My Gentle and Pure Sect Leader Husband - Chapter 27

Yu Luocha remembered that the last time he completely lost consciousness and fainted was when he first met Yan Hongyin in that thatched cottage outside the capital.

At least that time he understood why he fainted, but this time he didn’t seem to have done anything…

When Yu Luocha regained consciousness, his first action wasn’t to open his eyes, but to lie motionless in the familiar warm flow, thinking about how he had been caught off guard.

But as the heat beneath him increased and sweat kept flowing down his temples, Yu Luocha finally had to stop his self-reflection and open his eyes to look at Yan Hongyin, who was sitting at a table not far away, lighting a lamp and reading something.

“Wife, isn’t this water temperature…a bit too high?”

Yu Luocha had grown up in the desert and had quite good heat tolerance, but even he couldn’t endure what clearly seemed like an attempt to cook him alive.

Yan Hongyin turned a page of the booklet in her hand and said coolly, “I thought you were enjoying it.”

He had been awake for so long, soaking in the medicinal tub without making a sound, clearly up to no good.

It was the familiar medicinal tub with only his head above water. Yu Luocha moved his hands slightly under the water, confirming that this time he was still wearing his undergarments, and drawled, “I was just wondering why Wife didn’t strip me naked this time?”

Yan Hongyin’s movements paused, and she closed her eyes briefly.

Medicinal baths didn’t require complete nudity. The previous time she had stripped him completely was firstly to check if he had other external injuries, and secondly to make it easier to apply acupuncture. How did it sound so different coming from Yu Luocha’s mouth?

Closing the booklet in her hand, Yan Hongyin showed Yu Luocha a smile that could almost be described as gentle, and said softly, “Then you can soak a little longer.”

Yu Luocha saw Yan Hongyin stand up and take some firewood from the side, making as if to add it to the fire. His smile began to falter. “There’s really no need to trouble Wife…”

“It’s my duty,” Yan Hongyin tossed in two pieces of firewood and fanned the flames, satisfied to see the fire rising higher. She asked him, “Husband, isn’t the water temperature more comfortable now?”

Already feeling a burning sensation on his backside, Yu Luocha twisted his head with great effort. “…Ah Yin…”

His tone carried a hint of submission.

Yan Hongyin stood up, used a damp cloth to pick up a medicinal pot from the stove, poured a bowl of brownish-red medicinal liquid, and brought it to Yu Luocha, who was now curled up in the medicinal tub.

Yu Luocha smelled it and felt like his soul was about to ascend to heaven. His mouth twitched.

Generally, Yan Hongyin rarely gave patients medicine that had only been decocted once, as the potency was too strong and the taste truly awful. But for Yu Luocha, she couldn’t be bothered to prepare a second decoction.

In fact, both she and Yu Luocha knew very well that Yu Luocha had indeed been poisoned, but his martial arts skills were intact. The wooden-planked medicinal tub was nothing—if he really wanted to get out, it would take but the blink of an eye.

But Yu Luocha chose not to leave, and his attitude was very clear.

Yu Luocha didn’t want to drink the medicine, but his long limbs curled up in the medicinal tub were experiencing a peculiar numbness, clearly indicating that the poison wasn’t fully cleared.

With only his head above the medicinal tub, his hands couldn’t reach out, and Yan Hongyin certainly wasn’t going to feed him. He could only endure the sour and bitter taste, blowing on the medicine before pathetically drinking it with his mouth, wearing an expression of someone resigned to death. It truly gave the impression of someone voluntarily drinking poison.

Yan Hongyin looked at him several times. Such a beautiful face, but unfortunately it belonged to Yu Luocha.

Annoying.

Yu Luocha keenly sensed Yan Hongyin’s gaze and pondered everything from his fainting until now, noticing how Yan Hongyin’s attitude and gaze unconsciously avoided him. Suddenly he said, “You’re not disgusted by my scarred face, are you?”

Yan Hongyin’s breath caught.

Yu Luocha stopped drinking the medicine, his tone certain. “You are disgusted by my scarred face.”

Yan Hongyin turned and walked toward the table.

Yu Luocha’s doleful voice came from behind. “You shot the arrow.”

Yan Hongyin’s face remained expressionless.

Next time she would remember to aim at a different spot.

“You’re not thinking about shooting a different spot next time, are you?” Yu Luocha eyed Yan Hongyin warily.

Yan Hongyin: “…Drink your medicine.”

So Yu Luocha continued to struggle with drinking from the bowl.

–At least Yan Hongyin was considerate enough to place the medicine bowl at the edge of Yu Luocha’s face.

The place where they were was not the familiar Bamboo Grove Courtyard. This place was somewhat cold and damp, with hard stone walls on all four sides, no doors or windows. Several night pearls embedded in the stone walls provided enough light to see by. On the other side of the medicinal tub stood a screen, with silk gauze covering it that fluttered up and down in the breeze.

Yu Luocha didn’t ask where this was, and Yan Hongyin didn’t mention it.

After finishing a bowl of medicine, Yu Luocha quickly regained normal sensation in his body in the medicinal tub, but his fingers resting on his own pulse stiffened for a moment.

As if guessing what he was doing, Yan Hongyin spoke, “Your meridians are very fragile.”

The careless, indifferent look disappeared from Yu Luocha’s face. His eyelashes trembled slightly, and when he raised his eyelids to look at Yan Hongyin again, his gaze had changed from playful and amused to complex and profound scrutiny.

“Don’t look at me, I can’t save you,” Yan Hongyin said straightforwardly. “At most, I can only use the medicinal bath method to alleviate the damage to your meridians.”

Shortly after recovering his level of martial arts, Yu Luocha discovered that the initial feeling of relaxation throughout his body had disappeared. A single sarira indeed couldn’t fundamentally solve his problem; his meridians had returned to the state of being burned by internal energy, just as before the gold needle sealing acupoints.

The meridians had indeed widened considerably under the effect of the sarira, but Yu Luocha had not only unsealed his acupoints but also accumulated new internal energy from recent cultivation. The two forces merged to create an internal energy far more powerful than before, with stronger attacking power.

He curved his lips in a silent smile and said, “That’s already very impressive.”

It should be known that he had previously searched far and wide for famous doctors and martial arts masters, but couldn’t find any method other than completely dispersing his martial arts—not even to alleviate his condition slightly.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked taking the path of using gold needles to seal his acupoints.

Yan Hongyin’s appearance was the only unexpected delight for Yu Luocha.

The two remained silent for a while before Yu Luocha broke the wordless atmosphere, asking, “Do I have to keep soaking? Honestly, the tub at home is a bit small. Can we buy a bigger one to use?”

Yan Hongyin glanced at him and replied noncommittally, “Use your own money.”

Though he was actually wealthy enough to be feared as “rich enough to rival a nation,” Yu Luocha, who had been pretending to be a pretty boy living off others, choked a bit before deciding to buy seventeen or eighteen bathtubs.

The largest kind! One for each day, use it and throw it away!

After holding back multiple times, Yu Luocha finally figured out the only possible way he could have been poisoned and muttered, “Why do you keep such poisonous fish at home? Fish can’t guard the house or protect the yard…”

Yan Hongyin calmly negotiated with him. “Does Sect Leader Yu decide to replace that carp as my test subject for medicines?”

Yu Luocha: “..Whatever it is, direct it at that instead. I really can’t do this.”

But then Yan Hongyin recalled something and stated factually, “Ordinary people would lose half their life from just touching it. Sect Leader Yu merely fainted for two hours and experienced temporary paralysis. Your tolerance for medicine is quite impressive.”

Implying that he would indeed be suitable for testing medicines.

Yu Luocha’s focus, however, was completely different from Yan Hongyin’s. “…You boiled me for two hours?!”

“No wonder I feel like my skin is all wrinkled…” Yu Luocha began to push up the lid of the medicinal tub with his hands. The lid quickly loosened, and his gaze started drifting toward Yan Hongyin. “Zhenfushi, can you find me a towel?”

Yan Hongyin took the small booklet and walked behind the screen. Soon, a long towel flew over the red wooden screen and landed precisely on Yu Luocha’s face.

Ignoring the splashing sounds coming from behind the screen where Yu Luocha was, Yan Hongyin tore two pages from the booklet, rolled them into balls, and used her internal energy to crush them into powder on the floor.

Having changed into clothes left nearby, Yu Luocha, with his internal fire running strong, didn’t mind the cold. With his chest half-exposed, he casually wore an outer robe and walked around the screen.

“Actually, saying that Lu Gang wants your life isn’t entirely accurate,” Yu Luocha sat opposite Yan Hongyin, continuing to dry his hair with the towel while speaking. “The bounty was issued from the Prince of Pingnan’s mansion.”

The current emperor didn’t have many offspring, only three sons.

The Crown Prince’s mother was the current Imperial Noble Consort, whose maternal family commanded significant military forces, guarding the borders for generations, with great prestige at court.

The Second Prince’s mother, though only a consort, was greatly favored in the imperial harem and came from a prestigious family, with three generations of great scholars in her maternal family, highly esteemed among the literati.

As for the Third Prince… like Yan Hongyin, his mother had died early, unloved by either parent. To this day, he was barely over ten years old and had no part in the struggle for succession.

The Prince of Pingnan was not of imperial blood. His ancestors had rendered meritorious service following the founding emperor in military campaigns, earning a hereditary title. Throughout history, they had never been involved in imperial succession disputes. It seemed that this generation’s Prince of Pingnan had ideas quite different from his ancestors.

“Lu Gang isn’t collaborating with any prince, but instead has pledged allegiance to the Prince of Pingnan, indirectly supporting a prince’s bid for succession?” Yan Hongyin raised an eyebrow.

Yu Luocha looked up at her and said, “He is about to marry Princess Rumin.”

Princess Rumin was the Prince of Pingnan’s eldest legitimate daughter, greatly beloved by him.

Even heroes are vulnerable to beauty.

Yan Hongyin understood and said nothing more.

Yu Luocha casually remarked, “Lu Gang and the Prince of Pingnan seem to value Ah Yin greatly.”

Yan Hongyin: “Yes, indeed.”

After all, if she died, His Majesty wouldn’t immediately find someone to replace her, and the Dark Division of the Jinyiwei would likely be temporarily taken over by Lu Gang, who was already familiar with the Jinyiwei.

Yu Luocha, who didn’t get the response he expected: “…”

Yan Hongyin remained unmoved. “I don’t plan to return to the capital, nor will I participate in the succession struggle. After everything settles, someone will handle the aftermath. It doesn’t concern me.”

Yu Luocha’s eyes flickered slightly, but he still maintained his smiling demeanor. “What a coincidence, I feel the same as Ah Yin. I’m too lazy to get involved in these troublesome matters and just want to lie low for a while.”

Yan Hongyin stared at Yu Luocha.

Yu Luocha looked at Yan Hongyin.

Each with four hundred schemes in mind, they probed and tested each other back and forth, generating over a thousand possible schemes.

“But I do have some little secrets that make certain people obsessed with dragging me down,” Yan Hongyin said with a half-smile.

“The jianghu people behind the Prince of Pingnan have a small grudge against me and are obsessed with taking my life,” Yu Luocha sighed with feigned helplessness.

“Small grudge?” Yan Hongyin tilted her head.

“The Prince of Pingnan’s mansion has a Grandmaster guest named Wu Ming. I killed his only son—the apple of his eye,” Yu Luocha’s slightly pointed canine teeth showed as he bit his lower lip. “Little secret?”

Yan Hongyin avoided the main point. “The current emperor has only two biological sons.”

“Wow,” Yu Luocha’s eyes suddenly brightened. “A cuckold?”

Yan Hongyin didn’t respond to that but instead said, “Before the succession struggle is settled, I don’t want my identity exposed.”

“The Luocha Sect is this Lord’s Luocha Sect and will never become a borrowed knife in the Central Plains’ imperial succession struggles,” Yu Luocha said with a smiling expression. “They’re so greedy, wanting the power of the Luocha Sect while also eyeing my gold reserves. That’s my retirement fund.”

Very well, their purposes were barely aligned and mutually beneficial.

Yan Hongyin: “Cooperate?”

Yu Luocha: “Cooperate~”

Yan Hongyin nodded and handed the booklet to Yu Luocha.

Yu Luocha opened it and flipped through a couple of pages. “What is this? A storybook?”

Yan Hongyin almost couldn’t resist giving him a look of disdain. “The follow-up plan.”

Yu Luocha rolled up the booklet and tucked it into his belt, yawning. “We Western demons never plan anything.”

Yan Hongyin narrowed her eyes threateningly. “From now on, you do.”

Yu Luocha trembled mid-yawn.

The two stared at each other for several breaths, and Yu Luocha reluctantly took out the booklet and began to read it with feigned attention.

Yan Hongyin didn’t expect this person to follow the plan, but as long as he didn’t mess things up, it would be fine.

“Ah Yin,” Yu Luocha’s gaze fell on the booklet in his hand, not looking up as he spoke. “I think the previous you was more adorable.”

Yan Hongyin frowned, waiting for Yu Luocha to say something profound.

Yu Luocha didn’t disappoint Yan Hongyin, lifting the corner of his mouth as he said, “Back then, Ah Yin without martial arts would smile when she wanted to, with expressions so vivid and cute, more like a living person.”

Yan Hongyin’s eyes trembled.

But there wasn’t much panic in her heart.

Yu Luocha discovering issues with her martial arts was expected.

After all, if anyone truly believed Yu Luocha was just an irrational madman, that person would definitely be the most brainless fool in the world.

“…Wait a minute,” Yu Luocha held up the booklet, pointing at one line as he asked Yan Hongyin, “What does it mean that ‘Yu Luocha coveted Yan Hong Hall’s secret treasure, kidnapped the chief physician Yan Hongyin and her husband, and the Zhenfushi went to rescue them’?”

“Why can’t it be that the Zhenfushi did something bad, and Yu Luocha went to save people?!”

Yan Hongyin’s gaze remained calm.

Did he not know his own reputation?

…Western Demonic Sect…Luocha Sect…

Forget it.

Yu Luocha, infamous for his evil deeds, silently withdrew his hand and lowered his head to continue studying the detailed and meticulously thorough plan of the Jinyiwei Zhenfushi.

After quite a while, Yu Luocha once again tucked the small booklet into his chest.

He had been assigned the role of a complete villain—failing to steal treasures and kill people, becoming entangled in a fight with the Jinyiwei Zhenfushi, and in the panic, Yan Hong Hall would be burned to the ground, all traces disappearing.

“Well….it‘s my old job, I’ll play it effortlessly,” Yu Luocha muttered, then asked Yan Hongyin, “What’s next? Where are we going?”

Yan Hongyin said, “The youngest son of the Hua family has gone blind. The head of the Hua family has some connection with me. We’ll go see him first.”

Having emerged from the hot water and reeking of medicine, with all his bones feeling soft, Yu Luocha lay sprawled on the table and said lazily, “Alright~”

In stark contrast to Yu Luocha’s boneless appearance was Yan Hongyin, who sat perfectly straight and disciplined even in this place.

Yu Luocha propped his chin with one hand, looking at Yan Hongyin, and suddenly said, “Ah Yin~”

Yan Hongyin raised her eyes to look at him.

“Is it that everyone who angers you gets to see your adorable emotional fluctuations, or…” Yu Luocha blinked, “just me?”