Ch1 - The word affection is both medicine and poison

Ye Zhi didn’t know how long he had been sleeping. He struggled to open his exhausted eyes out of the darkness, only to find himself in an unfamiliar place. He didn’t know where he was, or whose hand he was in.

“You’re awake?” A man dressed in white slowly walked over. A pair of calming pupils drooped slightly. That person gently touched Ye Zhi’s forehead, transmitting a cool and comforting sensation, spreading from his head to his toes.

“Fortunately, your fever has broken, or it would have been bad.” The speed of the other’s speech was slow, but it didn’t carry a sense of casual laziness.

Ye Zhi didn’t recognize the white-clothed man in front of him. He blanked out for a moment, then vaguely remembered this man was the one he met before passing out.

“Mister, mister!” Yi Zheng wanted to ask something but was interrupted by someone’s call. He saw a little kid trotting in, looking very anxious. The white-clothed man smiled, “Chen Yu, don’t rush; talk slowly.”

“How can I be slow right now? Mister, come with me quickly! The Luo family at the village’s head fell sick again.” The relaxed attitude of the other person made the kid even more anxious. Finally, he pulled him away, impatiently wanting to get out as soon as possible.

“Alright, alright.” The other person smiled helplessly. When he turned around and saw Ye Zhi looking at him, his eyebrow rose slightly. It was quite pretty, “You should rest. I will be back.”

Ye Zhi did not respond nor withdrew his gaze, and just quietly watched that person leave with the kid.

From the conversation just now, he could guess the other person was a doctor and might be the only doctor in this village. If not, why else would someone need to be seen by him in such a hurry? However, there was also the possibility that it because he was highly skilled in medicine.

Ye Zhi couldn’t recall how he met the man in white. What vaguely remained was only a sentence, “Are you willing to go with me?”

Why did that person ask such a thing? Ye Zhi wondered but couldn’t ponder about it too long. Exhaustion came rushing in, so he fell into a deep sleep.

The second time he opened his eyes, the other person once again appeared in his vision.

At this moment, the white-clothed man’s forehead was covered in dense beads of sweat, his long eyelashes drooped down. His expression was still as gentle, his movements tender and delicate.

The other person seemed to realize Ye Zhi had awakened and turned around; his pupils blinked softly. Two people, four eyes, met each other. That person smiled and asked, “Are you hungry? Does coarse tea and plain rice suit your taste?”

“You…” Ye Zhi frowned. Before he could open his mouth, the other person had already spoken, “Li Suqing. My name is Li Suqing.”

Ye Zhi was not a scholar. Even though he knew how to write, he was not familiar with poetry. But for inexplicable reasons, he felt that this name was very good.

“Mm.” Ye Zhi answered, his breathing somewhat fragile.

Li Suqing knew since his fever had just come down, his body would naturally weaken. He finished the work at hand and then brought a bowl of porridge over.

Ye Zhi saw his arm wrapped in a gauze stuffed with herbs and realized the other person had treated him while he was completely oblivious to it. Just from this, it could be seen that the other person was very skilled.

“You are seriously injured and haven’t eaten many days since you were in a coma. Eat this porridge to ease your stomach first.” Li Suqing helped Ye Zhi sit up. He used something soft to cushion behind Ye Zhi’s back and prevented the wound from being touched.

Ye Zhi had no strength right now, so he didn’t bother to resist, allowing Li Suqing to help him.

In this way, Ye Zhi stayed in this small-clinic-but-not-really-a-clinic to recuperate. He had never seen Li Suqing get angry about anything. He always had that gentle smile and those clear eyes, as though they could see through the world.

Also, Li Suqing’s character was carefree, a little too carefree that it made others feel anxious for him. Perhaps because he was like that, the child called Chen Yu was always eager to drag him out to give others medical examinations and checkups.

An ordinary life without turbulence. Peaceful and beautiful.

Li Suqing returned to the clinic and found Ye Zhi standing in the courtyard, not knowing what he was looking at. He stepped forward with a slight smile, “Are you feeling better? Getting up and moving around is good, but don’t overdo it.”

When speaking, Li Suqing often spoke like he had occupational disease, every three sentences, there would be something doctor-like. Ye Zhi was already used to it, so he just nodded in response.

Although Ye Zhi was not good at smiling, Li Suqing did not mind. It was like that person could understand what he wanted to say through his every word and action.

What does land create the people mean? After seeing the lifestyle here, Ye Zhi finally understood where Li Suqing’s easygoing character came from, even though his level of carefreeness was still a little too much.

When he was in Qijue sect, he rarely interacted with other people. The only time counted as human interaction was when he took someone’s life. Regardless of whether it was a good or bad person, as long as they were on the list given by the sect master, they all deserved to die.

That was why being close to Li Suqing confused him, and he didn’t know how to act. He would always answer in short sentences and acted like he had already heard and understood everything. In outsiders’ eyes, he looked like a rigid guy who was detached from life and hard to approach. However, keeping a distance from others was also his own intention.

But Li Suqing did not mind. Perhaps because his nature was too easygoing, Li Suqing’s reaction speed was slower than normal people. You could say, if someone kidnapped him one day, Li Suqing probably wouldn’t even know he was kidnapped.

In this poor village, only a few people could afford Li Suqing’s treatment. But if nothing was given as payment, then the only physician of the village would have no rice to eat. Therefore, someone would always deliver food and vegetables to Li Suqing’s house.

Of course, Li Suqing never asked for anything back, which made villagers feel even guiltier and unable to forget there was a physician surnamed Li in this village.

“Ye er, will you be upset if I called you that?” Li Suqing’s eyes were as clear as a lake, his expression extremely gentle. Even if Ye Zhi wanted to refuse, the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth. He could do nothing but agree.

“Tomorrow, I will go up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs. Your injuries will heal faster with the right herbs applied to them. I already asked Chen Yu to take care of you, is that alright?” Li Suqing slowly chopped the vegetables and spoke to Ye Zhi on the side.

“No need. I won’t die from these wounds.” Ye Zhi’s tone was cold and indifferent, his face showed no emotion.

Li Suqing didn’t get angry. Instead, he continued speaking softly, “I’m lacking some herbs. I need to go up the mountain to find them.”

Since Li Suqing already said so, Ye Zhi spoke no more.

He had never been cared for so attentively by anyone, so obviously, he wouldn’t know how to deal with the current situation. Not to mention, Qijue sect was no place to talk about affection. Since he was young, he had never understood the meaning of that word.

Li Suqing’s picturesque brows rose slightly. He chuckled, then concentrated on chopping the vegetables.

He always lived here alone. Even though he was at marriageable age, he still hasn’t gotten married.

Normally, a person as handsome and kind as Li Suqing should have no problem finding a match. But he actually still had no wife and children.

Ye Zhi leaned against the door, wrapped his arms around his chest, and quietly looked at Li Suqing. Li Suqing didn’t feel shy; his steady chopping sounds constantly reverberated in Ye Zhi’s ears.

Suddenly, a strand of black hair fell from Li Suqing’s temple, hiding that beautiful profile. Ye Zhi reached out to tuck it behind his ear. Coincidentally, Li Suqing also raised his hand to pull that strand away and inadvertently brushed his fingertip against Ye Zhi’s palm.

Even though he was startled, Li Suqing didn’t act too surprised or embarrassed. On his face was still that gentle expression and slightly narrowed eyes, all the colors in the world seemed to fade against that slight smile.

Ye Zhi was shocked by his own actions. After returning to his senses, he withdrew his hand and pretended nothing happened. Ye Zhi felt something jumping in the depth of his heart, wanting to break out of its shell. It was a little annoying.

Li Suqing didn’t detect Ye Zhi’s irritation. He was exactly like what Ye Zhi said, a carefree person, and this personality probably wouldn’t change until he died.

Fortunately, the people in this village were kind and simple; otherwise, he couldn’t imagine how Li Suqing was able to survive until now. But, at least from Ye Zhi’s understanding, he would definitely not survive in Qijue sect with that kind of nature.

Even though Ye Zhi thought so, he also couldn’t help but think: it was because this person had a gentle like spring breezes personality, people couldn’t help but want to get close to him.

Ye Zhi’s thoughts surprised him. Fortunately, Li Suqing didn’t notice his abnormality.