After Pretending to be an Idiot, I Was Targeted by the Cold-Blooded Zhangyin - Chapter 36

Xie Changsheng felt heat coursing through his entire body. An unknown fire seemed to be wandering wildly in his chest, searching for an outlet.

He admired himself for still being able to perform a rational analysis: he had only taken one sip of that wine. Even if it were drugged, the potency shouldn’t be too high. His reaction was this strong likely because he was in good health, and his clear blood circulation accelerated the drug’s movement. Furthermore, ever since transmigrating into the book, he had been living in fear, with his head practically hanging by a thread from his belt; he hadn’t had any time to think about carnal desires.

“Little Highness?” Gu Feiyi’s voice interrupted his train of thought.

Xie Changsheng snapped back to reality, tugged at his collar, and looked over at Gu Feiyi. “I’m fine, just hot.”

Gu Feiyi’s gaze circled the pink-flushed collarbone Xie Changsheng had exposed; his intuition told him something was wrong. He reached out and grabbed the boy’s wrist, turning his hand over to press four fingers against the pulse.

Xie Changsheng asked, “You know how to take a pulse? How is it? I’m healthy as an ox, right?”

Gu Feiyi didn’t answer. He lowered his eyes for a moment before looking up again. Seeing that Xie Changsheng’s snowy face had flushed pink, he stated with certainty: “Little Highness, you have been drugged.”

He asked, “How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?”

Gu Feiyi’s serious demeanor made him look like an old doctor who had worked in a hospital for thirty years. Xie Changsheng’s awkwardness and shyness dissipated quite a bit upon seeing this. He grabbed Gu Feiyi’s sleeve, and his voice began to sound hoarse as he spoke: “I’m hot, my heart is racing like crazy. Doctor, you have to save me! Doctor!”

Gu Feiyi: “…”

He withdrew his hand from Xie Changsheng’s overheated wrist and suddenly stood up to leave. Xie Changsheng didn’t know what he was going to do and instinctively followed him with his eyes, only to see him walk a short distance to grab something and return.

When Gu Feiyi drew close, Xie Changsheng saw that he was holding a deep red cloak—the one he had been wearing earlier when he accompanied the Emperor. Gu Feiyi wrapped the cloak around Xie Changsheng. Instantly, the boy was enveloped in the thick, cold fragrance of white plum.

“Little Highness, look up.”

Xie Changsheng tilted his chin. Gu Feiyi tied the knot of the cloak at his neck. His icy fingers occasionally brushed against the skin of Xie’s neck, which actually felt quite comfortable. Gu Feiyi saw Xie Changsheng squint, knowing the boy was greedy for the coolness of his fingers. He pressed his cold fingertips against Xie’s neck, then offered his arm. “Get up.”

Xie Changsheng supported himself on Gu Feiyi’s arm to stand, and Gu Feiyi led him outside. Xie Changsheng asked, “Where are we going?”

Gu Feiyi simply said, “Follow this servant, Little Highness.”

By now, Xie Changsheng was even hotter than before, and his head was beginning to spin. He followed Gu Feiyi dizzily for a while before realizing they had arrived at Gu Feiyi’s residence.

Gu Feiyi helped Xie Changsheng unfasten his outer clothing and assisted him onto the bed to lie down. He said, “I’ll have to trouble the Little Highness to use your own hands.”

It took Xie Changsheng a moment to realize what Gu Feiyi meant. His already flushed face turned even redder. “I… no need…”

Gu Feiyi said, “We do not yet know the potency of this drug. For safety’s sake, do not force yourself to endure it; it is best to release it.”

“Or,” Gu Feiyi added, “does the Little Highness not know how? Do you need this servant to help?”

Xie Changsheng’s face turned even redder. He shook his head like a rattle. “No, no, no! No need, no need! No need to trouble you with such a small thing! I know you’re a real-life ‘Lei Feng’, but as the saying goes, ‘use your own hands for a life of plenty’…”

Gu Feiyi: “…”

This fool. Even in this state, he was still babbling nonsense. He stood up. “Then, please yourself, Little Highness.”

Leaving the residence, Gu Feiyi instructed Feng Wang: If any princes or nobles came, tell them to stay away. If they tried to force their way in, take their heads.

After a pause, he added, “Stand further away from the door. Do not listen to any sounds you shouldn’t hear.”

Feng Wang acknowledged the order. Gu Feiyi then headed toward the Khan’s quarters.

He waited for a while until the Khan returned. Perhaps the Khan was in the middle of enjoying the banquet; being suddenly called away by Gu Feiyi made him somewhat dissatisfied. He asked in broken Chinese, “Palm Print, is there a problem?”

Gu Feiyi sat in a chair, his fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest as he looked at the Khan. He had established a private connection with this Khan several years ago. The Khan’s nation was small, with coarse and barbaric customs. But precisely because of this, Gu Feiyi felt they could be a useful wild dog in his hands. He had originally intended to keep this wild dog to deal with the Fang family.

However, because he had shown the dog a kind face, they seemed to have forgotten who the master was. He asked the man, “What drug was put in the wine?”

The man gave a “Ha!” and laughed. “Just something to make one happy! I saw you helping that little beauty out just now. Did you go find a woman? He might even thank me after he wakes up!”

“It’s just a pity,” the man licked his lips. “If only we could have seen the little beauty in front of everyone…”

“Tell me more about the drug,” Gu Feiyi interrupted him. “Is it harmful to humans?”

“I eat it myself, how could it be harmful?” The man laughed. “I told you, it’s just something to liven things up.” He looked at Gu Feiyi. “Does the Palm Print want some too? But aren’t you…”

Gu Feiyi smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He stood up and walked toward the man. “By the way, about what we discussed before…”

The man remembered something, but halfway through his sentence, he suddenly stopped. He looked down at his abdomen in disbelief; a ruby-encrusted dagger had been buried deep into his body.

“You…”

“What about this servant?” Gu Feiyi asked, but he didn’t care for an answer. He waved his hand, and the guards who had been lying in wait burst through the door, their blades hacking into the man.

Gu Feiyi smiled happily, glancing at the man lying in a pool of blood, no longer breathing. “To dare touch what belongs to this servant… truly seeking death.”

He then told the guards, “After the banquet ends, seize everyone who came with him and lock them in the dungeon. If anyone resists, kill them immediately.”

Having dealt with the ungrateful prince, Gu Feiyi returned to his residence. Feng Wang was still guarding the door from a distance. Gu Feiyi asked him, “Has he come out?”

Feng Wang shook his head. “No.”

“This servant understands,” Gu Feiyi said. “Withdraw.”

Feng Wang acknowledged and retreated further into the shadows. Gu Feiyi reached the door but didn’t rush inside. He leaned against the doorframe, meticulously wiping his hands with a handkerchief while listening to the sounds inside. For a while, there was no sound at all.

He couldn’t help but feel curious about Xie Changsheng’s state. He raised his voice and called out, “Little Highness?”

This time, there was finally a reaction from inside—a panicked, hurried voice: “…Don’t come in!”

Gu Feiyi was inexplicably amused. He used the handkerchief to carefully wipe every finger until his hands were clean and the smell of blood was gone. Then, he pushed the door open and walked in.

Xie Changsheng was still lying on his bed. Seeing him enter, the boy suddenly dove under the quilt, leaving only a few strands of hair exposed. Gu Feiyi walked to the bedside, reached under the quilt to find Xie Changsheng’s wrist, felt his pulse for a moment, and asked directly: “Can’t get it out?”

Xie Changsheng didn’t answer. Gu Feiyi pulled down the quilt the boy was using to hide his head. “Don’t lie like that, it’s stifling.”

Once the quilt was down, Gu Feiyi saw Xie Changsheng’s face. His ears, the area around his eyes, and his cheeks were terrifyingly red. His lips were also very red, gleaming with a moist luster. It was unclear if he was stifled from lack of air or distressed because he couldn’t reach a release.

The boy hadn’t expected Gu Feiyi to suddenly pull down the quilt; his whole body stiffened. He tilted his head, burying his face in the pillow. “…Go out.”

Looking at Xie Changsheng like this, Gu Feiyi thought his little pet was truly pitiable. He should have been like Suisui, heartless and only knowing how to eat and drink, yet he had suffered raw thighs from a horse, a fever, and now being drugged. As he thought, a trace of pity welled up in his heart.

Xie Changsheng tried to shoo him away from under the quilt: “Go out go out go out go out go out…” Like he was chanting a sutra.

Gu Feiyi laughed. “If this servant leaves, how can I help the Little Highness?”

As he spoke, he reached out and pinched Xie Changsheng’s ear. Xie Changsheng’s body instantly went rigid. Gu Feiyi didn’t stop; he gently rubbed and squeezed the soft, burning earlobe. He heard Xie Changsheng’s breathing become rapid.

He looked at the motionless quilt and urged, “Little Highness, you should move as well. Do not waste this servant’s time.”

After the quilt remained quiet for a long time, it finally began to rise and fall slightly after Gu Feiyi increased the pressure of his hand. Gu Feiyi, with a half-smile, inserted his finger into the ear canal, slowly moving it in and out.

With his movements, the breathing Xie Changsheng had muffled in the pillow became heavier and more erratic. Suddenly, his body went completely rigid, and intermittent, strained whimpers came from the pillow.

Listening to this, Gu Feiyi suddenly wanted to see Xie Changsheng’s current expression. He grabbed the boy’s shoulder, forcing him to lift his face from the pillow. He saw black hair stuck to his face, messy and damp with sweat. The unnatural flush on his cheeks had deepened significantly, the ambiguous color staining all the way to the roots of his ears.

He stared blankly into space, biting his lower lip hard, his whole body trembling—clearly, he hadn’t yet withdrawn from the aftermath.

Gu Feiyi’s subtle Adam’s apple rolled once. He supported the limp Xie Changsheng, letting him lean against him. He reached under the quilt, ignoring Xie Changsheng’s refusal to help him straighten his clothes, and used a handkerchief to wipe the boy’s palm clean.

Finally, he laughed and patted Xie Changsheng’s face. “Little Highness, you did very well.”

Xie Changsheng almost couldn’t keep up the act of being a fool. He struggled to maintain the last trace of a silly smile: “Ah, haha… Thank you, brother, for the compliment. The Organization appreciates the help provided by the comrade. Do you have anything else? I’m not dead (no problem), so I’ll go back to rest. Goodbye.”

With that, Xie Changsheng didn’t wait for Gu Feiyi’s reaction and fled as if escaping for his life. Gu Feiyi called Feng Wang and had him escort Xie Changsheng back, while he himself returned to the banquet.

The Old Emperor had drunk quite a bit while he was away and was currently in a drunken frenzy. Seeing Gu Feiyi arrive, he stumbled to his feet, trying to grab Gu Feiyi’s sleeve. Gu Feiyi stepped back imperceptibly to avoid him.

The Emperor missed but didn’t care. He gave a grand wave of his hand. “Feiyi, Feiyi! Is there any woman you’ve taken a fancy to? Even my own concubines are fine, they are all yours! As long as you speak, no matter which peerless beauty you desire, I shall grant her to you!”

Gu Feiyi curled his lips into a smile, but in the depths of his mind, the image of Xie Changsheng’s face immersed in the aftermath flashed by.

If we speak of peerless beauty, who could possibly compare to my little pet…