As I slowly entered the Black Mansion, I was greeted by a thin man in casual clothes sitting in a wheelchair, being slowly pushed forward by a servant.
The man appeared to be in his early twenties, sporting a trendy side-parted hairstyle, with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose, and thin, light lips. Ignoring his slightly thin physique, he possessed a scholarly yet somewhat sharp appearance. Compared to Wu Ziyu, he lacked some of the gentleness but possessed more masculine qualities. While Wu Ziyu was quite popular with women, this man was the kind of person who could only be admired from afar, as if getting too close would hurt him.
The rumored ailing young commander, Hei Kang, must be this person, but he's completely different from what Xiang Wan imagined. Normally, someone with chronic health problems would show signs of illness, but this young commander completely concealed this fact with his imposing presence; it would be difficult for someone unaware of his condition to associate him with a patient.
As Xiang Wan sized up the young master of the Hei family, Hei Kang was also staring at her intently.
From a doctor's perspective, Hei Kang's complexion was somewhat pale, with dark circles under his eyes, and his fingers were pale and bloodless, suggesting insufficient blood and energy. Coupled with his mental fatigue, he didn't appear to have any illness on the surface. Upon closer inspection, Xiang Wan could faintly smell an unusual odor emanating from him, and the color around his eyes was somewhat off.
After observing carefully, Xiang Wan had already made up her mind. She bowed to the young marshal and said, "Young marshal, would you like a male confidant? I am not talented, but I am willing to volunteer and accompany you from now on."
The young black-clad general's eyes flickered for a moment, then quickly turned to self-mockery, before settling into indifference: "You came to me just for this?"
Xiang Wan guessed that this young marshal's temper was probably not very good, but judging from his expression, there seemed to be no problem. So she said loudly, "I have some medical knowledge and can help the young marshal."
"Hmph, what do I have to worry about? I have plenty of money, plenty of people, and power is within my grasp. Why would I need to take you as my confidant?"
As long as this young marshal is willing to speak, that's all that matters. Xiang Wan leaned over and whispered in his ear, "If you keep me here, you can have all of this. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll only be doing the work for someone else. Young marshal, do you trust me?"
That's a bit of an exaggeration, and the young commander didn't believe it. He'd been surrounded by flattery and fawning since childhood, so hearing someone make such a pronouncement about him for the first time was quite interesting.
"You're saying you know medicine?"
"Yes, I know a little."
"Come closer."
Xiang Wan, not understanding what was going on, took a step toward him.
"Closer."
Xiang Wan hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked a little closer.
Hei Kang suddenly grabbed Xiang Wan's hem, pulled her to his side, leaned in, and took a deep breath beside her.
Xiang Wan was caught off guard, but remembering that he was now a man, he suppressed his inner rage and stood frozen in place, his hands unconsciously tightening.
Hei Kang exhaled slowly, chuckled softly, released his grip, looked at Xiang Wan, and said, "As you wish!" His gaze, however, felt rather unsettling. But oh well, Xiang Wan had a shortcut into the Hei family mansion; with Hei Kang's sickly condition, he couldn't do anything to her.
After speaking, Hei Kang ignored Xiang Wan and ordered the people behind him to push him into the backyard.
Xiang Wan stood there for a while before pulling Huan'er along to follow him just as Hei Kang was about to disappear from sight.
With the young marshal's approval, no one in the Hei family dared to say a word more to Xiang Wan. Even the eldest marshal, after asking his son, let him have his way.
After Xiang Wan settled down at the Hei residence, Hei Kang would often summon her to take his pulse and prescribe medicine to regulate his body. However, Hei Kang was quite strange. Ever since Xiang Wan prescribed medicine for him, he insisted that she personally brew all the medicine and watch over it the whole time. Even if Huan'er or someone else watched for a while, Hei Kang would throw it away and make Xiang Wan do it again.
Many times, Xiang Wan couldn't help but want to quit, but then she remembered that Hei Kang was a key figure in this mission, so she could only silently repeat the mission a hundred times before calmly starting to work.
After spending some time together, Xiang Wan gained a certain understanding of Hei Kang's temperament. For example, he was extremely protective of his own; once he had chosen someone, no one else was allowed to bully them. He also loved to tease Xiang Wan, but as long as she went along with him, he was quite easy to talk to. He was a very picky eater, so Xiang Wan also had to take care of the cook, changing the appearance and flavor of foods he didn't like, and he would eventually eat them with a frown. He disliked the concubines in his father's harem, and whenever these women wanted to visit him, Xiang Wan had to find an excuse to send them away. Sometimes Xiang Wan wondered, she was practically becoming this young master's personal maid, and yet she still had to cater to his feelings—what was the point of all this?
After several months of close observation and diagnosis, Xiang Wan gained a better understanding of the young master's condition. It turned out that the young master wasn't born weak; he had been poisoned by a rare toxin that was slowly eroding his body, weakening his immune system. People poisoned by this toxin cannot exercise, otherwise it could lead to insufficient blood supply to the heart. Because the poisoning had been ongoing for a long time and the toxin was extremely rare, Xiang Wan prescribed medication to promote metabolism and clear toxins from the blood. She also supervised Hei Kang's daily rehabilitation sessions, gradually restoring his physical condition.
Two years later, Wu Ziyu, whom they hadn't seen for a long time, and Nangong Pei, who was using the alias Nangong Feng, suddenly appeared at the Black Commander's mansion. Both were dressed in military uniforms. Wu Ziyu's scholarly air had long been worn away, and his aura of ruthlessness was gradually becoming stronger. Nangong Feng's feminine aura was perfectly wrapped under her military uniform; even if you got close, you might not be able to tell that she was a woman.
Xiang Wan encountered these two people who were on their way to meet the commander-in-chief in the main hall of the Black Mansion when she was delivering something to the young marshal.
Wu Ziyu spotted Xiang Wan immediately, somewhat surprised, and wanted to speak to her, but Nangong Pei tugged at his sleeve. Xiang Wan nodded to them and brushed past Wu Ziyu.
As she reached the corner of the courtyard, Xiang Wan still caught a glimpse of Wu Ziyu looking in her direction, with Nangong Pei beside him saying something.
If Xiang Wan believed that Wu Ziyu's rise to warlord status in his previous life was solely due to his own abilities, she was only 10% convinced of it. She was more inclined to believe that Commander Hei's downfall stemmed from his son's death, the army's demoralization, and the lack of a successor, leading him to despair and ultimately allowing Wu Ziyu to seize control of the Hei family. Wasn't this a classic case of someone else doing all the work for another's benefit?
With Xiang Wan's appearance this time, does Wu Ziyu still have a chance to achieve great things? The Black Mansion has successors; others with ambition either die because of their own ambition or on the road to it.
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