Chapter 22
In Zhu Yun's eyes, life and death were nothing more than a game of strategy. If one was outmatched, defeat was defeat, and death was death.
But when this word was placed on Luo Yan, a chill ran down his spine.
Luo Yan's heart pounded at his expression, and she whispered, "I was just saying it casually."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yun's brows twitched, and his dark eyes slowly turned, the fierce aura within them undiminished by the candlelight and the darkness of the night.
She steeled herself and wrapped her arms around the boy's slender waist: "My illness is something I was born with. I cough incessantly every autumn and winter, so... Anyway, don't be angry."
The date of her death described in the book is a secret that Luo Yan has kept for a long time. Sometimes she feels compelled to reveal it, but she is afraid of creating a butterfly effect, and in the end, she convinces herself to do so.
Having witnessed Zhu Yun's unusual behavior, he dared not mention it again.
Anyway, the mystery will be revealed in another month or two, so why make the people around us worry?
Luo Yan forced a smile: "After the New Year, let's go to town to buy a new house, and then get engaged, okay?"
He lowered his eyes, raised his hand to cover the upper half of her face, and only after his emotions had calmed down did he let out a soft "hmm".
"I can't breathe anymore," Luo Yan said sullenly, nudging his palm with the tip of her nose.
"......"
Having regained her freedom, she held Zhu Yun's hand and looked him over, muttering, "You almost suffocated me."
The two spent every day together and were not sensitive to each other's changes. Luo Yan became interested and pulled him to the yard to measure his height.
The results were encouraging; everyone except the third sister grew a few centimeters taller.
Luo Yan's worried expression vanished, and her fear of the plot also lessened considerably.
She thought to herself, "I've managed to hide for two years, what's there to be afraid of now that I'm about to be free?"
Furthermore, Hanmei Town is far from the capital city; unless one has wings, it would take several horses to run there in vain.
Speaking of horses, she asked, "Now that it's not hot anymore, can you teach me how to ride a horse?"
Zhu Yun agreed. Seeing her struggling to tilt her head back, he reached out and supported the back of her neck, pinching it gently. His eyes finally regained their usual tenderness.
Luo Yan hummed comfortably twice and said lazily, "You're quite scary when you're angry."
"I'm not angry."
"That's why he's quite scary when he's not smiling."
Although Zhu Yun was handsome, he had a fierce aura and his eyes looked like he was about to kill someone. Even the village dogs knew not to bark at him.
After hearing her accusations, Zhu Yun said with a headache, "You should go to sleep."
"......"
*
In the stillness of the night, Zhu Yun left the village like a gentle breeze. Reaching the foot of the mountain, he blew a whistle, and his horse leaped over the low gate, following the sound.
A man and a horse galloped along the official road under the moonlight, heading towards the nearest ghost market.
Although the Great Li Kingdom has a curfew, it is practically non-existent in areas frequented by martial arts practitioners. The intelligence network of Lan Yue Lou is second to none in the martial arts world, with outposts in various ghost markets, including a shop specializing in selling jade rabbit lanterns.
Zhu Yunshun put on a mask and pushed open the side door.
The room was filled with red lanterns, casting a hazy glow, and the furnishings were indistinct. Only the waiters, dressed in plain white robes, moved like ghostly shadows, standing out conspicuously.
He slipped silently into the storeroom, first catching a faint floral scent. This was the divine physician's prized creation; without a special antidote, the scent would cause anyone to faint or even suffer hysteria, making it perfect for stopping unauthorized individuals.
If you can't stop him, it means he's a troublemaker.
So when Zhu Yun took his third step, the old man on the recliner used the momentum to fly up, nimbly flipping his body in the air, and ten thin, long black armor blades stabbed at his vital points; the other two white-clad men also jumped down from the roof beam, holding crescent-shaped daggers, and attacked from both sides.
Suddenly a cold wind blew by, and the lanterns went out one after another, leaving only an oil lamp on the desk, which was picked up by a boy who had moved over at some unknown time.
The old man quickly pulled back, using the recliner to steady himself. The two men, however, were a bit too slow, making a solid clattering sound.
Zhu Yun gave a mocking "tsk," then casually spread his palms, revealing a crescent-shaped token. The token hung above the candlelight, making it clear to the three of them.
"Young...Master?"
The old man, named Qianyinshou, was the manager of the lantern shop. He dismissed the shop assistant, clasped his hands, and knelt down, saying, "The shopkeeper said you had refined the Mandarin Duck Warmth; I never imagined it was true."
"Where is the Medicine King now?" Zhu Yun asked directly.
Qianyinshou spoke frankly: "The last time he appeared was at the Qin family. Old Master Qin asked him to find medicine, and the next day he took several disciples to Yunxi Prefecture."
"Once his whereabouts are discovered, immediately send men to intercept him. Also, those who went to the capital to assassinate the Crown Prince are all dead?"
"Yes." Qian Yinshou lowered his head even further. "There are reclusive masters in the Crown Prince's mansion. Apart from you, I'm afraid no one can get close to them."
The capital was far away, and Zhu Yun didn't want to be away from Luo Yan for too long; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent someone else to help. But the matter of the Medicine King was more important, so he gave a few instructions and extinguished the candle.
Qianyin Shou knelt quietly for a moment, knowing that the young master had left, then rose and lit the lamp. Once the room was bright again, he blew his whistle to summon people and distributed the tasks.
Just before leaving, one of the waiters suddenly turned back and asked in surprise, "Manager Qian, where did the lanterns on the plaque go?"
"What?" Qian Yin raised her head and saw that the place where the store's prized possession used to hang was now empty, probably because the young master had taken it.
He recalled the figure he glimpsed the moment the lights went out—tall and slender. Years had passed, and the young master had finally grown up.
I wonder if you feel gratified or regretful now.
"Never mind, just hang up another one."
*
When Luo Yan woke up, it was still dark. She lifted the curtain and saw an adorable rabbit lantern, covered with gauze to prevent the candlelight from being too bright.
It was obviously a gift from A-Yun.
She was initially delighted, but then realized that Zhu Yun had secretly slipped out in the middle of the night.
At first, Zhu Yun went and returned early, so Luo Yan didn't notice.
After the change of seasons, she would occasionally cough incessantly and suffer from insomnia. Zhu Yun, with his keen hearing, would always put on his outer robe and come to talk to her when he heard her coughing.
If you don't come, it means you're not at home.
So Zhu Yun promised that whenever he went out alone, he would bring back a gift. When Luo Yan saw this, she knew that he had returned safely and there was no need to worry.
But there are still some days before I can pick up the medicine, so why should I go out?
She couldn't slack off on her morning exercise, so she got up and dressed, pondering how to get him to talk.
Of course, she had inquired about it over the past two years. However, although Zhu Yun never lied, he would pretend to be mute, which made her so angry that her liver trembled.
But even a fool could guess that the movements in the martial arts world, the precious elixirs, and the endless stream of gold and silver all came from his "mother," or rather, from the influence of his "mother."
As for last night...
Last night, she blurted out something that might have frightened Zhu Yun, which is why he was so eager to negotiate with the tiger.
Having read countless stories, Luo Yan, based on her experience, firmly believed that Zhu Yun did not actively want to get involved with the other party, but rather that the other party had a way to control him.
If they were upright people, they might threaten or entice their relatives with their future and lives; they might play the emotional card, showing them kindness and care when they were young, and then instilling distorted values; they might even switch the child with a thief, creating a scenario where the child is mistaken for the mother.
If she's the villain, they might use witchcraft or poison, causing her to die suddenly if she doesn't take her medicine on time each month; they might even use her as leverage, sending people to threaten her if she doesn't obey orders...
She slapped her forehead abruptly: "Stop."
She took her short bow and went out. Zhu Yun was already waiting in the courtyard. When he saw her, a faint smile appeared in his eyes.
But both were preoccupied with their own thoughts and were more silent than usual. Luo Yan buried herself in her training, and in her extreme concentration, she discovered that her dynamic vision had improved significantly, and all the leaves she tossed were shot down.
Just as he was about to share the good news with Zhu Yun, he stopped himself abruptly.
Zhu Yun lifted his eyelids at the sound and saw her standing in front of a clump of wildflowers, lost in thought. He assumed she was tired and looked away to continue practicing his sword.
When they descended the mountain, Luo Yan walked very fast, and every time he caught up with her, she deliberately slowed down, determined to widen the gap between them.
Even if Zhu Yun was slow to notice, he sensed that something was wrong.
He thought for a moment and asked, "Would you like a white horse or a brown-red horse?"
"!"
Luo Yan remembered that she had made a promise to teach her how to ride before going to bed.
If she responded now, wouldn't all the anger she'd been holding in be wasted? If she didn't respond, she really wanted to learn how to ride a horse.
Zhu Yun squatted down: "I'll carry you on my back."
She hesitated for a moment before leaning over, her lips pressed tightly together, vowing not to be bribed by sweet talk.
In the past, Luo Yan had subtly inquired about the identity of the "mother" a few times, thinking that if the other party was a named character in the original book, she could recall important plot points and perhaps help Zhu Yun escape control.
But they were all brushed off.
Furthermore, the original book was titled "The Legend of Wu Yang," and 80% of the text focused on Cui Wu Yang. She tried using the process of elimination and concluded that Zhu Yun's "mother," like the villagers, might not have appeared in the book, leaving a very high degree of freedom in the story.
If that's the case, the risk factor isn't actually high, which is why Luo Yan turns a blind eye.
But to her now, Zhu Yun, her grandmother, and all the villagers and townspeople she had met were no longer just flat characters. They couldn't be brought back to life; they had different personalities and were living, breathing people with flesh and blood.
Humans are inherently fragile, and what angered her was Zhu Yun's disregard for his own safety.
"Sigh." Luo Yan sighed softly.
Zhu Yun asked directly, "What do you want to know?"
"I asked but you wouldn't tell me. Anyway, I hate you the most."
Her words, though tinged with anger, still sounded gentle and sweet to Zhu Yun, like a peach soaked in honey, making his ears itch.
Seeing his pleased expression, Luo Yan's resentment turned into anger, and she immediately slapped him: "How can you still laugh!"
"..." He coughed a few times, feigning seriousness, "I asked someone to investigate the whereabouts of the Medicine King."
Sun Lao, the Medicine King, is known as the reincarnation of Hua Tuo.
The young apprentice even stole a forbidden drug called "Mandarin Duck Warmth" and gave it to the male protagonist, almost becoming his eighth wife.
She grabbed Zhu Yun's ear and questioned, "The Medicine King is incredibly skilled. How much do you think you are that you need to seek him out? And what happens after you find him? Are you going to kidnap him and bring him to me?"
able.
But Zhu Yun wisely kept quiet.
Ke Luoyan's eyes reddened as she spoke: "I'll get better on my own once this winter is over. Don't get involved in this mess again, I don't want anything to happen to you."
Zhu Yun felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy. He wanted to turn his face to examine her expression, but she wouldn't let him, and shouted, "Watch where you're going."
After a long silence, Zhu Yun gently coaxed, "They can't beat me."
Luo Yan scoffed: "Haven't you heard that two fists can't beat four hands, or that there's strength in numbers? Even Long Aotian wouldn't dare say that."
"And who is he?" Zhu Yun frowned in displeasure. "The triangular-eyed man who struck up a conversation with you in the clothing shop? The weasel who chased after you in the bookstore, demanding you copy books? The short wooden stake on the street who insisted on offering you flowers? Or—"
She covered Zhu Yun's mouth and said awkwardly, "Why do you remember every young man who has ever spoken to me?"
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