The Second Volume of Case after Case, Chapter 43: Xiao Xuan's Despair

  After Xuan Yuan Yifei left, I fell asleep again until the little palace maid brought me a bath and woke me up. My whole body was sore all over. This soreness wasn't caused by Xuan Yuan Yifei, but by Nan Gong Qiuyue. He had drained my internal energy, allowing wind and cold to invade my meridians, causing soreness in my acupoints. I sat in the bathtub, regulating my breath and forcing myself to sweat, which made me feel a bit better.

  Then, after the palace maid had put away the bedding, I went back to bed to rest. Xiaotao opened all the doors and windows for me and asked if I wanted to drink angelica tea. At first, I didn't understand what she meant, but later I realized that it was because of the bloodstains on the bed that Xiaotao mistakenly thought I had my period, and then I looked listless and pale, so she thought I had irregular periods.

  Since we've misunderstood each other, let's just keep on misunderstanding then.

  After noon, Xuan Yuan Yifei returned. The footsteps in the yard were very messy and numerous, as if it wasn't just Xuan Yuan Yife, but also someone else.

  As he pushed open the door, I was sitting cross-legged on the couch regulating my breath. He hastily walked to my side, grasped my hand which was cold to the touch, and furrowed his brow in concern: "Shu'er, why must you go to such lengths for me?"

  "I..."

  "Next time, don't heal anyone else without my permission." He looked like he was in so much pain that he was about to die.

  "Good...this is unexpected." I furrowed my brow, "There shouldn't be a next time." I leaned against Xuan Yuan Yifei's shoulder, he tightened his grip on my hand: "Who exactly was that person?"

  "I don't know, I don't recognize... Ah... You know?" I slowly got up and looked at Xuan Yuan Yifei's serious face. He nodded and said in a deep voice: "Still not coming in!"

  Outside the door. A man was pushed in, he was tied up with ropes and had a cloth stuffed in his mouth, it was Hou Xuan! I had never seen Hou Xuan look so wretched before. As soon as Hou Xuan saw me, he rushed towards me and shouted urgently at me with the cloth still stuffed in his mouth: "Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!"

  "When climbing the wall, I was caught! My kung fu is getting worse and worse, I can't even climb a wall!" Xuan Yuan Yifei took away the cloth strip from Hou Xian's mouth, and Hou Xian jumped in anger: "My internal energy hasn't recovered yet. Otherwise, how could I be easily caught by you? You're so good, Xuan Yuan Yifei! I'm ashamed to call you Brother Yifei, your kung fu is better than mine! How can you treat me like this!"

  "Hmph!" Xuan Yuan Yifei let out a cold hum towards Hou Xian, then turned to me and said, "It's up to you now."

  "Good." I nodded, and Hou Xian immediately ran to my front. Anxiously said: "Madam, madam, quickly untie the rope for me, let me teach Xuan Yu Yi Fei a good lesson."

  "What brings you back to the palace again?"

  "Look at the lady. The lady was tired last night, I'm worried." The big black eyes under his thick eyebrows showed concern, he wasn't lying, the pale face from last night had regained its color today. The whole person looked refreshed and spirited.

  "Will you still worry about me?"

  "Of course!"

  "I think it's time to go back to the palace and have some delicious food!" As soon as I finished speaking, I stared at Hou Xuan, and indeed, his eyes flickered for a moment before he shifted closer to me. Immediately, Xuan Ye Yi Fei pulled on the rope binding Hou Xuan, pulling him to his side. Hou Xuan was taken aback, looking at Xuan Ye Yi Fei, then at me. I sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Xuan Ye Yi Fei on the couch, leaning slightly into his chest.

  "When did you guys become so good?"

  A hint of embarrassment in his heart, he secretly glanced at Xuan Yuan Yifei, whose face was also red with a black complexion.

  "Hmph, you're not obedient!" Xuan Yuan Yifei said heavily, then pulled the rope. Immediately, the rope broke in Xuan Yuan Yifei's hand, and Hou Xuan gained his freedom.

  "This is about right." After that, Hou Xian first exercised his body a bit. Rubbing his wrists, he came to me again with a pitter-patter sound, but suddenly, the clothes on his lower back were pulled by Xuan Yuan Yi Fei, and he was like a child who always wanted to run to my side, but was always pulled back by Xuan Yuan Yi Fei.

  "What are you doing! Why do you always drag me along!" Hou Xuan shouted at Xuan Yuan Yifei, who raised an eyebrow and immediately became menacing: "Don't force me to make you a real eunuch!"

  This sentence obviously worked, and Hou Xuan was stunned for a moment. He turned his eyes around and knew that he was not an opponent of Xuan Yuan Yifei at this moment. He immediately lowered his posture, but the expression on his face didn't change. He flicked up his bangs and patted Xuan Yuan Yifei's hand which was holding onto his waistband: "Then let go first, I'll just go."

  Xuanyuan Yifei let go of Hou Xian's sleeve, but instead of putting his hands back in his sleeves, he wrapped his arms around me, as if to support me, yet also embracing me. His actions made Hou Xian widen his eyes in surprise, and the astonishment in his dark pupils grew stronger. He pointed at us with a raised hand: "You, you, Xuanyuan Yifei! Don't touch my wife randomly!"

  Furrowing her brow, Hou Xian suddenly became angry. "Who was it that threw me into the bathtub with those two men last night?"

  "Hmph." Xuan Yuan Yifei couldn't be bothered to respond to Hou Xian, and continued to maintain that possessive posture of his.

  It's half of having somewhere to rely on.

  "Madam! Madam, quickly leave this big lecher!" Hou Xuan said as he reached out to pull me, but Xuan Yuan Yi Fei immediately grabbed his hand and gave it a hard tug. Hou Xuan was pulled down by Xuan Yuan Yi Fei and ended up kneeling on one knee in front of him, with one hand subconsciously supporting himself on Xuan Yuan Yi Fei's knee. He looked up at Xuan Yuan Yi Fei with an angry glare.

  Xuanyuan Yifei pulled up the struggling Hou Xian's arm and angrily said: "You secretly took away Piaopiao's inner power, almost causing her to faint and get hurt. This account has not been settled with you yet! Do you want me to write a letter to the Wulin Alliance Master, so that he can take this disobedient son of yours back?"

  His mouth was wide open in astonishment, and he stood there like a wooden chicken.

  I glanced at the two of them, Xuan Yuan Yifei's body slightly tilted, his head thrown back, his red lips opening and closing, a look of shock on his face, with a hint of fear. Xuan Yuan Yifei narrowed those eyes full of murderous intent, threw off Hou Xian's arm, and Hou Xian slowly stood up from the ground, his lowered head like that of a defeated rooster.

  "Madam... when did you have an affair with him?" Hou Xuan suddenly turned his face, looking at me with a sad and lost expression. I was shocked in my heart, how could Hou Xuan show such an expression? All along, he had been carefree and cheerful, always grinning from ear to ear, calling out "Madam this" and "Madam that", but now, as he pointed at Xuan Yu Fei, his eyes were actually starting to redden.

  "Used to be always one leg with me..."

  Covered in black lines, I still can't figure out the depth of this leg. Usually we joke that taking one leg is more "pure" - "wolf pack". I think his meaning is that before he was friends with him, but now he's friends with Xuan Yuan Yi Fei.

  "Women love new things and hate old ones!" Finally, Hou Xian fiercely swung his fingers at me, his high braid flying up in the swing, sweeping across the sunlight.

  Looking at Xuan Yuan Yifei again, he narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow, apparently even more speechless than me.

  "Someone's coming!" Xuan Yuan Yifei finally couldn't take it anymore. "Take Hou Xian Gongzi away!"

  "Yes!" Immediately, two guards jumped in from outside the door. Hou Xuan suddenly struck a pose: "Madam, you're really ruthless! Not only do you not want me, but you also want someone to hit me!" Hou Xuan's voice was choked with sobs, as if he was about to cry out loud. I rubbed my temples in pain.

  "What's wrong?" Xuan Yuan Yifei immediately felt my forehead, he always feared I had a fever or caught a cold. I shook my head: "Give Hou Xian to me, he's just a kid, doesn't understand."

  Xuanyuan Yifei lowered his head in thought for a moment, then stood up: "Alright, I'll be outside."

  "Thank you."

  Xuanyuan Yifei narrowed his eyes again, inserted his hands into his sleeves, and stared coldly at Hou Xian's face, which was puffed up with anger, before walking out of the room.

  He made a face at his back, then hastily ran back to my side and sat down, restoring his complacency: "I knew the lady was still with me."

  "Afterwards, Yifei and I are husband and wife." I directly entered the topic, Hou Xian is not a child, he just has a root that hasn't been connected.

  "What?" Hou Xian stared with wide eyes, "Husband and wife? Aren't you guys fake?"

  "It's true now, I like Yifei, Yifei also likes me, we are husband and wife."

  "You, you, you're so fast!" Hou Xuan's body stiffened as he turned to face the window, his gaze locked on Xuan Ye outside in the courtyard, who was chatting with someone. "Then, then, then Madam won't be mine anymore?"

  "What's yours? I've never been yours, what did you take me for?"

  "But... but we were so compatible..." Hou Xian hung his head, slowly stirring his fingers, and whispered, "I still wanted to take you home to meet my magnificent mother, she would definitely like you, then I would marry you as my wife, the three of us living happily together every day..."

  "Hou Xian, do you like that? If I liked it, why would I live under the same roof as Yifei without getting angry?"

  "Why get angry? You won't really have a leg, anyway!" Hou Xian raised his face, looked dejected and scratched his head again, then hung it down once more. "Now you really do have a leg..."

  "If your affection for me is really like Yifei's, you wouldn't let me live under the same roof as Yifei, and even less would you... " She stole a glance outside the window, lowering her voice, "throw me into the bathtub of two big men!"

  "Why can't it be?" Houxian turned his face with a puzzled expression, "At that time, both of their lives were at stake, and the only one who could save them was the lady."

  "So, you're saying that your feelings for me aren't romantic love, but a friendship. Do you think there's any difference in the way you feel about me compared to them?"

  He blinked his eyes, fell into serious thought, and then, his eyes flashed: "Yes! I want to marry the lady, but not them!"

  Good heavens, who can save Hou Xian and open his eyes?