Chapter 46
Gu Chi x Li Zhi
Extra 2

Nightmares plagued them for several days. Each time they woke up, they couldn’t remember what they had dreamed, only the lingering emotions that were hard to forget.

Fortunately, the dreams didn’t just bring emptiness and suffocation. As the dreams progressed, they felt a bit of peace amidst the silent torment, reflecting the years they spent silently accompanying each other.

Outside the dreams, Li Zhi and Gu Chi seemed to develop a strange habit, finding the idea of “continuing like this” oddly appealing upon waking. However, once fully awake, this thought would dissipate.

Nightmares are nightmares; not having them is the best.

To this end, Gu Chi sought help from Wudu, and Li Zhi turned to the abbess at Mingyue Nunnery, each seeking a way to escape the nightmares.

Gu Chi obtained a calming prescription from Wudu, while Li Zhi listened devoutly to the abbess’s guidance.

That night, Li Zhi dreamed of Li Yunxi revealing Gu Chi’s true identity to her. He was King Yan’s brother, and the Li family’s downfall years ago was due to their attempt to kill King Yan, leading to their punishment.

Indeed, the Li family was at fault at first, but they were gone now—their grandmother, parents, and siblings—all gone. The calamity that wiped out her family and the bloodshed stood between them, making it impossible for her to say it had nothing to do with Gu Chi.

Upon waking, Li Zhi couldn’t remember anything but fell ill with a fever. During her illness, the chaotic nightmares entangled her, and the companionship that had gradually filled her heart now hurt more than a knife to the chest, leaving her bleeding. In the final dream, she saw herself killing Gu Chi. Even in death, Gu Chi remembered that Li Zhi had saved his life and protected her once more from Lin Yan’an.

Life returned to the initial state of the dream, with only her left in the dilapidated hut, her thin figure seemingly ready to be blown away by the wind. And she indeed let the wind carry her into the river, the same river where she had saved Gu Chi. The river became her final resting place, bringing her ultimate relief.

Gu Chi suddenly opened his eyes, his heart racing. In the past, he never remembered his dreams, but this time, he retained some fragments. He dreamed of Li Zhi drowning herself in the river—the same river where she had saved him.

Gu Chi sat up, drenched in cold sweat, despite the chilly winter night. He forgot the clarity he felt in the dream when Li Zhi stabbed him in the chest and his hope that she would find peace and live well after his death. All he remembered was the dream shifting to a strange perspective, where he wasn’t present, only Li Zhi, alone, sad, and with an inexplicable heartache. Then Li Zhi fell into the water, and the gut-wrenching sorrow nearly drowned him.

Why would Li Zhi feel so hopeless?

Gu Chi, burdened by the emotions from the dream, pondered for a long time before realizing it was just a dream.

It was merely a void dream, not reality. He thought about it and remembered the message from Mingyue Nunnery earlier that day, saying Li Zhi was ill. A life-saving debt couldn’t be repaid with a few valuable gifts. He had instructed those protecting Li Zhi to inform him of any trouble she encountered. Although they were responsible for her safety, they avoided exposing themselves, ignoring minor issues like her clothes being swept away by the river.

Li Zhi’s illness was the same; they would only inform his sister-in-law.

Mingtai Temple had a female doctor who specialized in treating female pilgrims and was highly skilled. Upon receiving news of Li Zhi’s illness, his sister-in-law immediately sent for the doctor to visit Mingyue Nunnery. The entire process had nothing to do with him, but he still wanted to see Li Zhi personally. He wanted to know what had happened to make her feel so hopeless…

No, no, it was just a dream, just a dream.

Gu Chi lay back down, his body filled with frustration, annoyed by the persistent nightmares that had muddled his mind.

…

The female doctor from Mingtai Temple was indeed skilled. After drinking two bowls of medicinal soup, Li Zhi’s fever subsided the next day.

The doctor said she was fine and would recover with a few more days of rest.

Still weak, Li Zhi thanked the doctor. After the doctor left, she leaned against the bed, lost in thought.

Like Gu Chi, she finally remembered a bit of her dream.

In the dream, she killed Gu Chi.

Li Zhi found it unbelievable. Why would she kill Gu Chi? Even in a dream, it should make some sense. She just disliked Gu Chi’s domineering nature; how did it escalate to murder in the dream?

Li Zhi didn’t understand and thought it was just a dream. No matter how sorrowful the lingering emotions were upon waking, crying it out should be enough, and she shouldn’t dwell on it.

Since then, they never had nightmares again.

Gu Chi became increasingly concerned about the situation. One day, as he was about to leave after witnessing Li Zhi’s in the river, he suddenly heard voices from the nearby forest—

“This is it, the little nun wash clothes here…”

“The nun from Mingyue nunnery?”

“Who cares about the nunnery? Once the little nun comes over, we’ll tie her up and sell her to the Spring Gui Courtyard. Won’t we make money that way?”

“A nun, can she be worth money?”

“With her delicate skin, why wouldn’t she be? If it weren’t for your brother delivering vegetables to the Spring Gui Courtyard and using the delivery cart to transport her, I wouldn’t have bothered calling you. So, are you in or not?”

“I’m in. Who wouldn’t take easy money?”

“Heh heh, if she’s already been defiled, we can have some fun first. Remember, I found her, so I got the first dibs. You help me…”

The filthy words were cut short as a long sword pierced through the speaker’s chest from behind.

Gu Chi withdrew the sword, blood splattering all over him. The other man, terrified, screamed, “Murder! Murder!” He tried to crawl away in panic.

Gu Chi wiped the blood off his sword and said coldly, “Killed.” As he spoke, a crossbow bolt shot out from the shadows, hitting the man squarely in the back. Since the ambush at the teahouse, his brother had insisted on assigning him two bodyguards, whether he liked it or not. Now, it seemed quite convenient. At least he didn’t have to dig graves himself.

Leaving the bodies to the bodyguards, Gu Chi sheathed his sword and went to the river to wash the blood off his face.

The river water was icy cold. He couldn’t help but wonder if Li Zhi’s dream of drowning was related to the two men he had just killed. He quickly dismissed the thought—those protecting Li Zhi wouldn’t have trouble dealing with such scum.

So, what was the reason?

Gu Chi stood up and saw Li Zhi approaching from a distance, carrying a wooden basin.

Gu Chi first looked back to ensure the bodies in the forest had been removed, then frowned: Wasn’t she just recovering from an illness?

Li Zhi had indeed just recovered, which was why she was out washing clothes. While bedridden, she had sweated through her clothes twice from the medication. If she didn’t wash them, she would have nothing to wear.

As Li Zhi approached and saw the blood on Gu Chi’s clothes, she remembered the scene in her dream where he was injured and killed by her. She couldn’t help but ask, “Are you hurt again?”

Gu Chi: “…” Do I look that weak?

Gu Chi: “No.”

Li Zhi, fearing he was being stubborn, carefully examined him and confirmed he wasn’t injured. She then said, “That’s good.”

Li Zhi chose a spot, put down the basin, and started washing clothes. She thought Gu Chi would leave quietly as he had done before, but he stayed, standing quietly upstream until she finished washing.

After washing the last piece of clothing, wringing it out, and placing it in the basin, Li Zhi picked up the basin and said to Gu Chi, “I’m heading back.”

Gu Chi nodded without saying anything.

Li Zhi turned and left, with Gu Chi silently watching her retreating figure.

From then on, Li Zhi often saw Gu Chi by the river. He didn’t talk much, and she didn’t say much either, washing her clothes and leaving each time.

Half a month later, the abbess asked if she had encountered anyone by the river. Feeling guilty, she lied. The abbess didn’t notice and told her not to wash clothes outside for a while.

Li Zhi asked, “Did something happen?”

The abbess informed her that two bodies had been found on the nearby hillside. Officials had come to the nunnery to ask questions, suspecting it might be bandits robbing people, and advised them to keep their doors tightly closed at night.

Li Zhi immediately thought of Gu Chi covered in blood that day and nodded, saying she understood.

When Gu Chi didn’t see Li Zhi by the river, he inquired and learned that a hunter with dogs had dug up the bodies. He thought it was nothing, just that he couldn’t see her. Initially, he feared Li Zhi might drown herself, but now that she couldn’t leave the nunnery, wasn’t that better?

Gu Chi thought it was logical, not realizing the slight disappointment in his heart. A few days later, he heard that Li Zhi had fallen while fetching water and injured her knee. He went to the palace to get a bottle of medicine. This time, he entered Mingyue Nunnery and knocked on Li Zhi’s window.

Strangely, Li Zhi immediately guessed who it was. Limping, she opened the window and saw Gu Chi silently placing a bottle of medicine on the windowsill.

Li Zhi reminded him, “I haven’t finished the medicine you gave me before.”

Gu Chi didn’t take back the medicine, so Li Zhi reluctantly took the new bottle. Limping, she retrieved an unadorned herbal sachet from her cabinet and handed it to him: “I don’t have much to thank you with. Take this. It’s an herbal sachet I made myself to repel insects.”

Li Zhi had already decided that if Gu Chi didn’t accept it, she would take it back, not wanting to force him as he had done to her.

To her surprise, Gu Chi accepted the sachet without hesitation.

Seeing the sachet was too plain, Li Zhi added, “If you don’t like how it looks, you can find a nicer one and replace the herbs inside.”

Gu Chi frowned. He didn’t dislike the look, so why change it?

But he didn’t like to talk much, so he just nodded to show he understood. However, Li Zhi interpreted his reaction as him finding the sachet unattractive.

Li Zhi didn’t show it on her face, but she liked him even less, wondering why she had become so petty when she wasn’t like this with others.

After that, Li Zhi noticed that the water tank outside her door was always filled at night every few days. She guessed it was Gu Chi and thought it wasn’t good for him to keep coming to the nunnery. So, once her knee healed, she fetched water herself, ensuring the tank never ran dry, subtly rejecting Gu Chi’s kindness.

Gu Chi felt irritated by this but couldn’t understand why.

As spring flowers bloomed in March, Lin Qiwu showed off her flower crown in front of the unhappy Gu Chi.

Gu Chi saw this and asked his mother, who was a Buddhist, “Does picking flowers and grass count as killing?”

Grand Princess Zhaoming, busy with state affairs, didn’t even look up: “Plants have no feelings, so it doesn’t count.”

Gu Chi nodded and picked a bunch of flowers and grass to give to Li Zhi, justifying his actions by thinking that receiving flowers might make her happier. If she was happy, she wouldn’t be as likely to seek death as she did in the dream.

Gu Chi knocked on Li Zhi’s window with the flowers. While knocking, he noticed that insects had eaten the window paper at the corners. With summer approaching and the likelihood of rain, he thought he should remind Li Zhi to patch it up.

…

Li Zhi was thinking about March 3rd, Li Yunxi’s birthday. This time last year, she was still the daughter-in-law of the Ning family, despised for being childless for three years and for her weak and tearful nature.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed. Back then, she couldn’t have imagined being abandoned, let alone choosing to become a nun due to her parents’ pressure to remarry. She wondered how the flowers outside were blooming this year.

Li Zhi thought about it briefly and then dismissed the thought. She had chosen this path herself, so there was no point in complaining. So when Li Zhi opened the window and saw Gu Chi with an armful of flowers, she felt emotions she couldn’t easily express.

For the first time, she didn’t refuse Gu Chi’s kindness but didn’t know how to accept the flowers. Should she take them directly? That would mean they would be very close.

So Li Zhi stepped back from the window and let Gu Chi into the room to place the flowers on the table.

“Thank you,” Li Zhi said.

Gu Chi put down the flowers and patted his armguard twice: “No need to thank me.”

Li Zhi noticed his action and asked, “Is your hand uncomfortable?”

Gu Chi: “…Bitten by insects.”

Li Zhi looked at the flowers on the table and guessed he was bitten while picking them. She fetched a bottle of medicine for insect bites.

Gu Chi took the small bottle: “Did you make this yourself?”

Gu Chi’s question was casual, without any particular meaning. However, Li Zhi remembered the herbal sachet she had given him before, which she said could repel insects, yet Gu Chi was still bitten. Now he was asking about the effectiveness of this medicine, as if doubting it would be any better than the sachet.

Li Zhi felt a bit annoyed: “Apply it now.” You’ll see how effective this medicine is!

Gu Chi paused and then began to untie his armguard. The strings were wrapped around it, making it slow to untie with one hand. Li Zhi, impatient for him to apply the medicine and leave, helped him untie it.

Li Zhi was so focused on untying the armguard that she didn’t notice Gu Chi’s gaze fixed on her hands, watching her nimble fingers work. His throat moved slightly.

Li Zhi didn’t notice at all. After untying the armguard, she handed him the medicine to apply himself.

Gu Chi could have easily opened the bottle cap himself, but he insisted on using only the hand that had been freed from the armguard, making his movements deliberately clumsy. As expected, Li Zhi took the bottle from him and opened it. He rolled up his sleeve, revealing several insect bites. Li Zhi poured the medicine on them and gently rubbed it in. Her soft fingertips circled the firm muscles of his forearm, then suddenly froze and withdrew as if burned.

Li Zhi looked up, and Gu Chi looked back at her. His face was still as cold and stern as ever, the same face that could lie while playing “Catch the Bandit” without being caught. Li Zhi felt slightly relieved, realizing it was just her overthinking.

Li Zhi put down the bottle and discreetly increased the distance between them. Just as she was about to speak, a voice came from the door, startling her: “Jingting, someone from your family is here.”

Although she hadn’t officially taken her vows, the abbess had given Li Zhi the Dharma name Jingting, and everyone in the nunnery called her that.

In a panic, Li Zhi grabbed the flowers and plants from the table and stuffed them into Gu Chi’s arms. She quickly looked around and decided to shove Gu Chi, along with the flowers, into the wardrobe.

Gu Chi initially thought of jumping out the window. With his strength, he could easily break free from Li Zhi. However, he didn’t do that. Instead, he let the small, powerless nun push him into the wardrobe.

The wardrobe door closed, and a few moments later, it opened again. Li Zhi threw his armguard inside, hitting him squarely in the face.

The door closed once more. Gu Chi felt he should be angry, but for some reason, he was in a surprisingly good mood.

Outside the wardrobe, Li Zhi met the nanny sent by the Li family to deliver something to her. The nanny entered the room and spoke with Li Zhi, who listened absentmindedly.

As she calmed down, Li Zhi realized how absurd her actions were. She feared someone would discover the man hidden in her wardrobe. Only after the nanny left did her heartbeat gradually return to normal.

After triple-checking that the door was securely closed, she opened the wardrobe.

Inside, the tall and strong man was curled up, holding the scattered flowers. His armguard, which had fallen onto the flowers, was particularly conspicuous.

Li Zhi didn’t want to face this scene and closed the wardrobe door again.

Gu Chi: “…”