Tempting The God - Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Eye Disease
Xu Chang went out to see Doctor Cui Minglu off. The medicine left by the bedside had cooled during the delay, so Luyi said she would take it out to reheat it.
The room was now left with only Shen Jixue and Lin Mozhi.
One mute, one blind—what was there to talk about?
Lin Mozhi mocked himself inwardly. Just as he was about to get up and leave, he heard rustling sounds from the bed.
Unable to help himself, he spoke up, “Ah Xue, your wounds haven’t healed yet. Don’t move around. If you need something, just tell Luyi.”
Shen Jixue froze, stopping her hand from pulling back the blanket.
She had only felt a bit hot under the covers and wanted to air herself out.
Was this man part dog? How could he hear so well?
Or… could he actually see?
Hearing no response from Shen Jixue, Lin Mozhi suddenly realized his mistake.
She had just lost her voice—how could she tell Luyi anything?
He wanted to explain but didn’t know what to say. Instead, he stiffly added, “You can write it down.”
Shen Jixue shook her head lightly, then remembered Lin Mozhi couldn’t see her.
Gritting through the pain, she reached out to grab his sleeve.
Unexpectedly, Lin Mozhi suddenly stood up.
Without picking up the bamboo cane leaning against the table, he took two precise steps and sat down on the low stool beside the bed, handing her a piece of paper and a charcoal pencil.
“Ah Xue, before… I was wrong,” Lin Mozhi said, a bitter smile on his lips as he saw Shen Jixue shake her head.
“Don’t you hate me?”
Shen Jixue continued to shake her head. Her hand was still weak, and it took her a few tries to grip the pencil properly. Clutching it in her fist, she drew three stick figures.
She pointed to two figures huddled together, then suddenly changed her expression, angrily pointing at the third figure who was holding a long line.
Finally, she put down the paper and made a hugging gesture with both hands.
Lin Mozhi’s breath hitched. He realized that Shen Jixue probably couldn’t read. Remembering what Xu Chang had found out, guilt and heartache mixed together, twisting painfully in his chest.
She had fled with her family to this place, starving and freezing in the cold.
For just two bags of coarse rice, her parents had abandoned her, taking her younger brother to settle in the warm south, with no intention of ever coming back for her.
Thinking of this, Lin Mozhi seemed a bit nervous. After a moment of consideration, he gently said, “If you’re willing, I can teach you how to read and write. How about that?”
Shen Jixue looked puzzled.
She opened her mouth but only managed a faint breathy sound.
With great effort, she raised her hand and pointed at Lin Mozhi’s eyes.
“My eyes?”
Lin Mozhi understood her confusion.
If he couldn’t see, how could he teach her to read?
He didn’t feel offended. Instead, he leaned closer.
“You can take it off and see for yourself.”
The white gauze was right in front of her.
Shen Jixue’s fingertips twitched, lightly brushing the edge, but she hesitated, watching Lin Mozhi’s reaction.
Just as she was about to pull her hand back, Lin Mozhi reached out and held her hand, removing the gauze himself.
Shen Jixue was now close enough to clearly see the curve of Lin Mozhi’s eye corners.
Then, his long lashes lifted, slowly revealing light golden pupils.
“Ah!”
Shen Jixue’s eyes widened.
She wanted to lean in closer but accidentally tugged at her wounds, causing her to let out a muffled groan.
The golden eyes fixed on her were now tinged with concern, softening into a honey-like warmth.
“Don’t move around.”
“My eye condition is just a sensitivity to light. It’s not that I can’t see at all.”
Lin Mozhi seemed uncomfortable with the indoor light, blinking rapidly a few times.
“At first, I just couldn’t tolerate sunlight. I could still see indoors. But over time, it worsened. Now, even indoor light or the glow of fireflies at night is too much. Only in complete darkness can I see as clearly as in daylight.”
He met Shen Jixue’s worried gaze and smiled reassuringly.
“It’s fine. I still have enough time to teach you how to read.”
Shen Jixue finally relaxed. Drowsiness washed over her, and she yawned, her body tilting as she was about to fall asleep.
Just then, Luyi came in with the reheated medicine, calling softly, “Don’t sleep yet. Drink the medicine first.”
Luyi wasn’t surprised to see Lin Mozhi without his gauze.
Having served him for so many years, she knew her master was cold on the outside but warm-hearted.
After Lin Moyu’s incident and everything that had happened, Shen Jixue was now Lin Mozhi’s trusted confidante. There was no need to hide his eye condition from her.
When Shen Jixue had been carried in, covered in blood, Xu Chang had been too busy fetching Doctor Cui to notice, but Luyi had seen how her master’s hands had trembled.
While Shen Jixue was unconscious, Luyi had been the one to change her bandages and feed her medicine. On the second night, when her fever wouldn’t break, Luyi had called Xu Chang to fetch Doctor Cui.
When they returned, they found Lin Mozhi standing by the bed.
In the dim candlelight, his eyes uncovered, he had replaced the cooling cloth on Shen Jixue’s forehead and tucked her in.
He had hesitated, reaching out as if to touch the scar on her brow, but fearing he might wake her, he had only traced it in the air before withdrawing his hand.
Luyi had seen it clearly—the pain and guilt in his eyes, the wish that he could take her place. Compared to that, the heavenly-grade Soul Stabilizing Pill he had gone to such lengths to obtain was nothing.
Shen Jixue wrinkled her nose, gritted her teeth, and took a sip of the medicine. The bitter, fishy taste hit her like a punch to the head, making her want to vomit.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Luyi snapped out of her thoughts and quickly handed her a piece of candied fruit, coaxing, “Keep it in your mouth, and it won’t taste so bitter. You need to finish the medicine to get better quickly. Be good, Ah Xue.”
The candied fruit helped neutralize the bitter taste. Shen Jixue sighed inwardly. Was she being treated like a child?
It seemed she would have to endure this awful medicine for a while longer. If she had known, she might have chosen a different method to deal with Lin Moyu, avoiding these injuries and the nauseating medicine.
Heavens knew it had been thousands of years since she last had to drink medicine.
With a sigh, Shen Jixue took a deep breath, held it, and downed the medicine in one go. Her face twisted in disgust.
Luyi couldn’t help but laugh, feeding her another piece of candied fruit.
“You look like you’re facing a great enemy just drinking medicine.”
Shen Jixue, exhausted from her injuries, was now overwhelmed with sleepiness. Her eyes were barely open, and she couldn’t be bothered to argue. She chewed the candied fruit to suppress the bitter taste and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Luyi followed Lin Mozhi out, closing the door behind her. Master and servant walked in silence until they reached a corner of the corridor.
Unable to hold back any longer, Luyi asked, “Master, should we tell Ah Xue about her parents?”
Lin Mozhi didn’t stop walking.
“Not yet. Wait until her injuries have healed.”
“Yes.”
Luyi relaxed a bit, her tone no longer tense. She ventured to advise, “I can see that Ah Xue still treats you the same as before. You don’t have to take all the blame on yourself…”
“Luyi,” Lin Mozhi interrupted her, his voice calm and unreadable.
“I have my own plans. Don’t try to defend me in front of her.”
“…Yes.”
Thinking back to the simple yet vivid drawing, Lin Mozhi’s lips curled into a bitter smile.
Although she didn’t blame him, he couldn’t get over the guilt in his heart.
No matter what his reasons were, his constant testing and harsh words had hurt her. Trying to explain or seek sympathy would only be a way to manipulate her forgiveness.
What kind of forgiveness would that be?
He had been wrong, and he admitted it.
Whether she forgave him or not was up to her, after she got to know the real him. No one else could decide for her.
Unbeknownst to Shen Jixue, who was deep in sleep, Lin Moyu’s actions had set a fire in Lin Mozhi’s heart that would never be extinguished.
Even in the future, when Shen Jixue pointed her sword at him, he would not waver.
—
Time passed quickly during peaceful days.
Shen Jixue had been bedridden for two months. Her wounds had mostly healed, but Luyi insisted she stay in bed for another ten days, to the point where her back was almost breaking out in a rash.
Fortunately, since she had been able to get out of bed, Lin Mozhi had been coming every day to teach her to read and write. Although she was only pretending, she had to put in the effort to write like a child just learning, her characters crooked and uneven. But having someone to talk to made the days less boring.
Lin Mozhi was now going out of his way to make it up to her. Everything from food to clothing was of the finest quality.
Anyone could see that these things weren’t cheap.
Taking advantage of her status as a “poor girl” who couldn’t read, he wasn’t afraid she would discover his true wealth. Aside from the various trinkets and exquisite clothes, he brought her delicacies, pastries, and candied fruits every day, treating her like a child.
Shen Jixue’s face had rounded out. Compared to her thin, frail appearance when she first entered the mansion, she now looked like a well-cared-for young lady from a wealthy family.
To those who knew, Lin Mozhi was making amends. To those who didn’t, it seemed like he was raising her as his own daughter.
“The Lotus Lantern Festival is coming up. I thought you’d be able to wear this set,” Luyi tugged at Shen Jixue’s now-too-short sleeves, both amused and exasperated.
“But the new clothes we made last month are already too small.”
She stood up straight, pulling Shen Jixue in front of her to compare their heights.
The little girl who had only reached her shoulders two months ago was now almost up to her nose.
Luyi pinched Shen Jixue’s now-rounder cheeks, satisfied.
“Hmm, much better than the skinny little thing you were before.”
Shen Jixue leaned back, trying to escape Luyi’s pinching.
“Sister Luyi, that hurts! Be gentle!”
But Luyi wasn’t having it, reaching out to tease her again.
Just then, Lin Mozhi and Xu Chang came out of the room, seeing the two of them playing around in the courtyard.
“Ahem.”
Xu Chang coughed lightly as a reminder, and the two quickly stopped.
After Shen Jixue’s ordeal, it became clear that Lin Mozhi wasn’t as aloof as he seemed. Both Xu Chang and Luyi respected him deeply.
Before, Luyi had acted high and mighty because Lin Mozhi had suspected her of being a spy sent by Lady Lin. Naturally, his attitude toward her hadn’t been great.
“If the clothes are too short, just make new ones.”
Lin Mozhi walked down the steps and stopped in front of Shen Jixue, handing her something.
“Ah Xue, take this.”
Shen Jixue reached out and took it. It was a round jade pendant, about two fingers wide, carved into the shape of a snowflake. The jade was clear, with blue streaks running through it, giving the impression of frost forming within.
The jade itself was beautiful and valuable, but its true worth lay in its function.
“Young Master,” Shen Jixue hesitated, handing it back.
“This snowflake pendant is so beautiful, it must be very expensive. I can’t accept it.”
Lin Mozhi didn’t take it back, explaining seriously, “This isn’t just an ordinary pendant. It’s a defensive artifact. It can withstand a full-force attack from a Golden Core cultivator.”
“If you want to go out during the Lotus Lantern Festival, take this with you.”
Shen Jixue caught the unspoken implication in his words.
“Young Master, will Second Young Lady still come after me?”
Lin Mozhi met her clear eyes and, after a moment of silence, shook his head.
He smiled reassuringly. “Just be careful.”
