Chapter 134
Su Zhelan walked out of the pharmacy almost lightly. The warm morning sun shone on him, dispelling the heavy atmosphere in the pharmacy and finally lifting the weight off his heart.
Although he was scolded by his master, he received permission, which meant he could do something to truly reduce some of the sacrifices caused by him. This sense of relief even briefly overshadowed his physical exhaustion and the soreness in his back and legs.
He subconsciously raised his hand to touch his forehead, which was still throbbing from the tap Su Yan had given him, but a faint smile involuntarily curved his lips. He clearly heard the compromise and concern hidden in his master's "little rascal."
As she walked through the courtyard, the air was filled with the aroma of food. Su Zhelan paused, her gaze turning towards the kitchen not far away. At this hour, breakfast was being prepared.
He thought of those two in Shuyu Courtyard... probably still fast asleep, or perhaps they woke up and found themselves missing, staring at each other in disbelief.
A helpless smile crept into his eyes. Never mind. He turned and walked straight towards the kitchen.
When the head cook saw Su Zhelan arrive in person, he was surprised but quickly put on a smiling face: "Young Master Su, would you like breakfast? I'll get right away..."
“No need for that,” Su Zhelan waved his hand, his gaze sweeping between the steaming steamer and the porridge pot. “Prepare two light breakfasts for me to take with me.” He thought for a moment and added, “Also, warm up a pot of sweet syrup.”
The steward quickly packed two exquisite food boxes, wrapping them in thick cloth to keep them warm. The warm sweet syrup was also placed in a delicate porcelain pot.
Su Zhelan thanked him, picked up the food boxes and sweet syrup, and turned to walk back. The two heavy food boxes weighed heavily on his hands, the aroma of food seeping through the gaps, adding a touch of warmth and... a sense of responsibility he himself couldn't quite explain, almost a helpless one?
Reaching the entrance of Shuyu Courtyard, she found it indeed quiet. Su Zhelan took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
The door to the inner room was still closed, but there was already a faint commotion inside. Su Zhelan didn't go in immediately, but instead placed a food box and sweet syrup on the small round table in the outer room. He opened the lid of the food box, and the steam from the food mixed with its aroma instantly filled the air.
Just then, the door to the inner room was suddenly pulled open.
Sheng Xuan rushed out, his face showing undisguised irritability and lingering sleepiness. His clothes weren't even fully buttoned, revealing a small patch of his muscular chest.
He had clearly just woken up, or rather, he had been startled awake by the disappearance of the people around him. At this moment, he looked like a lion whose territory had been invaded, his eyes scanning the outside room with hostility.
"Su Zhelan? Where did you go?!" Sheng Xuan's voice was hoarse from just waking up and contained a hint of... lingering fear. He strode up to Su Zhelan and looked him up and down with sharp eyes, as if to make sure he was unharmed.
Almost simultaneously, Xiao Qiyun also slowly walked out of the inner room. His clothes were relatively neat, but his hair was slightly messy. His deep eyes first fell on the food box that Su Zhelan had placed on the table, and then moved to Su Zhelan's face.
His expression remained as gentle as ever, but the fleeting inquiry and the barely perceptible...understanding in the depths of his eyes did not escape Su Zhelan's notice.
Xiao Qiyun's gaze lingered on Su Zhelan's face for a moment, as if trying to decipher his expression, before casually looking away, as if he understood everything.
Su Zhelan was surrounded by the two men's gazes, which were completely different yet equally oppressive.
He pointed to the steaming food box and sweet syrup on the table, his voice calm and even, tinged with barely concealed weariness, as if he couldn't be bothered to explain where he had been:
"You're awake? Perfect timing, let's eat."
The warm, sweet syrup slid down my throat, slightly dispelling the morning chill and fatigue. The delicate pastries in the food box were almost gone.
Xiao Qiyun put down his empty teacup and stood up gracefully. He didn't look at Sheng Xuan, but instead focused his gaze on Su Zhelan, saying gently, "It's getting late, I should go."
His voice was steady, but as he approached Su Zhelan, he leaned slightly forward and whispered in a low voice, only the two of them could hear, to add...
"Regarding General Sheng Chi, we still need to discuss the results of the previous exploration of the valley. Please wait for my message." His warm breath brushed against Su Zhelan's earlobe, carrying a hint of secrecy. Then he straightened up, nodded slightly to the two of them, turned and left Shuyu Courtyard with unhurried steps and fluttering robes.
As Sheng Xuan watched Xiao Qiyun's figure disappear outside the door, her tense aura instantly relaxed, and an undisguised excitement immediately appeared on her face.
He quickly approached Su Zhelan, his large hand instinctively reaching out to wrap around her waist: "Finally! I was suffocating! Come on, come on, what's the point of staying cooped up inside? I'll take you out for some fresh air! A new caravan of Hu merchants has arrived in the West Market, I hear they have lots of novelties..."
Su Zhelan nimbly dodged to the side before he could touch her, her brows furrowed slightly, showing obvious fatigue and impatience: "Go by yourself."
As he spoke, he quickly cleared the dishes from the table, his movements deliberately busy. "I'm going to the pharmacy to find my master."
"Looking for Master Su Yan?" Sheng Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes lit up even more. "Then I'll go too! I'll help you out!" He immediately followed Su Zhelan's tidying up, clumsily trying to snatch the bowl from her hands.
"Don't make things worse!" Su Zhelan slapped his hand away impatiently and slammed the food box lid shut with a soft "snap".
He looked up at Sheng Xuan, his eyes filled with an undeniable rejection. "What can you do there? Everyone complains that you're too sweaty. If you knock over any bottles or jars, Master will definitely prick you with silver needles!" He deliberately emphasized the words "too sweaty," his tone carrying a hint of disdain.
Sheng Xuan paused, taken aback by his words. She subconsciously looked down and sniffed the outfit she had just changed into, muttering defiantly, "I just showered..."
"Anyway, don't follow me." Su Zhelan interrupted him firmly, picking up the packed food box. "I'm going to the pharmacy for serious business. If you have nothing to do, go have some fun at the training ground. Don't get in my way here."
After saying that, he didn't give Sheng Xuan a chance to argue anymore. Holding the food box, he walked out of Shuyu Courtyard without looking back, leaving Sheng Xuan alone on the spot. Watching his back, her expression quickly changed from excitement to depression and displeasure.
Su Zhelan hurried back to the pharmacy, almost in a rush.
The atmosphere in the pharmacy was completely different from the argument that morning; it was filled with a solemn and focused air.
Master Su Yan was already dressed and standing in front of the medicine cabinet, solemnly arranging several small jade bottles and bowls with meticulous care. Gu Linzhao, on the other hand, was carefully wiping several specially made blood-drawing needles, as thin as cow hair and gleaming with a special silver light, with a special medicinal solution.
The air was filled with a strong medicinal smell, mixed with a faint, cool scent, like morning dew.
Seeing Su Zhelan enter, Su Yan merely glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and snorted, "You're here? What are you dawdling for! Come and sit down!" He pointed to a low couch covered with clean cushions that had been prepared in the center of the pharmacy.
Su Zhelan immediately put down the food box and sat down on the low couch as instructed, her movements revealing a hint of tension that was barely perceptible.
Gu Linzhao put down the polished silver needles, walked to Su Zhelan, and handed him a small jade bowl containing half a bowl of amber-colored medicine: "Drink it."
Su Zhelan accepted the medicine without hesitation, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. The medicine was spicy as it entered his throat, but a strong warmth instantly flowed through his limbs, dispelling the last trace of the morning chill and invigorating his spirit. He knew this was medicine to protect his vital energy.
Su Yan also came over, carrying a tray lined with a clean white silk cloth, on which were neatly arranged polished silver needles and small jade bottles and cups.
He sat down in front of Su Zhelan, his sharp gaze sweeping over her slightly pale face and outstretched fingers.
"Extend your hand." Su Yan's voice was deep and serious, carrying an unquestionable command.
Su Zhelan took a deep breath and steadily extended her left hand, placing it on the soft silk on Su Yan's tray. Her fingertips were slightly white from nervousness.
Without another word, Su Yan picked up a slender silver needle. His movements were lightning fast and incredibly precise. He pinched the tip of Su Zhelan's left middle finger with one hand, while holding the needle in his other, the tip gleaming coldly in the candlelight—
"laugh!"
A very faint sound, like a needle pricking thin silk, rang out.
The needle tip pierced the pad of Su Zhelan's middle finger instantly. The movement was so fast that Su Zhelan didn't even have time to feel a noticeable stinging sensation, only a slight tingling or itching.
A drop of bright red blood with a strange luster immediately seeped out from the puncture site, gathering on the fingertip like a ripe cinnabar mole.
With lightning speed, Su Yan caught the drop of blood in a small jade cup. The drop of blood fell into the cup, rolled on the white jade surface, and left a faint red mark.
Without pausing, Su Yan pierced Su Zhelan's ring fingertip with the silver needle once more.
"laugh!"
Another drop of blood seeped out and was precisely collected into another jade cup.
Then it's the index finger...
Of the ten fingers, except for the thumb which Su Yan specifically instructed to leave untouched, the fingertips of the other eight fingers were swiftly pierced by the lightning-fast silver needles.
Each needle prick was incredibly precise, drawing only the most superficial drop of blood from the fingertip, the movements swift and fluid. Su Zhelan felt a dense, tingling, almost continuous sensation of ants gnawing at her fingertips.
He watched as his blood dripped into the eight small jade cups, each cup containing only a single, solitary drop of blood, which stood out starkly against the white, jade-like surface of the container.
The whole process took less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
Su Yan put down the last silver needle, picked up a small jade bottle containing transparent ointment from the tray, and used a thin jade stick to pick out a little ointment, applying it very gently to Su Zhelan's eight fingertips. The ointment was clear and cool; upon application, the slight stinging and itching sensation immediately disappeared by more than half.
"Alright." Su Yan's voice was still cold, but if you listened carefully, you could detect a slight tension.
"That's all for today. Go back and rest, and don't touch your hands with water." He put away the tray and carefully placed the small jade cups containing drops of blood on a specially made shelf to the side.
Su Zhelan looked at her fingertips, which had been coated with ointment and were no longer bleeding, then glanced at the jade cup, a complex feeling welling up inside her. She didn't feel any obvious discomfort, only a slight, cool sensation from the ointment lingering on her fingertips.
He stood up, bowed respectfully to Su Yan and Gu Linzhao, picked up his food box, and left the pharmacy.
Sheng Xuan indeed followed Su Zhelan's "advice" and went to the training ground. He needed to vent the frustration he felt from being rejected by Su Zhelan.
Dust swirled across the spacious training ground. Sheng Xuan had taken off his outer robe, leaving him in only a thin undershirt, the fabric already soaked with sweat and clinging to his bulging muscles.
He wielded a heavy, finely crafted iron spear with incredible skill, the tip whistling as it sliced through the air. His movements were powerful and sweeping, sometimes like a venomous snake striking, sometimes like a raging storm, expansive and forceful, brimming with suppressed rage.
The heavy gun seemed weightless in his hands; each swing generated a sharp gust of wind, slamming into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Sweat streamed down his forehead, neck, and muscular chest, dripping onto the dry ground. He seemed tireless, practicing the most powerful and physically demanding marksmanship over and over again, the heavy gun slamming into a training dummy with a whooshing sound.
"Bang!" The straw man shattered, scattering straw fragments everywhere.
Sheng Xuan stopped moving, panting, leaning on the gun barrel, his chest heaving violently. Sweat blurred his vision, but what bothered him even more was the lingering sense of unease in his heart.
Why?
Why is it that every time... afterwards, he seems like a completely different person? Sheng Xuan's fingertips unconsciously caressed the cold gun barrel, but his thoughts drifted back to Shuyu Courtyard, back to Su Zhelan's indifferent back as she left that morning and the words "Don't follow."
Last night, he was so docile, even gradually succumbing to my forceful demands, uttering those low moans that made my blood boil.
Sheng Xuan could even clearly recall the temperature of his skin, the softness of his waist, and his dazed, whimpering appearance at the end.
That was definitely not resistance! But why did she seem like a completely different person when she woke up? She avoided me like the plague, dodging even the slightest touch as if she were being pricked by a needle, and couldn't wait to go find Master Su Yan?
Could it be... that I did something wrong? This thought pierced my heart like a thorn.
Sheng Xuan's brows furrowed into a tight knot. Impossible! He was clearly...clearly feeling comfortable... He shook his head irritably, trying to dispel the extremely unpleasant thought. He was always the man of his word in the army, and invincible on the battlefield, so how come he's not doing well here...? Is he really not good enough? Is he being rejected?
Or was it because of… Xiao Qiyun? This thought made his heart ache even more. That guy Xiao Qiyun always had such a gentle, refined, and considerate demeanor.
Does Su Zhelan like that kind of thing? Does she like that slow, pretentious way of doing things? So every time she does that to me, she feels... rude?
Sheng Xuan grew increasingly frustrated, a nameless rage rising within him. He recalled Su Zhelan's whispered words to Xiao Qiyun that morning, Xiao Qiyun's confident demeanor as he left, and Su Zhelan's undisguised dismissal of him—"Go have some fun on the training ground," "Don't get in my way here!"
"Damn it!" Sheng Xuan cursed under his breath, slamming his spear into the ground, the butt of the spear embedding itself deeply into the soil.
The rough texture of the spear pressed against his palm, carrying a slight chill, but it did nothing to quell the heat and doubt in his heart. Frustrated and venting his anger, he tossed the spear high into the air, watching it trace an arc in the morning light, before catching it steadily.
To hell with it! Sheng Xuan clenched the wolf fang tightly, its rough edges stinging his palm. What's with all the technique! I like him, I want to be close to him, is that wrong?!
Hiding? He can't hide forever! A wolfish glint flashed in his eyes, along with an unwavering determination to achieve his goal. So what if he thinks I'm being too persistent? Fine! I'll just keep pestering him! Even more persistent! Let's see where he can hide now!
This surge of anger and defiant spirit instantly overwhelmed all confusion. Sheng Xuan stopped thinking about it, gripped his spear firmly again, and his eyes became even sharper, even carrying a hint of ferocity.
He let out a low roar, channeling all his strength and pent-up frustration into the gun barrel once more, launching an even more ferocious attack on another innocent straw dummy! The gun moved like a dragon, the wind howled, as if to tear apart all his confusion and frustration, along with the figure he both loved and hated, in this violent training!
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