Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 100
by Little PandaVolume 4: The Perils of the Jianghu
Give her another chance
Although Ji Qingchi’s temper wasn’t the best, she normally wouldn’t show it in front of so many people. After getting together with Su Yi, she hadn’t lost her temper even once, always appearing gentle and polite, whether in private or public. For her to have such an expression today, something must have happened.
Su Yi stood up in confusion and walked over to her. “What’s wrong?”
Seeing her, Ji Qingchi’s expression softened slightly. She shook her head and forced a smile. “I ran into some filth on the road. I’ll go bathe first, and tell you later.”
With that, she hurriedly called for someone to fetch water for her bath, took a few steps into her room, and slammed the door shut with a “Pa!”
Su Yi looked strangely at the remaining three people. “What happened? What did you encounter?”
The expressions of the three were also quite baffled. Feng Ruoqing gave her a meaningful look. Su Yi understood and led them into her own room, having Yan Can and Gancao guard the door.
“Now you can talk?”
“While we were using the powder to dispel Gu, we ran into the Valley Master’s son, the one called Feng Lin.”
Yue Ling recalled the earlier scene, not knowing whether to laugh or be angry.
Fearing that someone might secretly plant Gu around the bamboo building where they were staying, they had taken the Gu-dispelling powder developed by Feng Qing and sprinkled it around the perimeter.
Halfway through, Ji Qingchi heard footsteps. Worried that the powder in their hands would arouse suspicion from the valley’s inhabitants, they stopped and quickly dispersed, pretending to be drinking wine and admiring the scenery. They took out pre-prepared wine and drank while enjoying the view.
When the person appeared, they realized it was Feng Lin.
He was carrying a basket of wild fruits. Seeing Ji Qingchi was some distance from the others, he smiled shyly and tried to give her the basket.
As Ji Qingchi was declining, he accidentally knocked over the wine Ji Qingchi was holding, spilling it all over her.
Feng Ruoqing also recalled, “Originally, he was going to apologize and take out a handkerchief to wipe it for Her Ninth Highness. But for some reason, as soon as he touched Her Highness, she waved him away. We were afraid of alerting the enemy1 at the time, so we didn’t go over. Only after he left did we approach Her Highness. By then, her expression was already quite bad.”
Yue Ling still vividly remembered Feng Lin clinging to her during their first meeting and had no good impression of him. “He didn’t harass Her Highness, did he? Is that why she looked like that?”
Hua Wuying smiled. “Instead of us making a thousand guesses here, why don’t you ask Her Highness yourself, Miss Su? What do you say?”
Su Yi nodded, thanked them, and waited outside Ji Qingchi’s door for a long while. When Ji Qingchi didn’t come out, she grew a little worried and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” The voice from inside the room was low, tinged with suppressed anger.
“It’s me.”
A series of clattering sounds came from the room, but there was no sign of the door opening. Su Yi knocked again.
“I’m not feeling well today…” After a long wait, the person inside finally uttered this sentence.
“Then I’ll get Doctor Feng for you.”
“No, no need. I’ll be fine after some rest. You… you go back first. I’ll come find you once I’m rested.”
Her speech was hesitant; something was definitely wrong.
Su Yi said nothing and called Feng Ruoqing and the other two over.
Pressing close to the door, Feng Ruoqing asked, “Your Highness, Miss Su said you’re not feeling well. Would you like me to diagnose you?”
After asking several times with no answer, they exchanged glances, realizing something was amiss.
“Let me.” Hua Wuying took out a knife, inserted it through the crack in the door, and slowly slid the bolt open. The door creaked open with a “Zhi—” sound, and Su Yi was pushed inside. “Her Highness might be in a bad mood right now, so we won’t go in. Miss Su, please go check on her.”
The room was pitch black. Su Yi felt as if she had gone blind, unable to see anything. She could only fumble around, trying to navigate to where the candles were usually kept based on the room’s typical layout to light one. Before she had taken more than a few steps, she was suddenly pulled aside and fell into a damp embrace.
“Don’t go forward, there’s a stool. You’ll trip.”
Ji Qingchi’s voice was still muffled, and it was clear she had no energy. Su Yi reached out and touched her, feeling smooth skin and some water droplets. “Did you fall into the bathtub while bathing?”
Ji Qingchi didn’t speak. Her body was scorching hot. Su Yi frowned. “Help me light the lamp.”
Although Ji Qingchi grumbled unwillingly, she still carried Su Yi to the table and lit the lamp.
When the room brightened, Su Yi clearly saw the state of the person holding her. Her entire body was as red as a boiled shrimp, and her eyes were glazed over.
“What happened?” She remembered what Yue Ling and the others had said earlier. “Was it that son of the Valley Master?”
“If we weren’t guests here and didn’t need the medicinal herbs from this place, This Palace would have torn him limb from limb!” Ji Qingchi finally huffed out after holding it in for a while.
She practiced martial arts, so her perception of abnormalities was several degrees higher than that of an ordinary person.
When Feng Lin had stumbled into her and knocked over her wine pot, she had felt something was off. She hadn’t seen him make any suspicious moves at the time. Considering they were still guests and Su Yi needed medicine from Changsheng Valley, she had gritted her teeth and endured it. Who knew Feng Lin would be so brazen? Even after she refused, he still tried to wipe her with his handkerchief, rubbing it all over her. When she resisted, he deliberately pressed forward, almost touching her where he shouldn’t have.
She had suppressed a bellyful of anger, pushed away that shameless man, and as she stood up, she felt her whole body burning. She instantly knew she had probably been drugged with something.
She was far from the other three. Realizing something was wrong with her, she immediately tried to leave. That shameless man then bumped into her again, saying she looked unwell and wanted to help her back. How could she let someone like him have his way? She forcefully pushed him away and practically flew back using her qinggong2.
Unexpectedly, it became even more unbearable after she returned. Her skin was practically engorged with blood, and soaking in cold water for half a day hadn’t helped at all.
“If something’s wrong, you should say so! How can you just endure it yourself?” Su Yi resisted the urge to give her a good smack. The woman was burning up; perhaps her brain had been fried too. Forgiving her because she looked like she was about to melt, Su Yi quickly called Feng Ruoqing from the doorway.
When Feng Ruoqing and the others came in, they were also startled by Ji Qingchi’s appearance. Feng Ruoqing took her pulse but couldn’t diagnose anything. Su Yi then hurriedly sent someone to fetch Feng Qing.
Feng Qing arrived with her medicine box and diagnosed for a long time before saying, “This is probably a Gu… and it somewhat resembles a Mandarin Duck Gu.”
Feng Ruoqing said, “Master, why do you sound so uncertain? Didn’t you develop a Gu-dispelling powder? How did she still get afflicted?”
Feng Qing gave her a rap on the head. “Gu are ever-changing, especially this type, which has several variants. Your master here focuses on poisons; my research into Gu isn’t very deep. What can I do?”
“Then, Senior, do you know how to cure this?”
“That’s the troublesome part.” Feng Qing sighed. “My martial sister was very knowledgeable about Gu, and her mastery of this Mandarin Duck Gu was superb. As far as I know, before I descended to the cliff bottom, she had already developed seven types of this Gu, each with a different effect. I’m afraid if I use the wrong medicine, it will harm her body.”
“Then what do we do?” Su Yi pulled Ji Qingchi over. “Look at her, she’s about to be cooked!”
“Well… this…” Feng Qing rubbed her hands, looking a bit embarrassed. “Medicine won’t cure it. However, there’s a very common way to resolve this type of Gu.”
After saying this, her gaze shifted to Su Yi.
The others also followed her line of sight towards Su Yi.
Su Yi hugged herself tightly. “Senior, you must be joking, right?”
Ji Qingchi could no longer stand steadily. Her mind was muddled, and she leaned on Su Yi’s shoulder, panting heavily. Her scorching breath fanned Su Yi’s neck, making Su Yi’s legs tremble.
Previously, when Su Yi had been afflicted by a Gu, Ji Qingchi’s good stamina had helped her resolve it. But Su Yi’s stamina was poor! Lying down was one thing, but if she had to be on top, she couldn’t do it! She wanted to help, but this servant just can’t do it3!
“I… I don’t have good stamina…” Su Yi reminded them tactfully. “I might… not be able to help.”
“Don’t worry.” Hua Wuying giggled charmingly. “I have an item of wondrous use here that can definitely help Miss Su.”
With that, she had someone bring over a small box. Upon opening it, a very exquisitely carved dual-use implement4 was revealed.
Everyone was utterly shocked. Just what kind of person would bring such a thing when seeking medical treatment?
Hua Wuying didn’t feel it was inappropriate at all. She had brought it intending to use it herself, but unfortunately, she hadn’t managed to snag her target yet, so she couldn’t use it. Giving it to Su Yi and Ji Qingchi could be considered accumulating good karma.
She smiled sweetly at everyone. “What’s this? There are plenty of things like this in Yiyun Tower. If any of you ladies like them, I can give them to you for free when we get back.”
Su Yi stared at her speechlessly. Hua Wuying threw her a flirtatious wink. “This item was crafted to perfection under my supervision. Miss Su, rest assured, even if you don’t have the strength, you can let Her Highness lead you in motion~”
Enough! I’m just an underage kitten, I can’t listen to this stuff!
“Alright, I get it.” Su Yi refused to listen anymore, covered her face, took the item, and had the somewhat still lucid Ji Qingchi follow her.
Hua Wuying clapped her hands, beaming. “Alright, alright, everyone disperse. Yan Can, Gancao, you two go back and rest too.”
And so, the group quickly retreated, leaving a pitiful Su Yi holding the item, about to receive a baptism of love.
It was already midnight.
Outside, it was pitch black.
Feng Lin carried a lantern, his gaze merging with the heavy darkness of the night.
It shouldn’t be like this. The Gu he had used this time was the Devoted Mandarin Duck Gu, which his mother had painstakingly researched for seven years. As the name suggested, the afflicted person would fall head over heels for the first person they properly saw, and thereafter be devoted only to that individual.
After that woman was afflicted by the Gu, he was clearly the first person to appear in her line of sight. She should have fallen deeply in love with him and should have come looking for him to engage in the pleasures of intimacy5 long ago.
Why was there still no sign of her? Could it be that there was a problem with the Gu his mother developed?
Feng Lin didn’t quite understand. He frowned and, under the cover of night, crept towards the bamboo building where Ji Qingchi and the others were staying.
The person guarding the entrance at night was inexplicably absent. Seeing no one around, he stealthily slipped in along the corner of the wall.
He didn’t encounter a single person along the way. Strange, where had all those maids and guards gone?
As he was wondering, faint sounds drifted from a room up ahead.
He slowly approached, and when he clearly heard Su Yi and Ji Qingchi’s voices, he felt as if struck by lightning.
How could this be?!
Were there really women in this world who would reject smart, handsome men to fool around with other women?!
No wonder, no wonder that sickly woman was surrounded and doted on by so many people… So, so she and that woman were in that kind of relationship!
Indeed, his guess was correct. As long as he got involved with that tall woman, he could obtain what he desired.
Although that woman named Ji Qingchi was fooling around with someone else and was now soiled6, he was willing to give her another chance.
Feng Lin slowly tightened his grip on the lantern handle, a gleeful smile spreading across his face.
He quietly left the tranquil bamboo building, returned to his room, wrote a letter overnight, and sent it out via carrier pigeon early the next morning.
Footnotes
- 打草惊蛇 | dǎ cǎo jīng shé | Lit. “beat the grass to startle the snake.” Meaning: To act rashly and alert the enemy or ruin a plan.
- 轻功 | qīnggōng | Lit. “light skill/work.” A common martial arts trope referring to the ability to move swiftly and lightly, often allowing characters to leap great distances, run on water, etc.
- 臣妾做不到啊 | chénqiè zuò bu dào | Lit. “This subject/concubine cannot do it!” A very popular line from the Chinese drama “Empresses in the Palace” (甄嬛传 | Zhēn Huán Zhuàn), often used humorously online to express an inability or unwillingness to do something difficult or unpleasant.
- 双人用具 | shuāngrén yòngjù | Lit. “tool/implement for two people.” A euphemism for a sex toy, particularly one that can be used by or on two people.
- 鱼水之欢 | yú shuǐ zhī huān | Lit. “the joy of fish and water.” A common euphemism for sexual intercourse or intimate relations.
- 脏了 | zāng le | Lit. “dirtied” or “soiled.” In this context, it implies she is no longer ‘pure’ or chaste in Feng Lin’s eyes due to her (presumed) sexual activity with another woman.
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