She could only treat them as friends at most, which was unfair to them, and a sense of guilt arose in her heart.
Zhi Chen saw his youngest brother coquettishly clinging to the young girl and suddenly felt a pang in his heart. He lowered his gaze to his own hands, which also bore many wounds. When she had been buried under the rubble in the cave, he had nearly rubbed his palms raw digging her out.
He rolled up his sleeves, gently pinched the center of his palm, causing himself pain, and then walked out, calm and silent.
Dong Huiying suddenly glanced at Zhi Chen, then hurriedly patted Liang Yuening.
"Baobao?" Yuening, in a daze, lifted his head to see her dig out a clump of ointment, apply it to her own hands, and then handed the small bottle to him.
"Take this to your elder brother, he’s injured too."
Yuening took the bottle, looking at her with an expression of hesitance before reluctantly stepping out of the room, looking back with every step he took.
When Liang Zhi Chen caught the bottle of medicine his youngest brother thrust at him, he was startled for a moment, then seemed melancholic, and perhaps a bit complicated, his expression hazy. Yet, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, as if he was smiling.
But deep down, he still felt desolate.
Su Lang had come to Qingfeng Mountain for Master, but the Master always appeared preoccupied, seldom paying him any attention, and he inadvertently became cheap labor, the kind who works themselves to death without pay.
He grunted as he helped Shen Qiuyang, shuttling back and forth with the metal stones, watching Qiuyang hammer and forge outside the wooden house by the furnace all day long.
After several days, a metal cage and a chain took shape.
In these past few days, Dong Huiying’s body had recovered, and she didn’t idle, roaming land and sea, catching all sorts of poisonous insects for Gu Refinement, with a new shadow trailing behind her—Liang Yuening.
Zhi Chen’s gaze seemed to follow her involuntarily. Wherever she went, his eyes would be sure to follow.
And watching his youngest brother coming and going with her, a wave of sourness surged in his heart.
He yearned for the days gone by, after Shen Qiuyang had descended the mountain, when it was just the two of them alone. He managed her food and clothing, accompanied her on wild runs across the hills and fields. Those days seemed mundane, but it was precisely this plainness that carved an indelible mark deep in his heart.
He knew he was infatuated with her!
Before this, he had never had feelings of attraction towards anyone, and he certainly didn’t think he would fall for someone, especially a woman like her. Even though she had changed, no longer the malevolent woman of before, he always harbored prejudices against her in his heart.
However, during this time together on the mountain, he came to admire her resilient spirit and saw her many hurts, understood the burden she bore. With every bit more he understood about her, a bit more pity grew in his heart.
One day, after breakfast, when Dong Huiying and Liang Yuening were ready to go out to catch insects, Zhi Chen suddenly stood up. "Today, I will go with you."
So the three of them set out together.
But oftentimes, he would just silently watch her, saying nothing. His composed and wise eyes showed a bit of profound and inscrutable contemplation.
Dong Huiying noticed the unusual behavior in Liang Zhi Chen but couldn’t see through what was on his mind.
And so it went for several more days.
The cage forged by Shen Qiuyang was very sturdy, made from irresistibly strong iron material.
Dong Huiying attempted to attack the iron cage, but it merely shook a bit.
A smile appeared on her face, a genuine expression of admiration.