Taking roots after the misty rain

Ch 24

As per Lan Qiren's judgement, the punishment was given. Lan Xichen was subjected to a hundred strikes, Lan Wangji to seventy, Wei Wuxian to seventy and Wei Chi to a hundred.

Wei Wuxian had been subjected to worse in his past life, he expected that his body would be able to bear this torture without any problem. But he forgot that only his soul had travelled back. His body still had the same endurance as his fifteen-year-old body did in the past. The grunts in frustration and pain left his lips occasionally and Lan Wangji resorted to sealing his mouth.

Wei Chi, on the other hand, was mentally stronger than Wei Wuxian. She had more control over her body. Her lips trembled, her hands became clammy and she gripped her robes so tightly, her fingers were on the verge of breaking under the stress. Yet, she refused to let out a single sound. She was in front of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. Lan Xichen had closed his eyes and was silently taking his punishment. No one could notice these small signs of her cracking self-control. The pain reminded her of the torture she was subjected to in the Jin Camp. Her legs drew closer to each other subconsciously and her hands shifted in such a manner that her chest was completely covered by her sleeves.

Sweat broke out on her forehead and her mouth went dry. Her eyes filled with tears she didn't dare shed. After the punishment was over, Lan Xichen hastily got up and went to help her up. Wei Chi slapped his hand away, more aggressively than she intended to. She never wished to do so in the first place, but she just did it, like a reflex action. She focused her eyes on the floor as the world spun around in her periphery. She could hear someone calling her name but couldn't understand what they were saying.

Her legs trembled as she stood up. She stumbled backwards. Lan Xichen stretched his arms towards her to steady her, but she pushed him away. Her eyes shone with angry tears. She could not recognise anyone around her. Her head hurt like someone had spun her brain like a spinning top. She could see everything, yet nothing. She heard the whispers of others around her, and she heard people call out to her, yet her ears pretended as if she heard nothing.

Lan Xichen was taken aback as he was pushed away by Wei Chi, she had even used her spiritual energy. He knew she was mad at him, she has been mad at him a handful of times. But she had never reacted like this. Something was not right about her being.

Wei Chi tried to stand up straight, but her eyes rolled back and she felt the world spin around her. She barely managed to regain her balance. She immediately walked out of the pavilion. She continued walking senselessly until she was deep in the woods. She tripped on an upturned root and fell flat on her face. That brought her back to her senses a little.

She heard the sound of flowing water nearby and walked towards it until she reached a stream. She splashed her face with water to awaken herself. She ducked her head into the stream. When even that didn't work, she took off her outermost clothes and dived into the river. The cold water made her feel alive for a few moments until her senses became numb to everything again. She began to suffocate but had no power or will to come up for air.

Suddenly, her survival instinct kicked in and she tried to swim upwards. But she had never learned how to swim. It was as if every action of hers took her farther away from the surface.

'Is this it? Is this how I die this time?' She wondered wistfully. 'But it's okay.'

She stopped her futile efforts and let the water hug her and pull her closer to the bottom. Suddenly, a strange splash made her open her eyes and she saw a pale hand extended towards her, frantically trying to reach her. One second, she contemplated reaching out for it and the next, her hand was inexplicably gripped by that foreign palm and she was being tugged towards the surface.