Chapter 475: Actually, It Didn’t Have to Be This Bloody
You’ve heard it before, haven’t you—the sound of rain striking the lattice of a window, falling one drop at a time?
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The scarlet bloom beneath Li Shu’s wrist unfurled in much the same way. Thick, crimson blood welled up, gathered heavily along the pale curve of her skin, and then slipped downward in slow, deliberate drops.
It truly hurt.
Slitting one’s wrist was no trivial pain—especially not for someone like Li Shu, who had been pampered and cherished since childhood, who had never known hardship or bodily suffering. The sharp sting of torn flesh and the raw, grinding sensation made her brows knit involuntarily, her breath tighten.
But when she saw the bright red blood dampen Zhu Ping’an’s dry lips…
When she saw his pale mouth move faintly, unconsciously parting and closing as if responding to the life being offered…
The pain in her wrist no longer seemed so unbearable.
After a moment, Li Shu frowned slightly and turned to the bun-haired little maid. “Don’t you think… it’s flowing too slowly?”
The little maid stared blankly, completely stunned by the question.
Without waiting for an answer, Li Shu lifted the blood-stained shell again and pressed it back against the wound on her wrist. The grating, dreadful sound rang out once more—a scraping, tearing noise that made the maid’s scalp prickle and her limbs turn cold.
The wound, crudely opened, split wider. It looked frightening now, the flesh turned outward in an almost savage display. But the blood flowed more freely—gushing, thick and warm, sliding down Li Shu’s wrist and dripping into Zhu Ping’an’s mouth.
At that moment, Zhu Ping’an was like a wanderer who had staggered through the desert for three days and nights without water. Every inch of him was parched; every cell cried out in thirst.
When that crimson liquid touched his lips, it was as though something deep within him awoke. His lips trembled, moved—greedy, instinctive—drawing in the red sustenance. Like cracked earth meeting long-awaited rain, he drank.
“Miss… use mine instead,” the little maid sobbed, tears spilling down her cheeks as she stared at Li Shu’s ghastly wound. “I’m fat—I have more blood.”
“Don’t chatter. Go find something to eat,” Li Shu refused without hesitation.
Truthfully, she had her own selfish reasons.
If Zhu Ping’an drank her blood—if her blood flowed inside him—then in some profound, undeniable way, he would carry a part of her forever. No one could ever separate them again. In a sense, they would be bound together for eternity.
Aside from his own blood, only mine may flow in him.
No one else’s. Absolutely not.
That was why she had rejected the maid’s offer. She would not allow another’s blood to mix within him.
Just imagining that from this day forward they could never truly be parted made the corner of Li Shu’s lips lift gently. The pain in her wrist seemed to vanish entirely.
It felt as though what flowed from her veins was not blood—but honey.
Watching Zhu Ping’an draw it into his mouth sent a sweetness blooming deep within her heart.
The little maid, scolded and glared at, could only wipe her tears obediently. Sniffling loudly, she hurried off toward the island’s interior to search for food.
She cried the entire way.
Miss is so good to me… She knows I’m afraid of pain, so she cut her own wrist to save Master.
Thinking of the agony Li Shu must have endured made her heart ache unbearably. Tears refused to stop, no matter how she tried to wipe them away.
Miss is wonderful… I’ll serve her for my entire life.
With short, hurried steps, she ran down the slope and into the island’s depths, determined to find the finest food the island had to offer and present it to Miss and Master in gratitude.
Alas, ideals are plump and full; reality is lean and merciless.
Crossing the grassy fields, she found nothing but wildflowers and weeds. She crouched and searched carefully—nothing. Well… plenty of insects, yes. She even spotted a frog. But she didn’t dare catch it. And even if she closed her eyes and managed to grab one, how could she eat it? Bugs couldn’t possibly be food!
Empty-handed and still sobbing, she walked farther inward. Beyond the grassland lay a forest. Bird calls echoed faintly within.
The woods were dark—ominously so. Shadows layered over shadows, giving it a foreboding air. Still… surely there must be something edible inside?
Hope flickered anew.
Clenching her fists, the little maid stepped resolutely into the forest.
“Awoooo—!”
A sudden animal howl shattered the stillness. The sound boomed through the trees, and she shrieked, collapsing to the ground with a thump.
While she stumbled in fright among the woods, Li Shu remained by the shore, continuing to feed Zhu Ping’an her blood.
The pallor in Zhu Ping’an’s face slowly began to fade, a faint flush returning to his cheeks.
Meanwhile, Li Shu’s own complexion grew whiter and whiter. As the blood drained from her body, an icy chill crept through her limbs.
She paid it no mind.
When she noticed the blood beginning to clot at her wrist, she frowned again and used the shell to reopen the wound.
Fresh blood flowed smoothly once more, staining Zhu Ping’an’s lips a deep crimson before slipping down his throat.
Some of it even trickled from the corner of his mouth.
But still—
He did not awaken.
“Zhu Ping’an… wake up… please…”
Li Shu’s voice broke. Tears spilled from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks and falling onto his face, onto his lips.
The tears mixed with blood as they entered his mouth—like some strange alchemy, like a miraculous elixir.
And then—
A miracle occurred.
“…Huh… is it raining…?”
Zhu Ping’an’s tightly shut eyes fluttered open. His lips moved weakly as he murmured.
“Zhu Ping’an—you’re awake!”
Though tears still streamed down her face, Li Shu’s expression blossomed into the most radiant smile in the world.
“…Blood…”
His vision was a haze of red. He blinked with effort, and the world slowly came into focus. Li Shu held a bloodstained shell in her hand. Her wrist still bled, the wound grotesquely split open.
And at that moment, she was holding her bleeding wrist to his lips.
It was obvious.
She had cut herself to feed him.
So the celestial nectar he had thought he tasted in his delirium… was her blood.
That wound was horrifyingly deep. How had this foolish girl found the courage to do it?!
“You idiot…” Zhu Ping’an turned his head weakly, avoiding her wrist. “Hurry and bandage it.”
“Don’t waste it,” Li Shu pouted stubbornly, pressing her wrist back toward him.
“Waste my foot…” he muttered faintly.
Summoning what little strength he had, he propped himself up and snatched the shell from her hand. His lips pressed together with effort as he tried to tear a strip from his clothing to bind her wound.
But he had just awakened; strength had not yet returned. He tugged once—failed—and nearly collapsed again.
“Slow down,” Li Shu scolded gently, pulling him onto her lap. “I’ll do it myself.”
As she lowered her head to wrap a silk ribbon around her wrist, Zhu Ping’an managed a weak smile.
“Luckily you cut a vein, not an artery. Otherwise it would’ve been trouble.”
“What trouble?” Li Shu asked, puzzled. “What’s a vein? What’s an artery?”
“If you cut an artery, blood would spurt out uncontrollably—like a fountain. It would spray all over you.” He gestured faintly. “The human body only has about two liters of blood. Lose one liter and you faint. Cut an artery, and you might not even get the chance to faint before… well.”
He paused for dramatic effect. “Someone ignorant might think you spilled red ink everywhere. It’d be awful.”
“You—don’t scare me…”
Li Shu’s face turned pale at his words. She didn’t understand the specifics about liters or arteries, but the general meaning was clear enough.
“So you’re lucky,” he said softly. “You only cut a vein… Thank you, Li Shu. I never thought you’d care about me so—”
“Don’t overthink it,” she interrupted quickly, cheeks flushing. “You saved me. I’m not heartless—how could I ignore you? Your lips were cracked and dry. You were dehydrated. There was no water here…”
“Still… it didn’t have to be so bloody,” he said after a pause. “Urine would’ve worked too. It’s mostly water—ninety-six or ninety-seven percent. In traditional medicine, it’s even used as—”
“Shameless!”
Li Shu’s face instantly turned crimson. She glared at him and spat lightly in embarrassment. “Who would drink something like that?!”