How Could I Resist His Madness and Charm [Transmigration] - Chapter 22

In Zhu Yun’s eyes, life and death were merely a game of strategy. If one lacked skill and lost, so be it; if death came, it came.

But to associate that word with Luo Yan sent a chill creeping down his spine.

Luo Yan’s heart raced at his expression, and she whispered softly, “I was just saying it casually.”

Hearing this, Zhu Yun’s brow twitched, his dark eyes shifting slowly, their ferocity undimmed even by the candlelight and night shadows.

Steeling herself, she wrapped her arms around the young man’s lean waist. “My illness has been with me since birth. Every year when autumn turns to winter, I cough without end, so I… In any case, don’t be angry.”

The death date written in the book was a secret Luo Yan had kept hidden for a long time. Sometimes she felt an urge to speak of it, but fearing the butterfly effect, she always talked herself out of it.

Now, witnessing Zhu Yun’s unusual reaction, she dared not bring it up again.

After all, the answer would be revealed in another month or two, why worry those around her unnecessarily?

Luo Yan forced a smile. “After the New Year, let’s go to town and buy a new house, then get engaged. How does that sound?”

He lowered his gaze, raising a hand to cover the upper half of her face. Only after his emotions settled did he murmur a low “Mm.”

“I can’t breathe,” Luo Yan mumbled, nudging his palm with her nose.

“…”

Regaining her freedom, she took his hand and examined it, muttering, “You nearly smothered me.”

Having spent day and night together, they were no longer sensitive to each other’s subtle changes. Luo Yan, suddenly in high spirits, pulled him into the courtyard to measure their heights.

The results were pleasing, aside from Third Sister, everyone had grown a few centimeters.

Luo Yan’s worries melted away, and her fear of the plot’s progression faded as well.

She thought to herself, I’ve managed to avoid it for two years already. Why be afraid now, when liberation is near?

Moreover, Hanmei Town was far from the capital. Unless they grew wings, even exhausting several horses wouldn’t get them there in time.

Speaking of horses, she asked, “The weather isn’t hot anymore, can you finally teach me to ride?”

Zhu Yun agreed. Seeing her straining to look up, he cupped the back of her neck, giving it a gentle squeeze. His gaze finally softened, returning to its usual tenderness.

Luo Yan hummed contentedly, lazily remarking, “You’re still pretty scary when you’re angry.”

“I wasn’t angry.”

“Then you’re scary when you’re not smiling.”

Though Zhu Yun was handsome, his fierce demeanor and piercing gaze, as if he were always ready to draw a blade, made even the village dogs know better than to bark at him.

After hearing her accusation, Zhu Yun said with a headache, “You should go to sleep.”

“…”

…

In the deep stillness of the night, Zhu Yun slipped out of the village like a wisp of wind. Reaching the foot of the mountain, he curled his fingers and whistled. His horse leaped over the low gate and trotted to him.

Man and steed raced along the moonlit official road, heading toward the nearest ghost market.

Though the Great Li Kingdom enforced a curfew, it was virtually ignored in areas frequented by martial artists. The intelligence network of the Moon Embracing Pavilion was second to none in the martial world, with outposts in every ghost market. The shop specializing in jade rabbit lanterns was one such location.

Zhu Yun picked up a mask, put it on, and pushed open the side door.

Inside, red lanterns hung everywhere, casting a hazy glow that blurred the furnishings. Only the attendants, dressed in plain white robes, stood out distinctly, moving like spectral shadows.

He slipped silently into the storeroom, where a faint floral scent greeted him first. This was the proud creation of a divine physician, inhaling it without taking a special antidote could cause anything from unconsciousness to delirium, effectively keeping out unwanted visitors.

If it failed to stop someone, it meant they were a tough opponent.

And so, as Zhu Yun took his third step, the old man on the recliner used the momentum to leap into the air, twisting his body nimbly before thrusting ten slender black nails toward Zhu Yun’s vital points. At the same time, two other men in white robes jumped down from the rafters, wielding crescent-shaped daggers as they closed in on him from both sides.

Suddenly, a cold gust of wind blew through, extinguishing the lanterns one by one, leaving only an oil lamp on the desk, which a young man, who had somehow moved there unnoticed, now held aloft.

The old man hastily withdrew his force, steadying himself by stepping back onto the recliner. The two men in white, however, lacked the same level of control and collided with a dull thud.

Zhu Yun let out a mocking “tsk,” leisurely opening his palm to reveal a crescent-shaped token. He held it above the candle flame, ensuring all three could see it clearly.

“Y-Young Master?”

The old man, known as Thousand Yin Hands, was the manager of the lantern shop. He waved the two men away, then knelt and clasped his fists in salute. “The Tower Master said you had refined the Mandarin Duck Warmth, but I never imagined it was true.”

“Where is the Medicine King now?” Zhu Yun asked directly.

Thousand Yin Hands held nothing back. “He was last seen at the Qin residence. Old Master Qin had asked him to search for a certain medicine, and the next day, he left for Yunxi Province with a few of his disciples.”

“If you find any trace of him, send someone to intercept him immediately. Also, did all the assassins sent to the capital to kill the Crown Prince’s grandson die?”

“Yes,” Thousand Yin Hands replied, lowering his head even further. “There is a hidden master in the Crown Prince’s residence. Aside from you, I doubt anyone could get close.”

The capital was far, and Zhu Yun did not wish to leave Luo Yan for too long, otherwise, he would not have sent others to handle the task. But the matter of the Medicine King was even more critical. After giving a few more instructions, he extinguished the candle.

Thousand Yin Hands remained kneeling silently for a moment, knowing the young master had already departed. He rose and relit the lamp. Once the room was bright again, he whistled to summon his men and assigned them their tasks.

Just as one of the men was about to leave, he suddenly turned back and exclaimed in surprise, “Manager Qian, where did the lantern from the plaque go?”

“What?” Thousand Yin Hands looked up. The spot where their prized treasure had once hung was now empty. Most likely, the young master had taken it.

He recalled the figure he had glimpsed in the moment the lights went out, tall and lean. After all these years, the young master had finally grown up.

He wondered whether the Tower Master now felt pride or regret over the past.

“Never mind. Fetch another lantern to hang in its place.”

…

When Luo Yan awoke, the sky was still not fully bright. She pushed aside the bed curtains and spotted an adorably clumsy rabbit lantern, covered with a gauze cloth to soften the candlelight inside.

Clearly, it was a gift from A-Yun.

Her heart first leapt with joy, but then she realized Zhu Yun must have slipped out secretly in the middle of the night.

At first, when Zhu Yun left early and returned early, Luo Yan truly hadn’t noticed.

But after the seasons changed, she occasionally suffered from persistent coughing fits and sleepless nights. With Zhu Yun’s sharp hearing, he would always throw on an outer robe and come to keep her company when he heard her.

If he didn’t come, it meant he wasn’t home.

So, Zhu Yun had promised that whenever he went out alone, he would bring back a small gift. That way, when Luo Yan saw it, she would know he had returned safe and sound, and she wouldn’t have to worry.

But now, with the medicine retrieval still some days away, why had he gone out?

She couldn’t neglect her morning exercises, so she got up and dressed, all the while pondering how to get him to talk.

Over the past two years, she had certainly tried to pry information out of him. Though Zhu Yun never lied, he would simply play mute, infuriating her to no end.

But even a fool could guess that the movements in the martial world, the rare elixirs, and the endless stream of gold and silver all came from his “mother”, or rather, his “mother’s” influence.

As for last night…

Last night, she had let slip a careless remark. Perhaps those words had frightened Zhu Yun, prompting him to rush off and make a dangerous deal.

Luo Yan had read countless storybooks, and based on her experience, she firmly believed that Zhu Yun was not willingly entangled with the other party, rather, the other party held some means of controlling him.

If it were a righteous person, they might threaten or coerce him using his family’s future or lives; they might play the emotional card, showering him with care in his childhood and then instilling distorted values; or they might pull a switcheroo, staging a drama where he was made to acknowledge a villain as his mother.

If it were a villain, they might use gu poison, feed him toxins, so that without timely antidotes each month, he would die a sudden death; or they might even use her as leverage, threatening to send people after her if he disobeyed…

She abruptly slapped her forehead. “Stop it.”

Grabbing her short bow, she headed out. Zhu Yun was already waiting in the courtyard. When he saw her, a faint smile flickered in his eyes.

But both were preoccupied with their own thoughts, making the atmosphere more silent than usual. Luo Yan buried herself in training, and with intense focus, she discovered her dynamic vision had improved significantly, every leaf she tossed into the air was shot down.

Just as she was about to share the good news with Zhu Yun, she bit back the words at the last moment.

Zhu Yun, hearing the commotion, lifted his eyelids and saw her standing dazed before a patch of wildflowers. Assuming she was tired, he withdrew his gaze and continued practicing his swordplay.

When it was time to descend the mountain, Luo Yan walked swiftly, deliberately slowing down every time he caught up, insisting on maintaining a distance.

Even Zhu Yun, dense as he was, noticed something was off.

After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Do you want a white horse or a chestnut one?”

“!”

Luo Yan recalled their agreement before bed to teach her horseback riding.

If she responded now, wouldn’t it render her silent anger pointless? But if she didn’t respond, she really wanted to learn how to ride.

Zhu Yun crouched down. “I’ll carry you on my back.”

She hesitated for two breaths before climbing onto his back, but her lips remained tightly pressed together, vowing not to be swayed by his sweet gestures.

In the past, Luo Yan had tried to subtly inquire about the identity of his “mother,” thinking that if the person was a named character in the original book, she could recall key plot points and perhaps help Zhu Yun break free from their control.

But each time, he had evaded the question.

Moreover, the original book was titled The Legend of Wuyang, with eighty percent of the focus on Cui Wuyang. She had tried using the process of elimination and concluded that Zhu Yun’s “mother” might not even appear in the book, much like the villagers, leaving a high degree of freedom.

If that were truly the case, the danger level would actually be lower, which was why Luo Yan had been turning a blind eye.

But to her now, Zhu Yun, his grandmother, and all the villagers and townsfolk she had met were no longer flat words on a page. They couldn’t be resurrected, each had distinct personalities, and they were living, breathing people.

People were inherently fragile, and what angered her was precisely Zhu Yun’s disregard for his own safety.

“Ahhh.” Luo Yan sighed softly.

Zhu Yun asked directly, “What do you want to know?”

“You won’t tell me even if I ask. Anyway, I hate you the most, most, most.”

Though her tone was angry, to Zhu Yun it still sounded soft and gentle, like a honey-soaked peach, sweet enough to make his ears itch.

Seeing his pleased expression, Luo Yan’s three parts resentment turned into nine parts fury. She immediately slapped his shoulder. “How can you still laugh!”

“…” He coughed a few times, feigning solemnity. “I’ve sent someone to investigate the whereabouts of the Medicine King.”

The Medicine King, Old Man Sun, was hailed as the reincarnation of Hua Tuo.

His young apprentice had even stolen the forbidden drug “Mandarin Duck Warmth” to gift to the male lead, nearly becoming his eighth wife.

She grabbed Zhu Yun’s ear and demanded, “The Medicine King is highly skilled. What makes you think you can take him on? And even if you find him, are you going to kidnap him and bring him to me?”

He could.

But Zhu Yun wisely kept silent.

As she spoke, Luo Yan’s eyes reddened: “Once this winter passes, I’ll get better on my own. Don’t wade into troubled waters anymore, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Zhu Yun reacted as if facing a formidable enemy, trying to turn his head to study her expression, but she stubbornly refused, snapping, “Keep your eyes on the road.”

After a moment of silence, Zhu Yun coaxed gently, “They can’t beat me.”

Luo Yan scoffed, “Haven’t you heard ‘two fists are no match for four hands’ or ‘there’s strength in numbers’? Even a protagonist with plot armor wouldn’t dare say that.”

“Who is he again?” Zhu Yun frowned displeased. “The narrow-eyed guy who chatted you up at the tailor shop? The weasel who chased after you at the bookstore to copy texts? The short stump who insisted on giving you flowers on the street? Or-”

She covered his mouth, embarrassed, and scolded, “Why do you have to remember every young man who’s ever spoken to me?”