Old Sword
Zhao Youyi thought he was just provoked by the Wanzhou incident, but he didn't expect to vomit blood and fall into a coma that night.
In her hazy state of consciousness, she saw Chu Chanyin emanating from him, his face showing barely suppressed panic.
"Zhao Youyi!"
Zhao Youyi realized, rather inappropriately, that this was the first time he had ever called her by her name.
No, when he was learning martial arts at Yongliu Manor, he called her name more than once.
Back then, the direct descendants of the Zhao family were all away fighting, so Zhao Youyi and Zhao Youli had no choice but to be sent to their maternal grandparents' family, the Chi family, for foster care. Their mother was poisoned while pregnant with Zhao Youyi. Although she gave birth to her safely, the poison remained in Zhao Youyi's body, so she could not live without medicine from a young age.
Fortunately, her maternal grandmother came from a family of doctors and, after years of painstaking research, finally found a good remedy to suppress the toxins in her body. However, using poison to fight poison would have side effects in the long run, one of which was amnesia.
Zhao Youyi has always been strong-willed. Knowing that she was physically weak, she insisted on learning martial arts. Zhao Youli couldn't stop her, so he asked Chu Chanyin to persuade her. Compared to her older brother who practiced swordsmanship all day long, Zhao Youyi clearly preferred her cousin who would bring her snacks and novelties from time to time.
At the time, Chu Chanyin was only six or seven years old. He was not particularly mature, but he had the demeanor of a gentleman at such a young age. Although Zhao Youli thought he was just putting on an act and kept saying that this was not allowed and that was not allowed, he still went along with Zhao Youyi's wishes and did it.
Chu Chanyin was the second son of the King of Chu, but he was sent to his maternal grandfather's family at birth. In his early years, the Zhao family had a princess, who was Chu Chanyin's grandfather's cousin. Because of this relationship, the three became quite close.
Coincidentally, Zhao Youli was pestered by Zhao Youyi that day and he casually said, "Go ask your brother Huai Cong, where can you find a sword that you can use?"
Chu Chanyin was browsing through ancient books in the courtyard, wanting to let the books see the sun while the weather was nice. Hearing this, he looked at the brother and sister, just as Zhao Youyi was also looking at him.
Five-year-old Zhao Youyi was a clever little devil. Upon hearing this, she immediately ran over, grabbed his arm, and clung to it while pleading, "Brother Huai Cong, are there really no swords here that I can use?"
Chu Chanyin glanced down at her, and Zhao Youli gave him a wink. The storeroom was full of sharp weapons; there was nothing a five-year-old could use.
Faced with Zhao Youli's gesture, Chu Chanyin ignored it without hesitation: "How about I make a small wooden sword for Niao Niao?"
"Really?" Zhao Youyi hugged him happily. "Brother Huai Cong is simply the best brother in the world!"
Hearing this, Zhao Youli walked over and grabbed her hair bun. "Why are you changing every day? Didn't you say just a few days ago that I was your favorite brother?"
Zhao Youyi quickly hid behind Chu Chan and made a face: "It's not like that anymore! Brother Huai Cong made me a little wooden sword, but my brother is just being perfunctory!"
"You, you," Zhao Youli gently poked her forehead, "Fine, who told your brother Huai Cong to spoil you? He'll spoil you into a little devil sooner or later."
So Chu Chanyin began to carve a small wooden sword for her. Although he was young, he learned everything very quickly, and in just a few days he brought the finished wooden sword to Zhao Youyi's courtyard.
Before he even entered the room, he heard a childish voice say, "Cousin Niao Niao, I heard from my brother the other day that you want to learn swordsmanship. I happen to have a light wooden sword that would be perfect for you."
That person was Zhao Youyi's rightful cousin, much closer than his distant cousin who was thousands of miles away.
Looking at the wooden sword, Chu Chanyin looked down at the wooden sword he had carved. Because it was his first time making one, no matter how hard he tried to make it perfect, it didn't look very beautiful.
Chu Chanyin didn't know if Zhao Youyi could still use his wooden sword.
Immediately afterwards, a clear female voice came from inside the courtyard: "Niao Niao thanks her cousin, but Niao Niao already has a wooden sword, which Brother Huai Cong made for me by hand!"
Chi Yuming naturally knew that the second son of the King of Chu lived next door. He didn't know why the man had been sent to the estate. So, after hesitating for a long time, he said, "Cousin, that man is the son of the King of Chu. I don't know why he has to live here. For your safety, please stay away from him."
Upon hearing this, Chu Chanyin gripped the wooden sword in his hand. Over the years, his father and mother had only sent people to deliver money, and he had never seen them. The only people who stayed by his side were his uncle and aunt. He didn't know why his father and mother disliked him, and he didn't dare to ask.
Later, his uncle and aunt had their own child, so they naturally paid less attention to him, but they still loved him. However, seeing what it was like for parents to truly love their children made him realize more clearly that his parents did not love him.
Zhao Youyi's voice rang out again from inside the courtyard: "Cousin! I won't allow you to talk about Brother Huai Cong like that!"
Fearing the two would fight, Chu Chanyin quickly appeared, "Niao Niao".
Upon seeing Chu Chanyin, Zhao Youyi ignored Chi Yuming and rushed straight to him, exclaiming, "Brother Huai Cong! Wow, what a beautiful wooden sword!"
Chu Chan smiled faintly and handed over the sword in his hand, "Niao Niao, see if you like it."
Zhao Youyi nodded excitedly, "I love it! I love Brother Huai Cong the most!"
"Brother Huai Cong!" Zhao Youyi suddenly woke up and instinctively reached out to grab someone's hand.
The palm was large and warm, with distinct joints as long and slender as bamboo, and the skin was pale and cool, surpassing even the finest jade.
Chu Chanyin stood there, stunned, staring at the two clasped hands, unsure how to react.
“Cousin…” Chu Chanyin saw her panicked expression and couldn’t help but feel worried. He held her hand and took her pulse. “You have been unconscious for a day and a night. Your pulse is sometimes strong and sometimes weak. My medical skills are not high. I can only roughly diagnose that it is poisoning.”
When Chu Chanyin said his medical skills were not high, he was being modest. After all, he was a disciple of Zhao Youyi's maternal grandmother. The two of them studied medicine together under her. He studied very diligently, and his grandmother praised him repeatedly, wishing she could make him her last disciple. Although Zhao Youyi had good talent, she was focused on swordsmanship at the time and could not be said to be proficient in medicine.
Zhao Youyi didn't know why she suddenly remembered the past. It was probably because of the poison taking effect, so she also recalled her childhood.
“It’s a poison I was born with. Cousin… I didn’t tell you back then because I was afraid you’d worry. I thought my grandmother’s medicine would suppress it, but I never expected… the Heart-Suppressing Poison to be so potent.” Zhao Youyi released his hand and met his worried gaze, only then noticing how haggard he looked.
Her hair was simply tied back with a hairband, with a few strands even falling in front of her chest. There were lingering dark circles under her eyes, and her face was as white as snow, making people frown.
“Cousin, you don’t look well. Why didn’t Ying Jiu and the others tell you to rest?” Zhao Youyi subconsciously reached out to touch his face.
Her fingers gently stroked the dark circles under his eyes, the touch as tender as the most intimate touch between lovers.
Chu Chanyin stood there stunned, a blush creeping up her cheeks and lingering for a long time.
Being so close, Chu Chanyin felt his heart was about to burst out of his chest, as if a wildfire was sweeping through the desolation in his heart. But the instigator was completely unaware, so innocent that it was hard for anyone to harbor any evil thoughts.
Seeing that he did not react for a long time, Zhao Youyi realized that the distance between the two was too close. She belatedly put down her fingers, but did not pull away.
"I was worried about them watching over my cousin, so I came. After all, none of them are doctors." Chu Chanyin finally found his voice after a long while.
Zhao Youyi turned her head slightly and saw that she had changed her clothes. She subconsciously wanted to ask something, but then she heard Chu Chanyin continue, "Of course, it was still her people who did the washing and grooming for her. I won't overstep my bounds."
Zhao Youyi felt that she must have been poisoned by the Cunxin Poison, how could she have impulsively touched him? When she was a child, she could say that she was acting like a brother and sister when she pulled on Chu Chanyin's sleeve. Children don't have any romantic feelings between them.
But she's sixteen now! A girl who's already reached marriageable age a year ago is actually touching a man outside the marriage like this... No, Chu Chanyin isn't a man outside the marriage.
Thinking of this, Zhao Youyi turned to look at him, "Cousin, just now..."
"Cousin, did you have a nightmare just now? Did you dream about me? Is that why you wanted to confirm if I was real?" Chu Chanyin had already thoughtfully prepared a way out for her.
“I…did dream about my cousin,” Zhao Youyi said with a smile, feeling that she had been overwhelmed by the atmosphere. “I dreamed about how my cousin made me a little wooden sword back then, and that little wooden sword is still in my dowry box.”
Chu Chanyin smiled slightly, "I am overjoyed that my cousin cherishes these things so much. They are just old things. When my cousin gets married, I will definitely give her a generous dowry."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Youyi was somewhat lost in thought, looking down at his hand, where there were some small, inconspicuous scars. Yes, they were a fake couple. She wanted to use Chu Chanyin's power to take revenge. Her feelings were not pure, and her heart was not pure either.
"Does my cousin really want me to get married?" Despite this, Zhao Youyi couldn't help but retort when she heard such distant words. "Then why marry me? My cousin should have let me marry Gu Zeyu in the first place."
Mentioning this person, Chu Chan unconsciously frowned. "In these chaotic times, he can't protect you."
"How do you know that someone else could protect me?" Zhao Youyi stared straight at him, as if trying to see through his thoughts and intentions.
Chu Chanyin subconsciously avoided her gaze, "Then I will protect you too."
“Cousin, I am capable of protecting myself. I don’t need anyone else to protect me,” Zhao Youyi said, looking at him with a firm gaze. “The only person I will choose is the one I love.”
"Thank you for watching over me, cousin. Now, please call Xiao Qing over." Seeing his unclear expression, Zhao Youyi did not hesitate to dismiss him.
Chu Chanyin stood up and sighed deeply, "Cousin, I only hope that your wish can be fulfilled, and I will help you achieve it."
"Really? Even if I never want to get married, can you still grant my wish?" Zhao Youyi smiled, "If I never get married and occupy your position as princess for the rest of my life, would you still be willing?"
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