Chapter 7: You Are Not Blind, and I Am Not Ugly

I had only ever performed the "Seventy-Two Needles of the Clear Brightness Collection" on the dead and on animals before.

Using it on a living person was a first in my life.

Looking at my pretty wife, who sat before me with features as delicate as a painting and a beauty that could topple cities, I took a deep breath and whispered, "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous..."

Gu Qianxi gave me a gentle smile and said, "Mazi, don't worry, I'm not nervous."

My mouth twitched, and I said awkwardly, "I know you're not nervous; I'm telling myself not to be nervous..."

With that, I steeled my heart, gritted my teeth, and held my breath. The silver needles fell like raindrops, piercing one by one into the acupuncture points on Gu Qianxi’s forehead, the corners of her eyes, and between her brows.

"Ugh..."

As I continued to insert the needles, Gu Qianxi could not help but let out a soft moan.

The treatment lasted for two full hours before it finally came to an end. Putting away the silver needles, I looked at Gu Qianxi, who was already drenched in a light sweat, and asked softly, "Wife, how do you feel now?"

She sat on the bed with her eyes tightly shut, clenching her delicate fists, and bit her lip as she replied, "My eyes feel itchy, as if they are a bit different from before. Mazi, can I open them now?"

I said, "Don't be impatient. You have been blind for too long. Even though your eyes have recovered, your vision won't return instantly. Keep them closed for now and try to perceive the light first. Once you can feel the light, that will mean your sight has truly returned. It won't be too late to open them then."

Gu Qianxi hummed in agreement, sitting obediently on the bed like a well-behaved student.

About ten minutes later, she suddenly cried out, "Oh! I can feel it! I can feel the light in the room! Mazi, can I open my eyes now?"

I patiently replied, "Wait another five minutes."

Five minutes later, Gu Qianxi asked impatiently, "Mazi, Mazi, have the five minutes passed? Can I open my eyes now?"

I walked over to her side, gently took her fair, smooth hands, and said softly, "Yes, you can. Open your eyes slowly now."

Gu Qianxi nodded vigorously, her body trembling with excitement. Her ten slender fingers gripped mine tightly, as if she were a drowning person clutching a lifeline.

She slowly opened eyes that were as bright as the stars. At that moment, deep within her profound, autumn-water-like pupils, I saw a brilliance I had never seen before!

It was the glow of joy, the glow of hope, and the glow of happiness.

"Mazi! I can see! I can see! My eyes are healed! They're healed!!!"

The young girl before me cheered and leaped off the bed like a little deer, throwing her arms around me.

With the warmth and softness of her body in my embrace, I felt a deep sense of accomplishment.

"That's great! Let's see who dares to call my wife blind anymore!" I said with a smile.

Just then, Gu Qianxi stepped back, cupped my face in her delicate hands, and looked up at me carefully, saying earnestly, "Mazi, my eyes are healed, and now I can finally see you. Quick, let me see what my husband looks like."

Hearing this, I felt a sense of shame and quickly turned my face away, resisting, "Don't, don't look... I'm ugly, covered in pockmarks. My appearance isn't worthy of you."

Unexpectedly, Gu Qianxi held my face firmly, forcing me to turn and face her directly.

Her eager eyes examined me intently, and her smooth fingers traced over the dense, Big Dipper-shaped birthmark on my face. At that moment, there was no disgust or aversion on her face, only infinite tenderness.

"Who says my husband is ugly? My husband is clearly the most handsome man in the world! Besides, these aren't pockmarks; they are clearly a blue birthmark, and it’s in the shape of the Big Dipper—how cool is that!"

Hearing her say this, I initially thought she was just trying to comfort me. But when I looked into her eyes, I read a trace of sincerity deep within them.

"Wife, are you really not bothered by me? Do you really not think I'm ugly?" I asked with a sense of inferiority.

Gu Qianxi nodded like a chick pecking at rice and said solemnly, "Of course not. Mazi, I've lived for twenty-two years and been blind for seventeen. I’ve never used my eyes to judge people, but this." She reached out and tapped her heart.

"No matter what my eyes see, my heart tells me that you are a gentle and kind person. So, whether you have pockmarks, birthmarks, or scars on your face, in my eyes, you are the most handsome."

I don't know why, but hearing these words, I suddenly felt the urge to cry.

Ever since I was sealed in a coffin and buried alive in the potter's field by my biological parents at the age of six, I had never interacted with the living. I slept in a coffin during the day and only emerged at night to learn skills from wandering ghosts. I had long considered myself a walking corpse, a dead man.

But now, Gu Qianxi said I was a gentle and kind person, and the most handsome man in the world in her eyes. This made my cold, desolate heart feel warmth once again.

"Wife, my dear wife..." I held her tightly in my arms, making a solemn vow at that moment. Regardless of whether her destiny was that of a lone star or whether she brought misfortune to those around her, she would be my only family for the rest of my life, and I would never leave her.

Gu Qianxi also opened her slender arms, hugging me gently, and said gratefully, "Mazi, you didn't mind that I was blind and you even healed my eyes; you are my good husband, too. Thank you, my good husband!"

I inhaled the fragrance of her hair with a faint smile on my lips, but as I laughed, a sense of crisis welled up in my heart.

"Wife, your eyes were clearly the result of someone's scheme, which left you disabled and in darkness for seventeen years. The person who did this was vicious enough to not even spare a five-year-old child."

"Wife, try to recall carefully—when you went blind, did you see something you shouldn't have? Did you stumble upon some secret?"

Gu Qianxi listened to me well. As soon as I asked her to recall, she immediately frowned and tried to remember. But after thinking for a long time, she remained clueless, holding her head as she said, "It's no use, I can't remember anything. The memories from when I went blind seem to have been deleted. When I try to force myself to recall, my head just hurts, like it's about to explode..."

I wasn't surprised. It seemed that the person who performed the spell hadn't just sealed Gu Qianxi's vision, but had also sealed away a portion of her memories.

"Just as I thought. It must be because you accidentally stumbled upon a secret back then that you brought this upon yourself, were targeted, cursed with blindness, and had your memories sealed."

Gu Qianxi was both frightened and angry. "Who could be so cruel to do this to me?"

I gritted my teeth and said in a low voice, "Whoever it is, for making my wife live as a blind person for seventeen years and endure all the scorn and mockery, I will drag them out! Don't worry, wife—I will settle this score for you!"