Chapter 2088: How to Tame the Rebellious Youth 37

Formless Office.

Outside the side gate of the main courtyard, many Medicine Valley disciples waited nervously, holding medical books and discussing animatedly.

The courtyard was filled with the bitter scent of various high-quality medicines; just walking in would leave one reeking of bitterness, let alone the side rooms where the medicine's bitterness was strongest.

It was as if someone had overturned a freshly boiled thick medicinal liquid, splashing it all over the room.

An inconspicuous young servant in blue robes slowly approached with a broom, curiously asking the girl who was delivering medicine.

"Miss, I'm new here; may I ask who the important person inside is? I heard the Venerable has been guarding here for several days."

"Oh, you'd better listen carefully." The girl hurriedly pulled him to the corner and earnestly warned: "Inside is our young young master; it's said he was poisoned by something, and even..."

The girl looked around, lowered her voice, and said: "Even the Medicine King can't cure it; the Venerable is flying into a rage. If you have nothing to do, better not come in, or you'll lose your life."

The blue-robed servant started, suddenly understood, nodded, and while the girl carried the medicine bowl further inside, he slipped a few steps behind her, darted to hide behind the pillar of the main gate, and leaned against the door to listen to the movements inside.

Bang!

The sound of the porcelain bowl shattering was piercing; the servant flinched, then endured and continued to listen closely.

"I won't drink... cough cough cough, this medicine is too bitter!"

The youth's weak, aggrieved cries made anyone who heard them feel inexplicably heartbroken.

In the next instant, a gentle, helpless voice sounded: "Be good, drink a little more; this medicine was personally boiled and guarded by the Medicine King."

"I said I won't drink! Anyway... anyway I'm going to die; I've heard it, no one can save me."

The blue-robed servant stroked his chin, nodded, and silently let out a breath of relief.

It seems the rumor is indeed true—this Ji Lai-zhi's days are numbered; he could die at any moment.

He looked around, retraced his steps back the way he came, and hurried nonstop to deliver a message to the Yin attendant.

At that moment, inside the room.

"Young master, they've left." The black-clad guard by the door whispered a reminder, not daring to look back at the entwined scene inside, then slipped out.

"Hahahaha!!"

Ji Lai-zhi lay on the bed laughing uncontrollably, then choked on the room's overly strong medicinal smell, crawled up from the bed, burrowed into Jin Chen's embrace to lie down, covered his mouth and nose with his wide sleeve, and revealed his exquisite brows and eyes as he smiled at him.

"Isn't my method especially effective! Now we just wait for the cult to walk into the net."

"But you just recited the verses without any emotion; I can't really tell you're worried about me."

Ji Lai-zhi muttered, gathering the few handwritten notes he'd prepared, when Jin Chen pinched his earlobe and lifted it slightly.

"You keep coming up with nonsense." Jin Chen reprimanded him neither lightly nor heavily: "Now the whole jianghu must know you're poisoned with a deadly toxin, your days are numbered."

"I'm not afraid of those." Ji Lai-zhi hummed twice, freed his ear, and took Jin Chen's hand to rub it against his face.

"Could it be that I'm not doing well? Without spending a single soldier, I've got the cult running in circles."

Jin Chen lowered his eyes, chuckled, pinched his cheek, and asked: "Then tell me, how was it such a coincidence that you knocked over the bowl just now, spilling exactly the medicine you were supposed to drink?"

Ji Lai-zhi: "......"

The small movement was discovered; Ji Lai-zhi felt guilty and paused, then again used Jin Chen's lowered sleeve to shield his face.

"It really is bitter." Ji Lai-zhi made an excuse, drawing out a cooing, soft and obedient tone: "You haven't tasted it, so you can't possibly understand my bitterness."

"How do you know I haven't tried?" Jin Chen lowered his head, feigned a sigh, pushed away the face that was rubbing like a puppy in his palm, and said: "If you don't take the medicine, it seems you don't intend to cure the poison, which saves me from worrying."

Ji Lai-zhi blinked, then understood the first half of Jin Chen's sentence, sat up with a bump, and said: "You've tried all the medicine I'm supposed to drink!"

Then he craned his neck, tilted his head back to kiss: "No, no, how could you not worry about me? I'll drink, I'll drink it right now."

Ji Lai-zhi seemed not poisoned but afflicted with some ailment that made him uncomfortable unless clinging to Jin Chen; he took the medicine bowl the servant brought back, shifted his butt a bit, and snuggled into Jin Chen's embrace to drink.

Jin Chen had no way to deal with him; the boy was no longer easy to fool, reckless and bold.

In the past, if punishment was light, it felt like a reward to him.

If it was heavy, even more so—Ji Lai-zhi could use it as an excuse to cling to him for days without letting go.

But the premise is that Ji Lai-zhi can feel that Jin Chen isn't truly angry; if he really were, he'd surely be more obedient than a quail.

After half a bowl of medicine went down, Ji Lai-zhi trembled from the bitterness he couldn't stop; even after eating several candied fruits, the bitterness couldn't be suppressed, as if it crawled up his throat straight into his mouth.

"So bitter." Ji Lai-zhi murmured in complaint, simply sticking out his tongue to lightly inhale, then glanced up at Jin Chen's somewhat dangerous, deep gaze, unwilling yet he lifted the remaining half-bowl and drank it.

"Drinking a bowl of medicine and eating a plate of candied fruit—do you treat it like a meal?"

Only then did Jin Chen take the empty medicine bowl, tap his fingertip on Ji Lai-zhi's forehead, scooped a small spoonful of honey, and said: "Open your mouth."

Ji Lai-zhi licked his lips with his tongue, a flicker of longing flashed in his eyes, but he was staring not at the honey but at Jin Chen's lips.

"I don't want to eat this."

Eating honey directly can only temporarily suppress the bitterness; afterward it will still well up again, sour and bitter.

Ji Lai-zhi tilted his head back, a pale pink flush blooming at the corners of his eyes, and pushed the spoonful of honey toward Jin Chen's lips—the meaning was clear.

Jin Chen really couldn't stand the honey's cloying sweetness; he symbolically brought a bit to his lips, then leaned back against the headboard and tossed the spoon back.

"Come over and eat it yourself."

In the next instant, a puppy lunging for food appeared in his embrace.

Ji Lai-zhi tasted the sweet flavor and gnawed on it more happily.

Jin Chen narrowly avoided being poked by his sharp canine teeth; he pinched the back of the neck, and the boy in his embrace finally restrained himself a bit.

{Detected Villain Blackening Value -7, total 10! }

Ji Lai-zhi no longer remembered even a hint of bitterness; the sweet honey mixed with agarwood intoxicated him, making his whole body feel limp.

Or perhaps the medicine's potency was kicking in; just as Jin Chen felt his chewing slow, he lowered his head and saw Ji Lai-zhi tilt his head and slump, asleep in his embrace, the corners of his lips glistening with moisture.

Jin Chen silently chuckled, his fingertips poking the soft flesh that had been pressed out of his face.