Chapter 13

"The Gongzi has only just fallen asleep. If Dianxia has something to discuss with Gongzi, we will pass the message along and ensure not to delay Dianxia’s matters."

Ning Shiting stayed at Qing Wang’s Mansion for a few days. Not only did his foot injury not improve, but it also started showing signs of the wound splitting open, high fever, and inflammation.

That afternoon after dinner, Gu Tingshuang, as usual, had his attendants push him around the mansion to take a walk and brought his little wolf out for a bit of relaxation. However, he noticed that the window of the study was now empty.

The lights were dim. Usually, Ning Shiting's study was the brightest place in the entire mansion. This merman seemed to like bright places. Since his arrival, many lanterns had been added along the road, along with many ever-burning lamps and luminous pearls, making the night as bright as day.

This was convenient for Gu Tingshuang. He had never mentioned to anyone that his eyes had been damaged in a severe illness ten years ago, making it difficult for him to see at night, and that he had to rely on his spiritual sense and the eyes of his wolf.

He paused for a moment under the bed in the study, listening to the quiet inside, hearing only the breathing of someone sleeping.

He actually didn't know where Ning Shiting lived, but it definitely wasn't in the Wangfei's old residence. This Jiaoren seemed to stay in the study at all times, as if he really enjoyed reading.

But the servants said that the Gongzi had been following Qing Wang since he was very young and didn't have much chance to study.

He called for Hulu, "Push me to the main courtyard at the front."

Hulu quickly responded and came over.

Hulu and Lingjiao had been serving him for a few days now. Recently, they had figured out the general pattern of Gu Tingshuang's outings. They knew which scenery Gu Tingshuang found tiresome and wanted them to push through quickly, and where Gu Tingshuang or his little wolf liked to linger a bit longer. At these times, they wouldn't need to push the wheelchair, and Gu Tingshuang wouldn't allow them to get close.

One such place was Baicao Hall in Qing Wang’s Mansion, which was adjacent to a garden, with a complex and winding path, and contained a mix of rock gardens and pavilions.(1)

The road was not easy to walk on, but it was spacious and broad. The little wolf liked it there and often lingered and played for a long time. At these times, Gu Tingshuang would dismiss the others and quietly wait for his little wolf to finish playing.

Hulu and Lingjiao themselves didn’t notice much, but once they heard a maid who was pruning the flowers say, “You didn’t come in, so you didn’t see, but I stayed late tending the flowers one day. When I came out, I happened to meet the Shizi. He was sitting in his wheelchair, clearly with his eyes open, but when I greeted him, he didn’t respond. It was as if his soul was wandering elsewhere, only his eyes were particularly bright as if they could catch fire.”

These words were only spoken privately among the servants. Hulu and Lingjiao were not meddlesome people, and they also remembered Ning Shiting's admonition, "Don’t interfere with the Shizi’s matters, and don’t ask questions."

So, they didn't ask. They simply became increasingly aware of the proper distance to keep when dealing with Gu Tingshuang.

When Gu Tingshuang said he didn’t need them, they would stay far away.

And Ning Shiting’s study was the second forbidden place where Gu Tingshuang didn’t need attendants when he passed by.

When the Shizi came here, he behaved even more strangely than when he was in the garden.

When staying at Baicao Hall, at least it could be said he was taking the silver wolf pup for a walk. But when he stayed here, it was purely to pass time or to daydream.

He didn’t go anywhere else, just lingered in the courtyard for a while.

When Ning Shiting was there, Gu Tingshuang wouldn’t talk to him, nor respond to his words. Apart from the initial exchange of a snowflake pastry, they maintained a tacit silence.

Sometimes when Ning Shiting noticed his arrival, he would ask, "Would the Shizi like to come in and warm up by the fire, and have some tea? There are some snacks and sizzling beef prepared."

Gu Tingshuang would shake his head.

However, the little wolf could understand human speech and would immediately jump through the window, knocking Ning Shiting to the ground, rubbing against him. Then, Ning Shiting would put on gloves and pet its head.

Most of the sizzling beef would also end up in its stomach.

More often, Ning Shiting would be so engrossed in his reading that when Gu Tingshuang arrived, he would still be deep in thought, or gently rolling up his sleeves, preparing to write.

When he wrote, his movements were very light, almost imperceptible at the wrist, yet from the outside, it looked like his pen was dancing across the paper.

It was initially thought that this Jiaoren would recover and be lively again after staying indoors for a few days, but unexpectedly, his condition worsened.

Hulu followed his instructions and pushed the wheelchair to the front courtyard, going up through the main entrance.

There was no one outside the study, only two maids and attendants standing guard.

When Hulu approached and asked, a maid replied, "Ting Shu Xiao-Gongzi went out, saying he was delivering a message for the Gongzi and also looking for a doctor. The Gongzi had a high fever today and has been asleep, unable to wake up. He just fell asleep not long ago and doesn't allow us to attend him."

When the maid said this, she lifted her eyes, looking at Gu Tingshuang with some fear.

She was saying this for his benefit. Over the past few days, everyone in the mansion knew that the Shizi harboured great hostility towards his new 'stepmother'. Whatever Ning Shiting did, this young master would do the opposite if he could.

Ning Shiting had spent a hefty sum hiring a sculptor and worked with him for several days and nights to come up with a garden design, only for this prince to throw it away to feed the fish. When Ning Shiting had a good nap, this prince would smash windows.

The objects used to smash the windows varied in the rumours. From "snowflake pastry" it turned into "snowflake meat," then into "hard, frozen cured meat," and finally, as people figured there wasn't any "hard, frozen cured meat" readily available in the mansion, it evolved into "a deadly rock," emphasising the extreme enmity between the Shizi and Ning Gongzi.

The Shizi specifically requested Hulu and Lingjiao to serve in the mansion, which somehow turned into "the Shizi snatched two people from Ning Gongzi."

The people in the mansion were used to peace and quiet and had idle thoughts. Because Ning Shiting was kind to them, they were very loyal to him, and even in these rumours, there was a bit of bias.

Gu Tingshuang just opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, the maid fell with a "pūtōng" to her knees and said, "The Gongzi has only just fallen asleep. If Dianxia has something to discuss with Gongzi, we will pass the message along and ensure not to delay Dianxia’s matters."

Gu Tingshuang said coldly, "Let me in. I won't take advantage of his illness to kill him."

The maid turned pale with fear. Unable to resist Hulu's frantic winks from the side, and unable to defy Gu Tingshuang's order, she finally opened the door for him.

Gu Tingshuang pushed the wheelchair inside, extending a hand to stop Hulu and the maid from following him in.

Casually, he added, "If I wanted to kill him, I'd wait until he's well. I wouldn't stoop to taking advantage of someone's illness."

Hulu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and forced a smile at the maid. "Don't be afraid. Dianxia always talks like this. He's still young... but he's a good person."

Whether this was true or not, Hulu himself wasn't sure.

The door shut with a kādá, separating the light inside from the outside.

The room was filled with the light scent of herbs, not too strong, and after a while, it could be mistaken for the fragrance of flowers and fruit. Because Ning Shiting had just fallen asleep, the windows and doors were closed. Only a small night lamp at the foot of the bed gently flickered.

Ning Shiting was asleep in the inner part of the study. The Jiaoren was lying on his side, facing outward. Feeling hot, he had pushed the blanket to the foot of the bed, leaving only a thin nightshirt covering him.

As Gu Tingshuang pushed the wheelchair in, his little wolf followed closely behind.

The little beast liked Ning Shiting. Seeing him comfortably asleep on the soft bed, it immediately jumped up and burrowed into Ning Shiting's arms, curling up to sleep.

Despite the large, furry, and somewhat coarse silver wolf snuggling against him, Ning Shiting didn't wake up.

After a moment, as if feeling the heat from the furball in his arms, Ning Shiting groggily pushed it away with his elbow.

Even in his sleep, he remembered not to touch the little wolf directly with his bare hands, as if instinctively aware that this furball was the wolf pup he often held and petted. Although the wolf's fur could block toxins, if any poison seeped through the roots into the skin, or touched the eyes, mouth, or nose, the little wolf could also be poisoned.

He pushed the little wolf, but it remained unmoved.

The Jiaoren’s thin arms looked particularly powerless at this moment. The little wolf rolled over, pinning his wrist underneath it, then continued to wriggle and burrow into his embrace.

Eventually, the little wolf's antics woke him up.

Ning Shiting opened his sleepy, bewildered eyes and immediately met the little wolf's pale blue ones, which appeared yellowish with a hint of green in the night.

He chuckled softly and didn't push the wolf away. Instead, he grabbed the blanket, wrapped the little wolf up, and held it close, rubbing it gently through the fabric.

His voice was still hoarse as he murmured, "Why did you come over, ya?"

The little wolf replied with a soft howl, "Áowū."

Ning Shiting continued, "You should leave. I'm sick, and I don't want you to catch it from me."

With each word, his voice grew raspier. Eventually, giving the feeling that speaking was causing him pain, he switched to a soft, gentle whisper.

"White wolf spirits are immune to illness and possess the power of longevity. This clan is the only one blessed by both the demonic and heavenly paths, able to traverse life and death across the six realms… it’s different from you, Ning Shiting."

In the darkness, the young man slowly appeared, pushing his wheelchair. The flickering candlelight cast alternating shadows and light across his figure.

Ning Shiting fell silent.

He seemed to be stunned, not realising that Gu Tingshuang had arrived.

Gu Tingshuang ignored Ning Shiting's momentary daze and directly asked, "What's the matter with you? Are all Jiaoren this useless? A single fall and you're like this? How would you fare on the battlefield?"

The young man lifted his chin at him, speaking with disdain, "Or did you use some underhanded methods to deceive your way to your current position?"

He waited for a moment, but Ning Shiting still didn't respond. When he looked again, he found that Ning Shiting had fallen asleep once more.

His cheeks were burning red, his breath hot.

Gu Tingshuang had never seen an immortal from Xianzhou fall ill. The reason people here were considered immortals rather than mere mortals was because of their divine bones, which were immune to demonic corruption.

His mother had been injured by the miasma, damaging her immortal essence and bones, ultimately leading to her untimely demise.

Looking at Ning Shiting now, it seemed this Jiaoren's constitution was no different from that of a mortal.

He recalled that Ning Shiting had never used any immortal techniques in front of him. The last time he tidied up Ning Shiting's room, a simple task that could have been done with a paper figure, Ning Shiting had done it himself.

Seeing him asleep, Gu Tingshuang fell silent as well.

Pushing his wheelchair, he approached the bed, casually pulling away the blanket wrapped around Ning Shiting and tossing the little wolf behind him.

Under the blanket, Ning Shiting's injury became clear.

He was very thin, with long, slender ankle bones. The sprained area seemed to have deflated, but the sharp rocks at the bottom of the snow pit had carved a deep, bone-revealing gash on his leg.

It had been so cold at the time that the blood froze as they descended the mountain, and Ning Shiting, wearing red clothes, hadn't noticed.

The wound was deep, and being covered up in the winter, it took a long time to heal. Fortunately, Ning Shiting's body was full of poison, preventing the wound from festering, but it still lingered and refused to heal.

Gu Tingshuang's abrupt movement caused Ning Shiting, clutching the wolf cub, to slide down a bit. Half-awake, he seemed to be on the verge of waking up but couldn't even open his eyes.

In his haze, he softly mumbled something.

Gu Tingshuang leaned in to listen, only to hear Ning Shiting repeatedly and nervously mumbling, "It's not yours, it's not yours..."

He watched him for a while before pulling the blanket back over him.

He had the little wolf fetch Hulu and asked, "He's burning up. Where's Ting Shu? Didn't he fetch a doctor?"

Hulu looked at Ning Shiting's face and was alarmed by his sickly appearance. He quickly said, "Yes, Ting Shu went out this afternoon to get a doctor for the Gongzi. The Gongzi also asked him to relay some message to the Immortal Chief’s Residence, so he hasn't returned yet."

Gu Tingshuang waved his hand dismissively. "Leave, ba."

Hulu glanced at Ning Shiting again, noticing his lips were white and cracked. Hesitantly, he asked, "Dianxia, may I give the Gongzi some water?"

Gu Tingshuang looked over, said nothing, and waited. When Hulu returned with a bowl of warm water, he suddenly said, "You leave. I'll give him the water."

Hulu froze, not daring to move.

Impatient, Gu Tingshuang's eyes flashed coldly. "Give it to me."

Hulu, unable to disobey, handed the bowl to him.

Gu Tingshuang laboriously dragged Ning Shiting up to a half-sitting position against the headboard and began to feed him with a spoon. Though his technique was rough, he was earnest in his attempt.

Out of three spoonfuls, two and a half spilt. The remaining half spoonful caused Ning Shiting to choke and cough violently, his face turning even paler as if he might die at any moment.

Gu Tingshuang fed him a few mouthfuls, seeing that he couldn't swallow any of it, so he simply set aside the water bowl and laid Ning Shiting back down on the bed.

He looked at Ning Shiting's dry, pale lips and inexplicably remembered the way he had looked that afternoon when Gu Ting Shuang had forced medicine into his mouth. It made his throat tighten, causing a slight, tingling pain, and his heart raced along with it.

After the medicine moistened his lips, they appeared red and soft, so even if he coughed it out, it was... warm, and sweet.

In just a moment, his fingers moved uncontrollably, and dipped into water—

Just as he had always wanted, with some force, he vigorously wiped between Ning Shiting's lips.

He wiped fiercely until it brought forth some blood, eliciting a sensation of pain, waking the deeply sleeping person, making those beautiful eyes squint, ideally with tears welling up in the corners, making those corners of the eyes, like those soft, thin lips, carry a hint of a charming blood-red hue.

The Author has Something to Say

Then the Shizi was poisoned x2 

Foot Notes

1. 百草堂 (Bǎi cǎo táng) is “Hundred Grasses Hall”