Chapter 28
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After a moment’s pause, Fu Nian finally spoke, “The weather is hot, and coupled with just recovering from a high fever, this official didn’t intend to go against the physician’s advice…”
Before he could finish his words, Fu Nian felt that the man in the dragon robe had averted his gaze.
“If you want to wash up, have the medicine child bring you some hot water. Hurry and put your clothes on. It’s inappropriate behavior,” leaving these words, Chu Zhaoyi departed without looking back.
Once they left, Fu Nian dared to lift his head.
“Inappropriate behavior,” it seemed like something Chu Zhaoyi would say.
In fact, he had wanted to ask if Chu Zhaoyi received the waist token his senior gave him from Chu Yao. But on second thought, if Chu Zhaoyi didn’t recognize his senior’s handwriting and simply threw it away, he would appear suspicious if he asked about it.
“Guard Lian, His Majesty, said so. Let me help you fetch some hot water, and you wait inside. Master will be coming later, and if he sees you in this state, it’ll be on me. Besides, it’s chilly in the morning, and after a high fever, you shouldn’t use cold water like this.”
Fu Nian had wanted to decline and say that cold water would be fine.
But before he could say anything, he saw the medicine child dashing off to fetch water. Even if Fu Nian tried to stop him, it was too late.
If it hadn’t been for Chu Zhaoyi suddenly arriving, he would have finished washing by now. Thinking of this, Fu Nian sighed.
The partition of the bathhouse was thin, and Fu Nian hadn’t heard Chu Zhaoyi and Ze Wang leave. Without even dressing, he hurriedly pressed his ear against the partition, hoping to hear something.
“Little Ryal Uncle, keep him…”
“Indeed, it’s this official’s suggestion that he stay by Your Majesty’s side. Instead of constantly thinking about it day and night, it’s better to have someone with a similar appearance and temperament around to divert attention…”
“…. Although it’s been so long, I’ve forgotten about it, but in the end, there’s still a sense of guilt. Besides, there’s no one else left.”
“…”.
“…”
The voices grew fainter as they moved away. However hard Fu Nian strained his ears, he couldn’t hear clearly anymore.
Finally, Fu Nian left the partition, standing upright once again.
Suddenly, without warning, he let out a dry laugh.
Chu Zhaoyi actually said he felt guilty.
Fu Nian couldn’t help it; he let out another two sarcastic laughs. His first reaction was how rare it was for Chu Zhaoyi to feel guilt – almost as rare as a pig climbing a tree.
But after laughing, Fu Nian quickly reined in his emotions and continued dressing.
His right arm was immobilized by the bamboo board, restricting his movements. After struggling for a while, he managed to cover his body with his clothes.
While bending to put on his shoes, Fu Nian suddenly noticed some commotion outside.
He quickly abandoned the task of putting on his shoes and moved towards the source of the noise.
The bathhouse was rudimentary, and the partition was thin, with a few gaps. Although peeping in through the gaps would be possible… usually, no one would bother to peek at men or eunuchs bathing.
Fu Nian looked through the gaps for a while, but after confirming there was really nobody there, he stepped away.
Odd, he had clearly heard movement just now, and it was definitely from a person. Could it be that his fever had affected his senses so much? Fu Nian didn’t dwell on it any longer and hastily grabbed his clothes, returning to his room.
While lying on the pallet, Fu Nian reflected on what had just happened.
So, it was Ze Wang who wanted him to stay in Chengyuan Hall for duty… No wonder he hadn’t seen Chu Zhaoyi get angry when he defied the imperial order. Little Royal Uncle’s words truly held more sway than an imperial edict.
He had initially thought that Chu Zhaoyi wanted him to stay for some purpose, whether due to suspicion or as a substitute. However, he now realized that Chu Zhaoyi hadn’t intended to keep him at all. It had been a day of self-imposed misconceptions.
Fu Nian sighed.
It was for the best; he had been wanting to keep his distance from Chu Zhaoyi to investigate the matter.
After half an hour, Doctor Xu arrived.
During the dressing change, Fu Nian pretended to be weak and sickly, keeping his head down and not saying a word.
“I heard your fever has subsided. I told you before, with your strong physique, such a minor injury won’t be life-threatening.”
Fu Nian nodded, enduring Doctor Xu’s incessant chatter during the dressing change.
“Ah, you see, when you were first injured, if you had just followed orders and not moved around, it wouldn’t have taken this long to heal.”
Fu Nian sensed the relaxation in Doctor Xu’s tone and cautiously asked, “Has the bone already healed?”
“It’s only just started to heal a bit, and there’s no sign of misalignment at the moment. Proper rest is the key. Healing bones and tendons can’t be rushed.”
Fu Nian didn’t catch the second half; he only registered the phrase “started to heal a bit with no sign of misalignment.”
That was enough to embolden him to venture out at night.
In the evening, as usual, the medicine child brought him soothing herbal tea and rice porridge, instructing him to drink it quickly. This time, Fu Nian finished the tea but didn’t just lie down and wait for his fate.
The medicine child wasn’t very old and would surely feel drowsy while keeping watch at night.
This time, while the medicine child was nodding off, Fu Nian crouched and waited until he dozed off before quietly slipping out of the room and heading to the pharmacy. He acted preemptively, grabbing the soul-calming incense that was meant to induce his sleep and the antidote that the medicine child would have taken in advance.
Fu Nian naturally kept the antidote for himself, but he lit the soul-calming incense and placed it by the dozing medicine child’s side. Once he was sure the medicine child was sound asleep, he left with a sense of relief.
It was only when he left the physician’s quarters that Fu Nian finally felt at ease.
The feigned illness of the past few days had been effective, enough to make everyone lower their guard. Moreover, he had apprehended Chu Yao last night, so he presumed Chu Yao wouldn’t dare to come tonight.
Quietly returning to his room, Fu Nian found the note that Pei Zhou had left for him. After noting down the address, he calculated the shift change times of the guards and found an opportunity to leave the palace.
Having spent so much time living in the palace in his previous life, he had often roamed around aimlessly at night when he wasn’t restricted. Even with tight security, Fu Nian could find his way out.
It was an hour later when he successfully slipped out of the palace. Once out of the palace gates, there were no obstacles. Fu Nian headed towards the address on the note.
Upon reaching the nearby neighborhood, Fu Nian slowed his pace.
Normally, at this hour, there would be no one on the streets, but the vicinity was bustling with people beyond the usual.
Fu Nian found a concealed spot and quietly observed these strange individuals.
All were men of tall stature, wearing coarse clothing. Despite the attire, many details indicated that they were a group of well-trained individuals.
From their walking posture, Fu Nian deduced that they were palace guards, which puzzled him.
Why were palace guards stationed near the Fu Zhen’s Mansion at such an hour?
Unable to understand, he set this question aside for the time being. He navigated rooftops carefully, evading these palace guards disguised as common folk, and accurately found his way to the courtyard of Fu Zhen’s Mansion. He slipped in stealthily.
Inside the courtyard, Fu Nian felt an eerie coldness that didn’t match the height of summer. The vast courtyard had no lamps lit; only the chilling moonlight trickled in, allowing him to barely see his way.
After surveying the area and detecting no human activity, Fu Nian proceeded cautiously.
The Fu Mansion was much larger than he had imagined, yet he hadn’t heard a single sound along the way.
In theory, given how much Fu Zhen valued his sworn brothers and adopted disciples, the mansion shouldn’t be this desolate.
As he moved further in, the strangeness grew.
Each room seemed like it was occupied, yet there was no sign of movement.
Finally, Fu Nian decided to try his luck in the main residence.
Following the layout of a typical courtyard, Fu Nian found his way to the main building. Like the other rooms, it was pitch black inside, devoid of any human presence.
When knocking on the door garnered no response, Fu Nian boldly pushed the door open.
All the items inside the room were neatly arranged, not at all like an uninhabited place. He casually touched the table with his finger, but there was no trace of dust.
Just as he was puzzled, Fu Nian noticed a set of characters on the side wall.
He was very familiar with these characters, having frequently seen them during his time in the sect. It used to hang in his master’s study. While it appeared to be a set of characters, it was actually a hidden door.
He had used the hidden door within his sect as well. It used to be an emergency escape route, but over the years, it had been sealed with debris and repurposed as a storage space.
Looking at these characters, Fu Nian began to contemplate.
Could there be another hidden door beyond this one?
Although Fu Zhen claimed to have usurped his master’s position, he was still his master’s disciple, and many habits might have been passed down…
With this thought, Fu Nian walked towards those characters and ran his fingers along the surrounding walls.
Sure enough!
As his fingers found the familiar mechanism, Fu Nian drew in a surprised breath.
Even the locking mechanism was the same as in his sect.
By opening this “character,” a hidden passage was revealed behind the wall.
The passage led underground, with steep stairs. Fu Nian had to tread lightly, slowly descending step by step.
Midway down, he heard a distant wailing from the depths underground.
Clearly, it was a human scream.
Curiosity quickened Fu Nian’s steps.
“You, you’re mad, a lunatic!”
“Yes, I am.”
“Killing so many innocent people, you will—”
The voice abruptly stopped.
Holding his breath, Fu Nian remained motionless.
That faint “Yes, I am” was undoubtedly Fu Zhen’s voice; he couldn’t be mistaken.
Although they had all been assassins by profession, they had always acted for payment or, like Fu Nian, loyally serving someone, eliminating obstacles.
But they had never provoked lives that held no grudges against them.
Before he could think further, suddenly, Fu Nian felt the bright light of the lantern above him.
The dim and steep underground passage suddenly became illuminated.
“It’s no wonder you’re a palace guard. You move silently, like a thief visiting for a burglary.”
Fu Nian: …
The tone, the voice—it was indeed unmistakably his senior brother.
Following closely, at the end of the steps, Fu Nian saw the familiar face of Fu Zhen. “Since you’re here, you might as well come down. Are you here today to repay a debt?”
Fu Nian didn’t rush to answer; he simply descended the steps hastily.
At the end of the corridor was a lavishly decorated stone chamber.
Living quarters, washroom, study, kitchen—everything was present. It was as bright as daylight, with the ceiling designed to resemble a clear sky. While it wasn’t laid out like a place for the living according to feng shui, this arrangement didn’t exude an eerie feeling; instead, it gave the sensation of a hidden paradise.
Fu Nian looked around but didn’t perceive any other living person, nor did he catch a whiff of the scent of blood.
Could he have misheard just now?
But it had indeed been a human scream, and there had even been speech.
“How about it? Isn’t it nice? I happened to find someone’s tomb under my estate, so I decided to convert it into a living space,” Fu Zhen said contentedly and proudly as he surveyed the decor of the stone chamber.
Fu Nian: …
Sure enough, it was a tomb. And he even dug up someone else’s grave to modify it.
Hearing Fu Zhen’s proud tone, Fu Nian felt that it indeed had a grave, Fu Zhen probably now had a second home.
“I heard you were quite severely injured. I thought you would need some time before coming to see me.” Fu Zhen didn’t pay attention to Fu Nian’s expressionless face. He laid on a hammock made of vines, swaying it back and forth like a swing, “What about the waist token I gave you?”
“I lost it,” Fu Nian replied calmly, his mind still puzzled about the scream he had heard earlier.
“Tsk.”
Hearing Fu Zhen’s impatient tone, Fu Nian didn’t rush to respond.
“Never mind, if it’s lost, it’s lost. It wasn’t anything too important anyway, just a pity that it was something I personally wrote.”
Fu Nian still didn’t say anything.
After a brief silence, seeing that the person in front of him wasn’t speaking either, Fu Nian prepared himself for Fu Zhen’s anger and then took a deep breath before slowly voicing his doubts.
“Sir, pardon my presumption. Just now, I seemed to have heard someone’s wail coming from here—”
However, before he could finish, he saw Fu Zhen jump up from the hammock in a panic and hurriedly interrupted him.
“Is it true or false?! Could it be haunted? Don’t scare me! I’m most afraid of ghosts!”
However, before he could finish his thoughts, Fu Zhen suddenly jumped up from the hammock with a terrified expression, hastily interrupting.
“Is it true or not? Is it haunted? Don’t scare me! I’m absolutely terrified of ghosts!”
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