The warm sunlight filtered inside the bedchamber through the little gap in the window, falling directly on Xiang Ling's face. The brightness ultimately pulled her out of the deep slumber and her eyes fluttered open to greet the familiar yet not-so-familiar bedchamber.
As the memories from the day before filled her head, her eyes immediately flew to look at the person sleeping on the bed. Much to her surprise, there was no one there.
Xiang Ling hurriedly stood up and looked around the bedchamber to locate the missing man but there was no sign of him. Feeling panicked, she quickly walked out of the chamber and headed outside to look for Wei Guang.
"What in the world-"
The moment she eventually found the man, she could hardly believe her eyes. He was once again kneeling on the wet platform in the courtyard. Her eyes went wide with panic and her heart raced crazily as her legs ran toward the platform. As soon as she was in front of him, she grabbed his arms and tried to pull him up.
It seemed like the entire universe was conspiring against her. The harder she was trying to save herself, the messier her situation was becoming.
Wei Guang looked surprised at first, then turned confused as he stared at her with his beautiful raven eyes. Not understanding what she wanted, he remained kneeling in front of her.
"Why are you kneeling here again?" Xiang Ling asked as she once again tugged on his sleeves to pull him into a standing position. Her heart was still going insane inside her chest as worry took over her senses.
"Y-you... punished me to..."
Xiang Ling almost knocked her knuckles on Wei Guang's forehead but controlled her hand at the very last moment, a sudden action that took Wei Guang by complete surprise. After taking in a few deep breaths to calm herself down, she finally spoke, "You barely survived the previous night and yet you have to put on this stupid show so early in the morning. Do you think you have nine lives?"
Despite her attempt, her voice still came out sharp and full of anger. She had to take a couple of more deep breaths to calm herself down. "Your punishment has ended. Don't go around kneeling when you are in such a bad state. Now stand up quickly."
Though still confused by the sudden change in Xiang Ling's attitude, Wei Guang still followed her words and stood up. But since his body was already weak from the high fever and lack of food for the past forty-eight hours, his legs almost gave out, and he stumbled, falling straight into a very surprised Xiang Ling's arms.
"Are you alright?" Xiang Ling asked in worry as she helped him find his balance before she placed her palm against his forehead to check his temperature. She was too distracted to notice the expression of shock that took over Wei Guang's face the moment her hand came in contact with his forehead.
His hand moved to remove her hand from his forehead but before he could do that, Xiang Ling had already pulled her hand away. "Your fever is gone." She said before taking hold of his hand and placing the tips of her forefingers over his veins to check his inner energy. After a few moments of silence, she spoke again, "Still, you are too weak to wander outside. Your body needs rest and nutrients to heal properly. Stay in your room and recuperate for a few days. I will ask Fu Xiao to send your meals to your room. Go now."
As she finally looked up at his face, she noticed the puzzled look on Wei Guang's face. "What?" She asked.
Wei Guang didn't answer immediately as if he was thinking about something. His clear eyes stared at her with a mix of emotions in them. After a moment or two, he finally answered, "You seem... different today."
Xiang Ling opened her mouth to speak but then closed it without saying even a single word. She took a few moments to collect her thoughts before she finally answered, "I'm not sure how I used to behave in the past. After yesterday morning's incident, I have been unable to recall most of my memories from the past. I couldn't even recall marrying the five of you when I first returned to the manor, let alone punishing you."
She stopped to take a deep breath before continuing, "I don't know about my past self, but the current me is not fond of seeing anyone die because of me. So you can now go and rest."
Wei Guang looked at her in silence for a few more minutes before he nodded his head and walked away, leaving Xiang Ling alone in the courtyard with the company of her thoughts.
Though she had been using the excuse of amnesia to defend the shift in her character, she wasn't sure if it was the right choice for the long term. But at the same time, it was impossible for her to tell these men the truth about her identity. For the time being, amnesia was the best method for her to handle the attacks she would be facing in the name of the previous owner of the body for all the stupid things the latter did during her lifetime.
The best thing amid all these was that she had successfully saved the Night Immortal from dying in his mortal life. Could she consider it a favor she had done for him?
Shaking her head to get rid of the unnecessary thoughts, she let out a deep sigh and moved to return to the bedchamber to get ready for the day. A surprised gasp escaped her lips as her gaze landed on the man who was standing right in front of the chamber with his back pressed against a pillar and his gaze focused on her. From that location, he could not only see the platform clearly but even hear the conversations going on there.
"You... what are you doing here?" What she really wanted to ask was exactly how long he had been there. She expected some sort of answer or explanation, but the man just treated her like air and left with not even a single word.
"What's wrong with him so early in the morning?" Xiang Ling muttered to herself before she shook her head and entered the bedchamber. She had a lot to do and a weird Xin Cheng was the last thing she wanted to think about at the moment.