Martial World Full of Disguises

36: The Relationship Stiffens

Fu Peibai carried Lu Yanran down from the carriage and all the way into the inner room of the medicine hall, laying her on the bed.

The physician felt her pulse while asking, "What are this young lady's symptoms?"

"Her whole body is ice cold, her breathing is faint."

The physician nodded, closing his eyes to sense the pulse. After a moment, he opened them and asked, "This young lady's pulse is slow and sluggish. It appears to be an old internal injury with depleted yin blood. Could it be a recurring chronic condition?"

"Yes. My young miss suffers from a cold that hasn't improved in recent years."

"No wonder. Cold causes stagnation, and qi and blood flow slowly. However, this cold condition has already taken root and cannot be completely cured. This old man can only prescribe some restorative medicines for her to take. Once her body warms up, she'll be out of immediate danger."

Fu Peibai's tightly drawn expression finally relaxed a little. She thanked him repeatedly. "Alright, thank you, Physician. Thank you, Physician."

The physician waved his hand to indicate it was nothing, then rose to prepare the medicine in the outer hall. The inner room was left with only Fu Peibai and Lu Yanran.

The corners of Fu Peibai's mouth turned downward. She looked somewhat helplessly at the unconscious woman on the bed, murmuring softly, "Peak Master..."

The room fell completely silent.

She reached out and slipped her hand beneath the covers, grasping those ice-cold hands. She held them carefully like that until the physician came in carrying the brewed medicine.

"Quick, help your wife sit up to drink some medicine."

Fu Peibai started and yanked her hand back, explaining awkwardly, "She's not... not my wife. She's my young miss."

"So it's unrequited love, then?"

"No, absolutely not. Physician, you..."

"Alright, alright. I don't care what you two are. Just help her up to drink the medicine. She can rest here at the medicine hall for the night. Tomorrow when she wakes, you can go."

Fu Peibai wore a deflated expression as she helped Lu Yanran sit up, letting her lean against her chest. With one hand, she ladled a spoonful of medicine, blew it cool, and slowly brought it to Lu Yanran's mouth. But the unconscious person couldn't open her mouth on her own, so only tiny amounts of medicine could be fed in through the corners of her lips.

In the end, more than half of the bowl of medicine was wasted. A small portion of Lu Yanran's collar had also been soaked by the dark medicinal liquid.

The physician took away the bowl. Before leaving, he added, "Take off your young miss's soiled outer robe."

Fu Peibai's eyes went round. She looked as if facing a great enemy, her hands raised in the air, unable to bring herself to do it. Actually, Lu Yanran was still wearing inner robes and undergarments underneath. Removing her outer robe wouldn't reveal anything inappropriate. But after all, her feelings for the Peak Master were not pure. The act of removing the other's clothes seemed to her to carry unspeakable implications.

Just as she was tangled in her own thoughts, someone lifted the curtain to the inner room and strode in.

"Little Bai! How is the Peak Master?"

It was A-Fu and Xing Guang. They must have heard from the guards after returning to the manor and rushed over.

Fu Peibai let out a breath of relief and withdrew her hands. "The physician has examined her and said it's nothing serious. She took some medicine earlier. He said to let the Peak Master rest here for the night and leave tomorrow when she wakes."

A-Fu's face was full of self-reproach. "It's all my fault. I should have persuaded the Peak Master to stay on the mountain. I knew full well her cold condition flares up every year at this time, yet I still took a chance. It's all my fault."

Fu Peibai sighed softly. For a moment, none of the three spoke.

After a while, Fu Peibai remembered the matter of changing clothes. She said to A-Fu, "Sister A-Fu, the Peak Master's clothes are dirty. You should change them for her."

A-Fu nodded. Fu Peibai and Xing Guang then left the inner room.

The medicine hall's physician had already returned to the rear courtyard to sleep. The outer hall now held only Fu Peibai and Xing Guang, each standing in silence.

After waiting a while, Fu Peibai grew rather bored. She glanced at the tall, stern man beside her and asked, "Brother Xing, how long have you been by the Peak Master's side?"

Xing Guang was as sparing with words as ever. "Ten years."

"Was the Peak Master's temperament the same when she was young?"

"Mm."

"Then how did the Peak Master contract this cold condition in the first place?"

Fu Peibai thought this question shouldn't be something that could be explained in just a few words. Yet the man remained as tight-lipped as ever.

"Ambush by the Demonic Sect. Weapons were poisoned."

"The Falling Shadow Sect?"

"Mm."

She was about to ask for more details when A-Fu lifted the curtain and came out.

"You two go back to the manor. I'll watch over the Peak Master tonight."

Fu Peibai quickly spoke up. "Sister A-Fu, let me stay and watch over the Peak Master instead. You and Brother Xing go back to rest. You still have to supervise construction tomorrow. I have nothing to do during the day anyway."

A-Fu hesitated, then nodded. She gave Fu Peibai a few instructions before leaving the medicine hall with Xing Guang.

Fu Peibai returned to the inner room, brought over a small stool, and sat by the bed. One hand propped up her chin, the other rested on her knee. She murmured, "Peak Master, please get better soon." Her eyelids drooped open and shut, and she fell asleep.

In the deep of night, the entire medicine hall was quiet. Lu Yanran woke. She was roused by the bone-piercing cold that permeated her entire body. Every inch of skin, bone, and flesh seemed to be freezing into ice. The internal energy in her dantian had dissipated into nothingness.

She endured the pain within her body and slowly sat up. Immediately, she saw Fu Peibai sleeping deeply, slumped over the edge of the bed.

She wanted to speak, but when she opened her mouth, a breath of cold air came out instead.

She lay back down and curled up, her teeth chattering. Perhaps because her body's trembling grew more and more violent, Fu Peibai eventually woke. She grabbed Lu Yanran's body and turned her to lie flat.

The other person's mouth was clearly opening and closing, saying something, but Lu Yanran couldn't hear a thing. Those anxious sounds seemed sometimes far, sometimes near, sometimes loud, sometimes soft. Finally, even her vision grew increasingly blurry. Fu Peibai's features overlapped into multiples.

"Peak Master, what's wrong?! Peak Master!"

Seeing Lu Yanran about to lose consciousness again, Fu Peibai was frantic. Then she heard a suppressed and pained "Cold." Without time to think, she kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, wrapping her arms around Lu Yanran through the thick quilt.

She held Lu Yanran securely in her embrace, her hand gently patting the other's back again and again. "Peak Master, I'm holding you. I'm holding you. Not cold anymore. Not cold anymore."

Lu Yanran didn't move. After a little while, she weakly pushed against Fu Peibai through the quilt, her voice trembling. "Go away."

Fu Peibai paused. She knew how improper her behavior was right now. But she couldn't care about that. Instead of leaving, she held the person even tighter.

Lu Yanran breathed slightly from being squeezed. Her mind was in chaos. From inside out, her entire body was so cold that every nerve screamed with pain. She had no strength left to push away, or perhaps she didn't want to resist.

Fu Peibai continued gently and slowly patting Lu Yanran's back, humming a soft, gentle tune. Gradually, the two fell asleep just like that, embraced together.

The rooster crowed at dawn, and the sun rose in the east. The medicine hall physician yawned as he walked from the rear courtyard into the inner room. Seeing the two sleeping in each other's arms, he called out, "Boy, wake up."

Fu Peibai heard the voice and startled awake. Her arm, which Lu Yanran had used as a pillow all night, was somewhat numb. She lowered her gaze to look at the other's lovely face, still fast asleep, then carefully extracted her arm and climbed lightly off the bed.

The physician walked over and felt Lu Yanran's pulse. After withdrawing his hand, he nodded. "Her pulse has stabilized, and her body temperature has risen. When she wakes, you may go."

"Thank you, Physician."

After the physician left, Fu Peibai sat back on the small stool, staring guiltily at Lu Yanran. Her heart was in turmoil, wondering how the other would settle accounts with her after waking.

But surprisingly, Lu Yanran woke not long after. She merely gave Fu Peibai a light glance and said nothing. She seemed to have completely forgotten about the two of them sharing a bed last night. With a calm expression, she rose and said, "Let's go back."

Fu Peibai hurriedly followed. On the carriage ride back, neither spoke a word.

Upon returning to the manor, Lu Yanran went straight to her room. Fu Peibai stood outside in a daze, her thoughts in complete disarray.

She walked back to her own room, thinking as she went. The Peak Master must be angry with me, right? Probably. Otherwise why would she ignore me? Should I go apologize? But the Peak Master doesn't seem to want to talk to me right now.

She flopped onto the bed and let out a mournful groan. Her heart felt stifled with frustration.

When noon arrived, she used mealtime as an excuse to knock on Lu Yanran's door. "Peak Master, time to eat."

"No need. I've already eaten."

The cold, indifferent tone stunned her. Already eaten? When? Who delivered it? Why wasn't she allowed to serve anymore?

She walked back to the kitchen in disappointment, stroking the head of a small yellow dog, speaking to it as if talking to herself. "Tell me, what should I do?"

"Has the Peak Master discovered my feelings?"

"Or is she just angry about my improper behavior last night?"

"Alright, Little Yellow, let me ask you a question. If the answer is no, bark once. If yes, bark twice."

The dog panted with its mouth open, wagging its tail happily.

"Do you think I should apologize to the Peak Master?"

The dog didn't make a sound. It lay down on the ground and started licking its paw.

Fu Peibai nudged it gently with the top of her foot. The dog looked up and barked once. Then Fu Peibai tried the same method again, and the dog barked several times in a row.

A smile bloomed on Fu Peibai's face. "Since you said yes, then I'll go."

Though she had decided to go, she still lacked some courage. After thinking for a moment, she ran to the front courtyard to find the old steward and asked for a bottle of aged wine.

Alcohol bolsters courage. When drunk, one fears nothing, or so she thought.

After downing two cups, she psyched herself up internally, then marched boldly to knock on Lu Yanran's door.

A moment later, the door opened.

The moment Fu Peibai saw Lu Yanran's face, her earlier bravado instantly evaporated.

"What is it?" Lu Yanran stood at the doorway, showing no intention of letting Fu Peibai enter.

"I just... wanted to ask if the Peak Master is feeling better. Are you still uncomfortable anywhere?"

"Much better. It's nothing now."

Fu Peibai opened her mouth, wanting to say something but unable to get the words out. She could only say awkwardly, "Then I'll leave. Peak Master, please rest well."

"Mm."

The door slowly closed. Fu Peibai's shoulders slumped. She returned to her room in low spirits.

For several days after this, Lu Yanran seemed to be deliberately avoiding Fu Peibai. Even meal deliveries were switched to maids from the front courtyard.

Fu Peibai became silent and withdrawn. No smile appeared on her face. This dejected state continued until the end of the first month, when the Martial Supervision Hall was completed and the Heavenly Pole Sect group returned to Jinyun Mountain.

On the return journey, they still needed to stay one night in Xingyang City. Fu Peibai remembered what Ding Yi had asked of her and mentioned it to Lu Yanran.

After listening, Lu Yanran showed no reaction. She simply gave a flat assent.

Ding Yi was delighted, but Fu Peibai couldn't be happy. Facing Ding Yi's smile, she could only force the corners of her mouth upward in a strained smile.

Now that she had learned to ride a horse, she no longer sat beside Xing Guang. Instead, she rode behind the carriage. Along the way, she had no opportunity to speak with Lu Yanran, nor did she know what to say to her.

Vexed and distracted. These four words were enough to describe her current state of mind.