My Gentle and Pure Sect Leader Husband - Chapter 47

After bidding farewell to Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi, Yan Hongyin placed a mask over her face from within her robes. She avoided the crowds, melting into the shadows before landing on the eaves of a quiet, secluded courtyard.

This place had once been the residence of the person she had believed was her master. Connecting the dots now, she realized there must have been a secret passage inside the room that led directly to the imperial palace, connecting to the secret chamber in Liluo Palace.

Just as she had done countless times in her childhood, Yan Hongyin gathered her robes and sat on the steps in front of the house. She took out the yellowed letter from her bosom.

Her fingers paused momentarily before finally opening it, unfolding the three fully-written pages by moonlight.

+++++

“Shen Lang! I can’t believe you came to a brothel behind my back!” Zhu Qiqi kicked open the door to the private room and saw Shen Lang, Xiong Mao’er, and an unfamiliar young man sitting there, surrounded by beautiful women. Not far away, behind a gauze curtain, someone was playing a pipa. This sight immediately made her face flush with anger.

Behind her stood a woman in red clothing. Unlike Zhu Qiqi’s striking beauty, this woman appeared delicate and shy, though her figure and features were no less impressive than Zhu Qiqi, the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world.

She now stood at the doorway, smiling lightly and adding fuel to the fire, “That’s why I said your dear Shen isn’t a good man~”

Shen Lang, immediately labeled a bad person, stood up to explain to Zhu Qiqi. But Zhu Qiqi was too angry to listen. While the two were pulling and arguing with each other, the young man who had been sitting quietly suddenly stood up and walked toward the woman at the door.

“This miss, may I have the honor of knowing your name?” he asked.

With these words, Zhu Qiqi, who had only had eyes for Shen Lang, froze completely. Slowly turning to look at the woman at the door with a rigid expression and the young man with focused eyes, she eventually burst into silver bell-like laughter.

Seeing Zhu Qiqi like this, Shen Lang let out a sigh of relief and gave the young man a grateful look. His gaze swept over the woman at the door who had just spoken ill of him. Though she seemed familiar, he couldn’t quite place her, so he said to Zhu Qiqi, “Qiqi, this is Young Master Yan whom I just met. We were almost trapped in someone’s scheme earlier, and he helped us tremendously.”

“Yes, yes! If this young lady isn’t married yet, Qiqi, perhaps you could introduce us?” Xiong Mao’er quickly added.

Both of them clearly had a very good impression of this young man.

Hearing this, Zhu Qiqi laughed even harder, holding Shen Lang’s arm and feeling pain in her abdomen from laughing so much.

“Hahaha… why don’t you ask Miss Wang if she’s willing? Hahaha…”

Wang Lianhua, who had lost a bet to Zhu Qiqi and was forced to dress as a woman, gritted his teeth and glared at the young man in front of him, hissing, “Zhu Qiqi!”

Zhu Qiqi wasn’t afraid of him at all and retorted, “You’re Miss Wang now. You’re a single man—or woman—and I’d like to marry you off. What about it?”

Miss… Wang?

The corner of Shen Lang’s mouth twitched as he considered a certain possibility, and immediately gave Wang Lianhua a strange look.

Wang Lianhua ignored the young man standing beside him and walked to the table to pour himself a cup of tea to wet his throat.

It was obviously Zhu Qiqi’s mischief. Shen Lang awkwardly explained to his new friend, “Brother Yan, this… this is a friend of mine who is skilled in disguise. He’s not… actually a young lady.”

Xiong Mao’er finally caught on and, looking at Wang Lianhua’s disguise and recalling what had just happened, began laughing as hard as Zhu Qiqi, earning a glare from Wang Lianhua.

Amid the laughter in the room and Shen Lang’s embarrassment, the young man tilted his head and said in a casual “what a coincidence” tone. “That’s perfect, because I’m not a man either.”

“This young master, may I know your name?”

The laughter from Zhu Qiqi and Xiong Mao’er was suddenly cut off, and Shen Lang also looked surprised and stunned.

Wang Lianhua, however, became interested. He put down his teacup and looked the young man up and down. Being a master of disguise himself, he could tell that although the young man had done an excellent job of hiding the details of a woman dressed as a man, careful observation still revealed traces.

Indeed, she was a woman.

Wang Lianhua raised an eyebrow and said in a soft, gentle voice, “I am Wang Lianhua.”

….

Sensing movement beside him, Wang Lianhua opened his eyes slightly. Seeing a familiar figure, he closed his eyes again and buried his face deeper into the pillow.

After a while, his ear twitched as he heard the person put on clothes and prepare to leave. He couldn’t help but call out, “Yan Liluo!”

The woman at the door, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, pushed the half-open door closed again and turned back, “What?”

“Sleep and leave? What do you think this place is?” Wang Lianhua sat up, the blanket sliding down to reveal his full, firm torso.

However, it was covered with scratches from fingernails and bite marks, telling the story of the previous night’s passion between the two.

Yan Liluo crossed her arms and leaned against the door, facing Wang Lianhua. With a straight face and unwavering heart, she said, “It’s not the first time I’ve slept with you. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Besides, we had mutual pleasure. Don’t tell me you want me to take responsibility. We agreed this would be a casual affair with no strings attached.”

Wang Lianhua: “…”

He felt something was very wrong and somehow unfair, but he couldn’t quite articulate it.

Wang Lianhua had grown up with the Yunmeng Immortal Lady Wang, who lived a life of indulgence and extravagance. Under her education, Wang Lianhua had been a playboy from an early age, with countless women offering themselves to him.

But now that he was repeatedly being used by a woman who would dress and leave after they were done, Wang Lianhua felt a suffocating pressure in his chest.

This urge to do something was even stronger than when he faced Zhu Qiqi, though with Zhu Qiqi, Wang Lianhua had harbored thoughts of conquering a woman who belonged to someone else. With Yan Liluo, however, he was driven by a stifled frustration.

This frustration also made their casual encounters feel like literal fights in bed.

Wang Lianhua’s body was covered in bite marks and looked thoroughly ravaged, while Yan Liluo’s waist was now slightly tender and uncomfortable.

But the two of them, one sitting on the bed and one leaning against the door, were both verbally relentless.

“Alright, alright, I don’t want to waste time with you. I have things to do. Why don’t you go play with Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi?” Yan Liluo inconspicuously rubbed her lower back and waved dismissively as she prepared to leave.

“Wait,” Wang Lianhua suddenly said.

Yan Liluo raised an eyebrow, “Hmm?”

After struggling for a while, Wang Lianhua forced out, “We’re about to depart for the outer regions.”

Yan Liluo was puzzled, “…Safe travels, then?”

Wang Lianhua darkened his face and said irritably, “Forget it. Just go! Do whatever you want!”

Yan Liluo responded with an “Oh” and left without hesitation, pulling open the door.

Wang Lianhua: “…”

Today, Young Master Wang, whose chest ached with anger yet again, wrapped himself in the blanket and collapsed back onto the bed. After a while, he gave a heavy snort.

…..

“Where did you go again?”

When an exhausted Yan Liluo pushed open the courtyard door, she heard a familiar voice from the pear tree in her yard, filled with sleepiness and reproach.

Yan Liluo paused, instinctively asking, “What are you doing here?”

Wang Lianhua had never actively sought her out. She only found him in familiar places whenever she went to sleep with him, never missing him once.

“Did you hang a sign outside your courtyard saying I can’t come in?” Wang Lianhua jumped down from the tree, yawned lazily, and said, “I’ve been waiting for you for a day and a night. I thought you weren’t coming back.”

Yan Liluo closed the courtyard door behind her and mocked him, “So there are still things that the all-knowing Young Master Wang doesn’t know?”

“Indeed, there are,” Wang Lianhua moved close to her neck, whispering intimately like lovers, “For instance, why do you exhaust yourself saving those people?”

Since meeting Yan Liluo, Wang Lianhua had discovered that she was a very strange person.

She practiced an extremely advanced internal energy cultivation technique, one that even Wang Lianhua, who had mastered various martial arts, had never seen before. This technique produced a cold internal energy that was persistent, and Yan Liluo’s behavior and demeanor were also very proper and disciplined, suggesting she wasn’t from an ordinary background.

Yan Liluo was in the martial arts world but not of it. She knew Shen Lang, was familiar with Wang Lianhua, and even had a good relationship with Zhu Qiqi, who was not easy for ordinary people to approach or please. Yet she never participated in martial arts world conflicts, avoiding all affairs, big or small.

It was as if her only interest was in getting to know various types of people from all walks of life, and if those people were in trouble, she would extend a helping hand, even if it meant traveling thousands of miles or getting into trouble herself.

Over the years, Yan Liluo’s reputation for chivalry had almost rivaled that of Shen Lang, the number one chivalrous figure in the martial arts world.

—Though Shen Lang’s reputation had reached an unparalleled peak after the death of King Kuai Huo.

Yan Liluo had never been a woman who followed conventional logic. She glanced at Wang Lianhua and snorted lightly, “Because I want to.”

Wang Lianhua: “…”

Fine, he couldn’t be bothered to argue with this woman.

Straightening up, Wang Lianhua composed himself and, after much hesitation, began, “I’ve accepted Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi’s invitation to tour overseas. You…”

The second half of the sentence, “want to come along,” hovered on his lips, neither coming out nor going down.

Yan Liluo’s eyes darkened, with a flash of emotion quickly passing through them. Wang Lianhua thought he had caught something, but in the next moment, he was pulled by his sleeve into the house.

“Since you’re leaving, let me sleep with you a few more times during this period.”

….

Three months later, at Yangzhou Dock

After bidding farewell to their old friends, Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi jumped onto the deck and saw Wang Lianhua still standing at the edge of the dock. Shen Lang was about to say something when Zhu Qiqi covered his mouth and forcibly dragged him into the cabin.

“Idiot! Can’t you see? He’s waiting for Sister Yan!”

Though not far away, Wang Lianhua heard Zhu Qiqi and Shen Lang’s voices behind him, but he just stood there with a tense expression and cold eyes, saying nothing.

After who knows how long, a figure in red emerged from the crowd, with a trace of blood on her face and soil staining her hands from who knows where.

Seeing this, the coldness in Wang Lianhua’s eyes intensified.

She must have been delayed by some trouble again, only coming to see him off after dealing with everything!

Yan Liluo, panting, said, “You’re still waiting? I thought you all had left long ago.”

“Why did you bother coming at all, then?” Wang Lianhua said glumly.

“We’re friends, so of course I should see you off,” Yan Liluo stood straight, opened her arms, and gave Wang Lianhua a hug that went far beyond friendship. She whispered in his ear, “Have fun.”

Wang Lianhua lowered his eyes and said awkwardly, “…Take your hands off. They’re filthy.”

“I’m telling you, you’re really hard to please,” Yan Liluo rolled her eyes and said, “Alright, get on the ship. I’ll watch you. I must say, think about how poor your people skills are. I’m the only one who came to see you off. Quite pitiful.”

Wang Lianhua couldn’t be bothered to say it wasn’t about people skills, but that others weren’t worthy of seeing him off. But the woman in front of him was always heartless, like a cold stone that couldn’t be warmed, so saying more was useless.

“You’re about to break through to the next level. You know the rules of the Central Plains martial arts world, don’t you?”

Yan Liluo knew what Wang Lianhua was referring to. Martial artists who broke through to the Grandmaster realm were not allowed to stay in the Central Plains for long periods. This had been an unspoken agreement between the imperial court and the martial arts world for thousands of years.

She smiled, “As for me, I’ve been out for so long that it’s time to go home.”

Wang Lianhua had suspected that Yan Liluo came from a family of recluses. Hearing her say this, he didn’t persuade her further and turned to board the ship, taking two steps at a time into the cabin.

In the cabin, Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi were peering out the window toward the dock. Seeing Wang Lianhua come alone, they both looked at him with eyes full of disappointment.

“Aren’t you usually so smooth with women? Why couldn’t you say those words at this moment? Invite Sister Yan to come with us!” Zhu Qiqi stamped her foot impatiently.

Wang Lianhua took a swig of cold tea and said expressionlessly, “Why should I waste her time?”

If Yan Liluo was a stone that couldn’t be warmed, then Wang Lianhua was a venomous snake without warmth or heart. A cold-blooded snake trying to warm a stone seemed like an ill-matched joke.

Since it was just a casual affair, he might as well regard it as a fleeting dream and be done with it.

Shen Lang seemed to understand something and shook his head with a sigh.

…..

A black shadow leaped over the many palace gates and headed straight for the Southern Study where the Emperor was reviewing memorials.

The Emperor, in his prime, looked up sharply to see guards with drawn swords pointed at the intruder.

The Emperor’s temple twitched as he recognized the person in the middle who had removed her mask and was winking at him. He said in a deep voice, “It’s nothing. Everyone withdraw.”

Yan Liluo found a place to sit and waved at the Emperor, “Brother Emperor, long time no see~”

The Emperor had no way to handle his only blood sister who had left years ago with only a letter and no news since. After some thought, he could only lift his golden dragon-embroidered robe and sit on the step beside Yan Liluo.

“You’re back?”

“Yes.”

“Not leaving again?”

“Yes.”

“Then tomorrow, Zhen will issue a decree to give you titles, lands, and a mansion. Also, you’re not young anymore; it’s time to get married.”

“…That won’t work.”

“Liluo!” The Emperor’s voice deepened. Though he had only recently ascended the throne, he already carried the authority of an emperor. “Do you know what rumors have been circulating in the capital about you during your years of recklessness?”

“Brother Emperor, I’ve broken through to the Grandmaster realm,” Yan Liluo reached for an apple from a plate on the nearby table, took a bite, and said indistinctly, “Do you think any young master from any noble family would dare to marry me?”

The Emperor was inwardly startled, but before he could express his joy, Yan Liluo chewed her apple and added, “I have a child.”

The Emperor’s expression went blank, and his mind blanked for a while. He suddenly stood up and paced back and forth several times in the hall, his chest heaving with intense anger. “Who did it? Who did it?! And he doesn’t even intend to marry you?! Why didn’t you kill him—Liluo, tell brother emperor, you did kill him, right?”

His tone suggested that if Yan Liluo said she hadn’t, he would immediately issue a death warrant.

Yan Liluo swallowed and said quietly, “…I… I couldn’t beat him.”

The Emperor grew even angrier, “Couldn’t beat him? Couldn’t beat him?! How many capable men and soldiers does our Great Ming have? Can’t we take down one martial arts vagrant?!”

“…But I was the one who slept with him and abandoned him…” Yan Liluo said in a tiny voice, curling up into a ball and looking at the Emperor with puppy eyes. “I never told him.”

The Emperor: “…”

After processing this for a while, the Emperor, in some strange mixture of satisfaction and protectiveness, sat down beside his sister again and said after much thought, “Zhen will arrange a marriage for you. Our family’s bloodline cannot remain illegitimate.”

“I have another idea,” Yan Liluo had always been strong-willed. “Brother Emperor, do you remember our childhood promise?”

“If Brother Emperor becomes Emperor, Sister will clear away Brother Emperor’s greatest troubles.”

The Emperor paused, “You mean…?”

“The Zhenfu Division Jinyiwei… I’ve always thought those names were quite good. I could borrow them.”

“As for titles and such… Brother Emperor, why don’t you just have someone announce my death? I don’t want to be some princess and attract attention. That would just be troublesome.” As Yan Liluo spoke, she placed a hand over her still-flat belly, her eyes softening. “As for this unexpected child, let’s record her under Brother Emperor’s name.”

“I hope she can be a pampered, carefree little princess.”

…..

In Liluo Palace

The former Head Imperial Physician, who had retired for many years but was specially invited back to the palace by the Emperor, diagnosed the seven-year-old Grand Princess and slowly said, “The Grand Princess shows signs of having been poisoned in the womb. This poison is extremely strange. Acupuncture combined with Snow Lotus from the Tian Mountain can suppress the toxin, but ultimately, to give the Grand Princess a chance of survival, we must find the source of the poison.”

Sitting by the couch, Consort Li pulled up the blanket for the Grand Princess and said softly, “Please do your best, Head Imperial Physician.”

Half an hour later, after the physician had left, only the sleeping Grand Princess on the couch and the Emperor and Consort Li sitting beside her remained in the hall.

Yan Liluo said wearily, “The only option now is to write to him.”

The Emperor frowned, “Who?”

“Wang Lianhua.”

“The Thousand-Faced Gentleman who went to sea and lived in seclusion with Shen Lang? Zhen has seen intelligence reports on him. He seems quite eccentric, with an unpredictable temperament that’s hard to control, though his medical skills are indeed renowned as excellent. You have a past association with him?”

“…He is Yin’er’s father.”

“…What did you say?!”

“Wang Lianhua is Yin’er’s biological father.” Yan Liluo, who was officially the Emperor’s favored consort but actually the commander of the Jinyiwei Dark Division, said quietly, “In all the world, the only person who knows why Yin’er was poisoned in the womb and can cure her—”

“Is him alone.”

…..

When the travel-worn Wang Lianhua, smelling of the sea, appeared in the imperial palace, he saw Yan Liluo dressed in palace attire with golden hairpins.

When Yan Liluo noticed Wang Lianhua’s eyes, which contained a hidden storm about to erupt, she instinctively removed the golden hairpin from her hair, avoided his gaze, and said sheepishly:

“…Um, long time no see?”

Wang Lianhua took a deep breath to suppress the various emotions of anger and coldness entangling his heart, and asked icily, “Where is the child?”

Yan Liluo led Wang Lianhua to the bed in the inner chamber.

When Wang Lianhua saw the small child who looked extremely similar to himself, his fingers trembled, and his hand hidden in his sleeve couldn’t reach out for a long time.

“She just took Snow Lotus from the Tian Mountain and fell asleep,” Yan Liluo stood by the bed, looking at her daughter with soft eyes.

Wang Lianhua swallowed the taste of iron from his bitten tongue and finally extended his steadied hand to feel the child’s pulse. His heart sank.

The potent drug he had once used on himself had apparently left four-tenths of its effects in this child’s body.

Fortunately, this child was born with strong meridians…

Rapidly thinking of medicinal formulas in his mind, Wang Lianhua asked Yan Liluo, “Do you have any connections with the Duan family of Dali?”

“Not particularly good or bad,” Yan Liluo frowned. “What do you need?”

“Never mind. If it’s inconvenient for you, I’ll just go and take it myself.”

Wang Lianhua placed the child’s slender arm back under the blanket and gazed at her for a long time.

“…In the next few days, I will write out the most suitable martial arts cultivation technique for her. Since Snow Lotus from the Tian Mountain can suppress the poison, cold-natured internal energy will surely be twice as effective.”

“During the time I’m away, you must ensure she doesn’t experience any strong emotional fluctuations. This poison is extremely yang in nature. She must never experience great joy, great sorrow, great anger, or great grief. Otherwise, if the poison is triggered by emotion…”

Yan Liluo finally turned her gaze to Wang Lianhua: “What about you?”

A cold, determined look appeared in Wang Lianhua’s eyes: “I’m going to find something.”

The child’s meridians and body were too fragile to withstand either medicine or the infusion of internal energy. To completely cure this child, he had to find that particular item.