CH 64

Cannot Hear, Cannot See

When Ming Qin was rescued from the water, feeling like she was drowning, she finally gasped for air. However, she felt that her world was a little strange.

When she opened her eyes, she still couldn’t see, and she couldn’t hear anything.

Her body felt sluggish, as if covered by a veil. Everything still seemed so lonely, and she was still in the dark.

But…

She could still smell the strong scent of herbs around her, mixed with the faint fragrance of plum blossoms, and most importantly…

The scent of peonies.

“Yan Yan…”

Ming Qin spoke, feeling her throat dry as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper, and she struggled to swallow her saliva.

“Yan Yan.”

She persisted in calling out, because she was convinced that Murong Yan must be by her side, due to the pervasive scent of peonies.

She struggled to sit up and groped around, only to find that her muscles all over her body were stiff, and her limbs were unable to move, as if bound.

This icy touch seems to be…

Are they chains?

“Ah Qin?”

Murong Yan, who was changing clothes, heard the call and dropped the untied belt in her hand. She half-exposed her body and stumbled towards the direction of the bed. “Ah Qin, is it Ah Qin?”

“Yan Yan, Yan Yan, are you by my side?”

“Ah Qin, I’m here.” Murong Yan heard the familiar voice and was almost moved to tears. Joy surged in her heart, “I’m here, right here.”

She came to Ming Qin, who was struggling to sit up, wanting to reach out and touch her, “Ah Qin, how do you feel?”

“Yan Yan, where are you?”

“Yan Yan, are you there?”

Despite the person she longed for being right in front of her, Ming Qin still murmured inquisitively.

The surging emotions in Murong Yan’s heart came to a sudden halt. She stood still, looking at Ming Qin’s dark but lackluster pupils, and felt a chill in her heart.

Ming Qin couldn’t hear, nor could she see.

Although she was conscious, had her stolen senses not fully recovered yet?

Damn it.

That damned Crown Prince.

Her face darkened, feeling suffocated. She should have been more ruthless, more brutal back then…

“Yan Yan, you’re here, right?”

Ming Qin, lying on the bed, took a deep breath and smiled with her lips curled, her voice weak. “There’s a scent of peonies.”

Murong Yan froze for a moment, forcing herself to brush away the dark thoughts.

Hastily, she approached and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the person lying there. She brushed her loose hair behind her ears and leaned down to gently touch Ming Qin’s face.

“I’m here, Ah Qin.”

Even though she knew the person in front of her couldn’t hear her voice, she repeated it without hesitation. “I’m here, Ah Qin, I’m here.”

“It’s really Yan Yan, huh.”

Feeling the stronger scent of peonies in her nostrils and the warmth on her cheeks, Ming Qin knew her guess was correct. Her heart leapt with joy. “Yan Yan, I’m back.”

Various emotions piled up in Murong Yan’ss chest.

Ecstasy, surprise, pity, bitterness, sadness, and a tumultuous mix of emotions fermented and swelled in her heart.

Murong Yan couldn’t restrain herself and leaned down, embracing Ming Qin’s shoulders tightly, her fingers gripping her clothes so hard that her knuckles turned white.

She involuntarily kissed the person beneath her with wild abandon, as if trying to release the pain and longing in her heart, wanting to merge into one with Ming Qin. However, the overwhelming emotions remained unresolved.

It should have been a moment of joy, seeing Ming Qin wake up should have brought joy…

However, she felt her eyes stinging and her nose becoming stuffy.

Not wanting the blind person to feel 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 scorching tears still surged up from the depths of her heart, unstoppable, dripping down like a spring, filling her eyes.

Feeling the warm breath on her shoulder and her soaked clothes, Ming Qin felt extremely uncomfortable. Unable to hug Murong Yan, she could only console her in a low voice, “Yan Yan, I’m back.”

“So, stop crying.”

But these gentle whispers were like a heavy hammer, breaking down the woman’s last bit of patience and restraint, one blow after another.

The vulnerability that had been hidden deep in the dark corner of her heart for so long seemed to no longer be concealable, forcing her proud self to lay bare everything she had tried so hard to hide in the sunlight.

“…Ming Qin, I beg you, please don’t leave again. Ming Qin…”

“No matter what, whether it’s for any reason, for using or for cherishing… I beg you, as long as you stay by my side… don’t abandon me again…”

For the first time, the strong and composed woman cried uncontrollably in front of Ming Qin, who couldn’t hear her.

It was not a stifled sob, nor silent tears, but a release of everything that had been suppressed, letting out a loud cry, a hoarse scream, a frantic outpouring.

Like a lost child abandoned by the world, who had finally found someone to lean on, Murong Yan opened up her wounds, revealing her vulnerability, wailing and lamenting about her grievances and frustrations…

…and the agony of yearning for a loved one who cannot see, reaching out but unable to grasp anything, a torment that pierced her heart.

Even though Ming Qin beneath her couldn’t hear anything, it seemed as though she could feel her pain, tilting her head and kissing her temples while whispering in her ear.

“Good girl, Yan Yan.”

“It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m here.”

Unknowingly, a tear rolled down from the hollow eyes of the shadow guard, mingling with the already messy tears on Ming Qin’s shoulders.

The woman prostrated above couldn’t cry out, but the person beneath her could feel the spasms coming from her abdomen one after another. Ming Qin was frustrated with her own helplessness, only able to twist her bound wrists and fumble for Murong Yan’s hand resting on the bedside, gripping it tightly.

“Yan Yan…”

Gently rubbing the soft back of the woman’s hand with her thumb, as if to comfort her, Ming Qin patiently waited for the person on top of her to calm down.

After a while, feeling Murong Yan’s breathing gradually steadying, she cried herself to sleep on Ming Qin’s shoulder as if a string had snapped. Ming Qin turned her palm over, tightly interlocking their fingers, and in a hoarse voice, made a low promise.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“I will never let you cry again…”

Ming Qin woke up and found that her body was no longer imprisoned.

However, for some reason, the iron shackle on her right ankle was left behind. Although the extended chain allowed her to move freely within the room, it was not enough to let her step out of the door.

Ming Qin didn’t mind. As long as it was Murong Yan’s decision, she had no complaints.

After groping around, she recognized that she was in the Changning Palace, Murong Yan’s boudoir. Everything in the room was the same as when she left, which amazed Ming Qin’s spatial memory.

Most of the time, even if she couldn’t see, she could move freely. However, she still relied on the scent of peonies next to her.

Perhaps because she had lost other senses, or perhaps because the presence of a woman made her feel at ease, Ming Qin had an extraordinary sensitivity to Murong Yan’s scent.

When she felt the cold wind outside diluting the fragrance in the room, she knew that the woman had left briefly, and her heart couldn’t help but feel a little low.

When the fragrance of flowers approached again, Ming Qin knew that her beloved woman was nearby. Even when a strong scent rushed into her nose, she instinctively reached out and embraced the soft body close to her.

Especially at night, Ming Qin would smell the hair of the person in her arms and remind herself repeatedly before falling asleep that she would never be engulfed by darkness again.

And now, when the originally pure peony scent was mixed with other odors, a strong medicinal smell and an indelible musty smell on the body, Ming Qin knew that Wang Wei was the one next to Murong Yan, taking her pulse.

“Wang Wei, you really do stink.”

Although she couldn’t see or hear anyone, Ming Qin still smiled, “No wonder that little girl said no one wanted to visit your home.”

“Hmph, Little Shadow Guard Ming, you don’t know how bad you smelled when you were unconscious.” Wang Wei took off the white cloth he used for taking the pulse, unwilling to admit defeat. “It was so bad it was suffocating!”

“…Ah Qin doesn’t stink.”

Murong Yan, who was standing next to them, seemed to be afraid of hurting Ming Qin’s feelings. She bent down and gently stroked Ming Qin’s face, lovingly kissing her forehead. “I help Ah Qin bathe every day, she doesn’t stink.”

“Princess, why are you talking to someone who can’t hear?” Wang Wei, who had no expression on his face, had not finished speaking before he was kicked by Song Shu Qing next to him.

He rolled his eyes.

“Do you dare argue with a patient? If you can’t speak, don’t speak.”

Before the crazy old man was driven out by the princess, Song Shu Qing interrupted him and asked with concern, “How is Qin Qin? Is she okay?”

“Well…there is still a little bit of poison in her body, and we can only wait for it to metabolize. It should be okay.” Wang Wei thought seriously for a rare moment, then paused. “As for her lost senses, it will probably only recover slowly over time.”

Seeing Murong Yan’s dark face, Wang Wei thought of Song Shu Qing’s instructions earlier and changed the subject. “But since she has already regained her sense of smell and touch, I feel like there is still a good chance.”

“Maybe.”

Standing with his hands on his hips, he nodded heavily, looking somewhat proud. “After all, with my miraculous medical skills and Little Shadow Guard Ming’s strong vitality like an indestructible cockroach, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

After hearing this, Murong Yan breathed a sigh of relief and bowed solemnly to Wang Wei, with a lower posture than when he treated her before.

On the way back to the hospital from Changning Palace, Song Shu Qing sighed and said, “Tell me the truth, how is Qin Qin’s body? Although I’m not as skilled as you, I can tell that Qin Qin’s body has suffered serious damage. What is your diagnosis?”

“Well…it’s true that Little Shadow Guard Ming’s vitality is weak,” Wang Wei cleared his throat, “but I’m not so pessimistic about her lost senses.”

“Although you instructed me to speak well of the Princess before we went to Changning Palace, I didn’t completely lie just now.” The old man carried his medicine box and continued, “My miraculous medical skills and Little Shadow Guard Ming’s strong vitality like an indestructible cockroach are as true as gold.”

There is still a chance for recovery.

If one is lucky enough.