Wangye, This Concubine Is Busy! - 4

Chapter 4 – Old Man Zhao

It was finally over.

As Bai Yuxiao lay on the bed like a dead fish, she looked at the top of the bed and then turned her gaze on Si Liujing who was lying on top of her body.  The man was fine and after finishing the deed, he rolled his eyes and fainted, leaving the sober her to clean up the mess.

The blood on his body left bloodstains on her which reminded her that she must help him deal with the wounds as soon as possible.  Thus, she carefully moved him aside.

First, she went to the bathroom located next door to clean herself and put on clean clothes, then she went back to the room to help him clean up.  Although she had tapped his acupuncture points to stop the bleeding beforehand, if his wounds were not treated properly and resulted in inflammations, it would be bad.

While living in the royal mansion, she had always been supported and she ate well, slept well, and lived well.  Wangye had always been generous to the women in his inner courtyards as the rewards and red envelopes during the New Year were not any less.  Although she and her husband seldom meet throughout the year, Bai Yuxiao did get to see him several times outside the royal mansion.  She would always be in a crowd of people as she secretly admired his outstanding appearance as he rode past on his horse.

She had no complaints against him because it was her choice.

She is candid and magnanimous, and would not waste her time over insignificant issues.  Besides, she has her secret identity as a constable, and it allowed her to have her own world and views.  Not to mention, before entering the royal mansion as a concubine, she already understood that she had fallen in love with a cold-hearted unemotional man and therefore, naturally, she would not ask for more.

However, all constables have a sense of justice, and seeing the Wangye in trouble, she would save him even if she sacrificed her life.  Since he was attacked by assassins, it could be due to the struggles in the royal mansion.  Therefore, for the time being, before she finds someone to pick up the Wangye, she must keep this person hidden.

For Si Liujing to meet her, he could be considered as lucky because the area within a hundred li* on this hill is her territory.  This thatched cottage in which he is now staying is one of her strongholds.   The cellar inside the cottage is stocked with firewood, rice, oil, salt, pickles, and jars of wine and in the cabinet, there is also a variety of clothes.  As a secret constable, sometimes she would suffer from wounds and pains and there are a lot of healing medicines stored here.

(Li is an ancient measurement in distance and one li equals to 500meters)

After tidying up the Wangye and applying medicine on him, the person she was waiting for had finally arrived.

An old man in grey clothes pulled open the fence gate and walked in.  “Girl, are you here?”

“Coming!”  Bai Yuxiao went out to greet him and was very happy to see Old Man Zhao.  Without saying another word, she stepped forward, grabbed the old man’s arm, and walked him into the house.

“Just waiting for you to save someone!  Come in quickly!”

“Slow down!  Slow down!  Why are you in such a hurry?  Is someone rushing to give birth?”

“If it’s giving birth, will a genius doctor like you be needed?  Someone is seriously injured.  Hurry, take a look at him!”

She and this Old Man Zhao knew each other very well and all forms of courtesy were unnecessary.  Although Old Man Zhao was dressed like a crude man living in the wilderness of the mountains, his medical skills were excellent.

Without venturing to the world outside, one would never know that there are so many hidden extraordinary experts in this world.

Bai Yuxiao was fortunate enough to meet this old man during one of her missions.  At that time, Old Man Zhao encountered a tiger and she came forward to help him fight off the tiger in that critical situation.

Who knew that after she fought off the tiger with much difficulty, the old man did not thank her but instead told her off for ruining his chance of obtaining the medicinal tiger’s penis and the curious Bai Yuxiao immediately asked the other party how to get the medicine.  It turned out that Old Man Zhao had prepared enough medicine to immobilize the tiger and after it had fallen asleep, he would seize the opportunity to harvest the tiger’s penis, skin, and meat.

However, Bai Yuxiao did not get angry after hearing the old man.  She understood the other party should be a reclusive expert who is extremely skilled in medicine, and not just an ordinary old villager staying in the mountains.  So she smiled and apologized to him and the next day, she brought him a jar of good wine as compensation.

After drinking a few cups of wine, Old Man Zhao noticed the girl was not arrogant, and regardless of how bad-tempered he was, the girl would coax him with a smiling face.  Not only was the girl magnanimous, but she was also a good drinker and a good cook.  Instantly, Old Man Zhao’s stomach was conquered by the girl and they became good friends ignoring the fact that there was a vast difference between their ages.

This time, Bai Yuxiao sent out a homing pigeon to find Old Man Zhao and requested for his presence to treat Si Liujing.  She could only help Si Liujing apply medicine and give him a pill to temporarily sustain him but several deep wounds on him reached his bones and those wounds still needed the help of Old Man Zhao.

Old Man Zhao was pulled into the room by the Bai girl and when he saw the man lying on the bed, he could not help but be startled and his pair of white eyebrows lifted.

“Girl, this is a handsome man.”  He looked at Bai Yuxiao.

Bai Yuxiao said angrily.  “Who told you to look at his face?  You’re to look at his injuries!”

Old Man Zhao sat down on the wooden stool next to the bed.  First, he took the pulse of Si Liujing then flipped up both his eyelids, and then examined the wounds on his body.

Old Man Zhao lifted his white eyebrows and looked at the girl again.  Then he narrowed his eyes and showed a sly smile.

Bai Yuxiao felt very uncomfortable under his gaze.  “Why are you looking at me?”

“This old man had seen people who are not afraid of death but have not seen anyone who would do that deed even when he is about to die.”

Bai Yuxiao blushed as soon as she heard and explained with embarrassment.  “He was poisoned with ecstasy.”

Old Man Zhao nodded and his face sank.  “Was Girl willing?”

Bai Yuxiao was able to detect the severity in his voice tone and knew that Old Man Zhao doted on her.  He was afraid she was forced and was taken advantage of and the meaning in his words was very clear.   If that was so, Old Man Zhao would be angered and would not be willing to help heal him.

When she thought of Old Man Zhao treating her like his own daughter, a warm feeling rose in her heart and she spoke up with coquettishness of a little daughter.

“I’m not a fool, how can I let anyone bully me?  This man is my husband.”

As soon as the old man heard, the look in his old eyes was no longer piercing, and instead, his eyes were filled with interest.  He looked at the man on the bed and then looked at the Bai girl and finally, he showed a smile similar to the smile of the Maitreya Buddha.

“Girl’s vision is quite high.”

“Don’t joke.  Hurry and take a look at him.”

“Alright.  With this old man here, I won’t let you become a widow.”

She is indeed a ‘widow’.  However, she had never told the old man about her status as the concubine of Ling Wang, and Old Man Zhao had never queried about her affairs.  The reason she and Old Man Zhao were able to get along well was that both of them talk about anything and everything under the sun but never pried into each other’s private affairs and accepted whatever the other party said.

Take for example the stab wounds on Si Liujing’s body.  Old Man Zhao would not ask any questions and would only focus on healing.  That was the reason why she sought Old Man Zhao’s help.

Old Man Zhao instructed her to boil the water first before he opened his medicine box to take out some anesthetic medicine.   He sprinkled the anesthetic powder on the wounds and then sutured the wounds with a needle.  At the same time, he started to mumble……..

“This boy’s endurance is indeed great.  Although his internal organs were not injured, his vital energy was severely damaged when he copulated while seriously injured.  No wonder he fainted.  It’s considered as having great fortune that he didn’t die but then again, he will also die without copulation.  Since either way he will still die, of course, it’s better to find happiness and romance under the peony flower……..”

When Bai Yuxiao walked into the room, she heard his mumblings and could not help but roll her eyes.  She was too lazy to argue with him and put down the pot of hot water on the stove sitting at the side, then she glanced over at Si Liujing.  Fortunately, he was still unconscious and did not hear the old man’s words otherwise, if he heard he is being called a sex pervert, it would be strange if he did not slash the old man on his head.

After Old Man Zhao treated the wounds, he reminded Bai Yuxiao to feed Si Liujing the medicine on time and he also wrote down a meal plan for Si Liujing.  He told her that she must feed Si Liujing the foods written down on the plan daily.

Bai Yuxiao looked at the meal plan and looked suspiciously at Old Man Zhao.  “How come the ingredients listed here don’t look like they are food for healing?”

“This is a recipe for replenishing his yang energy*.  He lost too much energy and this old man is afraid that he won’t have the energy to do the deed in the future.”

(In Chinese traditional medicine, there are two types of energy forces or ‘qi’ in human bodies.  The males have yang energy while the females have yin energy.)

She understood and glared at Old Man Zhao.  Although she deliberately pulled her face taut and did not speak, she could not hide the shame that flashed in her eyes.

Old Man Zhao was not afraid of the girl’s glare and instead, he said with glee.  “Don’t underestimate this list of mine.  Every meal is nourishing and I guarantee his energy will be in abundance and Girl will not lose out.”

“Don’t mess around!  The reason was that I had to help with his detoxification!”

“Do you think his detoxification is completed by doing it once?  It will take at least a month!  During this time, you can slowly help him to detoxify.”

She finally understood and her eyes widened.  “What did you say?  His poison is not completely detoxified?  I still have to do that with him……..”

“That’s right.  That’s why this old man prescribed this meal plan to help him replenish his vital energy to avoid any reversal in his condition.  If he dies on the bed, then Girl, you will indeed become a widow.”

Bai Yuxiao blushed and muttered.  “Understood.”

Old Man Zhao stroked his white beard and laughed slyly.  “This handsome boy has a good physique and strong muscles.  Girl should just enjoy it and take it as replenishing the yin energy which is good for women.”

Bai Yuxiao found it laughable.  Does he think she is a woman that covets men?  And also harvesting yang to nourish yin?  When she recalled Si Liujing’s fierce energy, she groaned in her heart.  Although it was voluntary, it was very painful…….

Old Man Zhao put away the medical equipment into the medicine box.  “Alright, I’m leaving.  When you have time, Girl must remember to come to my thatched house to drink and play chess with this old man.”  When Old Man Zhao walked out of the house, he seemed to have thought of something and from his medicine box, he took out a porcelain bottle.  “Oh yes, this is for you.  This will help to relieve pain and here is the instruction.  You can read it yourself.”

He handed the bottle over to the Bai girl and then reminded her again on how to take care of the wounded man.  After explaining everything, he left.

Bai Yuxiao held the porcelain bottle in one hand and the meal plan with the other hand.  Written on the porcelain bottle were the instructions on its usage.  She read the instructions starting from the beginning and when she reached the end, her pair of eyes lit up.

She stared at the porcelain bottle in her hand and then glanced back into the bedroom.  It is a waste that Old Man Zhao is not a pimp.  Does this kind of boudoir playtoy exist?  However, if the pain can be relieved, her misery would be solved.

She put away the porcelain bottle and estimated that Si Liujing would sleep for several hours more, so she went out with the meal plan given by Old Man Shao.

When Si Liujing woke up, he felt refreshed and the restlessness in his body had disappeared after venting it out.  He felt the wounds on his body had been stitched up, his sweat towel and pants had been changed and the bedsheets were also clean.  However, his eyes were still sightless.

While he sat on the bed, he carefully tried to recall his memories.  He remembered the woman called Shui’er saved him and then he kissed her and tormented her to satisfy his needs.  Following that, he lost consciousness, and thinking about it, he must have fainted.

After a rest, his spirit was much better.  This yin poison should have been resolved, right?  But why am I still blind?

Suddenly, he caught the fragrant aroma of food and instantly felt hungry.  He had not eaten a normal meal for several days and now he is not only hungry but also thirsty.

“Servants!”  His voice sounded hoarse because of his thirst.

After a while, he heard the sound of footsteps coming into the room.

“You are awake?  Did you sleep well?  Are you hungry?”

He discerned people by listening and knew it was the woman named Shui’er.

“Water.”  He said.

(Water in Chinese is ‘Shui’ which is part of the nickname ‘Shui-er’.)

“Yes, I’m here.”  She stepped forward and responded.

Si Liujing was stunned and then gave the order again in a deep voice.

“I want a drink of water.”

“Ah, look at my listening ability, I thought Wangye was calling my name.  Just a moment.”

Bai Yuxiao immediately filled a bowl with water and brought it to him.  She helped to lift his hand and placed the bowl of water into his palm.