How Could I Resist His Madness and Charm [Transmigration] - Chapter 13

Luo Yan had been dozing off against the headboard when a sudden grip on her shoulder jolted her awake. Blinking groggily, she felt another sharp sting at her neck.

It burned fiercely.

The pain snapped her back to full consciousness, and tears welled up involuntarily.

Zhu Yun frantically dropped the sword in his hand. “Yanyan.”

Recognizing his voice, Luo Yan slumped back weakly before he helped her lie flat on the bed. The sound of frantic rummaging followed, then hurried footsteps.

He knelt upright, his fingers trembling so finely that even the simple act of uncorking a bottle took two attempts. “Yanyan,” he called helplessly.

“Hmm?”

Hearing her response, Zhu Yun’s anxiety eased slightly. He applied a cool, ointment-like substance to the wound.

The stinging pain vanished instantly, but the icy sensation made her features scrunch up as if she’d eaten a bowl of snow mixed with mint.

“Does it still hurt?” He carefully sprinkled another layer of golden wound powder. “Yanyan, are you feeling better? Yanyan?”

Luo Yan suspected he was trying to summon her spirit and irritably swatted him. “What’s going on?”

Zhu Yun seemed struck silent by the slap, refusing to utter a word. He just held her hand, his trembling making half her body shake along with him.

“…” Luo Yan sighed in resignation. “At least light a lamp.”

He remained motionless.

The bright moon hung high outside the window, but its light was insufficient to illuminate the room or let her discern Zhu Yun’s expression. Still, she could see the usually upright young man now bowing his head like a frost-bitten eggplant.

Gradually, Luo Yan pieced it together. “A-Yun, you’re afraid.”

Afraid that lighting the lamp would reveal the sword mark he had inflicted with his own hand.

However, the medicine in this book world was truly effective, Luo Yan could no longer feel the wound. Instead, another discomfort made her shift slightly.

Zhu Yun snapped out of his daze, supporting her neck as he examined her closely, his tone puzzled. “The medicine’s been applied. It shouldn’t hurt anymore.”

“Not the place you managed to stop in time but still injured.”

“…”

Luo Yan distinctly heard his breath hitch for a moment and decided not to tease him further. “The back of my neck aches a little. Can that medicine treat internal injuries?”

He reached out to feel the spot, then suddenly realized something was off. “Why are you in my room?”

“I was sleeping soundly when something stung my neck,” Luo Yan muttered. “I was worried it might be a poisonous insect, so I came to ask you. Who knew you wouldn’t be here?”

Hearing this, Zhu Yun curled his fingers, wondering if his martial arts had regressed, even a simple acupoint strike for sleep had gone wrong.

But earlier that day, during sparring with disciples from the sect, he had clearly improved significantly.

Now fully awake, Luo Yan urged, “Light the lamp, light the lamp, light the lamp.”

“Alright.”

A single oil lamp flickered to life, finally clarifying their surroundings. Only then did she notice Zhu Yun’s disheveled state.

From his waist down to his boots, he was dusted with medicinal powder, evidently in his panic, he had spilled nearly half the bottle on himself. Cold sweat beaded at his temples, tracing paths along his jawline before disappearing into his collar.

Luo Yan was astonished. He never complained of exhaustion even when carrying her up mountains, what had made him sweat so profusely?

“Don’t move recklessly,” Zhu Yun warned with a glare, then washed his face with clear water and retreated behind the screen to change.

Luo Yan pursed her lips. “Were you trying to kill me earlier?”

The rustling of fabric paused. His voice came out hoarse as he forced out a single word: “No.”

Zhu Yun emerged quickly, his gaze sweeping over the red mark on the girl’s neck. Seeing the wound healing, he explained, “I didn’t intend to strike a fatal blow.”

“Oh, and I should thank you for that?”

“Yanyan.” His voice was a mix of helplessness and pleading.

Luo Yan’s ears burned, and she simply closed her eyes. “Explain yourself. What were you doing out in the middle of the night?”

He answered truthfully, “Killing someone.”

“Huh?” She had to open her eyes again. “You’re serious?”

Seeing her face pale, Zhu Yun turned away angrily. “You’re afraid of me.”

She quietly pulled the quilt higher, her voice trembling. “What a question. Who wouldn’t be afraid after hearing that?”

“I won’t hurt you.” As soon as he said it, he remembered he already had hurt her once, and his eyelashes drooped dejectedly.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Unable to turn her neck comfortably, Luo Yan broke the silence by nudging him with her foot. “Was the person you killed innocent?”

He wasn’t sure either, so he omitted the details and told her, “I’ve broken with my mother, but she needs capable help now, so she sent people to find me.”

“The same mother who beat you, scolded you, taught you martial arts, and then fed you poison?”

Zhu Yun nodded. “She’s highly skilled, but her emotions have driven her to the brink of madness. In a year or two, she won’t be my match.”

A chill ran down Luo Yan’s spine. She wanted to burrow under the covers but was stopped by his disapproving look.

Qingyuan Village felt like a paradise, so much so that Luo Yan often forgot she was living in the world of a book. Here, whether in court struggles or martial arts conflicts, human life was treated as worthless, even the male protagonist, Cui Wuyang, had countless souls under his sword.

Selfishly, she thought that rather than having those close to her constantly restrained, she’d prefer them to have the ability to fight back.

“Don’t kill innocent people,” Luo Yan said, trying to impose some order in the chaos. “And don’t hurt Grandmother.”

He grunted firmly. “I promise.”

“Don’t hurt Third Sister.”

“Alright.”

“And don’t hurt Changsheng, Changyi, Qingcao, Qinglian, Guyu, Guyang, Aunt Cui, Aunt Meixiang, or Physician Liu.” Luo Yan rattled off the names like a list, took a deep breath, and said, “That’s all I can think of for now.”

Zhu Yun replied, “Mm…”

Reassured, she closed her eyes and murmured wearily, “I’ll rest for a bit.”

Staring at the stark red mark against her porcelain skin, Zhu Yun still felt a lingering fear. What if he hadn’t reacted in time and the blade had cut deeper? What would have become of her?

Luo Yan ought to stab him a few times as punishment.

But he knew she was soft-hearted. After some thought, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Gripping the dagger with his teeth, he spread his left hand and considered cutting off his pinky, it wouldn’t affect his ability to chop wood or carry water, and it wouldn’t be too unsightly for her.

Just as he was about to act, Luo Yan gasped from inside the room, and he hurriedly hid the dagger.

She didn’t open her eyes but complained softly, “Am I cursed? Why does everything feel uncomfortable? It doesn’t hurt, but it’s just… uncomfortable.”

So, Zhu Yun fanned her with his left hand, applied a cooling ointment to soothe the pain, and used his right hand to massage the bruise behind her ear from the pressure point.

She did feel much better.

Luo Yan’s brow relaxed, and she gradually drifted into a deep sleep.

…

When she woke again, Zhu Yun’s hand was still resting on her neck.

Rubbing her eyes, she saw that it was already bright outside, clearly late, but Grandmother hadn’t called them for breakfast.

He woke at the same time, first fetching water to wash off the medicinal powder, then applying a thin new layer. “Does it still hurt?” he asked with concern.

“No.” Luo Yan got up and looked in the bronze mirror. The wound had already healed, and the scar would fade in a few days. “Has Grandmother gone out?” she asked.

Zhu Yun gave her a complicated look. “Grandmother hasn’t risen yet.”

Before leaving last night, he hadn’t just pressed Luo Yan’s acupoint to induce sleep, he’d done the same to Jia Yufang. Without someone to release the acupoint pressure, she would sleep until the sun was high in the sky.

Jia Yufang was equally surprised.

She normally woke at the first crow of the rooster, yet today she had slept like the dead. Fortunately, both children were old enough to know how to warm some congee to fill their stomachs.

At the breakfast table, she worried aloud, “Next time I must have the physician examine me. If I’ve contracted some serious illness, I need to arrange for someone to care for you two in advance.”

Tears welled up in Luo Yan’s eyes. “Grandmother, it’s all my fault for burdening you. Starting today, I’m going to learn how to do household chores.”

Zhu Yun, who knew the truth: “…”

…

Luo Yan had been thinking about Qingcao and went to visit her under the blazing noon sun after lunch.

She noticed that although someone appeared calm on the surface, he was actually still feeling guilty, being even more attentive than a personally appointed attendant.

For instance, when Luo Yan squinted at the sky, he immediately crouched down without a word: “Let me carry you on my back.”

“No.” It wasn’t that Luo Yan was being reserved, but recently the weather had been getting hotter, and he particularly radiated heat like a walking furnace.

After being rejected, Zhu Yun produced a folding fan and began gently fanning her wound.

Luo Yan straightened her posture, feeling at ease enjoying his ministrations, and casually asked, “Among all those bottles and jars of yours, is there any medicine Aunt Cui could take?””

“I don’t know.” Zhu Yun explained that the elixirs he collected could treat external injuries or provide supplements, but Zhou Cuiniang likely had common ailments that needed proper diagnosis by a physician.

“Alright.”

When they arrived at Carpenter Liu’s house, they found Qinglian sitting in the courtyard brewing medicine, the air thick with bitter scents.

Luo Yan patted Qinglian’s head, handed her a package of dried fruits, and gently asked, “Where’s your sister?”

Qinglian’s eyes were no longer red and swollen today, and she even managed a rare smile: “She went down the mountain.”

Glancing cautiously toward her grandfather and mother inside the house, she lowered her voice and told Luo Yan, “Sister went to ask our aunt for help.”

Luo Yan slipped her a note with the address of a medical clinic. “This is a physician Grandmother knows in town. She asked me to tell Aunt Cui.”

“Thank you, sister. Please convey our gratitude to Granny as well.”

Zhou Cuiniang was still unconscious, but Qinglian said it was the medicine taking effect and told her not to worry. Since Luo Yan couldn’t help by just standing around, she inquired about the carpenter’s whereabouts before leading Zhu Yun away.

Seeing her troubled expression, Zhu Yun seriously suggested, “How about I go capture, ahem, invite Physician Liu here.”

Luo Yan shook her head. “When I taught Qingcao how to read, she was endlessly grateful, constantly bringing us firewood and flatbreads. If we extend more favors now, what could she possibly repay us with? Since she can’t repay, she’ll only become more grateful, treating me like some benevolent goddess.”

“But I don’t want to be a goddess. I want Qingcao to keep treating me normally, like you do, like Changsheng does.”

“Don’t compare me to Liu Changsheng.”

“?”

Was that the main point here?

She deliberately cried “Aiyo!” and added, “Changsheng would never injure me with a sword.”

Zhu Yun could clearly detect the teasing in her tone, but his gaze swept over her scar, leaving him unable to refute. Frustrated, he looked up at the sky.

Luo Yan found this utterly fascinating and leaned closer to continue, “Who knows if this will leave a scar? A-Yun, you better not let me end up disfigured.”

“…”

He needed to find a way to shut her up. Zhu Yun mimed drawing a bow. “Want to learn archery?”

“Didn’t you say martial arts would bring me more harm than good?”

In his understanding, “martial arts training” required exceptional talent and daily rigorous practice. But after this incident, realizing Luo Yan’s vulnerability, he decided to teach her some self-defense techniques.

After hearing Zhu Yun’s explanation, Luo Yan was quite excited: “Then what are we waiting for? Take me to buy a bow and arrows now.”