Chapter 21

Yu Tao was stunned for a moment, doubting if she had seen it wrong: “Little Senior Brother, what are you doing here?”

The young man spoke in a calm tone: “Junior Sister, you didn’t return to Huaishui Bamboo Pavilion at night, so I came to look for you, afraid you would have fed the mountain beasts.”

Then why were you behind her?

Although Yu Tao was a little puzzled, seeing his calm demeanor, she nodded and said, “Thank you, Little Senior Brother.”

“Are you not feeling well?”

Yu Tao bit her lip and nodded, but didn’t say where it hurt, she just leaned against a rock and stood up, “It’s nothing serious, just a little problem, let’s go back.”

“Refusing to see a doctor is not a good habit,” Yu Li said coolly, “Those who always rely on their good health and ignore minor illnesses often end up dying young.”

Yu Tao: Surely it’s not that serious, is it?

The dull pain in her lower abdomen was different from usual, maybe she had caught a chill, the pain was much worse than normal, like someone had stabbed her with a sword.

Yu Tao lowered her head, looking embarrassed. She wanted to say something, but in this situation, how could she say it, especially in front of Little Senior Brother?

“Um…”

The pain started again, Yu Tao couldn’t help but squat down, tightly clutching her stomach, looking pained.

“…Really, it’s nothing, Little Senior Brother, don’t worry, I’ll be fine in a moment.”

A soft sigh came from above.

Her body was suddenly lifted, and she was carried horizontally. The sound of jade bells chimed, Yu Tao was startled and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck to prevent herself from falling.

Looking at the young man’s cool, white jawline, she snapped out of her daze, “Senior… Little Senior Brother?”

Her face, already red, became even redder due to this sudden shock, hot as if she was burning, and she stuttered, “I… I’m really fine, not hurt, I can walk by myself.”

She felt like she must be going crazy, how else could she be dreaming of Little Senior Brother carrying her?

“Do you also like mountain mud, Junior Sister?”

Yu Tao was stunned for a moment, suddenly recalling that day in the snowy land, when she had tried to be brave and almost fallen into a snowdrift. He had said the same thing then.

She fell silent.

Actually, she also realized that, given her current condition, it would be difficult for her to make it back on her own.

Yu Tao buried her head in his chest, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz: “Sorry, Little Senior Brother, I’ve caused you trouble.”

The girl was very light, and when she stayed quietly in his arms, she felt like a small rabbit. Her slightly hot breath on the side of his neck scorched that small patch of skin, making it feel a little burning.

The young man gave a cold, soft hum, turning his head slightly to hide the red tips of his ears.

As they walked, Yu Tao suddenly realized they were on the path down the mountain, not toward Huaishui Bamboo Pavilion. She asked, “Little Senior Brother, where are we going?”

“The clinic.”

Yu Tao paused, “Huh? What?”

Yu Li frowned, “If you can’t walk because of the pain, where else would we go but the clinic?”

Yu Tao: “…”

Yesterday, he had said he would take her to the clinic if she fell ill, and now here they were.

At this point, there was no other option. Seeing they were almost down the mountain, Yu Tao really didn’t want to embarrass herself by going to the clinic in this state. She could only speak up, whispering in his ear, her voice very soft.

“Little Senior Brother, actually, I just…”

The young man stiffened upon hearing this: “…”

Yu Tao also felt awkward. Her ears turned bright red, and she buried her head deeper into his chest, wanting to avoid facing the situation.

Yu Li remained silent for two seconds, then calmly turned his head and spoke in a flat tone: “It’s just a normal physiological phenomenon, you can just say it directly next time.”

Yu Tao felt defeated, thinking, ‘This time I’ve almost embarrassed myself completely, let alone next time.’

Fortunately, he didn’t have any special reaction. Otherwise, Yu Tao would have wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into right then and there.

Once they returned to Huaishui Bamboo Pavilion, Yu Tao changed into another set of clothes, trembling as she lay back on the couch, hugging the blanket and curling up.

Due to being sick, her head felt heavy and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Yu Li had been waiting outside the door for a long time but was still not at ease.

He pushed the door open and saw that the girl was already asleep, though not very peacefully. She was curled up in a small ball, seeming to be in pain, tightly biting her lip.

It was already night, but the medical clinic at Miaoshou Peak of the Wuchang Sect was still brightly lit.

With the changing of seasons between spring and summer, it was the peak time for wind and cold-related illnesses.

The birds in the courtyard chirped on the spring branches, twittering away. Hua Lian, looking a little dejected, was diagnosing and preparing medicine for patients, yawning after sending one disciple off.

Looking over at the disciples standing in the courtyard, there were at least several dozen of them. Hua Lian sighed, seeing that it looked like he wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.

It was just supposed to be a little teasing, but now he ended up doing free labor for Elder Song. He’d been working non-stop for a whole day, and he wouldn’t be able to escape it tomorrow either.

“Thanks for your hard work, Master Hua. After this, let’s have a drink together.”

The emergency patients were finally all seen, and Elder Song came out after washing his hands and sat down to take charge, sending some disciples over to his side to help, which eased Hua Lian’s workload a lot.

Hua Lian twitched the corner of his mouth and took out his famous saying: “Not hard work, just a tough life.”

The clinic usually had a few disciples working here, but recently, something had happened elsewhere, and with so many injured, those disciples had all gone to help. So, the clinic was left with just Elder Song.

As Hua Lian was about to look away, he suddenly saw a figure standing in front of him.

The young man in white was frowning slightly, his eyes cold, and the disciples behind him were all looking at him.

It was the culprit who made him work for free.

Hua Lian was surprised that he had come here. After a moment, he snorted, “At least you have some conscience, coming to check on me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man stared at the medical certification on his desk for two seconds, then turned without hesitation and walked to Elder Song’s side.

Hua Lian: ?

Elder Song looked up and appraised him: “Disciple Yu, you don’t look like you’re ill. Are you here for someone else?”

“Yes. A few days ago, I was exposed to the cold in the snowy land, soaked in a hot spring for two days to drive out the chill, but after returning, I caught a chill again. Now I’m falling asleep with a high fever.”

Hua Lian understood immediately—so it was Junior Sister who was sick.

A typical wind-cold illness. Elder Song thought for a moment, then prepared the medicine and handed it to him: “Boil this and have the patient drink it. Afterward, make sure to rest well and not get exposed to the wind or cold again.”

After taking the medicine, however, the young man didn’t leave.

Elder Song was puzzled. “Disciple Yu, is there something else?”

The clinic was filled with the calming scent of herbs, which helped soothe one’s mood.

The young man paused for a moment before asking, “Shishu Song, what’s the best way to treat and relieve a woman’s lower abdominal pain, like menstrual cramps?”

As soon as the question was asked, one of the disciples who had just entered the room to check on a patient froze, his breath halting in shock.

Huh?

What did Senior Brother Yu just say??

Elder Song was also stunned. He looked Yu Li up and down, his astonishment hard to conceal.

He had watched Xuan Yunzi’s disciples grow up and had once discussed with Xuan Yunzi which of the disciples would marry first. The one they had both excluded from the discussion was Yu Li.

All Yu Li did every day was cultivate, practice swordsmanship, or go out of the sect to slay demons. He hardly spoke to anyone except them, and others never paid him any mind.

Other disciples were at least not uninterested in female cultivators, but Yu Li had no interest in anyone.

However, considering his excellent medical skills, Elder Song, ever professional, asked, “How old is the patient?”

“Sixteen.”

“How severe is the pain? If it’s mild, it’s a normal phenomenon, nothing to worry about.”

The young man hesitated for a moment, looking down at his wrist. “It’s very severe.”

Elder Song stroked his beard thoughtfully. “It could be related to the cold she caught a few days ago. How’s her constitution usually? Is she prone to cold?”

The young man furrowed his brow slightly. “What’s considered a cold constitution?”

The pharmacy boy, who had just brought over the medicine, casually chimed in, “To put it simply, it’s when there’s a lot of cold energy inside the body, usually seen as always having cold hands that never warm up.”

Elder Song nodded. “Well said.”

The young man was silent for a moment, then murmured, “…I haven’t had any experience with this. Are there any other ways to identify it?”

Elder Song: ?

The disciples in the hall: ?

This phrase seemed a bit… awkward.

Almost instantly, the expressions of the people present became unsettled. The disciple in the hall had already secretly taken out a liuli mirror and was pressing the fingers on it rapidly, clearly very excited.

Only Hua Lian remained indifferent, his face cold. ‘Heh, deserved it.’

He gave you a chance, but you still couldn’t do anything.

He did want to play matchmaker, but this person refused to admit anything. When it came to stubbornness, this person was the hardest to crack.

Yu Tao was tossing and turning in her sleep, feeling feverish and heavy-headed. Her stomach continued to ache, the pain clouding her consciousness.

Her whole body felt cold, as if she had fallen into an ice cave, without a trace of warmth.

She also had a dream.

In the dream, a figure with a gentle smile sat beside her, watching the sunset and the evening glow. The scene was warm and comforting, the figure gently stroking her hair with a look full of lingering affection.

Suddenly, the scene shifted. The setting sun plunged into a deep, abyss-like sea, and the figure disappeared. The surroundings became empty, with waves surging wildly as if they wanted to swallow her whole.

Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes as she whispered softly.

“…Mother.”

Yu Li, who had just returned, heard this and paused. He finally understood the cause of her unusual behavior tonight.

Sitting by her bedside, the young man hesitated for a moment before reaching out to gently wipe away her tears. His sleeve, slightly shortened, inadvertently revealed a wrist marked with teeth marks from being bitten.

In her dazed state, Yu Tao felt herself being helped up, and some warm liquid was fed to her. It was bitter, and she immediately frowned and pushed it away.

“Drink it all.”

The voice was cold and familiar. Yu Tao groggily opened her eyes and saw the young man just inches away from her.

…Little Senior Brother?

She froze for a moment, not asking any further questions, and obediently drank the medicine. A wave of bitterness swept through her.

Her mind was still foggy, and she remembered the last thing that happened before she was sent back — meeting him on the mountain peak, then falling asleep right afterward.

Her head was spinning, and Yu Tao felt like she must have caught a chill.

She didn’t know what medicine she had just taken, but it was extremely bitter. Still, Little Senior Brother would never harm her.

She mumbled groggily, “Senior Brother, I’m so sleepy.”

The young man beside her spoke in a calm tone.

“Mm, sleep then.”

The girl’s consciousness flickered back to clarity for just a moment before she fell back into deep sleep. Her small face took on a sickly flush.

It seemed like she was cold, her body curling up tighter and tighter.

This medicine was only for treating the chill, not the pain caused by the “^[1]“Kui Shui” (葵水) isn’t a common phrase in Chinese, and its meaning might be context-specific, especially in a novel or fictional setting. “葵” (Kui) typically refers … Continue readingKui Shui” condition. Other methods would need to be used to alleviate that.

Yu Li thought about what Old Master Song had said and hesitated for a moment. He then stretched out his hand and, with a layer of quilt between them, hesitated before placing it on the girl’s lower abdomen, channeling his spiritual energy.

The once-cold bed suddenly warmed up, the gentle heat spreading through her body. The frown that had been furrowed on Yu Tao’s face finally relaxed, and her body became less stiff, loosening up a bit.

“Mm… so warm.”

It worked.

Just as Yu Li was thinking this, Yu Tao, dissatisfied with the warmth from the blanket, suddenly stretched both arms out from under the quilt, pulling his hand back into the blanket and holding it tightly.

The young man: ?!

His pale golden eyes flashed with shock, and his ears instantly turned bright red. He instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but it was held too tightly and couldn’t break free.

Warmth spread, and the girl sighed contentedly, rubbing her small face against the fabric of his arm, making soft sounds.

“Cat, you’re so warm. Hmph, now that you’re my cat, don’t even think about running away. Keeping the bed warm is your basic duty. Don’t run, let me hug you again… Mm…”

Yu Li: “…”