At this time, the sky was near dusk, and although there had been a bit of gloomy weather all day, there wasn’t much change. However, the howling cold wind obviously added a few more degrees of chill than before.

Yet, Shang Ruyi did not feel cold at all.

Yu Wenye held her tightly in his arms, even through the leather jacket, his body heat seemed to sift through, layer by layer, into Shang Ruyi’s being. For a moment, she even felt disoriented, as if she were in the warmth of spring.

It was because of his presence and warmth that when she recalled that dreadful memory again, it didn’t hurt as much. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She spoke slowly, "Things happened when I was discussing marriage with my elder brother. Just after the matter was decided, my aunt took me to Ban Yan Temple to pray for blessings. But while crossing the river on a boat—"

Recalling the circumstances of that time, although it had been a long time ago, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but shudder.

Yu Wenye bowed his head, gently rubbing his chin against her forehead.

This almost flirtatious comfort, even with no one else seeing, made Shang Ruyi blush, and stirred her heart even more than the kiss before. She looked up at Yu Wenye, only to see him say softly, "It’s okay, it’s all over."

"Hmm."

"You just mentioned Ban Yan Temple, while crossing the river?"

"Hmm."

Yu Wenye’s brows furrowed, recalling when Madam Guan passed away, the family escorted the coffin to Ban Yan Temple, and during the boat crossing, Shang Ruyi’s lost and terrified appearance.

Now, he somewhat understood where Shang Ruyi’s fear stemmed from.

He said, "So, it was when crossing the river, that you were possessed by a spirit?"

Yu Wenye initially wanted to use this sentence to cover the whole experience, so she wouldn’t have to recall those painful encounters, but at this moment Shang Ruyi instead steadied herself and took a deep breath. She spoke slowly, "I was quite tired at the time, so I leaned on the boat cabin’s window and dozed off. While in a daze, I suddenly heard a splash, as if something fell into the water."

"..."

"Then, suddenly, there was...something inside my body."

"...!"

Yu Wenye involuntarily tightened his grip around her waist.

Shang Ruyi’s breathing also became rapid, but she didn’t stop, continuing to say, "I can’t describe what kind of feeling that was, but soon, I felt intense pain, as if some force was going to tear me apart, forcing me out of my own body."

"..."

"I didn’t know anything, but I resisted."

"..."

"Just then, our boat happened to dock, and my aunt tried to wake me to disembark, but found that no matter how much she called or pushed me, I wouldn’t wake up. Instead, I was burning hot, like a red-hot coal."

Speaking up to here, she looked up at Yu Wenye with a paler face: "At that time, I could hear everything, feel everything, but couldn’t speak or move; I could only watch my aunt’s anxious worry. She urged people to take me home, called for the doctor to treat me. Those few days, both she and my uncle stayed by my side without sleep, she even wept through the nights, fearing something might happen to me."

"..."

Yu Wenye looked at her for a moment, and gently said, "I understand."

At this moment, hearing these words, he even let go of any unwillingness or unhappiness that he was used as a tool.

In matters of love, charity and filial piety are also nature.

Shang Ruyi’s willingness to sacrifice for her family was because she was once lovingly nurtured, and he always wanted to fight for the first place in her heart, but what’s the point in battling for it?

He could sacrifice his life for her, whether it was forcibly entering Jiangdu back then, or now marching into the Turkic Yatai alone, dying here would be no regret. But her relatives provided her with much warmth and protection over the years. The weight of each, who can speak clearly?

Or perhaps, kinship and romantic love should not compete?

Yu Wenye said, "During those days when you were ill, you were continuously—"

Shang Ruyi nodded, "I was constantly fighting with that unseen entity lodged inside my body."

"Then later—"

"Later, I suddenly felt that something, something resembling a human, approached me."

"Resembling a human?"

"Yes, let’s call it a human. In my daze, I felt it suddenly come over, but my uncle and aunt guarding me couldn’t see it. It knelt repeatedly before me, calling me ’noble’, and said it had made a mistake, causing me to suffer those days of hardship, beseeching me to forgive it."