Pan Chi found himself in a predicament, swearing to the heavens, “It’s truly not what you think, Zhu Yan. You must believe me. Though I enjoy visiting brothels and drinking with courtesans, I’ve been taught by the sages and would never dare to entangle myself in matters of marriage.”
His words only made the situation worse. Zhu Yan pondered silently for a moment, then raised her hand to stop Pan Chi from defending himself further. Instead, she approached Su Guang and met her gaze.
Su Guang’s face was filled with sorrow and melancholy. Zhu Yan felt that if she didn’t do something now, she would be failing her.
Why should women make life difficult for each other?
Finally, she grabbed Pan Chi’s arm with one hand and Su Guang’s wrist with the other, swiftly joining their hands together.
In that instant, all three fell silent.
The scene became awkwardly rigid, but Zhu Yan didn’t notice. She earnestly admonished Pan Chi:
“Throughout history, many great men have been known for their romantic pursuits. But it’s better to be without feelings than to have them in abundance. Pan Chi, since you’ve already incurred too many debts of passion to repay, you should at least treat one of them well. It would be a way to fulfill the devotion of those women.”
After speaking, she turned to Su Guang, giving her an encouraging look. Taking advantage of Su Guang’s momentary bewilderment, she snatched the glass vial and hurriedly fed its contents to Shen Du.
Pan Chi, his hands still held captive, wore a dejected expression but didn’t forget to remind Zhu Yan:
“Wait, she said to mix it with water.”
Fearing the Holy Maiden might change her mind, Zhu Yan had already administered the medicine. Upon hearing this, she quickly rushed out to fetch a cup of water, returned, and sat down to give it to Shen Du.
Meanwhile, Pan Chi and Su Guang remained in their awkward embrace.
One was excitedly holding the other’s hand, while the other struggled to break free, extremely unwilling.
Pan Chi wouldn’t use force against a woman, so he could only repeatedly plead in the Wusun language. But Su Guang wasn’t listening, stubbornly gripping his hand and trying to lead him out the door, determined to take him away.
The two argued incessantly, sparks flying between them.
Pan Chi was exasperated and couldn’t help but complain, “Heavens, how unfortunate I am.”
Suddenly blurting out a sentence in the language of Da Zhou, Su Guang couldn’t understand and forced him to repeat it in Wusun. Zhu Yan, overhearing from the inner room, chuckled softly.
After a long struggle, Su Guang finally followed Pan Chi to the table. Pan Chi quickly sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it in one gulp.
After a moment’s hesitation, Pan Chi looked at Su Guang, who was standing nearby and blocking the light. He poured her a cup as well and pushed it towards her.
He squinted at her, his gaze somewhat disgusted.
Pan Chi sighed helplessly. After much explanation, Su Guang finally agreed to sit down. She picked up the tea, examined it warily, then frowned and said something to Pan Chi. He immediately replied with a pitiful expression, only to be glared at fiercely in return.
Pan Chi stood up to leave, but Su Guang blocked him. They started arguing again. Without another word, Pan Chi took the initiative to grab Su Guang’s wrist and headed outside.
Su Guang chattered away, but being a woman, her strength was no match for a man’s. She was forcibly dragged into the courtyard.
Along the way, passersby cast curious glances, speculating about their relationship.
Pan Chi paid no attention, and Su Guang didn’t understand. Soon, Pan Chi led Su Guang to the kitchen where the water vat was located. He pointed at the vat and said something.
Su Guang finally understood. Pan Chi had brought her here to drink cold water because she didn’t like tea.
It was a thoughtful gesture, no wonder he had caught the interest of that noble lady.
Having traveled a long way, Su Guang was indeed thirsty. She drank her fill, then took Pan Chi’s hand and said in Wusun:
“Now that the problem here is solved, let’s go!”
Pan Chi thought to himself: There’s a kind of love called letting go.
“Let me say goodbye to my friend one last time before we leave,” he pleaded.
Su Guang shook her head. “You’re always making excuses. I won’t allow it.”
Pan Chi begged a few more times, but Su Guang had made up her mind. Pan Chi wasn’t one to be trifled with either. He shook off Su Guang’s grip and with a few leaps, left her far behind.
Su Guang cursed a few times and gave chase.
Pan Chi was heading towards Shen Du’s room.
They both burst into the room together.
Zhu Yan, intently focused on Shen Du, showed no reaction to their arrival.
Pan Chi suddenly felt a pang in his heart. He explained to Su Guang in a muffled voice, “I will surely repay the debt of gratitude for today’s antidote in the future. I only ask for the Holy Maiden’s guidance. Whatever Pan can do, I will do my utmost to accomplish.”
Su Guang shook her head. “Come, follow me.”
She grabbed Pan Chi with one hand while rummaging through her satchel with the other.
Finally, she pulled out a bundle of rope, smiling ominously. “Want to bet I’ll tie you up and take you back to raise poison insects?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
But judging by Su Guang’s expression, she might actually dare.
Pan Chi turned his head towards the inner room and shouted:
“Help! Yan’er, I’m about to be poisoned to death!”
But there was no response from inside. Pan Chi felt an inexplicable sense of despair. “Yan’er, you can’t just stand by and watch me die. After all, I brought back the antidote for Shen Du.”
For a long while, only the autumn wind blowing through the window lattice answered Pan Chi.
Although Su Guang couldn’t understand what he was saying, seeing that no one in the inner room was paying attention to him, she deduced that Pan Chi was now without anyone to care for him.
So she deliberately brought the small packet of poison close to his nose, frightening Pan Chi into jerking backward with all his might, springing far away.
But this trapped him in a dead end, his back against the wall.
It’s over, this time it’s really over, he thought. He would either die by poison or be forcibly taken away from the Central Plains.
Su Guang wore a look of absolute determination.
Ignoring the tension in the outer room, inside, Zhu Yan repeatedly wiped the thin layer of sweat from Shen Du’s forehead, occasionally calling his name softly.
“Shen Du, wake up soon.”
If it still didn’t work, it might be beyond saving.
“Shen Du, Lai Luofu has escaped. If you don’t wake up, who will bring her to justice? Wouldn’t that allow her to reunite with Lai Luo?”
But there was still no response.
Zhu Yan sighed. She had been too impatient. After being ill for so many days, even if the antidote worked, it would take time. How could it take effect in just a moment?
Shen Du, lying on the bed, was not at ease either. It seemed as if he had been sleeping for a very long time. In his dream, there was a pitch-black forest, with treetops so high and distant. All around, war horses neighed, and battle cries rang out. He wore armor and wielded a long sword, his body bathed in blood. Hunger, fatigue, and pain assailed him from all sides. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier; he wanted to sleep.
But behind him, footsteps were chaotic – pursuers were coming. He roused himself; the survival instinct made him surge forward, running. He dared not stop, could not stop.
Fortunately, dawn was breaking. As the thin mist dispersed, smoke from cooking fires appeared ahead, and a blurry figure was calling out to him…
“Shen Du?!”
“Shen Du?!”
Zhu Yan couldn’t bear to watch Shen Du struggle and writhe in pain on the bed. She reached out and held him tightly, shedding tears despite herself.
After a while, Shen Du calmed down. Zhu Yan’s palm was damp. She used her sleeve to wipe Shen Du’s sweat, murmuring:
“Are you in a lot of pain?”
“Don’t worry, if you go, I’ll come to accompany you soon.”
After several rounds of this, Shen Du’s entire body seemed as if it had been soaked in water. His long hair, due to his struggles, clung to his forehead and cheeks, wet enough to drip.
Zhu Yan’s heart ached as if cut by a knife. She wished she could take Shen Du’s place. She opened her eyes wide, forced back her tears, and got up to fetch clean clothes from the cabinet to change Shen Du.
As she turned, the person on the bed blinked slightly, and one finger curled.
Zhu Yan quickly returned. Without much hesitation, she raised her hand to undo Shen Du’s collar. Suddenly noticing his eyelids moving, she paused and called out softly:
“Shen Du?”
There was no response.
The worry that had built up over many days finally broke through. Zhu Yan’s dark eyes dimmed, like an oil lamp that had run out of fuel. Her heart felt as if it had been sliced by a thin blade. Unable to hold back, she buried her face in Shen Du’s chest:
“Husband, please don’t die.”