Unable to hear, unable to see
When Ming Qin felt like a drowning person rescued, feeling like she could finally take a breath, she found her world a bit strange.
Opening her eyes but still unable to see, listening closely revealed silence in her ears.
Her body felt dulled as if veiled, everything seeming so lonely, still in darkness.
But…
She could still smell the rich scent of herbs around her, mingled with a subtle plum blossom fragrance, and most importantly…
“The scent of peonies.”
“Yanyan…”
Ming Qin spoke, her throat feeling as if it had been roughened by sandpaper, she struggled to swallow.
“Yanyan.”
She persisted in calling out, because of the pervasive scent of peonies, Ming Qin was convinced that Murong Yan must be nearby.
She struggled to sit up and grope around, only to find that her muscles were extremely stiff, her limbs immobile, as if bound.
This icy touch seems to be…
Are these chains?
“Ah Qin?”
Murong Yan, in the midst of changing clothes, heard the call, the belt still loose in her hand, half-exposed, stumbling towards the bed, “Ah Qin, is it Ah Qin?”
“Yanyan, Yanyan, are you by my side?”
“Ah Qin, I’m here.” Murong Yan heard the familiar voice and almost tearfully excited, joy rushing through her heart, “I’m here, right here.”
She approached Ming Qin, who struggled to sit up, wanting to reach out and touch her, “Ah Qin, how are you feeling?”
“Yanyan, where are you?”
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“Yanyan, are you here?”
Though the person she longed for was right in front of her, Ming Qin continued to murmur her questions.
Murong Yan’s surging emotions abruptly halted, standing still, looking at Ming Qin’s dark yet lackluster eyes, feeling a chill in her heart.
Ah Qin couldn’t hear, nor could she see.
Although conscious, have her stolen senses not fully returned yet?
Damn it.
That damnable prince.
She frowned, feeling suffocated, thinking she should have been more ruthless and brutal from the start…
“Yanyan, you’re here, right?”
Lying on the bed, Ming Qin took a deep breath and then smiled with the corners of her mouth, her voice faint, “There’s a scent of Yanyan.”
Momentarily stunned, Murong Yan forced herself to push away the dark thoughts.
Hastily moving forward and sitting on the edge of the bed, she looked at the person lying back. She tucked her loose hair behind her ears and leaned down to gently touch Ming Qin’s face.
“Ah Qin, I’m here.”
Even though she knew the person in front of her couldn’t hear her voice, she continued to repeat without hesitation, “I’m here, Ah Qin, I’m here.”
“It’s really Yanyan, eh.”
Feeling the peony scent in her nose becoming stronger and the warmth on her cheek, Ming Qin knew her guess was correct, her heart leaping with joy. “Yanyan, I’m back.”
A variety of emotions piled up in Murong Yan’s chest.
Ecstasy, astonishment, pity, bitterness, sadness – a chaotic mix of emotions fermenting and expanding in her heart.
Unable to restrain herself, Murong Yan leaned down to embrace Ming Qin’s shoulder, her fingers firmly grasping her clothes, gripping so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
She uncontrollably showered the person beneath her with chaotic kisses, as if to release the pain in her heart, wanting the two to become one, yet the overwhelming emotions still surged, unrelieved.
It should have been joyous, seeing Ah Qin awake should have been joyous…
Yet, she felt her eyes stinging and her nose becoming stuffy.
Unwilling to let the blind person see her tears, Murong Yan buried her head deeply in Ming Qin’s neck, biting her lower lip tightly.
But even with such restraint, even with such forbearance, the scalding tears continued to surge from the depths of her heart, uncontrollably welling up drop by drop like a spring rushing out of its source.
Feeling the warm breath on her shoulder and the dampened shirt, Ming Qin felt extremely uncomfortable. Unable to embrace Murong Yan, she could only softly comfort her, “Yanyan, I’m back.”
“So, don’t cry anymore.”
However, these gentle whispers seemed to be like a heavy hammer, shattering the woman’s last shreds of patience and restraint bit by bit.
The vulnerability that had long been buried in the dark corners of her heart seemed unable to be concealed any longer, forcing her proud self to lay bare everything she had once desperately hidden, exposing it to the sunlight.
“Ah Qin, I beg of you, please don’t leave again. Ah Qin…”
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“Whatever it is… no matter what the reason, whether it’s for exploitation or pity… I beg of you, just stay by my side, treat me well… don’t leave me again…”
For the first time, the strong-willed woman couldn’t contain her sobs, crying out in front of the deaf Ming Qin.
It was not a muffled sob or silent tears, but a release of all suppressed emotions, letting everything burst like a dam breaking, vocalizing, howling, wildly venting.
As if a forsaken child abandoned by the world had finally found someone to lean on, Murong Yan opened up her wounds, revealing her vulnerabilities. Every cry, every wail, expressed her grievances and frustrations…
…and the torment of not being able to see the beloved one she longed for, reaching out but grasping nothing, the heart-wrenching agony.
Ming Qin beneath her couldn’t hear anything, yet seemed to feel her pain. Leaning her head, she kissed her temples, whispering into her ears.
“Yanyan, you’re such a good girl.”
“It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m here.”
Unexpectedly, a tear slipped from the dark and empty eyes of the blind shadow guard, mingling with the wet mess on Ming Qin’s shoulders.
The woman prostrated above couldn’t articulate her sobs, but the person beneath her could feel the tremors coming from her abdomen. Ming Qin lamented her helplessness, twisting her restrained wrists to grope for Murong Yan’s hand resting on the bedpost, tightly holding on.
“Yanyan…”
Her thumb gently rubbed the woman’s soft hand back, as if offering comfort. Ming Qin patiently waited for the person on top to calm down.
After some time passed, feeling Murong Yan’s breathing slowly steady, she cried herself to sleep on Ming Qin’s shoulder as if a broken string. Ming Qin flipped her palm, intertwining their fingers, and in a hoarse voice, softly made a promise.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“I won’t let you cry again…”
Upon waking up, Ming Qin found her whole body no longer restrained.
However, for reasons unknown, the iron shackle on her right ankle remained, with the extended chain allowing her free movement within the room but not beyond its doorway.
Ming Qin didn’t mind, as long as it was Murong Yan’s decision, she had no complaints.
After feeling around her surroundings, she soon recognized that she was in the Changning Palace, Murong Yan’s chambers, with everything inside matching how it was before she left. This remarkable spatial memory allowed Ming Qin to navigate effortlessly most of the time, even without her sight.
Yet, she still relied on the scent of peonies next to her for orientation.
Perhaps due to the loss of her other senses, or maybe because the presence of a woman brought her peace, Ming Qin had an extraordinary sensitivity to the scent of Murong Yan.
When she sensed the brief departure of the woman and the cold wind diluting the indoor fragrance, Ming Qin knew and couldn’t help but feel a bit down inside.
As the floral fragrance approached again, Ming Qin knew her beloved woman was nearby, even when the strong scent invaded her nostrils, she would instinctively reach out and embrace the soft body close to her own.
Especially at night, Ming Qin would smell the ends of the woman’s hair in her arms, reminding herself repeatedly before falling asleep that she would never be swallowed by darkness again.
And at the moment, when the originally pure peony scent mingled with other odors, a strong herbal fragrance and the persistent musty smell on the person’s body, Ming Qin knew that beside Murong Yan, the one taking her pulse was Wang Wei.
“Wang Wei, you really do stink.”
Although unable to see or hear anyone, Ming Qin still cracked a smile, “No wonder that little girl said no one wants to visit your place.”
“Hmph, Shadow Guard Xiaoming, you have no idea how bad you smell when you were unconscious.” Wang Wei removed the white cloth used for pulse diagnosis, unwilling to admit defeat, “It stinks to high heaven, really!”
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“…Ah Qin doesn’t stink.”
Murong Yan, standing beside them, seemed genuinely concerned that the person who lost their sense of hearing might be hurt by the words. She gently bent down, caressing Ming Qin’s face and lovingly kissing her forehead, “I bathe Ah Qin every day, Ah Qin doesn’t stink.”
“Princess, Shadow Guard Xiaoming can’t hear either, why are you…” before Wang Wei, without a hint of expression, could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a kick from Song Shuqing beside him.
Rolling his eyes.
“Why would you argue with a patient who can’t hear?” Song Shuqing scolded sternly. “If you can’t talk, then don’t talk.”
Before the princess could chase the mad old man out, Song Shuqing interjected, showing concern, “How is Qinqin doing? Is she okay?”
“Uh… There’s still a little poison in her body that needs to be metabolized, so we’ll just have to wait. It should be fine.” Wang Wei, unusually serious, pondered for a moment and then paused. “As for the lost senses, it may only recover slowly over time.”
Seeing the darkened expression on Murong Yan’s face, Wang Wei recalled Song Shuqing’s instructions earlier. Changing his tone, he said, “However, since she has already regained her sense of smell and touch, I feel there is still a good chance.”
Probably.
With his hands on his hips, he nodded heavily, looking somewhat confident, “After all, with my miraculous medical skills and Shadow Guard Xiaoming’s resilience, like an invincible cockroach, I don’t think there should be any major issues.”
Upon hearing these words, Murong Yan breathed a sigh of relief and bowed solemnly to Wang Wei, expressing her gratitude in a more respectful manner than when Wang Wei treated her before.
On their way back to the Imperial Medical Institute from Changning Palace, Song Shuqing sighed and said, “Tell me the truth, how is Qinqin’s condition really? Although I’m not as skilled as you, I can tell that Qinqin’s body has suffered serious damage. What is your assessment?”
“Well… it’s true that Shadow Guard Xiaoming’s vitality is depleted,” Wang Wei cleared his throat, “but I’m not as pessimistic about the lost senses.”
“Although you instructed me to speak positively to the princess before going to Changning Palace, I wasn’t completely lying just now.” The old man, carrying his medicine box, then continued, “My miraculous medical skills and Shadow Guard Xiaoming’s resilience like a cockroach are truly invaluable.”
There is still a chance for recovery.
If we’re lucky enough.
The author has something to say:
God’s perspective: She will recover, don’t worry (Originally, I wanted to play with the idea of the princess doing naughty things while sitting on Ming Qin, who can’t see or hear, but it couldn’t be written in this green app, so I had to rely on imagination.)
P.S. Recently, I’ve been busy moving, so I haven’t had much time to look at the computer. Suddenly, I woke up and found many people have bookmarked the story. Thank you to those who recommended my story. How did I end up with such a great Christmas gift again, making me three times stronger during the move~
LP: Re-translated on April 06, 2024
Damn, we lost a smut chapter!
Ah how cute, finally reunited for realsies. Very cute the pair of them. I suppose this means she won’t be as strong as she once was
Thank you for the chapter!! Huhuhu, finally! Im so happy and sad at the same time. But i hope our Ming Qin will recover faster and regain her senses!
With other novels, I’d probably be annoyed at this kind of suspension of disbelief the author is asking. This novel tho.. this one I don’t mind either way she recovers or not lol just as long as them two are finally together again