40 Ye Cheng Fu

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Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

Ye Cheng Fu

Chapter 40:

When it came to wrapping the bandages, I was extra cautious, afraid of touching him. Despite my care, I kept inadvertently brushing against him, making me sweat with anxiety. I wound the bandage around his thigh again and again, until he couldn’t hold back any longer and grumbled in a hoarse voice, “Could you stop tracing your fingers on my leg like that?!”

“Ah?” I looked up, only to be confronted with his awkwardly positioned underwear.

At this moment, he was down to just his underwear, and it was far from normal… His whole body, like a carved jade sculpture, glowed softly under the moonlight. His long limbs and well-defined abs looked elegant and refined.

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His muscles were so well-defined and strong…

I stared at him, and he muttered something under his breath before turning his head away. In the moonlight, I saw his delicate earlobes flushed a deep red. My heart fluttered, and I found myself, almost involuntarily, leaning in carefully to support his uninjured right shoulder.

The person beneath me flinched as if shocked, and I suddenly realized my mistake. I hurriedly stepped back, only to step on the water basin and fall over.

As I landed, the basin predictably tipped over onto my face, and the impact hurt. I lay there, motionless, playing dead.

Despite the dangerous ambush of the night, I had escaped unscathed, yet I ended up falling over a water basin. The thought made me feel so embarrassed that I stayed put under the basin, trying to calm down in the darkness.

After a while, unable to bear it any longer, Shen Ye gave me a gentle kick with his uninjured leg and said in a raspy voice, “Hurry up and start a fire to dry the clothes. You’re going to get sick like this.”

His reminder snapped me back to reality. I quickly got up, grabbed some clothes, and covered him up properly. After ensuring that every inch of his skin was covered, I stood up to start a fire. I set up a makeshift clothes rack, took off my outer garments, and placed them by the fire to dry, leaving myself in just my inner clothes as I huddled by the warmth.

He didn’t say much, just watched me intently with a look that was too obvious, too blatant. I couldn’t help but blush and quickly changed the subject, asking, “How’s your injury?”

“You could have gone further just now,” he replied, not addressing my question. Annoyed, I shouted to cover up my embarrassment, “Shen Ye, could you at least show some decorum?”

He smiled, his gaze full of disdain. “Didn’t I tell you before? You’re my wife, and I’m just a lowly servant.”

“You... you...” My face flushed as I struggled to find words. “You’re at least the son of a teacher. What about the upbringing your mother gave you...”

“I have no upbringing.”

“Well, you should at least have some sense of shame!”

“I have no shame.”

“You...”

“I’m shameless, indecent, vulgar, despicable, unruly, and unrestrained,” he said with a smirk, listing off a long string of adjectives that left me stunned. He leaned closer, exposing his smooth, delicate ears and said with a playful tone, “Say it again!”

“Shen Ye…” I looked at his lively appearance and frowned. “Seeing you so well, I’m relieved. Quickly tell me the entrance to the Medicine King Valley. I’ll go get Zheng Can first and then come back to pick you up.”

He remained silent, lowering his eyes.

I grew anxious and asked, “What do you mean by that?!”

“The entrance to Medicine King Valley is well known,” he said slowly, “but it is surrounded by intricate formations. Without understanding the formations, you won’t be able to see the valley. Even if you accidentally find it, the valley has three layers of formations: a maze, a poison trap, and a killing trap. Without me guiding you, I’m afraid you’ll die halfway there.”

“So you’re saying that without you guiding me, I won’t be able to get in?” I frowned. “You could at least tell me how to break the formations.”

“That would require calculation,” he said, glancing at me with cold eyes. “Without a certain level of skill in formations, even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”

“So what do we do?” I asked, feeling a bit desperate. “Liulan is still waiting for him!”

Shen Ye remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

I looked at his expression and felt a sense of foreboding. This journey to find Zheng Can wasn’t going to be straightforward. I couldn’t help but recall the assassins sent after me—why such a large-scale operation? Were they aiming to kill me, or simply trying to prevent me from finding Zheng Can?

The atmosphere grew awkward as we both remained silent. After a long pause, Shen Ye finally spoke, “Give me another day. I’ll be a bit better and can guide you then.”

A day…

I calculated quickly: we had already traveled through the night. Medicine King Valley wasn’t very far, so with an extra day for Shen Ye to recover and another day’s journey to the valley, we could reach Zheng Can and return to Chu Capital in a total of three days. I worried whether Liulan could wait that long.

With no better option, we had to proceed this way.

I stayed with Shen Ye in the cave, feeling frustrated but saying, “You should rest now and heal quickly.”

I dragged a straw mat next to him, and once the clothes were a bit dry, I spread my clothes on the mat for him to lie on. Then I covered him with his own clothes and sat by his side, keeping watch.

As he lay on the straw mat, he glanced at me from time to time, resembling a little puppy I had kept as a child.

I couldn’t help but soften, patting his back and saying, “Go to sleep now.”

“You come too,” he said, shifting to make space on the straw mat. I shook my head and said, “I need to keep watch.”

He didn’t speak, just watched me quietly. After a long while, he suddenly smiled and said, “Shu Cheng, I feel that even though it’s only been a year, you’ve grown a lot. When I first met you, you seemed like just a young miss with a bit of… charm. Now, I actually think of you as the heir of the Shu family.”

“I’ve always been,” I said, staring ahead.

He said lightly,“I’ve never forgotten.” He smiled lightly, but even that brought on a low, rasping cough. I couldn’t help but pat his back gently. He didn’t say anything, simply reached out with his cold hand to take mine, holding it tightly.

“At that time in the secret passage, you didn’t abandon me… and you even risked your life to push me up. I knew then that you were still a young girl… Shu Cheng,” he said, placing my hand against his cheek and gently rubbing it, “You are never like Shangguan Liulan. Even if she were only sixteen, she wouldn’t sacrifice her life for a mere spark of affection or someone she liked.”

I stayed silent, listening quietly.

Reflecting on the days with the Moza and Beggar tribes, in such a cold night, I couldn’t help but feel a bit soft inside. The defenses and coldness I’d built up in Chu Capital melted away in the face of those beautiful memories, and I didn’t argue with him. Instead, I couldn’t help but smile.

Had I liked him back then?

I thought, wasn’t it more than just a little affection as he said?

At the time, I thought I was driven by passionate ideals, that I was acting out of righteousness, and that I was merely captivated by his enchanting beauty. However, looking back now, I realize that if it hadn't been Shen Ye, if it hadn't been for him, I probably wouldn't have been able to make such a self-sacrificing choice to save someone.

Am I not Shangguan Liulan?

No, I am not.

I am far colder and more indifferent than Shangguan Liulan. While Shangguan Liulan could sacrifice everything for Zheng Can, abandoning her family and doing anything for him, I cannot. I am unable to transform myself for love, nor can I forsake everything for it, or willingly become a beautiful adornment to fate for someone else.

The devotion Shangguan Liulan had for her feelings is something I cannot achieve.

But I am more susceptible to falling in love than Shangguan Liulan.

Shangguan Liulan's love for Zheng Can was built over time, through his constant companionship, care, and affection, even during her most difficult days, when she had nothing, and even if it was just for her sister. That love was genuine.

But what about my feelings for Shen Ye?

I stared at the flickering torch before me, recalling the moment I first felt a pang of attraction for him. It was that moment when I saw him lying on the bed, opening his eyes for the first time at Phoenix Tower.

Perhaps it was precisely because he saw my weak will that he decided to use his charm to ensnare me.

I couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. Turning to him, I asked, "Aren't you going to sleep? Aren't you tired?"

"I can't sleep," he said honestly. "The wounds hurt."

I had never heard him admit to pain before; he had never truly shown weakness in front of me. His words immediately made me tense up, though I kept my expression neutral as I poked the fire and asked, "Do you know who orchestrated the ambush against us?"

"It’s likely someone who doesn't want you to find Zheng Can to save Shangguan Liulan," he said, lowering his gaze. "Given the situation in the Shangguan family, if it weren't for Shangguan Liulan holding things together these years, you know how long the hands of those below could be."

He spoke seriously, but I couldn’t shake my doubts.

Such a large-scale operation—could it really be the work of the Shangguan family? In family disputes, there’s usually a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Everyone knows there’s an underground organization, and making too much noise would definitely alarm the higher-ups. Such commotion could even draw the current empress' attention, which would spell trouble for anyone involved.

And also...

"How did you survive?" I glanced at his wounds.

Although he was poisoned, it wasn't too deep, and the wounds, while frightening to look at, hadn't hit any vital spots.

"Did you think I wouldn’t make it?" He seized on my words and asked, "And yet you left me there?"

"I didn't think you’d have any issues before I left," I said, always having blind trust in his combat abilities. "But when I came back, you were clearly injured and poisoned, unable to stand. The problem is, there weren’t many bodies around you, so they clearly didn't intend for a mutual destruction but rather..."

"They let me go," he interrupted my thoughts, looking at me with a smiling gaze. "Shu Cheng, if you have something to say, just say it."

I remained silent.

In truth, I had been casually chatting earlier, but seeing him poisoned and injured had already made me anxious. It was only after our conversation that I realized something was amiss.

I pressed my lips together and finally spoke, "It's the empress' people, isn't it?"

He didn’t reply but closed his eyes, trembling slightly, which I took as an acknowledgment of my question.

"Since it’s the empress' people... and they let you go, why were you still injured?"

"They didn’t intend to kill us," he said, his voice growing impatient. "Their goal was just to prevent you from finding Zheng Can!"

So, the reason Shen Ye was injured but not dead was because they only intended to use him to delay me. They poisoned him and inflicted injuries that, while serious, would not be fatal if untreated but would severely incapacitate him.

The emperor’s intentions were so clear, but what was the purpose behind them? Was she genuinely afraid that I would bring Zheng Can back to save Shangguan Liulan?

But why would the empress want Liulan dead?

I wrestled with my thoughts, unable to come up with answers. Shen Ye seemed exhausted, holding my hand as he fell into a deep sleep.

In the cave, Shen Ye’s heavy breathing mingled with the crackling of the burning charcoal. For a moment, I seemed to forget everything else.

In the middle of the night, unable to endure the restlessness any longer and seeing that Shen Ye seemed to be out of immediate danger, I curled up and rolled over to the grass mat, lying face to face with him. I kept my sword close and, with my eyes fixed on his face, eventually fell asleep.

The next morning, Shen Ye woke me up. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw him kneeling on one knee, his ear pressed to the ground, seemingly listening intently.

“What’s wrong?” I rubbed my eyes, feeling a bit disoriented. Shen Ye, with a serious expression, said, “There are many people coming from the distance.”

“Mm.” This was expected. Before leaving the capital, I had already sent people to deploy the private army of the Shu family outside the city, but I hadn’t told Shen Ye. At this moment, I had no desire to disclose it to him. Instead, I looked at him and asked, “Can you move? Are you ready to set off?”

Shen Ye didn’t respond immediately. He pursed his lips, seemingly struggling to speak, “The poison isn’t fully cleared yet, and the wounds…”

“I understand.” I raised my hand to silence him. Seeing his troubled expression, I was at a loss for words.

Knowing the empress's intentions, it was clear that Shen Ye was not to be fully trusted. Their goal was simply to delay me for as long as possible. Shen Ye wouldn’t let me leave, nor would he guide me.

Realizing this, I stood up. Shen Ye looked alarmed and asked, “Where are you going?!”

“I’m going to get some water and maybe catch some game,” I sighed. “You stay here and don’t move around. I’ll be back soon.”

“Shu Cheng…” He seemed to want to stop me but couldn’t find the words. I turned my back to him, took a deep breath, and finally made up my mind. Turning back to him with a smile, I said, “Don’t worry. I won’t go far. You have to trust me.”

I walked up to him, knelt down to meet his gaze as he struggled to rise, and gently cupped his face. With a tender and somewhat helpless look, I said, “Shen Ye, you asked me who is more important to me between you and Liulan. You won. I ultimately can’t let go of you.”

Then, I lowered my head and kissed him.

I rarely took the initiative to kiss him; he was always the one kissing me, possessively, domineeringly, and aggressively. But at this moment, I held his face and kissed him slowly and tenderly, like a gentle breeze and warm rain, yet tinged with a hint of despair.

He was too weak. At this moment, he didn’t resist but instead followed my pace, reciprocating my affection with a slow, tender response.

After a long while, I released him and said gently, “Shen Ye, you’ve won in the end. I love you,” I slowly closed my eyes and sighed, “No matter how absurd it may be, I can’t bear to give you up.”

With that, I stood up and went to pick up the water basin, carrying it outside. He didn’t try to stop me again, only saying, “Shu Cheng, make sure you come back. If you don’t, I’ll have to use my life to find you.”

I nodded and left. However, as soon as I was out of the cave, I threw the water basin aside, mounted my horse, and headed toward the legendary Medicine King Valley.

I raced along the main road until I encountered the private army I had prepared. The leader of the troops, upon seeing me, immediately said, “Young Lord, I’m late.”

“Don’t say any more. Let’s go.”

I mounted a spare horse and urged it forward at full speed toward Medicine King Valley. This time, to ensure speed, all five thousand soldiers were selected from cavalry units. As I accelerated, they kept pace, their eyes bloodshot but with no complaints.

We pushed on relentlessly, and by evening, we arrived at the entrance to the legendary Medicine King Valley. It was a valley surrounded by streams and forests, but there was no sign of human habitation, giving the impression that no one lived here.

The nearby guards looked uneasy. “Young Lord, are we sure we haven’t gone to the wrong place?”

I didn't say anything. Even if we had ended up in the wrong place, we had no other location to turn to, so we had no choice but to treat this as the entrance. Moreover, I remembered Shen Ye's words about the array around the Medicine King Valley. I had heard of some formations in the art of Qi Men Dun Jia that could conceal a location, and I had no doubt about this. Shen Ye had mentioned that the three arrays of the Medicine King Valley were the Illusion Array, the Poison Array, and the Killing Array. The Poison Array was straightforward, involving poison; the Killing Array was likely a powerful one requiring brute force; and the Illusion Array was, as the name suggested, designed to confuse or mislead people.

Fortunately, I had prepared in advance. As a "second-generation official" with a less sharp mind but ample power and money, I had always preferred straightforward methods over showing off my intelligence. So I opted for the simplest solution: to use explosives.

“Blow it up.”

Regardless of the type of array, they rely on the arrangement of objects. Rather than attempting to solve the formation, I decided to destroy its foundation. If the array depended on something, I would remove that thing.

I watched with satisfaction as the explosives detonated one after another, shaking the ground and the mountains. However, there was no change in the scene before me. I couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety, wondering if the array's creator had anticipated such a brute force approach and prepared for it.

After a quarter of an hour, the ground was pockmarked from the explosions, and the valley was in disarray. Yet, the entrance to the Medicine King Valley was still nowhere in sight. I was becoming increasingly anxious.

What should I do now?

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40 Ye Cheng Fu

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