Chapter 35: How to Administer Medicine

—

Yi Chenlan looked at the book in his hand in confusion.

Eternal Slash

He gently rubbed the three ancient characters, momentarily unsure of where he was or what he should do. He stood dazed, unable to recall anything.

“Bang!”

Yi Chenlan suddenly looked up. The door in front of him was kicked open, and a young girl stormed in, her face twisted with hatred and jealousy. The emotions distorted her originally bright appearance, making her seem terrifying.

“You took my Eternal Slash! That’s mine! Mine! How dare you practice this superior sword technique? I bet you can’t even hold a sword properly!” 

She advanced step by step: “You want to practice swordsmanship, huh? Dream on! Today, I’ll chop off your arm, and then let’s see how you’re going to practice swordsmanship!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the blade in her hand flashed coldly. Yi Chenlan immediately felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. He suddenly became alert, and all his memories flooded into his mind, nearly overwhelming his nerves.

He looked at the hateful expression on the girl’s face and frantically stepped back.

It was a nightmare… It was a nightmare…

This wasn’t his Wan Wan…

He had been reborn. Wake up, wake up!

Yi Chenlan bit his tongue, the taste of blood spreading in his mouth, but he couldn’t escape the nightmare. The scene before him abruptly shifted. His remaining wrist was tightly bound by an iron chain, and before him stood the familiar Snowy Night Mountain.

“Demon Lord Yi Heng! Do you see this? Do you see this? You’ve killed so many, I will make sure you die without peace!”

“Use his son’s blood to mourn for all the innocent bloodshed!”

“My family was killed by Yi Heng! Why is the Demon Lord’s son still alive and well? I want him to pay for his blood debts!”

“Beat him! Let Yi Heng see the sins he has committed!”

“Father’s debt, son must repay!”

“Father’s debt, son must repay! Father’s debt, son must repay! Father’s debt, son must repay…”

Scalding blood flowed into his eyes. Yi Chenlan’s gaze desperately darted among the crowd—there was a dense, dark mass of people. They glared at him, pointing at him with hatred, torturing him with whips, daggers, silver needles, and all kinds of cruel instruments.

He couldn’t find his Wan Wan. He couldn’t find his Wan Wan…

Yi Chenlan struggled to keep his eyes open. His Wan Wan was easy to find. Only she would look at him with those crystal-clear eyes, eyes that had never held disgust or hatred, only countless compassion and heartache.

But she wasn’t there. No matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find her. Where was she?

Yi Chenlan trembled in despair. He had tasted sweetness before, only to fall back into the dark, painful abyss, struggling alone, and he felt as though he could not bear it.

Wan Wan, save me.

Wan Wan, save me…

—

“Why can’t Senior Brother Ah Lan wake up?” Shu Wan asked anxiously as she gently rubbed Yi Chenlan’s forehead, but it was of no use. His sharp brows remained tightly furrowed.

“Brother Ge, is the doctor you hired any good? He still hasn’t improved even after taking the medicine.”

Ge Qing leaned against the wall, speaking coldly with indifference: “If the doctor I hired isn’t good enough, then you go hire one. Chi Shui Town is just a poor backwater, a small, broken town. We’re lucky to even have a doctor. If you want a better one, go to Yunzhou City. By the time he gets here, he’ll have aged ten years.”

“Besides, did he even drink the medicine? You’re supposed to feed him with your mouth if he won’t take it. I told you this, but you didn’t listen.”

“Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense. Didn’t you just make another bowl of medicine? Go check if it’s ready.” Shu Wan wiped the sweat from Yi Chenlan’s temple. Seeing him in discomfort, she had no mood to argue with Ge Qing.

Feed him with my mouth… She… she was too embarrassed to say it, but if Senior Brother Ah Lan woke up and found out how she had fed him the medicine, what would he think of her? Would he find it disgusting? If he really hated her, then… it would be too sad.

She didn’t want to ruin his impression of her.

“Heh.” Ge Qing let out a cold, noble laugh through his nose and turned to leave.

Though his attitude was less than pleasant, Shu Wan knew that Ge Qing had a strong sense of loyalty, even if his manner was rough. She had slipped out from the passageway with Yi Chenlan just as dawn was approaching. Worried that Yi Chenlan’s brain might be affected by the fever, she didn’t dare to delay and immediately descended the mountain.

Fortunately, descending the mountain wasn’t difficult. She used her Qinggong and quickly reached the foot of the mountain. She was lucky to meet a traveling merchant group who not only gave them food and water but also took them all the way to Chi Shui Town.

It was at the entrance of the town that she ran into Ge Qing.

Shu Wan took a small spoon and carefully fed Yi Chenlan water, moistening his pale, cracked lips as she muttered to herself: “Brother Ge is actually kind-hearted… Even though the book didn’t write about him, I wonder what kind of person he is and whether his ending will be good…”

“Junior Sister Shu, what are you mumbling about?” Ge Qing walked in through the curtain, casting a strange look at her, before placing the medicine bowl beside her. “Feed him.”

Shu Wan quickly took the bowl, the bitter taste of the medicine making her frown. She kept repeating to herself: “How can he get better without taking medicine?” as she scooped up a spoonful, blowing on it to cool it slightly. She then carefully fed it to Yi Chenlan, occasionally wiping the corners of his mouth gently.

“How did you two get out?” Ge Qing suddenly asked coldly.

“Maybe… we just stumbled out by accident.” Shu Wan replied, not entirely sure herself. Senior Brother Ah Lan had said he had only casually read a few books on mechanism techniques, but she couldn’t help feeling that such a complex mechanism array must be extremely profound and not something that could be easily deciphered from reading just a few books.

But when she had asked Yi Chenlan about it, he had firmly told her that the array was very simple, using only basic principles, and that he had solved it by trial and error, simply getting lucky.

Although she still had some small doubts, hearing Senior Brother Ah Lan speak so confidently made her think that maybe it was just her limited experience.

“Stumbled out by accident?” Ge Qing looked at Shu Wan as though she were a fool. “You don’t know your father—ah, never mind.” he muttered quietly after casting a glance at Yi Chenlan. “Tsk, you’re protecting him so much.”

He spoke halfway, then mumbled again, leaving Shu Wan utterly confused. “Brother Ge, what are you talking about?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh…” Shu Wan nodded, then added: “By the way, Brother Ge, I still haven’t properly thanked you for your help. If there’s ever a chance, I’ll definitely repay you.”

Ge Qing smiled, shamelessly: “No need, no need. At least Yi Chenlan is considered my young master. If he survives, I can say I did my part, and I’ll have some face to meet my parents. I didn’t care when he was treated so badly before, but now I’m just here for a few days. If I’m here, I’ll help. If not, I’ll leave. It’s no loss to me.”

He had made his point quite clear. Shu Wan didn’t know whether to call him cold or warm-hearted. She had swallowed her words of thanks and could only nod in acknowledgment, then focus back on feeding Yi Chenlan his medicine.

At first, feeding him had gone smoothly, but after only a few spoonfuls, Yi Chenlan started to resist. His brows furrowed even tighter, and he turned his head to avoid Shu Wan’s spoon. Though his eyes were tightly shut, his expression was filled with pain, as though he was struggling in a terrible nightmare.

Shu Wan frowned, placing the bowl down. She reached out to touch Yi Chenlan’s head, gathering his cold hand in her palm. His fingers had been carefully bandaged, and seeing them like that made her heart ache. She held his pale, cold fingertips in both of her hands, trying to warm them with her own.

Suddenly, Yi Chenlan grasped her hand with a tight grip, his lips trembling slightly as he began to mumble in his sleep. His expression was frantic, as if he were terrified of something.

Shu Wan was in a panic, her forehead beaded with sweat. She looked helplessly at Ge Qing. “Look—”

“You see? He just won’t drink it.” Ge Qing’s voice was cool. “What’s the use of making another bowl? Making ten more bowls won’t help. I’m leaving. I’ll get you some things. You can feed him slowly.”

He actually left, without a hint of reliance. Shu Wan glared at his retreating back, then turned back to Yi Chenlan, worried that he might hurt his hand. She tried to pull her hand out to continue feeding him the medicine, but as she moved, she couldn’t pull it free.

His grip tightened even more, his hand strong, and Shu Wan felt as if her bones were being crushed, the pressure almost dislocating her joints.

“Don’t go… please…” Yi Chenlan’s whispers became clearer this time. Hearing him, Shu Wan’s heart ached, and she quickly spoke softly to him, as if soothing a child:

“I’m not going anywhere, Senior Brother Ah Lan. You have to drink your medicine. If you drink it, you won’t have nightmares anymore.”

But Yi Chenlan seemed not to hear her. He still held her hand tightly, not letting go for even a moment.

Shu Wan, with her hand firmly held, didn’t dare pull away with force. She couldn’t hold the bowl, and she was afraid the medicine would cool down and lose its effectiveness. In her panic, she suddenly had an idea, her gaze drifting, almost unconsciously, to Yi Chenlan’s lips.

Though his lips were pale and cracked, they didn’t detract from his beauty. In fact, they had a fragile, broken kind of elegance, making him appear as if he were sculpted from jade or porcelain—exquisite and chillingly beautiful.

Shu Wan swallowed nervously. She had written novels and watched TV shows, so the concept of feeding medicine mouth to mouth wasn’t unfamiliar to her. But now that it was happening to her, she felt—only a little shy, but not repulsed.

Maybe…

Her heart began to race, and even before anything had happened, she found herself worrying about being caught. Her mind wavered, her cheeks flushed as she thought… she thought…

She thought it might be worth trying.

After all, Ge Qing had left, Yi Chenlan was unconscious, and no one but her knew how the medicine was going to be given to him.

This way, she didn’t have to worry about Yi Chenlan being upset when he woke up. She only needed to focus on how to get the medicine into him. As for herself, Shu Wan glanced once more at Yi Chenlan’s lips. She didn’t feel like she was at a disadvantage. Instead, she felt… a little pleased.

A person like Senior Brother Ah Lan, someone as otherworldly as a celestial being, perhaps this was the only moment in his life when she could be this close to him, while he was unconscious.

Shu Wan vaguely sensed that her thoughts might not be entirely right, but she didn’t have time to think it through. After making up her mind, she boldly picked up the bowl, silently muttering to herself: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, I apologize in advance.” Then, she took a sip, held it in her mouth, and slowly leaned toward Yi Chenlan.

The closer Shu Wan got, the more Yi Chenlan’s features revealed a serene, ethereal beauty. His raven-black eyelashes trembled gently, causing Shu Wan to hold her breath involuntarily.

Just as Shu Wan was about to bring her lips closer to Yi Chenlan’s, she suddenly noticed his brow furrowing tightly. His uneasy expression deepened, and her heart skipped a beat. Before she could react, Yi Chenlan’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

The medicine in Shu Wan’s mouth was swallowed with a loud “gulp.”

In a panic, she sat up straight. “I—I—I…”

“…Wan Wan?”

It seemed like Yi Chenlan had just woken up. His gaze was dazed, as though he didn’t recognize Shu Wan. His eyes locked onto her, vacant, as if unsure of what he was seeing. His voice was cautious, as though speaking too loudly would make something vanish.

Shu Wan’s heart raced, her voice faltering as she nervously stammered: “I-I—I’m here.”

Yi Chenlan’s gaze gradually sharpened. He focused intently on Shu Wan, his lips slightly parting as he spoke in a soft tone: “Don’t leave.”

“I won’t leave.” Shu Wan took a deep breath, her tongue finally untangling. “Senior Brother Ah Lan, let me help you sit up, and you can drink your medicine, okay?”

“Okay.”

Yi Chenlan responded quickly, his eyes still fixed on Shu Wan, not once looking away.

Shu Wan carefully moved to help Yi Chenlan. His whip wounds had been properly bandaged by the doctor earlier, and she was careful not to touch them. She placed a cushion behind him to help him sit up comfortably.

“I had a dream just now.” Yi Chenlan suddenly spoke in a low voice.

“I know, dreams are often the opposite of reality, they don’t count.” Shu Wan said gently, noticing that Yi Chenlan had just been trapped in a nightmare. She shook his hand reassuringly, then checked the temperature of the medicine with the bowl in her hand before smiling at him. “Quickly drink your medicine, I’ll feed you.”

This time, Yi Chenlan didn’t protest with a “I can do it myself.” He obediently opened his mouth and drank the medicine, his vulnerability showing. The more he acted this way, the softer Shu Wan’s heart became.

After drinking the medicine, Yi Chenlan didn’t bring up the dream again. Instead, he asked: “Wan Wan, how’s your throat? Has the doctor seen it?”

Seeing Yi Chenlan still a little dazed, yet still concerned about her, Shu Wan felt warmth spread in her heart. She spoke softly: “I’m all better. I took some medicine, and there’s no problem anymore.”

She hesitated for a moment before asking: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, what did you dream about? Can you tell me? It might not be so scary if you talk about it.”

Yi Chenlan moved his lips, but didn’t speak right away. After a long pause, he finally said slowly: “…I dreamed that I died.”

Shu Wan frowned slightly. “Senior Brother Ah Lan…”

“Wan Wan, can you stay? Please don’t go.” Yi Chenlan looked at Shu Wan seriously, his beautiful eyes dull with a touch of sadness. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Shu Wan immediately responded: “I won’t leave. Senior Brother Ah Lan, I’m not leaving tonight. I’ll stay right here with you. If you have another nightmare, I’ll wake you up right away, so you won’t be scared.”

No, not just tonight.

Yi Chenlan lowered his gaze, gently shaking his head.

Not just tonight.