I put my arm around the strong man's slender waist

Chapter 32

"Okay." I smiled at him, my eyes welling up with tears. "It's so good to see you all again."

He lifted his eyelids and smiled at me, like a white flower blooming in the spring breeze. Ruan Lianhua came over and looked at me anxiously, "Susu, I've been waiting for you for so long." Her eyes blinked.

My heart settled down safely. I held out my bleeding hand to him and called out limply, "My darling, I'm hurt..."

His eyes immediately lit up like stars, and he said ingratiatingly, "Su Su, can I bandage you? I promise I'll be gentle!"

I nodded with a smile, looked around, and then remembered to ask, "Where is Protector Leng?"

Author's Note: I'm out of the woods! This chapter was truly...exhausting yet exhilarating to write! The Priest's first glimpse of his monstrous side! I'll show you the monstrous side once the effects of the drug wear off! Neck pinching! ** and stuff like that! Guess who I'll have the Priest ** today? You'll never guess~ PS: This story will be available for purchase on the 13th, and it will probably be available up to chapter 30. I need to discuss the specifics with the editor, and I'll let everyone know when that happens, so please make sure to read it! You won't need to buy it then. Um, I want to say thank you everyone, thank you for being with me from the very first word until now. This story has many flaws, but everyone has been tolerant, playing these silly guessing games with me every day. Thank you so much... Well, sentimentality isn't really my thing~ Words can't express my gratitude, please bear with me today, bowing deeply. PPS: Just thinking about having to draft three chapters on the 13th makes me want to spit out some suicidal stuff...

Thirty-seven

Leng Baichun had a knot in her heart, whether it was hatred or something else, and it was difficult for her to face the Left Protector until it was untied. So when she learned that the Left Protector was coming, she left with Xiao Jiu.

The Left Protector didn't utter a word, but simply arranged for a carriage to return to the Saluo Sect. Before boarding the carriage, I couldn't help but say, "Left Protector, don't worry. Protector Leng has Xiao Jiu protecting him; he'll be fine..."

He scoffed, "The lives of the traitors in the sect are none of my concern." He flicked his sleeve, boarded the carriage, and coldly ordered, "Get in and return to the sect!"

That arrogant old man... He was clearly worried to death, but he still insisted that he didn't care, just like my dad. I think every time my dad hit me, he felt a tiny bit of heartache, after all, I'm his daughter, aren't I?

The priest was already unconscious and was carried onto another carriage. I took Changhuan and got into the second carriage, while Ruan Lianhua shamelessly followed us in.

As I left Licheng, I heard someone call my name from inside the carriage.

I lifted the carriage curtain and, through the misty rain, saw Jinglian waving at me from the gate of the tower atop the moss-covered city wall. "Thank you, Su Xie!"

I yelled "Stop the carriage!" and jumped down. Standing in the pouring rain, I heard her shout at me, "You owe me an explanation! You have to come back and see me!"

I waved to her in the rain and called out, "I will definitely come back on your wedding day!"

She covered her face and cried on the city wall.

Chang Huan held up an umbrella and helped me up, saying, "Miss, let's get going."

I couldn't see her face clearly in the heavy rain, but I suddenly remembered how she cried that day, her thin shoulders trembling. This was the first time I had ever truly understood the meaning of "prison." She was such a cheerful girl, yet she was destined to be trapped in this Licheng for the rest of her life.

"Miss." Changhuan reached out to help me up.

I lifted the carriage curtain, pulled Ruan Lianhua down, and called out to Jinglian, "Jinglian!"

She looked at me through the misty rain, and I said to Ruan Lianhua, "Tell her you like her."

Ruan Lianhua blinked and frowned slightly, saying, "But I don't like her."

"Can't you just give her a little hope before you leave?" I tugged at his sleeve ingratiatingly. "My darling, good boy, if she marries that chubby little Baoze, she might never leave Licheng for the rest of her life. It's always good to have a little hope!"

“But… Mother said we shouldn’t lie to women.” Ruan Lianhua hesitated.

My face darkened. He looked at me with a troubled expression, pursed his lips, and said, "I like you."

I was taken aback, then raised my hand, turned his face, pointed at Jinglian, and said, "Speak to Jinglian, louder."

He gazed at Jinglian from afar, then suddenly sighed and said, "Admiration is not something to be spoken lightly, Su Su..."

With a stiff face, I waved to Jinglian, turned around and said, "Let's get going." I jumped onto the carriage and threw myself onto the soft cushions.

A moment later, Chang Huan got into the carriage, and the carriage continued its journey, bumping along. I looked up at the carriage, which only contained Chang Huan and me, and asked, "Where is the young master?"

They were just clinging to me, wanting to play with my wound, but now they're nowhere to be seen?

Changhuan took a handkerchief and wiped my hair while saying, "Young Master went to the Left Protector. He said you were tired and told you to rest well."

I kept quiet and didn't say a word.

Chang Huan hesitated for a moment, then finally asked me, "Miss...doesn't she like the young master?"

This is the hardest question to answer... I buried myself in the cushions and mumbled, "He's still a little kid, what does he know about liking someone?"

"Young Master and Miss are about the same age, right?" Chang Huan looked at me with amusement.

Suddenly remembering that she was now the tender young girl Su Xie, not the nineteen-year-old spinster Lu Ning, she stammered, "So...we don't understand, let's talk about it when we do."

Chang Huan stopped talking, brushed aside the wet hair on my back, looked at my back with slight hesitation, and asked, "Miss, does your back hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt that much." I reached out to touch it, but he grabbed my hand. "It hurt before, but now it's numb and I can't feel anything. What? Did you get a blister?"

Changhuan released my hand and carefully began to peel back the clothes on my back. "You're bleeding, the clothes... are stuck to your back. I'm peeling them off for you, it might hurt a little..."

I nodded, and the next instant my clothes tore at my skin, the pain made my vision go black, and I promptly fainted.

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When I woke up again, it was already dark. There was no carriage. I lay on the soft couch, looked around to make sure I was in Su Xie's room. I figured he had already returned to the Saluo Sect. My whole body felt relaxed.

"Miss is awake?" Changhuan pushed open the door and came in, carrying a bowl of medicine to the bedside. "Pharmacist Shen has already applied the medicine for you. He said that if you take good care of it, it won't fester and there won't be any major problems. Is there anything else that's bothering you, Miss?"

His hands were bandaged up, and his whole body was completely at ease. Although Shen Qing had a sharp tongue, his medical skills were truly excellent; he was indeed worthy of being the junior brother of the Medicine King.

I shook my head in satisfaction. Chang Huan sat by the couch, blowing on the medicine to cool it down while feeding me. "Young Master was originally with you, but the old sect leader was worried about him and asked him to go over."

"I can do it myself." I took the medicine, held my breath, and drank it down. It was so bitter that I frowned. Changhuan considerately handed me some candied fruit, which I put in my mouth. Suddenly, I remembered to ask, "Where's Yan Shu? Is he awake yet?"

Chang Huan was slightly taken aback and shook his head. "When I was getting the medicine just now, I heard from Pharmacist Shen that the High Priest couldn't drink any water or drink any medicine. He could only treat the external wounds, but now he has a fever."

I thought for a moment and then asked Changhuan, "Is he with him now? Or with Shen Qing?"

Chang Huan raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "Does the young lady want to go?"

"Of course." I got up, putting on my shoes as I spoke, "We went through so much trouble to save him, and now he's just going to die like this? Wouldn't all the suffering I went through be for nothing?"

“But…” Changhuan hesitated and said, “This is the Saluo Sect now, unlike outside. So many eyes are watching you, Miss. Su Xie and the priests are not on good terms, and Su Xie is the old sect leader’s confidant. It’s not good for you to rush over here now… It would be even more troublesome if the old sect leader misunderstood that you have ulterior motives.”

I paused slightly, looked up at Chang Huan, and after a moment's thought, said, "That makes sense." I then continued putting on my shoes.

Chang Huan was puzzled, "That girl..."

"I can go secretly," I said nonchalantly. "Even if I get caught, I'll just say I came to check if Yan Shu is really dead." I reassured Chang Huan, who looked both amused and exasperated. "I'll be careful, don't worry."

He didn't speak, but squatted down to put my shoes on for me, then got up to take my cloak and fasten it for me, asking, "The High Priest is with Pharmacist Shen. Would you like me to accompany you, young lady?"

"No need." I squinted at him and smiled. "I'm starving. Get me something to eat when I get back."

He nodded and said softly, "Changhuan will wait for the young lady to return."

I turned and went out, feeling a warm glow inside. It feels so good to have someone waiting for you to come home for dinner, but it's a pity my mother isn't there.

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I sneaked into Shen Qing's courtyard, and just as I was about to step into the room, someone slapped me on the back and shouted, "Where did this little thief come from?"

The pain made my vision go black, and I almost spat out a mouthful of blood. I turned around and glared at Shen Qing behind me, "Are you trying to sever my meridians with one palm?!"

Shen Qing was taken aback and quickly steadied me. "Su Xie? Why are you acting so suspiciously?"

I felt my old injury from his slap flare up again, and clutching my chest, I said, "I came here to meet Pharmacist Shen at night, wasn't I supposed to avoid being seen?"

"Don't tarnish my reputation." Shen Qing looked at me with disdain. "I have absolutely no connection with you."

That's so hurtful... You don't have to show your dislike so obviously!

He walked straight into the house, bypassing me, and said bluntly, "What are you doing here? I'm warning you, you'd better not try anything with me, even though I'm so handsome that it's hard for people to resist."

I'm starting to understand what my mother used to say about Ruan Bicheng: "Any martial arts master is either expressionless or a freak." It's not easy for Miao Shou to have such a junior brother.

I ignored his words and went into the house with him. I looked around and asked in a low voice, "Is Yan Shu dead?"

He exclaimed "Huh?" and looked at me suspiciously. "When did you, Su Xie, start caring about other people's lives? Especially your mortal enemy, Yan Shu's life! Strange, something's fishy."

I sighed and said helplessly, "So you're the junior brother of the Medicine King's Miraculous Hands? How strange, very strange."

His expression changed, and he glared at me, asking, "How did you know? Who told you?"

I shrugged and looked at him. "Where's Yan Shu?"

His eyes were filled with anger, as if he wanted to kill me, but as far as I knew, he didn't know martial arts—he couldn't beat me.

He angrily led me to Yan Shu's room, following me inside, and asked persistently, "How did you know? Who else knows?"

I ignored him, and pulled back the bed curtains to see Yan Shu lying unconscious on the couch with his eyes closed. The scar on his forehead had been bandaged. I asked with concern, "Will it leave a scar?"

He glared at me and said, "We don't even know if the person will survive, yet you're concerned about whether there will be a scar."

I sighed with regret. What a pity for such a beautiful face. One of the most important reasons I wanted to save him was that he was beautiful. It pained me to see such a beautiful person die.

“I find this very strange.” Shen Qing frowned and said, “His external injuries are not fatal, but his internal organs are all stagnant, and he is not clear-headed. Moreover, he subconsciously resists people getting close to him, and his self-protective instincts are too strong… What exactly is going on?”

I hurriedly said, "Someone is soaking him in a tub of medicine to make him a 'medicine man.' Do you have any ideas?"

"The drug user?" Shen Qing looked at me, her brows furrowed. "You mean that person? Could it be..."

I nodded, "It's your good senior brother, the Medicine King, the Miraculous Healer."

"Damn it!" Shen Qing shouted angrily without thinking.

Just as I was about to comfort him, saying that being upright and repressed for too long would make one go mad, he angrily exclaimed, "He actually managed to become a drug person before I did!"

Hey! That's not the point, you idiot!

He was extremely agitated, restless in the room for a moment, muttering to himself as he came out, "I must defeat him! I must!"

I watched him walk quickly out of the house, sighed helplessly, turned around and wrung out a handkerchief. Just as I was about to wipe his face, he grabbed my wrist, opened his eyes abruptly, and stared straight at me.

The blood vessels were like a spider web, blurry and unfocused, yet the grip was incredibly strong, which startled me.

I couldn't break free, and whispered to him, "Yan Shu, it's me, Su Xie..."

Author's Note: Finally back to the Demonic Sect! Finally got my little darling to confess! Finally let the Priest become a yandere! Haha, watch the Priest become so wicked under Shen Yaoshi's miraculous medicine and Su Xie's "meticulous care"! Guess where Ye Baizhi is? This is a very important foreshadowing!

Thirty-eight

Author's Note: The chapter that's going to be available for purchase today will be available up to chapter 30. Those who have already read that chapter don't need to buy it again; just start buying from this chapter onwards. I'll be updating three chapters today, and I promise to continue updating daily! I'll take a break if there are any special circumstances. Thank you! I won't say anything more, I'm going to keep working hard to catch up on updates… In the next chapter, the female lead will be with the priest! Would I lie about there being explicit content?! PS: Will you guys still play guessing games with me…? He was still staring straight at me, unfocused, empty.

"Yan Shu?" I waved my hand in front of his eyes, but he didn't blink. His eyes were frighteningly desolate. "Yan Shu, can you hear me?"

He gripped me tightly, and slowly opened his mouth to say something, his voice barely audible.

"What did you say?" I leaned down, close to his mouth, listening intently to his babbling in his sleep, "Rakshasa? Fire? And..."

"Kill..." he murmured repeatedly, "Kill...kill...kill..."

I reached out and grasped his icy fingers, and asked softly, "What Yan Shu did you see? It was a dream, it was all a dream, there was nothing there."

I couldn't break free from his grasp, and I tried to call his name in a gentle tone: "Yan Shu, Yan Shu, you're having a nightmare. There's nothing there, don't be afraid..."

He gradually calmed down, his tense fingers slowly relaxed, and he buried his head in the soft pillow, gently closing his eyes.

I slowly let go of his hand and was about to back away when Shen Qing suddenly said from behind, "He's fainted again?" I was so scared that my heart almost jumped out of my chest. I elbowed him in the lower abdomen, and he cried out in pain and took several steps back, almost spilling the medicine in his hand all over me.