Ye Yunting squinted, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim light before he groped toward the source of illumination. The candlelight shone from behind a screen, casting a hazy silhouette on the other side.
He stepped around the screen and saw the man bathed in the faint glow of the candlelight.
Li Fengqi sat in his wheelchair with his back facing Ye Yunting as he gazed out the window. A slight cool breeze rustled the paper scrolls spread across the desk, but Ye Yunting could only make out the messy handwriting scrawled across them through the darkness.
"Wangye?" Ye Yunting called softly, slowly approaching him. "Are you feeling okay?" He walked around Li Fengqi to check for any injuries.
Only then did Li Fengqi lift his head; perhaps it was due to pain or the cold wind, but his face was pallid, devoid of color even from his lips. He gently shook his head, voice hoarse as he said, "I'm fine."
"Should I call for a doctor?" Ye Yunting frowned deeply, carefully touching Li Fengqi's leg and lowering his voice further. "Does it still hurt?"
"No need." Li Fengqi lowered his gaze. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
But the more he insisted it didn't hurt, the more distressed Ye Yunting became.
He recalled that servant saying no one had seen Li Fengqi leave his study since he entered, not even to eat dinner. Unable to help himself, Ye Yunting felt some regret and frustration; if only he'd returned home earlier today...
"Then shall I push you back to your room?" Ye Yunting softened his voice as he proposed, "It's not good to sit here all night. The night breeze is cold; catching another illness would cause even more trouble."
Li Fengqi pressed his lips together, staring at him. He had merely intended to feign illness to win his concern, but with this gentle and solicitous manner, the pent-up gloom of the day finally surfaced somewhat. "Is the Young Master so concerned about my health?"
Ye Yunting's expression was bewildered, and he responded almost absentmindedly, "Of course."
Yet upon further consideration, these words seemed rather suggestive, and his expression turned awkward as he hastily added, "Wangye still has lingering toxins within his body; catching another illness wouldn't be wise."
As Li Fengqi listened to his explanation, his eyes grew darker, as if fearful of misunderstanding something. He suppressed those emotions, his tone cool as he said, "Many thanks for the Young Masters concern."
Ye Yunting felt that his "many thanks" was somewhat oddly-said and insincere. He studied Li Fengqi but couldn't discern any emotion on his face; he could only pick up the candle and push him out of the study.
Upon returning to the main house, he asked Ji Lian to bring hot water and waited until Li Fengqi washed himself clean before helping him onto the bed. Then, he reached out to roll up Li Fengqi's pant legs.
Li Fengqi's brow twitched, and he unconsciously grabbed Ye Yuting's arm. "What are you doing?"
"I'm taking a look at your legs," Ye Yuting said. "Since you refused to seek treatment from a doctor, I don't know how your legs are."
He found Li Fengqi's attitude overly pessimistic. There were countless doctors in this world, and perhaps a rare one among them had the skills to cure him—but Li Fengqi didn't trust a single one. When would his leg ever heal?
"What's there to see?" Li Fengqi clutched his wrist, a hint of unease flashing across his expression, yet he did not loosen his grip.
Ye Yunting reached over, persistent. "I want to take a look."
Li Fengqi met his gaze, but eventually conceded defeat. He let go of Ye Yunting's wrist, leaned back against the soft pillow, closed his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Look as long as you like, just don't get scared."
Only then did Ye Yunting carefully roll up the hem of Li Fengqi's pants to examine his legs. He gasped, voice wavering as he said, "How could this be?"
The skin on Li Fengqi's legs had turned blue and purple, veins bulging like grotesque worms crawling over him. When Ye Yunting had cared for Li Fengqi before, though his legs were unable to move, they appeared no different from those of any other person. After the crisis at the prince's palace was resolved, Li Fengqi no longer called upon him to assist with bathing or dressing, so he hadn't kept close track of his condition. Yet now, he found that his legs had become twisted and disfigured.
Li Fengqi's expression remained placid. "The poison has been suppressed throughout the rest of my entire body and concentrated in my legs, which is why they appear more alarming."
"But won't this affect your legs if things continue like this?" Ye Yunting's brows furrowed with worry. Before, when Li Fengqi had been poisoned, his limbs had been paralyzed due to blocked meridians, but after the poison was gradually neutralized, he had recovered within a few days, appearing no different from any healthy individual. However, judging by the state of his legs right now, even once the poison was completely dispelled, he feared they would never regain full mobility.
"For now, there shouldn't be any further effects," Li Fengqi replied.
Seeing his worry, Li Fengqi explained further, "I've already done some research on this cold poison; it's not something that can be easily treated by ordinary doctors. I have already sent people to search for someone who can detoxify it." As for when they would find such a person, only the heavens knew.
"Doesn't Han Chan have an antidote?" A sharp glint flashed through Ye Yunting's eyes. "Send someone to sneak into the Taifu's residence and steal or take it—anything is better than waiting around."
His words were tinged with frustration; he never would have suggested such underhanded methods under normal circumstances.
Li Fengqi felt the tension in his chest dissipate at these words. Ye Yunting truly was worried about him.
"Do you think I haven't considered that possibility?" He let out a light laugh before shaking his head. "I've already sent people to sneak into the Taifu's residence in secret, but Han Chan is far too cunning—he has yet to reveal where exactly the antidote is hidden."
Ye Yunting seemed somewhat crestfallen. "Then we have to find leverage against him and force him to hand over the cure."
"Mm-hmm," Li Fengqi said as he watched him with a smile. "It's just, I'm but one man, I can't carry out such a task alone. Wu Geng and Zhu Lie are both brawny fellows who rely solely on brute strength; I need Young Master to lend me some expertise in order to succeed."
Though the speaker only meant it as a casual remark, the listener took note of the unspoken suggestion. Ye Yunting's mind instantly became a chaotic jumble of thoughts, and he could only muster a forced smile, replying with an, "Of course."
That night, the two retired early. Ye Yunting extinguished the lights and pretended to sleep with his back turned toward Li Fengqi, wrapped tightly in his blankets. Yet inside his head, two voices continued their endless tug-of-war.
One said, "Teacher is right; you have longed to wander freely across the mountains and rivers for years. This is a rare opportunity. If you accept, you will never again be bound by any restrictions."
The other said, "Prince Yong'an has been kind to you. Wolves circle him on all sides now, and if you leave as well, it's difficult to say if you won't suffer the same fate as before. You should stay at least so that you can warn him of what lies ahead. Mountains and rivers will always exist, whether you go there earlier or later."
These two voices tugged and tore at each other for a long while, but ultimately reached no conclusion. Ye Yunting felt his mind spin dizzily, and he quietly exhaled, forcing himself to close his eyes and sleep.
Not long after closing his eyes, Ye Yunting heard soft panting sounds from beside him. He was about to turn around when he felt Li Fengqi sit up and reach out to pull the bell cord at the head of the bed. His body froze, and he missed the chance to observe this movement.
The person beside him had already pulled on his outer robe.
A moment later, Ye Yunting sensed the door open, followed by someone entering the room—it sounded like Wu Geng.
The two didn't speak again during this time; Ye Yunting could only guess what they were doing by the rustling sounds of movement. Wu Geng pushed Li Fengqi's wheelchair in, helped Li Fengqi sit inside, and then the two of them quietly left the room.
Ye Yunting waited until they had left before sitting up himself.
Recalling the sounds he'd heard earlier, he initially assumed that Li Fengqi needed to attend to some business and didn't wish for Ye Yunting to know. But upon closer consideration, it seemed unlikely. That stoic gasping sound made him feel very concerned.
After hesitating briefly, Ye Yunting draped on his outer robe and quietly followed them out.
It was already late night, and all parts of the palace had been darkened save for a few lanterns left lit throughout the night. Ye Yunting looked around the area and discovered that only the study was still lit, so he headed there.
He approached the door with quiet footsteps, but noticed that the door remained slightly ajar, faint whispers audible within.
Wu Geng said, "Does Wangye require anything else?"
"No, you may leave," replied Li Fengqi. There was a stoic undertone in his voice, as if he was enduring something.
More footsteps approached from within the room, drawing closer with each step, as Wu Geng prepared to leave.
Ye Yunting unconsciously hid himself behind a corner of the wall.
Wu Geng exited the study and walked out of the courtyard. Ye Yunting waited until he had left before quietly approaching the study once more, then stealthily slipped inside.
Wu Geng, who was observing this scene from his hiding place in the shadows, thought that the prince was indeed peculiar. When his poison flared, he would lie about it to the Wangfei, but now that the symptoms were actually manifesting, he didn't call for Wu Geng to wake Wangfei, instead choosing to retreat to the study alone.
If Wangfei himself discovered this, it might be best if Wu Geng stayed out of sight.
With this in mind, Wu Geng climbed up a tree.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunting had already snuck into the study.
This time, three floor lamps lit the room, bathing everything in bright light. Standing outside, Ye Yunting watched the movements of the person behind the screen through the thin layer of silk cloth.
Li Fengqi bit down on a piece of cloth while rolling up one leg of his pants, exposing legs even more horrifying than earlier. Holding a small knife, he heated it over the candle flame, then sliced downward along the bulging veins...
Black blood gushed from his wounds, which he wiped with strips of cloth that he carelessly tossed into the copper basin beside him. His movements were swift and precise, without a hint of hesitation; it was only the occasional gasp that betrayed his pain.
Ye Yunting stood unmoving behind the screen, watching as drops of sweat dripped from Li Fengqi's forehead—he didn't even bother wiping them away.
After treating one leg, Li Fengqi seemed to be overcome by immense pain once more. He tossed the blade into the copper basin, leaned back against the wheelchair, and gripped its armrests tightly. Only after several long moments did he manage to endure this wave of agony. He removed the cloth from his mouth, slowly catching his breath, then turned to fetch water from the table, whereupon he caught sight of the figure standing behind the screen.
"Wu Geng?" he called out, but no one responded. When he looked again, his breath caught, and he forced a smile and said, "You are still awake at this time, did I wake you up?"
Ye Yunting walked around from behind the screen and saw his bloody legs more clearly. His hand hanging by his side tightened. "Did Wangye lie to me before?"
With this contrast before him at this moment, how could he not know that Li Fengqi had been lying to him before when he had said that the cold poison had struck him.
Li Fengqi gave a "hmm".
"Then why are you avoiding me now that the poison has really taken effect?" Ye Yunting stared at him closely, and persisted in getting to the bottom of the matter.
"Does the Young Master really not understand, or are you pretending to be confused again?" Li Fengqi suddenly raised his eyes to look at him, with undisguised aggression in his eyes.
Maybe it was because night always amplified people's emotions, or maybe the pain made him less patient. Li Fengqi's eyes were very deep and he explained to him word by word, "I pretended to be poisoned and lied to you before, just to make you feel distressed. Right now, even though I’m really affected by the poison, I’m avoiding you because I don’t want you to see me in such a miserable state.”
He took a deep breath, suppressed the pain in his body, and smiled slowly. "A man always hopes that he will be tall and majestic in the eyes of his sweetheart, instead of being weak and pitiful. Young Master, do you understand?"
Ye Yunting paused and turned his eyes away in a panic, avoiding his too hot gaze: "I… understand."
===Author's Notes==
The author has something to say:7·Handsome, tall and stalwart·7: I don’t want to lose face?
===Translator's Notes==
Sorry for the delay! I'm back. (I think??)
Also, so that DIY self-surgery, huh.
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