The Eldest Brother is Handsome but Sick. - Chapter 34.1

The Duel of the “Lovers”

Under the corridor.

Yan Jin crouched in the corner with Lin San and Lin Si, acting as a qualified “decorative vase.” Directly in front of them, the two people who had been intimately close moments ago were now trading blows. Every move was sharp and carried a lethal wind aimed at the other’s vital points; they looked more like mortal enemies than anything else.

The night wind blew, and Yan Jin shivered. He tucked his hands deeper into his cloak, suddenly missing Su Huai. Had he known this would happen, he never would have stepped out of his room.

He let out a yawn and asked, “Are they always like this?”

Lin San replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Always. The Marquis and General Ao can’t stay together for more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.”

Yan Jin watched for a while longer, then noted the time. He finally steeled his heart and stood up, patting away non-existent dust from his clothes. “Alright, leave it to me!”

He took a deep breath, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted to the sky: “STOP FIGHTING!!”

The two clashing figures froze. Wen Wu took the opportunity to kick Ao Bozhou away. He was panting slightly, his forehead damp with sweat. In normal circumstances, Ao Bozhou wouldn’t have gotten away with much, but right now Wen Wu was injured and poisoned; he had begun to feel his strength failing and was looking for a way out. Yan Jin had just provided him with the perfect staircase to descend.

Seeing them separate, Yan Jin hurried forward to pull Wen Wu behind him. He offered a bow to Ao Bozhou: “General Ao, I originally had no wish to interfere in the grudge between you and the Marquis. But I am a doctor, and he is a patient. Therefore, I must manage this matter. I ask the General not to take offense.”

Ao Bozhou scanned Yan Jin from head to toe. Seeing that the man’s aura was indeed frail and that he was a scholar without the strength to truss a chicken, the General lowered his guard and nodded.

Wen Wu let out a snort. “Even Doctor Yan is more reasonable than you.”

Yan Jin let out a sigh of relief but twitched the corner of his mouth inwardly. Don’t use me as a comparison in your lover’s quarrel!

Ao Bozhou frowned again. “It isn’t that I don’t care about you. But Wen Wu release Censor Zhu.”

Wen Wu stepped forward with a cold sneer. “What evidence do you have to prove I seized him?”

Seeing the atmosphere tighten again, Yan Jin hurried to smooth things over. “How about we have some pastries and talk properly?”

“You are causing trouble for His Majesty,” Ao Bozhou said. “Now is not the time to move against him.”

“What does that have to do with me? As long as it benefits my Wen family, it is fine.”

Yan Jin: “Actually…”

Wen Wu leaned against Yan Jin’s shoulder and hooked the corner of his lip. “What? Are you going to charge me with a crime? Do you plan to never kiss me again?”

The moment he spoke, Ao Bozhou’s long blade unsheathed. A cold glint of light flashed as the blade edge pressed directly against Wen Wu’s exposed neck, where a few faint marks of their previous intimacy still lingered on the fair skin.

“I will say it once more: release Censor Zhu.”

Wen Wu’s face went cold. He pursed his lips and stopped speaking, merely staring at him.

Yan Jin was startled into a jolt. He said hurriedly, “You two, speak properly! A fight at the head of the bed should be settled at the foot of the bed!” He looked at their expressions, trembling as he pushed the blade away from Wen Wu’s neck. After checking carefully for any cuts, he added, “Everything can be discussed.”

He was truly worried that Wen Wu would be driven to a toxin flare-up by anger; such things can be suppressed once, but not necessarily a second time.

To his surprise, neither of the two took him seriously. Wen Wu prepared to step forward and snatch the blade from Ao Bozhou’s hand, and in an instant, the two were fighting again.

Yan Jin froze on the spot. If there was one thing that was a doctor’s biggest “reverse scale,” it was a patient who ignored medical advice and someone else who treated medical advice like waste paper.

Seriously? You two really don’t care what the doctor says, do you?

A fire began to burn in Yan Jin’s heart. He had wanted to turn a big matter into a small one, but right now he felt he could no longer endure it.

He asked Lin San with a dark face, “Is there a stick? A long one.”

Lin San wanted to say something, but seeing Yan Jin’s expression, he nimbly found one and offered it with both hands: “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” Yan Jin offered a smile as warm as a spring breeze, only to turn around with a completely different face. He dragged the wooden stick forward at a sprint, let out a roar, and slammed it down between the two: “I SAID, STOP IT!!”

Perhaps not expecting Yan Jin to act this way, Wen Wu and Ao Bozhou both retreated and stood apart, looking at him in unison with disbelief.

Yan Jin panted heavily and looked at Ao Bozhou with a frustrated laugh. “Come. I ask, you answer.”

Ao Bozhou was stunned. He set his blade on the ground and replied, “Alright.”

“Who is the doctor?”

“You.”

“Who is the patient?”

“Wen Wu.”

“Do you want him to die?”

“No.”

“Good. You don’t want him to die.” Yan Jin’s brow jumped violently. He felt a surge of turbid air rushing to his head, and he unleashed a barrage of sarcasm. “So you don’t want him to die. I thought the King of Hell himself had sent you a private letter, granting you permission to close his account early? I just said he is severely injured and poisoned is your ear filled with paste, or was your brain squeezed in a door? Looking at your vigor, one would think you were in a hurry to send him down to claim a good spot.”

“I don’t care what kind of General you are. Right now, he is my patient, and I have the final say.” He threw the stick at Ao Bozhou’s feet. “If you don’t understand human speech, do you understand a doctor’s words?”

Ao Bozhou opened his mouth to speak, but after a long while, he only managed: “I understand.”

Yan Jin: “And then?”

Ao Bozhou looked at the person beside Yan Jin. Wen Wu had already turned his back. The General was silent for a moment, then pulled a medicine bottle from his robes and set it on the ground. To Wen Wu’s back, he said: “This is the antidote. His Majesty sent someone to negotiate with Miss Wen, risking death to obtain it from the Empress Dowager.”

Wen Wu’s frame stiffened, but he still didn’t turn around.

“Miss Wen has returned safely to the estate…” Ao Bozhou sheathed his blade. After walking a few steps, he added, “The current situation at court is undercurrents and explosive; Censor Zhu is a key piece, and I must take him away. I will give you the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn to do what you must. I will be outside waiting for Censor Zhu.”

With that, he led the soldiers out of the inner courtyard to wait at the gates of the Marquis Estate.

Yan Jin quickly picked up the bottle and sniffed it. Confirming it was good medicine, he placed it in Wen Wu’s hand.

“Lin San, Lin Si,” Wen Wu sighed. “Release Censor Zhu.”

He didn’t even look at the medicine before tipping it into his mouth. He offered Yan Jin a faint smile: “Go back and rest. Accompany me to a certain place tomorrow, alright?”

Yan Jin blinked: “Where?”

Wen Wu turned back toward his room. His frame was thin yet exceptionally upright. The cold wind blew his outer robe, and the red fabric billowed. He said: “The General’s Mound.”

The General’s Mound likely the burial place of the Old Marquis.

The “Clingy” Junior Brother

The next day, before the sky was even light, Yan Jin opened his eyes. However, the moment he got out of bed, he saw a silhouette standing outside the door.

It was exactly Su Huai.

Yan Jin was startled. He didn’t even have time to put on his outer robe before he hurried forward to open the door and pull the man inside. “It’s so cold out. What are you doing standing there so early in the morning?”

Su Huai was pulled into a stumble, but he wasn’t annoyed. He was filled with joy; he wanted to embrace Yan Jin, but fearing the cold on his body would chill the man, he grabbed a quilt and wrapped him into a ball. Holding the bundle in his arms, he whispered, “It’s nothing. I just missed you.”

He hadn’t dared to stay with Yan Jin too long last night. After taking care of him, he had used the excuse of preparing medicine for Wen Wu to hide in the pharmacy. However, even after a night without sleep, he couldn’t find a moment of peace.

People are greedy. When you don’t have something, you only ask to be by their side; once you have it, you want to possess everything. He wanted Yan Jin to never look at anyone else again. The desires he had struggled to suppress for years had once again seen the light of day.

He thought that he still couldn’t be “generous.” He couldn’t stand to let Yan Jin stay with anyone else.

Yan Jin would likely be indulgent with him; after all, his Eldest Senior Brother only looked irreverent, but in reality, he was more soft-hearted and loyal than anyone. As long as Su Huai acted spoiled, Yan Jin would tolerate anything.

But… what if?

What should I do, Eldest Senior Brother…

Su Huai buried his face in Yan Jin’s neck. His warm breath hit the skin, making Yan Jin dodge from the itchiness.

“Alright, alright, I missed you too.” Yan Jin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He cupped Su Huai’s face and gave him a loud “smack” of a kiss. “Let me up, I have things to do.”

This clearly meant he was going out alone with someone. The arm Su Huai had around him stiffened. “What things?”

“The Marquis asked me to accompany him to the General’s Mound…” Before Yan Jin could finish, he sensed the increasingly heavy atmosphere around Su Huai. He laughed, “What is it? Are you jealous of the Marquis? He already has someone he likes.” And he and Wen Wu seem to share the same ‘role’ in a relationship.

“I’m not.” Su Huai closed his eyes. After a moment, he stood up. “I’ll help you dress.”

When he said he would help, he didn’t leave Yan Jin any room for personal input. From the inner robe to the outer gown, he wouldn’t even let Yan Jin touch the small accessories.

Seeing Su Huai pick up his socks and prepare to kneel to put them on, Yan Jin’s scalp went numb. He pulled Su Huai up. “You needn’t do this.”

But Su Huai pushed his hand away and knelt on one knee again. He cupped Yan Jin’s foot and pressed a light kiss to it. “Being able to do these things for Senior Brother makes me very happy.”

Yan Jin nearly jumped. Fearing he would kick Su Huai, he could only force down his rising goosebumps and cover his face. “…As long as you’re happy.”

Soon, the socks and shoes were on. Su Huai rose to go to the inner room to get a cloak. Yan Jin sat on the bed in silence, having lost half his soul to the shock.

He stole a glance at Su Huai, feeling that something was “eight out of ten parts” wrong. Even if this man was clingy, he shouldn’t be this clingy. He instinctively wanted to ask the System for advice, but the System was still in “isolation.”

Thus, he could only take a needle and follow the boy, planning to prick him into unconsciousness if anything went wrong. He came up behind Su Huai and called softly, “Su Huai, haven’t you found it yet?”

“One moment, Senior Brother. I’m looking for a thicker one. I’m worried that without me by your side, you won’t take care of yourself.” Su Huai was sorting through the clothes and didn’t turn around; even his voice sounded a bit airy.

Yan Jin’s brow tightened. He raised the needle to strike, but in that exact moment, Su Huai finished his selection and turned around.

The two faced each other.

Su Huai’s gaze fell upon the needle. Yan Jin wanted to explain, but he couldn’t think of what to say, and the words caught in his throat.

How was he supposed to ask?

Are you sick?

Or, You look a bit possessed?

While Yan Jin was hesitating, Su Huai said with understanding, “Does Senior Brother think I’ve gone mad with joy?”

Yan Jin: “…” Fine. That was much more direct.

Su Huai draped the cloak over him and tied it carefully. “Rest assured, Senior Brother. I am fine. I am simply… overjoyed.”

Yan Jin scrutinized him imperceptibly. Seeing that the boy’s spirit was indeed good, he felt slightly relieved and boarded the carriage Wen Wu had prepared.

The General’s Mound

He originally thought the burial ground of the Great General would be in an Imperial mausoleum or something similar, but to his surprise, it was just on a small, sparsely populated hillside.

“Come. We’ve arrived.” Wen Wu led him out of the carriage.

Yan Jin first checked Wen Wu’s complexion. He hadn’t shared a carriage with the Marquis and only now had a chance to look at him.

“Rest assured, I am very well. Your Junior Brother brought me medicine this morning.” Wen Wu took the wine Lin San handed him. He didn’t let anyone follow, instead walking up the hill with only Yan Jin.

A light snow had fallen again last night. At a glance, the hillside was a world of pure white. Without any trees to block the view, it held a touch of magnificence.