After escaping from the camp, Shen Du and his companions saw people waiting outside to assist them. It was another part of the internal guards stationed in Yingzhou City.
Without hesitation, Shen Du mounted his horse, raised his whip, and commanded coldly:
“Let’s move quickly before they realize what’s happened.”
He glanced back in Mo Qianzhi’s direction, but could no longer see anyone. Shen Du turned back, no longer hesitating, and led the group away.
On the city walls of Yingzhou, Zhu Yan paced anxiously, nearly wearing down the bricks beneath her feet. As the sky began to lighten, the group had still not returned. Her heart tightened with worry, and her limbs felt unsteady.
“Look! Someone’s coming!”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan rushed to the battlements to look down. She saw a small black dot appear outside the city, followed by more. The dots gradually approached, growing larger and clearer.
It was Shen Du and the others returning.
Tears that Zhu Yan had been holding back now flowed freely as she collapsed against the stone wall, the dark clouds in her heart finally dispersing.
Realizing Shen Du would soon enter the city, Zhu Yan gathered herself and descended from the wall, waiting obediently at the city gate.
With a creak that sounded like heavenly music to Zhu Yan, Shen Du rode in first. It was now the second quarter of the Mao hour, with dawn barely breaking and autumn mist rising. The buildings were barely visible through the haze, but Shen Du immediately spotted the petite figure in the morning fog. His heart swelled, and he could no longer contain his emotions. He dismounted and embraced her.
Only when nestled in this warm embrace did Zhu Yan’s anxious heart finally settle? Her nose tingled, and before she could cry, she sneezed involuntarily.
“Achoo!”
Only then did Shen Du realize how chilly the autumn morning dew was. He quickly unfastened his cloak and wrapped it around Zhu Yan. Cupping her face, he examined her closely, unable to resist kissing her cheek, then moving to capture her soft lips. Having stood outside all night, Zhu Yan’s lips were cold. Shen Du felt a pang of tenderness and kissed her even more gently.
As the kiss dispelled the last of the gloom in her heart, Zhu Yan detected the scent of blood. She opened her misty eyes, only to feel Shen Du’s shoulder sinking. Alarm bells rang in her mind as Shen Du’s head drooped onto her shoulder, his body weight toppling her.
“Shen Du?!”
Even as Shen Du was carried back to his room, Zhu Yan couldn’t hear what Jing Lin was saying. She only knew that Shen Du was covered in blood, bright red everywhere – on his arms, his back. The blood was seeping out as if he would bleed dry. Shen Du’s face was pale, and his eyes – which usually inspired awe with a single glance – were tightly shut, unresponsive to her calls.
How could this be? Wasn’t the White King of Hell invincible?
Zhu Yan, her face ashen, watched Jing Lin clumsily try to remove Shen Du’s clothes. She tightened her grip and went over to take charge, instructing him to fetch a physician and boil water.
Jing Lin looked at her with concern, for her complexion was truly alarming, and she was shaking violently as if she might collapse at any moment.
“It’s fine, I can manage.”
Jing Lin gave a soft affirmative and turned to make the arrangements.
Zhu Yan retrieved the gauze from the water basin, wrung it out, and first wiped Shen Du’s hands and face. When it came time to remove his clothes, her initial discomfort was quickly replaced by worry. She turned her head slightly as she unfastened the buttons and belt one by one, removing them and wiping him down. Just as she was wondering how to turn him over, Jing Lin returned with the physician.
The doctor clearly hadn’t fully awakened; Jing Lin had likely forcibly roused him and brought him here.
The physician checked Shen Du’s pulse and examined his wounds. As the hot water arrived, he instructed them to cleanse the wounds with strong alcohol to disinfect them. He then applied medicine to the injuries, left some internal medicine, and gave a few instructions.
Jing Lin offered payment, which the physician initially refused. After Jing Lin said something, the doctor finally accepted it, agreeing to return the next day.
Meanwhile, Shen Du showed signs of regaining consciousness. Seeing this, Jing Lin quickly found an excuse to leave.
Zhu Yan thought to herself: …Sigh, he could have at least helped dress him before leaving.
She turned to see Shen Du opening his eyes and looking at her.
It was now the Chen hour, with the sun climbing above the treetops, casting dappled light into the room. Birds chirped as they hopped on the windowsill, and a gentle breeze blew in. Zhu Yan blinked, then blinked again. Her previous sorrow turned to joy as she rushed forward to grasp his hand, her voice trembling:
“You’re awake?”
Shen Du nodded. He had been awakened by the pain. Smelling the alcohol, he understood what had happened. Injuries and treatment were common occurrences in military life, and being roused by pain was nothing new. But today was different. It had been a long time since he’d been injured, and never before had he woken to find the person dearest to his heart looking at him with such concern.
“Does it hurt very much?”
The woman before him had trembling eyelashes, tears in her eyes, dark circles beneath them, and swollen eyelids. Her nose quivered, and her cheek pressed against the back of his hand, on the verge of crying.
Shen Du shook his head. “It doesn’t hurt.”
But Zhu Yan truly began to cry, tears streaming down her face. Shen Du panicked. “It doesn’t hurt.”
He looked utterly at a loss, unsure of what to do. A glint of intelligence flashed in his eyes as he hurriedly consoled her, “I got the antidote. Quick, take it to Pan Chi so he won’t have to die.”
“That way, you’ll have repaid the debt you owe him.”
Zhu Yan’s tears turned to laughter. “Jing Lin already sent it.”
At a loss for words, Shen Du looked down and noticed he wasn’t dressed, but his wounds had been bandaged. He urged Zhu Yan to rest. “I’m fine. You should go get some sleep.”
Zhu Yan was about to refuse when she remembered the physician’s instructions. She quickly produced the medicine pills and told Shen Du to take them.
Shen Du obediently took the medicine and soon felt drowsy. However, he held tightly to Zhu Yan’s hand, and with his eyes closed, he mumbled:
“Don’t leave. I want to see you when I wake up.”
How could Zhu Yan refuse? “Alright!”
Only then did Shen Du fall asleep peacefully.
Zhu Yan took the opportunity to nap with her head on Shen Du’s arm. When she woke, seeing that Shen Du was still asleep, she assumed the medicine had taken effect. She got up to check on Pan Chi.
Pan Chi had responded quickly to the antidote. Although he hadn’t regained consciousness, the white threads on his body were dissipating. They just needed to wait for the poison to be fully neutralized.
Jing Lin had arranged for internal guards to stand watch. Reassured, Zhu Yan remembered she hadn’t washed up and turned to leave, intending to find water to freshen up.
As she reached the courtyard, she saw Jing Lin surrounded by internal guards and yamen runners, all arguing noisily about something.
Zhu Yan smiled gently. With Shen Du’s safe return and Pan Chi having taken the antidote, her worries were resolved, and her mood was cheerful. She passed through the group on her way to the kitchen, thinking of preparing some light, tasty food for Shen Du.
“Madam!”
Zhu Yan turned, surprised to see Jing Lin calling her.
Jing Lin beckoned, “Madam, please come save me.”
What was this fellow saying?
Nevertheless, Zhu Yan walked over, arriving amidst a group of strapping young men. She smiled and asked, “What did you call me for?”
Jing Lin quickly pushed through the crowd, feigning annoyance. “They insist on knowing how we defeated the Fire Moth Party last night. I can’t explain it clearly, so it’s better if you tell them, Madam.”
The young men chimed in, “Yes, yes, please tell us!”
Zhu Yan was taken aback, not expecting this to be the reason. She pressed her lips together, scanning the group before finally settling her gaze on Jing Lin.
“Didn’t you tell them it was an illusion?”
Jing Lin scratched his head, looking quite troubled. “I did, but I couldn’t explain it well. I know the details of the ambush, but they’re not asking about that. They just want to know how we managed to create the impression of thousands of troops without a single soldier.”
Ah, so it was a group of young people thirsting for knowledge.
Zhu Yan didn’t hesitate to explain, “It was a simple illusion. I learned this technique from the leader of the Fire Moth Party.”
Someone exclaimed in surprise, “Madam Shen, can you use illusions?”