Lan Yin Bi Yue

Capítulo 53

In the secluded room of Qingfeng Villa, Shao Qingyou suddenly sat up straight and sneezed loudly.

Before he could even put his hand down from rubbing his nose, the clanging of chains mingled with the crisp sound of a mechanism being activated, and the heavy stone door to the secret chamber slowly opened.

Behind the door, a woman in red, unremarkable in her appearance, entered gracefully, carrying wine and dishes.

“Sister Durian,” Shao Qingyou frowned, “please let me go.”

Hong Liuya glanced at him, placed the food and wine on the small stool in front of the bed, and asked, "Can you behave yourself and stop ruining your brother's affairs?"

Shao Qingyou's expression immediately changed, and he turned his head away, saying, "...I wish I could kill him!"

"That's it." Hong Liuya picked up the wine pot and poured wine for the other man, coldly observing the profile of his face. The sharp chin and the ruthless upturn of his lips revealed that they were brothers.

"Just because he forced your stepmother to commit suicide, you hate him for life?" Hong Liuya chuckled softly. "No matter how close a stepmother is, she can't compare to a blood brother. Besides, that woman betrayed you two brothers to her enemies in order to protect herself. Doesn't she deserve to die?"

"Of course not!" Shao Qingyou turned around and suddenly became agitated. "No matter what, it was my aunt who raised us with such hard work and dedication. Even if she made a mistake, it doesn't warrant death!"

“That’s because you’re still young,” Hong Liuya said with a cold smile, but still tried to comfort her, “You don’t know what really happened, and you can’t distinguish right from wrong.”

"Do you think he'll just share?" Shao Qingyou retorted coldly. "From as far back as I can remember, he's treated everyone around him as an enemy. My father named him Yan He, telling him to cherish himself and not to risk his life for hatred, fame, or fortune. But he insists on revenge and wants to get his hands on the treasure—but it's enough that he's crazy on his own, why drag everyone else down with him?! Why drag me down with him?!"

“He didn’t hold you back…” Hong Liuya shook her head, “It’s you who’s been unwilling to accept it. From beginning to end, he kept you far out of the picture…”

...

"Who is behind Shao Qingyou?" Above the secret room of the manor, the fake manor owner Gan Mo was personally scooping water to wash the walls, asking Song Guan, the man in black who had just landed beside him a moment earlier.

"Have you forgotten who you are?" Song Guan replied coldly. "Mind your own business."

“But he wanted to kill his senior,” Gan Mo said, unwilling to accept it. “Why keep him alive?”

“If he were your only relative,” Song Guan retorted, “would you kill him if he wanted to kill you?!”

"I don't know..." Gan Mo threw down the water ladle, stood up straight, and glared at the wall in front of him, which was covered in ink stains. He wished he could slap Sun Qingshan for his scribbling and lack of manners!

...

"Achoo—!" In his sleep, Sun Qingshan sneezed loudly.

The person fanning the air immediately stopped and dared not fan anymore.

"Savage..." Sun Qingshan was talking in his sleep, his face turned over, the other half of his face pressed against his hand.

Shao Yanhe remained kneeling by the window, finally able to see her face up close. "Sun Qingshan..." he called out, "...Sun Qingshan...Sun Qingshan..."

...

"What are you doing?" The beautiful maid, dressed in light clothes and with her hair in a cloud-like style, suddenly turned around and glared angrily at Zhao, the cook, who had followed her from the kitchen to the inner courtyard.

"That person...that person..." Cook Zhao said mysteriously, "Did he drink the soup I made? What did he say about the taste?"

"Soup?" the maid scoffed. "It was poured out long ago!"

"It collapsed?!" Cook Zhao's face stiffened, and after a moment, it turned cold. "It collapsed? How ungrateful! Does he think he's some kind of miracle doctor? Does he think he can fly?!"

After saying this, he turned around, full of resentment, rolled up his sleeves, and left.

"This person...?" The beautiful maid was both amused and exasperated. "A divine doctor is indeed a divine doctor. He wouldn't even be interested in me, how could he possibly be interested in you?!"

...

"Achoo!" Xu Yi's hand holding the pen trembled, and he frowned as he looked at the prescription on the table, which had been written with a stroke of a pen.

As I put pen to paper again, my mind suddenly soared to the heavens, and my thoughts wandered elsewhere.

Lately, this has been happening frequently. Ever since he went to that small village in Sichuan, he suspects that he has been poisoned by some kind of strange flower. The poison is slow-acting, causing him to drift off from time to time. When he comes back to his senses, he can't remember what he was thinking about, and he only feels a stabbing pain in his chest.

At times like these, Sun Qingshan is the most anxious. Last time, she saw him rushing over with a carving knife in his hand, as if his life depended on it—"Xu Yi, calm down!" She thought he was going to commit suicide. "Don't be impulsive! Relax... relax... concentrate, think of Xu Jinwan, think of your grandson... think of how wonderful this world is, don't do anything foolish, put the knife down, put it down, put it down... I'm by your side... I'll always be by your side..."

Without a word, Xu Yi put down his knife, looked up at Sun Qingshan, who had a neurotic expression, and suddenly felt like laughing.

But when he came to his senses and looked down at the prescription on the table, the smile faded from Doctor Xu's face.

Chapter 66

At midnight, the big white goose in the villa's pond started honking. The servants said that the goose was becoming a spirit, as it would honk incessantly at the exact time, and at other times, it wouldn't honk even if they plucked its feathers.

Meanwhile, a wild man barged into my house and described the scene to me in great detail—first, he lit a lamp, saw a dark shadow flash by the corner of the wall, chased after it, took off his shoes and chased after it from behind, but couldn't catch it. Then, he made a trap with a pot lid, pulled the rope, and the trap fell down in front of the mouse, which was then captured alive.

This is what the savage imagined me to have just done. In his imagination, I not only chased the mouse eagerly, but I also caught it and then did something foolish: I deliberately went over and lifted the pot lid to trap it. As clever as the mouse was, it escaped again in the gap.

The wild man described all these details in a very detailed and vivid way, so much so that even I, as one of the parties involved, felt as if I were there, as if it were real, and as if it were all there... It's just that this rat must have been an old, weak rat with crippled limbs, otherwise a pot lid could have covered it, and I would have been a martial arts master.

Looking up at the savage, so confident and determined, I saw his weary face, thin and haggard. I was a little dazed, imagining him spending his days and nights alone, never leaving his house, never seeing a stranger. No one knew what he was thinking. Sometimes he could sit there all day with a copy of "XX Divine Skill"... If one day he picked up a copy of "Sunflower Manual" and seriously considered whether he should castrate himself first, I don't think I could stop him.

The world behind the savage is very cliché: revenge, endurance, horrific family troubles, and ruthless courage... To me, it felt like listening to a story. He never told me about his own life, whether he remembered it or not. I felt like I had lived in vain.

I miss that narrow-minded savage who could only think of me, even though he was not yet whole back then.

As for the man in front of me, he might only come to my door without any hesitation and act like a reliable man who is always available when he dreams of rats and is completely out of it.

When I remained silent, he also fell silent. Even though he had finally managed to speak, he actually said less and less to me.

I sighed and asked him, "You're saying I'm catching mice at midnight? If the mouse gets away, why would I bother looking for you? Did you even use your brain? Did I use telepathy to notify you?"

I realized my tone was harsh only after I finished speaking. The savage was slightly taken aback. Even now, he still felt that dream was reality, so he came in a rage, not dressed properly, not wearing shoes, and smashed my door in one go. He was searching the whole world for rats, and his mind was full of images of someone being attacked by rats in the chaos. Perhaps, he really hadn't thought about anything else.

The two are now facing off. "Where's the mouse?" I asked.

"..."

"Say something if you've found it or not!" I shouted.

The savage turned around, pointed, and pointed to the room where I had hidden a man.

So now I understand that the idea of someone having a dream at midnight, a chance encounter with inspiration, isn't without reason.

He stood in front of me, blocking the light. I knew he was tall and thin, but I never imagined he would make me feel intimidated. Now I understand that he had always played the rabbit in front of me. He was strong inside, but appeared docile and easy to bully. Even if he was thin, skin and bones, it didn't look frail when he was covered up with clothes. He wasn't the kind of person who was thin and weak. Wild men have a strange aura. It was obviously oppressive, but it made me feel like I was bathed in a spring breeze. Those big, round eyes, that small nose, that small mouth, that creamy, delicate, and warm white skin... I think I'm too deeply in love, beyond saving.

Actually, he was disheveled and not handsome at all.

The savage slowly pushed me aside, and I made way for him to enter the inner room. There he naturally saw the honest and upright physician Xu Yi sitting in front of my bed, preparing to give me two acupuncture needles.

This sense of propriety and morality should still be upheld; it is unreasonable for a man and a woman to be alone in a room in the middle of the night.

The savage paused for a moment when he saw Xu Yi. I followed him and whispered, "Well... I told you, I invited Xu Yi to play cards all night... and I was asking you... if you wanted to join..."

That's why it was such a coincidence that Xu Yi discovered I had heatstroke while engrossed in playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game). Halfway through the game, I suddenly vomited all of my newly eaten snacks, late-night drinks, iced tea, and mung bean soup onto the doctor.

Therefore, Xu Yi was wearing my T-shirt and shorts, with his pinkish-blue and green clothes, and his white arms and slender legs were all exposed.

This scene—a man sitting leisurely in a young girl's boudoir, incense burning softly, candlelight flickering with an ambiguous atmosphere… anyone who saw this would surely have impure thoughts, and think far ahead…

The savage entered the room, and Xu Yi naturally turned around as well. When his chest, as thin as a plank, was facing me and the savage, not only was the savage stunned, but I was also stunned.

No wonder the savage was searching the whole world for mice, and he even gestured that a mouse had crawled onto my bed. Right now, there's a mouse sitting right next to my bed—a huge Mickey Mouse head, imprinted on Xu Yi's chest, grinning foolishly at the two people by the door.

This time I finally understood why the savage had such strange dreams out of nowhere. It was because I had provoked him during the day. I had stayed up all night to let him know that I was a bold person and that I could do anything without him. I couldn't guarantee what it would be like to spend the night with a man... but he could imagine it for himself.

Everyone has experienced the phenomenon of "what you think about during the day, you dream about at night." Now, his thoughts were obvious. Xu Yi packed his things and prepared to leave, but the savage blocked his way in the middle of the house.

"Medicine box..." The savage's voice was strange. Looking at the medicine box Xu Yi was carrying, he asked in a hoarse voice, "...Are you sick?"

Of course, this shouldn't be asked like that. Even if the savage asked Xu Yi, "Are you sick?", the "you" he was referring to was actually me.

Intentionally or unintentionally, he has reduced his care and attention to me to a minimum. Once he is sure I am unconscious, he might touch me or look at me a few more times.

This time, however, his hypocrisy was too obvious. Even though he couldn't stand me being with a second man, he could still hide his jealousy on the surface, appearing calm and natural as he watched from the sidelines.

The savage and the divine doctor stood facing each other. In fact, Xu Yi was no shorter than the savage, but this man from a peasant background was too sickly. Even wearing my clothes made him look taller than I was. Therefore, in front of the savage, one side appeared more slender, while the other side appeared more imposing.

The miracle doctor replied, "Sun Qingshan ate too much..." I almost jumped up; this was so damaging to my image! And he diagnosed me in front of a savage?!

"Heatstroke...!" Hiding behind the savage, I glared at Xu Yi and silently mouthed the words, trying to make him change his mind.

Xu Yi glanced at me without blinking and said directly, "Eating too much can be a big or small matter. Binge eating... and not eating... are... no different."

The savage's face turned pale on the spot. I gave Xu Yi a thumbs up from behind, saying, "This guy is amazing... so insightful."

Therefore, a faint smile appeared on the doctor's face. As a doctor, he couldn't lie, but as a doctor, he could make things up.

Actually, I really wanted to remind him to add a few more problems, or describe it as an incurable disease, and see how the savage would react—but as I thought about it, savages are mostly not easy to fool, and even if they were fooled, it would be even harder to clean up the mess.

The miracle doctor stopped giving acupuncture, picked up his suitcase, and left triumphantly. Unlike the Mickey Mouse on his chest, his shorts had a classic, nostalgic cartoon character on the back—Blue Mouse, the best friend of Big Face Cat.

The outfit that the savage used to wear was now being worn by the divine doctor. I can hardly imagine what the savage must have thought.

“Um…” I turned around, and the savage lowered his head, raised his hand, and pulled on the loosely tied belt around his waist, opening his clothes.

I was startled. He took off the only gray-black outer garment he was wearing, and the garment slid down his back to the ground—he just undressed like that? I couldn't believe it. How could a savage be so proactive?

So, shirtless, he remained standing still, brushing his long, hanging hair aside, then turned around, his back to me, and slowly asked, "...Are you scared...?"

I gasped. He was referring to the burns on his back, the protruding bone, and the deep, pitted, crimson scars on the skin. Compared to the clean, pale skin on his arms, those marks were shocking. I had begged him for a long time, and he had refused to let me see these old wounds, but suddenly he changed his mind.

My once beautiful back... I covered my mouth with my hand, afraid that I would moan. Although it used to be covered in scars, I think that if you compare the mottled and faded back before with this one now, it was really flawless back then.

How could it be so serious? The burns started from below his shoulder and extended all the way to his lower back, like an undulating map of South America, covering most of his back.

"...If you were with me..." he said, his back to me, "...perhaps...it would be you who gets hurt..."

The low, slow tone of voice sounded exactly like the feeling in my heart—cold and devoid of warmth…

"Bullshit!" I suddenly realized and shouted. The candlelight on the table flickered and danced. I gritted my teeth, forced myself to widen my eyes, touched the savage's back with my fingertips, and then placed my whole palm on it.

The savage's aura was stiff and faint. Upon closer inspection, the burns looked as if a layer of skin had been peeled off, and they felt cold, hard, and terrifying to the touch.

“…I really wish…” He lowered his head, letting me stroke his back, “…that I could have died in the Savage Valley before I met you…”

My fingers were covered in the cool ointment he had applied to my back. I froze, looked up, and asked, "What did you say?!"

The ointment had a faint, delicate scent. The savage turned his head slightly to the side, his eyes lowered. "...Do you know why I'm there...?"

I remained silent, and he answered his own question: "...I had nowhere else to go...so I jumped off the cliff..."

Chapter 67

The room's window was a push-out window. I pushed it open and used a wooden stick to prop it against the window frame to secure it.

The night breeze was warm with a hint of coolness, and the light from the garden path shone into the room through the windowpanes, casting a soft, hazy glow.

I turned around and saw the wild man sitting on the edge of the bed with his eyes half-closed. The scene was much the same as it had been a few months ago. Cicadas were chirping and frogs were croaking in the lotus pond. I walked back to the bed and remembered how I had once smiled tenderly at him. But four years had passed since then.

"Wait a minute..." I said, "I... need to prepare myself a little..."

The savage nodded.

I sighed, "How did you suddenly come to this realization..." I muttered to myself, but a bad feeling was pounding in my chest. "Why did you suddenly want to tell me about your past?" I asked. "Are you still half asleep, huh?"