How Could I Resist His Madness and Charm [Transmigration] - Chapter 6

“Didn’t you say you’d recovered? Why are you suffering so much at night?” Jia Yufang asked.

Zhu Yun didn’t want to answer.

Earlier, Luo Yan had smeared incense ash on his lips and blended stone ink beneath his eyes. He looked as though he were gravely ill, and the smell was pungent.

Luo Yan had to speak for him. “Grandmother, A-Yun wants to go to the clinic.”

“If he’s unwell, he should get checked.” Jia Yufang nodded. “It so happens your Uncle Tianquan is going to town tomorrow to buy supplies. You can ride in his ox cart.”

Sitting up straight, she said obediently, “I’ll go with A-Yun.”

“How can that be?”

Although she had agreed to take Zhu Yun in, his origins were still unclear. Jia Yufang wasn’t comfortable with Luo Yan accompanying him and tried to reassure her. “Your Uncle Tianquan will take Young Master Yun there and bring him back after the examination.”

Fortunately, Luo Yan had a backup plan.

She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief dipped in ginger water, then lifted her face, now tearful and aggrieved. “Grandmother~”

What else could Jia Yufang say?

Waving her hand, she relented. “Fine, fine. The three of us will go together.”

…

Before bed, Luo Yan went to the study to remove Zhu Yun’s makeup.

Staring at the water, which remained gray even after two washes, his face darkened as he began to question how he had been fooled earlier.

Perhaps Liu Changsheng was right, this house was haunted, eerie beyond belief.

“Do you know about Laifu Tavern?” Luo Yan asked as she wiped away the gray-black makeup, her voice full of longing. “They say it was opened by the former crown princess. There’s one in our town too.”

Hearing the barely concealed excitement in her voice, Zhu Yun sneered. “It seems finding a physician for me was just an excuse. Your real goal is to eat, drink, and have fun in town.”

Luo Yan would never admit it. Blinking her eyes, she said, “I’m not feeling well either. Grandmother told me to go get checked. How could it be just a side trip?”

He let out a cold “hmph” and didn’t argue with her.

Luo Yan asked again, “Since you recognized that chest of secret manuals and elixirs, it means you’re very experienced. Where have you been before? What have you played?”

“I don’t know.”

Thinking he was being secretive, she angrily threw the handkerchief, splashing water onto his face. “I don’t know, I don’t know. You’re so boring.”

“……”

After rising to the A-rank, his targets were all renowned figures in the martial world, hard to track and often hiding deep in mountains and forests, far from anything resembling “play.”

As for towns, he had frequented them early in his jianghu days, but that was for killing and seizing treasures, which also didn’t count as “play.”

Zhu Yun glanced at her, already able to imagine how, once they reached town tomorrow, she would clamor for delicacies she didn’t usually eat and, if her energy allowed, would want to explore every street and alley.

Her face would surely be lit with a smile, as if everything were endlessly fascinating.

Having vented her anger, Luo Yan guiltily wiped his face with a clean handkerchief and negotiated, “They say we have to leave before dawn. If I don’t wake up, remember to come get me.”

He said, word by word, “De-pends-on-my-mood.”

“……”

We’re through!

Right now, we’re through!

…

Before daybreak, Jia Yufang was already up. She first placed the steamer on the stove, then woke Luo Yan and styled her hair before returning to her room to fetch her embroidery and a cushion she had prepared in advance.

Zhu Yun had gone to the mountains earlier for his morning training. After washing up, he noticed Luo Yan still hadn’t stirred. Peeking into her room, he found her slumped awkwardly on the bed.

“Get up.”

Luo Yan couldn’t open her eyes. Leaning on his forearm, she sat up, yawning repeatedly.

He said deliberately, “If you’re this tired, maybe it’s better not to go today.”

“Of course I’m going.” Luo Yan finally seemed a bit more awake, pointing to the jewelry on the bedside. “Hide these two on you.”

Zhu Yun stood motionless.

She expertly clasped her hands in a pleading gesture. “Please, please.”

“…”

Soon after, Guyu’s father arrived, and Jia Yufang invited him in for breakfast. As for the two youngsters, they had agreed the previous evening to save their appetites for the town.

Wang Tianquan had learned from his son that the Jia family had another elder grandson. Seeing Zhu Yun now, who appeared exactly as Luo Yan’s biological brother should, he said sincerely, “Aunt Fang is truly blessed, with grandchildren as beautiful as celestial beings.”

Luo Yan giggled behind them. “If you were uglier, Uncle Tianquan wouldn’t believe it.”

Zhu Yun ignored her, focusing on wrapping his sword carefully with cloth strips.

After the meal, Jia Yufang laid cushions on the oxcart, just enough for two people and called out, “Don’t keep your Uncle Tianquan waiting.”

“Coming, coming!”

Luo Yan had hidden the armlet and jade bracelet in her sleeves. Afraid her grandmother would notice, she nimbly climbed onto the cart without waiting for assistance. Seeing the empty cushion beside her, she knew it was reserved specifically for Zhu Yun.

Wang Tianquan latched the gate and chuckled at the sight. “Your grandmother really dotes on you children.”

Jia Yufang teased back, “We learned it all from your Wang family. Don’t you pile three or four layers of cushions every time you send Gufeng out?”

“Nothing of the sort.”

Luo Yan glanced at Uncle Tianquan, whose smile was so wide his teeth were barely visible, then leaned over to whisper to Zhu Yun, “Big Brother Gufeng is a scholar. Uncle and Aunt Liu don’t want him smelling of meat, so they prepared a special cart just for his commute.”

The oxcart was already small, and the mountain breeze lifted her long hair, covering Zhu Yun’s face.

Annoyed, he brushed it away, his nose filled with the scent of her hair rinse. He thought about ruffling her hair in retaliation, but Luo Yan knelt up and began chattering cheerfully with those in front.

Her hair slipped through his fingers like a sly fish.

Zhu Yun curled his fingertips, his gaze darkening.

“A-Yun, A-Yun, did you hear that?” She cupped her hand by his ear, afraid the wind would carry her words away. “There are two bookshops, three teahouses, and four pawnshops in town, so many!”

He didn’t respond, only slightly lifting his eyelids, his expression colder than usual.

But it did nothing to dampen Luo Yan’s excitement.

She leaned in closer, listened to something ahead, then squeezed back next to him, chattering nonstop. “Wow, Grandmother’s embroidery is meant for Squire Sheng’s household. We can sneak off to the streets while she’s delivering it.”

The girl’s smile held a pure, unworldly innocence, gradually overlapping with another face in Zhu Yun’s memory.

After a long moment, he averted his eyes with a displeased expression.

Even Luo Yan, as oblivious as she was, sensed something odd. She tilted her head and studied him. “A-Yun, are you carsick?”

“No.” Zhu Yun closed his eyes and made up an excuse. “I’m hungry.”

She took him at his word. “Hang in there a little longer. I’ll take you to eat something delicious soon.”

“Mm.”

As her excitement gradually faded, Luo Yan scanned him up and down, thinking he really might just be hungry. Comforted by her own conclusion, she leaned against Jia Yufang’s shoulder and let out a delicate yawn. “Grandmother, wake me when we see the city gates.”

…

Hanmei Town.

Wang Tianquan dropped the grandmother and grandchildren off at the clinic, agreed on a time for the return trip, and leisurely departed.

Physician Liu wasn’t holding clinic today, but the assistant recognized Jia Yufang and respectfully ushered them inside.

Jia Yufang took out two palm-sized cloth bags filled with snacks and instructed the children, “I’ll go deliver the embroidery first and take you to the restaurant when I return.”

The attendant served them clear tea and chimed in warmly, “If you’re hungry or thirsty, just let us know anytime. We have everything prepared in the backyard.”

Luo Yan rubbed her face with her fingers, suppressing the smile at the corner of her lips. “Don’t worry, Grandmother, we won’t run off.”

After seeing Jia Yufang off, she deftly tied her pouch and, noticing Zhu Yun standing stiffly like a wooden post, tied one for him at his waist as well. “Use this to stave off your hunger for now.”

He snapped out of his daze, glanced down, then lifted his chin. “Go ahead.”

The clinic had not yet opened for the day. An elderly, white-bearded Physician Ning sat in the back hall sorting herbs. Seeing someone lift the curtain, he signaled his apprentice to light the lamp.

Physician Ning could be considered Physician Liu’s mentor, but since the clinic belonged to the latter, and he had repeatedly emphasized treating the young lady benefactor with care, Ning politely invited Luo Yan to sit.

He first asked her age, then about her diet over the past month, examined her tongue coating, the whites of her eyes, and so on, before finally taking her pulse.

Strange.

Physician Ning had heard of her condition earlier, reportedly a congenital ailment. He spoke candidly, “As long as you take good care of yourself, while a full recovery may not be possible, there’s no life-threatening danger.”

Luo Yan wasn’t surprised. She grinned at Zhu Yun, her eyes and brows radiating contentment.

He stared at her for a moment before offering his own wrist to the old physician.

“Ah!” Physician Ning frowned, then reached out to press Zhu Yun’s shoulder and arm. Just as Luo Yan’s heart leaped into her throat, he exhaled dramatically and said, “Yin and yang in balance, organs harmonious, bones extraordinary, a once-in-a-century specimen.”

Luo Yan: “…”

All that fuss for nothing, scared me half to death.

The physician added, “But old injuries, if neglected for too long, can become chronic ailments. Go on, take off your outer robe.”

Zhu Yun was surprised that the old man had some skill. He cooperatively removed his outer robe but paused when he reached the ties of his inner garment. He glanced at his shadow. “I need to undress.”

“I know,” Luo Yan said innocently. “It’s not like you’re stripping completely bare. Are you shy?”

“…”

It was Physician Ning who interjected, “Young lady, please wait outside.”

Reluctantly, she stood up. Seeing the physician unfurl his acupuncture kit, the silver needles glinting, she paled instantly and turned back to comfort Zhu Yun, “Don’t be afraid. I’ve heard acupuncture doesn’t hurt.”

Zhu Yun’s patience wore thin, and he urged her to leave quickly.

Physician Ning chuckled and scolded, “You ungrateful boy, your sister is just concerned about you.”

After carefully cleaning the wound on Zhu Yun’s back and confirming it was largely fine, he felt he had finally lived up to Physician Liu’s instructions.

“Alright, take the prescription and get the medicine.”

By the time Zhu Yun returned to the main hall, Luo Yan was already sipping hot medicinal porridge, laughing heartily at the anecdotes the attendant was sharing.

She really was likable wherever she went.

“A-Yun, A-Yun!” Whether Luo Yan was sharp-eyed or Zhu Yun simply stood out, she dashed over like a gust of wind. “Brother Yang says there’s a pawnshop on the next street.”

So, the two left the clinic side by side, but Zhu Yun stopped in front of a teahouse. “Didn’t you always want to listen to storytelling? Give me the items.”

Luo Yan was slightly taken aback, not because she suspected he would abscond with the goods, as the truly valuable items had been left at home.

She asked, puzzled, “Can’t I come with you?”

“A young lady like you tagging along would only drive the price down.”

She glanced at the long sword, now even more imposing with its cloth wrappings, and silently removed her armlets and other accessories.

Zhu Yun led her to a seat near the front, his gaze sweeping coldly across the room until fear flickered in everyone’s expressions before he finally withdrew his eyes. “That’s enough.”

Luo Yan couldn’t shake her unease. Tilting her head up, she asked, “Will you come back?”

He remained silent for a few breaths, then pulled his hand free from Luo Yan’s grasp and walked away without looking back.