Chapter 104
What made Su Zhelan most uneasy was going to help Su Yan.
The pharmacy was filled with the familiar scent of herbs. As soon as Su Zhelan stepped inside, Gu Linzhao, who was grinding herbs, looked up and glanced at him.
He glanced again at Xiao Qiyun, who had been clinging to Su Zhelan like a leech for the past few days, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
"Oh, so His Highness the Crown Prince is with our Zhelan today too."
Su Yan, with his back to the door, was preparing medicine. Without turning his head, he said, "What are you standing at the door for? Come here."
Su Zhelan steeled herself and walked over, taking each step carefully, afraid of revealing any flaws.
He was initially very cautious, fearing that his master would notice something amiss again. However, thanks to Xiao Qiyun's proper massage and precise medication over the past few days, the marks on his body had already largely disappeared.
Although walking is still a little awkward, I can now maintain a normal posture.
While Su Yan was taking his pulse, Xiao Qiyun stood by, his expression unchanged.
"The recovery is going well." Su Yan withdrew his hand, glanced at Xiao Qiyun, and said, "It seems the care has been quite thorough."
Su Zhelan's ears burned, and she lowered her head, pretending to straighten her sleeves. Xiao Qiyun remained expressionless: "Of course."
Su Yan snorted coldly, "What are you so smug about?" He turned and glared at Su Zhelan, "And you, stop sucking up to that brat Sheng Xuan, he's always so irresponsible."
Then, pointing at Xiao Qiyun, she said, "You too, don't think I don't know what you're up to."
Xiao Qiyun simply nodded slightly: "Sir, your teachings are correct."
Su Zhelan was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground, but then she heard Su Yan add, "If you're going to learn something, learn something good, don't just..." He choked on his own words, seemingly realizing that there was nothing "good" to learn from these two.
Suddenly, Su Yan slammed the medicine grinder onto the table, turned to glare at Gu Linzhao, who was snickering, and said, "And you! Stop grinning like an idiot all day long!"
He grabbed a handful of dried mugwort and threw it at Gu Linzhao. "Zhelan's health is almost fully recovered, why don't you teach him some self-defense techniques and martial arts? So he won't get bullied by those shady characters all the time!"
Gu Linzhao nimbly dodged the mugwort, catching a falling leaf in his mouth: "Teach me, of course I'll teach you!" He winked at Su Zhelan, "Tomorrow I'll teach you a few grappling techniques to deal with lecherous men—"
"Shut up!" Su Yan grabbed a pestle and pretended to hit him. Gu Linzhao immediately raised his hands in surrender, but still laughed so hard his shoulders shook. The two of them chased each other with the pestle in hand, while the other dodged around the medicine cabinet, turning the originally serious atmosphere into chaos.
Watching his master and Gu Linzhao's daily antics, Su Zhelan's tense shoulders unconsciously relaxed. Until Xiao Qiyun suddenly whispered in his ear, "Want to learn self-defense? I can teach you."
His warm breath brushed against the side of her neck. "I guarantee it will be even more in-depth than what Mr. Gu Linzhao taught."
Su Zhelan slapped Xiao Qiyun's face away, then turned to Gu Linzhao with a bright smile: "Thank you, Mr. Gu Linzhao! Whenever you have time, I'll come here to learn from you."
Gu Linzhao, who was being chased around the room by Su Yan, slammed on the brakes upon hearing this, nearly crashing into the medicine cabinet. He peeked out from the edge of the cabinet, his eyes sparkling: "Then tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM)! I'll teach you! You're finally willing to learn some martial arts from me. Before, you only wanted to follow your Master Su Yan and tinker with those silver needles."
Su Zhelan scratched her head sheepishly, then flipped her fingers, revealing a silver needle that was already between them. "I just find this more convenient. Master likes to use it this way too, hehe."
Su Yan suddenly came over and grabbed his wrist: "Silver needles are effective..." He gently pressed his fingertip on Su Zhelan's pulse point, and Su Zhelan's entire arm went numb instantly. "...Close combat will cripple you. You...you should learn some real skills to save your life."
Su Zhelan cried out "Ouch!" and withdrew her hand, the silver needle clattering to the ground.
He blinked at Su Yan, but a smile played on his lips: "Master, spare me! I'll learn, I'll definitely learn well!" He even deliberately pinched Su Yan's sleeve and shook it.
Su Yan pulled her sleeve back irritably and glared at him: "Alright, I'm not busy here... I've been much more well-behaved since that incident."
He glanced at Xiao Qiyun, who was standing silently to the side, and added, "Go back and rest. Don't stand here with your family, blocking the way."
Su Zhelan blushed, knowing her master was subtly implying that Xiao Qiyun always accompanied her. She could only awkwardly withdraw her hand and wave to Su Yan and Gu Linzhao, "Then, Master, I'll head back now."
Gu Linzhao smiled and waved at him, "Don't forget tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM)!"
Su Zhelan nodded and turned to walk out. Xiao Qiyun followed him at a distance, his expression unchanged, as if he hadn't heard Su Yan's teasing.
Xiao Qiyun escorted Su Zhelan back to Shuyu Courtyard, stopping in front of the courtyard gate.
"We've arrived." Xiao Qiyun's voice was lower than usual as he reached out to tuck Su Zhelan's clothes around her neck. "Rest well today; we have martial arts practice tomorrow."
Su Zhelan looked up at him, puzzled. Just a few days ago, he'd practically lingered until he was washing up, so why was he being so self-conscious today? "Aren't you going to come in and sit for a bit?"
Xiao Qiyun's fingertips paused at his collar: "The Grand Tutor reprimanded me." He rarely showed a hint of helplessness, saying that I had recently... neglected my studies.
Su Zhelan blinked and suddenly realized—Xiao Qiyun had been staying by his side every step of the way these past few days, and had probably put everything else aside.
"Then you..." Su Zhelan pursed her lips, "go back quickly."
Xiao Qiyun looked down at him, then suddenly raised his hand to stroke his hair: "I'll come see you again tomorrow." Before he finished speaking, a kiss had already landed on Su Zhelan's forehead.
Before Su Zhelan could react, Xiao Qiyun had already turned and left, quickly disappearing into the end of the corridor.
Su Zhelan stood frozen in place, her fingertips unconsciously touching the spot where she had been kissed, where the warmth seemed to linger.
A night breeze swept by, scattering the blush around his ears.
The next day, when Xiao Qiyun finished his studies and arrived at the backyard of the pharmacy, it was already 9:00 AM.
From afar, he saw Su Zhelan practicing her horse stance, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, her face tense. Gu Linzhao, squatting on a stone bench nearby, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, was grinning and pointing, "Lower your waist a bit, yes, like that—"
Su Zhelan gritted her teeth and pressed down, her knees trembling: "Master...Master's husband...how long will this take...?"
"It's only been a quarter of an hour," Gu Linzhao said, swinging his legs. "Back in the day, your master could hold acupuncture for an hour—"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Su Yan's voice came from the pharmacy window, accompanied by the thumping sound of pounding medicine. "I told you to teach him life-saving techniques, not to cause him any trouble!"
Gu Linzhao shrank back and winked at Su Zhelan: "Did you hear that? Your master is worried."
Su Zhelan chuckled, nearly losing his balance. Gu Linzhao was about to reach out to steady him when a figure darted to Su Zhelan's side first—
"Your posture is wrong," Xiao Qiyun's voice rang in Su Zhelan's ear, his hand firmly supporting his waist. "Your knees shouldn't go past your toes."
Su Zhelan froze, almost jumping up: "You...how did you get here!"
Xiao Qiyun remained expressionless: "Just passing by."
Gu Linzhao clicked his tongue and jumped off the stone bench: "Your Highness, you've taken a very opportune path."
Xiao Qiyun glanced at him indifferently, but carefully adjusted Su Zhelan's posture with his hands: "The Grand Tutor's class ended early."
"Alright, alright," Gu Linzhao clapped his hands.
"That's enough of the horse stance, let's learn something practical." He suddenly flicked three copper coins from his sleeve. "Come on, try knocking them down."
Before she could finish speaking, a flash of silver light appeared at Su Zhelan's fingertips.
The three copper coins were still tumbling in the air when they were pinned to the pillars with three crisp "clangs"—each coin had a trembling silver needle stuck in its center, the tip of the needle gleaming with a faint, cold light.
Xiao Qiyun's pupils suddenly contracted. So fast!
He stood motionless, his face calm, but his heart was in turmoil. During the attack at the temple fair last time, Su Zhelan's silver needles, shot out in a panic, were already amazing enough, but this time—the boy's composure as he made his move, the precision with which the silver needles pierced the air, and even the slight upturn of his lips, were far more dazzling than he remembered.
"Master—" Su Zhelan raised her chin, her eyes and brows brimming with undisguised smugness, "You really underestimate me!"
Gu Linzhao's eyes widened, and he even dropped the grass from his mouth: "Good lad! You haven't regressed at all." Suddenly, his eyes lit up: "Since your needlework is so good..." He abruptly pulled a black cloth from his waist, "Want to try it blindfolded?"
"No way!" Xiao Qiyun's voice and Su Yan's roar exploded at the same time.
Suddenly, a pestle flew through the window, grazing Gu Linzhao's ear and hitting the ground. Su Yan's roar shook the medicine cabinet: "I told you to teach him self-defense, who told you to watch the show?!"
Su Zhelan peeked out from behind Xiao Qiyun, twirling a silver needle between her fingers: "Actually, I can..."
"What do you mean, 'can't'?!" Su Yan had appeared in the courtyard at some point, grabbing Su Zhelan by the back of her collar and dragging her towards the pharmacy. "Get in here and drink your medicine!"
A bowl of steaming bitter medicine came into view. The liquid was dark and emitted an indescribable, fishy, and bitter smell. Su Zhelan frowned, pinched her nose, and gulped it down in one go.
Outside the window, Gu Linzhao was tiptoeing away when Su Yan's angry roar stopped him in his tracks: "You stop right there!"
Gu Linzhao's shoulders twitched, and he turned around with an awkward smile: "What are your orders?"
"Teach something serious!" Su Yan pointed to the wooden dummy in the courtyard. "Teach that!"
"Okay, okay, okay." Gu Linzhao nodded vigorously, then turned to Su Zhelan and winked, "Did you hear that? Your master has spoken; we need to learn something 'proper'."
The training that followed was much more serious. Gu Linzhao taught the most basic wooden dummy techniques, slowing down the movements by a third, and occasionally stopping to correct Su Zhelan's posture.
"Raise your wrist a little higher." Gu Linzhao held Su Zhelan's arm. "Yes, just like that—"
Su Zhelan studied diligently, her bangs damp with sweat and clinging to her cheeks. Xiao Qiyun stood watching from a distance, neither interfering nor leaving.
It wasn't until lunchtime that Su Yan emerged from the pharmacy: "It's almost time to eat. Let's pack up and go."
Gu Linzhao felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately rushed to Su Yan's side: "I'm starving! Hurry up!"
Su Zhelan was so exhausted that she sat down on the ground, panting heavily.
Xiao Qiyun had appeared beside him unnoticed and handed him a plain handkerchief: "Wipe your sweat."
Su Zhelan took the handkerchief, his fingertips accidentally brushing against Xiao Qiyun's hand, then quickly withdrew. He was wiping his sweat with his head down, unaware of the fleeting smile in Xiao Qiyun's eyes.
After lunch, the sun was shining brightly.
As Su Yan cleared away the dishes, he said to Su Zhelan without looking up, "No need for practice this afternoon. Let's take it slow and gradual." He pouted, "Let's go soak in the hot springs and relax."
Su Zhelan's eyes lit up, but before she could thank him, Gu Linzhao sidled up to Su Yan and wrapped his arms around his waist: "Ayan~ I've been busy all morning too, why don't you care about me?"
Su Yan elbowed Gu Linzhao backward, hitting him squarely in the chest: "Go and organize the medicine cabinet!"
Gu Linzhao clutched his chest and pretended to wail, but still chuckled and whispered something in Su Yan's ear, which made Su Yan's face turn black. He grabbed a rag and threw it at Gu Linzhao's face.
Su Zhelan couldn't help but chuckle, but when she turned her head, she found that Xiao Qiyun was already standing beside her.
"Let's go." Xiao Qiyun's voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.
Su Zhelan nodded, bowed to Su Yan and Gu Linzhao to take his leave. Gu Linzhao winked at him, but Su Zhelan pretended not to see it and quickly followed Xiao Qiyun.
Inside the Shuyu Courtyard, Su Zhelan slumped on the couch by the window, his whole body as limp as if his bones had been removed. His eyes were half-closed, and he was too lazy to even move a finger.
Xiao Qiyun stood by the screen, his gaze sweeping over the boy's tired profile, before turning to take two sets of plain white bathrobes from the cabinet. He placed one set neatly folded beside the tatami mat, and draped the other over his arm.
In her drowsy state, Su Zhelan heard the rustling sound of fabric. She barely managed to open her eyes and saw Xiao Qiyun with his back to her adjusting his bathrobe. His broad shoulders and narrow waist were clearly outlined by the sunlight.
"What are you looking at?" Xiao Qiyun suddenly asked, without stopping his hand movements.
Su Zhelan hurriedly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep, but then she heard footsteps approaching. Her calloused fingertips brushed through the stray hairs clinging to his neck: "Go to bed if you want to sleep."
"...No." Su Zhelan buried her face in the soft pillow, her voice muffled. "I haven't washed up yet, my legs are so sore, I don't want to move."
"Turn around." Xiao Qiyun sat down on the edge of the bed, his fingertips dabbing out ointment. "I'll rub it for you."
Su Zhelan's ears burned, and he slowly turned over. The moment the cool ointment touched his calf, he couldn't help but hiss.
Xiao Qiyun paused for a moment.
Su Zhelan looked up and met the man's gaze—Xiao Qiyun's gaze was like a quenched knife, scraping inch by inch across Su Zhelan's sweat-soaked collarbone, lingering for a moment on his collarbone, then climbing up his neck to his slightly parted lips. Those usually calm and composed eyes were now frighteningly dark, as if they would devour him alive at any moment.
"Close your eyes." Xiao Qiyun suddenly covered his eyes, her palms burning hot like branding irons. "Don't look at me like that."
The eyelashes beneath his palm trembled frantically. Xiao Qiyun's Adam's apple bobbed. He withdrew his hand, stood up, and walked towards the hot spring: "Go soak in it; the medicine will be more effective then."
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