Editor: SleepyCat<3
Upon arriving in Nanjing at night, Huang Yuliang received a call informing him that his mother had already arrived and booked a hotel for them. Finally reaching the hotel, the three of them stood before the room Huang Yuliang’s mother was in. As the door creaked open, Li Yan subconsciously took a step back.
The woman who opened the door exuded a mature and alluring charm. Her long, wavy curls cascaded down her shoulders, and the click of her twelve-centimeter heels echoed on the floor. It was the same woman who, back when Huang Yuliang was poisoned, had asked Li Yan out, only to knock him unconscious.
“Mom.”
Li Yan took another step back. He looked at the woman and then at Huang Yuliang. The woman looked to be in her twenties. Do half-demons not age?
“Have you eaten?”
“No, we’ll order takeout later.”
Jiang Sheng was equally surprised. “Brother Huang, your mom looks so young!” Turning to Mrs. Huang, he exclaimed, “Um… Aunt? You look so young and beautiful!”
Huang Yuliang’s mom came over and rubbed Jiang Sheng’s face. “You have such a sweet little mouth~ Just call me sister.” Then, she glanced at Li Yan with a look of disdain. “I thought the man my son fancied would have more self-control, but he turned out to be a guy who went and had fun with Prisoner Maidens, not a bit bothered by their dirtiness.”
“Don’t blame him. He doesn’t understand…”
“Oh, you want me to stop talking. Is that it?” She pointed to the bag in the corner. “I’ve brought all the medicine as you’d asked, both for external use and internal use.” Mrs. Huang turned to Li Yan once again. “Why are you so impolite? You’ve been inside the room for so long and yet you’ve said nothing until now. You didn’t even greet me upon entering.”
Li Yan felt incredibly awkward. “Uh… um… sister…”
“Who are you calling sister? You are my son’s age, so how can you be my brother?”
“Aunt…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Lejcu Teiljcu qeiifv tlr wbw jrlvf. “Vabq qijslcu jgbecv. Pr la atja oec?”
“Pa’r jmaejiis cba yjv.” Zgr. Lejcu mtemxifv. “Lf kjr delaf olfgmf atf ijra alwf P rjk tlw. P pera kjcafv ab afjrf tlw j yla…”
Li Yan sincerely wanted to say, I’m hearing everything.
“Kjxf atlr, Oli’ Aljcu.” Lejcu Teiljcu’r wbatfg tjcvfv j gbbw xfs ab Aljcu Vtfcu. “Ktlr lr atf xfs ab jcbatfg gbbw. Uea sbeg atlcur atfgf. Tbe bgvfg ajxfbea obg sbe atgff, ktlif P’ii fzqijlc tbk ab erf atf wfvlmlcf ab atfw.” Aljcu Vtfcu cbvvfv jcv ifoa. Vtf bqfcfv atf wfvlmlcf yju jcv abbx bea j yecmt bo tfgyr. “Xfcfgjiis, atf Uglrbcfg Zjlvfcr vbc’a tjnf jcs rfzejiis agjcrwlaafv vlrfjrfr, rb sbe mjc gfijz bc atja ogbca. Pa’r yfaafg lo sbe vbc’a abemt atflg yibbv, yea lo sbe vb, la’r ralii wjcjufjyif. Aera klqf la klat rfwfc; sbe atgff kbc’a yf rtbga bo atja.”
Huang Yuliang thought that the solution to their cursed blood had been found, thanks to Jiang Sheng’s special medicine.
“But the Prisoner Maidens’ constitution is extremely yin, so it’s more damaging to yang than usual as compared to indulgence with regular women. So, what I brought are tonics for nourishing the foundation, kidney, and yang.”
Li Yan couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive about having to take yang-boosting medicine before even turning thirty. Somehow, he felt a bit scared of women.
“Besides taking these medicines twice a day after meals,” Mother Huang took out three large boxes of sealed ointments, “apply this thing before going to bed every day.”
“Apply where?”
The woman glanced at Li Yan’s lower body. “Wherever you can apply it.” Seeing Li Yan blush, she was quite pleased. “Also, on palms, soles of the feet, lower back, and so on. Apply it to wherever you feel prone to getting cold. You’ll feel warm after applying. Wash it off once it cools down.”
Huang Yuliang lit a cigarette, about to offer one to Li Yan, but his mother slapped it away. “Until these three boxes are used up, the usual rules apply—no smoking, no alcohol, no spicy food, and besides natural nocturnal emissions, abstain from sex.” She interrupted Huang Yuliang’s question. “I know what you’re going to ask, about three weeks.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
“Thank you, aunt…”
Mother Huang didn’t join Li Yan and the others for dinner. After giving some instructions, she left. The three of them exchanged information gathered in the Ageless Village while eating.
Aside from minor details, the most significant revelation was the man who entered the Ageless Village over forty years ago. Various signs indicated that he was the Li Family Village’s village chief who went mad and massacred all the villagers. The reason for his madness was also likely because he’d stolen the Fox Tail Stone Statue from the Ageless Village. Also, Huang Yuliang learned from the Prisoner Maidens’ fairy that the Ageless Village’s longevity secret was highly likely taken by him at that time.
The form in which the secret method was preserved and the method of cultivation remained unknown, but this was a direction they could investigate. If they understood how it worked, they could find leads.
Huang Yuliang firmly believed that Li Yan’s great-uncle, Li San, who’d been missing for many years, was not in a state of complete insanity. Even if he once had symptoms of mania, he must have suppressed them in some way, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to hide so perfectly. Judging by the situation with the maple trees in the Ageless Village, if the secret method could extend the lifespan, perhaps it could also elongate the intervals between madness. The reappearance of the Poison Hand Technique further proved that he was very likely still alive.
While having dinner, he shared all these deductions to Li Yan and Jiang Sheng.
Li Yan was anxious after listening to Huang Yuliang’s series of deductions. His great-uncle had massacred Li Family Village under the influence of the statue, a matter he’d temporarily set aside. However, he’d massacred the Ageless Village for either the statue or the secret method in a fully sober state. This truly tarnished the heroic image associated with the title of Heroic Thief.
In the midst of his turmoil, Huang Yuliang placed a hand on Li Yan’s shoulder. “Stop thinking. Until you obtain accurate and confirmed information, everything is just speculation.”
“Is this your corporate culture?”
“Sort of.” Huang Yuliang stretched lazily. “Let’s call it a day. Get some rest early.”
Jiang Sheng had long been too tired, so he patted his face and headed back to his room. Li Yan watched as Huang Yuliang remained seated without showing any intention of leaving. “Aren’t you leaving?”
“Are you kicking me out?”
“I need to take my medicine!”
“I can help you with that…”
“Get out.”
Huang Yuliang pouted and left, feeling disappointed.
During the last visit to Nanjing, Jiang Sheng had vaguely sensed that his friend was troubled but hadn’t inquired much. Firstly, he was concerned that it was inconvenient for the other person to share, and secondly, he realized his own intelligence wasn’t well-suited for resolving complex situations. However, with Huang Yuliang accompanying him this time, Jiang Sheng felt more confident and went out early the next day to find his friend.
Dragging his luggage, Huang Yuliang knocked on Li Yan’s door. Li Yan, who was still half-asleep, opened the door. “What’s up?”
Without a word, Huang Yuliang began unbuttoning his shirt. Seeing this, Li Yan thought the man was crazy and quickly pulled him inside while awkwardly smiling at the cleaning lady in the corridor, who remained unruffled.
As soon as they turned around, Huang Yuliang had already undressed. “Take a look, all bruised, right?”
Li Yan inspected Huang Yuliang’s back and arms, and indeed, he was covered in bruises. “What happened to you?”
“Jiang Sheng’s room has a big bed. We shared the same bed and he hit me all night…”
Li Yan couldn’t help but laugh. “Let me give you some medicine.”
“I don’t care. I’m not sharing a room with him anymore.” Huang Yuliang sat on the bed. “This room also has a big bed, so I’ll sleep here.”
Li Yan wanted to say, you’re not short of money; why don’t you just open another room? But then he realized that Huang Yuliang’s reluctance was probably just an excuse to share a room with him. “Fine, you stay in this room, and I’ll switch with Jiang Sheng.”
“He grinds his teeth! I won’t stay with him…” Huang Yuliang hugged Li Yan’s waist. “Hey, how about the two of us sharing that big bed?”
“Let go of me!” Li Yan tapped Huang Yuliang’s head. “If you want to stay in this room with me, it’s fine. But let’s be clear—no touching. Your mom already emphasized abstinence, so keep your hands to yourself.”
Huang Yuliang gave Li Yan a sly glance. “What are you thinking… you’re crazy.”
Just as they were talking, Huang Yuliang’s phone rang. It turned out that Jiang Sheng had already made plans with his friend and wanted Huang Yuliang to meet up with them. After ending the call, Huang Yuliang leaned against the bathroom door, watching Li Yan wash his face. “Are you going?”
“I’m not going.” Li Yan wiped his face. “Yesterday, I told my grandpa that I’m in Nanjing. He told me about a relative who’d escaped here and asked me to visit her.”
“Be careful. Someone is looking for you now. Try not to reveal your whereabouts, even though this is Nanjing,” said Huang Yuliang as his hand reached towards Li Yan.
“If you touch me again, I’ll kick you.”
Huang Yuliang reluctantly withdrew his hand from the swallow tattoo on Li Yan’s body. “Stingy.”
Thanks for the chapter!