Guarding Outside the Door

    Hurt, it hurt all over, as if every bone, every vein was being crushed.  The most excruciating of all was the pain in her heart.  Although such a pain recurs every month, every time Lan You Nian suffered so much pain, the thought of dying occured to her mind.  Fortunately, Lan You Nian never gave up.

Her lips were already bitten to the point of bleeding.  Her forehead beaded with sweat.  Lan You Nian’s entire body was curled up in the corner of the room, trembling in pain.  Her face was deathly pale.  Because of the excruciating pain, Lan You Nian took out the dagger she always carried with her and viciously slashed her arm, using the method of fighting pain with pain.  On the smooth white arm there were already several deep and shallow scars.  Every time the poison activated, when the pain became too much to bear, Lan You Nian will cut a gash on herself, letting the pain in her arm distract her from the pain of the poison.

After so many years, this arm has already been marked with countless slashes.  Fortunately, Gui Yi Zi prepared a top-notch healing ointment that could get rid of scars for Lan You Nian.  If this were not the case, this arm couldn’t bear to be looked at.  However, no matter how good the healing ointment was, it can only handle one scar.  Lan You Nian’s arm always healed then became injured again, injured then healed, and so on a continuous cycle.

When the pain reached its peak, Lan You Nian wanted to scream but thinking of third brother and her maidservants who were waiting outside, Lan You Nian swallowed the scream, forcing it back down her throat.  The repetitive pain made Lan You Nian’s consciousness a little hazy but Lan You Nian knew she couldn’t give up.  She has endured this poison so many times already; she can still live through it this time.

Feng Yi Xuan stood straight as a ramrod in the doorway.  He couldn’t hear any sounds from within the room, but for some reason, his heart was wracked with unbearable pain.  A slender arm was prepared to throw open the door but remembering Nian Nian’s words just moments ago, Feng Yi Xuan arduously retracted his arm.  His entire person was surrounded by a deadly aura as if he had climbed out of hell.  He hated this feeling of powerlessness.  He didn’t know what was happening to Nian Nian inside.  He didn’t know if Nian Nian was sick, or if she was suffering.  Feng Yi Xuan was filled with restless anxiety.

Every time, Lan You Nian’s poison lasted a day and a night.  In this time, Lan Wu and Lan Qu took turns guarding the door of the room while Gui San was sitting in front of the door, just like whenever little junior sister’s poison activates, he and the rest of the senior brothers would sit in the doorway to guard little junior sister.

In the entire day that Lan You Nian’s poison was active, Feng Yi Xuan stood motionless just like that for a day and a night.  He did not drink a sip of water, eat a single bite of food.  Even his posture remained unchanged, simply unswervingly focused on the room, standing guard over Lan You Nian.

Even Gui San had to admire Feng Yi Xuan.  This man did indeed treat his little junior sister very well.  Moreover, the perseverance and worry expressed by this man were not superficial.  This day and night of guarding, not even moving a muscle, allowed Gui San’s impression of Feng Yi Xuan to improve a lot.

“Lan Qu…,” a hoarse voice drifted out of the room, instantly prompting the already stiff Feng Yi Xuan to stir.  That pair of fathomless eyes burst with an infinite brilliance.  Feng Yi Xuan glued himself to the door of the room as he entreated, “Nian Nian, are you well?  Is there any discomfort?” A day and night without a drop of water to drink and suppressed emotions made Feng Yi Xuan’s voice hoarse, not much better than Lan You Nian’s.

After one day and night of torture from the poison, Lan You Nian was a mess.  Her hair and clothes were in total disarray, her arm was smeared with blood, her complexion was wan and sallow, so after the poison has passed, Lan You Nian wanted to call in Lan Qu to help her bathe. She didn’t expect to hear Feng Yi Xuan’s voice.  Has he been outside all this time?  Lan You Nian’s heart warmed imperceptibly.  She could hear the hoarseness in Feng Yi Xuan’s voice and the cautious entreaty for confirmation.  It was apparent she had no more strength left, but Lan You Nian still answered.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.  Let Lan Qu in to help me freshen up!” Lan You Nian’s weak voice drifted out the room, the frailty in her voice pressed down heavily on Feng Yi Xuan’s heart.  However, at this moment, hearing Lan You Nian was alright allowed Feng Yi Xuan to breathe a sigh of relief.

“En,” Feng Yi Xuan nodded, even if Lan You Nian wasn’t able to see it.

Seeing Feng Yi Xuan moved out of the way, Lan Qu carefully opened the door and went in, closing the door behind her.  In fact, towards this Ming wang, Lan Qu had high esteem for him.  Before, she already suspected this Ming wang’s feelings for her family’s young miss was slightly different.  After this day and night, Lan Qu can confirm that this Ming wang liked young miss.  However, she won’t interfere with young miss’s feelings.  After all, young miss has suffered too much hurt in the past. Moreover, this Ming wang’s identity wasn’t good.  Young miss loves her freedom, an unrestrained life, but this Ming wang…

“Young miss,” Lan Qu’s eyes were red as she walked over to support Lan You Nian who was curled on the ground.  Taking in young miss’s weak appearance, Lan Qu’s tears poured down.

Lan You Nian observing that Lan Qi was crying, at first, she wanted to tease her a bit, but she was so weak she couldn’t even speak so left it at that. Initially letting Lan Qu come in was because she was afraid if Lan Wu came in, she would cry all over the place.  She didn’t expect Lan Qu after going through this so many times still cried.

Gingerly taking off Lan You Nian’s clothes, Lan Qu helped her family’s young miss over to the already prepared bathtub.  As the warm water lapped against Lan You Nian’s exhausted body, Lan You Nian slowly recovered the strength in her body.  Lan Qu found the best healing ointment that was sent from the Medical Valley to gingerly apply it onto Lan You Nian’s arm.  Looking at the scars on the jadelike arm, Lan Qu felt her family’s young miss had a bitter life.  How could the Heavens treat the world’s most extraordinary girl like this?

After bathing, Lan You Nian having finished washing up laid on the bed, watching Lan Qu fully occupy herself with other tasks.  Lan You Nian involuntarily asked, “Feng Yi Xuan waited outside for a long time?”

“Yes, one day and night,” Lan Qu answered truthfully.  She knew young miss had her own judgment about her personal matters.  They only had to serve young miss well, that was all, being loyal to young miss was their priority.

“Really?” Lan You Nian’s exclaimed, stunned.  Not that she didn’t believe, but rather she understood Feng Yi Xuan to have a standoffish character.  She didn’t know why he would stand guard outside for a whole day and night.  It seemed that apart from shifu, the senior brothers and her subordinates, no one else has ever been like this.

“En,” Lan Qu nodded.  Then after considering it a moment, she added, “Not a drop of water was touched!”  From her heart, Lan Qu was moved by Feng Yi Xuan’s actions.  From the years they followed young miss, although young miss was kind, underneath all that, she was very distant.  Take them, for example, although young miss was so good to them, they had nothing to say, but young miss never shared her pain with anyone.  Sometimes they ached for someone to accompany young miss, guarding young miss, protecting young miss.  Some who can walk into young miss’s heart so young miss wouldn’t be so lonely anymore.

Lan You Nian shut her eyes and didn’t say anything. One, she was too weak, so she didn’t want to talk, two, because her heart was in slight disorder, she didn’t know what she should say.  Such a man because of her stayed outside without touching a drop of water to accompany her for an entire day and night.  All the while, he didn’t know she is suffering from poison.  What if she only had a cold, a fever, or got sick?  Will this man still recklessly stand guard there?  In fact, Lan You Nian doesn’t know, even if she really only had a small illness, Feng Yi Xuan would still watch over her.  This was Feng Yi Xuan’s passionate feelings and steadfastness.

“Let third brother and Feng Yi Xuan come in.  It’s time to let them know I’m fine!” Lan You Nian said.

“Ming wang, third young master,” Lan Qu gave a curtsy, “Young miss is much better and wants you two to go in to give report of good health!”

As soon as Lan Qu’s voice dropped, Feng Yi Xuan already entered the room.  The exquisite room has already been cleaned up by Lan Qu, even the scent of blood was concealed by the Sleeping Fragrance Lan Qu lit.  Feng Yi Xuan anxiously walked into the room and instantly spotted Lan You Nian dressed neatly sitting on the carved bed.  Although her face was shrouded by white gauze, it could not obscure that deathly pale complexion and frailness in her eyes.

“Are you alright?” Feng Yi Xuan sat on the edge of the bed.  According to etiquette, he shouldn’t be acting like this, but at this moment Feng Yi Xuan could care less.  Gui San following behind him seeing little junior sister survived the poison finally sighed in relief and turned to Lan Wu to have her prepare some food.

“En, it was just a cold, after sleeping, it’s much better,” Lan You Nian smiled slightly as she commented nonchalantly.

“A cold?” Feng Yi Xuan’s beautiful lip line pursed into a straight line, obviously discontent with Lan You Nian’s concealment.  Although he was outside, so he didn’t see how Lan You Nian was for the day and night but seeing the frail girl leaning on the head of the bed with no strength to speak, how is it caused by a cold?  At this moment Feng Yi Xuan really wanted to spank this girl’s bottom, but at the same time, his heart ached for her, he didn’t know what to do.  He knew Nian Nian had secrets, she didn’t say it nor did he ask, but this didn’t mean he can watch the girl become injured.

“Alright, Miss Lan hasn’t eaten anything an entire day, better eat something first!” Gui San suddenly joined in.  Honestly, the atmosphere between the two people was a bit awkward.  Moreover, little junior sister has always been ‘I do things my way’ attitude, when has she ever started explaining her actions?  In front of outsiders, Gui San called Lan You Nian Miss Lan, after all, Lan You Nian currently didn’t want others to know her identity as Medical Valley’s disciple.

Recalling Lan You Nian didn’t eat anything, she must be hungry, Feng Yi Xuan didn’t continue cling on to the topic and took the medicinal porridge brought in by Lan Wu, stunning Lan Wu momentarily.  After all, feeding young miss to drink the porridge was her job.  Now the porridge was snatched by Feng Yi Xuan, she didn’t say anything, after all, young miss didn’t say anything.

“Since Miss Lan is fine, then this humble on will leave,” Gui San said before leaving.  After all, he still had to report to shifu and the several senior and junior brothers.  In the past, every month after the poison activates, no matter who accompanied Lan You Nian, they must give everyone a piece of mind, letting everyone set their minds to rest.

“You two can go, look at you so haggard!” Lan You Nian looked at Lan Wu and Lan Qu’s red eyes, couldn’t help giving orders.  Every time her poison activates, the people by Lan You Nian’s side all seemed to have experienced a calamity.

“Yes,” Lan Qu set all the foods from the tray onto the eight immortal table, then dragged Lan Wu to leave the room.  Although young miss being alone with a man wasn’t appropriate, the first thing they learned following young miss was absolute obedience, except when young miss will be hurt.

Feng Yi Xuan used the spoon to scoop up a spoonful of medicinal porridge and studiously blew on it.  Apparently after determining the temperature was just right, he brought the spoon to Lan You Nian’s mouth.  It was clearly the job of serving someone, but Feng Yi Xuan was elegant as he did so.

Lan You Nian shook her head, her voice feeble and weak, “I can do it myself.”  Then she raised her hand prepared to take the bowl from Feng Yi Xuan’s hands.

The spoon in Feng Yi Xuan’s hand that he put beside Lan You Nian’s mouth didn’t move, but his other hand lifted the bowl high so Lan You Nian couldn’t reach it.  Perhaps he couldn’t bear to let Lan You Nian raise her hand and strain herself to reach the bowl, so Feng Yi Xuan gently spit out one word, “Behave!”

Lan You Nian’s entire body was lethargic and weak, now that Feng Yi Xuan insisted, Lan You Nian didn’t object anymore, delicately drew back a corner of the veil to eat Feng Yi Xuan’s so-called medicinal porridge.  Just like this, one person doing his best to feed the other, the other person eating without saying a word, soon a bowl of medicinal porridge was finished.

“I heard you haven’t eaten all day and night?” Lan You Nian couldn’t help but ask.

Feng Yi Xuan holding a handkerchief gently wiped the corners of Lan You Nian’s mouth and nodded.  Lan You Nian was stunned by Feng Yi Xuan’s thoughtful and intimate action, but thinking this man didn’t have anything to eat, she was still concerned.

“Why?”

“Can’t eat!” Feng Yi Xuan replied.  He didn’t know what was happening to Nian Nian inside, how could he still have the mind to eat?

“What else do you want to eat?” Feng Yi Xuan put down the bowl and asked with concern.  Looking at the girl’s thin appearance, his heart ached.

“No need, you eat first,” Lan You Nian pointed at the food on the table and said to Feng Yi Xuan.  The other worried about her for so long outside, now he even so thoughtfully took care of her, Lan You Nian felt a tug at her conscience.

Feng Yi Xuan scrutinized Lan You Nian, confirmed that Lan You Nian really didn’t want to eat, then looked at the food on the table.  Because of this day and night of worrying about Lan You Nian, he didn’t even think about eating, now Lan You Nian was safe and sound in front of him, Feng Yi Xuan was indeed hungry.

Sitting properly at the eight immortal table, Feng Yi Xuan began to eat.  Lan You Nian looked at the elegant eating appearance of Feng Yi Xuan that was like that of a noble young master, she couldn’t help sigh, this man seemed to be pleasing to the eye no matter what he did.  Clearly, he was a god of war but was never crude, but had his own overbearing, indeed a captivating man.  Lan You Nian felt that if there weren’t the rumors about those eyes and Feng Yi Xuan’s notoriety for not liking women, who knew how many young women will throw themselves at Feng Yi Xuan.

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