Chapter 5

When Xie Ye woke up, he moved his wrist, and there was a clinking sound. Exhausted, he lifted his eyes and found his wrists chained together and bound to the head of the bed, unable to move.

His right leg, below the knee, was completely numb, the pain having turned into a dull ache. It seemed someone had cleaned him up, as the bloodstains from the dungeon were gone.

He was dressed in a thin green robe, which made Xie Ye frown in disgust. Back in Mingyuan Pavilion, he disliked having servants and attendants close to him, let alone changing his clothes for him.

Xie Ye tried to move his wrists and sit up, but the chains were tightly bound. Before long, they left mottled blood marks on his pale, slender wrists.

Li Jingci pushed the door open and entered. Layers of thin gauze curtains surrounded the bed, and the person inside was locked to the bed, faintly groaning in pain.

Li Jingci lifted the curtain with indifference, looking down at the prisoner on the bed, the former master of Mingyuan Pavilion.

“I advise you not to move. Your kneecap is broken. If you’re not careful and the wound tears open, even I won’t be able to save you,” Li Jingci said, leaning against the bed, his tone calm yet cold.

Xie Ye laughed through his heavy breathing, his eyelashes curling with a hint of mischievousness in his smile. Despite being trapped, his sharpness was not concealed.

“Little Jing is actually willing to treat my injury…” he said softly. “I didn’t expect you to be so reluctant to let me die.”

Li Jingci stared at him intently. Just when Xie Ye thought this young man was going to vent his anger as he used to, Li Jingci released his crossed arms, leaned down gracefully, and clasped Xie Ye’s chin with one hand.

“I did treat your injury, but… I never said your leg could be saved,” Li Jingci said, his grip gradually tightening, leaving deep finger marks on Xie Ye’s snow-white cheeks.

Xie Ye’s lips trembled slightly with shock and anger. Forced to lift his chin by Li Jingci, his red lips parted slightly, unable to speak due to the intense pain in his cheeks, only able to whimper and glare at Li Jingci.

Li Jingci slowly took out a handkerchief from his pocket, rolled it into a ball, and roughly stuffed it into Xie Ye’s mouth.

In his youth, Xie Ye was the most promising disciple of the righteous sect, and as an adult, he was the formidable master of Mingyuan Pavilion, feared throughout the martial world. Never in his life had he been treated like this—dragged with a broken leg, mouth stuffed with a rough cloth, and locked to a bed.

He suddenly turned his head away, unwilling to meet Li Jingci’s gaze again.

However, the bright red at the corner of his eyes betrayed him. His slender body trembled with humiliation, his eyes reddened, yet he stubbornly held back his tears.

Li Jingci released his grip on Xie Ye’s chin and said softly, “The rest of your life, Pavilion Master, will likely be spent on this bed.”

“I remember you practiced martial arts since childhood, with a solid and fierce foundation. What a pity.”

Xie Ye’s beautiful eyes widened suddenly, and he struggled violently, but the chains were as solid as iron, binding him firmly to the bed.

“Judging by the time, the painkiller’s effect should be wearing off soon. Without inner strength to protect you, Pavilion Master, you’ll have to endure the pain of a broken leg through this long night.”

Li Jingci’s fingers brushed over Xie Ye’s pale face, then he stood up and left the room, instructing the servant to keep watch and report to him in the morning.

The servant hurriedly agreed, turned back into the room, and closed the door. The candlelight flickered in the wind, but the master of Mingyuan Pavilion made no further sound.

The servant kept watch all night, fearing that the prince’s prisoner might stop breathing at any moment. So, he occasionally moved over to lift the curtain and take a look.

The first few times he checked on Xie Ye, the man had his eyes tightly closed, head weakly tilted to one side, brows furrowed, lips pale.

His forehead was drenched in cold sweat, and it was unclear whether he had fainted from the pain or fallen asleep.

But this person was truly strikingly beautiful, and the servant couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.

Clearly a man, yet with snow-white skin and black hair, his hands raised high and bound to the bedhead, his delicate wrist bones slender and long, a trace of blood trailing down his arm, adding a strange allure.

His features were sharp and elegant, and if he opened his eyes, who knew what kind of scene it would be.

The servant was momentarily dazed, but then saw the prisoner on the bed had opened his eyes at some point, looking over at him with a dazed and unfocused gaze.

The corners of his eyes still held a trace of red from tears, probably from the intense pain during the night. His gaze was not as sharp and handsome as his appearance, but rather shimmering with tears, carrying a hint of weakness and helplessness.

The servant’s heart was inexplicably pricked by something, and he instinctively wanted to reach out to wipe away the tear stains on Xie Ye’s face, but was quickly startled by his own thoughts. Wouldn’t that be offending a noble?

But no, this person was the second prince’s hated prisoner, not a noble, so how could it be considered an offense?

Despite this reasoning, the servant was still hesitant and eventually withdrew his hand.

Better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Unexpectedly, Xie Ye coughed lightly at this moment. His mouth was stuffed with a cloth by Li Jingci, and the sound was muffled in his chest, unable to come out. His brows furrowed slightly, his voice restrained, muffled, yet inexplicably eliciting sympathy.

The servant couldn’t help but lean over, cautiously asking the prisoner, “Do you… want some water?”

Xie Ye blinked lightly.

The servant understood, carefully removing the cloth from Xie Ye’s mouth and bringing his own water flask to Xie Ye’s lips.

Xie Ye struggled to support himself, taking a few sips of water, and even this small action exhausted all his strength.

“Thank you…” he smiled weakly. “If Xie has another life, I will repay this kindness.”

His smile was gentle and warm, and the servant lowered his head in fear, not daring to meet his eyes.

“If you’ve finished drinking, please put the cloth back. I’m afraid the prince will blame me tomorrow.”

Xie Ye nodded, slightly raising his chin, and said warmly, “Put it back, thank you.”

The servant rolled the cloth back up and gently placed it in Xie Ye’s mouth, much more gently than Li Jingci had.

The night passed without incident, the candlelight flickering in the wind, shadows dancing between the bed curtains.