Chapter 6

"Didn't you say you were fully recovered? Why are you feeling so unwell at night?" Jia Yufang asked.

Zhu Yun did not want to respond.

Just now, Luo Yan smeared incense ash on his lips and then applied stone ink under his eyes. He looked like he was terminally ill, and the smell was pungent.

Luo Yan had no choice but to speak up for her: "Grandmother, A-Yun wants to go to the clinic."

“If you’re feeling unwell, you should go see a doctor.” Jia Yufang nodded. “It just so happens that your Uncle Tian Quan is going to town to buy things tomorrow, so you can ride in his oxcart down there.”

She sat up straight and said obediently, "I'll go with A-Yun."

"This won't do."

Although she agreed to take in Zhu Yun, his background was unclear, and Jia Yufang was worried about Luo Yan going with him, so she comforted her, "Your Uncle Tian Quan will take Yun-ge'er there, and he'll be brought back after he's received treatment."

Fortunately, Luo Yan had a backup plan.

She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief dipped in ginger water, and when she looked up again, her eyes were brimming with tears. She said tearfully, "Grandmother~"

What else could Jia Yufang say?

He waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, let's go together as a trio."

...

Before going to bed, Luo Yan came to the study to remove Zhu Yun's makeup.

Looking at the water, which was still grayish after washing twice, he frowned and began to question how he had been fooled in the first place.

Perhaps Liu Changsheng is right, this house is haunted, it's really eerie.

"Do you know Laifu Restaurant?" Luo Yan wiped away his bruises while looking on with longing. "It's said to have been opened by the late Crown Princess. There's one in our town too."

Hearing the barely concealed excitement in her voice, Zhu Yun sneered: "It seems that finding a doctor for me was a pretense; your real purpose was to eat, drink, and have fun in town."

Luo Yan wouldn't admit it, blinking her eyes: "I'm not feeling well either. My grandmother asked me to go see her, so it's not just a side trip."

He gave a cold "humph" and didn't argue with her.

Luo Yan then asked, "Since you recognized that box of secret manuals and pills, it means you have a lot of experience. Where did you go and what did you do before?"

"have no idea."

She thought Zhu Yun was hiding something from her, and angrily threw the handkerchief, splashing water onto his face: "I didn't know, I didn't know, you're such a boring person."

"......"

After rising to the A-rank, he would kill people who were well-known in the martial arts world, whose whereabouts were difficult to find, and who often hid in deep mountains and forests, which had nothing to do with "playing".

As for towns, I often went there when I first entered the martial arts world, but that was for killing and robbing treasures, and it can't be considered "playing".

Zhu Yun glanced at her sideways, already imagining that when they arrived in town tomorrow, some people would clamor to eat things they don't usually eat, and if they had the energy, they would want to wander through every street and alley.

She must have had a smile on her face, as if everything was extremely interesting.

After venting her anger, Luo Yan guiltily wiped his face with a clean handkerchief, while trying to negotiate, "I heard we have to leave before dawn. If I'm not up, remember to come and wake me up."

He said, slowly and deliberately, "Look at the heart and feelings."

"..."

We're breaking off all contact!

We're breaking off all ties right now!

*

Before dawn, Jia Yufang had already gotten up. She first placed the steamer on the stove, then woke Luo Yan, tied her hair up, and went back to her room to fetch the embroidery and the cushions she had prepared in advance.

Zhu Yun had gone to the mountains for morning exercise earlier. After taking a shower, he saw that Luo Yan was still not moving. He went into her room and saw that she was indeed lying crookedly on the couch.

"stand up."

Luo Yan couldn't open her eyes, so she sat up straight, leaning on his forearm, yawning repeatedly.

He deliberately said, "Since you're so sleepy, it's better not to go today."

"Go, why wouldn't you go?" Luo Yan finally regained some of her senses and pointed to the jewelry on the bedside table. "You can hide these two on your person."

Zhu Yun stood there motionless.

She skillfully clasped her hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Please, please."

"......"

Before long, Gu Yu's father arrived, and Jia Yufang invited him in for breakfast. As for the two younger children, they had agreed the night before to save their food for the trip to town.

Wang Tianquan learned from his son that the Jia family had another grandson. Now that he saw Zhu Yun, who seemed like Luo Yan's elder brother, he sincerely said, "Aunt Fang is so lucky. Her grandchildren are all as beautiful as immortals."

Luo Yan chuckled to herself from behind: "If you were any less handsome, Uncle Tian Quan wouldn't believe you."

Zhu Yun ignored him and focused on wrapping the sword with strips of cloth.

After finishing their meal, Jia Yufang spread out cushions on the oxcart, just enough for two people to sit on. She said, "Don't keep your Uncle Tian Quan waiting."

"They're here, they're here."

Luo Yan concealed an armlet and a jade bracelet in her sleeve. Afraid that her grandmother would notice, she nimbly climbed up without waiting for help. Seeing that the cushion beside her was empty, she knew it was specially reserved for Zhu Yun.

Wang Tianquan casually bolted the door, and upon seeing this, he laughed and said, "Your grandmother really knows how to dote on her grandchildren."

Jia Yufang jokingly replied, "We all learned it from your Wang family. Every time you send Gu Feng off, you always use three or four layers of floor mats."

"That's just a rumor."

Luo Yan glanced at Uncle Tian Quan, who was grinning from ear to ear, and leaned over to whisper to Zhu Yun, saying, "Brother Gu Feng is a scholar, and Uncle and Aunt Liu don't want him to have the smell of meat on him, so they specially prepared a car for him to pick up and drop off."

The oxcart was not large to begin with, and the mountain wind lifted her long hair, smearing it all over Zhu Yun's face.

He brushed the hair aside irritably, his nose filled with the scent of hairspray. Just as he was about to retaliate by rubbing his hair a couple of times, Luo Yan knelt up and started chattering away to the person in front of her.

Her long hair, like a cunning fish, easily slipped through his fingers.

Zhu Yun curled her fingertips, her gaze deep and thoughtful.

"Ah Yun, Ah Yun, did you hear that?" She held her palm to Zhu Yun's ear, afraid that the wind would blow her words away. "There are two bookstores, three teahouses, and four pawnshops in town. There are so many."

He didn't reply, only slightly raising his eyelashes, his expression looking colder than usual.

But this did not dampen Luo Yan's enthusiasm in the slightest.

She continued to move forward, listening until she was finished, then squeezed back against him, chattering incessantly, "Wow, the embroidery Grandmother brought is to be delivered to the Sheng family. We can take this opportunity to sneak out to the street."

The girl's smile revealed an innocent purity, gradually overlapping with another face in Zhu Yun's memory.

After a long while, he looked away with an unfriendly expression.

Even though Luo Yan was slow to notice, she sensed something was off. She tilted her head and looked at her, asking, "Ah Yun, are you carsick?"

"No," Zhu Yun said casually, closing her eyes. "I'm hungry."

She believed her: "Just hang in there a little longer, I'll take you to eat something delicious later."

"Um."

As her energy gradually subsided, Luo Yan glanced at him a few times, thinking that he was probably really hungry. After comforting herself, she leaned on Jia Yufang's shoulder and gave a delicate yawn: "Grandmother, remember to call me when you see the city gate."

...

Hanmei Town.

Wang Tianquan escorted the three of them—grandfather, grandfather, and grandson—to the clinic, arranged a return time, and then leisurely left.

Doctor Liu was not seeing patients today, but the shop assistant recognized Jia Yufang and respectfully ushered her in.

Jia Yufang took out two palm-sized cloth bags filled with snacks and told the children, "I'll go deliver the embroidery first, and then I'll take you to the restaurant when I get back."

The waiter served tea and warmly replied, "If you two get hungry or thirsty, just let us know. We have tea in the backyard."

Luo Yan raised her finger and rubbed her face, suppressing the smile on her lips: "Grandmother, don't worry, we won't run around."

After seeing Jia Yufang off, she skillfully tied up her pouch. Seeing Zhu Yun standing there like a wooden post, she tied it around his waist as well, saying, "Use this to fill your stomach first."

He snapped out of his reverie, glanced down at the crowd, and raised his chin: "Go."

The clinic was not yet open, and the white-bearded Physician Ning was sitting in the back room picking medicine. Seeing someone lift the curtain, he gestured for his apprentice to light a lamp.

Physician Ning could be considered Physician Liu's mentor, but since the clinic was owned by Physician Liu, he repeatedly instructed her to take good care of her benefactor, Miss Liu, and then politely invited Luo Yan to sit down.

First, I asked her age, then her diet over the past month, and then I examined her tongue coating, the whites of her eyes, and so on. Finally, I took her pulse.

eccentric.

Physician Ning had heard of her illness before, which was said to be something she had from birth. He truthfully said, "As long as she takes good care of herself, although there is no possibility of a complete cure, her life is not in danger."

Luo Yan was not surprised. She grinned at Zhu Yun, her eyes and brows revealing satisfaction.

He stared at it for a moment, then handed his hand to the old doctor.

"Oh dear." Physician Ning frowned, and reached out with his other hand to pinch Zhu Yun's shoulder and arm. As her heart jumped into her throat, he gasped, "Balanced yin and yang, harmonious internal organs, and extraordinary bone structure—a rare find in a hundred years."

Luo Yan: "......"

They startled me so much, it scared me to death.

The doctor added, "But old injuries, if left untreated for too long, will inevitably become chronic. Go, take off your shirt."

Zhu Yun was surprised that the old man was quite capable. He cooperated by taking off his outer robe, then touched the sash of his inner garment, paused, and glanced at the follower: "I want to take off my clothes."

"I know," Luo Yan said innocently. "It's not like we're completely naked, why are you shy?"

"......"

It was Physician Ning who spoke up: "Miss, please wait outside."

She reluctantly got up and saw that the doctor had already unfolded his needle pouch, which was gleaming with silver light. She was so frightened that her face turned pale. She turned back to comfort Zhu Yun, "Don't be afraid. I heard that acupuncture doesn't hurt."

Zhu Yun's patience ran out, and he urged her to hurry up and leave.

Physician Ning laughed and scolded, "You ungrateful brat, your sister is just concerned about you."

After speaking, he carefully cleaned the wound on Liu Dongjia's back. It was mostly fine, which was enough to live up to Liu Dongjia's expectations.

"Alright, take the prescription and go get the medicine."

When Zhu Yun returned to the main hall, Luo Yan had already drunk a steaming bowl of medicinal porridge and was laughing so hard at the anecdotes told by the waiter.

She's likable everywhere she goes.

"Ah Yun, Ah Yun." Whether it was Luo Yan's sharp eyes or Zhu Yun's keen observation, she ran over like a gust of wind. "Brother Yang said there's a pawnshop on the next street."

So the two left the clinic side by side, but Zhu Yun stopped in front of the teahouse: "Didn't you always want to listen to storytelling? Give me the things."

Luo Yan was slightly taken aback, not because she suspected him of absconding with the money, since the truly valuable items were all left at home.

She asked, puzzled, "Can't I come along?"

"You're just a young lady; you'll easily be pressured to lower your price if you come along."

She looked at the longsword, which appeared even more imposing after being bound with strips of cloth, and silently removed her armlets and other items.

Zhu Yun led her to a seat near the front, coldly surveyed the crowd, and only looked away when fear appeared on everyone's faces: "Alright."

Luo Yan felt uneasy and looked up to ask, "Are you coming back?"

He remained silent for a few moments, then broke free from Luo Yan's grasp and left without looking back.