Ink Blade Chapter 5 (Part 2)
Translated by Sylver
Edited by kleio
Waking Up (part 2)
A spoon suddenly enlarged in front of him, interrupting Mo Ren’s dazed thoughts. On the spur of the moment, Palace Master Chu picked up the bowl and scooped up a spoonful of porridge, bringing it near Mo Ren’s lips, “Ah Ren, open your mouth.”
"This subordinate dare not be so audacious and bother the Master."
Mo Ren was so startled that he quickly reached for the bowl and spoon with his hands, but was immediately evaded.
Chu Yan had a momentary loss but immediately regained his bearings. As long as he looked at Mo Ren, his heart warmed up with joy. Feeding people was unexpectedly enjoyable. He raised his eyebrows playfully and smiled, nudging the spoon over, "Be obedient and open your mouth."
“This….”
Mo Ren hesitated, he couldn't figure out the reason behind Chu Yan's sudden change in behavior. After such a long time, it was impossible for him to remember all the trivial things in detail, and he could only rely on...conjectures, when encountering such a situation.
He had always been dull and cold, presumably the Master was not really trying to tease him. The only possibility he could think of was Bai Hua.
After all, he was thrown into the Punishment Hall just because he offended Bai Hua,
Maybe Bai Hua got angry with the Master recently, therefore he deliberately treated him nicely for his lover to see?
Taking care of him without regard to the reputation of being the Palace Master, probably for the sake of being seen by the servants and having the gossip passed onto Bai Hua's ears…
It must be so, there will never be other reasons. Mo Ren lowered his eyes and silently swallowed the bitterness in his heart. If the Master wants to play, he should naturally cooperate.
What's more, even if it's an act, this moment of tenderness was enough for him to recollect carefully in the future—he would definitely kill Bai Hua in this life, and it would be more unbearable compared to the previous life. But he could look back to this pleasant memory at that time, to dispel even an ounce of coldness and emptiness from his heart. He should be grateful to this rare kindness bestowed upon him.
Mo Ren cleared up his thoughts in an instant, and when he raised his head, he had already restrained his emotions. He looked at the spoon that Chu Yan nudged with a smile, and actually had a trace of anticipation that he knew he shouldn't have.
Even if it was a pretense, he might as well steal some benefits. Being treated like this, with tender care up to this point, he would take advantage of it.
Knock knock…
There was a sudden knock on the door, and Chu Yan paused. Then a guard reported respectfully, "Palace Master, Young Master Bai Hua is asking to see you."
The spoon containing the porridge stopped near his lips, Mo Ren sighed inwardly, and then moved back slightly. Now that Bai Hua had come over, he knew it was impossible.
Chu Yan frowned, "What, have you forgotten what this Master ordered? No matter who it is, this Master will see no one."
"But Young Master Bai Hua insists on it...Young Master has already started a fight in front of the hall, and the servants dared not to be rough….."
Chu Yan's face gradually darkened. After a moment of silence, there was only a "clink" and the spoon was thrown back into the bowl.
Mo Ren lowered his head.
Sure enough, what is not his will never be his after all.
It's him...who is simply having unreasonable expectations.
Chu Yan straightened his clothes and stood up, walking towards the door of the room. Before stepping out, he turned his head and said, "Remember to drink the medicine by yourself, and wait for this Master to come back."
Mo Ren replied in a low voice, "Yes.”
The sound of Chu Yan's footsteps faded away.
Mo Ren watched the Palace Master leave, and afterwards he reluctantly propped himself up. Enduring the discomfort coursing through his body, he got out of bed barefooted and moved slowly.
He quietly curled up in the corner by the window, and wearily closed his eyes.
Outside were a few birds crisply chirping, as well as intermittent voices of the two talking.
"...Hua'er is really worried...just thinking...is fine, but he was dragged away...Brother Chu, what did Hua'er do wrong?"
"Hua'er, don't think too much…..the matter of Mo Ren is after all…..this Master cannot...it's not easy when one has just been punished…”
"Hua'er knows...as an outsider...no wonder Guard Mo despises......"
"...He's just a useful subordinate...he's a fool…..just coax him as you please..."
In the sleeping chambers, Mo Ren’s eyes remained shut, as if he didn't hear anything. Sometimes it was not advantageous to have sharp hearing and eyesight. He somewhat missed the past life when he lost his internal force.
In fact, he felt that it was not all that uncomfortable. After all, he had already expected this……At least, the Master said that he was useful, so he was still happy.
But why bother so much? He didn't need to be coaxed or to be fooled. As long as Chu Yan gave an order, he would kneel down and sacrifice his life for the Palace Master.
Is it because he didn't do well enough in his previous life? After so many years, the Master only regards him as an ordinary subordinate whom he needs to spend special energy on to win over…
Mo Ren felt a pain in his heart. He knew that his temperament of “couldn't help but think too much” was not suitable for being a good bodyguard to please his Master. It's just that once everything was revealed, he couldn't always be a thoughtless sword as required by the Master, let alone be a pleasing dog.
Therefore, it was only reasonable that he was rejected by the Master in the previous life.
In this life…..Maybe after looking for an opportunity to kill Bai Hua, he should also kill himself quickly afterwards, so as not to add to the troubles of the Master.
Chu Yan and Bai Hua chatted while laughing, and he saw the two figures getting further away from the window.
“.......”
Mo Ren slowly let go of his strength, let out a breath, and leaned against the cold wall, his expression calm like the stagnant waters of a lake, as if nothing could cause a ripple to bother the stillness.
Suddenly, he bent his thin back, and covered his lips with his right fist. He began to cough violently, gasping for breath, and his pale cheeks turned an abnormal bright red.
Dark red blood then trickled out from between his fingers.
This shortness of breath….in the end, his internal organs were damaged due to the torture.
Mo Ren's expression remained unchanged. He simply took a piece of cloth to wipe off the blood on the ground. Thinking about the Palace Master's instruction, he went back to the bed and raised his hand to drink the medicine in one gulp.
The pungent bitter taste irritated his stomach that had not been fed anything for a long time, making him feel very uncomfortable. Mo Ren endured the nausea, and swallowed the concoction in one gulp with no expression on his face.
After all, these were all good medicinal materials and shouldn’t be wasted.
