In Dream Of The Red Chamber, Jia She Acquires A Plant-Based Superpower. - Chapter 16

Wang Fu was dazed. “Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I was only concerned with your hand and did not catch a glimpse of the General.”

How could Jia She have grown to look like that? The Emperor’s reaction was far too extreme. He had been serving Situ Xuan for over twenty years and had rarely seen him lose his composure. He had never seen Situ Xuan look so completely lost in a trance like he had just now.

Situ Xuan shook his head internally, his eyes fixed on the boat carrying Jia She as it grew smaller in the distance. After Liu Hongyun returned to the tea house, Situ Xuan asked him: “What did Jia She say to you? Did he mention how long he would be in Yangzhou?”

If he had known earlier that Jia She possessed such a face and such an unforgettable temperament, he would have summoned him to the palace long ago to express his gratitude. If he could see Jia She’s face regularly, he would not have to look at his civil and military officials with such irritation every single day.

Liu Hongyun did not know why Situ Xuan was suddenly interested in Jia She. He shook his head. “Brother Jia did not say how long he would stay. He mentioned that the scenery in Yangzhou is beautiful and intends to do some traveling after visiting Jia Min. He also entrusted me to send word to Lin Ruhai should anything happen to the Jia family.”

Jia She held no real power. Even if his relationship with Lin Ruhai was close, it should not have been a problem. Liu Hongyun was worried about the Emperor’s suspicious nature, so he did not hide the connection between Jia She and Lin Ruhai. The more one tried to hide such things, the more suspicious they appeared.

Situ Xuan frowned. Situ Ruo had said Jia She did not have long to live. Could it be that Jia She was not planning to return at all? Situ Xuan stood up abruptly, then looked bewildered. He had no reason to keep Jia She. Furthermore, why would he want to keep him, just because of his face? He liked looking at beautiful people and keeping them around to handle tasks, but that was merely a small hobby for his own amusement and should not affect court politics.

Jia She was not like the guards or eunuchs. He was a member of the Jia family, held the hereditary title of First-Class General, and had even been personally tutored by the Retired Emperor in his youth. If he treated Jia She like a mere guard, it would not be an honor but an insult. Situ Xuan had thought through a great deal in the brief time he stood up, and he could not help but sigh inwardly.

When they were young, Jia She had been close to his second brother. At the time, he had wanted to befriend Jia She, but he had been a step too late, and Jia She had become his brother’s study companion. Now that Jia She was going to Yangzhou, he had missed his chance once again. Perhaps there was simply no fate between him and Jia She.

Losing the mood to continue his stroll, Situ Xuan returned to the palace with Wang Fu. He had left the palace feeling gloomy, but he felt even gloomier upon his return.

At that moment, Jia She was sitting on his bed, feeling deeply uncomfortable. The spiritual energy had transformed his body into that of a martial arts master, giving him vision far superior to that of a normal person. While chatting with Liu Hongyun, he had sensed a very intense gaze. He had taken a subtle look and clearly seen the man drinking tea on the second floor. He was colder and more handsome than in the original owner’s memories, and far more intimidating. He could not be mistaken; the man watching him from the second floor was the current Emperor, Situ Xuan.

Jia She felt a headache coming on. No matter how hard he tried to think, he could not figure out why Situ Xuan would appear there. Unable to fathom it, Jia She decided to stop tormenting himself and called for Lin Zhixiao.

“I drank a cup of wine earlier and might be a bit seasick. Do not call me for dinner.”

The original owner had been on boats before and was not seasick; this body was not prone to it either. He had lived in a mountainous area with little water in his previous life and had never had the chance to travel by boat. Not knowing if he was prone to seasickness, he simply assumed he felt unwell because of the wine.

Jia She felt miserable all night, eventually vomiting onto the floor by the side of the bed in the early hours of the morning. The alcohol had long since worn off; his discomfort was not from the wine, but from seasickness. The original owner had not been seasick, so it was he who was the one suffering. Jia She felt speechless. Spiritual energy had significantly improved his physique, but it could not resolve such a minor ailment as seasickness.

Seeing Jia She in such distress, Lin Zhixiao hurried to get orange peels from the boat captain. “Master, your seasickness is too severe. Perhaps you should ask the captain to turn back.”

If it had been earlier, Jia She might have agreed. But he had just seen Situ Xuan, and given the cold expression Situ Xuan had worn while watching him, he suspected the Emperor might be plotting to raid the Jia family. Jia She had never confronted imperial power before; witnessing it directly had frightened him. He did not want to return. Even if he had to lie down the entire way, he was going to Yangzhou. He would buy a house there, and if he could no longer stay in Beijing, he would flee to Yangzhou. Once there, far from the Emperor’s reach, no one could control him.

Jia She instructed Lin Zhixiao, “I am fine. It is just seasickness, not a serious illness. I will sleep more often, so do not wake me unless necessary.”

Cultivation could alleviate the symptoms of seasickness. Aside from eating and using the restroom, Jia She spent all his time lying on the bed cultivating. His seasickness was so severe that even while cultivating, he could not help but vomit when he sat up to eat. Having been unable to keep food down for a long time, Jia She’s complexion became increasingly pale, and his body grew weak.

When the ship neared Yangzhou, Jia She felt that his ordeal was finally coming to an end. He kept encouraging himself: Endure for three more days and you will arrive; once you are in a carriage, you will not feel dizzy or want to vomit.

Late that night, Jia She was awakened by the sound of swords clashing. Lin Zhixiao ran in, terrified. “Master, run! River bandits are attacking!”

Jia She had Lin Zhixiao help him up and threw on a robe. He was currently too weak to run far, so he focused his spiritual energy to listen to the activity outside. When he channeled the energy into his ears, Jia She could hear every movement on the ship.

“The master instructed us not to leave his corpse intact; we are to chop Jia She into pieces and bring him back.”

“You know I have a weakness for handsome men. Jia She is so beautiful; it would be a shame to just kill him like that. Let me play with him before you make your move; the master will not be able to tell the difference anyway.”

Jia She did not want to hear any more. He was furious. These were no ordinary river bandits; someone wanted his head, and these men were assassins in disguise. Jia She could distinguish them from the ship’s thugs; the assassins walked lightly and were clearly trained fighters, while the ship’s crew had the rhythmic breathing and gait of those who spent their lives on water.

Lin Zhixiao was shaking with fear, yet he still held Jia She firmly, refusing to flee alone. Filled with murderous intent, Jia She raised his hand slightly. The leaves from a green plant in the room detached from their stems and flew before him, one by one. Jia She infused them with spiritual energy and directed them to attack the assassins.

Within a single breath, Jia She heard screams erupting from outside. He discovered that wherever the leaves infused with spiritual energy passed, they sliced through everything in their path as easily as cutting through tofu. After a short while, Jia She retracted his energy and instructed the stunned Lin Zhixiao: “Go out and clean it up. I am seasick and cannot bear the smell of blood.”

Lin Zhixiao snapped out of his trance, tremblingly helped Jia She back to bed, and left the room in a state of terror. The leaves flying in unison toward Jia She had looked exactly like the internal energy control described in storybooks. Lin Zhixiao found it surreal; his own frail and sickly Master was actually a master of hidden power.

After Lin Zhixiao stepped out, he found the captain and his men in a state of terror. Seeing the black-clad men lying on the deck, he could not help but gasp. The assassins’ bodies were mutilated; several of them had their heads half-severed. Lin Zhixiao forced himself to remain calm, coughed lightly, and looked at the captain. “My Master says you are to clean this up immediately. He is seasick and cannot endure the smell of blood.”

The captain shivered, his face pale as he ordered his men to hurry and tidy up. Lin Zhixiao walked up to the captain. “My Master is kindhearted to spare your lives. You should know that disaster comes from a loose tongue. It would be best if no one said a word about what happened tonight.”

The captain had been terrified; if he hadn’t avoided drinking tea during the day, he might have wet himself from fear. A leaf stained with blood had landed right in front of him; he had impulsively caught it, only to realize it was an ordinary leaf. Yet, he had seen with his own eyes the arm of an assassin severed by that tiny leaf, which then swerved in mid-air to pierce through the man’s brow.

The captain bowed low, fawning over him. “Please rest assured, My Lord. I swear on my life that I will keep my men in check and ensure not a single word is uttered about tonight.”

Lin Zhixiao gradually calmed down and directed the men to scrub the deck. When Jia She awoke the next afternoon, there was not a trace of blood on the ship. It was his first time killing, and he had expected to feel disgusted or miserable. But he felt nothing; he slept more soundly than ever, and his seasickness symptoms had even lightened. Those assassins had come for his life; had he not acted, he would have been the one to die. He felt no regrets.

Only Lin Zhixiao had been by his side, and as his confidant, knowing Jia She’s true strength would only make him less likely to betray him. The others on the ship would suspect a master fighter was on board, but they would never guess that the fighter was Jia She himself. The captain and his men suspected the fighter was someone Jia She had hired for protection.

For the next two days, Lin Zhixiao served Jia She even more diligently. The captain gave Lin Zhixiao the freshest ingredients from the ship, waiting for him to pick before letting the cook prepare their meals. Lin Zhixiao dared not pry into Jia She’s martial arts, and Jia She did not volunteer an explanation, acting as if the assassins had never appeared.

Jia She remained seasick, and when they arrived at the Yangzhou pier, he needed Lin Zhixiao’s support to disembark. The captain sent Jia She off respectfully, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

The Lin family steward, Lin An, had received word long ago and was waiting at the pier with a carriage and servants. When Lin An saw Jia She and Lin Zhixiao disembarking, he could not help but gasp. Beijing was truly the most opulent place on earth to have cultivated someone who looked like an immortal. Lin An hurriedly led the servants to greet him. “Might I ask, is this the Master from the Rong Mansion?”

Seeing this, Lin Zhixiao beckoned to Lin An. “You are the steward of Master Lin’s household, aren’t you? My Master is indeed the First-Class General of the Rong Mansion. Let us skip the pleasantries; my Master has been seasick the entire way and needs to rest in the carriage immediately.”

Jia She’s feet touched the ground, and the swaying sensation began to fade, as did his seasickness. After being helped into the carriage, he lightly squeezed Lin Zhixiao’s arm. Lin Zhixiao expertly produced a spittoon; Jia She felt a wave of nausea and retched, bringing up nothing but bile.

Seeing this, Lin An was moved. For Jia She to be so severely seasick yet travel such a long distance to visit the Mistress showed that he held her in high regard. Jia She had been vomited out until he had no temper left; after rinsing his mouth with tea, he asked Lin An, “How is Min’er?”

Lin An’s face was bitter. “The Master has invited countless doctors, but they all shake their heads, unable to prescribe an effective treatment. She now only consumes ginseng soup to sustain herself.”

Jia She nodded and had Lin An arrange for their return to the manor. Since Jia Min was reduced to surviving on ginseng soup, it seemed her time was truly short. When Jia She reached the Lin manor, Lin Ruhai had just returned from his government office. Upon seeing Jia She, Lin Ruhai stepped forward to bow. “It has been many years, Brother. You are just as you were in my memory; you truly have not changed a bit.”

In his youth, Lin Ruhai had been a refined and handsome young man, having been the top scholar in the imperial examination. Over the years in Yangzhou, monitoring the major salt merchants for the Emperor, he had likely been overworked, for his face was lined with deep wrinkles. Jia She stepped forward to help Lin Ruhai up, his tone weak as he asked, “There is no need for such formalities between us brothers. Where is Min’er?”