Chapter 118
The afternoon sun shone through the stained glass window, casting dappled shadows on the messy dining table.
The three had just finished their subtly awkward lunch. Sheng Xuan was still muttering his dissatisfaction with Xiao Qiyun, while Su Zhelan responded half-heartedly. Xiao Qiyun, on the other hand, sipped his tea leisurely, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Just then, a slightly hurried sound of footsteps approached from afar, carrying obvious displeasure. With a creak, the dining room door was pushed open.
Master Su Yan stood at the door, his brows furrowed, his gaze sweeping across the remaining food scraps on the table before finally settling on Su Zhelan's face.
"What time is it?!" Su Yan's voice, filled with suppressed anger, rolled like muffled thunder. "It's almost past 11 PM! And you're only having lunch now?!"
His gaze pierced Su Zhelan sharply, carrying an unavoidable question, "Su Zhelan! What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Or did you not rest well last night? What did you do this time?"
Su Zhelan's heart skipped a beat at Master Su Yan's sudden outburst of anger and precise questioning, and her fingers tightened instinctively around the teacup. "Master...Master..."
His cheeks flushed slightly, his eyes darted around, and he dared not meet Su Yan's sharp gaze. "N-nothing...it's just...I didn't have much of an appetite this morning...I was delayed..." His voice trailed off, revealing his obvious guilt.
Su Yan frowned even more as he looked at Su Zhelan's stammering and obviously secretive manner.
He gave a heavy "humph," strode into the dining room, his gaze sweeping over Su Zhelan's face. Although his tone remained stern, it carried a hint of barely perceptible concern and helplessness.
"No appetite? I think you're not taking care of your health again!" He paused, his gaze sweeping over the silent Xiao Qiyun beside him, as if remembering something. "That kid Xiao Qiyun came to me this morning asking for calming incense, and I guessed it was you! Are you having another headache? Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Master Su Yan, without waiting for Su Zhelan's reply, walked straight to Su Zhelan's side and stretched out his fingers to feel Su Zhelan's wrist pulse: "Hold out your hand! Let me see! Is your internal heat rising again? How many times have I told you, don't overthink! Don't worry too much! You just won't listen!"
Su Zhelan's body stiffened almost imperceptibly as he looked at Master Su Yan's outstretched hand. He didn't want his master to take his pulse, fearing that his master would notice his restlessness and the abnormality of his turbulent blood.
He instinctively tried to pull his hand away, glancing at Xiao Qiyun sitting opposite him with pleading eyes.
Xiao Qiyun received Su Zhelan's gaze, put down his teacup, and spoke at the opportune moment. His voice was calm and gentle, carrying just the right amount of respect and a hint of trying to help Su Zhelan out of a predicament:
"Master, please calm down." Xiao Qiyun stood up and bowed slightly. "I went to get the calming incense. Su Zhelan did have some trouble sleeping last night and was not in good spirits when he woke up this morning, so I took the liberty of bothering you. The delay in lunch was also my oversight. I thought I would wait until he was feeling better before eating, but I didn't expect it to be this late. If you want to blame someone, blame me."
Xiao Qiyun's words were watertight, explaining the origin of the calming incense while taking responsibility for the delayed lunch, cleverly covering up for Su Zhelan.
Master Su Yan's fingers, which were taking Xiao Qiyun's pulse, paused in mid-air. He looked suspiciously at Xiao Qiyun, who had a sincere expression, and then at Su Zhelan, who had her head down and was unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
He sighed heavily, withdrew his hand, and softened his tone, but it still carried a hint of reproach:
"Hmph! Neither of them is easy to deal with!" He glared at Xiao Qiyun. "And you! You know he's weak, yet you let him run wild! Tranquilizing incense only treats the symptoms, not the root cause! The key is to calm your mind! Stop worrying about things you shouldn't be worrying about!"
Master Su Yan's gaze fell on Su Zhelan again, filled with deep worry: "Zhelan, listen to my advice. Some things, let bygones be bygones. It's not worth ruining your health! The last thing I want to see is you..."
Su Yan didn't finish his sentence, but both Su Zhelan and Xiao Qiyun understood the unspoken meaning. The atmosphere in the dining room became somewhat heavy for a moment.
Master Su Yan looked at Su Zhelan, who was still hanging her head and unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, and then looked at Xiao Qiyun, who was silent but had a calm look in his eyes. He sighed heavily, with a deep sense of helplessness.
He suddenly waved his hand, the movement carrying an undeniable decisiveness:
"Alright, alright! Stop standing there in the way!" His voice regained its usual sternness, his gaze sweeping over the three of them like lightning. "Xiao Qiyun, go and brew that medicine I just prepared to calm the mind and reduce internal heat, and watch Su Zhelan drink it! Do you hear me?!"
“Yes, sir.” Xiao Qiyun’s voice was steady and without the slightest hesitation.
Master Su Yan's gaze immediately shifted to Su Zhelan, carrying an undeniable command and a hint of barely perceptible heartache. He glared at Su Zhelan, his voice stern: "You'd better rest properly! You're not allowed to go anywhere! If I find you not eating or sleeping properly again..."
He paused, a warning glint in his eyes that said, "I mean what I say," and then said, "...Just wait and see how I deal with you!"
After saying that, Master Su Yan stopped looking at anyone, put his hands behind his back, and turned to leave with heavy steps and a huff, still seething with anger. His footsteps, filled with obvious irritation, faded into the distance until they disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Sheng Xuan was still standing there, scratching his head, looking at the empty doorway, then at Su Zhelan and Xiao Qiyun with their different expressions, his face full of question marks.
The rapid and intense reprimand and instructions he had just received were so overwhelming that he hadn't fully processed them yet, and his head felt like it was filled with a lump of paste.
"What...what's going on..." Sheng Xuan muttered softly, looking bewildered. "Why is Mr. Su Yan suddenly so angry? Zhe Lan, did you really not sleep well last night? Do you have a headache? I didn't know that..."
He looked at Su Zhelan suspiciously, feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Xiao Qiyun's gaze swept over Su Zhelan's slightly tired face, then turned to Sheng Xuan. His eyes were calm and his voice steady as he interrupted Sheng Xuan's rambling:
"I'll go to the pharmacy to check on the medicine." His tone left no room for argument, and his gaze finally settled on Su Zhelan's face, carrying a hint of reassurance and promise, "...I'll be right back."
After saying that, Xiao Qiyun didn't linger. He turned around and walked towards the pharmacy, his steps still composed, as if the commotion just now had nothing to do with him.
Only Su Zhelan and the still bewildered Sheng Xuan remained in the dining room.
Looking at Sheng Xuan's bewildered and puzzled expression, Su Zhelan felt a strange sense of annoyance and tension from being scolded by her master dissipate.
He sighed softly, raised his hand, and gently patted Sheng Xuan's shoulder with a hint of reassurance.
"Alright," Su Zhelan's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible fatigue, but it was also much gentler. "Stop thinking about it. Let's go, we've been through so much, let's go back and rest for a while."
That gentle tap was like flipping a switch on Shengxuan. He instantly snapped out of his dazed state of "Who am I? Where am I?", his eyes lighting up, and his previous confusion and dissatisfaction vanished into thin air.
"Oh! Okay!" Sheng Xuan responded immediately, his voice regaining its usual cheerfulness, like a puppy summoned by its owner, he immediately followed with great enthusiasm, staying close to Su Zhelan.
"Come on, come on! Should we go back to your room or mine? I just got a new jar of good tea, want me to brew some for you to try? Or would you like to lie down for a while? I'll make up your bed!"
Sheng Xuan chattered on and on, completely forgetting his master's anger and Xiao Qiyun's strange behavior. To him, as long as Su Zhelan was there, nothing else mattered.
As Su Zhelan listened to Sheng Xuan's rambling beside him, feeling his unreserved, slightly silly enthusiasm and dependence, his tense lips relaxed slightly, and a very faint smile, which even he himself did not notice, flashed across his eyes.
He didn't answer Sheng Xuan's questions, but just let Sheng Xuan excitedly plan his "rest plan" beside him. The two walked one after the other, or rather, one on the left and one on the right, with Sheng Xuan almost sticking to him, towards Su Zhelan's courtyard.
The misty vapor, carrying the distinctive scent of sulfur, filled the air, seemingly easing even the most tense nerves.
"Phew—I'm exhausted!" Sheng Xuan plopped heavily onto the low couch, collapsing like a rag doll. He exaggeratedly rubbed his lower back, grimacing and complaining, "I've had the worst luck lately! These past few days at the training ground, my brother has been training me like an animal! Running around the field wasn't enough, he also made me lift stone weights! My arms and legs feel like they don't even belong to me anymore!"
As he spoke, he pitifully pounded his thigh, his eyes glancing at Su Zhelan in an attempt to elicit sympathy: "I had just caught my breath when you sent me off to buy hawthorn cake! The line at that shop in the south of the city was incredibly long! It was packed with people! I stood there for a full hour! My legs are getting thinner and my back is about to break!"
He tried to straighten his back, but then hissed in pain and collapsed back down.
Looking at Sheng Xuan's miserable appearance and listening to his rapid-fire complaints, Su Zhelan felt her heavy thoughts lighten a little.
He walked to the low couch opposite Sheng Xuan and sat down, his gaze falling on Sheng Xuan's hands as she rubbed her lower back.
An indescribable sense of guilt quietly rose within him. He kept those heavy secrets and his revenge plan from Sheng Xuan, but sent Sheng Xuan away to run errands.
As for Sheng Xuan... that silly boy, despite being exhausted from the intense training on the training ground, he actually stood outside that shop in the south of the city for an hour, just to buy him a bag of hawthorn cake.
He didn't want Sheng Xuan to know about those dangerous things in order to protect him. But now, seeing Sheng Xuan so exhausted because of his casual remark, Su Zhelan felt a pang of guilt.
After a moment of silence, Su Zhelan suddenly stood up.
Sheng Xuan was rubbing his lower back, muttering that "my legs don't even feel like my own anymore," when he suddenly saw Su Zhelan walk over and stand in front of him. He was taken aback, stopped what he was doing, and looked up in confusion: "Zhelan? What's wrong?"
Su Zhelan didn't answer immediately. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze falling on Sheng Xuan's back, which was slightly stiff from exhaustion. His voice was lower than usual, carrying a hint of barely perceptible gentleness:
“Since you’re in so much pain…” Su Zhelan’s voice was soft, but it clearly reached Sheng Xuan’s ears, “…then let me massage you. My master taught me some techniques.”
"Huh?!" Sheng Xuan's eyes widened suddenly, his mouth slightly open, and he was completely stunned.
He stared blankly at Su Zhelan's face, which was so close to his own. Those eyes, which always seemed a little cold or weary, now seemed to be filled with genuine concern.
Su Zhelan looked at Sheng Xuan's dumbfounded expression, and the corners of her mouth curved upwards almost imperceptibly. The smile was faint, but it carried a rare hint of mischief.
"What? Don't you believe my technique?" Su Zhelan's voice carried a hint of teasing. "Even my master said I've learned it quite well."
"I believe! I believe, I believe!" Sheng Xuan suddenly snapped out of his daze, nodding his head like a chicken pecking at rice. He was so excited that he almost jumped up from the low couch, but then he cried out in pain and fell back down, but he couldn't hide the ecstasy on his face. "I believe! Of course I believe! Zhe Lan, you're the best!"
He frantically tried to roll over and lie face down, his movements clumsy and hurried, muttering to himself, "I'm lying down right now! Press wherever you want! Press wherever it hurts!"
Seeing Sheng Xuan's excited and incoherent state, Su Zhelan's mischievous smile deepened. He walked to the low couch, sat on the soft cushion beside it, and gently pressed on Sheng Xuan's shoulder and back: "Lie still, don't move around."
Sheng Xuan immediately lay down obediently, burying her face in the soft pillow, only revealing the back of her head, her body slightly tense with anticipation.
Su Zhelan's fingertips, warm and firm, pressed precisely on the sore spots in his lower back. Her technique, passed down from Su Yan, was warm to the touch and penetrating to the bone. Each press perfectly loosened the tense muscles.
"Phew... that's just the right amount of pressure," Sheng Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, her voice genuinely relaxed. "It's much more effective than me rubbing it randomly myself. This area is really sore, so please massage it a bit more."
Su Zhelan hummed in agreement, moved her fingertips to the sore spot he mentioned, and slightly increased the pressure. Unexpectedly, Sheng Xuan jerked back, letting out a soft cry, "Ouch, that hurts a bit!", and his body swayed.
Su Zhelan paused, her tone tinged with helplessness: "Don't move it, if you don't use enough force you won't be able to break up the nodules."
Sheng Xuan obediently agreed and lay back down, but this time she dared not move around easily and even breathed softly. Su Zhelan continued to press down with steady pressure, and the only sounds in the room were the gentle gurgling of the hot spring water and Sheng Xuan's occasional soft sigh of comfort.
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