FMT 55

Chapter 55 Everlasting Joy

After the former Sect wleader died, the sect fell into chaos. The Right Protector acted out of selfishness and, during his escape, took Feng Xingzhou captive.

Feng Xingzhou’s medical skills were unmatched under heaven, but his martial arts were poor, only a little better than street thugs.

Few people knew that he was also skilled with poisons.

On the way northwest, the Right Protector fell for Feng Xingzhou’s tricks. He did not die, but he was gravely injured. Feng Xingzhou seized the chance to escape. But he did not know what had become of the house, and he dared not return or contact Shuangruo rashly. He could only hide in the northwest, making a living as a traveling doctor.

Later, a merchant caravan hired him to go with them to the western border. He followed them.

This place was cut off from news, vast, sparsely populated, with grand scenery and abundant fruit. It was a good place to hide. He did not go back with the caravan and stayed in the western border.

The Right Protector had terrified him, and he had suffered a great deal in his hands. In the western border, Feng Xingzhou did not dare stay in one place too long.

Often he stayed in one place for ten days or half a month, then moved on.

Earlier, in Heishi City, he stayed only five or six days. After realizing he had gotten drunk and almost revealed his identity, drawing attention to himself, he regretted it, rushed to Zhuque City, stayed a dozen days there, and then came to Liuli City.

If not for running into Liandan by chance, Feng Xingzhou had planned to leave that very day for another place.

When he heard that the sect had already scattered and both Protectors were dead, he sighed. Hearing of Chen Shuangning’s condition, he slapped his knee in frustration.

He knew clearly about the children kidnapped by the sect. He also knew Chen Shuangning was Shuangruo’s older brother. Back then, though the sect leader had threatened him with Shuangruo’s life, keeping him from recognizing her openly, he could not have truly been indifferent.

He and Feng Xingzhou had exchanged letters several times a year. They were old acquaintances.

So, when he heard Chen Shuangning’s poison had flared and his body was in critical state, Feng Xingzhou said nothing more and followed Liandan straight back to the inn.

That morning Shuangning had only been awake a short while. By the time they returned, he was already unconscious again.

The room was silent. The windows were shut. Faint sounds of horns drifted inside.

Feng Xingzhou sat by the bed and carefully took his pulse. After a while, he withdrew his hand and sighed.

Liandan’s heart sank. He asked, “How is it?”

Feng Xingzhou shook his head. “Too late.”

Liandan’s lashes trembled. His face turned deathly pale.

Feng Xingzhou said, “If it had been three months earlier, I would have had eighty percent certainty. Now, only fifty.”

Liandan closed his eyes. His heart lifted a little from the depths. His voice was hoarse as he repeated, “That’s already very good. Very good. As long as there’s hope.”

Feng Xingzhou stayed. Liandan arranged the room next door for him.

That same day, Liandan sent word to Leng Shan. By night, Leng Shan and the others rushed in, covered with dust.

He and Feng Xingzhou were old acquaintances. They only had time to exchange a few brief greetings.

Feng Xingzhou said the poison in Chen Shuangning’s body was already near his heart. His unconsciousness was the body fighting the poison’s invasion, draining enormous energy.

That drain was deadly. Perhaps before the poison’s final eruption, his life would already end from exhaustion.

Before detoxifying, they had to first nourish him, build his strength and resistance.

He said this nourishment could not be like that for ordinary people, with good food alone. Shuangning slept often and could not eat much when awake. They had to use a gradual regimen of medicine.

Feng Xingzhou wrote a prescription and told Leng Shan to get the medicine. Once decocted, Liandan fed it to Shuangning regularly and in set amounts.

When it could not be fed in, Liandan drank it himself, then passed it mouth to mouth.

At night he had to get up two or three times to feed him medicine.

One day, Feng Xingzhou noticed Liandan’s poor complexion and took his pulse as well. He said, “By the end of next month at the latest, you will give birth. Don’t do all the care yourself. Don’t exhaust yourself.”

Liandan said, “I’m still fine. If I get too tired, I’ll ask Brother Leng to help.”

Feng Xingzhou nodded. “I will also write a prescription for you, to strengthen your body and also benefit the child in your belly. A little ge’er, fair and delicate, is best.”

At first, Liandan did not react. After a while, he suddenly looked up at him. “I am carrying a ge’er? You can tell?”

Feng Xingzhou smiled. “Eight or nine out of ten. You can prepare his clothes and even a name.” He pointed to the bed. “He will wake tonight. You and the child’s father can think of a name for this son.”

Feng Xingzhou’s prediction was accurate. That night, after the sky grew dark, Chen Shuangning woke.

Liandan heated the red date cake he had made. Shuangning ate half a piece with hot water.

Though it was little, it was the best he had eaten in many days.

Afterward, Liandan brought a cloth. Shuangning reached to take it, but Liandan pulled away.

Liandan sat at the bed edge, leaning forward slightly, moving carefully, as if he was afraid to hurt him, as he wiped his mouth and hands.

Shuangning watched him. When he finished, he said, “You are very happy now.”

Liandan did not speak, only smiled at him.

Shuangning’s lips also curved slightly. He lifted his hand, brushed his fingertips against Liandan’s cheek, then tried to withdraw. But Liandan caught his hand, turned his face, and pressed his cheek against the palm, rubbing against it.

Shuangning’s face was gaunt and ashen, but his expression was gentle. His gaze was fixed entirely on the person before him.

Liandan looked at him, saw him both beautiful and fragile. He felt pity and pain, making his nose sting. He said softly, “Doctor Feng said the child in my belly is a ge’er.”

Shuangning lowered his gaze to the swollen belly. Unhidden joy shone in his eyes. “If he says so, then it must be so.”

Liandan saw he was in a good mood, so his own mood lifted too. He answered with a happy “Mm” and said, “Xiaodan has grown, he should have a proper name now. And the little son in my belly, let’s name him too.”

These days Chen Shuangning rarely cared about anything, but after thinking for a while he said, “The older one will be called Changsheng, the younger Changle. Do you think that is fine?” ¹

Liandan repeated, “Changsheng, Changle.” He smiled with joy. “It sounds good, and the meaning is good.”

He lowered his head, stroked his belly, felt the small life moving inside him in response, and laughed. “Chen Changle, you have a name now.”

Chen Shuangning was startled. “The surname… Chen?” He had thought it would be Bai.

Liandan raised his head, nodded firmly. “They will take your surname. Chen Changsheng. Chen Changle.”

Shuangning froze again. After a while, he said softly, “Thank you.”

Liandan said, “I don’t want thanks. You know what I want to hear.”

Shuangning’s lips moved, but before he spoke, Liandan pressed a hand to his lips. “I don’t want to hear it now. When you recover, tell me then.”

So Shuangning stayed quiet, only staring at him.

After Liandan lowered his hand, Shuangning still said, “Feng Xingzhou’s medicine is amazing, but he has never been without failure…”

Liandan covered his lips again and said with absolute certainty, “You will get better.”

After waking up this time, Shuangning had more and more waking hours. Within a few days, his routine was nearly the same as a normal person’s.

Sometimes Liandan supported him, and the two of them took short walks by the lake.

But the good days did not last. Just as Liandan’s heart began to settle, one morning he called Shuangning for breakfast and got no response.

From that day, Shuangning fell into unconsciousness again. Feng Xingzhou changed the prescription, added a few herbs. After two days he improved, but a few days later he worsened again.

This repeated several times. Liandan’s heart was thrown up and down, and he grew gaunt.

Fortunately, after Shuangruo received the letter, she rushed over with Bai Wushuang, Liang Yun, their daughter, and Xiaodan.

By mid-November they arrived at Liuli City. The string stretched tight in Liandan’s chest finally loosened. The joy of seeing Xiaodan eased his spirit.

Shuangruo hugged him with distress and wiped her tears in secret.

Liandan brought Xiaodan to see his father. Shuangning was still unconscious. Xiaodan, more sensible now, entered quietly, leaned against his father carefully, making sure not to press him.

He bent down and kissed his father’s face. He could not say much yet, only repeated over and over, “Pain fly away, pain fly away…”

With Shuangruo there, Feng Xingzhou had help. He instructed his disciple and then shut himself away to focus only on making the antidote.

In the latter half of November, Shuangning’s waking and sleeping time was half and half again, his condition falling back to how it had been before Feng Xingzhou arrived.

Even when he was awake, he was often confused.

Liandan asked Shuangruo. She only sighed and shook her head. “The poison isn’t cleared. It’s still eroding his heart. No matter how much we strengthen his body, it only delays time. It cannot stop the poison. Only taking the antidote can truly solve it.”

They could only wait for Feng Xingzhou’s result.

A few days before the end of November, Liandan felt his belly dropping. Shuangruo checked his pulse and said it would be within days.

On the morning when Liandan’s bleeding began, Shuangning unexpectedly woke.

Because Liandan was about to give birth and Xiaodan was also there, he had already moved out of Shuangning’s room into another one.

Liandan had not allowed Shuangruo to tell her brother, afraid of upsetting him.

Bai Wushuang told him Liandan and Shuangruo had taken Xiaodan out to play. Shuangning seemed to believe it, even asking Wushuang now and then to open the window to see if they were back.

But later, he grew restless, as if he had realized something. He insisted that Wushuang go look.

Wushuang could no longer brush it off. He finally told the truth.

Shuangning grew furious. He ordered Wushuang to put him in the wheelchair and take him to see Liandan.

Wushuang had no choice. He pushed him over. Before they reached the room, they could already hear muffled cries.

Hearing them, veins bulged on Shuangning’s forehead.

Wushuang gritted his teeth and knocked. “Shuangruo, I can’t hide it anymore. He came.”

The door creaked open. Liang Yun stuck his head out, shooed Wushuang away. “Go watch Xiaodan.”

Then he wheeled Shuangning inside, into the room set as the birthing chamber.

Inside, behind a screen, Shuangning saw the small young ge’er lying on the bed. His face was deathly pale, his hair soaked with sweat. He bit down on a cork, his lips drained of blood.

Liang Yun pushed the wheelchair to the bed. Shuangning leaned with effort, reached out to touch Liandan’s cheek. Liandan panted, tears running as he looked at him.

Shuangning could not bear his suffering. He turned to Shuangruo, whose face was taut. “Is there no way to ease his pain?”

Shuangruo said, “This child is not as large as Xiaodan was. A cut is not needed. He must give birth himself, and he will suffer for it.”

Shuangning’s throat moved. He turned back to Liandan.

Liandan grabbed his hand tightly. Shuangning knew what he was thinking. He said softly, “Don’t worry about me. I am fine.”

He said, “Liandan, I will be fine. You must endure too.”

Liandan cried and nodded.

The rest of the process went more smoothly than expected.

Within half an hour, the little one that had tormented Liandan with pain finally came out.

After Shuangruo quickly cleaned the child, Liang Yun wrapped him in a blanket and brought him to Liandan and Shuangning. Liandan kissed the baby’s forehead. Shuangning carefully kissed him too.

Shuangruo said, “It is a ge’er.”

Shuangning lowered his gaze to the child, smiled faintly, then looked up at Liandan. “You’ve suffered…”

Before he finished speaking, his face went pale. He turned his head and vomited a mouthful of bright blood with a splatter.

Before anyone could react, another mouthful followed.

Liandan’s eyes almost split open. He screamed, torn from his chest, “Shuangning!”

Shuangruo rushed over, just touched her brother’s arm when he vomited another mouthful, one after another, unstoppable.

Liandan’s eyes were wide, his mouth open, but no sound came.

Liang Yun placed the baby by his side, then rushed out shouting, “Call Doctor Feng!”

“Brother!” Shuangruo cried out.

Chen Shuangning’s eyes rolled back. He lost consciousness.

1. Changsheng means long life and Changle everlasting joy ↩︎