The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 186: Dark and Boundless (2)

It seemed that it wasn't just this one book—once she opened her mind to it, it was as though a dam had broken. Her brain surged with knowledge: poems and songs, historical records, famous anecdotes, strange legends, geographical studies, illustrated explanations, martial arts, medicine, pharmacology, and poison techniques... an overwhelming flood of knowledge from various categories poured into her mind, making her feel like her head might burst.

Yun Qianyue suppressed the tidal waves of information crashing inside her and sat on the ground, leaning against the bookshelf, holding the book in her hands. She closed her eyes and silently absorbed the vast amount of knowledge flooding into her mind, each line and paragraph feeling as though she had once memorized them.

Time passed quietly, and the stream of knowledge in her mind continued to flow, not ceasing. Yun Qianyue quietly received it all, fully aware that this knowledge must have been learned by the original owner of this body. Though she had left this world, the knowledge had remained. Since she had resisted learning and reading for so long, these things had been sealed away in her mind. But now that she was willing to learn, with this breakthrough, it all came rushing out naturally.

While absorbing this knowledge, Yun Qianyue silently marveled at how much the original owner had learned. How many books had she read? It seemed that the original owner had studied as much as the thousand books in this room. The rumors about her being illiterate and ignorant were clearly just appearances—she was, in fact, a woman of great talent and vast learning.

Yun Qianyue sighed repeatedly. It seemed that this woman, just like the body she had inhabited in her past life, had suffered through a life of hardship, unable to escape the fate of endless study. Perhaps she had endured even more hardship, as this body seemed to have hidden its pain and secrets for a long time. Yun Qianyue hoped that with this knowledge, she could also uncover the memories left behind by the original owner. Then, she would understand why this woman had endured so much and concealed so much of herself.

As time passed, Yun Qianyue remained with her eyes closed, seemingly unaware of anything around her, as the knowledge in her mind played out like a movie.

The study remained silent and undisturbed. Even the entire Purple Bamboo Grove was eerily quiet.

After an unknown period of time, when her mind had finally stopped absorbing new information, Yun Qianyue slowly opened her eyes, her face full of disappointment. She had received all the knowledge this body had gained over the years, but despite her efforts, her mind remained blank when she tried to recall anything beyond that. No matter how hard she concentrated, the memories remained elusive, and a dull ache spread through her head.

She sighed deeply. It seemed that this breakthrough had allowed her to access the knowledge this body had accumulated, but other memories—perhaps those would only surface with further opportunities. Still, she felt that this was already enough. Initially, she thought she would never be able to finish reading these books in half a month, but now, she wasn't so sure. She might actually be able to finish them.

She looked down at the book in her hands and was suddenly surprised. It was pitch black. Had the day turned to night? She stood up, only to feel a sharp pain in her rear end. Her legs were numb, and she couldn't move for a while. Clearly, she had been sitting too long, and her body had stiffened. She had to stretch and massage her legs, slowly regaining some strength, though they still felt weak. She called out, "QingShang! Bingquan! Anyone?"

"Miss Qianyue, I'm here!" QingShang's voice came from outside, sounding both surprised and relieved.

"What time is it now? Is it already midnight?" Yun Qianyue asked.

There was silence for a moment, as though QingShang didn't know how to answer.

"Come in, help me get up!" Yun Qianyue instructed.

The door to the study opened, and QingShang entered, holding a lantern. The room suddenly became bright. When she saw Yun Qianyue sitting on the floor, QingShang was startled and quickly set the lantern down to help her up. Yun Qianyue felt a chill as the cool air from the night swept over her, sending a shiver down her spine.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Qianyue. I've been standing outside for too long, and I've gotten cold. Let me help you to the soft couch." QingShang quickly apologized.

"Were you waiting outside for me? You didn't have to. Thank you for your hard work," Yun Qianyue said with a hint of guilt. She nodded, "Help me to the soft couch first. I think I've been sitting too long, and my whole body is stiff."

"Yes, Miss Qianyue." QingShang nodded and, supporting Yun Qianyue, walked with her toward the soft couch. As they walked, she said, "It wasn't just sitting for too long, Miss. You've been in here for three days already. I was about to come in and call you, but your master had instructed us not to disturb you unless you called us. Otherwise, I would have entered earlier."

"What?" Yun Qianyue was shocked. "You mean I've been in here for three days?"

"Yes, Miss. I wouldn't lie to you. You've been here for three full days. Today marks the third night. To be precise, you've been in here for three days and three nights," QingShang confirmed, nodding. "You must have gotten so absorbed in your reading that you lost track of time."

Good heavens! Yun Qianyue let out a sigh of disbelief.

QingShang didn't speak further and simply helped Yun Qianyue onto the soft couch. She then knelt down, preparing to massage her legs. "Let me help you with your legs, Miss. It'll make them feel better."

"Thank you," Yun Qianyue said, still stunned by the realization that she had spent three days and nights like that.

"You're welcome, Miss. It's what I should do. There's no need for thanks." QingShang smiled as she began to knead Yun Qianyue's legs. Her touch was neither too light nor too heavy, but just right, making Yun Qianyue feel much better as the soreness and numbness started to fade.

Yun Qianyue still couldn't believe it. "I really spent three days like that?"

"Yes, Miss. Three days straight. You didn't eat or drink anything. I wanted to come in a few times, but I didn't dare, since your master had given clear instructions. I was waiting outside for you to call me. If you didn't call by tomorrow morning, I would have had no choice but to rush in." QingShang said softly.

"You didn't sleep for three nights?" Yun Qianyue asked, feeling even more guilty.

"I did sleep. Qingquan and I took turns. I went to rest when he came in, and he let me rest while he kept watch outside." QingShang shook her head.

Yun Qianyue nodded, then asked, "What about Rongjing?"

"My master had business to attend to and wasn't in the residence. He left the day he went out of the study. I don't know where he went, but he told me not to disturb you unless you called for us," QingShang explained quietly.

Yun Qianyue nodded again, not saying anything further.

After a while, she waved her hand. "I'm fine now. You can stop."