When I saw the Eldest Young Master again, he looked back and forth between Ye Tan and me for a long time, his face full of suspicion. "We haven't seen each other for three days. Why do both of you look so terrible?"
"I, of course, have been busy and burdened with worries. As for him, I wouldn't know," I said, utterly dissatisfied. "He hasn't done a single thing he was supposed to do. I don't know what right he has to look so haggard."
Ye Tan: "???"
Setting aside the idle chatter, the Eldest Young Master immediately introduced the doctor. The "Wedding Gown Specialist" seemed to be in a desperate hurry, as if rushing to his own reincarnation. He hurriedly ushered Ye Tan and me into the inner room. When the Eldest Young Master tried to poke his head in to watch, the doctor barked a "get lost" at him, sending him retreating sheepishly.
As the doctor performed the diagnosis, he clicked his tongue. "Years ago, when my master wanted to teach me the Breath Induction Technique, I thought he was out of his mind. I said only a fool would sacrifice their own lifelong health to save another cripple, and for that, my master hung me up in the courtyard and gave me a sound thrashing. Later, when Master took me to sweep graves during the Qingming Festival, I learned that Master himself had been saved by someone using the Breath Induction Technique. From then on, I held it in the highest regard. Although I learned the craft, I never had the chance to use it. I thought the world was going to the dogs and people's hearts weren't what they used to be, never imagining I would encounter two such sincere souls. I respect you, young master, but it is always better to be prepared. I’m well-acquainted with the Xu family who makes coffins, and I’m on good terms with the Liu family who runs the incense and candle shop. When the time comes to arrange things, just let me know..."
I listened to the Specialist’s incessant babbling, his voice growing more and more distant. I felt incredibly drowsy. Since our sitting positions placed me quite close to Ye Tan, I leaned against his shoulder and prepared to go meet the Duke of Zhou in my dreams.
Perhaps hearing the doctor’s tales of incense shops made him jumpy, for Ye Tan asked nervously, "Master?"
"A bit sleepy... it's nothing. You all continue," I murmured. Ye Tan’s frame was all sharp bones and hard angles; he was truly an unqualified pillow. It took me a long time to find a comfortable angle before I finally drifted off to sleep in peace.
In my dream, it felt as though I were drowning in the ocean. Breathing was difficult, and my internal organs felt as if they were churning restlessly. My left foot felt like it was treading on cotton, while my right was filled with lead. I tried to open my eyes, but my vision remained a blurry haze; I couldn't even tell if I was sitting or lying down.
I didn't know if I was awake or asleep. Guessing that my sleeping posture might be wrong, I struggled to try and sit up, but I couldn't tell if I had actually managed to prop myself up. Unexpectedly, that slight, insignificant movement caused my blood to surge, and a sweet metallic taste rose in my throat.
Through the haze, I seemed to hear Ye Tan’s voice. I tried hard to make out the words, but I truly couldn't hear clearly. I only felt that my mouth was filled with the taste of blood, which was quite unpleasant.
After enduring this for a while, I managed to discern that I was currently in someone's arms and that this person was feeding me medicinal broth. Those hands were trembling uncontrollably, and I immediately sensed trouble.
Great. I felt like he was about to start hugging himself and weeping again.
I opened my mouth, wanting to deliver a few words of commentary, but I couldn't even hear my own voice. It was very depressing.
"...Ah Tan. I'm going to sleep for two days... don't worry."
Having forced out those few words, I felt utterly overburdened and exhausted to the point of collapse. Thus, I no longer fought to maintain my will. In this situation, it was actually more comfortable to faint.
Ye Tan.
If you have any conscience left, please remember to steal a kiss from me once.
Thank you.
I remained in this groggy state, half-faint and half-awake, for an unknown number of cycles, gradually becoming accustomed to this floating, swaying sensation. When I finally opened my eyes to see the sun and moon again, I was ecstatic.
Ye Tan was sitting cross-legged by the couch with his eyes closed, regulating his breath. Hearing a sound, he sprang up like a startled rabbit to support me.
His eyes were completely bloodshot from staying awake. It was a frightening sight.
"Ah Tan, you... should eat more meat," I said.
Ye Tan asked blankly, "What?"
"You're too thin. It hurts to be held by you like this," I said with feigned disgust.
He sniffled. "This subordinate obeys."
I tried to move my arm, but I couldn't feel my own strength at all. I had no idea when I would next be able to sit up normally for a meal. My life was truly a series of drastic ups and downs; the future looked grim.
To be honest, I hadn't expected that dispersing my cultivation would be this serious. It was a bit of a shock.
...Ye Tan must have been even more shocked than I was.
The moment I thought about how I would have to distract myself to comfort him, I almost didn't dare to look at him.
I stammered, trying to find another topic to stall for time. "Is there any water?"
Ye Tan gently laid me down and vanished in the blink of an eye. He returned instantly like a gust of wind, a cup already poured. His speed was incredible.
"Wow," I said with genuine appreciation. "Shadow guards really are fast."
"...Yes. This subordinate has already recovered twenty percent of his internal power." Ye Tan handed the porcelain cup to me. I approached it as if facing a great enemy, using both hands to take it, terrified that I wouldn't be able to hold the cup and Ye Tan would discover just how debilitated I was.
With a *shloop* sound, the porcelain cup slipped through my fingers.
Damn it. I couldn't grip it at all.
In the next instant, however, the cup landed steadily in Ye Tan's hand. Not a single drop was spilled.
Refusing to give up, I tried again. I finally managed to grip the cup with effort, but unfortunately, after moving it barely half a foot, it slipped again.
Ye Tan remained quick-eyed and deft-handed, catching it safely once more.
He lowered his head, the gloom between his brows deepening by another three degrees. "Master, how could you be weakened to such an extent..."
"Hahahaha, this is so much fun!" I laughed instead. "It's like training a puppy to fetch a stick. Hahaha, it's adorable."
Ye Tan was speechless, looking as if he were caught between exasperation and laughter.
"Forget it. I'll have to trouble Ah Tan to help me drink." It wasn't as if I were in a rush; I could recover slowly. Who knows, maybe tonight Ye Tan would finally catch on and steal a kiss.
Ye Tan’s foresight was indeed better than mine; he had already prepared a late-night snack and side dishes. I lay in his arms like a salted fish and finished the meal as he fed me, thoroughly enjoying it. Being a useless person was actually quite excellent.
"Master truly is a remarkable person," Ye Tan said as he fed me soup. "Anyone else in such a situation would feel utterly humiliated."
"Well, I couldn't pick up a meatball anyway, so I'd have to rely on Ah Tan to feed me regardless." I accepted my "useless person" setting with total composure, treating it as a point of pride rather than shame.
Ye Tan didn't respond to my banter, saying to himself, "This subordinate will certainly find a way to help Master restore his cultivation."
"Martial arts and such don't matter. I'm just so envious that you can use chopsticks so flexibly, Ah Tan." I dragged the topic back to the chopsticks.
"...No," Ye Tan said firmly. "You must learn to use chopsticks, and you must practice swordplay."
"Fine, fine. Then I shall rely heavily on the Shadow Guard's guidance."
After Ye Tan finished feeding me, he wiped me down, tucked me back into the covers, and went to wash the dishes and put away the chopsticks.
Watching him busy himself back and forth, I thought: *A live-in housekeeper; the saying is true.*
Once everything was tidied up, he came back to check on me. Seeing that I was still awake, he seemed a bit surprised.
I did indeed have something I wanted to ask him.
"Ah Tan. When your cultivation was first stripped away, was it like this for you too?" I asked.
Ye Tan nodded.
I began to feel sad.
I was in no pain and had no injuries, with him taking such meticulous care of me, yet I still found this state agonizing.
I didn't know how it was back then, when Ye Sha had his martial arts destroyed, his body covered in heavy injuries, and was driven out by the master he respected—relegated to a corner of the Night Walkers' outskirts, waiting for death without food or water...
I didn't dare think about it anymore.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Ye Tan knelt cautiously by the couch. Seeing the change in my expression, he immediately became alert.
I struggled to reach out my hand, letting it drop onto the top of his head to stroke his soft hair.
"I'm sorry. I should have come to get you sooner..."
Ye Tan looked completely dazed.
I fainted just as I said I would.
Before losing consciousness, a doubt flickered in my mind that I didn't have time to voice.
I felt that Ye Tan’s martial arts had been restored far too easily.
Since he could be cured so simply, why did the Second Young Master give up on this, the strongest ace of the Night Walkers, so immediately back then?
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 嫁衣先生 | The Wedding Gown Specialist | A doctor specializing in the transfer of internal energy (from the idiom "making a wedding gown for another"). |
| 引息术 | Breath Induction Technique | The specific martial/medical technique used to transfer internal energy from one person to another. |
| 气血上涌 | Blood surging | A common wuxia/xianxia trope where internal injury or emotional distress causes blood to rise to the throat. |
| 咸鱼 | Salted fish | Slang for someone who has no intentions of doing anything; a person who just lies there. |
| 夜行 | Night Walkers | The name of the organization or place Ye Tan originally belonged to. |
| 影卫 | Shadow Guard | A secret, elite bodyguard, often treated as a tool or servant. |
