Chapter 43 A Cold from the Wind I wonder if this red mark is fresh or not…
Egret Island.
Not long after Lian Chisu got up, she received a letter from Lu Buwen saying that he was coming back early and asked Lian Quesheng and the others to wait for him a little longer.
“Young Master Lian is still asleep. We haven’t seen him get up. Should we send someone to wake him?” said one of Lian Chisu’s disciples. “Last night, it seemed that Young Master Lian went out. Some people said that they saw Young Master Lian and Young Master Jiang talking to a crazy man on Hengqing Street.”
Lian Chisu stared at the sky outside, the salty sea breeze slowly blowing across her face, and a hint of gentleness appeared in her sharp and distinct facial features because her disciple had mentioned Lian Quesheng.
“Go and see if there’s anything you can help with, just do it,” Lian Chisu instructed. “The future of Bailuzhou is closely related to these young people! Quesheng is unruly by nature, and I’ve always been worried about him going out alone all these years. But now, looking at him, he has really changed a lot, and I can rest assured.”
“Young Master Lian is of your bloodline, Sect Leader, so he can’t be that bad.”
"That's true."
Lian Chisu was full of confidence. Back in her youth, she was one of the best among the disciples of all the immortal sects. Who hadn't heard of her reputation for being decisive and efficient, Lian Chisu of Bailuzhou?
"By the way, Sect Leader, you mentioned wanting to have a match with Young Master Jiang. I've already sent a few disciples down to prepare the venue."
Fu Shu said in a low voice, then turned around and handed the two swords to Lian Chisu, “When does the sect leader want to hold the competition? This disciple has been looking forward to it for a long time. Several people below have been mentioning it to me several times, and they even said they want to place bets on the sect leader and Young Master Jiang.”
Fushu had been following Lian Chisu since childhood. Although she looked young, only a few years older than Lian Quesheng, she could be considered an elder of Bailuzhou.
Do you think I will win?
"Of course, I specially brought twenty taels of silver to support you, Sect Leader!" Fu Shu said proudly. Just then, Lian Quesheng's voice was heard, "What? Only twenty taels? That's too little. If it were me, I would give at least two hundred taels."
Lian Chisu's face immediately darkened. She thought Lian Quesheng had become much more mature over the years, but it turned out he was still a fool with too much money. He hadn't changed at all.
"Mother, what twenty taels? Could it be that my father lost money on his business trip and Bailuzhou is broke?" Lian Quesheng asked with great concern, walking up behind Lian Chisu and massaging her shoulders. "Mother, is this a good massage?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Your dad is the kind of person who would pick up even a single copper coin if it fell on the ground, and he'd make a fortune out of every penny he spends. Do you think he would lose money?"
Lian Chisu slapped him in annoyance, "Where's Jiang Yu? He just said he wanted to have a fight with him."
“That’s right, Young Master Lian, if the Sect Leader and Young Master Jiang were to really have a match, who would you bet on to win?” Fu Shu asked him.
Lian Quesheng was instantly targeted by two piercing gazes. Meeting Lian Chisu's gaze, he grinned and said, "That must be my mother. Who is my mother? She's better than anyone else!"
"roll!"
Although Lian Chisu said that, she couldn't stop smiling and patted him several times.
"I'll go and call Jiang Yu for you right away." To show his loyalty, Lian Quesheng immediately flew away on his sword, waving and blowing a kiss to Lian Chisu.
"Thump—"
With a loud crash, Lian Quesheng and Xi Chuang, who weren't looking where they were going, bumped into each other. Lian Quesheng rubbed his head in pain, and Xi Chuang's gentle voice rang in his ears, "Master, why are you in such a hurry? You weren't even watching where you were going."
Lian Quesheng knew he was in the wrong and couldn't assert his master's authority here, so he could only purse his lips and say, "Alright, alright, why are you becoming so long-winded? You're like an old man all day long. I'm going to find Jiang Yu. My mother at home is waiting to have a match with him!"
"Then I'll go with Master."
"Sure, but I need to remind you first: if Fushu asks you to place a bet on who will win between the two of them, remember to secretly give Jiang Yu some extra money. I'm afraid I'll lose it all this time."
Lian Quesheng raised an eyebrow. "You know I'm definitely going to bet on my mother to win. I can't afford to lose everything, so you'll have to cover for me."
The two walked through an arched doorway and past several lush trees. The sun hung high in the clear sky; it was only morning, but it was already hot.
Lian Quesheng hadn't been back for a long time and couldn't adapt to the rising heat. When he saw Jiang Yu's house, he wanted to rush in, but then he remembered the embarrassing scene from last night and held back for a while before knocking on the door.
"Jiang Yu, Brother Qinggui, are you awake?"
Lian Quesheng silently counted the time in his mind, thinking that if no one spoke within thirty seconds, he would leave to avoid catching the two of them whispering sweet nothings to each other again.
"Master, it's just knocking on the door, why are you so nervous?" Xi Chuang looked at him, who was covered in sweat, and laughed. He took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped his sweat. Lian Quesheng stiffened and took a few steps back. "I... I can do it myself."
"Master—"
The door creaked open from the inside. Shen Qinggui, whose very being had those two words etched into his very bones, looked at the two people standing almost side by side in front of him and asked succinctly, "What is it?"
"Brother Qinggui, where is Jiang Yu?"
It was a familiar scene again. This time, Lian Quesheng looked very cautiously at his half-exposed neck, which seemed to have some red marks.
I wonder if these red marks are fresh. They probably weren't just applied, right?
"He has a fever and has caught a cold, so he's asleep in bed." When Shen Qinggui carried Jiang Yu back from Wenhua Temple, he felt that something was wrong with him. His warm skin had turned burning hot. Sure enough, when they got into the house, Jiang Yu was already somewhat delirious.
"I feel terrible."
Jiang Yu wrapped his arms around Shen Qinggui's neck, unwilling to let go. He buried his head in Shen Qinggui's chest and rubbed against him, saying, "It's so cold."
Shen Qinggui touched his forehead and said gently, "You have a fever. Lie down first, and I'll go get you a towel to put on it."
"Um—no."
Jiang Yu clung to him in a daze, refusing to let go no matter how Shen Qinggui tried to persuade her. "I don't want you to leave. Last time... you died."
He kicked the blanket off the bed, his messy long hair was soaked with sweat from the fever and stuck to his face. His originally pale cheeks were now as bright as rouge, and his lips were slightly swollen from last night's events, giving him a delicate and vulnerable beauty.
Shen Qinggui took a deep breath, forcibly extended a few branches, pressed the person down on the bed, and coaxed in a low voice, "Be good, you won't die."
He found the medicine in the collection bag, dissolved it in warm water, and the branch hovered in mid-air, holding the medicine bowl, emitting a bitter smell.
Jiang Yu instinctively resisted and shook his head, his body rolling around on the bed, but he got tangled in the branches. His outer robe had long been taken off by Shen Qinggui and thrown on the ground. Because he was afraid that Jiang Yu would be uncomfortable, he only dressed Jiang Yu in a loose, plain white shirt, and his lower body was tucked into the bedding.
He felt hot and cold intermittently, and stretched out his legs to kick Shen Qinggui, saying, "It's uncomfortable, it's too tight."
The branches obediently loosened up a bit.
"Drink your medicine." Shen Qinggui didn't want to argue with a patient over such trivial matters. He helped Jiang Yu sit up against him and brought the medicine bowl to his lips. "Drink it and then take a nap. I'll watch over you."
"Ugh—" Jiang Yu tried to struggle, but was completely bound like a rice dumpling by Shen Qinggui's countless branches. He could only drink the medicine. The dark brown liquid flowed down the corner of his mouth and dripped onto his undergarment, quickly soaking a small patch.
The pillow was laid flat, and Jiang Yu lay on it. Although he couldn't open his eyes, he still glared angrily at Shen Qinggui, muttering something under his breath. But the culprit didn't care about any of that and tucked the blankets in for him, saying, "Go to sleep."
His eyes remained open, his eyelids blinking, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.
Shen Qinggui was amused by his appearance. He felt sorry for him but also thought he was extremely cute. He was someone who was afraid of bitter medicine, but he liked to act mature in front of him and even asked him to call him brother.
Her lips touched his forehead, then moved to the corners of his mouth. The smell of bitter medicine lingered between his lips and teeth, gradually being replaced by a rich floral fragrance. Only then did Jiang Yu's tightly furrowed brows relax a little.
My heavy eyelids finally drooped.
Shen Qinggui chuckled, and slowly moved one hand down Jiang Yu's hair, brushing the strands of hair stuck to his face aside so that he wouldn't be uncomfortable while sleeping.
Jiang Yu, who was already fast asleep, felt uncomfortable because her clothes, which had been dampened by the medicine, were a little cold. She touched them with her hand.
Shen Qinggui, who was watching his movements closely, moved his hand away. The flower buds, being quite perceptive, squeezed into Jiang Yu's empty hand, and the branches that were wrapped around his body also retreated on their own. Afraid of waking him from his sleep, Shen Qinggui could only cut off the piece of clothing that had been soiled.
Red marks covered his exposed skin. Jiang Yu let out a soft cry in his sleep. Shen Qinggui pursed his lips and simply turned his face away from him. The branches "hurriedly" helped the tree cover the person with the bedding.
Recalling the scene just now, Shen Qinggui's face also felt a little hot. The hot wind at the door made him feel as if someone was running around with a fire in his heart. He did not look up at Lian Quesheng and Xichuang, but stared at his own shadow on the ground. "Maybe I didn't sleep well last night."
“You two—last night,” Lian Quesheng suddenly stopped speaking, realizing something, and felt his old face burning with unease, “should I go find a doctor to take a look?”
"No need, I've already taken my medicine. I'll stay here and keep watch."
Since he had already said that, Lian Quesheng couldn't say anything more. In any case, both of them were cultivators, and Shen Qinggui was already quite meticulous, so he didn't need to worry about anything.
"Okay, I'll come over when I'm done."
Shen Qinggui closed the door, returned to the bedside, grabbed Jiang Yu's wrist, and carefully examined the scar. He had no memory of it and didn't know what Jiang Yu had encountered during his ascension that caused him to look like this.
Jiang Yu's fingers trembled slightly, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his body. The pain in his wrist came back at an inopportune time, making him toss and turn in his sleep, unable to sleep peacefully at all.
"Shen Jiuxu—"
Jiang Yu blurted out, then suddenly woke up with a start, tears still streaming down his face from excitement. His thin back pressed against Shen Qinggui's palm, and he hugged him tightly, whispering, "Shen Jiuxu, Shen Jiuxu..."
He repeated the name over and over again, completely unaware that the person in front of him had turned dark and cold after hearing "Shen Jiuxu".
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Author's Note: I apologize again. The update time tomorrow is still uncertain. I wanted to give out red envelopes as compensation, but since no one has been commenting much, I couldn't. So, I've set up a giveaway as my compensation. Hope you all enjoy reading! [Please][Please][Please]
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