—that always was his last resort.
“Alright. I will return to the Capital with Lord Wan.” Since Gong Honglei was already suspicious of the Crown Prince, he accepted her suggestion without any hesitation.
“Gong Clan’s Young Master, you’ve made a wise decision. The spirit of your deceased sister will surely rest in peace. It is getting late, so I shall take my leave now.” After Ye Jiuge exchanged some pleasantries with Gong Honglei, she left his temporary residence.
After that, she took the remaining bloodstained Spiritual Roots and human skins, which she’d found in Liu Yunfei’s Magical Bottomless Satchel, and gave them to Li Zijun so that he could deal with them.
While Ye Jiuge was busy as a bee, Dongfang Yao wrote Emperor Xuanwu a secret letter.