Chapter 466 Incurable?

Chapter 466: No Cure?

Everyone got goosebumps.

"I'm just a woman of the world..." Jiyue pressed the handkerchief to his face, shoulders heaving up and down, "I've never had control over my own life..."

He broke into noisy sobs.

His crying was as rough as a saw blade, yet he kept forcing it higher, making everyone's skin crawl.

Between sobs, he dabbed at his eyes with the handkerchief, and after wiping, he wrung it out, as if wringing out actual tears.

The crowd grimaced.

Several patrons' wine cups clattered to the table.

All eyes turned to Wufeng at once, waiting for his reaction.

The butcher knife was still in his hand, its blade still gleaming with menace.

Wufeng stared hard at the "courtesan" hiding behind Ling Feng, his face dark and inscrutable.

The hall fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Just as everyone expected him to fly into a rage and cut down that "seductress"—

Wufeng spoke.

"My husband," his voice was low and gloomy, "how much silver did he drop on you?"

Jiyue's sobbing hitched to a stop.

Everyone froze too.

This... this isn't how the script goes, is it?

Ling Feng was stunned too. He glanced at Jiyue, then at Wufeng, opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Jiyue peeked out from behind the handkerchief, showing half his face, blinking his eyes. Those coarse, rugged brows combined with that innocent look were as lethal as a butcher knife.

"Well..." he stammered, his voice still rough, "I... I'm not really sure either..."

Just then, someone pushed through the crowd.

"Aiyaya—everyone, calm down! Calm down!"

The madam waved her handkerchief, swaying her hips as she hurried between them, her face creased into a smile like a blooming chrysanthemum.

She wore a garish red-and-green brocade outfit, her face caked in thick powder that flaked off whenever she smiled.

She glanced at the knife in Wufeng's hand, took half a step back, then forced the smile back on, her voice shrill enough to burst eardrums:

"Dear madam, please calm down. All this fuss and fury—it's bad for business, isn't it?"

Wufeng just stared at her, saying nothing.

The madam swallowed hard and pressed on, bracing herself: "Your husband... he didn't spend that much here—just reserved half a month or so..."

She glanced at Wufeng's face and quickly added: "Really, not much at all! We have set prices here—no cheating kids or old folks!

If you're upset about it, I'll take it upon myself to refund the rest of the silver. How about... we just call it even, alright?"

When the madam finished, the hall went dead silent again.

Wufeng said nothing.

He just stood there, butcher knife in hand, staring hard at Jiyue, his expression dark and unreadable.

Everyone held their breath. Someone quietly edged backward.

Others were already eyeing the door, ready to bolt at any second.

Someone in the corner muttered: "This... someone's gonna die, aren't they..."

Another whispered back: "I already sent someone to fetch the authorities..."

Time dragged on, and Wufeng still hadn't moved. Ling Feng stood in the middle, cold sweat running down his face.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but one look at Wufeng's face and he swallowed the words back.

Jiyue hid behind Ling Feng, clutching the handkerchief, blinking those thick-browed eyes at Wufeng.

Just as everyone was sure that butcher knife was about to swing down any second—

Wufeng moved.

He raised his hand.

Everyone flinched.

He tossed the knife to the ground with a clang.

Everyone was stunned.

Wufeng raised his other hand and pointed at Jiyue.

"In that case," his voice was low, yet every word rang out clearly, "you'll come home with me."

Everyone: "?!?!"

The hall exploded into chaos.

"What the hell?!"

"This wife... wants to bring that vixen home?!"

"Am I hearing things?!"

"What kind of play is this?!"

Ling Feng stood frozen, his mouth opening and closing, but no words came out.

Jiyue poked his head out from behind Ling Feng, his rugged face full of confusion: "This madam... you... what did you just say?"

"You're quite the skilled woman. My husband's heart has already wandered from me."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word landed clearly.

"In that case, you'll come home with me and share my bed."

The crowd: "..."

The hall fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone's jaws dropped wide enough to fit an egg.

Jiyue's handkerchief slipped from his hand and fluttered to the ground.

His mouth hung open, his thick brows and big eyes filled with shock, paired with that face, looking like a hulking tower struck by lightning.

Ling Feng stood frozen in place, his eyes about to pop out of their sockets.

The Madam was the first to snap out of it, flapping her hands repeatedly, powder flaking off her face: "This... this won't do!"

Wufeng turned his head and stared at her.

The Madam's heart quailed under that look, but she still steeled herself and said:

"Miss, what you're saying isn't right! Our girls here sell their talents, not their bodies! You can't just waltz in and take one away!"

Wufeng cut her off, his voice as calm as if he were talking about the weather:

"Why not? I earned that silver, so I've got a stake in that girl."

The crowd: "..."

What kind of outrageous logic is that?

A genius of twisted logic!

The Madam's face turned beet red, flapping her hands frantically: "This can't be done! This girl won't work! She... she..."

She went "she... she... she..." for ages, but never managed to finish the sentence.

Wufeng brushed her off.

His eyes swept over the crowd.

Suddenly—

He moved.

He darted forward and, in one swift motion, scooped up a girl who was craning her neck and sticking her butt out to watch the commotion, lifting her by the waist!

Before the girl could react, she was already in the air.

"???"

Bai Yuxing, hoisted up out of nowhere, stared with wide, bewildered eyes.

Wufeng bounced him in his arms, expressionless, and said: "Since she's a no-go, this one's coming home with me!"

Bai Yuxing: "???!!!"

The crowd: "..."

Wait... that actually worked?!

Wufeng didn't give them a second to react—he hauled the guy and bolted.

He moved so fast, so clean, so smooth, that everyone was left gaping.

Bai Yuxing, slung over his shoulder, kicked his legs wildly in the air: "Wait, wait, wait—who the hell are you?! Put me down—!!"

Wufeng ignored him, moving like a gust of wind, and blasted through the doors of Cuiyun Tower in a flash.

The crowd all turned at once to stare at Ling Feng.

Ling Feng's mouth opened and shut, opened and shut, but not a single sound came out.

Two seconds later, he snapped out of it and shouted: "Wife—! Let me explain—!"

With that, he took off sprinting out of Cuiyun Tower.

Jiyue saw the two take off, yelped "oh dear," and hiked up his skirt to give chase.

He ran and shouted, his voice grating like a broken gong, yet straining to sound sweet:

"Ling Lang—! You promised to keep me company for half a month! You can't just leave—!"

That hulking frame in a water-red gauze skirt, charging along with quite the gusty vigor.

The crowd watched the three figures vanish into the night, struck silent for a long while.

After a beat, someone muttered: "Something feels... kinda off, doesn't it?"

Another nodded: "Yeah, I was thinking the same..."

The Madam stood frozen, not even bothering to pick up her dropped handkerchief, another layer of powder dusting off her face.

...

Bai Yuxing was hauled back to the prince's mansion.

The whole way, he squirmed, yelled, tried to escape—but Wufeng's arm was like a steel vise, locking him in place.

By the time he got tossed into a room, he was winded, worn out, and totally dazed.

Where the hell am I?

What's going on?

Who was that woman screaming like a stuck pig?

Why'd she grab me?

Bai Yuxing braced himself against the wall, and before he could even take in the room, he locked eyes with someone.

Those eyes were dark and heavy, with bloodshot whites, like their owner hadn't slept in ages.

Cheng Ge sat at the table, watching him.

Bai Yuxing's heart lurched.

Cheng Ge didn't mince words, cutting straight to: "You're Bai Yuxing, aren't you?"

Bai Yuxing's eyelid twitched, and his poker face snapped into place.

He squeezed his voice into a high, thin falsetto: "This young master must be joking. This humble one is Chunfeng from Cuiyun Tower, not some Bai Yuxing."

Cheng Ge stared at him.

Stared for two seconds.

"Stop pretending," he said, his tone as flat as if he were commenting on the weather. "That Adam's apple of yours is sticking out like an egg. If you're gonna cosplay, at least commit to it."

Bai Yuxing: "..."

He instinctively raised a hand to touch his neck.

It was indeed a bit prominent.

"Th-That's because your servant has been having too much internal heat lately!" he struggled on, his voice getting even shriller. "It's swollen! Swollen, got it?!"

Cheng Ge stared at him with a blank face.

Bai Yuxing felt creeped out by that stare, his voice getting quieter and quieter: "Really... really swollen..."

Cheng Ge didn't bother with more nonsense.

"I need you to treat someone."

Bai Yuxing froze for a second, then puffed out his chest and reverted to his normal voice: "Why would I? No way."

Cheng Ge looked at him.

His gaze was calm—so calm it made Bai Yuxing's skin crawl.

"So you won't help?" Cheng Ge said, his voice still hoarse, but with an unreadable tone. "Then forget it."

Bai Yuxing froze.

Forget it?

Just like that?

Before he could even process it, Cheng Ge offhandedly added:

"Oh, by the way, I've got a complete set of rare editions of *The Secret History of the Boudoir*—with illustrations."

Bai Yuxing stopped dead in his tracks.

"What?"

He turned around, eyes wide as dinner plates.

Cheng Ge leaned back in his chair, looking unbothered: "And a handwritten manuscript of *Curiosities of the Jade Chamber*. I hear it's out of print. I was gonna give it to you as your fee, but too bad."

Bai Yuxing's Adam's apple bobbed—that egg-like lump moving up and down, impossible to miss.

"You... you mean that one... the one with the super detailed illustrations..."

Cheng Ge arched an eyebrow: "What, you've heard of it?"

Bai Yuxing's mouth opened and closed, then opened and closed again.

Cheng Ge added in a leisurely tone: "Oh right, and the original draft of *The Mirror of Romance*. I hear it's got exclusive hand-drawn illustrations by some famous person—who was it again? Let me think..."

Bai Yuxing dashed over to him in one stride.

"I'll treat them!!!"

Cheng Ge looked at him.

Bai Yuxing grabbed his arm, with the most sincere expression possible.

"I'll treat them now! Right now! This instant! Where are they? Take me to them!"

Bai Yuxing: In life, all I want is to read something filthy to nourish my soul.

Bai Yuxing followed Cheng Ge into the back room.

As soon as he walked in, he saw the person on the bed.

Yun Xunyu lay there, covered with a thick quilt, his white hair fanned out across the pillow.

The white was so blinding it made the vivid red on his lips even more striking—as if stained with blood—an eerie, unnatural red.

Bai Yuxing paused mid-step, his eyes shifting subtly.

He sat down beside the bed, reached out, and rested his fingers on Yun Xunyu's wrist.

The instant his fingertips touched the skin, his brow twitched into a slight frown.

Cheng Ge stood off to the side, watching his expression.

Time ticked by, and Bai Yuxing's frown grew deeper and deeper.

He switched hands and checked the pulse again, his face growing more and more serious.

Cheng Ge's heart dropped.

Just then, Bai Yuxing suddenly looked up at Cheng Ge.

Then he reached out and grabbed Cheng Ge's wrist.

Cheng Ge: "???"

Bai Yuxing pressed his fingers to Cheng Ge's pulse and closed his eyes, concentrating.

After a few moments, Bai Yuxing released his hand.

He stood up, took a step back, looked at Yun Xunyu on the bed, then at Cheng Ge, and shook his head.

Cheng Ge's heart sank to the bottom of his stomach.

Cheng Ge spoke up immediately, his voice strained: "What poison did he get? How do we cure him?!"

Bai Yuxing looked at him, silent for two seconds.

"Can't be cured," he said. "Make funeral arrangements."

Cheng Ge's voice rose sharply: "How can you not cure him?!

Whatever medicine you need, I can get it! No matter how rare or hard to find, I'll find it!"

Bai Yuxing shook his head.

"It's not about the medicine." He paused for a moment. "What he's got isn't poison at all."

Cheng Ge was stunned.

"What?"

Bai Yuxing's gaze fell on the pale face on the bed, on that excessively vivid shade of lips.

"What he's been hit with is a gu—a kind of poisonous curse." His voice was calm.

Cheng Ge's lips moved slightly. His voice was hoarse: "A gu... what kind of gu? I don't understand."

Bai Yuxing sat down by the bed, his gaze resting on Yun Xunyu's pale face.

"If I remember correctly, this gu is called the 'Heart-Devouring Gu,' which once appeared among the southern tribes in ancient times. When you first get it, it shows no obvious signs, and its pulse looks very similar to poisoning."

Cheng Ge's mind was spinning. He'd never seen a gu before, let alone heard of one.

"How... how is that possible..." His voice was shaking. "They clearly said it was poison..."

Bai Yuxing smiled faintly, a hint of helplessness and understanding in his expression.

"If I'm not mistaken, the one who originally contracted this gu was you, wasn't it?"

Cheng Ge's pupils contracted slightly.

Bai Yuxing looked at him and continued, "And to save you, he used his own blood as a medium, drawing the gu worm into himself."

Cheng Ge's gaze suddenly fell on Yun Xunyu, that vivid red on his lips burning like an unquenchable flame.

His lips trembled slightly, but he couldn't utter a single word.