Chapter 137

Life appears calm on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath.

Su Zhelan's life was as regular as a tightly wound spring. Every day at the same time, he would step into the gate of the pharmacy.

To outsiders, he was simply more diligent than ever in seeking medical advice from his master, Su Yan, though he occasionally appeared listless.

The rosy complexion on his handsome face seemed to have faded slightly, revealing a jade-like pallor. There was also a faint bluish shadow under his eyes, as if he had been reading late into the night.

Inside the pharmacy, the air was filled with the bitter aroma of medicine. The process of drawing blood from fingertips had become a silent understanding between Su Zhelan and Su Yan.

Throughout the entire process, Su Zhelan kept her eyelashes slightly lowered. Her breath paused almost imperceptibly when the needle tip fell, and her brow furrowed slightly before returning to normal, as if she had only been bitten by a mosquito.

After applying the cooling ointment, he calmly accepted the ginseng and deer antler soup offered by his master-in-law, Gu Linzhao, and drank it down in small sips. His steps were steady and his movements fluid, showing no sign of weakness. Only when Su Yan's sharp gaze swept over his slightly thinner features and the faint blue under his eyes would he ask in a deep voice, "Are you alright?"

Su Zhelan's reply was always brief and calm: "It's alright, Master." There was nothing unusual in her voice, but the "alright" sound had lost some of its usual clarity and gained a subtle, almost imperceptible, calmness. Su Yan didn't ask any more questions and waved for him to rest on the recliner for a while.

Su Zhelan lay down as instructed, closed her eyes, and soon her breathing became even and long, as if she had just fallen into a normal nap. Gu Linzhao stood silently by her side, looking at his disciple's sleeping profile with complicated emotions.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere was quite different in the study of the general's mansion.

On Xiao Qiyun's desk, border maps and secret documents were laid out. By candlelight, he dipped his brush in ink and quietly sent out a secret letter bearing the Crown Prince's golden seal, inviting the King of the Southern Border to a meeting under the guise of "joint defense against bandits." His deep eyes were calm and unwavering; all his calculations and arrangements for that pale figure were deeply hidden beneath his composed demeanor.

Sheng Xuan, however, was the only ripple beneath the calm surface that sensed something amiss. He continued to sweat profusely on the training ground every day, his strength surging, but his thoughts always unconsciously drifted towards the direction of Shuyu Academy.

He keenly sensed that Su Zhelan seemed somewhat different. Although Su Zhelan would still respond to his words and even give him a faint smile, a lingering weariness always seemed to shroud that smile. The most obvious change was that Su Zhelan became unusually prone to drowsiness.

One afternoon, Sheng Xuan excitedly carried a newly acquired book on frontier customs and features, intending to share it with Su Zhelan. Just as he reached the window of Shuyu Courtyard, he saw Su Zhelan asleep on the soft couch by the window.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone gently through the window lattice onto his peaceful sleeping face, his long eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath his eyes, and an open book lying beside him.

Sheng Xuan slowed her pace and paused outside the window for a moment. Su Zhelan was sleeping soundly, her breathing even, but her slightly furrowed brows and paler complexion than usual made Sheng Xuan's heart clench inexplicably.

He ultimately did not go in to disturb them, but simply placed the book on the windowsill and quietly left.

On another occasion, at the corner of the corridor, Sheng Xuan saw Su Zhelan walking slowly alone in the distance.

Sunlight fell on his thin shoulders. He lowered his head slightly, as if he was thinking about something. His steps were much slower than usual, revealing a subtle calmness.

When Sheng Xuan quickened his pace and called out to him, Su Zhelan seemed startled, abruptly raising his head. A moment of confusion flashed in his eyes before he smiled and said, "It's you."

The smile was still gentle, but it couldn't hide the weariness deep in his eyes.

“Su Zhelan,” Sheng Xuan couldn’t help but speak, his brows furrowing slightly, “Have you been working too hard lately? Why do you always seem sleepy?” His tone was direct, filled with undisguised concern. “Is it because all that stuff at the pharmacy is too mentally taxing? Should I talk to the master and ask you to take a couple of days off?”

Su Zhelan was slightly taken aback, then waved her hand, revealing a reassuring smile, her voice gentle and natural: "I'm not that delicate. It's just that I've been sorting through Master's old, treasured prescriptions these past few days. The handwriting is so blurry that my eyes are sore from looking at them, and I haven't been able to sleep well at night."

He even raised his hand to rub his temples, his tone tinged with self-deprecation, "Looks like I'm getting old, my energy isn't what it used to be."

Sheng Xuan was amused by him, and her doubts eased a little: "Come on, you're even younger than me! Stop looking at that nonsense, it's more important to get out and move your muscles!"

He casually patted Su Zhelan on the shoulder, feeling that her body seemed thinner than before, but Su Zhelan's expression was calm, showing no pain or illness. Perhaps... she really was tired from reading?

Sheng Xuan's clumsy concern did not stop. He began to send things to Shuyuyuan more frequently: sometimes it was freshly baked soft pastries from the west of the city, sometimes it was nourishing ginseng chicken soup, and sometimes it was even a small jar of mints that were said to be refreshing.

He would always shove the food box onto Su Zhelan's desk, his tone authoritative and domineering: "Here you go! Eat it while it's hot! To replenish your energy!"

Looking at the exquisite food boxes, Su Zhelan felt a warmth welling up in her heart, but also a touch of helplessness.

His appetite was indeed not as strong as before, but faced with Sheng Xuan's burning and irresistible kindness, he could only smile and accept it: "Okay, I understand, thank you for your trouble."

He would taste a little in front of Shengxuan, then make excuses such as "I'll eat it later" or "I'll save it to savor slowly" and carefully put the food box away.

However, Sheng Xuan's intuition, beneath his rough exterior, hadn't completely vanished. He felt that Su Zhelan's weariness and paleness weren't simply due to "tiredness from reading." This lingering worry, like a tiny seed, was planted in his heart, waiting for some opportune moment to sprout.

At this moment, Su Zelan's secret, along with the tiny, rapidly healing needle marks on his fingertips, was still carefully concealed beneath a calm exterior.

As the sun began to set, Sheng Xuan finished a day of drills on the training ground. He was covered in sweat, but his mood was exceptionally cheerful.

He made a special detour to the West Market, bought a chilled lotus root starch and lotus seed soup that Su Zhelan had once praised as "refreshing," wrapped it in a thick cloth to keep it warm, and excitedly carried it to Shuyu Courtyard.

Thinking of the faint smile that Su Zhelan might show when she drank it, Sheng Xuan's steps became lighter.

He pushed open the half-closed gate of Shuyu Courtyard with practiced ease, and was about to call out for help when the conversation between two people on the low couch by the window in the inner room drifted out clearly.

"...Everything has been arranged." It was Xiao Qiyun's voice, calm and steady as ever, yet carrying an undeniable force. "We will depart at the beginning of the morning the day after tomorrow."

Su Zhelan sat on the low couch with her back to the door. Upon hearing this, her body tensed almost imperceptibly for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, she replied in a low voice, "...I understand."

"The necessary items for the trip will be delivered later," Xiao Qiyun's voice continued. "This trip is crucial to the overall situation, so we must..."

Sheng Xuan's steps froze on the spot! The words "arranged properly", "the day after tomorrow at the beginning of the morning", and "departure" were like red-hot irons, burning his eardrums hard!

His mind went blank for days, and all the doubts, anxieties, and weariness that Su Zhelan had so casually dismissed were instantly ignited and exploded!

"Depart?! Where to?!" Sheng Xuan's roar was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, suddenly exploding! Like a lion that had been completely enraged, he rushed into the inner room in one stride! The bowl of chilled lotus seed soup in his hand was slammed heavily onto the low table next to him with a "bang", and the soup splashed everywhere!

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the two people on the low couch. His gaze was like a quenched knife, first piercing Su Zhelan's face, which turned pale with shock, and then fixing on Xiao Qiyun's calm face: "What arrangements?! What departure?! What are you up to behind my back now?!"

Su Zhelan's heart pounded in her chest at his sudden outburst and furious appearance. She instinctively tried to stand up and explain, "Sheng Xuan, calm down..."

"Calm down?! How can I calm down!" Sheng Xuan didn't give Su Zhelan a chance to speak. He took a step forward and grabbed Su Zhelan's wrist! The force was so great that Su Zhelan groaned in pain and staggered as he pulled her along.

Sheng Xuan's face was almost touching Su Zhelan's, his hot breath spraying onto Su Zhelan's pale skin. His voice was distorted with extreme anger and fear, "You always made excuses before, saying you were tired from reading! I believed you! I brought you different kinds of food every day, just in case you were tired! And what happened?! You were secretly planning to run away behind my back?! Weren't you?!"

His last few words were almost shouted, making the windowpanes vibrate. The panic and pain of betrayal in his eyes were so real, like a net tightly wrapping around Su Zhelan.

Sheng Xuan was convinced that Su Zhelan's so-called "being tired" was just an excuse to elope with Xiao Qiyun! He felt like a complete fool!

"No! It's not what you think!" Su Zhelan's wrist ached from his grip. Seeing the madness and fear surging in Sheng Xuan's eyes, she hurriedly explained, "I'm just going out to take care of some business! It's important! I'll be right back!"

He tried to break free from Sheng Xuan's iron grip, his voice trembling slightly.

"Important business?! What important business?!" Sheng Xuan wouldn't listen at all. Like grasping at a last straw, his fingers almost dug into Su Zhelan's wrist bone. His eyes were fixed on Su Zhelan's, and he demanded with hysterical stubbornness, "Where to do it?! With whom?! What to do?! Tell me! Why won't you tell me?! Do you even care about..."

"Enough!" Xiao Qiyun's icy voice, like a cold spring, suddenly interrupted Sheng Xuan's out-of-control roar. He had stood up at some point, a few steps away from the two of them, his face calm as still water, only his deep eyes were chillingly cold as they swept over Sheng Xuan's hand that was tightly gripping Su Zhelan.

“Young Master Sheng, please watch your words and actions. Su Zhelan is not your private property; he has his own place to go and things to do.”

Xiao Qiyun's calmness and the phrase "not your private property" were like a bucket of oil poured on Sheng Xuan's anger! He suddenly turned to Xiao Qiyun, his eyes almost spitting out fury: "Shut up! It's all your fault! You're the one who corrupted him! Where are you taking him?! Tell me!" He released Su Zhelan's wrist and made as if to pounce on Xiao Qiyun.

Su Zhelan was utterly exhausted by this sudden turn of events. He abruptly stepped in front of Sheng Xuan, separating the two with his body, his voice filled with unprecedented weariness and a hint of pleading: "Sheng Xuan! Stop it!"

He looked into Sheng Xuan's eyes, burning red with anger and fear, into the undisguised possessiveness and panic within them that seemed to consume him, and a deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside him. He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice clearer and more solemn:

"Really... I just went out to take care of some things. It's not what you think." He paused, meeting Sheng Xuan's still distrustful and agitated gaze, and promised with difficulty, word by word, "When I get back... when I've finished taking care of things, I promise... I promise I'll tell you. Okay?"

These words acted like a small tranquilizer, finally freezing Sheng Xuan's out-of-control movements. He stared intently into Su Zhelan's eyes, trying to find a trace of deception within them.

Su Zhelan looked back at him calmly, her eyes showing weariness, helplessness, and even a hint of pleading, but not a hint of evasion or deception.

"You came back... and then told me?" Sheng Xuan's voice was hoarse, filled with heavy uncertainty and a hint of suppressed grievance, a sob of unwillingness escaping his throat. "Are you serious? You're not lying to me?"

"Yes, I'm not lying to you." Su Zhelan nodded vigorously, her tone unusually certain. "I'll tell you when I get back."

Sheng Xuan's chest heaved violently as his gaze swept across Su Zhelan's face, then he glared fiercely at Xiao Qiyun, who was watching coldly from the sidelines. The surge of rage was temporarily suppressed by Su Zhelan's solemn promise, but intense worry and resentment still churned in his chest.

Like a wild horse that had been forcibly harnessed, he paced restlessly for a couple of steps before finally slamming his fist into the door frame next to him!

With a muffled thud, wood chips flew everywhere.

“…Fine!” Sheng Xuan gritted his teeth, squeezing out the word through gritted teeth, his voice filled with suppressed anger and grievance, “I’ll wait for you to come back! If…if you dare to lie to me…”

He glared fiercely at Su Zhelan, then stared hostilely at Xiao Qiyun. He didn't say the rest of his words, but the threat was obvious.

He stopped looking at the two of them, turned around abruptly, and with lingering anger and heavy footsteps, strode out of Shuyu Courtyard, disappearing like a raging wind outside the gate in an instant.

Inside the room, only Su Zhelan and Xiao Qiyun remained, along with a mess of lotus seed soup and fresh fist marks on the door frame.

Su Zhelan looked in the direction Sheng Xuan had disappeared, sighed wearily, and swayed, almost unable to stand. The spot on her wrist where Sheng Xuan had grabbed her left a clear finger mark, and it throbbed faintly.

Xiao Qiyun walked to his side, his gaze falling on the bruises on his wrist. His eyes deepened, but his tone remained calm and even: "The day after tomorrow, at the first quarter of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), don't be late." He said no more and turned to leave.

Su Zhelan stood alone in the empty inner room, the last rays of the setting sun casting a long, solitary shadow through the window. The pain in his wrist, Sheng Xuan's distrustful questioning and panicked gaze, and the unknown, risky journey the day after tomorrow…

Everything felt like heavy shackles, suffocating him. He slowly walked to the low couch and sat down, staring blankly at the bowl of lotus seed soup that had been overturned and gone cold.