Chapter 12 – Heart-Cleansing Spiritual Vines

When Yun Jingfei revealed her bare face, Qin Yun froze, thoughts swirling. Did the elders know what they were asking of him when they arranged this marriage? The answer was painfully clear.

 

Of course, they did.

 

How could they not?

 

Even with all their power, the Cloud Imperial Palace would never be foolish enough to hide something this significant.

 

Half of her face was hideous, scarred beyond recognition. Qin Yun had seen such injuries many times before.

 

Burns. Deep ones. Reaching down to the nerves.

 

The fire had fused muscle to muscle, twisted bone beneath the skin, yet oddly, it bore none of the marks of an open flame or chemical burn.

 

No, this blaze had erupted from within her. Qin Yun could find no other explanation for what he saw.

 

“Does it still hurt?” Qin Yun asked.

 

“Sometimes. Some more than others,” Yun Jingfei replied as she sought to put her veil back on, ashamed of her current state.

 

But Qin Yun gently stopped her, his hand warm on hers. His gaze held neither disgust nor pity, only a quiet acceptance that startled Yun Jingfei.

 

“You… You’re not revolted?”

 

“Why would I be? You are still beautiful.”

 

Indeed, as he studied the untouched half of her face, Qin Yun could almost see the beauty she once possessed, before fate had rewritten her features.

 

She would have been breathtaking, a beauty without equal.

 

Her single open eye gleamed a vivid green. Her lips, slender but still rosy, hinted at her former allure. Her nose, though, was mostly lost to the fire’s cruelty.

 

One side of her scalp was bare and scarred, but the other boasted a carefully tended mane of black hair with a blue sheen—her last fragment of beauty to cherish.

 

Scars trailed down her neck and across her collarbone. Nearly half her body had suffered the same fate. The small, involuntary twitches he’d noticed now made sense—every movement was a battle.

 

Qin Yun’s unexpected kindness, mingling with the heady scent in the air, brought a blush to Yun Jingfei’s unscarred cheek—the only place her emotions could bloom.

 

But the moment passed quickly as she gathered herself once more.

 

She turned away, but her rigid posture betrayed her vulnerability. Even her formidable will could not conceal the tremors that rippled through her.

 

“Don’t you dare lie to me,” she finally replied, her voice shaking even more than her body. “How could this… hideous form possibly be beautiful?”

 

“Those injuries are but a transient phase. What we consider beautiful, at its core, is just mathematical ratios that our psyche, through eons of evolution, has learned to find pleasing. Practitioners have many ways to heal the skin without having to mend the bone structure.”

 

“DO YOU THINK THEY DIDN’T TRY?!” she exploded, swiftly turning back to face Qin Yun.

 

At first, her face burned with anger, but Qin Yun soon recognized it as deep frustration. The Cloud Imperial Palace must have exhausted every resource, summoned every healer, yet she remained unchanged—trapped in this imperfect shell.

 

Maybe they couldn’t treat the underlying ailment. Maybe they didn’t even know to try.

 

Yet for Qin Yun, no injury or illness was insurmountable. All he needed was time to uncover the truth behind her suffering.

 

But Yun Jingfei knew none of this. All she could do was lash out, her pain seeking an outlet.

 

“Nothing they did ever worked! Do you know how it feels to have your hopes raised, only to feel them crashing down again and again? How could you possibly know?”

 

Qin Yun watched her unravel in silence. Words were useless now; months of bottled fury and disappointment poured out unchecked.

 

Qin Yun’s calm only stoked her anger. Grabbing a nearby vase, she raised it high and hurled it at the floor with all her strength.

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But instead of a satisfying crash, silence filled the room, leaving her stunned and unsettled.

 

Yun Jingfei spun toward Qin Yun, only to find his seat empty. Confusion overtook her anger. A chill crept down her spine as she tried to turn, but something warm halted her movement.

 

Instinctively, Yun Jingfei tried to step away, but a firm hold at her waist stopped her. She glanced down and saw a red sleeve encircling her.

 

Something solid pressed against her back, radiating the same warmth she felt on her cheek.

 

She struggled against his hold, unwilling to surrender. In her efforts, she noticed the vase she had tried to shatter was back on its pedestal, untouched.

 

She hadn’t even heard it move.

 

Seeing that she finally relented.

 

“Let go,” she muttered through gritted teeth.

 

“If you promise not to do this again,’ Qin Yun said calmly next to her ear. “I can’t afford to replace something this expensive.”

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be related to the patriarch? Surely, you can afford one measly vase?”

 

“You’d be surprised,” Qin Yun chuckled, but quickly regained control of himself.

 

He was far too close. The scent clinging to her was overwhelming, stirring desires he struggled to suppress—even her scars could not dampen the heat it provoked.

 

No wonder they chose to use this scent. This is harder than I thought…

 

He wasn’t the only one feeling the effects. Yun Jingfei was burning up, her core temperature rising the more he pressed his body against hers.