19.Strike

The sky was getting darker and darker, and Na Luo remained in the same position without moving. A series of stinging pains cut her knees and calves inch by inch, forcing her to take deep breaths in the hope of relieving the pain. Her dry throat seemed to be blocked by something, and she couldn't make any sound. The wounds cut by the fragments continued to ooze blood, soaking her dress.

She held the malachite on her chest tightly, as if only in this way could she have the strength to hold on.

I don't know how long it took, her lower body was numb with pain, her consciousness was wandering in chaos, her eyes seemed to be blurred, and there was only endless darkness in her sight.

I'm about to...can't hold on... Will I...die like this?

Would it be happier to disappear from this world?

At least, in that world, there are still parents who love her... and here, she has nothing.

Nothing.

Just when her body was about to collapse, she suddenly heard the panicked voice of the guard coming from the door, "This is Princess Dana's private garden. Even if you are here, you cannot enter without the princess's permission. Please don't embarrass me... Ah! You really can't enter! Prince!" Hearing the words "Prince", Na Luo's heart suddenly shuddered, and her originally blurred consciousness suddenly became clearer. She naturally raised her head---Under the watery moonlight, the young man in white looked like a green lotus, and his beautiful face showed his worry without concealing it. His tightly pursed thin lips showed a faint pale color, and his brown eyes flashed in the dark, silently flowing with complex and indistinguishable expressions--heartache, anger, worry, and self-blame. For some reason, the moment she saw him, her heart could not help but settle down. How could it be him? This is the princess's private garden. Oh, I must have been kneeling for too long... so I had an illusion, right?

He walked up to her without saying anything, bent down and carefully picked her up. When her knees left the glass fragments, she couldn't help but groan in pain. Because she had been kneeling for a long time, some of the fragments had pierced deep and firmly embedded in her flesh.

"It's okay, Na Luo, it's okay." His voice sounded softly in her ears, "Master is here, don't be afraid."

In fact, from the moment he appeared here, she didn't dare to believe her eyes. It was not until this time that she really heard his familiar voice and felt his warm body temperature that Na Luo realized that this was really not just an illusion. Her chest suddenly hurt, and the tears that she had held back for a long time burst out like a dam...

"Silly child, why are you crying? We'll go back now." Ishtar smiled, hugged her and walked out the door. At this time, the guard's panicked voice came from outside the door, "Ah... I am here to see your majesty and the princess." As soon as the guard finished speaking, Isda saw his father and Princess Dana coming towards him, and it was too late to avoid them.

"Put me down..." She struggled and whispered, fearing that she would cause him more trouble. Princess Dana is not easy to mess with. If the eldest prince is punished because of her, how can she bear it? Seeing her moving around, his delicate eyebrows slightly frowned, as if he was a little angry, "Be good and don't move. You are already injured, what else do you want to do? Do you really think you can't die?"

After he said this, the King of Loulan and Princess Dana were almost in front of him.

"I have seen my father and the princess." Isda spoke calmly.

"Isda, what's going on? Why are you here so late? "Seeing the eldest prince appear in this place late at night, the King of Loulan was really displeased. He couldn't help but glared at the guard angrily, as if blaming him for his poor guarding. The guard was so scared that he turned pale and immediately knelt on the ground with a plop, trembling all over and kowtowing like pounding garlic, "Your Majesty, Princess, please forgive me! Just now, the eldest prince insisted on coming in, and I really couldn't stop him..." "Your Majesty, don't be angry about these trivial matters." Princess Dana showed a wronged expression on her face, but her voice was still soft without any temper, "Anyway, I really don't have much status in the palace, anyone can come and go as they please. The eldest prince is of noble status, so where in this palace can he not go?" "My beloved concubine, who dares to disrespect you in this palace?" The King of Loulan comforted her hurriedly, "This is your private garden. No one can trespass without your permission, not even Istar. "At this point, his eyes fell on Naro, and he seemed a little surprised. Then his face fell and he said in a deep voice, "Isda, tell me the reason for your trespassing." Isda smiled slightly, "Reporting to my father, this child is a maid from my place. I just heard that she trespassed into the princess's private garden, so I came here specially to take her back and discipline her severely." "Your Majesty, the eldest prince is really kind-hearted and considerate of his servants. A little maid actually troubled the eldest prince to come here in person." Princess Dana's words seemed to be complimentary on the surface, but in fact they also revealed another meaning: the eldest prince can trespass here just for a little maid. Isn't this not taking her seriously? Then she wiped her tears gently with her sleeves, "Your Majesty, it's my fault. If I knew that she was from the prince's palace..." After falling out of favor and regaining favor, Dana followed An Gui's advice, and she became more gentle and charming in front of the King of Loulan. The King of Loulan originally favored her because he was afraid of the Xiongnu, but after she changed, the king began to really like her. Seeing that the princess was wronged, a stern look flashed in his eyes, and he interrupted her, "My beloved, anyone who trespasses here will be punished. As the master of the palace, it is natural for you to discipline the servants." Isda still looked at Princess Dana with a smile, "Princess, if it was just someone from my palace, I would never care no matter how you deal with her. But this little girl is deeply loved by my mother, and it was my mother who asked her to learn the palace rules from me recently. If there is any mistake, I am afraid that my mother will be angry. As a child, filial piety should come first. My father and mother are always the most important in my heart. However, I deserve to be punished for my reckless behavior." He paused, "Please forgive me for my disrespect after the punishment."

The King of Loulan seemed to be quite pleased with what he said, and his originally calm expression eased a little.

Dana's eyes gleamed, but she still suppressed her displeasure and smiled, "So that's the case, then this princess has nothing to say. Forget it, the punishment has been given, so let's stop here."

"Although it is excusable, the punishment cannot be exempted." The King of Loulan paused, "Isda, you will be confined to your palace this month and you are not allowed to go out."

"Thank you, father and princess, for your sympathy for me. Then I will take my leave first. "After saying that, he turned and left the private garden.

On the way back, he said nothing. Na Luo felt that he was walking very fast, his steps were steady but his breath seemed to become a little hurried. She was a little afraid that she would fall, and subconsciously held him tighter with both hands. She saw that his eyes were calmly looking ahead, and his dark brown eyes were shining with moving waves under the moonlight. Soon, he noticed her gaze on him, lowered his head and showed her a faint smile.

I have never... seen such a beautiful smile.

It was so beautiful that she wanted to cry.

This moment, this moment, this smile.

She wants to remember it with her heart, remember it firmly.

Never, never forget it again.

As soon as she stepped into the door of the bedroom, the palace servants who had been waiting there for a long time hurriedly surrounded her.

Na Luo saw Qu Chi's figure among the palace servants, but at the moment when their eyes met, she unexpectedly caught the flash of surprise and...uneasiness in each other's eyes. Then, the other party quickly looked away.

"What's wrong? Na Luo, how are you injured? You lost a lot of blood!" Manya, who usually has a good relationship with Na Luo, screamed.

Qu Chi also stepped forward and said, "Prince, just leave Na Luo to us."

Ishtar did not answer, but said lightly, "Bring in the soft towel, hot water and ointment immediately." After saying this, he hugged Na Luo and walked straight into his room.

The palace servants looked at each other, but did not dare to say anything, and soon dispersed.

After entering the room, Isda carefully placed her on the bed. Thinking that this was the eldest prince's room, Na Luo couldn't help feeling a little restrained, and whispered with a guilty conscience, "Master, my blood will stain your room. Let me go back to my room, Manya and the others will take care of me."

"You also remember that I am your master, so will you listen to your master?" His tone was gentle but irrefutable, "I will send you back after applying the medicine."

"But Manya and the others..."

"They... I am worried." Isda said as he lowered his head and carefully examined her wounds. I saw that her knees and calves were already a bloody mess. Although the wounds looked small, they were numerous and dense, like a reptile winding out terrible scars. Many of the broken places still had glass fragments, and some sharp fragments had penetrated into the bones and flesh, which made his heart twitch, as if just looking at these wounds, he could imagine the pain she was suffering at the time.

She... is just a child...

He wiped his hands clean and used skillful movements to pick out the fragments that had pierced her legs one by one. Although he was very careful, Na Luo couldn't bear the pain for a while and groaned softly.

"Hold it, Na Luo, it will be fine soon." His voice was like the morning breeze blowing through the branches of the first blooming crabapple, as if it had some magical effect that could heal the wound.  

Na Luo gritted her teeth and nodded, and barely pulled up the corners of her mouth, "Actually... it doesn't hurt that much."  

At this time, Qu Chi brought in the necessary things. She glanced at the bed very quickly and retreated without saying a word. Na Luo had some vague guesses in her heart, but she didn't dare to think about it any further. It was as if if she didn't stop guessing, there would be a wound that was more painful than the body.  

After finally picking out all the fragments in the wound, Isda took a soft towel and dipped it in warm water, gently wiped the blood stains on the surface for her, and finally applied the ointment evenly on her wound. As soon as she applied a little bit of the ointment on her skin, Na Luo felt extremely cool. The just right refreshing coolness seemed to penetrate into her bones and quickly relieved her pain.  

"Master, what is this?" She asked curiously, "It seems to be less painful after applying it."  

Ishtar smiled slightly, "This is an ointment made from the red lotus of the Western Regions. We don't produce this locally in Loulan, so every year I send people to Persia to purchase some, but the quantity is not much. This red lotus is most effective for wound healing, and it will not leave any scars."  

"It turned out to be the red lotus of the Western Regions! I heard that it is called the most noble flower in some countries." Na Luo couldn't help but look at the ointment a few more times, "I heard from my father that this red lotus is also called Bodhimohua, but it is a rare thing. If it can be used as medicine, it is even more exquisite. Dad once wanted to go to Persia for it but didn't make the trip. I didn't expect it..." She seemed a little excited, "I was so lucky to see it."  

You are so lucky to be like this? You are such a silly child. "He shook his head in anger and amusement, "I don't want you to have the opportunity to use it again."  

She didn't care, and was still immersed in her imagination, "It would be great if I could see the real red lotus one day, but such a beautiful thing must not be easy to see."  

"It's not entirely beautiful." His deep eyes blinked lightly, "Although the red lotus is often the throne of the Buddha or the object held by the Buddha, there is also a theory of red lotus hell in Buddhism. It can be seen that even the same thing or the same person has different sides, and the so-called good and evil are often just a thin line between them."  

Her pair of glass-colored eyes were filled with misty confusion, and she was obviously confused about his words.  

He smiled secretly, and whispered as if mocking himself, "Why would I say this to a child? Na Luo, you don't understand at all, right? " Na Luo nodded, "I don't quite understand now... But Master, I will grow up. Can you wait for me? Won't I understand when I grow up?" A faint smile appeared on his thin lips, and his eyes were softer than the rippling water of the Peacock River, "Okay, Na Luo. I will wait for you to grow up." "Well, Master, it's a deal. You must wait for me to grow up! ! " Her eyes were clear and transparent, as if the brightest light was gathered in an instant. He was slightly stunned, paused and said, "Does the wound still hurt now?" "It's much better now. The wound doesn't hurt anymore, and I can jump up and down tomorrow." Na Luo tried to move her legs, but she pulled the wound, and she was so painful that she grinned. He frowned helplessly, "Can't you let me worry less? I told you to lie down and don't move." "Okay, okay, I'll be obedient. "She blinked, "But there is one thing I find strange. Master, as the eldest prince, why are you so skilled in treating wounds?"  

Istar curved the corners of his mouth, and his smile was as attractive as a lotus in the night, "I used to treat Xiaoxiang's wounds frequently, so I became skilled naturally."  

"Xiaoxiang?" She was stunned.  

"Xiaoxiang is my mother's favorite pet, it is a fox." After saying this, he saw the other party's slightly cramped expression as expected.  

The moonlight outside the window was shining, reflecting the stars. A wisp of cool breeze blew the shadows of the trees by the window and blew her small body into the bed.  

His heart moved slightly, and he suddenly asked, "Na Luo, just now... were you scared?"  

"I'm not afraid, because I have this." She answered without thinking, and then took out the malachite from her chest, "Xiaoqing will protect me, right? "  

Isda looked at her quietly, and she was surprised to see a soft substance called heartache in his eyes. The next second, she was held in his arms, and a warm atmosphere tightly wrapped her in it. His voice sounded a little muffled, "Didn't I say it? Not only Xiaoqing, I will protect you too."  

"Well..." She responded softly and leaned in that embrace with confidence.  

Perhaps, she is not so lonely in this world.  

Because, at least... there is him.  

That ray of warm sunshine that belongs only to her.  

Two days later, An Gui told Princess Dana the news he had found about Na Luo.  

That night, the princess's bedroom was full of spring. The King of Loulan has been staying here every night recently. Even if other concubines are jealous, they can't do anything. Princess Dana is once again the favorite in the harem, even more than before.  

A warm room, a beautiful woman, and a scent of incense with just the right amount of intensity... The King of Loulan looked at the princess who was still panting beside him, and couldn't help but feel pity for her. He held her in his arms and coaxed her softly. After the passion, the two chatted about family matters like an old couple.  

The princess smiled charmingly, as if she had thought of something inadvertently and said, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the girl who was punished to kneel that day?"  

"Huh? Which one?" The king seemed to have no impression of this.  

"It was the girl who was taken away by the eldest prince that day."  

"Oh... what's wrong?" Perhaps he remembered the mistake made by the eldest prince that day, and the King of Loulan seemed a little unhappy.  

"Actually, if you think about it carefully, the little girl is quite lovely. I happen to be short of people here, so why don't you let the prince give the child to me?"  

"Originally, a slave is fine... but Ishtar..."  

"Your Majesty, you can see that the prince loves this child too much. It's okay for him to be rude to me this time, but what if he does something more inappropriate next time and gives people a chance to talk about him. I am also doing this for the prince's good, what do you think, Your Majesty?"  

"In that case, let's do as my beloved concubine says. After all, she is just a slave."  

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The corners of the princess' mouth showed a hint of an ambiguous smile.