Meng Huaize had slept from yesterday noon until evening, and after barely waking up, he fainted again, staying unconscious until the next morning. Now he was being forced to sleep again—it was more sleep than even a pig could have.
This made it clear that the wolf behind him was even lazier than a pig.
He lay there with his eyes closed for a moment, but his mind was far too alert. Despite his best efforts, sleep wouldn’t come. Absentmindedly, his hand reached forward, lightly touching the arm draped over his chest. He quickly withdrew his hand, recalling the warmth and smoothness he had felt in the darkness the night before.
After a few moments of thinking, he hesitated, unsure, and reached out again. He would touch it, then pull back to think, touch it again, then reflect some more…
“Is it fun?” came a voice from behind him suddenly.
Meng Huaize quickly dropped his hand and shook his head, lying perfectly still, rigid as a board.
They lay there for a while longer until someone suddenly knocked on the courtyard door. From outside, a voice called, “Doctor Meng!”
Meng Huaize shot up: “Someone’s calling me.”
Wu Yue lazily responded with a vague “Mm,” but didn’t move an inch, nor did he loosen his grip on Meng Huaize.
The person outside continued to call out, and Meng Huaize began to grow anxious. Despite fearing that he might anger the wolf spirit, he wriggled free from Wu Yue’s grasp and scrambled to climb out of bed, hands clumsily trying to untangle himself from the mess of limbs.
Since Wu Yue had dragged him into bed the previous day, Meng Huaize hadn’t had time to remove his clothes. Luckily, they were still on, but they were crumpled and wrinkled from all the tossing and turning. Hastily, he tried to straighten them out before rushing toward the door. But after a few steps, he skidded to a stop and hurriedly turned back to Wu Yue, urgently instructing him, “Stay here and don’t come out, okay? Whatever you do, don’t go outside!”
As Meng Huaize opened the courtyard door, he was greeted by Cai Zhi, who had been about to leave after receiving no response. The door creaked open just as she was turning away, and Meng Huaize stood there, holding the door and smiling. “Miss Cai Zhi.”
Cai Zhi felt a warmth in her heart and returned his smile. “I thought you weren’t home, Doctor Meng.”
Meng Huaize, unsure how to explain the situation, let out a nervous chuckle and quickly opened both doors wide, inviting her in. “Is something bothering you?”
Cai Zhi responded, “I think I caught a chill the other day. I’ve been having headaches and wanted you to prescribe something.”
Meng Huaize had set up an eastern room for consultations, so he led her there, opening the windows to let the sunlight brighten the space.
After checking her pulse, Meng Huaize confirmed it was a mild case of wind chill.
“It’s not serious,” he said, picking up his brush to write a prescription. “I’ll give you two doses. Boil them in warm water and take it twice a day.”
The tip of Meng Huaize’s brush paused. “N-no… not really…”
Cai Zhi leaned in closer, glancing around as if afraid of being overheard. Her actions made Meng Huaize tense up, holding his breath out of instinct.
“Doctor Meng, let me tell you something. The doctor in the neighboring village, Dr. Zhang, took advantage of you not seeing patients recently. To lure people to his clinic, he’s been offering half-price consultations. A lot of people from our village have started going to him.” Cai Zhi grew increasingly indignant as she spoke. “His skills are far inferior to yours, and yet he’s out there badmouthing you in front of everyone. You should be careful.”
Meng Huaize hadn’t expected to hear this, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Did you come today just to tell me that?”
Cai Zhi’s face flushed slightly as she lowered her voice. “Doctor Meng, you’ve never charged much for your services. I’m just worried that if people stop coming to you in the future…”
Meng Huaize smiled gently, lowering his head to continue writing the prescription. “Thank you for your concern.”
After finishing the prescription, Meng Huaize walked Cai Zhi to the door. As she stepped outside, she suddenly let out a surprised “Oh!”
Meng Huaize felt a wave of unease rise within him. He hurriedly stepped out after her, only to see Wu Yue standing casually in the courtyard, stretching lazily in the sunlight.
He maintained a neutral expression, thinking that at least the spirit had the decency to wear clothes—though not very properly. Wu Yue’s black robe was loosely tied around his waist, and when he lifted his arm, the sleeve slid down almost completely.
“Doctor Meng,” Cai Zhi stammered, her face flushing bright red as she looked away. “I didn’t know you had someone else living with you…”
Everyone in the village knew Meng Huaize had lived alone ever since his grandmother passed away.
Meng Huaize reacted quickly. “He’s… a distant relative.”
Cai Zhi didn’t dare look up. “You never mentioned him before…”
At that moment, Wu Yue, seemingly uninterested in the conversation, lowered his arms and sniffed the air, still with his eyes closed. “It smells like meat,” he commented.
It was nearing midday, and the chimneys of many homes were already releasing wisps of smoke, filling the air with the scent of cooking—indeed, a faint aroma of meat could be detected.
Cai Zhi, curious, glanced up at Wu Yue, but before she could get a good look, Meng Huaize quickly stepped forward, positioning himself between them.
“No worries, no worries,” Cai Zhi said hurriedly, waving her hand, though she couldn’t help feeling a bit shy after encountering an unfamiliar man. “I’ll be off then.”
“Miss Cai Zhi,” Meng Huaize called out again, his tone sincere, “Could I ask you a favor? Please don’t mention this to anyone. He, um… he…”
Meng Huaize stammered, the sweat on his forehead betraying his desperation as he struggled to come up with a plausible excuse.
Cai Zhi’s expression shifted to one of understanding, and then she smiled knowingly. “I see.”
Meng Huaize froze. Wait, what exactly did she see?
“He’s hiding out here because he’s in trouble with the law, isn’t he?” Cai Zhi concluded, her expression resolute. “Don’t worry, Doctor Meng. I won’t tell anyone.”
Meng Huaize: “?”
“That explains why you haven’t been seeing patients recently—worried someone might find him,” she nodded, satisfied with her deduction. “I’ll take my leave, Doctor Meng. Rest assured, your secret is safe with me!”
After Cai Zhi left, Meng Huaize firmly closed the gate behind her, then turned around to glare angrily at Wu Yue.
“I told you explicitly,” Meng Huaize gritted his teeth, enunciating every word, “I specifically warned you not to come outside!”
Wu Yue glanced down at himself, then spread his arms out in an innocent gesture. “I’m in human form now. What’s there to be afraid of?”
Meng Huaize, boiling with anger, ignored his fear and marched over, swatting Wu Yue’s face. “Whose eyes are golden like that?!”
Wu Yue caught Meng Huaize’s hand and pulled it down, raising an eyebrow. “That’s all?”
In the blink of an eye, Wu Yue’s golden eyes shifted to black.
“Anything else?” Wu Yue asked with a hint of challenge.
Meng Huaize was left speechless, unable to find another problem to point out. Frustrated, he tugged at Wu Yue’s loosely worn robe and stomped off toward the kitchen.
“Are you going to cook some meat?” Wu Yue’s excitement showed in his eyes, a trace of gold reappearing.
“No more meat!” Meng Huaize snapped in annoyance.