Blame the Villain – Chapter 135

Villainous Fake Eunuch (12)

“Xuyi, wake up quickly!”

Song Xuyi was awakened by the system’s call.

Her hands and feet were ice-cold, seemingly having lost all sensation, and it felt as if something was pressing down on her…

Song Xuyi shivered and, with great effort, raised herself up to look at the heavy ‘object’ on her body:

——Gu Ruyu’s brows were tightly furrowed, his originally pale lips completely devoid of color, and his whole body was icy cold. If it weren’t for the faint breath that could still be detected, Song Xuyi would have almost thought that Gu Ruyu was already a corpse.

Looking at Gu Ruyu’s blood-soaked shoulder, Song Xuyi’s expression was complicated as she bit her lip: She still remembered the muffled grunt that came from above when the explosives went off, never imagining that Gu Ruyu would come to save her in such a critical moment…

Song Xuyi checked herself: she hadn’t suffered any external injuries, but Gu Ruyu’s condition seemed rather grim. At this moment, she didn’t know where the current had washed them to; they were in an extremely deep gorge with no signs of human habitation. What made Song Xuyi feel even more uneasy was that the sky was overcast, and raindrops had already started to fall, as if a heavy rain was about to begin—

“There is a cave at the bottom of the cliff over there.” The system’s reluctant voice sounded in Song Xuyi’s mind.

The system still didn’t like Gu Ruyu, but if it weren’t for him, Song Xuyi likely would have already left this world. The system prided itself on being fair and just, so despite its reluctance, it quickly helped Song Xuyi find a place to temporarily take shelter.

Hearing this, Song Xuyi let out a small sigh of relief, struggled to straighten her back, and lifted Gu Ruyu in her arms.

Even though Song Xuyi wasn’t injured, Gu Ruyu was still a man, and Song Xuyi had prepared herself for the possibility of not being able to carry him. However, to her surprise, Gu Ruyu was extremely light, and she managed to half-lift him with little effort—

“Why do you have to do this?” Song Xuyi’s mood was complicated as she thought about how Gu Ruyu had always looked so frail, as if a gust of wind could knock him over. She couldn’t help but glance at him: “You exhaust yourself every day, becoming so thin like this, and you’re not even happy—”

The extremely weak Gu Ruyu naturally didn’t respond to Song Xuyi’s words, but his eyelids trembled slightly.

Song Xuyi didn’t notice this small movement of his. She still felt a bit wary of Gu Ruyu and only dared to voice her true thoughts when he was unconscious. After saying this, she realized she might be overstepping and decided to stay silent, focusing on half-supporting Gu Ruyu into the cave that the system had found.

The raindrops falling from the sky grew larger, and a torrential downpour was imminent. Song Xuyi felt immensely grateful to have the system, this cheating tool. Under the system’s guidance, Song Xuyi found some dry firewood and gathered some wild vegetables and fruits for sustenance. By the time she had piled everything inside the cave, thunder rumbled outside, followed by a torrential rain…

Song Xuyi used the principle of drilling wood to make fire and, after much effort, finally managed to start a fire. The cold, damp cave finally looked a bit warmer.

She then used a stone slab to heat some water and carefully cleaned the filth around Gu Ruyu’s wound.

Gu Ruyu’s complexion was still extremely poor. Due to his weakness, his whole being exuded a delicate beauty, evoking a natural sense of pity in anyone who looked at him. Who would have thought that this sickly beauty was usually a ruthless and violent demon lord who killed without batting an eye?

Song Xuyi sighed inwardly and removed the silk pouch hanging from Gu Ruyu’s waist. Perhaps due to the frequent assassination attempts, Gu Ruyu had developed the habit of carrying wound medicine with him, which was quite convenient for Song Xuyi.

Song Xuyi took out the gold wound medicine from the pouch and was about to apply it to Gu Ruyu. Just as her hand touched his collar, the unconscious man suddenly sprang up. He locked his arm around Song Xuyi’s neck, pinning her beneath him…

Caught off guard and pinned to the ground, the force on her neck radiated a strong intent to kill. Song Xuyi couldn’t help but widen her eyes and look at Gu Ruyu: His brows were furrowed, but his eyes remained tightly shut—he clearly hadn’t woken up. This action was merely an unconscious reflex.

“Doesn’t recognize good intentions!” the system grumbled angrily in Song Xuyi’s mind. “Xuyi, you shouldn’t have bothered with him!”

“Gu Ruyu, it’s me, I’m Song Xuyi.” Song Xuyi was also startled, and after regaining her composure, she tentatively grasped Gu Ruyu’s hand, which was gripping her neck, softening her voice as she spoke gently, “I don’t mean any harm, I just want to apply some medicine to your wounds…”

Whether it was due to exhaustion or recognizing Song Xuyi, Gu Ruyu’s grip on her neck slowly loosened.

Afraid that things might escalate, Song Xuyi took advantage of the moment, secretly gathering her strength, and flipped Gu Ruyu over, pinning him beneath her. Worried that he might struggle and reopen his wound during the treatment, Song Xuyi decisively used the outer robe she had removed from Gu Ruyu to tie his hands together.

“Xuyi, you…” The system was clearly not expecting Song Xuyi to take such action, and its voice sounded utterly astonished.

Song Xuyi lowered her gaze to the sickly beauty on the ground, who now appeared unusually obedient after being tied up. Originally, she had been focused on the task at hand, but after hearing the system’s voice, she suddenly felt a bit guilty. With a light cough, she softly explained, “I didn’t mean anything by it, it’s just to make applying the medicine easier.”

Initially, Song Xuyi had only intended to bandage Gu Ruyu from the back. However, after his struggle, she worried that the bandages wouldn’t be secure enough. After some thought, she decided to remove Gu Ruyu’s clothes and bind his entire arm, which would make the binding more secure.

Song Xuyi swiftly stripped off Gu Ruyu’s clothes. She hadn’t paid attention before, but now she noticed how intricately dressed he was. Upon reflection, it seemed Gu Ruyu was always like this; even when the weather was warm recently, he still dressed in multiple layers, wrapped tightly…

“His skin looks even better than a girl’s!” Song Xuyi couldn’t help but remark to the system.

As layer after layer of clothing was removed, Gu Ruyu’s jade-like, smooth, and fair skin was revealed. Perhaps it was because he was always wrapped up and away from the sun, but Song Xuyi felt that Gu Ruyu’s skin was even more delicate and fair than that of most women.

When she removed the inner garments, Song Xuyi did not expect to find a thin sheet of special metal across Gu Ruyu’s chest. The sheet was wrapped tightly with cloth strips, binding closely to his chest.

No wonder Gu Ruyu’s chest felt so hard to the touch!

At first, Song Xuyi didn’t think much of it, assuming it was a protective device Gu Ruyu wore to prevent others from attacking him. She admired Gu Ruyu’s meticulousness and thorough precautions but also felt that the cloth strips were wrapped too tightly, making it difficult for him to breathe. The tight binding had left a noticeable red mark on Gu Ruyu’s fair skin…

To allow the patient to rest properly, Song Xuyi put in a lot of effort to untie the cloth strips wrapped around the thin metal sheet, thinking that they could be used to bandage his wounds. She placed the strips by the fire to dry and then picked up the wound medicine in one hand and the metal sheet in the other, ready to apply the medicine—

This is…

?!!

At first, Song Xuyi thought she must have seen it wrong. Unable to help herself, she rubbed her eyes and looked again. Upon realizing the undeniable truth, heat rushed to her cheeks, and she instinctively covered her eyes, hurriedly throwing Gu Ruyu’s clothes over him—

Aside from the parties involved and the system that automatically blurred the scene, no one knew what had happened in this cave.

How could this be possible?

Song Xuyi felt an overwhelming sense of despair. However, the enchanting scene she had just witnessed was etched in her mind, refusing to fade: Gu Ruyu, with her hands bound and clothes in disarray, resembled a woman who had been harshly mistreated by her…

“System, system,” Song Xuyi finally regained her composure after a while. Covering her flushed face with her hand, she felt as if she might cry: “Gu Ruyu, she is a woman—”

The system felt like it might cry too.

The fact that Gu Ruyu was a woman was like a bolt from the blue for the system. Song Xuyi’s reaction made it sense some ominous premonitions. However, the system had experienced multiple worlds and considered itself a mature entity. Even though it felt utterly devastated inside, it still tried to calm down and told Song Xuyi, “Now that you know the secret of the big villain, she might take revenge when she wakes up, or even resort to murder to silence you. We should quickly tidy up the scene and pretend we saw nothing…”

The system’s words successfully brought Song Xuyi back to her senses.

Although she still felt extremely ashamed, thinking of Gu Ruyu’s unpredictable personality made Song Xuyi steeled herself, picked up the medicine bottle again, and sat beside Gu Ruyu, trembling as she applied the medicine.

At this point, she no longer dared to touch the bandages around Gu Ruyu’s chest. Instead, she tore up her skirt to bandage Gu Ruyu’s wound and, with great effort, managed to rewrap the thin metal plate around Gu Ruyu’s chest. Then, deliberately acting as if nothing had happened, she carried Gu Ruyu over to the fire pit to dry the clothes that had been soaked by the river.

Outside, the rain fell continuously. The system was inexplicably silent, while Song Xuyi stared at the stone ceiling of the cave, feeling her mind in utter chaos.

Images surged before her: one moment showing Gu Ruyu’s deeply scheming expression from the past, the next recalling the steadfast embrace Gu Ruyu had held her in just before they fell into the river…

Song Xuyi couldn’t help but lower her head to look at Gu Ruyu’s shoulder: the wound on Gu Ruyu’s shoulder was a bloody mess and was likely to leave a scar. Just thinking about a gruesome scar appearing on Gu Ruyu’s white jade-like shoulder made Song Xuyi feel an immense sense of guilt…

Countless thoughts swirled in her mind. Song Xuyi originally thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but perhaps due to the exhaustion of the day, she fell asleep without realizing it.

Song Xuyi was awakened by the heat.

Right in front of her was Gu Ruyu, whose cheeks were flushed and breathing was rapid.

Even from such a close distance, Gu Ruyu’s beautiful face still showed no signs of flaw. She tightly embraced Song Xuyi, trembling, and seemed to be dreaming about something. Tears constantly streamed from her tightly shut eyes, and she murmured some names, her expression looking extremely sorrowful—

Clearly, Gu Ruyu’s mind was in disarray. Listening to the names that Gu Ruyu muttered, Song Xuyi was momentarily stunned, and a vague speculation about Gu Ruyu’s background floated into her mind.

However, at this moment, Song Xuyi could no longer afford to think deeply: the situation she worried about the most had indeed come—Gu Ruyu had developed a fever.

Even though Gu Ruyu’s cheeks were flushed with an abnormal redness and her forehead was frighteningly hot, her limbs were as cold as ice, and her body kept trembling.

“It’s okay, it’s okay…” The usually cold and powerful person suddenly revealed this vulnerable side. Remembering that Gu Ruyu had turned out like this entirely because of her, Song Xuyi felt an immense guilt. She gently patted Gu Ruyu’s shoulder and softly comforted her, struggling to pull Gu Ruyu closer to the fire.

In her sleep, Gu Ruyu instinctively leaned toward the fire pit, and fearing that Gu Ruyu might get burned, Song Xuyi could only hold her tightly. While softly soothing Gu Ruyu, she also boiled hot water to warm Gu Ruyu’s hands and feet…

Even though she didn’t know if the unconscious Gu Ruyu could hear her voice, Song Xuyi continuously patted Gu Ruyu’s arm and spoke soothingly to her as she was trapped in a nightmare. Perhaps it was due to her long years of martial arts training that had improved her physical condition; Gu Ruyu’s cries gradually diminished, and her sleeping face became more peaceful. By the next morning, the heat on Gu Ruyu’s forehead had finally dissipated—

Song Xuyi let out a sigh of relief and carefully wiped Gu Ruyu’s face clean: Gu Ruyu was extremely particular about cleanliness. If she woke up and saw herself covered in dirt, she would definitely feel uncomfortable. Moreover, Gu Ruyu certainly wouldn’t want her subordinates to see her like this.

However, Gu Ruyu’s subordinates arrived even earlier than Song Xuyi had anticipated. Not long after daybreak, a commotion could be heard outside as several of Gu Ruyu’s loyal followers came searching—

Seeing those familiar faces, the heart that Song Xuyi had been holding onto finally settled down. Along with those subordinates, she helped carry Gu Ruyu into a carriage cushioned with soft bedding.

Song Xuyi wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but when the doctor checked Gu Ruyu’s pulse, it seemed that Gu Ruyu’s eyelids fluttered slightly…

However, Song Xuyi didn’t look closely: she had been submerged in the river for quite some time and had been holding on despite needing to take care of Gu Ruyu. Now that the danger had passed, her head felt heavy, and seeing that she couldn’t be of any more help, she couldn’t help but lean against the carriage wall and drift off to sleep…

A familiar hoarse voice suddenly broke the silence, and everything around her became incredibly quiet. In a daze, she was fed a bowl of ginger soup, and when Song Xuyi opened her eyes again, she had already arrived at the post station. After taking a bath and changing her clothes, she drank the herbal soup prescribed by the physician, which had been infused with sleeping herbs, and once again fell asleep.

When Song Xuyi woke up again, the discomfort throughout her body had almost completely disappeared, and she felt refreshed.

Almost the moment she opened her eyes, several maids entered the room in succession, bringing in washing supplies and breakfast for Song Xuyi.

After finishing her meal in a few bites and just as she was about to ask about Gu Ruyu’s condition, a maid approached her with lowered eyes: “Chief Eunuch Gu wishes to see you.”

Since Gu Ruyu was able to speak, it must mean that she was no longer in serious trouble. Song Xuyi felt relieved in her heart and finally began to think about her current situation—

Was Gu Ruyu asking to see her because she had noticed something?

“Gu Ruyu kills without blinking; you must not show any signs of abnormality. In short, you should firmly insist that you didn’t undress her, only helping to bandage her while she was still clothed. Absolutely do not admit that you saw her naked!” The system earnestly advised in Song Xuyi’s mind. “Just pretend you didn’t notice anything and continue to treat her as a dead eunuch!”

Song Xuyi pursed her lips. She had initially intended to act as if she had not discovered Gu Ruyu’s secret. However, the system’s words sounded so strange that, while listening to it, Song Xuyi felt as if she were a scoundrel who had taken advantage of Gu Ruyu but refused to acknowledge it, giving rise to feelings of guilt and unease within her.

When she finally saw Gu Ruyu, the guilt in Song Xuyi’s heart reached its peak.

Perhaps to avoid touching her wound, Gu Ruyu had changed into a loose-fitting pure white garment. The fabric draped elegantly, revealing her delicately shaped collarbones. She appeared somewhat weak; her normally meticulously styled hair was now a bit loose, giving her an air of casual elegance. When she lifted her eyes to look over, the red mole at the corner of her eye added an undeniable charm to her overall appearance.

Gu Ruyu was drinking medicine, and the carriage was filled with the bitter smell of herbal medicine. As Song Xuyi inhaled the scent of the herbs, she recognized a few particularly bitter herbs among them. Yet even while consuming such bitter medicine, Gu Ruyu’s movements appeared calm and unhurried, exuding a graceful composure.

If it weren’t for herself, Gu Ruyu wouldn’t have to drink these bitter medicines at all, yet she still had to lie to her…

The guilt in Song Xuyi’s heart grew stronger, and she dared not meet Gu Ruyu’s gaze, blushing and huddling into the corner of the carriage.

Although she did not raise her head, Song Xuyi could still feel Gu Ruyu’s scrutinizing gaze upon her, the pressure belonging to Gu Ruyu hitting her like a wave. Song Xuyi bit her lip tightly; even though she had organized her thoughts before coming, being looked at by Gu Ruyu like this made her incredibly nervous, and she found herself unable to speak at all—

The carriage fell into silence.

Song Xuyi knew that Gu Ruyu was waiting for her to speak, but all the mental preparation she had made crumbled the moment she saw Gu Ruyu. The more flustered she became, the less she could find her voice—

Gu Ruyu’s gaze grew colder.

Song Xuyi lowered her head, a fine layer of sweat forming on her body. It felt like a long time had passed, even though it was just a moment, until the sound of the medicine bowl being placed on the small table came from the front, followed by two low coughs from above—

—Gu Ruyu had finished drinking the medicine.

“Xuyi! Don’t panic—” The system saw Song Xuyi’s appearance and knew that it was always difficult for her to tell lies, so it resorted to strong measures: “Don’t forget your mission! Gu Ruyu will cause countless deaths in the future; you are destined to be enemies—”

Song Xuyi’s body trembled, biting her lip tightly. Remembering the tragic scenes of ruined mountains and rivers from the original plot summary, she took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and raised her eyes.

Perhaps the medicine was too bitter, as Gu Ruyu’s expression seemed somewhat displeased. When she saw that Song Xuyi had finally raised her head, the imposing aura surrounding Gu Ruyu relaxed a little. She slightly raised her chin and squinted her eyes at Song Xuyi, her expression unreadable.

“Ruyu,” though it was a name Song Xuyi was already used to, calling it out now felt incredibly strange. However, since she had already started speaking, she didn’t want to back down. She gritted her teeth and stammered on: “Thank you for saving me yesterday. Are you, um, feeling better now?”

“I feel better.”

After a moment, Gu Ruyu finally spoke softly. Her voice sounded extremely gentle, but behind Gu Ruyu’s voice, Song Xuyi felt a jolt: Gu Ruyu’s tone was very familiar, yet the voice was unmistakably that of a woman!

“She is testing you; Xuyi, don’t panic. You must stay steady!” The system quickly reminded her.

“This… this is really great!” Song Xuyi’s breath caught. She felt the system’s words made sense, biting her lip tightly and pretending not to notice the oddity in Gu Ruyu’s voice. She continued to speak awkwardly: “I’ve been worried in my heart. I… I’m not good at dealing with external injuries. After I pulled you out of the river yesterday, I didn’t dare to touch your wound and just hastily applied a layer of medicine. Luckily, your subordinates arrived in time—”

“I’m sorry; I’ve caused you trouble…”

Facing Gu Ruyu’s gradually cold gaze, which seemed to hold shards of ice, Song Xuyi’s voice became smaller and smaller. She knew her acting skills were poor, and Gu Ruyu was an exceptionally clever person; her clumsy performance might not deceive her. Under Gu Ruyu’s icy stare, Song Xuyi felt her whole body tense up, unable to stop her nervousness. Amid the tension, there was also an inexplicable sense of grievance. She clearly didn’t want to cry, yet tears still moistened her eyes, and her voice took on a slight tremor…

Gu Ruyu suddenly looked away.

She took a few deep breaths, probably inhaling too quickly and choking herself, leading to two light coughs, her brows furrowing tighter.

“I understand.” Contrary to Song Xuyi’s expectations, Gu Ruyu didn’t seem to notice that she was lying. She coughed a few times, covered her eyes with her hand, and spoke softly, as if feeling drowsy: “You’ve been busy all day; you should go back and rest!”

?!

Song Xuyi was taken aback, not expecting Gu Ruyu to let her off so easily. Unable to resist, she glanced at Gu Ruyu, who was half-covering her eyes; her expression appeared extremely calm. If she knew that Song Xuyi had seen her, she likely wouldn’t have this reaction…

With this thought, Song Xuyi felt a sense of relief.

She wanted to leave immediately, but perhaps due to her earlier tension, Song Xuyi now realized her legs were numb and she couldn’t move at all. She could only slowly shift her legs, keeping her eyes glued to Gu Ruyu’s expression, afraid of being discovered…

However, Gu Ruyu seemed very weary and had not opened her eyes.

It was at this moment that Song Xuyi noticed how pale Gu Ruyu looked, and she recalled that Gu Ruyu was injured because of her. The guilt that she had struggled to suppress resurfaced once again—

Gu Ruyu listened to the rustling sounds beside her and felt as though her heart had fallen into an ice cave.

She actually remembered everything that had happened the previous day. Gu Ruyu had never anticipated that she would recklessly rush in to save Song Xuyi; this kind of bond far exceeded the affection one should have for a pet…

Moreover, Song Xuyi had discovered the secret that she had worked so hard to hide.

This was an extremely dangerous situation for Gu Ruyu, as if something had spiraled out of control. Deep down, Gu Ruyu understood that the safest course of action would be to kill Song Xuyi—only the dead could keep secrets.

However, Gu Ruyu found herself unable to carry out that action. Her mind kept replaying the tender moments when Song Xuyi had taken care of her in the cave, and inexplicably, she felt a sweetness in her heart.

Song Xuyi’s life had been saved by her; as long as Song Xuyi was willing to treat her with such tenderness in the future, perhaps she could spare her life…

Therefore, Gu Ruyu called for Song Xuyi, originally intending to confront her and lay bare her plans. However, Gu Ruyu did not expect that this little liar, Song Xuyi, would try to deny everything and even shamelessly pretend that nothing had ever happened.

For a moment, Gu Ruyu was filled with an intense hatred, truly wanting to strangle this little liar to death who was disrupting her emotions while feigning innocence.

Yet, Song Xuyi’s voice was tinged with a sob.

Seeing the fear and tears in Song Xuyi’s eyes made Gu Ruyu’s heart feel as if it had been pricked by something, stirring up a continuous ache within her—

Gu Ruyu had never thought that Song Xuyi would be so afraid of her.

It shouldn’t be like this!

Gu Ruyu didn’t know what was happening to her. She always prided herself on being fearless, yet she couldn’t bear to look into Song Xuyi’s eyes, afraid of seeing the rejection and fear within them. She could only pretend to be weary and closed her eyes, acting as if she believed Song Xuyi’s flimsy lies, wanting her to leave her side…

What was happening to her?

Gu Ruyu bit her lip tightly, a wave of bitterness flooding her heart, feeling even more bitter than the medicine she had just drunk:

She was completely finished—she not only couldn’t bring herself to kill Song Xuyi, but she also couldn’t stand to see even a hint of sadness on her face…

Gu Ruyu was extremely disgusted by this version of herself, whose every emotion was being manipulated by Song Xuyi…

In that moment, Gu Ruyu heard the voice of that little liar, which had made her feel so strange, hesitantly saying, “Ruyu, the medicine is so bitter, do you want to eat a piece of candy?”

During breakfast, a maid had served Song Xuyi a plate of locally produced pine nut candy, which she found delicious. She had casually tucked two pieces into her pocket.

Now, seeing Gu Ruyu’s pale face and recalling the incredibly bitter herbs she had to drink, Song Xuyi, feeling guilty, couldn’t help but take out the candy—

Song Xuyi felt a bit anxious: she knew Gu Ruyu had heard her words; her pale lips seemed to tighten a little, yet there was no response.

Thinking of Gu Ruyu’s typically resilient nature, Song Xuyi felt that she might not be afraid of the bitterness of the herbs. She didn’t want to disturb Gu Ruyu’s rest any longer and softly said, “Then you rest well. I’ll come to see you again at dinner—”

Just as Song Xuyi was about to withdraw her hand, she was unexpectedly stopped by Gu Ruyu, who pressed down on the back of her hand—

Gu Ruyu opened her eyes.

Her eyes were dark and profound, filled with emotions that Song Xuyi couldn’t quite discern. One hand grasped Song Xuyi’s wrist while the other slowly pinched a piece of pine nut candy and brought it to her lips—

“I’ve changed my mind!” Song Xuyi heard Gu Ruyu speak softly. Before she could react or process the meaning behind Gu Ruyu’s words, a sudden force from her hand pulled her into Gu Ruyu’s embrace!

“I am a narrow-minded eunuch,” Gu Ruyu said, the effort causing blood to seep from the wound on her shoulder again. However, seeing Song Xuyi’s worried and flustered eyes, the smile on Gu Ruyu’s lips became extremely pleasant. “The servant risked his life to save the princess. Shouldn’t the Princess show some appreciation?”

“This slave is seriously injured and cannot allow others to take care of me, so I can only trouble the Princess—”

You brought this upon yourself!

If you care about me a little more, give me some more candy to make me happy, I won’t kill you, and I’ll treat you well—

How about it?

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The author has something to say:

Let’s laugh at her together!!!

My flag hasn’t fallen! Super loud!

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LP: Re-translated on August 21, 2024

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