Chapter 6: Black and White Impermanence Comes to Reap Souls

Ziling was stunned.

Wasn't he in a coma for seven days?!

How did he know so much in such a short time she went out?

Could she say that she fell for someone while she was in the bridal sedan?

Well, even if she said that, she couldn't fool herself, let alone fool others. But using provocation wouldn't work either, and it might not be effective.

Ziling's eyes shifted as she said, "I haven't seen a man more handsome than you, but there are always others out there. Just as there are always higher mountains beyond the mountains. Whenever I see a more handsome man, within three days, I guarantee that I won't even remember what you look like. If you insist on not divorcing me, then... you can't blame me."

If he could tolerate all of this, then she would feel at ease living in the Duke Zhen's residence.

Ziling stared at Gu Yunfeng without blinking. Suddenly, he stood up, startling her, and even clutching his chest.

Gu Yunfeng grabbed her hand, suppressing the anger surging in his chest, and said, "I see that you don't want me to divorce you. You want me to kill you to eliminate any future troubles...!"

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Yunfeng spat out a mouthful of blood and fell unconscious.

Watching him faint, Ziling let out a sigh of relief. It really wasn't easy.

He should have coughed up that blood when he woke up, and he should have been weak and confined to bed for several days. But not only could he endure until now, he could even get out of bed and walk. No wonder he had survived so many different poisons and made it to today.

He was lucky to have survived before she came along, and now, it would be even harder for him to die.

Yawning, Ziling wrapped herself in the blanket and fell into a deep sleep.

...

Ziling was awakened by a commotion. She was sleeping soundly when a scream startled her awake.

Opening her eyes, in a daze, she saw Qianqian sitting on the ground in fright. Before she could figure out what had happened, she heard a voice next to her, tinged with three parts warmth and seven parts irritation, saying, "Can you let go of me now?"

Only then did Ziling realize that she had been hugging Gu Yunfeng as if he were a pillow. Her sleep-blurred eyes blushed with shyness, and her cheeks turned as red as a monkey's bottom. She felt a little annoyed too. She had clearly fallen asleep wrapped in the blanket last night.

Feeling embarrassed, she sat up and pulled the blanket to her chest, greeting, "Good morning."

With just one early morning greeting, it was overwhelmed by a mournful cry from outside the house, "Young Master has passed away!"

Ziling: "..."

Gu Yunfeng: "..."

Silence filled the air for a moment.

Ziling's shoulders trembled, and Gu Yunfeng's face turned so dark that no words could describe it.

Qiannian fell to the ground, still not comprehending the situation. Ziling looked at her and said, "Hurry up and get up! It's early in the morning. What's your name?"

Qiannian felt wronged. It wasn't like she wanted to scream. She had almost been scared to death just now.

Qiannian stood up, her voice trembling due to the shock. "The maidservant in the courtyard said that last night, one of the maidservants saw the Black and White Impermanence coming to claim souls. Young Master followed them out and was chatting with them at the door, reluctant to leave. They all said that Young Master... They were too scared to enter the house and pushed the maidservant in. After hesitating for a long time, the maidservant finally approached and checked Young Master's breath. Unexpectedly, Young Master suddenly opened his eyes, startling the maidservant. They must have misunderstood."

The physician had said that Gu Yunfeng couldn't see the morning sun today, and the auspicious ceremony didn't work either. Coupled with the Black and White Impermanence appearing last night, everyone was convinced that Gu Yunfeng had breathed his last breath. Qiannian's scream undoubtedly confirmed their speculation, leading to the announcement of his passing.

Ziling's face was full of black lines as she said, "Didn't I tell you he would wake up in the morning?"

She could understand others' misunderstandings, but how could she have believed it herself?

Qiannian shrank her neck and weakly said, "What they said is exactly the same. The frightened maidservant is still running a high fever and speaking nonsense. I can only think that the young lady played a prank on Young Master last night."

She had served the young lady since childhood and knew her better than anyone else. The young lady had no knowledge of medicine, yet she dared to treat Young Master. How could she believe it? Afterward, the young lady even told her not to tell anyone. Wasn't it obvious that she was afraid of the incident of her pricking Young Master out of anger being known by the Duke's Mansion? Would she be angry then?

Qiannian's voice grew quieter as she spoke, eventually drowned out by the wailing of the maidservant. Another maid entered while crying, her voice preceding her, "My poor Young Master, gone at such a young age..."

The young master, who had supposedly passed away at such a young age, sat on the bed with a dark expression, his eyes spewing fire as he glared at the mournful maidservant.

Behind him, Ziling faced the wall, her laughter causing her stomach to ache.

Gu Yunfeng's forehead twitched. "What's all this fuss early in the morning?"

The leading maid was stunned, unable to utter a word. Her mouth opened wide enough to fit a salted duck egg. "Yo-young... Young Master, you... you're still alive?"

Gu Yunfeng got up from the bed, his face as dark as ink. The maids and servants were so frightened that they knelt down with a thud and said, "The maid suddenly screamed, and we, the servants, thought it was Young Master..."

Upon hearing this, they were shifting the blame onto Qianqian. Angered, Qianqian placed her hands on her hips and said fiercely, "As long as Young Master is alive, am I not allowed to scream?"

The servant's face turned grim, and she scolded, "This is the Duke's residence. It's inappropriate for a maid to shout and scream in the master's house. Guards, take her out and give her twenty lashes!"

Qianqian's face turned pale, and she stood near the bed.

Ziling's smile vanished. Was this the beginning of asserting dominance over her?

She had long prepared herself for the challenges that would arise when serving tea, but she never expected that the first display of authority would come from a servant. It was audacious to underestimate her like this.

With a faint smile, Ziling said, "The rules in the Duke's residence are indeed strict. Twenty lashes for a single scream, even before determining whether Young Master is dead or alive. It's like openly cursing his death. Such audacity. Shouldn't this be punished with death by flogging?"

The servant's back went cold, and she repeatedly apologized.

Gu Yunfeng coldly said, "Give her thirty lashes and the others will lose a month's allowance."

The servant was stunned. Young Master was actually siding with a female bandit who had humiliated him. Was he out of his mind?

The servant kowtowed, begging for mercy. Impatiently, Gu Yunfeng said, "Take her away."

Ziling got off the bed, and Qianqian assisted her in changing clothes. The maids and servants exited the room, and the atmosphere became quiet, except for the loud sound of the lashes outside.

Sitting in front of the dressing table, Qianqian helped Ziling with her hair bun and said, "Miss, your medical skills are incredible. You even snatched someone from the God of Death's grasp. When you said Young Master woke up in the morning, did he truly wake up in the morning?"

Ziling had a black line on her face.

Was she praising her?

Or was she undermining her?

She had actually awakened him last night.

Looking at Ziling through the copper mirror, Gu Yunfeng's gaze was probing and evaluating.

He couldn't distinguish which of Ziling's words were true and which were false.

Last night, she had aggressively demanded a divorce, but this morning she obediently nestled in his embrace like a cat. She had said so many self-deprecating words last night, infuriating him to the point of coughing up blood, but after that mouthful of blood, the pain in his chest had subsided.