Ink Burns

Chapter 198 Sisters unite
When Shan Yue slowly awoke, it was nearly midnight.

A narrow crack peeked through the window frame, and beyond the upturned eaves that ran across the gap, a bluish darkness appeared.

Her long, drooping eyelashes seemed to weigh a ton. Shan Yue opened her eyes tremblingly, and through the hazy white mist, she saw a furry head lying on the edge of the bed.

Like a little monkey.

The little monkey fell asleep, two lines of tears still lingering in the corners of its eyes, its nose twitching, still looking like it was crying.

It's a sad little monkey now.

Shan Yue lowered her chin with difficulty, the skin and flesh pulling at the wounds on her left shoulder and collarbone, the meridians and flesh aching from every strand.

Despite the pain, Shan Yue reached out her right hand to wipe away her sister's tears.

She couldn't bear to see Shuiguang cry.

I can't bear to see even a single tear.

The moment Shan Yue's hand touched Shui Guang's cheek, the little monkey sat up abruptly, tears welling up in his eyes and unconsciously streaming down his face. His round, large eyes instantly looked as if they had been washed by a clear spring.

The little monkey's eyes are like a deer's.

It is clear, clean, and pure.

Having grown up in the mountains, untouched by the vicissitudes of life, they possess the most straightforward understanding of good and evil.

Ironically, she saw through the cruel reality of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, and at the same time, she possessed the most naive cruelty.

"Sister, I was wrong."

After a moment of stunned silence, Shui Guang burst into tears. She longed to hug her sister, but was afraid of pressing on her sister's bleeding wound.

Tears streamed down her face, one after another, each word a desperate plea: "Sister, I was wrong. I shouldn't have acted on my own. I shouldn't have acted so rashly. I shouldn't have..."

The little monkey cried its eyes out, snot and tears flying everywhere, completely losing its composure.

Shui Guang hiccuped: "Does your shoulder still hurt? Brother Cheng said your shoulder will take a long time to heal and it even aggravated other injuries. What is this 'Qianji Yin'? Brother Cheng said if there is no antidote within a hundred days, your body will get worse and worse. If the knife had hit somewhere else, I would risk my life to make that Chang Xiong pay for his blood debt!"

"Sister! My sister!"

Shui Guang looked up and cried loudly, as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances on behalf of Shan Yue!

The sound of weeping echoed through the pavilion.

Xue Xiao glanced to the side.

In the tranquil glow of the lanterns, the old locust tree in the courtyard swayed, casting a shimmering green light.

Luo Feng was not by his side; Ji Feng was at the doorman's side beside Xue Xiao.

"The lady has awakened!" Jifeng exclaimed joyfully, "Would you like to go and see her?"

Xue Xiao shook his head.

Don't go.

The night breeze was gentle, just right for the two sisters.

One is impulsive and reckless, the other thoughtful and deliberate; their personalities are completely opposite, yet both possess a strong backbone.

Without proper adjustment, when two people embrace, one's strong, unyielding nature can cause the other to ache.

The wind swept through the courtyard, making the window frames creak.

Shuiguang's crying was like a child's, reckless and without regard for appearance or consequences, with drool dripping from her teeth and her hands wrapped up like big white steamed buns.

The sad little monkey waved a big white steamed bun, threatening to kill the big bear.

This scene is hilarious no matter how you look at it.

Shan Yue's eyes were warm and brimming with tears, yet a smile appeared on her lips.

His smile carried a hint of apology.

"Would you be happier if we had never met?"

Shan Yue looked at her younger sister: "You weren't swayed by hatred, you happily traversed the mountain streams, Doctor Wei cracked jokes and laughed heartily, and Aunt Chen's cooking was always a little too salty, but it's alright—"

Shan Yue lowered her eyes, and a single tear finally fell before her, into the light. The smile on her lips remained, yet it concealed obvious bitterness and guilt.

Just like after the Fushoushan wildfire, she was haunted by nightmares and always regretted why she had taken her mother and sister to earn those extra few dozen copper coins.

After meeting Shuiguang, she began a new round of regret. Why did she open the door of hatred filled with images of her mother in the fire? Why did she drag Shuiguang into this abyss as well?
She felt like she had wandered into a dead end.

She tried her best but couldn't get out. She could only relive the moments of regret in her mind countless times until she was completely exhausted.

My mother's death is irreversible.

She wanted to do everything in her power to protect Shui Guang, so she stubbornly used both threats and inducements to force Shui Guang to stay away from these things as far away as possible.

She spun around in place, her whole body covered in marks of pain.

She didn't want Shui Guang to be like that.

With tears streaming down her face, Shan Yue said, "It doesn't matter if it's too salty or not. If it's too salty, I'll just drink more tea. If it's too bland, I'll eat a couple of pieces of my aunt's homemade pickled radish. It doesn't matter if it's too salty or not, as long as I'm happy."

"I'm happy!"

Shui Guang stared wide-eyed in disbelief, immediately interrupting Shan Yue's words: "I was happy running and jumping in the mountains picking herbs! I was happy to meet you again! When I saw Xue Shouzi get beaten to a pulp by Chang Gou Xiong, I was so happy I felt like I could fly!"

"I'm not unhappy! I'm always happy! If I were unhappy, I would definitely do something—like knocking that bear flying!"

The little monkey waved the big white steamed bun again, looked up and cried loudly, "How could I not be happy when I see my sister again! Why am I not happy?! I took my revenge, how could I not be happy after I got my revenge! What revenge can I take if I'm not happy?! I ran away with you this morning!"

"I've made up my mind. Once I enter the palace and become a renowned imperial concubine, I'll whisper sweet nothings in her ear, and take my revenge! — Oh, let's work together, share resources, and never act on our own again!"

Shui Guang quickly tried to fix it, and with a determined look, wiped her eyes clean of tears.

Without tears to hold her back, she could better proclaim her declaration of sponging off her parents and brother: "Let's go back to Pingning Mountain! We'll freeload off Lao Wei and Lao Chen! Don't worry, they won't say anything! And my brother too! I'll have Wei Xiaoci wash our feet! Trim our nails! Work as a farmhand! Waaah, the five-year harvest of my Coptis chinensis is almost over, I have to go back and dig it up."

The mountain moon, its surface brimming with tears, suddenly froze in place.

Is this how you think about hatred and water?

Like the steps in life, once you step over them, a brand new and smooth road lies ahead.
How could that be?
Hatred should be like the brand on her back, like her lost sense of taste, like the inspiration she can no longer draw, which she has lost forever.

Shan Yue opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything: Can revenge be taken like this? Can it be done like eating a meal or completing a task? After it's done, can you cleanly walk away without getting involved, and still live your life comfortably?
Shuiguang sobbed, her shoulders shaking, yet she looked at Shanyue with an honest and clear gaze.

The little monkey's eyes were as clear as a piece of unpolished jade.

It seems possible.

Water light is sufficient.

Shui Guang killed Xue Chen single-handedly and sent Chang Yusu to prison—though she hadn't anticipated the immense power of the wealthy and powerful families, which brought additional trouble.

Despite her many flaws, Shui Guang, who knew nothing, accomplished everything in a very short time and told her without any burden, "I will never do anything that makes me unhappy."
Free and easy.

Like the brisk and unrestrained flow of a mountain stream.

Shan Yue, who was stuck in a dead end, couldn't help but feel a little lost.

Shuiguang had already expertly taken off her shoes, curled her feet up under the thin blanket she shared with her sister, and did what she had wanted to do from the beginning—carefully avoiding the wound, she hugged her sister: "We're alright, sister, we both have to be alright. It's not us who's going to die, it was never us. We still have so many good days ahead of us, we'll be together, we'll do everything together—you don't have to protect me like a kitten anymore, and I won't have to secretly do bad things behind your back anymore."

The water's embrace carries the fragrance of fresh grass and the warmth of the earth.

Shan Yue was tightly embraced.

"Sister, what do you say?" Shui Guang gently placed her round chin in Shan Yue's intact right shoulder socket.

The little girl's voice was sweet and crisp, like a star flashing in the darkness.

Shan Yue raised her right hand and grasped that glimmer of starlight, just as a drowning person grasps at a life-saving piece of driftwood.

"it is good."

Shan Yue responded.

"it is good."

Shan Yue closed her eyes and responded softly once more.

A few days ago, I had some kind of virus, and I had a low-grade fever, diarrhea, and generalized stress-induced itching. I felt terrible.