SC Chapter61

Jiang Lingxin’s lotus mark on his chest became clearer with time. When the color was at its deepest, he would be close to death. The people ambushing on the streets outside were all from the Gonglian Sect. If he were to go out like this, wouldn’t it be exposing his identity for nothing?

Zhou Yan told Jiang Lingxin about the situation and sincerely handed over a set of robes he held.

Jiang Lingxin looked coldly at Zhou Yan, not saying a word.

Zhou Yan placed the clothes down frankly and said seriously, “The poison on your body can only be treated with the juice of the Scorching Sun Flower. Unfortunately, the Scorching Sun Flower is only found in Medicine King Valley. You have to return to Medicine King Valley with me, and we are bound to encounter people from the Gonglian Sect along the way. If you don’t disguise yourself, how can we arrive safely?”

With that, Zhou Yan, who was full of righteous spirit, slammed the door and left.

Jiang Lingxin: ……

A quarter of an hour later, a cold voice came from inside the room. “Come in.”

Zhou Yan pushed the door open. The wind in the corridor blew open the beaded curtain. By the window stood a person with raven-black hair and a white brocade robe, his waist slim enough to hold with one hand. He actually put it on!

Jiang Lingxin heard the footsteps and turned his head, frowning, his face full of distaste. Zhou Yan came back to his senses and sighed, “With a body like a celestial maiden and beauty like the moon immersed in cold water.” Since Jiang Lingxin’s inner power was sealed, not only could he not kill him, but he also had a favor to ask of him, so Zhou Yan let himself talk nonsense.

“Let’s go.” Jiang Lingxin said.

Zhou Yan grabbed him. “Don’t rush. What will it look like if you go out now? You must have an explanation.”

A few hours later, a carriage squeaked over the blue bricks. Zhou Yan was the one driving the carriage, he turned his head to the person in the carriage and asked, “Xin’er, have you remembered it clearly?”

After a long time, the cold reply came from the carriage, “I remembered, shut up, it’s disgusting.”

Zhou Yan curved his eyes, his smile trembling slightly. He lowered his voice and said, “Yes, Wife.”

A chill ran down his back, and the killing intent in the carriage deepened by a few points. Zhou Yan didn’t care at all, driving the carriage in a great mood and swaggering out of the city. It wasn’t until nightfall that they stopped at an inn on the outskirts.

The inn was dilapidated, with only an accountant slowly calculating the accounts and a skinny waiter sitting on a stool inside the door picking his teeth. When he saw someone coming, he just raised his head lazily.

“One room.” Zhou Yan took out a piece of broken silver from his waist and tossed it over, then reached out to support the person behind him.

The waiter took the silver and became energetic. Just as he was about to greet them, his eyes swept over, and was stunned. The white-robed beauty who entered had a thin veil over his face, leaving only a pair of cold, clear eyes. Even so, his elegance was still undeniable. The dim little inn seemed to brighten up because of him.

Jiang Lingxin completely ignored the waiter’s sticky gaze. The coldness in his bones came in waves, making him struggle with all his might to barely stand steady. It was the Seven-Star Lotus Poison about to flare up again.

The waiter in the inn recovered his senses and quickly put on a smile, leading the two upstairs. Jiang Lingxin followed Zhou Yan for two steps, his footing slipped and he almost fell. Zhou Yan frowned, bent down, and picked the person up while whispering, “Endure a bit longer.”

The waiter, who was holding an oil lamp, turned around in confusion to ask.

Zhou Yan merely said, “We’re in the medicinal herbs business at home. My wife and I came out on this trip to buy herbs, but unexpectedly, my wife caught a cold. Could you trouble yourself with sending some hot food and tea?”

The waiter looked at the person in his arms again. He truly looked like he had a cold, shivering and burying his face into Zhou Yan’s shoulder, looking fragile and helpless. The waiter quickly agreed before leading the two to the room, closed the door, and went downstairs.

The inn was very simple; the so-called best room was nothing more than a bed and a table. The bed board was cold and hard, while bedding was thin and full of a fishy, rotten smell. Zhou Yan let Jiang Lingxin sit on the chair for a while, took off his cloak and spread it on the bed before helping the person onto the bed. He paused, took off his outer robe and covered Jiang Lingxin with it, and finally pressed the thin, dark bedding on top of the outer robe.

“Are you very cold?” Zhou Yan asked softly. Jiang Lingxin bit his lower lip, huddled into a ball.

Zhou Yan sighed as he reached from Jiang Lingxin’s collar to his chest with his fingers. It was icy cold under his palm. Moments later, a rich inner force pressed against his chest and flowed into his meridians, bringing some warmth to Jiang Lingxin.

A knock came from outside. Zhou Yan was about to pull his hand back to open the door when his wrist was seized, held firmly by Jiang Lingxin.

“Don’t go…” Jiang Lingxin’s hair was messy, his lips pale, and he was miserably huddled in the thin bedding. Zhou Yan’s heart softened. He shifted his fingertip to Jiang Lingxin’s chest and soothed him in a low voice, “Alright, I won’t go.”

“Guest, your food is here.”

Zhou Yan said, “Leave it outside.”

It stayed quiet outside for a moment before the sound of a wooden tray being set on the ground reached them. The waiter’s footsteps gradually faded away. Zhou Yan gently touched Jiang Lingxin’s forehead with his free hand and asked, “Are you still cold?”

Jiang Lingxin didn’t answer, only trembling constantly.

Zhou Yan asked, “Do you still need me to hold you to sleep?”

Jiang Lingxin didn’t speak but quietly loosened the quilt, leaving a gap for Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan immediately slipped into the icy bedding, held Jiang Lingxin in his arms, and said seriously, “Then it’s settled, you’re not allowed to hit me tomorrow.”

 

In the middle of the night, Jiang Lingxin fell into a daze and slept. His body temperature gradually recovered. Zhou Yan’s eyes were tightly closed with one hand pressed against the back of Jiang Lingxin’s head, holding the person close to his chest, while the other hand patted the slender back of the person in his arms, on and off lightly. There were rustling footsteps outside.

Zhou Yan opened his eyes, reversed his hand, and flung out three silver needles, which simultaneously pierced through the door panel, revealing their cold, sharp tips.

“Get lost.” Zhou Yan said in a low voice.

A broadsword fell outside the door, followed by hurried, messy footsteps that gradually moved away.

Jiang Lingxin was roused by the noise, his brows drawing tight as he let out a low groan. Zhou Yan withdrew his hand and gently patted his shoulder, coaxing, “It’s nothing, sleep.”

Even the proprietors of the shady inn knew that the guests upstairs were not to be trifled with and caused no further trouble.

In the latter half of the night, Jiang Lingxin’s body temperature suddenly dropped. A layer of frost formed on his long, thick eyelashes, freezing Zhou Yan awake.

“Hiss…” Zhou Yan drew in a breath, gathered the person in his arms, and pushed out his inner power without pause, yet nothing changed. Zhou Yan had no choice but to get up, take out silver needles from his wrist, pierce several major acupoints on Jiang Lingxin, and feed him some pills. He struggled for a full hour before pulling the person back from the brink of death.

Zhou Yan looked at the person in his arms, who was still shivering from the cold, and couldn’t help but sigh, “I’m afraid you’ll suffer from a cold illness from now on.” Jiang Lingxin gasped with effort, leaning tightly against Zhou Yan’s chest, arching up and scattering his lapel.

“Hey… don’t move around…” Zhou Yan pressed down the person in his arms, feeling somewhat uneasy from the rubbing.

Jiang Lingxin had lost his mind. His cold breath sprinkled on Zhou Yan’s chest as a pair of hands fumbled to wrap around Zhou Yan’s waist, attempting to draw some warmth. Zhou Yan’s mind was filled only with the cold fragrance of the person in his arms, subtle and refreshing. The jade-like skin brushed here and there. In no time, his lower body responded.

It’s over, Zhou Yan thought.

“If you move again, I will…” Before Zhou Yan could finish his sentence, Jiang Lingxin had already fumbled to the warmest spot, three inches below the navel. Zhou Yan was young and vigorous, his whole body like a small furnace. Being provoked to this extent, the string in his mind suddenly snapped. Jiang Lingxin was exploring to grasp the scalding thing, but he was suddenly pressed down by Zhou Yan.

“You, you made the first move!” Zhou Yan said fiercely, “I’ll accept it even if you hit me.”

What followed was a set of actions inconvenient to detail.

The room was full of whimpering and low cries, giving the waiter and the innkeeper headaches. They were all angry but dared not speak. Look, how could it be like this? It was always them who murdered and robbed, so how could a couple run to the shady inn for illicit lovemaking? What a world!

When the sky was about to dawn, Zhou Yan withdrew. His poked the soft, jade-like lower abdomen of the person beneath him with his fingertips. He leaned down and placed a kiss on Jiang Lingxin’s red-rimmed eye corner, saying, “I’ve given you all my yang essence. Are you warm now?”

The morning light was faint, filtering through the window screen. Jiang Lingxin slowly opened his eyes, his entire body sore and indescribably painful. He struggled to turn sideways and saw a person sleeping beside him. The shattered-gold-like morning light fell on his handsome face. The quilt did not cover his chest, and there were unclear, seductive finger marks everywhere. Jiang Lingxin’s mind buzzed, leaving only a sense of dizziness.

Zhou Yan was awakened by the movement beside him. He opened his eyes and met Jiang Lingxin’s pale face and beautiful eyes full of shock and anger.

“……” Zhou Yan didn’t know what to say, so he silently offered his right cheek.

A sharp slap rang out. Jiang Lingxin kept his expression cold as he shook out his hand.

Zhou Yan grimaced in pain but offered his left cheek as well.

Jiang Lingxin lifted his hand, delivering another slap, matching the first.

Zhou Yan covered his face and smiled bitterly, “I’ve been hit. Can I say something?”

Jiang Lingxin stared at him coldly.

Outside the window, the morning breeze blew through the rotten window, making the broken bedding flutter.

Zhou Yan, with ten fingertip marks, curved his eyes and said in a lewd and unrestrained way, “See, the weather is so nice today. Will you be my wife?”

 

As for becoming his wife, whether it was appropriate or not, it had already become a reality. Moreover, the poison on Jiang Lingxin was getting worse, and since he had experienced the sweetness, every time it flared up, he subconsciously clung to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan was pleased with him, giving in to his every need, keeping that slender waist of the beauty entirely in his grasp.

They were about to reach Medicine King Valley along the way. Zhou Yan had a blade of grass in his mouth, squinting his peach blossom eyes, lazily driving the carriage. He occasionally looked back into the carriage.

Jiang Lingxin was originally dozing against the carriage wall. The mountain road was difficult, and his forehead bumped against the window edge twice, waking him up.

“Stop the carriage.” Jiang Lingxin frowned while pressing his temple.

Zhou Yan pulled the reins, reached out, and lifted the curtain, saying, “What is it, Wife? Thirsty? Hungry? Or do you miss me?”

Jiang Lingxin kept a straight face and reached out to push Zhou Yan away, and jumped off the carriage. Before he could walked two steps, he suddenly bent over, leaning on a tree beside him, and vomited.

Zhou Yan was stunned, quickly stepping forward to support the swaying Jiang Lingxin, gently patting his slender back helplessly, and asking worriedly, “Xin’er, are you alright?”

Jiang Lingxin’s face was almost transparently pale. He gasped slightly and slapped Zhou Yan’s hand away, saying, “I told you not to call me that. I’m not taking the carriage anymore.”

“Alright, we’re not taking it.” Zhou Yan drew his sword at once, sliced through the reins, then lifted Jiang Lingxin onto the horse and rode slowly along the mountain path.

Jiang Lingxin leaned in Zhou Yan’s arms, rested his head on his shoulder, and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

Zhou Yan lowered his head and gently kissed his furrowed brow, coaxing, “There, don’t be angry anymore. We’ll reach Medicine King Valley before dark.”

After a long time, Jiang Lingxin finally spoke, “Good. I’ll wait for you outside Medicine King Valley.”

Zhou Yan tightened his arms as he held the person closer, “Why say that? Of course I’m taking you into the valley with me.”

Jiang Lingxin coughed twice. Even in such warm sunlight, his lips were cold and pale. “Medicine King Valley is secluded and does not allow outsiders in.”

Zhou Yan smiled, freed one hand to lift Jiang Lingxin’s face, and said, “What outsider are you? You are the wife of the Medicine King’s foremost disciple. When the elders in the family see you, they’ll be overjoyed.”