Transmigrated as the Villain and Driven Crazy by the Vengeful Male Lead - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: He Manor – Untreatable.

Lü Shuyao forced a smile and pushed Su Cheyue inside. As they passed her, Su Cheyue murmured a soft “Thank you.”

Why is he so polite to girls but so prickly with me!

The shopkeeper returned to her counter and began clacking her abacus again. She manipulated the beads with the focus and grace of a girl plucking zither strings; the “gold ingot” bun at the back of her head swayed slightly with her nimble movements.

Listening to that crisp rhythm, Lü Shuyao could almost see gold coins raining down from her head, piling up everywhere.

While checking her ledgers, she asked, “What’s the ailment?”

Lü Shuyao replied, “May I ask the lady’s name?”

“Cong Shang.”

“Manager Cong? My Young Master comes from Yangshuo. His surname is Su.”

Cong Shang didn’t even look up.

“As for myself, I introduced myself earlier—Lü, from Luzhou.”

“Our Second Young Master has a leg affliction that has remained uncured for a long time. We have specifically come seeking your reputation—”

Cong Shang pushed the abacus away and asked coldly, “What reputation do I have?”

Seeing her reaction, Lü Shuyao had a good guess. He feigned surprise: “Manager Cong’s pharmacy is known by everyone in this town. Who hasn’t heard of it?”

Cong Shang realized she had overreacted and snorted. “I’m just a medicine peddler. You should be looking for a doctor.”

“We did,” Lü Shuyao said with a troubled expression. “Others hang signs promising to save the world, but they are all quacks. They couldn’t help the Second Young Master. We were at our wit’s end, so we came to Manager Cong for a try.”

“Untreatable,” Cong Shang said.

“Is the lady also without a cure?”

Cong Shang was cold and distant, but she was also incredibly proud. She stated flatly, “It’s not that there’s no way. It’s that it’s too simple.”

Lü Shuyao looked at her and slowly began to smile. “Does Manager Cong recognize who we are?”

Cong Shang blurted out, “I don’t.”

“The Su family of the Baoshan Sect in Yangshuo, and the Lü family of Qifeng Ferry in Luzhou. Both are major sects in the cultivation world. Has the Manager truly never heard of them?” Lü Shuyao raised his voice.

Cong Shang pulled her abacus back. “I am but a mortal woman running a small business that barely breaks even. How would I know anything about cultivation sects?”

Lü Shuyao nodded. “In that case, how can the lady conclude that the Second Young Master’s leg injury is ‘simple’?”

“The Second Young Master was injured while fighting the evil ghost purgatory. For the past six months, the Lü and Su families have invited medical cultivators from every major sect to consult. they stayed up late, worked themselves to exhaustion, yet could find no way to heal him.”

Lü Shuyao looked at Su Cheyue’s thin shoulders, his voice dropping. “Can Manager Cong’s casual use of the word ‘simple’ really dismiss all our collective effort and heart?”

“The turbid energy of the ghost purgatory is dense. His meridians are intact; they are simply suppressed by that turbidity, causing the flow of blood and spiritual energy to stagnate. You couldn’t find a way because you were too timid to face the correct answer. You only dared to scratch the surface, treating the symptoms but not the cause. It’s only natural he isn’t cured. Compared to…” She paused mid-sentence. “In short, I won’t treat him.”

She was exactly right. Everyone knew Su Cheyue had turbid energy suppressing his pulses. Previously, with the power of the Desire-Probing Pearl, some could be dissipated, but for a full recovery, it had to be completely cleared. However, ghost energy is treacherous. Ordinary medical cultivators couldn’t control their precision; if they failed to clear the turbidity and instead caused it to spread, it would threaten Su Cheyue’s life.

But you couldn’t blame them. Everyone knows the Snow Lotus on the cliffside is the most precious medicine, but how many truly dare to climb for it? Most settle for common herbs as a substitute, seeking mere survival.

Only those born with peerless talent dare to speak so boldly. Like the woman standing before him.

Lü Shuyao smiled knowingly. “If Manager Cong truly refuses to help, the threshold still needs to be paid for. Do you know of the Tao Medical Sect? Rumor has it they use medicinal wood for their thresholds. I shall compensate you with an identical one. What do you think?”

Cong Shang looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what you think I mean.”

Lü Shuyao was certain she was Tao Xuanxuan. If she refused to save Su Cheyue, he would reveal the secret of her Tao lineage. She had gone to great lengths to hide in this obscure corner; she surely didn’t want her identity broadcasted to the world.

Cong Shang sneered. “Are you threatening me?”

Lü Shuyao sighed. “I suppose I am.”

In the original book, these lines were spoken by Su Cheyue himself. but Su Cheyue had been strangely passive lately, so Lü Shuyao had to play the role of the “repeater.”

“You think your words alone can turn black into white?”

“Regardless of whether it’s black or white, someone will eventually come to distinguish it,” Lü Shuyao said, still smiling. “Grains of sand make a tower. The more people who come, the more clues they’ll find. Does Manager Cong want to bet with me?”

Cong Shang stared at them for a long while before finally speaking. “Young Master Lü, Young Master Su. Interesting.”

“Manager Cong is also very interesting. It’s only natural for interesting people to be friends.”

“I am a businessperson. I only do transactions; I don’t make friends.”

The abacus beads clattered like pearls falling on a jade plate. Moments later, she rattled off a list of figures: “Threshold fee: 120 taels. Room and board for two for three months: 33 taels. Medicinal ingredients: 18 taels. Acupuncture fee: 36 taels. Spiritual consumption fee: 10 taels. Total: 217 taels.”

She held up the abacus. “Any problems?”

Specific and exact. Good.

“Just one question,” Lü Shuyao held up a finger. “Wasn’t the threshold fee three taels?”

“How was I to know there was blue-white jade inside?” She seemed indifferent to her own shop’s decor. “This is just a preliminary estimate. Fees may increase during treatment. So, are we treating him or not?”

“We are,” Lü Shuyao said without hesitation.

With the cards on the table, Tao Xuanxuan stopped pretending. She stepped forward and leaned down to look at Su Cheyue. “The Second Young Master doesn’t talk much.”

The first close-up interaction between the male and female leads!

Lü Shuyao remembered a line from the book: Eye contact is a spiritual kiss without lust. He wondered if their gaze would be intense and lingering. He couldn’t help but peek.

Su Cheyue’s gaze was steady as stone. “Thank you, Manager Cong, for agreeing to help.”

Tao Xuanxuan’s eyes were practically reflecting copper coins. “As long as the silver is sufficient, everything is negotiable.”

“…” Can copper coins and stones ‘lingeringly kiss’? He didn’t get it.

…

After dark, Tao Xuanxuan locked up and led them through several turns to a secluded mansion. The residence had vermilion eaves and green tiles, surrounded by a lush bamboo forest. Beyond the corridors lay deep courtyards—an elegant, three-entry four-sided compound.

Many had struck it rich in this town recently, so such a house wasn’t flashy, but the location was chosen for its privacy. Others who made it big wanted to build on the busiest streets with drums and gongs; she chose a corner so obscure that a person with a bad sense of direction would never find the door twice.

Passing the main hall, they heard the sounds of singing and dancing. Someone was clearly enjoying themselves. Tao Xuanxuan glanced at it and walked faster. As they crossed the central courtyard, a boy with his hair in twin buns emerged from the front hall to meet her. He was well-dressed and had a healthy complexion.

“The Lady has returned,” the boy bowed respectfully.

Tao Xuanxuan gave a short “Mm” and didn’t intend to stay, but the boy stopped her. “The Young Master says he would like the Lady to come over.”

Tao Xuanxuan frowned. “What now? He has his fun; what does it have to do with me?”

“The Young Master says the Lady has guests. If they don’t enter the main hall, it would be a slight on his part.”

Tao Xuanxuan snorted. “Is it not a slight to subject guests to that decadent music?”

“The Lady… why make things difficult for me?”

Lü Shuyao stepped in: “Since the host is so enthusiastic, it would be rude to refuse. We shall go.”

Tao Xuanxuan stopped speaking and turned toward the front hall.

The music was languid. Dancers in red sleeves moved like mist, making it hard to see if anyone was on the main seat. Tao Xuanxuan stood at the door, her black dress looking out of place amidst the vibrant colors.

She gave a toneless “Hey.”

A low, raspy cough came from the main seat, and the dizzying dance stopped instantly. The dancers retreated to the sides, revealing a young man in plain clothes with a jade hairpin sitting in the center.

The hall was bright with candles, casting a warm glow on everyone. The dancers’ cheeks were flushed from exertion—the color of healthy people. However, the man on the seat, despite the joyous atmosphere, possessed a sickly, deathly pallor. His lips were the same color as his cheeks—a greyish-blue, as if no amount of light or heat could ever brighten him up.

He was thin—so thin Lü Shuyao worried he couldn’t even stand. Even a flickering shadow might cause him to collapse. He might have been handsome once, but in this chillingly frail state, any stunning looks or unique temperament were overshadowed. Pain had flooded over him.

The young man smiled with great effort. “You’re back.”

“Why did you call me?” Tao Xuanxuan said. He was a patient, but she gave him no special treatment, remaining cold and impatient.

“Won’t you introduce them?”

The man’s gaze turned to Lü Shuyao, then paused when it moved to Su Cheyue in the wheelchair.

“Lü Shuyao, Su Cheyue.”

“So it is the Second Young Master,” he said, possessing the keenness of someone who knows the world’s affairs without leaving home. “How did you end up inviting the Second Young Master here? Is it to keep me company?”

The last part was directed at Tao Xuanxuan, without even using a title.

Tao Xuanxuan: “He’s easier to treat than you. He’ll be fine within three months.”

Lü Shuyao: “…” How blunt.

The man said plainly, “I see.” Then he asked, “Then will the Second Young Master stay to celebrate New Year’s Eve with us?”

Tao Xuanxuan looked at Lü Shuyao, who nodded.

The man was pleased. “The house hasn’t been this lively in a long time.”

“You have singing and dancing every night, and you call it not lively?” Tao Xuanxuan sneered.

“New Year is coming. If I don’t keep an eye on them and they mess up the performance, what then?” He pointed leisurely at the stage.

“There are only two of us. What does New Year matter?”

“You know there are only two of us. If I don’t make some noise, I’ll suffocate to death.”

Tao Xuanxuan’s eyes cut toward him like a knife. “Did I not tell you never to mention that word?”

Which word? ‘Death’?

The man gave a hollow laugh. “Don’t be angry. I won’t mention it.” He added, “Regardless, not mentioning it and it not happening are two different things.”

Tao Xuanxuan brushed her sleeves in a huff and left, leaving Lü Shuyao to face the room full of dancers.

Lü Shuyao: “…” Lü Shuyao: “Young Master He?”

“Young Master Lü knows me?”

“I don’t.”

Lies.

Lü Shuyao didn’t remember the town name, but he remembered this famous supporting character. It wasn’t because he was particularly arrogant or wicked, but because he was by the female lead’s side from the start, naturally drawing the attention—and jealousy—of Su Cheyue. It didn’t matter what his relationship with Tao Xuanxuan actually was. What mattered was that he was there first.

He Zi-xu and Tao Xuanxuan’s entanglement couldn’t be explained in a few words. By the time he appeared, he was already terminally ill, yet Tao Xuanxuan stayed by his side. They lived under one roof for years, supporting each other, yet their relationship was terrible. She wouldn’t abandon him, but she never gave him a kind look. In turn, He Zi-xu was incredibly stubborn, opposing her at every turn.

“If you don’t know me, how did you know my surname is He?”

Lü Shuyao said, “The red lanterns hanging under the corridor when we entered—didn’t they have the Young Master’s surname on them?”

He Zi-xu glanced at the boy with the twin buns. The boy bowed quickly. “Reporting to Young Master, I was unaware. The New Year lanterns were only purchased today; I saw nothing unusual when they were stored…”

“The character ‘He’ was indeed hidden; I only saw it by chance,” Lü Shuyao explained.

He Zi-xu looked at him. “Young Master Lü truly has a youthful grace; no wonder you caught the Second Young Master’s eye.” He turned to the boy. “Take them all down.”

The boy hurried off. He Zi-xu dismissed the dancers and asked politely, “There are five rooms in the East Wing and six in the West. Would you two like to share a room, or sleep separately?”