Old Zhou came during the day holding Niannian to visit Shen Guan. The complete mess from last night’s struggle had been properly cleaned up by Xiao Ning. While Shen Guan was still fast asleep on the bed, pale and quiet.
Xiao Ning placed Niannian on his lap and softly told Old Zhou about what had happened last night in a few words.
Old Zhou held his cup with a mouthful of water stuck halfway in his throat. After a long pause he finally swallowed, looking as if he had plenty he wanted to say: “Ghost Face Flower is addictive. Since you gave in to his craving and desire this time, the next time it flares up, you’ll have to tend to him again.”
Xiao Ning looked up at Old Zhou and said coldly, “So what? He is my person to begin with.”
Old Zhou looked at the person who was deeply asleep in the inner room and frowned as if he wanted to say something but ultimately held it back. He only reached out and rubbed Niannian’s soft bangs before letting out a sigh.
When Shen Guan woke up, Old Zhou had already taken Niannian’s little hand and left. Xiao Ning was sitting by the head of the bed, watching over him.
“Where… is this?” Shen Guan’s voice was slightly hoarse, his body weak and limp. He turned his head and looked blankly at the person sitting by the bed.
Xiao Ning’s eyes were sharp and stern, his thin lips set in a serious line, with only a trace of weariness showing. To Shen Guan, though, he was a complete stranger.
“Did you sleep till you were senseless?” Xiao Ning glared at him and, to his surprise, caught a glimpse of the carefully hidden panic in Shen Guan’s eyes. Xiao Ning was startled and reached out to touch his forehead. His palm felt a slight warmth. He should have a low fever, but not enough to be delirious.
“Who are you?” Shen Guan tried to prop himself up. After a night of exertion, it would be strange if he could sit up. The dull pain in his lower body and the soreness in his waist made Shen Guan turn pale again.
“Shen Guan.” Xiao Ning was slightly annoyed, his tone cold as he warned him not to play tricks.
Shen Guan’s face changed. Ignoring the pain in his body, he struggled to sit halfway up and retreated to the corner, then spoke after a moment: “Are you a member of the Tianyi Division?” If he wasn’t from the Tianyi Division, how would he know his real name?
Xiao Ning’s expression shifted, and his heart sank. Shen Guan wouldn’t act so recklessly with him. He stared at the person huddled in the corner, reached out, and pinched Shen Guan’s lean jaw, forcing him to lift his face.
“Who do you think you are, Shen Yunjie?”
Shen Guan’s face was snow-white, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, “Did Shizun send you?”
Xiao Ning fell completely silent. The Shen Guan before him seemed to have forgotten even more. He took out the jade token he kept close to him and showed it to Shen Guan.
The doubt in Shen Guan’s eyes completely vanished, replaced by dead silence instead. The Flying Jade Token of the Tianyi Division—seeing the token was like seeing the Division Master. “What instructions does Shizun have?”
Xiao Ning lowered his eyes and glanced at Shen Guan, saying, “You are poisoned. Stay here to recover. You are not to leave before the poison is cleared.”
Shen Guan suddenly lifted his head, his pale lips slightly parted. After a long pause, he whispered, “If I leave the Prince Mansion like this, and Shizi can’t find me…”
Xiao Ning felt a dull ache in his heart and said with an increasingly cold expression, “You don’t need to worry. There are countermeasures outside.”
Shen Guan held his forehead as a faint pain throbbing in his head. He really couldn’t figure out why he was poisoned out of the blue, but he had no time to think about those things. Now he had only one thought in mind: if his young master couldn’t find him, he would definitely be worried. The person in front of him could not be trusted. He had to find a way to escape and return to the Prince Mansion.
Shen Guan was weak and was forced to drink another bowl of medicine by Xiao Ning. His mind was chaotic and groggy, he couldn’t help but fall asleep. While he was asleep, Xiao Ning returned home and found Old Zhou.
Old Zhou was uncomplainingly washing clothes for the two children. Seeing Xiao Ning, he was startled and said, “What’s wrong?”
“Are you asking me?” Xiao Ning sneered. “He seems to have forgotten who I am.”
Old Zhou touched his chin with a wet hand, pondered for a moment, and said, “It is possible. Ghost Face Flower poison naturally causes confusion. He might currently have his memory stuck at the time he yearns for in his heart.”
Xiao Ning’s eyes were bloodshot, making him look haggard and terrifying. Old Zhou couldn’t bear it and advised, “You don’t need to worry. Once he gets through a few more toxin flare-ups, his mind will naturally clear up. What’s his situation now? Does he not even remember you?”
Xiao Ning lifted his gaze to Old Zhou, his expression hollow, then slowly turned and walked away. Shen Guan no longer remembered him, but he still remembered Xie Yunyi. Shen Guan’s memory seemed to have returned to that year, when he was still in the Prince Mansion…
The door of the medical hall was ajar, creaking in the wind. Xiao Ning paused, then abruptly pushed the door open. The room was empty and Shen Guan was gone. His wound was not healed, and the Ghost Face Flower poison could flare up again at any time, yet he had run out alone just like that.
Xiao Ning’s heart pounded like a drum, his mind blank, and he stumbled out. The same despair he had felt that year after the rain, when he had raced through the streets and alleys unable to find Shen Yunjie, surged back in his chest. Fortunately, Shen Guan hadn’t gone far this time. He was lingering in an empty, abandoned alleyway, seemingly unable to find his way home.
Xiao Ning grabbed him from behind and pressed him against the rough wall, his hot breath spraying onto Shen Guan’s face. The anger and the fear in his heart almost made him want to strangle Shen Guan. He demanded, “You tried to run?”
Shen Guan supported his shaky body, grabbed Xiao Ning’s sleeve, and said, “I won’t run. Just let me go back to the Prince Mansion to take a look. I’ll leave after one look.”
Xiao Ning stared at Shen Guan in a daze as he clutched the corner of Xiao Ning’s clothes, his eyes full of pleading. After a long silence, he lowered his head and gave a bitter smile, then looked up at Shen Guan and said, “There is no more Prince Mansion.”
Shen Guan was stunned. He suddenly grabbed Xiao Ning’s wrist and sharply said, “Impossible!”
“How is it impossible?” Xiao Ning leaned close to Shen Guan’s ear and said word by word, “In the thirteenth year of Yong’an, Prince Wujing Mansion colluded with a faction. Their crime was unforgivable, and the imperial court carried out a complete purge. The evidence was delivered by you personally, Shen Guan. Have you forgotten?”
A sharp, hoarse scream echoed from the alley. Shen Guan clutched his head and slowly sank to the ground with cold sweat dampening his forehead.
Xiao Ning looked at the person curled up at his feet, leaned down, and picked him up. The person in his arms was so frail he felt weightless, and after trembling, he collapsed unconscious. Xiao Ning carried him off into the night. The coolness of tears slid down his cheek onto Shen Yunjie’s brow. He hated Shen Yunjie, yet he loved him even more than he hated.
