Chapter 101: This Coincidence Is Really Creepy.
After a long pause, Xiao YuAn was finally able to think a little. He moved his cold limbs and suddenly realized why this voice sounded so familiar to him.
Because that's his fucking voice from his previous life!
While Xiao YuAn was feeling horrified, the Wangye had already left. Xiao YuAn stumbled forward two steps, then stumbled back half a meter, and finally, he simply held his head while squatting down.
Someone came up to him and asked him what had happened to him, but Xiao YuAn, as if he had not heard them, kept thinking about the plot of Xiao PingYang in the original book over and over again. However, quite a long time had already passed since he read the book, so how could he remember every single detail? He couldn't remember anything about Xiao PingYang's brother, Xiao Wangye.
Xiao YuAn suddenly stood up and grabbed the slave beside him and asked: "Where's Princess PingYang?"
The young slave was frightened by him, and after stuttering for a while, he finally replied: "In-in-in the toast."
Xiao PingYang was talking to her other royal Brothers.
Originally, the whole Imperial Court thought that Xiao PingYang would become the Emperor of the Western Shu Kingdom. Unexpectedly, she suddenly said that she wanted to get married, and that she wouldn't meddle with the Imperial Court affairs anymore.
Xiao PingYang had Military power in her hands, and when she speaks, her words have weight. Her several royal elder brothers, who coveted the throne, were trying to get close to her at this point. However, Xiao PingYang was really bored of this flattery, so after saying a few polite words, she went to the main hall. While she was on her way she suddenly saw someone rushing over in a hurry: "Huh? Ning'er's brother?"
Xiao YuAn stopped, and after gasping for air, he asked: "Ah, the name of the Wangye, the silver, silver, silver-clothed one… kjhgf, what is his name?!"
Xiao PingYang looked confused as she tried to calm down the anxious Xiao YuAn, and then said: "Are you asking about the one that has already left the feast?"
"
"
Xiao YuAn nodded vigorously.
"Ah, that's my Imperial brother, the one that I wanted to introduce to you before. Why? Do you want to meet him?" Xiao PingYang raised her eyebrows.
"What's his name?!"
"He, ah, has the same surname as me, Xiao, and his name is YuAn."
…
Xiao PingYang slowly took a sip of tea, then closed the porcelain lid and placed it on the table as she raised an eyebrow at Xiao YuAn: "So, you even asked about my Imperial brother's birthdate and eight characters of horoscope1, you also asked about anecdotes of his childhood over and over again, and yet, you don't want to meet him. What is this about?"
Xiao YuAn's elbows were against the table, his palms pressed against his temples. He raised his eyes and supported his head, looking as if he couldn't see through the dullness of the world.
Xiao YuAn thought 'I also want to know what the fuck is this all about'. After all, what could he do now even if he went to see that Xiao Wangye?
'Hello, my friend, I see you've got good bones. Are you perhaps interested in learning about the Tyrannical President road?'
Or maybe: 'Hey friend, I looked exactly like you in my past life! With the same name! And the same voice! What a coincidence huh?'
'I'm sure I'll be treated like a neurotic psychopath!'
"Then, has this royal brother of yours had a sudden change of temperament for a while?" Xiao YuAn raised his head and asked.
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Even though she didn't quite understand what he was saying, Xiao PingYang still thought about it carefully and then replied: "No, I'm relatively close to my Imperial brother, and I have contact with him at ordinary times as well. I never noticed anything wrong with him."
Xiao YuAn continued to hold his head, looking crushed and confused.
However, Xiao PingYang couldn't see this: "I can take you to see him. He's easy-going and easy to get along with, so don't worry about offending him."
Xiao YuAn thought about it for a moment, but still shook his head regardless.
After all, it was so weird to talk to his own face, and Xiao YuAn felt that he simply couldn't talk to that 'Xiao Wangye' as if nothing had happened.
Just thinking about the fact that he met someone who's voice and face were similar to his, he felt that this world was really full of surprises.
In the middle of the conversation, Princess Yongning came over: "Gege, your carriage is ready. Are you sure that you don't want to stay two more days?"
"No, I won't stay any longer." Xiao YuAn stood up and lovingly rubbed Yongning's hair.
At this time, Princess Yogning was dressed in plain white, the look of a young girl fading away and adding a bit of maturity. However, every time she looked into the eyes of Xiao PingYang, she still looked like the naive girl she's always been.
Xiao YuAn looked at the two girls and asked: "Do you both really decide to live in seclusion?"
The two girls looked at each other's eyes, and while smiling, they nodded their heads.
Xiao YuAn also smiled. Everything will be alright, they will keep away from the pleasantries, and without the quarreling around them. Xiao PingYang won't ascend to the throne, and even though the future of the Western Shu Kingdom is hard to see, in the end, all these disturbances were no longer related to the three of them.
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After the three of them had said their goodbyes, Xiao YuAn got into the carriage and left, leaving dust from the ground behind.
Chapter 102: I Really Regret Saving Someone This Time.
The carriage galloped for several days, until finally, he was only half a day away from Taoyuan Village. While he passed through a town that was not too small or too big, Xiao YuAn found a teahouse to have a rest.
While a storyteller was telling a story on one side of the teahouse, some people were clapping deafeningly and powerfully; thrashing the wood on the tables, full of momentum.
Xiao YuAn twisted a few peanuts and fed them into his mouth. After listening to a few more rounds of clapping and shouting, it was enough rest for him, so he got ready to continue his journey. The horse was in the stables at the back of the teahouse, eating and drinking water. While stomping his hooves, the horse whinnied from the top of his lungs, and it took some effort and time for Xiao YuAn to successfully pull the horse out of the stables; working out the ropes of the carriage as he applied them onto the horse.
Suddenly, there was the sound of hurried footsteps and loud noises coming from behind him. Xiao YuAn turned around and saw a woman running over. She looked back as she ran, as if something was chasing her.
Xiao YuAn subconsciously moved over, giving some space to her to escape; however, in the next second, he saw how the woman sprained her foot and fell to the ground. She looked like she was in huge pain and couldn't get up, no matter how many times she tried.
Xiao YuAn quickly stepped forward to help her, but as soon as he saw her, he was slightly stunned.
The woman's clothes were dirty and muddy. She had scratches and cuts on her arms and cheeks. As she was being helped up by Xiao YuAn, she looked up at him with horror. After seeing that it was just a passerby, she subconsciously grasped Xiao YuAn's arm tightly, like a dying patient grasping a life-saving medicine, absolutely refusing to let go.
The two stared blankly at each other for a second. Just when Xiao YuAn was about to ask her something, he suddenly heard shouting and cursing coming from behind them. The woman was trembling all over and she struggled to get up, but because she sprained her foot, she staggered a few times without being able to get up. Finally, she fell on her knees in front of Xiao YuAn and grabbed his sleeve, refusing to let him go: "Gongzi help me, please save me!"
Xiao YuAn was so frightened that he almost blurted out: 'Woman, you're playing with fire'. Fortunately, the horse beside him impatiently shook his tail, getting the script of the Tyrannical President off his mind.
Xiao YuAn assisted the woman, who was still kneeling on the ground, and helped her sit on the plank in front of the carriage, where the coachman sits; just as the pursuers behind them also arrived. The leader was a fat and strong man holding a machete. He looked at Xiao YuAn with vigilance.
"All right." Xiao YuAn puffed his chest out. "What's the script? Robbing a woman? A rivalry? Or a debt of gratitude?"
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The strong man looked at Xiao YuAn from head to toe with a pair of hanging eyes, then he extended his hand: "Thirty taels of silver, I refuse to bargain. Take her, leave, and never come back. It's good that you're acting as her hero, bringing justice for her. Mutual understanding means great harmony."
Xiao YuAn: "…"
Dage, you're also a transmigrator?!
Xiao YuAn pulled out thirty taels of silver and handed it to the strong man. The strong man weighed the silver, patted Xiao YuAn's shoulder to show his appreciation and encouragement. Then he led his fellow Xiao-di1 to turn around, and left.
Just as some onlookers had just sliced a melon to watch the show, the play was already over.
Xiao YuAn turned around, saw her struggling to get off the carriage and kneel down to him: "I can't repay your kindness! But I'll be hardworking and diligent, to repay Gongzi!"
"All right, all right. Don't kneel." Xiao YuAn quickly reached out to help her get up. "What's your name?"
The woman, however, insisted on kneeling and then said: "My surname is Lin, and my name is Shenling."
Xiao YuAn suddenly fell on his knees.
Why did he have to blindly save someone in a world based on a harem story?!
Why did he have to save a member of the harem?!
He must've been too comfortable for the past year or so! Since he couldn't remember how to spell "Be prepared for danger2"!
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God damn it! Holy shit! Help!
Lin Shenling was shocked by Xiao YuAn's suddenly pale face: "Be-benefactor?"
Xiao YuAn waved his hand with difficulty: "Don't ever call me like that!"
Lin Shenling: "Why-why not?"
Because you're Yan HeQing's wife!
Besides Princess Yongning and Xiao PingYang, this girl is also the third favorite female lead by the readers' collective votes! And besides Princess Yongning, she's also the wife who has the most emotional drama with Yan HeQing in the whole book, aahhhhhhh!
Lin Shenling is one of the most well portrayed wives in the original book. She's also the only wife with a humble background among Yan HeQing's first and second female lead wives.
According to the author's description, Lin Shenling is the most ordinary looking one in Yan HeQing's harem.
However, no matter how common she is, she still has a beautiful and clear face; it was just the wasn't as beautiful as those stunningly beautiful looking Princesses.
Lin Shenling is also older than Yan HeQing, but she's easy-going and gentle. She's also good at cooking and laundry, which made her different from the unruly Princesses and Ladies in Yan HeQing's harem. If you compare her with the other Ladies, this wife's attributes really shine3 through! But her character is also related to her miserable life experience.
Lin Shenling's family has been poor since she was born. This was easy to understand, and ever since she was a child, she has helped her parents with the farm work. Unfortunately, in the year of her first elephant dance4, her father died unexpectedly and her mother remarried another man. Because of this, her engagement had to be broken, and she couldn't get married in the end.
Lin Shenling's stepfather was fond of gambling, and his behavior was even worse. After her mother died from an illness, her stepfather sold her into a brothel in exchange for money to gamble with.
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Just now, Lin Shenling must have escaped from that brothel.
In the original book, Lin Shenling escaped six times. During the last escape, she almost broke her leg, but in the end she finally managed to escape from the brothel. She was extremely lucky and escaped towards Taoyuan Village, where she was saved by the simple people living there. With this, her miserable life finally ended.
The next day, when she went up to the mountain, she met Yan HeQing, who was injured after a battle and fell in the mountain steam.
This was the reason why Xiao YuAn knew about Taoyuan Village. In the original book, a lot of words were used to describe this comfortable and peaceful village; which was clearly on the border of the Four Kingdoms, and yet, it never suffered from war. It made Xiao YuAn want to remember everything about it.
But now! He actually saved Lin Shenling! He saved her!
Yan HeQing! Your first wife eloped with your second wife! Your third wife's plot hasn't even been triggered yet!
Why are you so miserable?!
Lin Shenling observed Xiao YuAn's expression and bit her lower lip fiercely: "Does Gongzi regret saving me?"
'I don't regret saving you!'
'I was feeling like I was basically cutting off your future! Do you know that you'll live in the Imperial Palace for a long time? Without having to worry about anything, dressed in silk, and served by tons of servants? You will even eat the most extravagant delicacies of the sea and the mountains!'
Lin Shenling folded her arms, deadly strangled together. It was so obvious that she was extremely down-to-earth, her eyes weren't humble or arrogant, and as she stood in place, she calmly said: "There's nothing wrong with Gongzi regretting it. Just send me back and get your thirty taels of silver back. After all, we're just strangers that met by chance, everything is in the past now. I will still give my thanks to Gongzi for saving me."
Xiao YuAn looked at her in silence for a long time, until finally, he patted the carriage and said with a gentle smile adorning his face: "Let's go! Get on the carriage, I was going to Taoyuan Village anyway. The plot is a little earlier this time that's all."
Chapter 103: This Red Fruit Is Really Unusual.
Xiao YuAn suddenly brought back a girl. At first, Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue were surprised, but they gradually accepted it. After all, even if Xiao YuAn decided to bring back another ten girls and have a harem, they would still not say anything against it.
Third Aunt had been thinking about it for a few days. However, since the relationships in this residence were inherently odd, there's nothing wrong with having another woman living together with them.
Lin Shenling, in regards to everyone's acceptance of her, wholeheartedly worked to repay their kindness. And ever since she came, there hasn't been a single dirty place in the mansion. The courtyard is clean, the wing rooms are bright and tidy, the bedding will be turned out to dry as long as there is sun outside. All the meals were delicious, and only in a few days, she was able to understand everyone's food preferences, so their favorite fruits could often be seen in their wing rooms.
Xiao YuAn knew that being considerate to people was the biggest characteristic of Lin Shenling. But, this was way too much consideration! No wonder, in the original book whenever Yan HeQing was feeling lonely and frustrated, the first person he would think of would be Lin Shenling.
After realizing that the day of Lin Shenling rescuing Yan HeQing was approaching, Xiao YuAn was worrying over it, while also telling Lin Shenling to go up the mountain more often.
After all, if Lin Shenling, after rescuing Yan HeQing, brought him back to the residence, how would Xiao YuAn face him? What would Yan HeQing think of him?
Xiao YuAn nervously clutched his fingers while thinking that now Yan HeQing must have blackened1, and once he starts to recruit his harem, he will never come back to the way he used to be. Since Xiao YuAn is a male character, who also happens to be a cannon fodder, it'll be better for him to not stand close to the Male Lead.
So Xiao YuAn went to Lin Shenling again to tell her that if she helped someone on the mountain, she should never bring them back to the mansion.
Lin Shenling, though puzzled, nodded obediently. As a result, the next day when she met an injured man on the mountain, she remembered Xiao YuAn's words and didn't bring him back to the mansion. Instead, Lin Shenling took him to the medical shop.
It also happened to be the day in which Xiao YuAn was helping out at the medical shop.
The life in this village was comfortable, and most of the people who came to the medical shop came because of a headache or a minor illness with a fever. Everything will be resolved by taking some medicine and that's it. Today, since it was a bright spring day, Zhang Changson and Zhang Baizhu had gone to the mountain to collect medicinal herbs; leaving Xiao YuAn to rub the pills until he became extremely bored and drowsy. Suddenly, Zhang Baizhu howled and ran in from the outside: "Dad!"
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Xiao YuAn yawned and replied: "Shifu hasn't returned yet."
Zhang Baizhu rushed to Xiao YuAn and threw the half rubbed pills back into the medicine jar. He was winking at him in a mysterious way: "Xiao YuAn, let your Gege show you something interesting!"
Xiao YuAn wasn't interested in whatever he wanted to show him. He only saw Zhang Baizhu take out a branch from a bag behind him, and put it into his hand. The branch was broken off, the leaves were bright and vibrant green. The broken part was still very new, and on the branch were several small fruits the size of copper coins, their color was blood red and they were round in shape.
Zhang Baizhu picked one small fruit and made a gesture to stuff it into Xiao YuAn's mouth.
"Wait, what's this?" Xiao YuAn was busy stretching out his hand to block it, but he failed to do so. Zhang Baizhu, who was quick at seeing his moves and had quick hands, forced the small red fruit into Xiao YuAn's mouth.
"Don't throw up! It's not poisonous! Your Gege wouldn't hurt you, this is good stuff!" Zhang Baizhu happily covered Xiao YuAn's mouth to prevent him from spitting out the fruit.
Xiao YuAn had no choice but to swallow it. There wasn't any strange taste inside his mouth, it was actually slightly sweet and astringent, but it wasn't delicious either: "So, what's this?"
"I don't know what it is." Zhang Baizhu stretched his hands, acting innocent.
Xiao YuAn gave him a kind smile. Then he quickly picked another small red fruit from the branch, forced open Zhang Baizhu's mouth, and threw it in.
Zhang Baizhu almost choked to death, he covered his throat and coughed for a long time.
"If it's poisonous, then we'll die together." Xiao YuAn said with a strong sense of righteousness.
"I'll choke to death because of you! Not from poisoning!" Zhang Baizhu cursed at him: "I said that it wasn't poisonous. I happened to see it on the mountain before, but I couldn't find the name of the fruit after searching through some ancient books. Then I picked a few of them and fed them to the pheasants. When I saw that they were fine, I tasted them myself, and then…."
"
"
"And then?" As he spoke, Xiao YuAn felt that something was wrong. His throat was vaguely itchy, and coughed a few times to stop the itching. As a result, he scared himself when he spoke again.
"Isn't it amazing?!" Zhang Baizhu shouted excitedly.
Both of their voices turned completely into feminine voices.
Xiao YuAn covered his throat and said two more words to himself, his amazement was overflowing.
"Don't worry, our normal voices will be back in an hour. When my dad comes back, I must ask him what's this about!" Zhang Baizhu, as if it was a precious treasure, took the small fruits into the back hall.
Xiao YuAn tried to sing Qinghai Tibet Plateau2, but his voice was so out of tune and it was so loud that even Han Hong3-laoshi4 would want to hit him if she could hear him sing. In the end, he had to sit back and continue rubbing pills. After rubbing for a while, a familiar woman's voice came from outside: "It's anyone here? Anybody? Someone here is hurt, someone help!"
It was the voice of Lin Shenling.
Chapter 104: This Original Intention Is Very Critical.
After hearing the voice and words of Lin Shenling, Xiao YuAn had a sudden epiphany as he subconsciously trembled all over. After he jumped three feet high, he was about to run to the back hall; however, who could know that the person Lin Shenling helped wasn't the one Xiao YuAn thought, but Zhang Changsong.
Zhang Changsong went up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs and accidentally hurt his back. The pain was so bad, he couldn't walk back with those old bones of his. Fortunately, he met Lin Shenling.
"Xiao-gongzi?" Lin Shenling was extremely surprised to see Xiao YuAn.
Xiao YuAn quickly helped Zhang Changson lie down and went to look for the ointment: "Shenling, go to the back hall and call Zhang Baizhu out. Tell him that Shifu is injured."
"Xiao-gongzi, what's wrong with your voice?"
"It's hard to explain, go call him first."
"Ah!" Lin Shenling nodded and ran towards the back hall: "Anyone, please, is anyone here?!"
Zhang Baizhu was changing his clothes, because when he went to pick up medicinal herbs, he ended up covered in mud. After hearing the voice coming from outside, he thought it was Xiao YuAn's voice after being affected by the small red fruit, so he didn't pay much attention to it and ran outside topless: "What's wrong?!"
As a result of running out to take a look, and before Lin Shenling could even react, Zhang Baizhu covered his upper body, screamed, and ran back to the room.
"Gong-… Miss… that's not right. Gongzi..?" Lin Shenling hesitated for a while before shouting.
"It's Gongzi! And this isn't how my voice usually sounds!" There was a cry coming from the inner room: "You-you, who are you?"
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"Oh, Gongzi!" Lin Shenling then began to explain: "There's an old Xiansheng1 outside who hurt his back, so go take a look please."
Zhang Baizhu hurriedly dressed himself and ran out of the back hall. In the main hall, Xiao YuAn was already applying some ointment on Zhang Changsong's back. After seeing that the old man was getting better, he felt relieved that this didn't escalate to a bigger problem.
Everyone then breathed a sigh of relief. After listening to Zhang Changsong explaining what had happened, Zhang Baizhu repeatedly expressed his thanks to Lin Shenling, and then asked her: "Guniang2, what's your name? Your face is unfamiliar, are you new to Taoyuan Village?"
After receiving Lin Shenling's reply, Zhang Baizhu turned around and seized Xiao YuAn: "You really brought back a girl!"
Xiao YuAn slapped his hand away.
This is the Male Lead's wife! What the fuck are you so excited about?!
Zhang Changsong coughed violently, and the two of them became extremely quiet. Then Zhang Changsong said: "Zhang Baizhu, please go and take care of Lin-guniang. Xiao YuAn, there's something I have to say to you."
Zhang Baizhu led Lin Shenling to the back hall. Zhang Changsong pounded his back and said to Xiao YuAn: "I fell down today because I saw an old turmeric3 plant on the cliff. The stalk and leaves have withered, but the roots aren't dead, and are still growing well. I heard that there's an ancient recipe that uses turmeric as an elixir, that could cure your Didi's insanity. So I wanted to dig it; but since I'm old, not only was I unable to dig it, but I also hurt my back in the process. If you want, you can go dig it yourself. It's very far away from Taoyuan Village, deep in the mountains."
Xiao YuAn thought about it for a while, until finally he said: "Thank you, Shifu."
Zhang Changsong waved his hand to indicate that it was nothing. Xiao YuAn thanked him again and went to find Lin Shenling, to take her back home. In the back hall, Zhang Baizhu was telling some jokes that made Lin Shenling shiver with laughter. When she saw Xiao YuAn come to see her, she prepared to leave together with him.
Since Xiao YuAn thought about the turmeric all day, he tossed and turned repeatedly that night. When he woke up in the middle of the night, he found that Xie Chungui, who usually slept in the bed on the other side of the wing room, had gone missing.
Since setting down in Taoyuan Village, Xiao YuAn has been living in a wing room together with Xie Chungui. Firstly, it was so he could take care of Xie Chungui after he lost his mind. Secondly, he can use it as an opportunity to treat his inability to sleep without the sound of breathing.
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And, under the thin moonlight spreading on the room, the bed at the other side was empty.
Xiao YuAn panicked while he got up to dress himself and then lit a candle. He rushed to the door, but once he opened it, he suddenly stopped moving.
Xie Chungui was sitting on the steps in front of the wing room, facing the courtyard and looking up at the white moon in complete silence. Xiao YuAn looked at his silent figure, for a moment feeling like he was a statue made out of stone. He then blew out the candle and lightly walked to Xie Chungui's side.
Xie Chungui slowly raised his head, looked at Xiao YuAn and softly whispered: "Your Majesty."
Xiao YuAn wanted to shake his head and say that he wasn't, but he couldn't do it in the face of Xie Chungui.
"Your Majesty, the Northern Kingdom is gone." Xie Chungui murmured in a low voice.
Xiao YuAn's voice was silent for a long time, before he replied with a hoarse voice: "Yeah."
"The Southern Yan Kingdom, it was destroyed by the Southern Yan Kingdom….."
"No, it wasn't the Southern Yan Kingdom."
"What?" Xie Chungui raised his head in disbelief.
Xiao YuAn placed his hand on Xie Chungui's shoulder, hoping that he would feel better: "It was the Six Kingdoms themselves that exterminated the Six Kingdoms, not the Qin Empire. It was the Qin Dynasty that wiped out the Qin Empire, not the rest of the world4."
Xie Chungui murmured for a long time, until suddenly, he reached out and grasped Xiao YuAn's arm in a death grip. He lowered his head and shouted hysterically: "Your Majesty, I didn't deliver the Military rations on time! I'm the one who killed General Li. I'm the one who killed my Xiongdi. Everything's my fault!"
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Xiao YuAn knew that Xie Chungui was worried about the destruction of the Northern Kingdom, but he didn't expect that Xie Chungui would be so self-recriminating. Xiao YuAn was flustered while he tried to calm him, but he saw how Xie Chungui growled a couple of times, and then he looked up in a daze. The bloody red in the corners of his eyes hadn't subsided, and his face appeared confused: "Xiao-gege? Why am I here? What happened?"
Xiao YuAn was dumbfounded as he reached out to try to pull up Xie Chungui: "Nothing happened, let's go back to our room and rest."
Xie Chungui, who sounded as if he were an eight or nine year old child, suddenly grabbed his chest and said to Xiao YuAn: "Xiao-gege, I feel bad, but I don't know why. I just feel so bad, like I can't breathe well."
With that, Xie Chungui suddenly burst into tears. He reached out to rub his eyes in doubt, as he kept asking Xiao YuAn: "Why am I crying Xiao-gege? Why? I don't want to cry. Why am I crying? Is something missing? Is someone missing? Why is it so hard to stop?"
Xiao YuAn, however, couldn't answer him. He just kept asking himself: 'In this world full of cheers and clamors, why is it that all the grief looks the same as "Separation of Life and Death5"?'
Xie Chungui cried all night until dawn. He was so tired from crying, that he slowly fell asleep.
That early morning, Third Aunt saw Xiao YuAn carrying a medicine basket and a small shovel6 tied around his waist, ready to go out: "Hey, where are you going, YuAn?"
"Third Aunt, I'll go to the deep mountains to look for some medicinal herbs. This may take a few days, so could you help me by telling LiuAn and Fengyue to remember to take care of Chungui?" Xiao YuAn bumped the medicine basket and said with a smile. Then he turned around and walked out of the residence heading towards the deep mountains.
Chapter 105: This Is A Terrifying Encounter.
Deep in the mountain, the overgrown weeds are a dense shade of color. A wild feathered pheasant poked its head out of the grass with a twist. After gurgling a few times, it pecked at the ground for food. Suddenly, a falling rock rolled down and hit the ground close to the pheasant; scaring it so much that it howled and screamed, flapping its wings and flying away like crazy. Finally, it hit an old wooden pier, knocking itself out, and fainted.
Next to the fallen rock was a small cliff wall, where a man carrying a medicine basket was picking at the protruding rock with one hand and holding onto a vine with the other. Although his whole body was clinging tightly to the wall, he still looked shaky.
Xiao YuAn was talking to himself, as if he was trying to not look down. So he said to the turmeric plant above him: "You're a turmeric, you're just a turmeric. You're not a ginseng, you're not a lingzhi, you're not a snow lotus. You're just a turmeric that had a great growth! So why did you want to grow in this position?!"
On the rock wall, the breeze was blowing gently, and the turmeric leaves were shaking, as if to answer Xiao YuAn: If I didn't grow here, wouldn't people like you try to pick me?
With great effort, Xiao YuAn climbed up another two meters. Only then did he finally manage to reach the turmeric. He wrapped the vine tightly around his left hand three times, leaning on the vine to support his body. Then his right hand grabbed the small shovel pinned on his waist, with it in hand, he pulled his arm and body straight to dig the turmeric. After digging a few times, and seeing that he was close to dig it out completely, the vine suddenly snapped in half. Xiao YuAn immediately hung onto the cliff, swaying twice.
Xiao YuAn was completely shocked and panicked by this. He used his right hand to try and get closer to the cliff wall, but the shovel in his hand failed to hold steady and rolled down into the mountain stream. Xiao YuAn looked down and felt that his position wasn't so high, and that he was actually a bit close to the bottom of the mountain stream. He also saw that there were some fallen leaves underneath, and since it was so hard for him to climb up, he felt like he shouldn't get hurt too badly if he were to fall down.
Seeing that the vine couldn't hold up and it was about to break, Xiao YuAn made a great effort to go up, grab the turmeric plant, and pulled it out of the soil. Right at that instant, the vine broke because of his drastic movements; and since Xiao YuAn was unable to support himself, he quickly protected his head and rolled down the cliff into the mountain stream.
After tumbling for a while, Xiao YuAn was finally lying on the ground. However, the medicine basket behind him was pitifully crushed.
Xiao YuAn held the still muddy turmeric in front of his eyes, grinned with pride, and then rubbed his aching shoulder while grimacing in pain as he slowly got up.
When he rolled down, the hem of Xiao YuAn's sleeve was torn, his arm was deeply and shallowly scratched. It looked extremely miserable, and this place was several hills away from Taoyuan Village, so it would take some days for him to get back in this condition.
Xiao YuAn suddenly remembered that there was a small wooden house not far away from here. Usually, if Zhang Changsong, Zhang Baizhu and himself go far away to collect medicinal herbs, they would find these simple wooden houses to settle down in temporarily.
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Xiao YuAn wrapped the turmeric in his hand with some cloth, and then walked towards the wooden house, one step steady and one steep shallow. As a result, after taking two steps, he suddenly tripped over something and fell straight ahead, falling once again in complete confusion.
"Hiss…." Xiao YuAn held his head and rubbed the place where he felt some pain from the fall. It took him some time to recover from the pain and come back to his senses.
As a President who has gone through 233 novels, Xiao YuAn was familiar with the routine of falling on the ground in the mountains or old forests. So when he turned his head around, sure enough, he saw a leg in the grass.
Whoops, that's a little bit creepy.
So, who's the unlucky one who got wounded in the battlefield and fled away in a hurry, resulting in him getting separated from the army this time?
Xiao YuAn staggered to his feet, and limped over to have a look. But suddenly, as if struck by lightning, he turned stiffly, and then ran away, as if he was being chased over by a tiger!
Ahhhhhhhhh!
'Where's Lin Shenling?! Where are you, Lin Shenling?! Where the fuck are you?! This is your special person!'
'If you don't show up, you're going to miss meeting the Male lead. Do you even know-… ahhhhh!'
'Ahhhhhh! Why did I have to run into Yan HeQing, who's injured and unconscious?! Why? The Heavens are playing with me!'
Chapter 106: It's Impossible Not To Save Him.
It's said that when people are near death, they'll see a walkthrough of their memories.
Yan HeQing didn't know whether he was in that state or not, but he could see his younger self and his elder royal brothers studying together in the Academy. They were children of seven or eight years, shaking their heads and reading about family affairs, state affairs and world affairs. When he looked up again, all his royal brothers were decapitated and buried in the loess1 ground.
He stood up and retreated in panic, as if trying to escape from the scene. In his panicked state, he bumped into one person. His mother, the Empress.
Yan HeQing's mother stood behind him and said in a soft voice: "HeQing, you must live, you must stay alive."
She kept repeating the word "live" over and over again. Her voice grew sharper and sharper, to the point in which her voice became as if she wanted to cut through his ears. Her face became feracious as she stretched out her arms covered in Jade jewelry, and grabbed Yan HeQing's neck, strangling him while repeating the phrase "you must stay alive" over and over again.
Yan HeQing didn't struggle, and just when he thought that he would be strangled to death, the scene in front of him suddenly changed. Yan HeQing covered his throat and kneeled on the ground, looking up only to see his father shouting out to the Heavens: "Why are you destroying my Southern Yan Kingdom? The hatred of our country will be forever engraved in our bones and hearts! And we will not be forgotten by the future generations to come!"
After shouting, his father used his sword to cut his own throat.
Yan HeQing felt himself shuddering all over, and when he tried to stand up, he was suddenly kicked by someone and rolled down into the mud. Gradually, he was buried by the fetid and filthy mud. Then, he saw the Northern Kingdom's Emperor looking down at him: "Hmm? There's another one alive? Never mind, take this one back to the Northern Kingdom as a prisoner."
Right after that, Yan HeQing woke up.
The consciousness gradually returned to his body, and Yan HeQing couldn't help but think to himself: 'Once again, I didn't die.'
Yan HeQing slowly opened his eyes, trying to identify where he was, but for some reason, his eyes were filled with gray mist. No matter how much he blinked and rubbed his eyes, he still couldn't see anything.
AD
Is he….. blind?
This thought suddenly arose from the bottom of Yan HeQing's mind. At the mere thought of becoming blind, he fell into a panicked state and his body began to feel extremely cold. He felt so helpless and frightened.
At that moment, he heard the sound of a door being pushed open, followed by a female voice: "Ah… you, ahem, Gongzi, are you awake?"
Yan HeQing didn't have the intention to answer. He kept pressing and rubbing his eyes, as if he wanted to rub away the grey mist in front of him, but the only thing he achieved was to rub his eyes until they became bloodshot.
Yan HeQing then heard the sound of footsteps approaching him, and that woman reached out her hand to pull at Yan HeQing's wrist, stopping him from rubbing his eyes. Then she said: "Don't rub them, you're not blind. You'll recover in a few days."
Yan HeQing raised his head and narrowed his eyes, but the only thing he could see was a vague outline of the person in front of him: "How do you know?"
"You can believe in me, I… Gongzi, I have learned some medical skills, so Gongzi can just believe in my word."
Yan HeQing bowed his head, pulled his hand away from the woman's and asked: "Where are we? Who are you?"
"This is a small wooden cabin in the deep mountain. It's usually used as a place to take a temporary rest by medicinal herbs gatherers and hunters. I… my surname is Lin, and my name is Shenling."
Yan HeQing kept blinking, he seemed to feel very uncomfortable with this kind of half-blindness. He turned his head to look at the blurred outline, but he still couldn't get his vision to focus: "Why did you save me?"
That person's breathing was inexplicably stagnant and she was silent. Just when Yan HeQing thought she wasn't going to answer, he suddenly heard a very soft voice: "There's no reason why."
Yan HeQing was unsure about it being no reason at all, but he nodded regardless: "Thank you. I will repay you in the future."
AD
Yan HeQing's tone was flat and without any emotion. Even his gratitude was shallow. He didn't seem to want to know anything more and turned his head away, signaling that he didn't want to keep talking. That person waited for a moment, and then, walked out of the wooden cabin.
Chapter 107: It's Impossible To Seduce Him.
Xiao YuAn, after walking out of the wooden cabin with a muddled face, sat under a tree outside. He pulled up a blade of grass and put it in his mouth. Then he folded his hands behind his head and leaned against the tree to think about the most recent event.
How come that conversation was completely different from the original novel?!
Did he say the script the wrong way? Or was it Yan HeQing who didn't follow the script?!
What about the seductive "you have a beautiful voice, but it's a shame that I can't see you" sentiment?! Why didn't Yan HeQing say it? Was it because the voice produced by the effect of the small red fruit didn't sound like Lin Shenling's voice?!
Was he seducing Yan HeQing the wrong way?
Fortunately, Yan HeQing's eyes were temporarily blind; otherwise, Xiao YuAn wouldn't know what to do with Yan HeQing. So he thought of eating the red fruit to change his voice, and then pretend to be Lin Shenling. After taking care of him for a bit, he would take Yan HeQing to Taoyuan Village and leave him under the care of the real Lin Shenling. Like that, everything will be alright! And because of what happened before, Xiao YuAn didn't want to change the course of the original work any longer. After all, he was afraid that he will harm someone again due to his intervention, so he was trying really hard to follow the original plot as closely as possible.
Therefore, even though it was him the one who found Yan HeQing, Xiao YuAn decided to disguise himself as Lin Shenling and walk through the original plot.
But now, it seemed that something went wrong. According to the original book, Yan HeQing's skill of seducing women should have reached its peak, and from collecting members in his harem, then his bed skills should…. cough….
So why was he acting so cold right now?!
Xiao YuAn tried to remember if he had said something wrong, but in the end, he couldn't think of anything. He got up with a long sigh, patted the dust off his body, and then went to pick up several kinds of medicinal herbs which could cure wounds. After picking enough, he washed them and pounded them into a paste. After that, he ate a small red fruit that was hidden inside his sleeve and walked back into the wooden cabin with the medicine in hand.
When Xiao YuAn pushed open the wooden door, he saw Yan HeQing maintaining his previous posture, his face was completely expressionless. The sunset light entering through the broken window was falling on Yan HeQing's body, making him look extremely lonely and isolated.
Xiao YuAn was slightly startled at this. After the initial shock, he restrained himself and said: "Gongzi, it's time to apply more medicine."
Yan HeQing titled his head. After remembering he couldn't see, he turned back again and gave a gentle hmmm.
Xiao YuAn took a few steps forward, put down the bowl with the medicine inside, and reached out to undress Yan HeQing. Most of Yan HeQing's wounds were stabs of varying depths, and they were mostly on his abdomen and arms. Xiao YuAn suspected that Yan HeQing had internal injuries, but he couldn't ask Yan HeQing where he felt uncomfortable because he fainted right the next moment.
However, just when Xiao YuAn reached out his hand to touch Yan HeQing's belt, Yan HeQing suddenly stretched out his hand to block his action, and said with indifference: "I'll apply the medicine by myself."
Xiao YuAn was really shocked by this: "But you…. Gongzi, you can't see, right?"
"It doesn't matter, I'll do it myself." Yan HeQing insisted, and Xiao YuAn had no other choice than to retreat to one side.
In the meantime, Yan HeQing fumbled to take off his own clothes when he suddenly stopped midway, and said: "Did you change my clothes?"
Xiao YuAn's eyes brightened!
'Here it is! The original plot's dialogue!'
"Ah…. yes. Gongzi's clothes were stained with dust and dirt. They were too dirty and if you wore them again, then your wounds would get worse. It just so happened that someone had left behind some clean clothes in this wooden cabin, so I changed them for you." Xiao YuAn answered with honesty.
'My friend! She changed your clothes! The wife changed the clothes for the Male Lead! What a sweet thing to do! How can the Male Lead give up this great opportunity to seduce her!'
According to the development of the original plot, Yan HeQing will gently raise his eyebrows and say with a slightly dangerous and teasing tone of voice: "Oh? Did you? So does this mean that you've seen my naked body?"
AD
When Xiao YuAn read this part the first time, he couldn't help but imagine Yan HeQing's tone of voice like if he was saying "Woman, you're playing with fire. You're seducing me…" and so on. Just like 'how a Tyrannical President would say it' type of voice.
Now that Yan HeQing was about to say such a sentence from the bottom of his evil spirit and madness, Xiao YuAn couldn't help but ponder about the original book's idiotic dog blood dialogue and feel really…. feel a little bit excited about it!
However, Yan HeQing didn't say anything after that. In the meantime, he was actually frowning while making a few attempts to open his own undergarments, not caring about his injuries at all. Yan HeQing casually applied the medicine on his wounds based on the feeling of pain, he was basically pressing it wherever he felt it hurt. When he finished, he put on his clothes once again, but there were several places in which he missed to apply the medicine in the end.
Xiao YuAn: "…"
'It was really hard for me to walk through the mountain to gather the medicinal herbs and then grind them into a paste! Can you at least take this a little bit more seriously?! It's a damn waste if you do it like this!'
'No, no. That isn't the main point.'
'Why the fuck you're not trying to seduce me?!'
Xiao YuAn cleared his throat to make sure that he still had a female voice, and then carefully said: "Gongzi… it will be hard for the wounds to heal if the medicine is applied like that."
"There won't be any problem. Thank you." Yan HeQing's tone of voice was indifferent.
Xiao YuAn was really confused. Was it because he wasn't flirting enough? He thought about the few remaining scenarios in his memory and, while trying to mimic Lin Shenling's tone of voice, he asked softly: "What country is Gongzi from?"
"Southern Yan Kingdom."
"Do you have any siblings?"
AD
"None."
"May I know how to address Gongzi?"
"My surname is Yan."
"Yan-gongzi, may I know your name?"
"HeQing."
"Yan HeQing… Yan-gongzi, that's such a beautiful name."
"Thanks."
"Then, Yan-gongzi, do you feel any other discomfort besides your external injuries?"
"No."
Xiao YuAn couldn't take it anymore! He won't ask any more questions! Fuck! He'd rather go provoke a bull! At least, if he talks to a bull they would stomp its hooves and shake its head! What are all these emotionless answers? Every word should be precious! But he won't even say more than 3 words! So what's the damn point?
Why is it so hard to grasp the script of the Third Female Lead?
Xiao YuAn said to Yan HeQing that he should pay more attention to his body and have a good rest. After that, he started to tidy up the cotton wadding and straw. There was no bed in this cabin, so the sleeping quarters consisted simply of a large board and a few low wooden stumps. Although in the original plot, Yan HeQing slept with Lin Shenling on the first night; right now Yan HeQing's attitude was very indifferent, so Xiao YuAn decided to stay away from him. However, this was a relief to Xiao YuAn. After all, there was a clear difference between holding a woman and holding a man. Xiao YuAn was still struggling during the day about what to do if Yan HeQing realized that he wasn't a woman, if he kept trying to drive this plot forward.
AD
Xiao YuAn accommodated the place where he would sleep. He nestled in a corner of the board, but he tossed and turned for half the night before he finally fell asleep.
The next morning, the early morning mist was thick, and Xiao YuAn woke up due to the sound of coughing. He opened his eyes, and after looking at Yan HeQing in a daze, he was instantly awake.
Yan HeQing was covering his mouth while coughing, and a scarlet liquid spilled over his fingers. The bloody color startled Xiao YuAn and Yan HeQing's face was extremely pale. Xiao YuAn didn't know if it was because of the pain or the blood loss due to his injuries.
Chapter 108: It's Impossible For Him To Be Softhearted.
Xiao YuAn quickly stuffed a little red fruit into his mouth, waited a few seconds for his voice to change and then asked: "Yan-gongzi, you're spitting blood! Where are you feeling pain?!"
Yan HeQing lowered his eyes, inhaled slowly, and wiped the corners of his mouth with his sleeve. His face was expressionless: "It's—nothing."
'There's nothing wrong in acting weak alright?! Where does it hurt? Why don't you tell me?!'
Xiao YuAn asked a few more questions, but Yan HeQing acted as if he didn't care about his own health. Xiao YuAn was so angry at this, that he even laughed bitterly out loud. Since Yan HeQing's attitude was making him lose his temper, Xiao YuAn didn't bother to ask any more questions.
The days at the cabin were a bit of a blast, and Xiao YuAn couldn't live in peace. Ever since he saw Yan HeQing spitting blood, Xiao YuAn would go outside every day to look for medicinal herbs in the surrounding area. With that, he would prepare a warm and nontoxic decoction for Yan HeQing to cure his internal injuries.
One day, when Xiao YuAn went up to the mountain, he saw cassia seeds1, which can cure eye diseases. He vaguely remembered that, in the original book, Lin Shengling took a medicinal herb for Yan HeQing to cure his eyes, but he couldn't remember which medicinal herb Lin Shenling had collected.
Xiao YuAn struggled for a while, but in the end, he still put the cassia seeds into the medicine basket; bringing it back to the wooden cabin where he will boil the medicinal herbs he usually used to treat Yan HeQing's injuries.
Since Yan HeQing rarely took the initiative to speak at all, and it was hard for him to be open, he didn't ask 'when will my injuries heal?' or 'when can I walk around?' to Xiao YuAn.
Every now and then, Xiao YuAn couldn't help but want to yell at him: 'Ge! If you want a fast recovery, then don't be so stubborn when applying medicine!'
Meanwhile, Yan HeQing was often in a daze, not even knowing what he was thinking about. His eyes and mind seemed to be filled with thousands of worries and resentments. It was impossible to see in him the Male Lead from the original book, who desperately indulges himself in order to hide his true feelings.
Xiao YuAn, who didn't dare to ask him anything for fear of revealing himself, spent a few days together with Yan HeQing in complete silence.
AD
After the wounds stopped bleeding, Yan HeQing began to try to get up and walk; even though he was staggering, he was still able to walk a little. Xiao YuAn couldn't stop him even if he wanted to, so in the end, he didn't try to stop him at all. At that moment, he happened to remember that there was some rice and salt in the cabin. When he turned over to look for them, he really found them.
These past few days, they have been filling their stomachs with wild fruits and vegetables; the taste was always plain and astringent. Xiao YuAn felt that if he continued to eat like this, he would become an immortal with unlimited powers.
Xiao YuAn, who found out the rice and salt, was very excited to cook some porridge, so he set up a small pot and waited for a long time. After a while, he didn't realize that the rice had already been cooked, so when he saw the glutinous white grains and the characteristic smell of rice, Xiao YuAn filled a bowl for Yan HeQing and another one for himself. He stirred the wooden spoon twice and then scooped it into his mouth, instantly revealing a shocking and unbelievable expression.
Fuck, the texture and the taste of this porridge that cooked by itself was really…..
'It tasted way too fucking bad!'
'Wasn't this kind of porridge made by just pouring some water and rice?'
'Could it be because he put salt in it? And some wild vegetables? Or was it the green onions? Huh? Was it because he added some ginger?'
'Sheesh, which ones are you not allowed to add in the porridge? Or which ones don't taste good if put together?'
Xiao YuAn stroked his chin and struggled to find the proper answers to his own questions after pondering for a while. When he turned around to see Yan HeQing, he saw him struggling to swallow his first mouthful of porridge, and with great difficulty, Yan HeQing pressed his chest; feeling like that mouthful of porridge could actually kill him.
In order to save his life, Yan HeQing silently put the bowl of porridge aside, indicating that he wasn't hungry.
Xiao YuAn, who was unconvinced, took another bite and his wronged soul2 almost returned to his hometown, taking a crane to the West3.
President Xiao, who knows that his own life value4 has nothing to do with cooking, quietly emptied all of the remaining porridge. He then went to pick some wild fruits, washed them, and took them into the cabin, handing some of them to Yan HeQing.
Yan HeQing received the wild fruits with a thanks, resting his eyes on the wild fruit in his hands; and since his eyes were half-blind, he wasn't able to see anything clearly. Yan HeQing felt like he was going to lose his mind, after all, he could only see a blurred grey mist, as if the spring ceased to exist and the autumn harvest wasn't prosperous.
Xiao YuAn stood aside and took a bite of a wild fruit. Since Yan HeQing couldn't see him, Xiao YuAn indulged himself by staring at him.
Xiao YuAn felt that he couldn't understand Yan HeQing: 'Why did he let me go without hesitation, after giving the order of castrating me in the first place? What did he mean by returning the hairpin to me and then throwing it to the ground when we parted ways?'
'Surely it can't be that he suddenly became softhearted?'
'The Yan HeQing from the original book doesn't even know how to spell the word "softhearted".'
Xiao YuAn felt that he couldn't understand himself either: 'Why did I save Yan HeQing once again?'
Xiao YuAn isn't a person who will seek revenge for the smallest grievance. But he's also, by no means, someone with a soft nature that lets people bully him around. When he took revenge on his father in the name of his mother and brother, he wasn't softhearted.
'Could it be!'
'That what I feel!'
'For Yan HeQing!'
'Is actually a fatherly love?!'
After all, in the original book, Yan HeQing had climbed to the Heavens one step at a time. The bitterness, joy and sorrow of wielding a sword and pointing it directly at the world were seen by Xiao YuAn's eyes, and they were buried deep inside his heart. If someone told Xiao YuAn that the one who will rule over the Four Kingdoms in the future isn't Yan HeQing, Xiao YuAn felt like that he couldn't accept it.
AD
Although it was tangled, it was a good thing that Xiao YuAn is easy-going, and likes to go with the flow. To put it bluntly, he did what he wanted to do, not bothering to think about it that much, even if that makes him look heartless.
Xiao YuAn took the last bite of the wild fruit, leaving only the pit behind to play with. Suddenly, he heard Yan HeQing speak: "Guniang5."
Xiao YuAn's hand shook, and the pit fell to the ground, rolling to one side. Xiao YuAn didn't have the time to pick it up, since he was too busy looking for a small red fruit and putting it on his mouth. After testing for a bit, waiting for his voice to change, he said: "What's the matter, Gongzi?"
Even though Xiao YuAn was slow to reply, Yan HeQing didn't seem annoyed, instead, he calmly said: "Can I trouble Guniang to send me down the mountain tomorrow? Guniang is free to ask for whatever you want as a reward."
Chapter 109: It's Impossible For Him To Leave.
Xiao YuAn was slightly startled: "But you… Gongzi, your eyes haven't recovered yet."
Yan HeQing replied indifferently: "It's alright. I just ask for Guniang to point out the direction towards the Southern Yan Kingdom's army to me after we go down the mountain."
Xiao YuAn didn't know how to answer and was stunned for a long time. While bending down to pick up the fruit pit on the ground, he thought: 'So, the Third Female Lead's plot was skipped just like this?'
It was thanks to him that it got skipped? By trying his best to figure out how to recreate the original plot, and pretending to be Lin Shenling…? In the end, it was a good thing, because in the original plot, Yan HeQing, in a half-blind state, had a bed-scene with Lin Shenling. How could Xiao YuAn replace her place in that paragraph?!
"Ah, yes, then tomorrow morning, I'll send Gongzi down the mountain." Xiao YuAn said with some hesitation.
Yan HeQing thanked him again, dropping his eyes afterwards, no longer willing to speak.
Xiao YuAn, while walking out of the cabin to look for the last medicinal herbs for the last decoction he'll give Yan HeQing, lamented that this meeting was a short-lived illusion.
At dusk, a white mist rose from the medicine pot, and the bitter, astringent fragrance of the medicine spread everywhere. When Xiao YuAn saw that the medicine was almost ready, he took a small red fruit from his clothes, and ate it. He then poured the medicine into a porcelain bowl and put a cloth on top of it to keep it hot.
When Yan HeQing heard the noise of someone entering the cabin, he turned his head, only to see how his whole world kept on being gray and hazy. Although several days had passed, Yan HeQing still couldn't adapt to this semi-blind state. After squinting and blinking uncomfortably, he heard the woman say: "Gongzi, the medicine is ready."
Yan HeQing hmmmed and reached out to the mist until he felt that the medicine bowl was placed in his hand. Yan HeQing lowered his head and tried to take a look at it, as if he was in trance. After a few seconds of staring at nothing but grey mist, the medicine bowl in front of him gradually showed up, and the fog in front of him gradually dissipated.
Xiao YuAn stood aside and waited for Yan HeQing to finish drinking the medicine to put away the bowl. He covered his mouth and yawned, stretching his back and rubbing his neck in boredom. Suddenly, the sound of the bowl falling to the ground and shattering startled Xiao YuAn, making him look up.
AD
For a moment, Xiao YuAn felt that when he and Yan HeQing looked at each other, their eyes met for a brief second.
Because of this sensation, Xiao YuAn stepped back abruptly.
But the next moment, Yan HeQing's eyes suddenly went out of focus again. When the bowl fell, the medicine splashed all over his body, so he stretched out his hand in a daze; as if he wanted to pick up the shattered bowl, but he groped around for it, since he couldn't see it.
Xiao YuAn calmed himself and felt that just now, what he thought he saw, was his own delusion. After all, if Yan HeQing's eyes really had recovered, the first thing he would do after seeing Xiao YuAn would be to chop him to death. Xiao YuAn took a few steps forward and pushed back Yan HeQing's hand: "Gongzi, let me take care of it. You need to be careful to not cut your hand."
"Yes….." Yan HeQing's voice trembled a little, as if he was suppressing his panic, not wanting to speak more than necessary.
Xiao YuAn didn't notice Yan HeQing's change in attitude, he just busied himself in picking up the broken pieces of the bowl with a cloth, wrapping it up and taking it outside the cabin. He also brought in the clothes that were drying outside and walked back into the wooden cabin, handing them to Yan HeQing: "Gongzi, this is the armor and clothes that you were wearing when you fainted. You can change out of those clothes, they're soiled with medicine, and you don't need them anymore. After all, I will send you down the mountain tomorrow."
Yan HeQing took the garment and clutched it tightly between his hands. His expression was momentarily upset, and for a moment, his brows were filled with regret.
Xiao YuAn remembered that Yan HeQing didn't let him help change his clothes before, so he turned around to walk out of the cabin; but at that moment, he suddenly heard Yan HeQing shouting behind him: "Wait a minute!" Xiao YuAn turned around, completely confused. Yan HeQing softened his voice, controlled his eyes to not look directly at him, and then stammered: "I've been thinking about it for a while. This mountain and its forests are so rugged, and I'm still injured, so if we happened to encounter any wolves, tigers or leopards, I wouldn't be able to fight them off and protect us. I'm afraid that we'll find something unexpected, so…. Why don't we wait until I'm completely healed, and then we make some proper plans. What do you think?"
'Huh? How come you suddenly figured that out?'
Xiao YuAn originally had thought the same thing, but since Yan HeQing had now realized the problem of rushing when his body wasn't yet healed, he simply went along with it, and said: "Alright."
Yan HeQing breathed a long sigh of relief, and the annoyance between his eyebrows subsided a little.
"Gongzi, you can still change your clothes, I'll come back later." Xiao YuAn said as he walked out of the wooden cabin.
AD
"I…." Before Yan HeQing could say anything, he realized that Xiao YuAn had already walked away.
Xiao YuAn, who was outside the cabin with his arms folded, was yawning while counting the stars. After waiting for about an incense stick1, he thought that no matter how hard it was to change his clothes while being half-blind, Yan HeQing should be ready by now. So, with that in mind, he pushed open the door and walked in.
Through the broken wooden windows, the moonlight gently caresses the corners of the cabin. The wooden boards and wooden stumps that could barely make up a place that could be called a bed, and sitting there, Yan HeQing was lowering his head while bitterly clutching his half-open clothes and belt. The half-open clothes revealed his perfect body, which looked like it was carved out of the most beautiful Jade, shockingly covered with several scars. When he heard the sound of the door opening, Yan HeQing turned his head over, looking at Xiao YuAn with his eyes still as blind as ever, and with a careful tone of voice, he said: "Could… could you help me?"
'Huh?'
Xiao YuAn felt that something wasn't right. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he asked: "Should I help Gongzi apply the medicine?"
Yan HeQing nodded his head: "Yes, thank you."
Xiao YuAn was extremely shocked.
'Why–why–why–why is he suddenly following the script now?'
Just a few moments ago, Xiao YuAn was thinking that it was a good thing that he didn't have to follow the Third Female Lead's route! Why was Yan HeQing suddenly slapping him in the face?!
Chapter 110: It's Impossible Not To Take Advantage.
To act the role of the Third Female Lead or not, that is the question.
But if he acts in Lin Shenling's role, what if Yan HeQing tries to kiss him or hug him? Wouldn't he find out that he's actually a man? If Xiao YuAn can't send Yan HeQing to Lin Shenling, and if his eyes heal with time, what will Xiao YuAn do if Yan HeQing finds out it was him the whole time?
However, if he doesn't act her role, and randomly changes the plot, what will happen in the future can't be predicted once again. What will he do if someone, who isn't supposed to, gets harmed because of that?
Xiao YuAn was carelessly applying medicine to Yan HeQing's injuries, when inadvertently, he pressed down on one wound causing Yan HeQing pain. Yan HeQing's brows knitted together, and Xiao YuAn panicked. After closing his hand and taking it away as fast as possible, he apologized: "Uhh, I'm sorry. I got distracted, did I hurt you?"
Yan HeQing shook his head, reaching out his hand to take Xiao YuAn's wrist, he then pulled Xiao YuAn's hand back towards his wound.
Xiao YuAn stiffened for a few seconds, and only after Yan HeQing released his wrist did he regained his composure. He obediently bowed his head and continued to apply medicine for Yan HeQing; though this time, he didn't dare to fall into a daze of thoughts, and concentrated himself into bandaging him properly. Suddenly, he heard Yan HeQing ask in a soft voice: "You…. why do you want to save me….?"
Xiao YuAn thought to himself: 'Didn't Yan HeQing asked him this same question before? Is it because I answered randomly before, and the Third Female Lead's script was off? So the plot went backwards to start all over again?'
'How did Lin Shenling answer in the original book? Was it something like: "Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-floor pagoda1"? Or was it something more like: "I saw Gongzi lying in the mountain stream severely injured, how could I just ignore it"?'
Xiao YuAn thought for a while, and then replied: "I can't just see someone who looks like they are about to die and not try to save them."
Yan HeQing dropped his eyes, and the thin cool moonlight couldn't shine though his eyes, leaving a dark shadow behind, making it difficult to see his expression. After a while, Yan HeQing asked softly: "Where are you living now?"
"Has Gongzi heard of Taoyuan Village?"
AD
Yan HeQing shook his head.
"I'm temporarily living there."
"A temporary residence?"
Xiao YuAn finished bandaging the last wound of Yan HeQing, and only after he nodded his head did he remember that Yan HeQing, who was still blind, couldn't see him. So he replied: "Yes, life is like a duckweed floating on the river, who knows what will happen next?"
Yan HeQing asked again, in a soft voice: "Then you…. are you living well….?"
Xiao YuAn shrugged: "It's not about living well or not, if you're having a bad life, then you should try everyday to live well. Life's too short after all, we should enjoy the pleasures of life while we're still young."
Yan HeQing was in a trance for a long time before he hmmed softly.
Xiao YuAn, after tidying up Yan HeQing's clothes, said: "Alright, Gongzi, it's late now, we should get some sleep."
Yan HeQing thanked him in a soft voice, and laid down on the bed. Meanwhile, Xiao YuAn fixed the cotton wadding and straw on the other side of the board, and then laid down as well.
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. The frogs were singing and the cicadas were noisy. It was a quiet night, and at midnight, when Xiao YuAn's breathing became calm and steady, Yan HeQing slowly got up. With the help of the moonlight, he carefully studied Xiao YuAn's face, but since they were a little bit far from each other, Yan HeQing went closer to his side in order to see him more clearly.
Yan HeQing looked at Xiao YuAn for a while. His hands were clenched into fists, and his whole body was shivering. He laid down beside Xiao YuAn, but because he was afraid to wake him, he didn't dare to touch him.
Yan HeQing was starting to feel cold, when suddenly Xiao YuAn, who was in a deep sleep, rolled over into Yan HeQing's arms.
"
"
Yan HeQing's body became so stiff that he even stopped breathing for a brief moment.
However, since Xiao YuAn didn't wake up, and even though Yan HeQing was still very confused about everything that was happening, he tried to fall asleep.
After waiting for a long time, Yan HeQing gradually relaxed. His eyes were full of Xiao YuAn's sleeping face illuminated by the moonlight, but even at such a close proximity, he didn't dare to look at him for too long. He didn't even dare to look at him from afar. He felt like he was all alone in the world, missing Xiao YuAn like a madman.
Yan HeQing slowly stretched out his arm and hugged Xiao YuAn, as if he was facing an abyss, his body trembled with fear and trepidation.
Xiao YuAn woke up early the next day, stretched, and when turned his head to the side, he saw Yan HeQing sleeping on his bed.
On the other side of the bedboard, Yan HeQing was still calmly sleeping, so Xiao YuAn silently crept out of the wooden cabin. After washing up, he decided he will go up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs as usual. One day, while he was collecting medicinal herbs, he found a clean, shallow stream in the forest; so he was thinking of going to wash all the medicinal herbs he has picked up these days.
Xiao YuAn had just put the medicine basket on his back when he suddenly heard a knock on the wooden door behind him. Xiao YuAn turned around only to see Yan HeQing, who had been so gloomy these past few days, refusing to speak to him or move around, stumbled out. After all, he couldn't see clearly, so his knees heavily knocked on the door frame, resulting in his eyebrows frowning for a brief moment.
Xiao YuAn quickly walked over to help him, while also stuffing a small red fruit into his mouth. After waiting for a few seconds for his voice to change, he said: "Gongzi, why are you walking out the cabin?"
Yan HeQing carefully diverted his eyes away from the small red fruit, suddenly understanding why Xiao YuAn's voice sounded like a woman's. He reached out and touched the basket Xiao YuAn was carrying and asked: "Where are you going?"
"There's a shallow stream on the mountain, I'll go wash the medicinal herbs I've picked these days." Xiao YuAn answered honestly.
Yan HeQing nodded and said: "I'll go with you."
Xiao YuAn was extremely stunned and quickly replied: "But, Gongzi, you can't see very well yet."
AD
Yan HeQIng's voice was extremely soft, so light that it was very hard to hear, but it was enough for Xiao YuAn to hear him anyway: "Then, could you…. could you lead me there?"
Chapter 111: There Will Always Be A Male Lead Stalking His Wife.
After hearing Yan HeQing's words, Xiao YuAn took a deep breath of cold air. His whole face was filled with fright as he stepped back a few steps. However, after doing just that, he felt that his reaction was too exaggerated, so he took another step forward, stabilizing his body.
'I was already preparing myself for the fact that I would have to follow the Third Female Lead's plot, however, could you at least warn me before you're ready to start?!'
Yan HeQing, who has been staying in the cabin all by himself, bored to death, was now willing to go out for a walk. Naturally, Xiao YuAn didn't have any reason to refuse this request, so he cut a wooden cane for Yan HeQing and led him all the way to the mountain's stream. Xiao YuAn observed Yan HeQing's steps, afraid that since he couldn't see well enough, he would fall. So, if that were to happen, Xiao YuAn thought of pulling Yan HeQing towards himself so that the two of them would fall together down the mountain; until finally, the two of them end up dying in the wilderness. Now that Xiao YuAn thought about it, that scenario was quite upsetting.
Originally, the path wouldn't take more than half an hour's walk, however, it took them nearly an hour for them to arrive at the stream.
The stream's water was clear and cold, and the flow of the water sounded like a jade pendant and a jade ring clanking against each other. Xiao YuAn helped Yan HeQing sit down in the shadow of a tree beside the stream, so that he could call for Xiao YuAn if he were to need anything. Xiao YuAn then took the medicine basket, rolled up his trousers, exposing his white ankles, and stepped into the water bending over to clean the medicinal herbs.
After washing medicinal herbs for a while, Xiao YuAn felt like a burning gaze was staring at him the whole time. However, when he looked back, the only thing he saw was the half-blind Yan HeQing calmly sitting in the tree's shadow.
Xiao YuAn thought that he was just being paranoid, so he bent down again and continued to wash clean the muddy leaves from the medicinal herbs. A small fish of the size of a palm, swam across the stream until it slammed its head against the ankle of Xiao YuAn. The fish seemed to be confused after this collision and flicked its tail to get around him; however, Xiao YuAn reached for the water around the fish, which ended up scaring it and making it hit Xiao YuAn's ankle once again.
Under the clear sunlight, the little fish casted a shadow over the bottom of the stream, and when he saw the little fish's struggle, Xiao YuAn puffed out a laugh.
Yan HeQing, who was sitting under the shadow of a tree, suddenly started coughing violently. He covered his mouth with one hand and pressed his chest with the other, however, he didn't recover for a while.
Xiao YuAn didn't have the time to roll down his trousers since he hurried over Yan HeQing's side and asked him with a worried voice: "Gongzi, what happened to you?"
Yan HeQing just shook his head indicating that he was fine.
AD
When Xiao YuAn saw that his cheeks were slightly red from coughing, he didn't believe that he was fine at all, but it was a good thing that he didn't cough up blood like last time. Like this, he didn't feel the need to ask him any more questions, and he turned around to keep washing the medicinal herbs.
After washing a basket full of medicinal herbs, Xiao YuAn walked ashore, put on his boots, carried the basket on his back and helped Yan HeQing up; slowly taking him back to the wooden cabin.
After they returned to the cabin, Xiao YuAn was afraid that Yan HeQing's wounds would split open from walking around, so he told him to sit down and rest. Then he picked up a few medicinal herbs from the basket and pounded them into a paste. After that he put the paste into a porcelain bowl and brought it into the cabin: "Gongzi, it's time to apply the medicine, let me help you."
Yan HeQing nodded his head and reached out to untie the belt and take off his upper outer garment.
Xiao YuAn unwrapped the previous bandages and cleaned off the medicine he applied last time. After finishing cleaning Yan HeQing's skin, Xiao YuAn saw that his wounds seemed to begin scabbing.
'He's really worthy of being the Male Lead, even his healing abilities are stronger than ordinary people!'
Xiao YuAn couldn't help but say: "Gongzi is recovering pretty well. We should be able to go down the mountain quite sooner than expected."
Yan HeQing stiffened, swallowed saliva, and with some hesitation, he said: "Go down the mountain?"
Xiao YuAn replied while applying the medicine on his wounds: "Yes, I saw that you were in a hurry to go down the mountain before, and since your wounds began to scab, they'll be healed in no time. Gongzi doesn't need to worry, we'll go down the mountain very soon."
Yan HeQing's eyes drifted away and his thoughts dispersed, staying silent for a while, until finally, he came to his senses and hmmmed in response. However, he didn't say anything more. The day passed by really slowly, and by the time when the night came, it was gloomy and dark all over due to the clouds covering the moon. Yan HeQing waited for Xiao YuAn to fall asleep and slowly got up. He got close to Xiao YuAn, and after a few moments of staring at his sleeping face, Yan HeQing quietly walked out of the cabin. Outside the cabin he looked up at the moon, which looked like a hook, appearing behind the clouds; the moonlight was as dim as the water.
Facing the moonlight, Yan HeQing untied his belt, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his mouth. Then he took off his upper garment revealing the deep and shallow wounds on his body. Yan HeQing unwrapped the new bandages, and without hesitation, stabbed his fingers into the wounds. Bit by bit, the wounds that were healing pretty fast, were brutally torn open once again.
The red blood dripped down his fingers onto the grass. Under the hazy moonlight, the blood looked like it was faintly glowing.
AD
Due to the pain, the belt on Yan HeQing's mouth was almost swallowed by him. The bitter roughness of the cotton in his mouth barely relieved some of the pain. After tearing up a few wounds, Yan HeQing bent over a tree beside him and kept inhaling and exhaling with some difficulty, cold sweat rolling down his cheeks.
While he waited for the pain to ease up a bit, Yan HeQing washed his wounds and hands. Then he re-bandaged his wounds, adjusted his clothes, and walked back into the cabin.
The next day, when Xiao YuAn unwrapped the bandages, he couldn't help but scream: "What happened?! Why are these wounds open?!"
Yan HeQing restrained his eyes and asked softly: "So I won't…. be able to walk down the mountain for a while?"
'Could it be…. that he wanted to stay with me for a little while longer?'
Xiao YuAn wanted to break open Yan HeQing's head, so that he could see what he was thinking. He couldn't understand! How could Yan Heqing's wounds suddenly split open?
And they even look so miserably torn open too!
'Although we went out for a walk yesterday, Yan HeQing didn't fall nor made any abrupt movements!'
'Could it be that Yan HeQing was sleepwalking at night? When he falls asleep, does he make a full 180 degree spin upside down and a back somersault?'
'In what other ways could've he split them open?'
Xiao YuAn was trying to figure out how it happened, when suddenly, he had an epiphany.
'Could it be because I wasn't following the plot the right way?'
AD
Hhhh….
No matter how bad Yan HeQing's wounds were, the two of them had to be trapped in the mountains. So, in order to get down the mountain as soon as possible, Xiao YuAn decided to keep disguising himself as Lin Shenling, and try to carry on the original plot. That night, Yan HeQing was lying down in his usual bed, when suddenly, he heard Xiao YuAn ask: "Yan-gongzi, the weather is turning cold lately. Do you feel cold when you go to bed at night?"
Yan HeQIng was startled, and slightly puzzled, but he still replied regardless: "It's alright, I don't feel so cold."
Xiao YuAn: "…."
'Why are you not acting your part?!'
'Aren't you supposed to reply: I'm cold, why don't you come closer to me, so we can both get warm?!'
'So then, the Third Female Wife can go along with it and be hugged and sleep with you, the Male Lead?!'
'Did your seduction skills get eaten by a dog just because your First and Second wives eloped?!'
'Wait, no! Wasn't he being all provocative before, just to let me take him up the mountain?! So, was he still feeling some uncertainty towards me, and that's why he's not using his seduction skills now?!'
Xiao YuAn didn't care if he acted shameless, he smashed a cracked pot1, and said bluntly: "But I feel cold, Yan-gongzi. So, can you sleep with me in your arms tonight?"
Yan HeQing suddenly supported his body, abruptly moved back, and then fell off the bed-board.
Chapter 112: There's Always A Male Lead Who Fails to Seduce.
When Xiao YuAn saw Yan HeQing fall off the bed-board, Xiao YuAn couldn't help but howl in his heart: 'His wounds! It wasn't easy for me to stop them from bleeding, and now they're going to split open again!'
Xiao YuAn really didn't expect that Yan HeQing's reaction would be so big. Was perhaps the Male Lead of a harem novel actually scared of women who were too direct? Xiao YuAn found this thought kinda amusing, and held back the laugh that wanted to escape from his mouth. He quickly stepped forward and pulled Yan HeQing back onto the bed-board: "Gongzi! Are you alright?! Do your wounds hurt? Do you want me to change your bandages and apply fresh medicine? Your wounds hadn't healed yet, so don't split them open again!"
Yan HeQing's hair fell a bit loose, and he was extremely confused. After coming back to reality, he asked tentatively: "What did you just say?"
Xiao YuAn wasn't shameless enough to repeat it again, and he wanted to save some face, so he coughed softly and said while helping Yan HeQing lay on the bed: "It's nothing, Gongzi. You should rest now, I was just being careless and said some nonsense. Don't take it to heart, I…."
Xiao YuAn's words suddenly stopped because Yan HeQing pulled him into his arms, making him lay down in bed together with him, without saying a word.
As the sudden warmth surrounded Xiao YuAn's body, his eyes slowly widened open.
"Let's sleep. Goodnight." Yan HeQing said with a soft tone of voice.
"Ah…. yes, alright." Xiao YuAn was feeling a little bit uncomfortable.
As he felt that Yan HeQing's breath gradually stabilized, Xiao YuAn seemed to be in a trance-like state.
He thought: 'So, this is how it feels to be held to sleep?'
In Xiao YuAn's memory, his mother had never held him. Whenever he recalled his mother, the first memory he thought of was her sitting on the balcony, looking thin and small, staring at the outside. And while the wind was blowing around her, her thin body seemed as if it would fall apart at any moment.
"
"
Xiao YuAn could still remember that night his mother took the sleeping pills. She tucked him in the quilt and sang him a lullaby. On that day, everything went on as usual, except for when he woke up in the middle of the night, and saw his dead mother beside him.
Who convinced her that killing herself with sleeping pills would be painless? When it was clear that his mother had died with a hideous expression on her face. She died covered in vomit and incontinence mixed together, filling the room with a foul stench.
After that, the young Xiao YuAn couldn't sleep at night; because as soon as he closed his eyes, he would get frightened and feel cold sweat run through his body. All his dreams were about the day he found his dead mother.
This trauma wasn't treated until he became an adult.
At that time, the young Xiao YuAn would always think: 'How would it feel if someone hugged me, would that feel nice? And what will it feel like to be held in my sleep?'
'Ah, so this is how it feels?'
Xiao YuAn moved his body and felt that Yan HeQing's arm tightened a little. At this little gesture, Xiao YuAn had no other choice but to smile, close his eyes, and sleep peacefully.
In the next few days, Xiao YuAn talked to Yan HeQing as he recalled the plot of the original book. However, the only thing he could remember was the first sentence, but not what follows. Therefore, the dialogue often became somewhat strange.
For example, in the original book, Lin Shenling would say: "Listen, Gongzi, there's Swallows. I heard the elders say that the Swallows come here every Spring…."
Since Xiao YuAn couldn't remember the last words, he couldn't help himself to answer: "I come here every Spring to ask the Swallows; 'hey, why are you here?' and the Swallows would say; 'the Spring here is the most beautiful! Yes! The most beautiful!'…"
Xiao YuAn felt that he would be able to hold back from rambling and respect the original plot.
Another example of this was that one day, when Xiao YuAn went up the mountain, he saw a carp covered in red onyx in the stream. He remembered that in the original story, Lin Shenling also saw a red carp by the stream, and went back to tell Yan HeQing about it.
So, he also went back to find Yan HeQing and said: "Gongzi, I saw a red carp in the stream today…. uh …. a red carp fish… " After saying that, Xiao YuAn couldn't remember what he was supposed to say afterwards, so he stammered for a long time: "Red carp….. yes, a red carp….. a red carp, a green carp and a donkey!"
Yan HeQing: "…"
Xiao YuAn's words were so separated between each other, and yet, Yan HeQing didn't question nor ignored him. However, Xiao YuAn felt that this was probably the last time the Male Lead would tolerate his "wife's" antics.
Yan HeQing's wounds began to gradually heal again, and there was no sign that they would split open again, which made Xiao YuAn feel even more convinced that this had something to do with the fact that he was properly following the script this time.
But….
Here comes the problem.
How come he didn't think of it?
In the original book, the kissing and embracing each other was described with great detail, so, how will Xiao YuAn pretend to be Lin Shenling in a situation like that?! What's more, what if Yan HeQing's eyes suddenly recover and he finds out that it was Xiao YuAn beside him all along? He'll get chopped into pieces and buried in the mountain!
Xiao YuAn was worried, extremely worried.
And while Xiao YuAn immersed himself worrying about that specific issue, two more days have passed like usual.
On this particular day, Yan HeQing was resting in the wooden cabin, while Xiao YuAn was pounding medicine outside. When suddenly, there was a rustling noise coming from the brushes not far away from the cabin. Xiao YuAn thought that it might be a badger or some other small animal, so he just threw a stone there to scare them away.
As a result, there was a cry coming from the brushes, giving Xiao YuAn a great scare.
AD
Because it was a human voice.
As Xiao YuAn moved cautiously towards the brushes, he wondered if he had encountered an evildoer. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared in the grass, howling and tackling Xiao YuAn to the ground.
Chapter 113: There's Always A Male Lead Who's Heartless.
Zhang Baizhu, with his medicine basket on his back, pinched Xiao YuAn's face and shouted: "Xiao-!….."
Before he could finish his words, Xiao YuAn suddenly grabbed his throat and twisted his arm. Then he put some herbal medicines in Zhang Baizhu's mouth to stop him from shouting again. Finally, Xiao YuAn threw him at the bushes again. When Xiao YuAn looked back, he saw Yan HeQing walking out of the wooden cabin, holding the door with one hand; his half-blind eyes were dazed as he turned his ears towards the direction of where the sudden noise came from. Then, he asked: "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Everything is alright, it was just a big wild boar. I've already chased it away, Gongzi, so you can go back and rest." Xiao YuAn replied with a smile.
Zhang Baizhu, while laying in the brushes, angrily threw a stone at Xiao YuAn.
Yan HeQing wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't say anything at all; and turned around to go back inside the wooden cabin.
Xiao YuAn breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
'Damn! It's a good thing that I reacted fast! Thankfully, Yan HeQing didn't hear my name!'
Only when Xiao YuAn saw that Yan HeQing had already walked back inside to the cabin, did he pick up Zhang Baizhu from the grass and dragged him up the mountain.
"Eh, eh, eh! What the hell are you doing?!" Zhang Baizhu howled. "You know, since you haven't returned to Taoyuan Village for so long, everyone began to think that you eloped! Oh, boy. I just caught you in the act! You're really going to run away with a wild man! What are you doing?! Wow, will you really kill and bury me since I caught you?!"
Xiao YuAn found a trap pit abandoned by hunters and buried half of Zhang Baizhu's body in it, adding more soil along the way.
Zhang Baizhu: "…. You're really fucking burying me alive!"
AD
Xiao YuAn patted the dirt off his hands with a smile on his face: "That's enough, you'll stop making a scene now."
Zhang Baizhu: "Who the hell is making a scene?! I'm the one who's being made fun of. How about that?!"
Xiao YuAn ignored him, and asked instead: "Did I make LiuAn and Fenyue worry? It's not like I didn't want to go back on purpose, but that man you saw just now was badly injured, and it wasn't convenient to go down the mountain until he got better."
"Excuses, excuses. Then why are you using that small red fruit to turn your voice into a woman's? I saw just now that that man didn't have any problem with his eyes, am I right? Fuck! Xiao YuAn, are you pretending to be a woman to seduce him?!" Zhang Baizhu shouted in horror.
Xiao YuAn put his index finger and thumb against his chin and thought out loud: "When you say it like that, you're actually not that wrong."
Zhang Baizhu's face instantly twisted with fright.
"It's hard to explain, way too hard to explain. Zhang Baizhu, when you go back to the village, remember to tell LiuAn and Fengyue for me that I'm alright, and that I'll be back in a few days; so there's no need to worry too much about me." Xiao YuAn said calmly.
Zhang Baizhu pulled himself out of the soil, and said: "Eh, how do I say this? Your two Geges took your Didi to see a doctor. Right now, only Third Aunt is in your residence."
Xiao YuAn was stunned: "When?"
Zhang Baizhu replied: "Just a few days ago. They heard that there's a doctor who specializes in treating difficult and miscellaneous diseases in the Western Shu Kingdom, and that he will take care of anyone's illness no matter who they are. But by Heavens it's a little far away from Taoyuan Village, so the journey will take more than ten days. Your two Geges inquired about this doctor and then took your Didi to see him."
Xiao YuAn nodden thoughtfully and then asked: "Where's Lin Shenling?"
"Ah, Lin-guniang… don't you remember that my father sprained his back? Since he can't go up to the mountain to pick up the medicinal herbs, I have to collect them for him. But the medical clinic and my father needs someone to take care of them, so I entrusted Lin-guniang with these two things…. Lin-guniang is very kind." Zhang Baizhu said.
AD
Xiao YuAn was still thinking about Xie Chungui's visit to that mysterious doctor, so for a moment, he didn't hear the joy in Zhang Baizhu's tone when he mentioned Lin Shenling, and let out a careless sigh.
"Seriously, who the hell is that man?" Zhang Baizhu poked Xiao YuAn with his elbow.
Xiao YuAn pushed Zhang Baizhu's hand away and replied: "He's the enemy."
Zhang Baizhu exaggeratedly shouted: "Shut up, he looks more like an 'in-law' to me."
Xiao YuAn's face was full of affection and a you-will-not-believe-it kind of expression: "If he knew who I am, he would definitely cut me into pieces."
Zhang Baizhu was extremely puzzled: "Then why are you still taking care of him?"
Xiao YuAn's mouth twitched: "Who knows. Perhaps it was sympathy, or perhaps I'm sick. Yes, I'm definitely sick, there must be something wrong with my brain."
Zhang Baizhu said: "Xiao YuAn, you really like him, don't you?!"
Xiao YuAn, who stayed silent for a long time, raised his head. The warm sun cast a mottled shadow through the leaves. The shadows on Xiao YuAn's face were neither light or dark, it was so shadowy that it was difficult to read his expression: "No, I don't like him."
Zhang Baizhu, who stared at him for a long while, finally asked: "Is that man, perhaps, already married?"
"Yes…?" Xiao YuAn looked at him suspiciously: "Why do you ask?"
"Ah? Doesn't he have that kind of personality? Like, if there's no hope from the beginning, he simply runs away from his true feelings and doesn't acknowledge them or think about them. Over time, he will fool even himself into thinking that they don't exist at all." Zhang Baizhu said.
AD
Xiao YuAn clapped his hands: "Ah?! He actually has a good personality. He's heartless, so he won't be tired of living because of something like this!"
Zhang Baizhu waved his hand in disgust: "Fine, fine, whatever you think is good. Anyway, when are you going back?"
"I'll return when the Male Lead gets better." Xiao YuAn replied.
"You'd better hurry up, there will be a rainstorm in a few days, and this mountain is prone to collapse. It's not safe to stay here much longer." Zhang Baizhu warned him.
Xiao YuAn nodded his head.
Zhang Baizhu patted the soil on his body, and looked up at the sky: "Fine, alright, I should go down the mountain now."
Xiao YuAn smiled and waved his hand: "Take care of yourself, I will not send you off."
Zhang Baizhu pointed at him and exclaimed: "Look at you! You're all smiles! You must be really eager to go back to that man after I'm gone! You must be!"
When Zhang Baizhu finished shouting, he pulled out his feet and ran down the mountain, not giving Xiao YuAn a chance to refute his theory.
Xiao YuAn put his hands to his mouth and shouted at the direction in which Zhan Baizhu was running: "Zhang Baizhu, are you stupid?! You're going the wrong way!"
Chapter 114: There'll Always Be An Occasional Earth-shattering Event.
After the two of them parted ways, Xiao YuAn walked slowly towards the wooden cabin, and on the way, he picked some wild fruits. To his surprise, some clouds suddenly began to gather, and it started to rain. However, the branches and leaves were thick, so the rain didn't feel so heavy, and Xiao YuAn didn't bother to run. He just casually picked a large banana leaf, placed it on top of his head, and walked towards the wooden cabin.
When he saw that he was close to the cabin, Xiao YuAn suddenly stopped.
Because he saw Yan HeQing standing outside the wooden cabin.
The rain curtain was heavy. He could witness it by seeing the breeze blowing against Yan HeQing's sleeves, who was standing outside the cabin without any shelter to protect himself from the rain. Xiao YuAn didn't know how long Yan HeQing had stayed outside, but he could see that his white clothes were all wet; droplets of water fell through his hair and down the side of his face, hitting a puddle under him and making it ripple a little.
Xiao YuAn saw him with one hand behind his back, and his eyes were staring at the place in which Xiao YuAn had left before, as if Yan HeQing was looking, but at the same time not. The rain obscured Xiao YuAn's eyes and blurred Yan HeQing's figure, making it look vague and confusing.
Xiao YuAn was startled at first, but then he swallowed a small red fruit, and quickly ran over to Yan HeQing: "Why are you…. Why is Gongzi standing here? It's raining, quickly, get inside the cabin."
Yan HeQing's voice was hoarse, and it took a while before he could say in a soft tone of voice: "I thought….. I thought that you were gone again."
Xiao YuAn pulled Yan HeQing into the cabin feeling extremely puzzled: "Again? You mean because I went up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs? But don't I always come back? Why do you have to stay outside in the rain? You're still injured, so don't get your wounds wet, otherwise, they'll get worse."
Yan HeQing didn't answer for a long time, and when Xiao YuAn lit a fire in the middle of the room, he spoke again: "Just now…. I heard you leave with somebody else."
"Huh?" Xiao YuAn was taking off his wet clothes, so he didn't react instantly after hearing Yan HeQing's words; but once a few minutes passed, the reaction came over abruptly, and he began to fucking cry inside his mind.
'Did Yan HeQing hear Zhang Baizhu's voice?'
"
"
Since from Yan HeQing's point of view, he was now Lin Shenling, and if he really wanted to develop their emotional scenes, it was better for Xiao YuAn to explain it clearly.
So, Xiao YuAn said: "Gongzi, please don't misunderstand, he's just my Shixiong. He usually goes up the mountain to pick up medicinal herbs like me, and we just happened to meet while he was picking some. Now Gongzi, quickly change your clothes, don't keep wearing the wet ones."
Yan HeQing closed his eyes and hmmed softly, but he still looked a bit upset. He then let Xiao YuAn help him take off his upper-garments, without making another sound.
At this, Xiao YuAn's heart thumped.
By looking at Yan HeQing's current appearance, Xiao YuAn thought: 'Yan HeQing had already fallen in love with the Lin Shenling I'm pretending to be, and has likely already placed her in his harem! But Yan-ge, where did your evil charm and madness1 go? And even though you're not a Tyrannical President, aren't you also supposed to be like a type of Domineering Boss? Where's your jealousy? Aren't you supposed to press her against a wall and force a strong domineering kiss on her? And after the kiss you'll say harsh dominant words, such as; "If you get close to that man again, I will break his leg" and so on?!'
'Don't be so upset! You were the one waiting in the rain! You're the Domineering Boss, Yan-ge, not the second bitter love interest! I can't bear to see you act like this!'
The rain was falling heavily outside the cabin, and the two men inside the room were silent for a while, each immersed in their thoughts, worrying about the other. After Xiao YuAn took Yan HeQing's upper-garment for him, he put it close to the fire to let it dry. When he thought that Yan HeQing's undergarments were also wet, he turned his head, wanting to lean over Yan HeQing to warm his body.
However, Yan HeQing also happened to move this way as well, so Xiao YuAn ended up colliding with Yan HeQing as soon as he turned around.
The dry wood made a slight cracking sound amidst the burning fire, and then, the cabin fell into a cold silence.
Xiao YuAn, who kept his posture of throwing himself in Yan HeQing's arms, blinked his eyes finding his lips kissing Yan HeQing's extra cold cheek, which were like that because the rain water on his body hadn't completely dried yet.
The scorching firelight leapt in Yan HeQing's slowly widening eyes, and he felt like the world became shockingly silent, but only for an instant.
Xiao YuAn wanted to quickly retreat and apologize, but right the next second, his wrist was caught by Yan HeQing and Xiao YuAn was pressed to the ground. Their clothes, which were half-dry but not wet, were pressed together, and the body heat coming from Yan HeQing's body gradually warmed Xiao YuAn. However, before Xiao YuAn could react, Yan HeQing fiercely kissed him on the lips.
Chapter 115: There's Always A Rainy Night, A Dry Wood And A Burning Fire.1
'Yan-ge, even though you're blind! You were able to find the right place to flirt, this must be the Male Lead's halo shining brightly, right?!'
'But, why did you suddenly change from a bitter man to a Tyrannical President?!'
'Can you just act one script at a time, until the end? You're always jumping from script to script. I don't know how to act opposite of you anymore!'
Xiao YuAn subconsciously stretched out his hand against Yan HeQing, however, the moment he tried to push him away with all the strength he had, he breathed out.
He had promised himself that he would follow the original plot. He stopped himself from pushing Yan HeQing away because he didn't want to give up halfway. Moreover, it would be bad if his wounds suddenly split open like before, because he didn't follow the plot.
Yan HeQing's eyes turned dark as he felt that Xiao YuAn didn't push him away. He wrapped his arms around Xiao YuAn's waist, closed his eyes, and mercilessly pried open his lips and mouth.
Xiao YuAn was still worried that such intimacy would lead to Yan HeQing finding out that he wasn't a woman.
But soon he found himself not worried anymore.
Because he stopped thinking altogether.
Yan HeQing kissed him deeply, his tongue wrapping around Xiao YuAn's indulgently. Probably because he was drenched from the rain before, Yan HeQing's lips were cold, but this cold sensation soon became warm due to the friction between both their lips and tongues. This warmth invaded every corner of Xiao YuAn's mouth, the entanglement of their tongues made him feel a strange and numbing sensation run all over his body. Instinctively, he tried to avoid this new sensation, but Yan HeQing was firmly pressing him to the ground, so he could only passively accept the kiss.
When the kiss ended, both of them were panting.
AD
Xiao YuAn was kissed so hard that tears burst out from his eyes, gasping for breath as he laid on the ground, using his arm to cover up his eyes. He didn't have the face to look at Yan HeQing right now.
Xiao YuAn really wanted to jump into the fire and burn himself to death.
He moved his body to climb over the fire, but after taking two steps, he felt that he shouldn't escape from reality, so he walked back.
Since he couldn't escape reality, he had to think of something to say quickly.
Fortunately, his desire to survive made Xiao YuAn have a quick mind and an excellent memory.
He remembered some fragments of Lin Shenling and Yan HeQing's settling down in love from the original book, which was more or less the same situation as now, and decided to put it to use.
Xiao YuAn coughed twice, trying to calm himself after that deep kiss, and when he made sure that his voice was still a femenine one, he said: "Did you perhaps misunderstand me, Gongzi? Why did you kiss me when I accidentally touched you right now?"
Yan HeQing was shocked for a brief moment, his arm around Xiao YuAn was neither withdrawing nor advancing, and a trace of panic appeared on his usually calm and indifferent face. He murmured a few words while his hands trembled slightly to support himself while he tried to get up.
It was hard for Xiao YuAn to watch him react like this, so he stretched out his hand and grabbed Yan HeQing's arm that was leaving his side and asked in a low voice: "Gongzi, did you kiss me because you like me?"
Xiao YuAn's voice was very soft, so when he stopped talking, the cabin became extremely quiet. The only sound left behind was the crackling of the dry wood in the fire.
The firelight leapt on their faces, extremely silent.
Yan HeQing remembered that when he was on the verge of death, he would always end up dreaming about the late Emperor of the Northern Kingdom kicking him into the stinking mud.
AD
He didn't struggle, or curse, allowing himself to sink in the mud.
When suddenly, someone grabbed his arm, pulling him a little towards a clean and bright place.
When Yan HeQing raised his head, he saw Xiao YuAn beside him, smiling at him.
That smile was Yan HeQing's calamity. It was his own karma, his sin, his confinement within a circle drawn on the ground2, and his deep and undying love.
It was also his lack of remorse and fearlessness.
Yan HeQing held Xiao YuAn in his arms again, and when their chest collided, he could hear that his heartbeat sounded like a drum. Xiao YuAn felt the warm breath of Yan HeQing in his ear, which made him feel itchy, and he subconsciously wanted to hide away. But right at that instant, he heard Yan HeQing whispering in his ear: "I love you."
Xiao YuAn's heart felt like it was suddenly being clutched, every inch of blood was flowing all over his body. The cold places of his body felt even colder, the warm places of his body felt even warmer. Nothing felt normal inside of him.
Even though he knew that Yan HeQing's words weren't directed to him, but to the "Lin Shenling" he was pretending to be, the sudden and decisive declaration of his true feelings still caused Xiao YuAn to feel very flustered.
Xiao YuAn wanted to say what Lin Shenling said next in the original plot, but when he opened his mouth, he found that his voice was shaking. He took a long time to calm himself, and then said: "Gongzi, you're saying that because you can't see me now. But when your eyes heal, when you're able to see me, if I look ugly, if you don't like my appearance, if…."
'If you find out that I'm the person you hate, if that time comes, will you still love me?'
Xiao YuAn didn't dare to look at Yan HeQing, so he wasn't able to see Yan HeQing's deep feelings, his infatuation and forbearance inside his refined eyes; he could only hear Yan HeQing say: "My feelings won't change."
And then, all of Xiao YuAn's words were blocked by Yan HeQing's mouth once again.
AD
Unlike the previous kiss, this one was extremely gentle. Like watery moonlight, brimming over the surface of the lake, a vulnerability that ripples at the first touch.
After the kiss, Yan HeQing held Xiao Yuan's wrist tightly, as if he would disappear if he didn't hold him close. Yan HeQing's voice was still shaking as he said with the fear of being judged: "What am I… I…. What am I to you?"
In a rare moment like this, Xiao YuAn remained relaxed with the intention of continuing to say the lines of the original book. If the author of the original book knew about his efforts, perhaps he would give him a moving encouragement.
In the original book, Lin Shenling was an extremely introverted woman, and because of the miserable environment she grew up in, she didn't know how to speak with love. So how should she answer Yan HeQing's question?
So Lin Shenling, in a hurry, uttered a magic word.
And now, this word was rolling back and forth on Xiao YuAn's lips, but he found himself unable to spit it out.
'Fuck! It's like I'm digging my own grave!'
Xiao YuAn was struggling and he felt like his heart was trembling, but when he thought that it wasn't easy for him to reach this point of the original plot, and how he had already hugged and kissed Yan HeQing; now Xiao YuAn felt that all his sacrifices and efforts will be lost if he doesn't say that one sentence. He can't let that happen!
So Xiao YuAn took a deep breath, and when he was ready, he shouted: "Hu-… Husband."
Yan HeQing: "….."
Xiao YuAn: "….."
Xiao YuAn glanced at the fire, wondering if the fire could burn him to death. It would be even better if no residue were left behind.
"Pfft–."
Suddenly, a soft laugh broke the silence inside the cabin. Xiao YuAn turned his head only to see Yan HeQing gently curling his lips, his eyes sparkled with the firelight shining upon them, making him look extremely noble and handsome.
Xiao YuAn had never seen Yan HeQing's smile before, and right now, he couldn't help but stare at him with astonishment.
Yan HeQing then replied softly: "Yes."
In the end, it seemed that what he said wasn't enough, so he curled his lips and whispered: "Wife."
Xiao YuAn: "….. Ah ….. Ye-yes?"
'Do you want to sing a love song? Watch the most beautiful fireworks…..?'
Yan HeQing was stunned at first, but then he laughed softly again.
Xiao YuAn: "…"
'Fuck, I-I-I'm blushing!'
'I want to fucking burn to death!'
'I want a fucking thundelbolt to kill me right now!'
AD
Right the next moment, a blinding white flash of lightning suddenly fell outside the cabin, followed by a deafening thunder.
Xiao YuAn: "…"
'I was just talking bullshit! I don't want the lightning to split me in half, don't split me in half!'
Chapter 116: Finding Out That He Sacrificed His Own Life.
Outside, the rain started pouring down unpreparedly, and the thunder rumbled as if hitting their eardrums. That sound was extremely frightening. While the rain poured down, it was as if the only noise left behind in the whole world was the sound of the rain drops hitting the ground.
In this kind of weather, it was impossible for Xiao YuAn to go out to pick up wild fruits. In order to fill up their stomachs, Xiao YuAn emptied the bag of rice lying in the corner, and decided to try and cook some porridge again.
This time, Xiao YuAn learned his lesson and didn't add ginger to the porridge.
But he did put some garlic into the porridge…..
When it was ready, Xiao YuAn tasted it.
'Mmm… It'll be better if I add a little bit of ginger! This tastes awful!'
Xiao YuAn painfully reproached himself for wasting food, and just when he was about to pour out the porridge, he suddenly heard Yan HeQing say: "Is it ready?"
Xiao YuAn couldn't help but shake his hands. Just a few moments ago, the atmosphere between them was very strange to Xiao YuAn, so he simply replied: "It's ready. But, it tastes too bad to be eaten. Don't worry, I'll think of another way to get food."
However, Yan HeQing fumbled over and sat down: "It'll be alright, give me a bowl"
Xiao YuAn swallowed with some difficulty: "I'm serious…. It's not good…."
Yan HeQing insisted: "It won't hurt eating it."
AD
Xiao YuAn couldn't say no to him, and when he remembered that last time Yan HeQing hadn't eaten the porridge he cooked; he thought that this time, after eating a single spoonful, Yan HeQing will think that his own life is more valuable than eating this life-threatening porridge. So, after thinking it over, Xiao YuAn took a small bowl, and handed it to Yan HeQing.
Yan HeQing scooped up a spoonful of porridge and ate it. After trying to swallow it for a long time, he said as if nothing had happened: "It's not bad."
Xiao YuAn: "….."
'I knew that love blinded people, but I didn't know that it could also make his sense of taste disappear! How can you say that it's not bad, Yan-ge? Doesn't your conscience hurt?!'
Yan HeQing didn't mind that the porridge was hard to eat, and naturally, Xiao YuAn didn't mind either. The two of them managed to fill their stomachs, however, the sound of the thunderstorm outside didn't seem to be abating at all.
"Why is it suddenly raining so heavily….." Xiao YuAn mumbled to himself as he looked out of the window.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a deafening sound coming from somewhere not too far away, as if something had collapsed and fallen to the ground. Even the wooden cabin seemed to tremble with the loud noise. The candles inside the cabin were also flickering from the wind blowing in through the broken window, causing a frightening sensation.
Xiao YuAn was startled as he held onto the window and looked out. Outside, it was really dark and the trees were shaking; he wasn't able to see anything clearly, but he could feel the rain on his face brought by the strong wind. Xiao YuAn thought for a moment, shook out the straw raincoat that had accumulated some dust due to the passing of time, and draped it over his body. As he walked outside the wooden cabin, he looked back at Yan HeQing and said: "Something might've collapsed outside, I'll go check it out."
Yan HeQing instantly frowned and said: "Don't go, it's raining too heavily. It's extremely dangerous to go outside."
Xiao YuAn replied: "It'll be alright. I know what I'm doing, and in case something did collapse, it'll be dangerous for us if it also falls on top of the wooden cabin. So I'll go take a quick look."
After saying that, Xiao YuAn opened the door and rushed out. The wind was strongly blowing outside, and the rain was pouring down in torrents. It was as if the earth on the mountain was shaking after being provoked by the rainstorm.
Yan HeQing didn't stop Xiao YuAn, but when he saw him rushing through the rain curtain, he felt as if his heart was stuck on his throat. However, right the next moment, Xiao YuAn rushed back, howling as he ran: "Let's go, let's go, let's go! It's collapsing! It's right up there! A landslide! A landslide! I'll bury Zhang Baizu's big mouth when I get back home!"
AD
Yan HeQing was dragged outside by Xiao YuAn. The heavy rain hit their bodies wildly, and the dazzling lightning cut through the sky. Yan HeQing saw the falling stones and trees covered in mud rolling down the cliff. After the lightning, the world fell into darkness again, followed by the loud sound of thunder.
Suddenly, Xiao YuAn remembered something and stopped running. He fiercely touched his face drenched in rain water as he began to say: "No, no, no…."
'The disasters kept on piling up one after the other! I left the red fruits, and the tumeric I had picked up for Xie Chungui in the cabin! Without the small red fruit, I won't be able to disguise my voice in front of Yan HeQing!'
Xiao YuAn gripped Yan HeQing's arm and shouted as loud as he could: "Wait for me here! I'll be right back!"
Right after he said that, Xiao YuAn didn't dare to hesitate. He turned around and ran back to the wooden cabin.
Suddenly, another bolt of lightning pierced through the sky. Under this dazzling white light, Yan HeQing saw that a tree trunk was falling down the slope right towards Xiao YuAn! And where that tree trunk was falling, it was Xiao YuAn's blind spot! He wasn't on guard!
Yan HeQing's eyes shrank, and without any hesitation, he ran as fast as he could.
After the lightning fell, the surroundings fell into darkness again, and a thunderclap exploded in Xiao YuAn's ears. Because of that, he couldn't hear anything except for the thunder, and even his ears began to hurt a little due to the loud noise.
Naturally, he didn't see nor hear that not that far away from him, Yan HeQing used his back to block the fallen tree trunk.
The tremendous impact had almost displaced Yan HeQing's internal organs. He was knocked to the ground and rolled down several times along the hillside until he stabilized himself. The cold rain mercilessly stole the warm from Yan HeQing's body temperature, and the way the rain poured on him with such intensity, made him unable to open his eyes.
Yan HeQing tried to take a deep breath, but the heavy rain blocked his mouth and nose, freezing his body all over. Yan HeQing put his hands on the ground and stumbled, trying to get up and walk towards where Xiao YuAn told him to stay. However, as soon as he stood up, his heart and lungs felt like they were being strangled and split open by a sharp blade; he felt such an intense amount of pain that he wasn't able to breathe at all.
With blurred eyes and ringing ears, Yan HeQing took a few heavy breaths, when suddenly, he heard Xiao YuAn's voice calling out to him.
AD
His voice was mixed with the sound of rain and thunder, and it was really hard for Yan HeQing to hear it clearly. He felt that the voice sounded both distant and near at the same time.
Yan HeQing pressed his muffled chest and followed Xiao YuAn's voice. He wanted to reply, but before his voice could come out, he suddenly felt an iron taste invading his mouth before he started to violently cough a mouthful of blood. After that, Yan HeQing felt as if the sky began to spin around and his consciousness blurred, as he fell straight forward.
Chapter 117: Finding Out About His Shyness.
When Yan HeQing woke up again, he found himself lying in a dry cave. A burning pile of dead leaves and branches stacked close to him. The wet clothes on his body were stripped down and placed around the fire, and a clean upper garment was draped over him. Yan HeQing picked it up and took a look at it, finding out it was Xiao YuAn's garment.
He tried to prop up his body, but his chest and back throbbed with pain. He was already injured to begin with, so being hit by that tree trunk with such force, would only add more to his injuries.
Yan HeQing relaxed himself, and looked around, steading his gaze.
By his side, Xiao YuAn was sitting close to the fire wearing only his thin undergarment. His elbows were resting on his upright knees; his palms clenched into fists to support his head. He was dozing, and his head nodded once or twice, looking extremely restless in his sleep.
As if dreaming of something, Xiao YuAn's eyebrows frowned. Suddenly, his entire body was startled, and while still asleep, he shouted: "Yan HeQing!"
At this, Xiao YuAn woke up from the fright caused by the dream. Instantly, his entire body was filled in cold sweat after he realized what he did just now.
'What the fuck! I shouted his name with my normal voice!'
Xiao YuAn's body stiffened and looked at Yan HeQing. After a while, he breathed out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Yan HeQing wasn't awake. If he were to hear him, Xiao YuAn swore that he could run away from the cave, even if there were raining knives outside.
Xiao YuAn couldn't help but say in a low voice: "….Luckily, he didn't hear me."
However, Yan HeQing, who should be still asleep, moved his fingers imperceptibly.
AD
"Why haven't you woken up yet…..?" Xiao YuAn's eyes fell on Yan HeQing and saw that the clothes he placed on top of him to cover his body had somehow slipped down, so he grabbed them and placed them on him again. He then touched his forehead to test his temperature.
Xiao YuAn's palm cupped over Yan HeQing's forehead, and after waiting for a little bit, he made sure that Yan HeQing didn't have a fever after being in the rain for so long. When he was about to take his hand back, Yan HeQing suddenly grasped his wrist.
As Xiao YuAn stiffened from the sudden shock, he saw that Yan HeQing's eyes slowly opened. His eyes looked confused and bewildered due to his half-blindness.
Xiao YuAn panicked and swallowed a small red fruit right away. After he made sure his voice changed, he asked: "Yo-you're awake? How do you feel? Do you feel pain anywhere….?"
His body hurt everywhere. Yan HeQing felt that his back must be bruised, showing an horrifying injury. He can't stand up and can only lie on his side: "I'm fine. Where are we?"
Xiao YuAn replied: "It's a cave I found before while collecting medicinal herbs. It's a little bit higher than the ground so it's not filled with rain, perfect for settling down for awhile."
As he saw Yan HeQing nodding at his explanation, Xiao YuAn tried to pull his wrist out of Yan HeQing's grasp, but he felt Yan HeQing clenched all at once.
"Don't go." Yan HeQing said in a hoarse voice.
"I won't, I won't, I won't go away." Xiao YuAn said repeatedly.
Yan HeQing restrained his eyes and hmmmed, slowly pulling Xiao YuAn's wrist to his lips, then gently kissing it.
It was like a fire burning from Yan HeQing's lips to Xiao YuAn's wrist, reaching to his cheeks, and finally spreading all over his body.
Xiao YuAn suddenly pulled back his hand and remained silent for a long time.
AD
Yan HeQing faintly and inaudibly raised the corner of his mouth: "Shy?"
'Who, who, who…. who the hell is being shy?'
'Huh? You, you, who the hell are you calling shy?!'
'I'm, I'm, I'm the kind of man that knows all the quotes from the Tyrannical Presidents by memory! What situation haven't I seen before? What cliche sentences haven't I said before?! Do you even know that all the Tyrannical Presidents who always say comfortable words at first, then say big dominating sentences right after?!'
'No, no. It's just a kiss on my wrist. Who, who, who is acting shy?!'
'Who are you talking about? Who are you talking about?!'
Xiao YuAn replied sullenly: "…. N-no."
Yan HeQing smiled even more: "What are you stammering about?"
'Who, who, who stammered?'
'Alright, alright, fine! I'm stammering, I'm stammering and I'm the one stammering! I just, just, stuttered that's all! So what?! Go ahead and beat me! Come and get me if you dare!'
While seeing Xiao YuAn poking at the fire and no longer talking to him, Yan HeQing scrutinized his face illuminated by the firelight. Then, he said: "It's cold."
"Ah? Are you cold?" Xiao YuAn stoked the fire a little bit more: "Are you still feeling cold?"
AD
"I'm cold."
"It shouldn't be a fever, because your temperature wasn't high when I touched your forehead just now, right?" Xiao YuAn was wondering as he leaned over his body to test Yan HeQing's temperature one more time.
When suddenly, Yan HeQing wrapped his arms around Xiao YuAn's waist, pulling him into his embrace, and hugging him tightly against himself: "I'm not feeling cold anymore."
Xiao YuAn: "….. Al-alright, n-not cold. Th-that's good."
Following the Third Wife's script was his own choice, and the only thing Xiao YuAn could do now was cry in silence and play along.
—The author has something to say.—
Yan HeQing: You stutter when you're feeling shy.
Xiao YuAn: I don't think so.
Yan HeQing bowed his head and said to his spouse: You stutter when you're feeling shy.
Xiao YuAn: N-no, I d-don't.
Chapter 118: Finding Out That His Identity Was Exposed.
Early the next morning, the rain wasn't as heavy as before, and the sky also began to clear; showing the sunshine behind the clouds. Xiao YuAn took a branch and poked the burning fire. At that moment, the fragrant aroma of two sweet potatoes stewed in the ashes filled the air.
Fortunately, when he encountered this cave while picking up medicinal herbs, at that time he thought that this was a good place to hide, so he put firewood and food inside in case of a rainy day. Otherwise, they would've starved.
The sweet potatoes in the ashes were steaming, so when Xiao YuAn picked one, he felt that it was way too hot, so he threw it back down. After waiting for the sweet potato to cool down, he removed the skin and gave it to Yan HeQing.
Yan HeQing nodded his head in thanks. After receiving the food, Yan HeQing didn't rush to eat it. Instead, he asked Xiao YuAn: "What are you planning to do after this?"
"What am I going to do…?" Xiao YuAn mumbled with his hands behind his back. He then looked up at the rock wall of the cave and said: "The cabin must have collapsed, and we don't have anywhere to go, so we should wait for the rain to stop and walk down the mountain while the weather is good. Moreover, my Shifu's medical skills are better than mine, and he will certainly be able to cure your eyes."
Yan HeQing's hand holding the sweet potato trembled: "You're willing to take me with you?"
"Ah….." Xiao YuAn was stunned at first, and then he abruptly realized: In the original book, Yan HeQing never mentioned anything about the Southern Yan Kingdom, so Lin Shenling didn't know his true identity, which was why she brought him back to Taoyuan Village. But this time, Yan HeQing had already mentioned to him that he was from the Southern Yan Kingdom, and that he'll have to go back to the barracks.
So, in fact, did Yan HeQing still want to return to the Southern Yan Kingdom's barracks?
"Do you want to go back to the Southern Yan Kingdom's barracks that you mentioned before?" Xiao YuAn asked carefully.
Yan HeQing bit the sweet potato. After swallowing, he dropped his eyes and asked: "Do you hate me?"
Xiao YuAn was instantly shocked by this, and didn't understand the meaning behind Yan HeQIng's words: "Ah?"
AD
Yan HeQing spoke slowly, word by word: "If you don't hate me, then, can you take me with you?"
Xiao YuAn was confused. He was the "Third Female Lead", so why would "he" hate Yan HeQing? Hate him for adding too many members to his harem? Hate that he has another wife and hadn't told "him" yet?
'Why is this script so wrong? Can someone tell me how I should answer that?!'
Yan HeQing swept two glances at the silent Xiao YuAn from the corner of his eyes. Then, he continued: "If you can't stand to be near me anymore, and if you hate me, you should have pushed me away and not given me hope. Instead of an empty happiness, I'd rather you didn't care about me."
Xiao YuAn was slightly startled as he heard Yan HeQing continue talking: "You have to make a decision about my feelings before I'm willing to let you go. If I can see a little bit of hope, even if it's faint, I would-….. wouldn't know what to do."
The unspoken words stupefied Xiao YuAn for a long while before he could reply: "I…."
However, Yan HeQing interrupted him softly: "I'm not trying to make you answer me, I just wanted to let you know." 'I just want to let you know that your innocence and carelessness is the happiness of half my lifetime.'
Xiao YuAn was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so he didn't dare to speak again. He peeled the skin of the sweet potato, and then took two bites.
He didn't know when the rain stopped outside, but the sunlight was shining through the thick clouds, casting a golden glow. Xiao YuAn finished the last bite of the sweet potato, ran out of the cave to bathe under the sunlight, stretched his back comfortably, and walked back into the cave.
Inside the dimly lit cave, Yan HeQing's head was hung low, and his face was obscured by a shadow, making it impossible to see his expression. Suddenly, a hand extended over and grasped Yan HeQing's hand.
Xiao YuAn gave him a warm smile: "Let's go out, don't be like this. The sun is shining outside, it'll be better if we walk down the mountain now while we still can. I'll hold your hand and make sure that you won't fall."
…
AD
Meanwhile, in Taoyuan Village, after a long rainstorm the day before, the weather has finally gotten better and Zhang Baizhu came back from collecting the medicinal herbs. So, Lin Shenling didn't need to go to the medicinal shop every day anymore to help with the shop and take care of Zhang Changsong.
The normally bustling residence was extra quiet now since Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue took Xie Chungui to the Western Shu Kingdom for medical treatment. A few days ago, a letter came from them so Third Aunt didn't have to worry. Lin Shenling was sitting in the courtyard, panting, while washing clothes. Third Aunt looked at the main door of the residence and said: "Oh, it's been several days since YuAn went up the mountain, why hasn't he come back yet?"
Lin Shenling wiped the sweat from her forehead and comforted her: "Auntie, don't worry. Didn't Baizhu bring back news last time that Xiao-gongzi was fine, and that he would come back later?"
"Ah, but, wasn't it raining so heavily the day before yesterday? I'm worried about him, it's not safe staying in the mountain like that." Third Aunt sighed repeatedly.
Lin Shenling said as she wrung out the clothes that had been washed: "Auntie, don't worry, beware of your health, worrying all day won't make you good. Maybe Xiao-gongzi will be back sooner than we expect."
Third Aunt said a few more words before heading to the inner room.
Lin Shenling washed her clothes, carried and dumped them a few times, and then hung them in the courtyard. While carrying the basin to pour the water outside the residence, and dumping the water, Lin Shenling took the basin and eased her breath. Just when she was about to turn around and walk back to the residence, she suddenly stopped.
Because she saw two people slowly coming from afar. And one of them was Xiao YuAn!
Lin Shenling raised her hand high and was about to shout Xiao YuAn's name, but suddenly, she saw him make a gesture of silence. She panicked so much that she covered her mouth.
After seeing that Lin Shenling didn't shout out his name, Xiao YuAn relaxed his breath, and half lead, half helped Yan HeQing into his residence.
About half an hour ago, Xiao YuAn had recovered his original voice, and when he thought that after he arrived at the residence he wouldn't have to pretend to be Lin Shenling, he didn't eat another small red fruit. Fortunately, Yan HeQing didn't speak to him the whole time, which helped him avoid being exposed.
When Xiao YuAn saw Lin Shenling getting closed to them, Xiao YuAn couldn't help but sigh inwardly with some mixed feelings: 'It seems that I will have to stay at the clinic for the next few days.' Moreover, this village is small, so he has to avoid accidentally meeting with Yan HeQing.
AD
Unable to understand why she couldn't speak, Lin Shenling blinked puzzlingly at Xiao YuAn. When she saw Xiao YuAn making another gesture, she put down the wash basin and carefully walked towards them.
Xiao YuAn took Lin Shenling's hand and slowly handed it to Yan HeQing. He thought that after he gave some instructions to Lin Shenling, he would've served his purpose!
Just when Xiao YuAn saw that the Male Lead and the Third Female Lead were about to hold hands successfully, Yan HeQing suddenly and violently threw away his hand, making Xiao YuAn look up completely frightened. It was like a thunderbolt shocked him directly, making him freeze in place.
Chapter 119: Finding Out That It Was A Mistake To Call Him Husband.
Yan HeQing's eyes were bright and captivating, looking straight at Xiao YuAn. His eyes were as dark as pure ink, clearly reflecting Xiao YuAn's figure on them.
'He wasn't half-blinded!'
'What the hell! How can your eyes heal all of a sudden?! Could you at least give me a warning first?!'
Xiao YuAn suddenly took a half step back. He felt an abrupt urge to turn around and run away. Unexpectedly, Yan HeQing moved faster than him, took a step forward, and grabbed his wrist with force.
'What will you do?! What are you trying to do?! Lin Shenling is still here! Don't expose your blackened temperament! Behave yourself!'
Xiao YuAn knew that Yan HeQing wanted to castrate him! But he couldn't do it here, right?!
Xiao YuAn's breath almost stopped, but he didn't forget Lin Shenling. After his wrist was held by Yan HeQing, he immediately turned around to Lin Shenling and made a mouthing motion: 'Call-him-husband!'
'Lin Shenling, shout! Yan HeQing, in the original book, was a harem maniac. If you call him "husband", his anger will surely be half gone! I can then slip away from him once he gets distracted!'
"Wh-…. what?" Lin Shenling didn't understand at all.
Xiao YuAn made several mouth gestures, asking her to shout at her husband.
Lin Shenling suddenly reacted, with a trace of confusion and hesitation appearing under her eyes; but after she remembered that Xiao YuAn had saved her before, she twisted her hands together, gathered some courage, and took a deep breath.
AD
Then, she shouted towards Xiao YuAn: "Husband!"
Xiao YuAn: "….."
Yan HeQing: "….."
Xiao YuAn saw Yan HeQing's eyes, which were wide open in surprise, and his face, which was gradually turning cold after the first initial shock. Xiao YuAn felt that right now, the possibility of getting castrated in public had increased.
What's the most untouchable thing in a harem novel?!
The Male Lead's life?
Wrong!
The Male Lead's golden finger?
Wrong!
The Male Lead's family and friends?
Wrong!
It's the Male Lead's harem! His wives! Any woman that the Male Lead has his eye on! It doesn't matter whether you want to chase after them, abuse, or do something else. The only thing you can do is to wash your neck, sit, and wait for death to come!
"
"
Xiao YuAn took a half step back violently when Lin Shenling called him "husband" and stepped on a small stone, twisting his foot. Yan HeQing quickly supported Xiao YuAn so that he wouldn't fall, while at the same time, Lin Shenling gave a light cry and stepped forward to hold Xiao YuAn on the other side: "Xiao…. husband, what happened to you?"
Unexpectedly, Lin Shenling called him "husband" again. Xiao YuAn almost didn't know how to breathe anymore.
Xiao YuAn and Yan HeQing already had a long history of old grudges from the past, but now, there was another one: Pretending to be a woman to deceive him.
And not only did he deceive Yan HeQing, but he also made Yan HeQing have feelings for "him". That'll obviously look like he made fun of him!
In the original book, what Yan HeQing hates the most, is when people made fun of him! In this situation, Xiao YuAn was afraid that he would be tortured alive a hundred times worse to relieve Yan HeQing's anger.
Xiao YuAn thought that Yan HeQing would be furious, but he didn't expect Yan HeQing's actual reaction.
Yan HeQing looked like he was struck by lightning, and didn't say anything for a long time. His hand holding Xiao YuAn's wrist was even trembling faintly, and his voice was extremely hoarse as he said: "You…. you married her?"
That question was asked with great caution, as if the answer could push him into an abyss and be doomed by eternity, surrounded by gloominess.
"I…." Xiao YuAn didn't even know how to answer.
The main focus of Yan HeQing's question was definitely on her, but why did Yan HeQing ask that, instead of immediately attacking him?
By this time, Yan HeQing was no longer the prisoner who had to endure humiliation and be trampled on in the Imperial Palace of the Northern Kingdom. He doesn't need to hide his true abilities, he's even able to kill and torture anyone who dared to hurt him.
But the current Yan HeQing made Xiao YuAn very confused. He didn't know if it was because he was still in pain from his injuries, with his face as pale as paper, and his eyes were shining. He looked more fragile than a Luan1 made out of paper, unable to withstand the wind and rain.
'Was it because Yan HeQing had deep feelings for Lin Shenling? And now that he realized that she's married, he can't bear to hurt her family, so that's why he looks like this? Is he going to leave her?'
Xiao YuAn's silence for such a long time seemed like a tacit agreement to Yan HeQing. After all, even if Xiao YuAn lied, would this woman ignore her own innocence, and blindly call him her husband?
Today was such a pleasant day surrounded by sunlight, but it was so quiet between the three of them that even the sound of a needle hitting the ground could be heard.
After a long time, Yan HeQing released Xiao YuAn's wrist. He closed his eyes and withdrew his hand. His throat felt painful, hoarse, dry and astringent; and when he opened his mouth, he seemed like he had a big speech to say, but in the end, he only said one word: "Alright….."
And after what felt an eternity, Yan HeQing murmured again. The word was faintly inaudible, but it was the same word: "Alright…."
After saying that, Yan HeQing turned around and walked away. Xiao YuAn didn't ask him to stay, and was at a loss at what to say. He stayed frozen in place, watching Yan HeQing leaving.
Chapter 120: Finding About The Pregnancy Smooth Pulse.
Yan HeQing walked towards the village exit step by step, like a living corpse; his eyes were blank, and his limbs were stiff. He wasn't thinking about anything. Better to say, he didn't dare to think of anything. His body felt extremely cold, and his wounds began to hurt faintly.
The place that hurt the most was his back. It was where he'd gotten hurt, when he tried to block the falling tree trunk that was close to hitting Xiao YuAn.
He must have bruised his internal organs at that time, otherwise, why would he be feeling pain all over his body? And while he was immersing himself in depresion, Yan HeQing couldn't take another step because he felt a dull pain spread from his chest to his limbs.
He held the wall beside him with one hand, and grasped his chest with the other. The pain spread up and down his whole body, until finally, it jumped right to his throat. Yan HeQing then gurgled out a mouthful of blood.
The scarlet liquid slipped from the corners of his mouth in droplets, staining his clothes, and hitting the ground. Yan HeQing tried to calm himself and slowly wiped the corners of his mouth, when suddenly, he felt another dull pain coming from his chest. Just before he could swallow the blood, it was spat out again, followed by his eyes losing focus, and his ears were ringing, making him feel dizzy.
There were unknown passersby yelling around him, but Yan HeQing couldn't hear anything clearly, so he just fell straight to the ground.
However, his body didn't knock on the cold ground, instead, he fell into a warm embrace.
Just like that day at the Palace of the Northern Kingdom, where the wind was howling and he was dressed in thin clothes, kneeling in the cold courtyard for almost the whole night. When he finally couldn't hold up anymore, he collapsed into a warm, recognizable embrace. From then on, time passed by; his brows frowned in anger and his heart felt disturbed. He knew he was suffering from a heartache, but there was no way this could be cured.
Inside a wing room of Xiao YuAn's residence, Zhang Changsong sat on the edge of the bed, stroking his white beard and checking the pulse of the person lying on the bed with a thoughtful appearance.
On the bed, Yan HeQing was covered with a thin blanket. His lips were pale, his face was bloodless, and his eyes were closed; looking as if he had been unconscious for a long time.
Xiao YuAn stood aside, not daring to breathe.
AD
"Well…." Zhang Changsong murmured, but then fell silent again.
Xiao YuAn couldn't help but say: "Shifu, what are you doing?! It's not like he's pregnant, so what is taking you so long when checking his pulse?"
Zhang Changsong glared at him: "Watch your words….."
Xiao YuAn shouted: "What? Smooth pulse1? Is he really pregnant?!"
Zhang Changsong choked and almost spat out some blood, then he fiercely raged at him: "I'm telling you to not talk so much! Who the hell told you that a smooth pulse means that someone's pregnant? Look at you, so full of life. If I check your pulse, of course it will be a smooth pulse!"
Xiao YuAn said: "Smooth, smooth, smooth. Shifu is right about everything, and I believe in Shifu when he says that I must be pregnant."
Zhang Changsong didn't even bother to mind Xiao YuAn's antics. He just touched his beard, withdrew his hand from Yan HeQing's pulse, and after a sigh, he said: "This man's memories are stored in his heart, where his spirit has a place to return to. His vital energy stays, but it doesn't work right, causing him to Qi deviate."
Xiao YuAn made an 'eerrr' sound, blinked his eyes, and then said: "….. So, is he still pregnant?!"
Zhang Changsong was so angry that he hit Xiao YuAn with his medical book: "Get out of here and copy this ten times!"
Xiao YuAn caught the medical book and replied: "I'll copy, I'll copy, I'll copy. So, Shifu, what happened to him?"
Zhang Changsong looked at him from the side of his eye: "There's no way he'll die. The wounds on his body have almost healed, so his coma wasn't caused by internal injuries. Just now, when I took his pulse, there was a faint tendency to sink, so he must have been depressed for a long time now. I couldn't miss it. Therefore, his spleen and lungs were already suffering from some hidden illnesses, and since he also injured his lungs from a collision, that's what caused him to vomit blood. I'll write you a prescription, so go to my place and bring the medicine."
'How long has he been depressed? In the original book, Yan HeQing was understandably depressed due to Princess Yongning's death. However, what could Yan HeQing be depressed about? Increasing his harem should make him happy, right?'
AD
"Yes, thank you Shifu." Xiao YuAn sent Zhang Changsong back to the medical shop, and grabbed the medicine according to the prescription Zhang Changsong had given to him. He wanted to go to the back hall and say hello to Zhang Baizhu, but who he saw wasn't Zhang Baizhu, instead it was Lin Shenling decocting the medicine.
Lin Shenling was waving the big palm-leaf fan in her hand, opening the porcelain lid of the pot from time to time to check on the boiling medicine. She coughed because of the burning charcoal, but she was incredibly patient. When she heard the sound of footsteps, Lin Shenling turned her head only to see it was Xiao YuAn who walked in, and said: "Xiao-gongzi? Are you looking for Baizhu? He went up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs, he's not here right now!"
Xiao YuAn was slightly startled with the way Lin Shenling addressed Zhang Baizhu, and asked: "Why are you here?"
"Oh, didn't Mrs. Zhang from East street caught a cold yesterday? There's no one in her family who can take care of her, so Baizhu asked me to decoct cold medicine for her!" Lin Shenling replied.
Xiao YuAn began to feel that something wasn't right, but he couldn't guess it, so he had to ask: "It's almost time for dinner, are you going back home?"
"I'm not going back. I've already told Third Aunt that I'll take care of Zhang-daifu, since his waist hasn't healed yet, I'll cook dinner for him! I'll come back after dinner." Lin Shenling replied.
Xiao YuAn nodded, but his heart felt hesitant.
Why does it feel like there was a sense of mutual recognition between the three members of this mysterious and harmonious family?
Xiao YuAn was still thinking over this matter when he heard Lin Shenling calling him in a low voice: "Xiao-gongzi, before when I called you husband…. I…."
Xiao YuAn repeatedly waved hand: "That's because you misunderstood what I meant! It was a misunderstanding, a great misunderstanding!"
Lin Shenling replied with a soft tone of voice: "I was the one who was foolish."
Xiao YuAn said: "Just…. let's just forget about it, alright? And remember to not come back home too late."
AD
After they said their goodbyes, Xiao YuAn returned to his residence with the medicine. When he arrived, he saw that Third Aunt was waving a letter in her hand as she said: "YuAn, YuAn! Look, it's a letter from LiuAn."
Xiao YuAn took the letter and read it carefully, then Third Aunt asked: "How is Chungui's illness?"
Xiao YuAn replied: "The letter says that Chungui's illness needs some time to get cured, so he won't be able to return for a while. Fengyue entrusted him under the care of that divine physician."
Third Aunt asked again: "Then what about LiuAn and Fengyue?"
Xiao YuAn said with a playful smile: "They went on their honeymoon."
Third Aunt was confused: "On a honeymoon? What honeymoon?"
Xiao YuAn grinned: "Nothing, it's nothing. In short, they're all very good. Ah, by the way, Third Aunt, did the man in the wing room wake up?"
Third Aunt shook her head: "He hasn't woken up yet."
Xiao YuAn's face wasn't smiling anymore. Instead, he looked very worried.
Third Aunt looked at the sudden change on his face, and said: "Don't worry, come on, let's go eat dinner. Are you hungry? The table is all set!"
When Xiao YuAn didn't answer, and instead, looked back at the direction of the wing room, Third Aunt grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the dining room.
