The room was filled with the scent of blood, and the atmosphere between the two was eerily strange—no eye contact, no communication.
He Chengyuan’s breathing gradually grew heavier.
Still, neither spoke first.
The wooden floor creaked as Shen Zhili opened the door, and at the same time, the sound of tapping on a medicine bottle ceased. The cool night breeze swept into the room, rustling the gauze curtains, its faint, whispering sound scratching at the silence of the dark night.
The door stood wide open, and the gentle silver moonlight spilled across the floor. Yet, he found it glaring, though he still did not rise to shut it out.
Not long after, the floor creaked again, footsteps identical to the earlier ones, this time stopping right before him. In the air, besides the cool breeze and the smell of blood, a hint of herbal fragrance now lingered.
Shen Zhili’s voice was clear and pleasant. “Can you apply the medicine yourself?”
“Your old wound has reopened, hasn’t it? Your eyes… you can’t see. Do you need my help?”
The distance between them was no more than an arm’s length. As she drew closer to him, the smell of blood grew even stronger.
The air once again fell into an eerie silence.
Already anticipating his refusal, Shen Zhili pushed the medicine toward him and issued a final warning. “Don’t run off. Even if you do, I’ll find you. If you dare sneak away again, I’ll have Ningxiang tie you up.”
He Chengyuan’s fingertips brushed over the medicine tray she had brought, using touch to guess at the items arranged there—herbal ointment, gauze, a damp cloth, and a pair of scissors.
He traced the sharp blades of the scissors, tapping the tips twice with his fingertips before withdrawing his hand.
“Does Miss Shen intend to help me?”
Shen Zhili’s steps, as she turned to leave, abruptly halted. She had only said it casually—was he not refusing? How strange!
In the cabinet, he hadn’t wanted any contact with her… yet in the Red Peach Forest, he had actively let her support him.
And now? Letting her touch his body??
She blinked several times in disbelief.
What was going on? Could it be… he was testing her, gauging whether she harbored any hostility?
So young, yet already so wary of others. But then again, it made sense. The person closest to him, his own guard, had used him for so many years and then sought to take his life once he was no longer useful. After such betrayal, how could anyone easily trust another? Especially since they had only known each other for a few days.
Shen Zhili’s fingers hooked onto his waistband in the darkness, winding around the ties. With a gentle tug, his outer robe fell open.
He Chengyuan appeared thin and frail, but having lived in the Fighting Arena for years, his muscles were firm and powerful, faintly visible through the thin inner garment.
Under the faint moonlight, the white fabric at his waist was already soaked with blood, clinging to his skin and rising and falling with each breath.
Shen Zhili reached out and touched it. Her icy fingertips felt like feathers grazing his skin, causing his muscles to tremble and contract sharply.
The breathing from above grew increasingly heavy, restrained.
He Chengyuan’s eyes were covered with white gauze. Her warm, even breaths sprayed against his waist, sending tingling waves through him. This discomfort made him act before she could undo his waistband—he tore it open himself.
Some time had passed, and the blood had already clotted. With his forceful tearing, fresh blood immediately gushed before her eyes. Shen Zhili hurriedly grabbed the damp cloth and pressed it against the wound.
The cold cloth against his skin instantly flushed He Chengyuan’s entire face with heat. He deeply regretted having tested her at all.
A shocking gash was revealed, flesh torn and exposed. Just looking at it made her wince. Only after the bleeding stopped did she use the remaining part of the damp cloth to wipe away the blood around the wound.
Each movement felt like torture to He Chengyuan. If the room were lit, one would surely see the man before her resembling a peeled red shrimp.
He stubbornly clenched his teeth, determined to see how close she could get and when she would strike at such proximity.
Shen Zhili carefully applied herbal medicine to him, picked up the gauze, wrapped her arms around his waist, and wrapped the wound layer by layer. He Chengyuan stiffened, standing straight, until finally she picked up the scissors.
"Snip, snip." She cut the gauze.
She breathed a long sigh of relief—the bleeding had finally stopped.
Just as she was about to put down the scissors, He Chengyuan chuckled softly. Shen Zhili asked puzzledly, "What's wrong?"
He Chengyuan grabbed her wrist, the scissors pressed between them. Shen Zhili instinctively feared the scissors might hurt him, quickly switched hands to take them, and placed them back on the medicine tray.
"…"
Such a perfect opportunity, yet she didn’t strike?
The scissors had clearly been pressed against his chest; a forceful push would have pierced him.
He Chengyuan released her hand. Shen Zhili simply thought this was another instance of the madman acting crazily, something she had grown accustomed to before. Now, unwilling to engage with him further, she walked straight back to the bed, pulled open the covers, and went to sleep.
"Don’t run. I can divine fate; wherever you run, I can find you."
"…"
………
The sun shone brightly, and the inner residence remained immersed in tranquility. Suddenly, a scream startled the birds resting on the trees into chaotic fluttering.
Shen Zhili opened the door drowsily. The glaring sunlight was piercing; after adjusting, she saw a commotion erupting across from her room.
That room was originally hers. Her mind still not fully awake, her gaze wandered around the room. She rubbed her eyes and called He Chengyuan to help her see.
"He Chengyuan, help me see what’s happening across the way."
No response for a long while. Turning her head again, a vase flew out from the opposite room, and two figures stood in the courtyard.
It was He Chengyuan and Ningxiang.
Ningxiang shouted angrily, "What have you done to our lady?! Did you kill her and dismember her?! Where is she?! Where did you dump her body?"
He Chengyuan was also not fully awake, his morning irritability intense, and he hadn’t yet covered his eyes. The glaring light stabbed his head painfully. Impatiently, he said, "Shut up."
"Shut up?! Where is the lady?! Why are you in her room?"
Shen Zhili: ""
Ningxiang persisted stubbornly. He Chengyuan clearly showed signs of killing intent. Shen Zhili hurried over, pulled him into the room, letting him be in a dark environment to calm his anger.
"Lady! How have you become so close with him?"
Shen Zhili said, "Alright, alright. It’s because I feared he might run away, so I kept watch over him."
She picked up the white gauze and handed it to He Chengyuan.
The young man slowly raised his hand, leisurely tying the band tightly, covering his eyes.
"You scared me terribly. I thought you had been dismembered." Ningxiang glared at him warily, pulling Shen Zhili away from him, whispering fiercely with gritted teeth, "He’s a Slayer."
She even mimicked a cruel, terrifying gesture of pulling the neck and sticking out the tongue.
"I’m fine, don’t worry." Shen Zhili hadn’t even changed her clothes. "I’ll freshen up first. After breakfast, I’ll accompany him to the medical clinic."
At the dining table, sparks flew once again. Ningxiang harbored full hostility toward He Chengyuan, nearly snapping the chopsticks.
Shen Zhili broke the tension, asking, "Ningxiang, why didn’t you return all night?"
Ningxiang paused briefly, then complained, "Speaking of that, they interrogated the assassin. I waited all night without settling the account, then they gave me a bag of silver and sent me away."
She pulled out a bulging pouch of silver and handed it to Shen Zhili.
He Chengyuan sneered mockingly, "Your five hundred thousand taels are probably about to vanish into thin air."
Ningxiang slapped the table and stood up, "What did you say?"
He Chengyuan gave an ambiguous smile, curling his lips, "Did I say something wrong?"
Shen Zhili once again played the peacemaker, dividing the pouch of money into three portions, "Alright, alright, stop arguing."
"Miss! Why are you giving me so much?" Ningxiang's eyes lit up at the sight of the silver.
"Didn't you want to eat tea pastries?"
"Miss, you're too kind…"
Before her tears could fall, she looked up and saw her beloved miss also giving a share to the detested Slayer. She immediately jumped up in protest, "Why are you giving him a share too! Miss, you should keep it for yourself to buy beautiful clothes."
Shen Zhili said, "He captured the assassin, so he can be considered a key contributor. If he hadn't caught him, this pouch of silver might not even exist."
Ningxiang snorted coldly and said nothing more.
He Chengyuan felt a flicker of surprise. Shen Zhili had taken out her own money and, as if afraid he wouldn't see it or understand the amount, placed the entire pouch into his hand.
She said, "If you come across something you like, you can buy it yourself. This bit of silver isn't enough to get us out of Yujiang, but at least it won't make things difficult for Xie Gubai or cause him trouble."
After a noisy breakfast, Ningxiang said she had to go back to keep an eye on the assassin, to make sure the five hundred thousand taels didn't slip away.
Shen Zhili then took He Chengyuan to the medical clinic.
The assassin had only been captured last night, but by this morning, a notice was already posted, drawing a crowd of onlookers.
"What a shame! I only slept for one night, and the assassin was already caught!"
"They caught him too quickly."
"Exactly. Trying to get any benefit from the Yu family is so difficult. This was a rare opportunity, but with everyone watching, how could it ever be our turn?"
After a while, they seemed to find something suspicious.
"The notice says the interrogation started last night, so why is there still no news?"
"Could this be fake? Maybe they just grabbed someone randomly to claim the Yu family's reward."
"Why do you say that?"
"If the interrogation office caught the assassin, they would definitely post the name and appearance. This piece of paper only has a few lines of text, nothing else."
"You make a good point."
"Besides, with all the rewards the Yu family posted, would they just hand them over so easily?"
Shen Zhili glanced briefly at the notice, listened to their discussion, and then helped He Chengyuan walk away.
Come to think of it, this man didn't seem to reject her anymore. But having to bow and scrape as his human crutch really grated on her. In her past life, she had been meek and submissive, but in this life, she absolutely refused to be that way.
Once Shen Zhili made up her mind, she acted. She led him to a shop selling bamboo poles, found a suitable one, paid for it out of her own pocket, and tossed it into his hands.
Her actions were decisive, but she still had to be careful with her words. After all, he was a madman. Although he seemed somewhat interested in her "fortune-telling," his strange whims could vanish in an instant.
Under the guise of doing what was best for him, she said cheerfully, "You can choose your own path now, no need for anyone to support you."
He Chengyuan held the bamboo pole, "…"
What was the point of this useless thing? He had only wanted to test her, but now passersby looked at him with pitying sighs.
As soon as they stepped into the medical clinic, the doctor, seeing He Chengyuan tapping the ground with the bamboo pole, jumped in fright, nearly skewering a patient with the needle he was holding.
The patients in the clinic couldn't help but complain.
Shen Zhili, the peace-loving mediator, stepped up once again. She approached the doctor and spoke with him for a moment before leading He Chengyuan behind the curtain into a side room.
She blew out the lamp in the room, and He Chengyuan stopped her hand as she reached to remove his eye bandage.
Shen Zhili said, "Don't you have the medicine? Let the doctor take a look. If we delay any longer, you'll be blind for life."
With that, she smoothly removed his eye bandage.
The side room had no light or wind. When He Chengyuan opened his eyes, he felt no stinging pain, but he could sense Shen Zhili standing before him, gazing at his eyes.
The doctor timidly emerged from behind the table. After glancing at the relatively friendly young woman, he mustered the courage to take the medicine He Chengyuan handed over and carefully sniffed it.
"This is both an antidote and not an antidote. It's missing something. If not properly blended, it becomes a deadly poison."
He fell silent for a moment, still unable to recall the crucial ingredient in his mind. Shaking his head, he said, "As for what's missing, I'll be frank… my abilities are limited. I cannot determine it."
Trembling, he inserted a few needles into He Chengyuan, examined his eyes, and sighed, "And these eyes… they shouldn't be neglected for too long either. I'm afraid they're related to this poison. If the poison isn't cured, the eyes won't heal either."
"As for medicine to suppress the poison, I can prescribe a few doses for you. Aside from preventing flare-ups, it won't cure the poison. Moreover, prolonged use will weaken its effectiveness, and in the end, there will be no recourse."
"You two should… seek out a more skilled practitioner as soon as possible."
He Chengyuan covered his eyes with the white gauze and carefully stored the medicine bottle.
This poison was difficult to cure, and its flare-ups were excruciating. Back then, the Heretical Sect had given him the antidote only once a month to control him. It took nearly two years for the poison to be completely neutralized. Any resistance would bring unbearable agony.
The doctor packed his things and asked, "The payment for the medicine… this time, will it not be paid either?"
Shen Zhili said, "I'll pay."
"Follow… follow me."