Upon hearing this, Huo Wuji nodded slightly, placed his wine glass back on the table, picked up a few bites of food with his chopsticks, and thus managed to swallow down the bitterness.

With a hypocritical expression, Huo Yuyan spoke with concern: “It was my oversight. Quickly, someone, remove the wine from the table. How could you leave this medicinal wine out with Wuji here?”

He seemed to be making a show of wanting to remove the medicinal wine for Huo Wuji’s sake.

Seeing this, Huo Wuji raised his hand, stopping the wine jug.

“It’s fine,” he said indifferently, looking at Huo Yuyan, as if unaware of his act. “If you’re not feeling well, just drink this.”

“But…” Huo Yuyan still looked guilty.

“It’s nothing.” Huo Wuji didn’t want to linger on the topic, so he pressed on, still in the same tone. “But what’s been happening with you lately? I remember that when I first arrived, you could still drink wine.”

Huo Yuyan thought to himself: He’s taken the bait.

He displayed a gentle and tolerant expression, with a hint of grievance, and replied softly with a smile: “It’s nothing, I’ve just been a little tired these past few days.”

Huo Wuji nodded, feigning ignorance: “Palace affairs are indeed taxing. Don’t worry, if that’s the case, you don’t have to force yourself to assist me in the future. I can manage on my own.”

Huo Yuyan froze momentarily, then quickly tried to offer an explanation.

However, the clever young eunuch behind him had caught on to the conversation and looked displeased, blurting out, “It’s not palace affairs that are tiring him out! Clearly, someone’s disturbing the peace of the study hall, purposely troubling the Crown Prince!”

Huo Wuji’s brows knitted slightly as he was about to speak, but he heard Huo Yuyan quickly interrupt the young eunuch in a low voice, reprimanding him: “You talk too much.”

The young eunuch closed his mouth in embarrassment, though he still wore a look of discontent.

Huo Wuji thought to himself: very well played; he even has an accomplice in this game.

He picked up on the flow of the conversation between the two and furrowed his brows, asking, "What do you mean? Who is causing this disturbance?" His tone was serious, as if he were hearing about something very concerning.

Huo Yuyan lowered his gaze.
"It’s nothing," he replied with a smile. "Prince Jing likes to have fun. I just have to take responsibility as his older brother."

Huo Wuji frowned and questioned him: "Has he been causing trouble for you?"

Huo Yuyan gave a slight smile but didn’t say anything. However, the young eunuch behind him eagerly continued, "Yes, he has! Recently, Prince Jing has been in the study hall, meddling in everything the Crown Prince does. And since he doesn't know how to do anything, he’s made a mess of things in the palace, which is truly exasperating! And still, the Crown Prince protects him!"

Huo Yuyan lowered his voice and reprimanded the young eunuch, "Are you beyond my control now? You’re getting far too talkative." The young eunuch closed his mouth in embarrassment.

"It’s fine, Wuji. Don’t believe everything he says. It’s nothing," Huo Yuyan repeated, smiling gently at Huo Wuji.

But Huo Wuji looked almost relieved, as if he had just dodged a concern.
"I thought it was something serious, but apparently it’s nothing," Huo Wuji remarked.

Huo Yuyan was momentarily taken aback, then watched as Huo Wuji turned his gaze away and took a bite of meat.

"It’s just some minor palace matter. It’s nothing. If you want to keep him around to entertain yourself, go right ahead. In the end, all those officials are the same—no matter who you use, it’s all the same. Better to handle it with a sense of humor," Huo Wuji added nonchalantly.

Huo Yuyan fell silent for a moment, then saw Huo Wuji look up at him.
"Hm? Big brother, did I say something wrong?"

Huo Yuyan forced a flawless smile and picked up the wine glass from the table.
"You didn’t say anything wrong," he said with a faint smile. "Don’t worry. Go ahead, eat."

Huo Wuji looked away and began to focus on the lamb on the table. Meanwhile, Huo Yuyan held his chopsticks but seemed to have no appetite. Truly… he would never have imagined that the one who was blinding Huo Wuji wasn’t some clever schemer, but simply a fool who could fight yet lacked any brains.

*

When Huo Wuji returned to Jiang Suizhou’s palace, a light drizzle was falling outside. He opened the door, releasing a warm scent of wine and lamb mixed with a faint medicinal aroma. Jiang Suizhou had just finished organizing the list of officials and was reviewing it. Seeing Huo Wuji enter, he stood up and asked, “Back already? So, what did he say?”

Huo Wuji chuckled a few times, looking casual. “He talked. Just a few words. He didn’t even dare to say them himself. He sat there looking mournful, like he’d invited me to listen to a duet performed by the little eunuch by his side.”

Jiang Suizhou was amused by his words and asked, “That does sound like him. What about you?”

Huo Wuji moved around Jiang Suizhou, taking the registry he was holding and flipping through it. “What else could I do? Play the role of King Zhou. My spirit’s already lost to you. Whatever he says doesn’t matter.”

His tone was serious, as if it were a matter of fact. Jiang Suizhou laughed and replied, “In that case, I can be a bit bolder. After all, the general is fond of me, isn’t he?”

Huo Wuji laughed along with him, flipping through the registry in his hands. But after a few pages, he began to feel something was off. He frowned, tugging at his collar, suddenly feeling hot after returning from the rain. He moved to open the window to let in some air. But just as his hand brushed the window frame, he remembered Jiang Suizhou was still in the room. He paused, feeling slightly frustrated, and withdrew his hand.

Noticing his discomfort, Jiang Suizhou asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Huo Wuji frowned. “It’s just a bit too cold outside, which makes it very warm in here.”

Jiang Suizhou seemed concerned. “That could lead to a fever.”

Huo Wuji waved his hand dismissively, not worried at all. Who was he, after all? Catch a fever from a few raindrops?

But when he saw Jiang Suizhou get up and take the registry from his hands, he sighed.

“You should take a bath and go to bed early,” said Jiang Suizhou.

Huo Wuji grimaced.
If it had been anyone else urging him like that, he would certainly have been annoyed. But since it was Jiang Suizhou, he felt compelled to obey. Well, it was only a bath; nothing difficult. He nodded, leaned in to give Jiang Suizhou two kisses on the cheek, then turned toward the bath at the back.

When he returned, Jiang Suizhou was already lying in bed.
Huo Wuji climbed into bed, bringing with him a trace of steam. As soon as he lay down, Jiang Suizhou felt a chill in the air mixed with dense dampness. Clearly, Huo Wuji had taken a cold shower.

Jiang Suizhou was about to speak, but he noticed Huo Wuji, who had just settled in, take a deep breath, pull the thin blanket over himself, then turn to face Jiang Suizhou.

Jiang Suizhou found himself looking into a pair of intense eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Aren’t you hot?” Huo Wuji asked, frowning deeply.

Just then, the rain beat heavily against the windows. The coolness brought by the rain made the air exceptionally fresh, and Jiang Suizhou, wrapped in a light blanket, was beginning to feel a bit chilly.

“Not really,” Jiang Suizhou replied, hesitantly reaching out to touch Huo Wuji’s arm. The arm was strong, muscular, covered in a fine film of cool condensation, but under that layer, his skin was burning hot.

…It wasn’t exactly a fever, more like his blood was running hot.

Since it was summer, Jiang Suizhou was dressed in a light, loose nightshirt. He hadn’t noticed that as he sat up, the collar had slipped open, exposing a patch of bright, pale skin.

At the same time, his cool hand settled on Huo Wuji.

Huo Wuji’s gaze darkened.

Normally, this kind of moment wouldn’t have been a problem, but this time it made him waver, as though he was on the verge of losing his balance. Then a wave of heat surged down his body as if it had finally found its direction.

Caught off guard, he abruptly pulled his hand away from Jiang Suizhou’s.

“Don’t move,” he said, his voice rough.

Jiang Suizhou was startled by Huo Wuji’s sudden reaction and quickly realized something was off.

“What did you eat today?” he asked, frowning.

Huo Wuji scowled. “Nothing out of the ordinary. I ate at the barracks this afternoon, and then tonight, I went to Huo Yuyan’s…”

He stopped abruptly, muttering a curse under his breath. “Huo Yuyan is completely useless.”

Sitting up with a groan, Huo Wuji continued, “It’s because of him that I…”

“What?” Jiang Suizhou asked, alarmed.

“Earlier, everything he ate seemed normal, except for the medicinal wine he was drinking to recover,” Huo Wuji said, gritting his teeth as he turned over to lie back down. “I didn’t expect the wine to have any other purpose. I let my guard down.”

Jiang Suizhou instantly understood what Huo Wuji meant.

But before he could react, Huo Wuji looked as if he intended to leave. Jiang Suizhou quickly asked, “Where are you going now?”

Huo Wuji replied, “I’m going to take a cold shower.”

Jiang Suizhou hurriedly said, “Are you serious? A cold shower won’t help. Those herbs are meant to strengthen your inner organs, but using cold water could make you sick.”

Huo Wuji looked slightly irritated.

“Then I’ll sleep in a different room,” he muttered. “Otherwise, I’ll go out for a ride. Staying here might cause trouble.”

Without thinking, Jiang Suizhou blurted, “There’s no harm in staying. Li Changning said my injuries are completely healed—there’s no need for extra precautions.”

As soon as he spoke, Jiang Suizhou realized how his words sounded like an invitation. He bit his tongue, closing his mouth quickly, but Huo Wuji stopped in his tracks.

Jiang Suizhou watched as Huo Wuji’s broad back went still, then saw him slowly turn around.

“What did you just say?” Huo Wuji asked, his voice rough, tense, and charged with barely restrained energy as he struggled against the effects overtaking him.

Jiang Suizhou hesitated, looking at his strong, imposing form and feeling a sudden surge of apprehension.

"...I was saying that you’d better go change beds now,” Jiang Suizhou murmured.

“Huo Wuji, why did Li Changning tell you this and not me?” Huo Wuji wasn’t fooled, catching the real implication behind Jiang Suizhou’s words and turning to look at him directly.

Jiang Suizhou swallowed, his voice weakening. “What…?” His voice trembled slightly.

“What exactly did he tell you?” Huo Wuji pressed.

Jiang Suizhou remained silent.

This time, Huo Wuji turned fully around. He saw Jiang Suizhou sitting on the bed, a thin blanket over his legs. His clothing was slightly disheveled from lying down, though he seemed unaware of it. His eyes were wide with a hint of nervousness, watching Huo Wuji with apprehension, a glimmer in them under the lamplight.

Huo Wuji felt heat rush through his veins, overwhelming him.

A moment later, he felt warmth at his nose. Touching it, he saw a bright red stain on his hand.

Huo Wuji cursed under his breath for the second time that night.

“You…” Jiang Suizhou was stunned, staring at him.

Huo Wuji looked up, his gaze intense. With a quick motion, he wiped away the blood from his nose.

“You should’ve told me sooner,” he muttered through clenched teeth.

Before Jiang Suizhou could respond, his world spun.

It felt like he’d been caught off guard by a hungry tiger, who lunged at him, pinning him down with fierce intent, bitting his throat.

*

The author has something to say:
Author: 😆
Jiang Suizhou: “Huo Wuji, are you... bleeding from your nose?”
Huo Wuji: “No, just… I dropped my rose petals!”

Before Jiang Suizhou could respond, he suddenly found himself engulfed, overtaken by the tiger’s leap.

Before Jiang Suizhou could react, he was suddenly swept up, overwhelmed by the tiger’s fierce embrace.

 

Translator : DarNan