How Could I Resist His Madness and Charm [Transmigration] - Chapter 2

Luo Yan hadn’t expected him to wake up so soon. She quietly hid the black eyebrow pigment and greeted him naturally, “You’re awake.”

Zhu Yun’s vision was blurred with double images. For some inexplicable reason, he counted, there were a full seven Luo Yans.

Still, he could vaguely make out the girl’s appearance: her face was full and plump, with rounded cheeks, lively and clever almond-shaped eyes that were large and expressive, though her complexion was an unsettling sickly pale.

Staring too long made him dizzy.

Recognizing his symptoms, Luo Yan guessed he was suffering from low blood sugar. She dashed out with a clatter of footsteps and returned just as quickly, holding a bowl of steaming sugar water.

She placed the porcelain bowl on the small side table and asked thoughtfully, “Do you need help sitting up, or would you prefer to drink it like this?”

In response, Zhu Yun raised his palm halfway.

But he only held it for a moment before it dropped heavily back down, making the bed plank shudder.

Luo Yan caught a glimpse of embarrassment in the young man’s eyes. She tilted her head in confusion, “What do you want?”

“……”

Zhu Yun thought indignantly, I want to wring your neck.

The poison and his internal energy were locked in a struggle, neither gaining the upper hand, leaving him slow to react and lacking in strength.

After a moment of staring blankly at Luo Yan, the double vision faded, and sensation returned to his limbs.

He propped himself up on the bed and gestured for Luo Yan to hand him the bowl. As he moved, the thin blanket slipped down to his waist.

A chill ran through him.

He glanced down for a few seconds, realizing he was completely naked, and his expression instantly turned complicated.

Unfortunately, Luo Yan couldn’t read the murderous intent in his eyes. Assuming the young man was simply shy, she casually fetched his robe from the foot of the bed and reassured him, “You were covered in blood earlier. It was Uncle Doctor Liu who cleaned you up.”

After saying this, she politely turned her back to him.

The robe had been washed, dried, and even lightly scented. Zhu Yun’s mood improved slightly as he slowly tightened the sash.

Whether from hunger or anger, his hands trembled faintly. Forget killing someone, he could barely walk steadily.

The girl continued chattering, “Are you feeling better now? Uncle Liu even said you might not wake up. Oh, by the way, should I send word to your family?”

He couldn’t be bothered to respond, his gaze fixed on her hair, which shone like silk, clearly, she was a pampered young lady from a wealthy family.

But why would a frail, sheltered girl show no hesitation around a strange young man?

Luo Yan, however, was genuinely accustomed to it.

In her eyes, no matter how arrogantly Zhu Yun carried himself, he was still someone who ought to obediently be in the pediatric ward. She had often seen other children change into hospital gowns, so she didn’t think much of it.

When the rustling behind her stopped, Luo Yan turned around on her own.

Zhu Yun’s temples were still beaded with cold sweat. She wrung out a cloth and somewhat clumsily wiped his forehead. Her gaze inevitably fell on his messy braid, and she suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

She needed to find a way to undo the three-strand braid.

After drinking the sugar water, Zhu Yun felt warmth spread in his stomach and began discreetly surveying his surroundings. The main furnishings seemed unchanged, so the secret manual and tonic herbs should still be in their original places.

As he pondered, Luo Yan tugged at his hair, “Say something.”

“What should I say?”

His voice was hoarse from illness but still carried a youthful clarity, clearly that of a young boy.

Luo Yan asked him, “What’s your name?”

Zhu Yun glanced sideways at her, “What’s yours?”

She pouted, thinking his temper was far worse than his looks, but she maintained her host’s grace, “I’m Luo Yan. My grandmother and I saved you.”

“Oh.”

“……”

That’s it?

Luo Yan waited a moment, but there was no follow-up. Instead, his face inexplicably flushed, as if his condition had worsened. Her attitude softened immediately. “Dinner will still take a while. Are you hungry? Should I bring you another bowl of congee?”

Zhu Yun tightened his grip on the thin blanket. “Get out.”

“Huh?”

He stiffened his neck, unwilling to speak further, and his gaze drifted pointedly toward the trousers draped over the foot of the bed.

“Oh, you want to put on your pants? You should’ve said so earlier.” Luo Yan stuck out her tongue, picked up the bowl and dishes, and left, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.

Once Zhu Yun was fully dressed, he touched his hastily tied hair and felt a surge of irritation.

But considering he still needed someone to run errands for him, he decided to let her stay a few more days.

After quietly tidying up, he leaned against the wall and hobbled to the next room. With practiced ease, he retrieved various bottles and jars from a gilded official case. There was no need to distinguish them, they were all rare medicines worth a fortune in the martial world. Zhu Yun swallowed them all in one go and then sat cross-legged to circulate his inner energy.

The world called “Mandarin Duck Warmth” the deadliest of poisons.

But few knew that the “mandarin” was the poison, while the “duck” was the antidote. Taking both together and refining them with inner energy could render one immune to all poisons.

However, the refinement process was akin to burning one’s internal organs with blazing fire. It was unlikely that many could endure it.

Zhu Yun barely suppressed the poison’s effects with the massive dose of restorative medicine. After resting for a while, once the turmoil within him had subsided, he silently returned to his room.

On the way, he saw Luo Yan talking to a village woman in the courtyard.

“Let him stay a few more days,” Luo Yan pleaded, clinging to the woman’s arm. “Once he’s fully recovered, he’ll leave on his own.”

Jia Yufang always regarded her as her mistress and knew Luo Yan lacked a playmate, so she reluctantly agreed. “Fine, he can stay until the physician comes up the mountain.”

With permission granted, Luo Yan picked up a wooden box of toys and went to find Zhu Yun, bringing along a bowl of plain congee to tide him over.

“Want to play stone catching?”

Zhu Yun splashed water on his face and, upon hearing this, felt somewhat speechless. He wanted to remind her that he hadn’t fully recovered yet. But with nothing else to do, he drank the congee, crossed his arms, leaned back, and lazily grunted, “Mm.”

“Let me demonstrate first.”

Her fingers flew nimbly as she caught the stones, but she didn’t forget to spare the beginner’s pride and encouraged him, “Just practice a few times, and you’ll get the hang of it. Give it a try.”

He curled his lip, closed his eyes, and grabbed blindly. “Like this?”

“…”

He was a natural.

Luo Yan’s pride stung, and she put the stones away. “You’re still sick, it’s not good to move around too much. Let’s play chess instead.”

Zhu Yun raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know how.”

“That’s perfect,” she said with boundless enthusiasm. “I’ll teach you.”

But Zhu Yun paid no attention to the rules, holding black in his left hand and white in his right, placing them randomly. If Luo Yan tried to correct him, he’d fix her with a dark, gloomy stare.

She grew angry and swept the pieces into disarray. “You’re no fun at all.”

Zhu Yun’s ears rang from her scolding, but her indignant expression amused him. He took a palm-sized cloth bag from the box and tossed it in his hand. “What’s this?”

Luo Yan forgot her annoyance and answered instinctively, “It’s a sandbag.”

Her grandmother had sewn it for her, hoping it would help her fit in with the children of Qingyuan Village…

The thought sparked an idea. She patted his shoulder. “You look much better now. Let’s go out and play.”

“?”

If he wasn’t mistaken, it had only been half an hour since he woke up. Whose injuries could heal in the blink of an eye?

But Luo Yan was not one to show consideration. She nudged his shoe and urged, “Hurry up, hurry up! Grandma is cooking, and we can’t play for too long.”

Zhu Yun took a deep breath and slowly rose to his feet, casually asking, “Where’s my sword?”

“There.” She pointed toward the corner of the wall. “Don’t bring it along. The kids in the village are all cowards.”

He neither agreed nor disagreed, stepping past Luo Yan and heading out of the courtyard first. He checked the traces of their arrival and, seeing they had been washed away by the rain, felt relieved.

Meanwhile, Luo Yan was still dawdling. “Grandma, I’m going out to play. I’ll be back soon.”

The girl’s voice was vibrant and full of life, a stark contrast to her sickly appearance.

…

With a companion by her side, Luo Yan no longer watched from a distance. Instead, she strode arrogantly through the group of village children, even letting out a loud “Hmph!” to grab everyone’s attention.

The village children observed her with a mix of curiosity and fear.

A younger child, thinking they were whispering, spoke loudly enough for all to hear, “She’s so pretty, she doesn’t look like a female ghost at all.”

Hearing this, Luo Yan stopped in her tracks and asked, puzzled, “What female ghost?”

“Ahhh!”

The children scattered in terror, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Frustrated, Luo Yan tore up a handful of wild grass in anger, then turned to Zhu Yun, who was looking around, and declared confidently, “We won’t play with them either.”

Zhu Yun offered no comment and continued strolling with his hands behind his back, carefully erasing any footprints they hadn’t managed to conceal earlier.

Once he finished his task, he finally relaxed. Turning back, he saw Luo Yan teasing a neighbor’s white goose and barking dog with wild berries.

Hearing his footsteps, Luo Yan waved him over. “I’ve thought of a brilliant plan.”

“What is it?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll bring some dried fruit. I refuse to believe they’ll still ignore me.”

Zhu Yun glanced at the little yellow dog, already won over by the treats, and thought to himself that it might just work.

Just then, the scent of cooking rose from the farmhouse. Enticed by the aroma of the meal, Luo Yan finally decided to move. She eagerly positioned herself in front of Zhu Yun and said, “Walk behind me, that way, the wind won’t blow on you.”

He smiled faintly, quickened his pace, and overtook her.

“……”

Jia Yufang was setting the table when she saw the young man walking briskly, with Luo Yan panting as she trailed behind. Surprised, she asked, “Is he already able to walk around?”

“Yes,” Luo Yan replied, attributing it to the physician’s exceptional skills. She vividly described, “He walks even faster than I do, like the wind, whoosh, and he’s gone.”

Zhu Yun calmly took his seat.

Before them were four dishes and a soup. While this might be ordinary for a wealthy family, it was an extravagant spread for a farming household.

Looking at the woman’s hands, they weren’t exactly rough, but there were several calluses formed from years of labor.

Of course, the most incongruous thing was how she catered to Luo Yan’s every whim, not at all like a grandmother-grandchild relationship. It made more sense if they were master and servant.

After all, he had only ever seen grandparents who doted on their grandchildren as if they were the apples of their eyes. For a girl of exceptional beauty not to be sold off was already unusual.

However, none of this fell within Zhu Yun’s concerns, they were merely two people destined to die soon.

He accepted a bowl of chicken soup and drank it without a hint of guilt.

Luo Yan, imitating him, served Jia Yufang a bowl and even placed a large piece of chicken leg in it, saying sweetly, “Grandma, you’ve worked hard.”

Jia Yufang, who was indeed old enough to be a grandmother, was deeply moved. Smiling, she served both children generously, assuring them there was more in the pot.

But Luo Yan couldn’t sit still. As she ate, she brought up the matter of the dried fruit. Throughout the meal, all that could be heard were her bold declarations about becoming the village leader. She even went so far as to say,

“More people just means more fun.”

Zhu Yun was busy eating when he heard this, his temple twitching slightly. He thought to himself that aside from her, no one else at the table had spoken, how could it be lively?

…

After a satisfying meal, Luo Yan pulled him into a game of chess.

Gomoku had simple rules, and Zhu Yun finally stopped trying to cheat. They each won and lost a few rounds, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

In the middle of the game, Jia Yufang came to refill their tea. Seeing the two children getting along so harmoniously, as if they had returned to the days before the Luo family’s misfortune, she couldn’t help but feel tears welling up. She reminded them, “Don’t play for too long, or you’ll strain your eyes.”

“Got it!”

Luo Yan answered cheerfully but hypocritically buried her head in scribbling on paper, even using crushed flower juice to add color, claiming she was making a board for a flying chess game.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhu Yun found some scraps of cloth to wipe his sword while pondering the intentions of the tower master.

He had just killed four top-tier disciples in a row, leaving only the third and sixth. He wondered if they would be sent to hunt him down.

Or perhaps they assumed he had taken the poison and was left to die in the wilderness.

The most crucial task now was to refine the “Mandarin Duck Warmth.”

Intent on meditating and circulating his energy, he tapped the table with his knuckles, signaling for her to leave. “I’m going to sleep. Take your drawing elsewhere.”

“What?” Luo Yan widened her eyes as if the sky were falling. “This is my study. Where else would I take it?”

Zhu Yun didn’t answer, merely lifting his chin in a dismissive gesture.

Luo Yan, however, regretted her quick retort. In the novels she had read, protagonists living under someone else’s roof were usually helpless and pitiful.

So, she softened her tone. “Alright then, I should get some sleep too. If you feel cold at night, there’s a summer quilt in the cabinet. Also, what should we play tomorrow?”

“…”

He had to remind her, “I’m still sick.”

“You seem much better now,” Luo Yan muttered under her breath, finally willing to step out of the room. But suddenly remembering something important, she turned back abruptly. “You still haven’t told me your name.”

Worried that the young man might renege, she preempted him: “If you don’t tell me, I’ll call you Little Black.”

Little Black?

He recalled Luo Yan calling the farmer’s plump-headed goose “Little White.” His lips twitched slightly, and he replied irritably, “Zhu Yun.”

“My name is Zhu Yun.”