Chapter 41 – Flames of Destiny

Unfortunately, Pei Xuan had already left and couldn’t hear those words.

Pei Xuan was busy—busy eating, bathing, resting, and preparing for the next battle.

No one had ever heard of this “treatment method” before, nor had they ever seen it in action. But since it involved something as mysterious as a “curse,” Madam Pei could only go along with it.

After all, the expert was still residing in their mansion.

Not to mention, this method was indeed showing results—Cui Ti’s fever had subsided, a compelling piece of evidence.

Now, the task was to awaken her.

The inner chamber was filled with a faint fragrance. Fresh flowers in a vase unfurled their vibrant petals. The door to the bathroom was open, and Pei Xuan carried her sleeping beauty to bed, kneeling by her side. She gently brushed aside the long hair from Cui Ti’s ear, carefully examining her rosy face.

“Titi.”

Her voice was soft and tender, her lips parting and closing as she spoke words of affection. This was the Pei Xuan that Cui Ti adored most when awake.

“I regret not protecting you better.”

“I know I was wrong.”

She should have offered her heart without reservation much earlier, instead of realizing its value only when she was about to lose it.

Pei Xuan was filled with anxiety, fearing that Cui Ti might never wake up, and that this method might ultimately prove futile.

Pei Xingguang had achieved success at a young age without facing setbacks. She had navigated life smoothly all these years. But now, in front of the unconscious Cui Ti, her expression was fragile, like a delicate pear blossom.

A pear blossom falls onto the water; a wave crashes, and her entire being is submerged by the boundless sea.

A soft, gentle kiss landed on Cui Ti’s eyelids. Pei Xuan gathered her strength, wrapping her arms around the overly soft waist.

Clothes fell away.

A vast expanse of whiteness was revealed.

Pei Xuan’s face flushed bright red. Embarrassed, she touched her burning ears. She wanted to say something, but Cui Ti couldn’t hear her. Her throat tightened, and suddenly, she understood Cui Ti’s previous actions.

So this was what it felt like to do “bad things” behind someone’s back.

Her fingertips trembled as she restrained herself from touching Cui Ti. The moment she made contact, her soul was filled with a trace of sweetness.

Her eyes softened with affection.

No wonder Niangzi had pretended to be blind even after her spiritual eye opened on their wedding night.

One could see, the other couldn’t. The hidden thrill of believing the other couldn’t see while they actually could was surprisingly similar to the current situation.

The only flaw in her happiness was the boundless worry that lurked beneath it.

“Pei Xingguang, you can do this!”

With a face full of stubborn determination, she encouraged herself.

She wanted Titi to feel her love even while she was ‘asleep.’

She loved her.

She wanted her!

No demons or monsters were going to scare her Titi-she wouldn’t allow it!

Pei Xuan’s gaze was resolute. She looked down, her stubborn yet delicate face blushing as she bit into the fresh fruit.

A faint heat rose in the room.

…

Bai Tang, feeling despondent, carried a stool into the courtyard and sat, counting on her fingers over and over. It was the third day already; the seven-day period was almost halfway through!

Her Young Madam had yet to wake up!

She was one of the few who knew that Pei Xuan was personally involved in the rescue. At first, when she heard about the “sleep cure” from the expert, she thought the expert was likely a fraud trying to lead Gentleman Pei astray.

But Young Madam’s fever had indeed subsided, and even her cries had changed.

Half an hour ago, when she brought the restorative soup to the door, she could still hear Cui Ti’s faint sobs, which made her knees weak, and she ran off in a hurry.

Three days had passed.

What was going on?!

The expert, with a mysterious look, wore more flamboyant clothes each day. Bai Tang didn’t understand and didn’t dare ask, for fear of offending and losing this chance to cure and save.

She wanted to ask, “What next?”

The mansion’s physician was ineffective, and the imperial physician summoned from the palace was equally helpless. Was it all just relying on Gentleman Pei working herself to the bone?

Were they taking advantage of a fool?

Even tricking a donkey into pushing a millstone wasn’t done like this!

Bai Tang’s brows knitted with worry. She couldn’t understand who had wronged her miss.

A simple gardener like Xiaohong in the outer courtyard couldn’t possibly have such power. There must be others harboring malicious intent from unseen places.

She felt a chill run down her spine. The “sleep cure” sounded absurd, but she truly hoped the heavens would show kindness to her miss.

Cui Ti had suffered too much. Life had finally given her a taste of sweetness. Bai Tang sighed and earnestly prayed for her miss’s well-being.

Pei Xuan emerged from the room once again, her hair damp with sweat.

A bowl of restorative soup was handed to her, and she gulped it down, slowly regaining her composure.

At this critical juncture, it was a desperate measure, treating a dead horse as if it were alive. No one dared provoke her wrath at this moment.

As long as Cui Ti remained unconscious, the atmosphere in the mansion grew heavier by the day.

After finishing the soup, Pei Xuan turned to go back to the room, but her mother grasped her wrist: “I know you’re anxious, but can you bear it? Can Ti’er?”

Madam Pei, being a woman herself, felt heartache for her daughter-in-law’s strange illness, which had first harmed her body.

There must be time allowed for recuperation.

Pei Xuan nodded slowly, her face sullen and silent.

As the seven-day period drew near, the once-vibrant Gentleman Pei’s eyes gradually lost their luster.

She sought out Ning Hehuan once more.

Seeing Pei Xuan’s increasingly gaunt figure, Ning Hehuan offered some casual encouragement.

Unable to find any concrete solace from her, Pei Xuan felt cornered, flipping through the pages of a nearly worn-out picture book for days on end.

The beauty lay in a perpetual sleep, yet it wasn’t as if she was completely unaware.

Cui Ti was conscious.

Pei Xuan could feel her response.

But she just couldn’t wake up.

Frowning, Pei Xuan suppressed the rising bitterness in her chest, gritted her teeth, and strode quickly to the bedside.

“You sleep first. I’ll go for a walk outside.”

“Mm.”

Cui Ti sat in front of the candle, responding neither coldly nor warmly.

Left alone in the room, she was trapped in an oppressive cage, unable to distinguish reality from illusion.

She had lost the Pei Xuan who loved her in her memories and couldn’t find her way home.

This was not her home.

The people here were not the ones she loved.

Her eyes could not see; the happiness she had once experienced became fleeting illusions. Cui Ti’s heart twisted in pain, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Xingguang…”

She cried, her heart breaking.

Pei Xuan, holding a soft pillow, propped it high against Cui Ti’s waist. An unknown fire of both compassion and anger surged within her, making her throat hoarse.

“Niangzi, I’m here. Open your eyes and look at me. Your Xingguang is right here.”

“Xingguang…”

Pei Xuan stared at her, wiping away her flowing tears.

“I have no other options. The imperial physician has no solutions, and the family doctor is helpless. I’ve sought many experts, but none can explain.”

“Titi, the seven-day period is nearing its end. You can’t stay asleep any longer.”

In the dark of night, a sudden fire blazed into Cui Ti’s layered dream.

The fire spread rapidly, showing her a version of Pei Xuan she had never seen before.

Fierce and relentless.

Unable to sleep, Ning Hehuan leisurely sat up from her bed and walked to the window.

Gazing at the star-filled sky, she smiled and said, “This time, it will surely succeed, right?”

She then made her way to the stable in the side courtyard and untied the donkey from the post.

The chubby donkey shook its plump body excitedly.

The Pleasure Immortal, carefree and unrestrained, rode off on the donkey.

The fire burned with such intensity that it seemed to collapse the old house, driving Pei Xuan to madness and forcing Cui Ti to scream and break through the layers of her dream.

The inner chamber was brightly lit.

Pei Xuan, her face drenched in sweat, slowly lifted her head.

“Titi?!”

Ignoring her current embarrassing state, she beamed brightly: “You’re awake, you really woke up!”

“…”

Cui Ti’s tear-streaked, flushed face emerged from her nightmare. Seeing the ecstatic Pei Xuan, her voice was hoarse and filled with disbelief: “Xingguang?”

“Yes! I am Xingguang! I am your Xingguang!”

“Xingguang…”

Cui Ti’s tears flowed from her eyes.

Halfway through crying, she realized her current predicament.

Her waist was propped up high, her legs completely held in someone’s hands. She was stunned and stammered, “You, you are…”

What are you doing?

Pei Xuan was momentarily dumbfounded, unable to shamelessly claim she was saving her.

Although that was indeed the truth.

And here, Titi had woken up!

Her eyes sparkled with joy, and she exclaimed excitedly: “Niangzi, let me explain!”

Seeing Pei Xuan’s inexplicable excitement and the suspicious wetness all over her, Cui Ti suddenly realized what was happening. She let out a cry, wanting to pull the quilt over herself, but could only kick her legs in the air.

A sharp pain hit her head, making her face turn pale.

Feeling guilty, Pei Xuan gently put her down, her face full of the unease of being caught red-handed.

So, does she still need to explain?

In an instant, Pei Xuan lunged forward, hugging Cui Ti and kissing her cheek decisively: “Niangzi!”

This lively and energetic display left Cui Ti dazed and unable to react.

Is this really her Xingguang?

Her Xingguang… this sweet?