Upon pouring out a half-cup of already cold tea, his expression immediately darkened. Without asking first, he walked to the table and picked up the teapot. Let’s talk business: Sir Yan honors my humble abode with your presence in the deep of night, what teachings have you come to enlighten me with?” I will have someone take your pulse and give you a prescription.”įu Shen closed his eyes and gave a lukewarm reply: “Don’t bother. He stiffly said: “Your fever is making you confused, get up and drink some water. Yan Xiaohan shut his eyes and took a deep breath, not wanting to stoop to Fu Shen’s level. They immediately halted in place, thinking the rumors weren’t false after all: neither of these two men were nice friendly people, and when the fighting inevitably began it would be of utmost importance to first hold down Yan Xiaohan. His first action was to push that hand away: “What did you come here for?”įollowing behind, the old servant and the young Flying Dragon Guard heard this cold and harsh interrogation as they entered the door. He was immediately set back onto the bed, and a slightly rigid hand was placed on his forehead: “How is your breath this hot, do you have a fever?”Īs both his blurry line of sight and the pain in his body gradually cleared up, Fu Shen recognized the person holding him. His burning-hot breath saturated the thin clothing, so scalding that the person’s body suddenly tightened up in shock. This seemed to be a person he was very familiar with, but that suddenly came off as strange because of the close distance between them. The fabric felt soft and smooth to the touch, and a wave of warm and tranquil eaglewood 2 fragrance seeped from the collar and sleeves. The coolness of the autumn night still floated up from that person’s sleeves, but their palm was so warm it almost felt scalding.įu Shen was hugged up, his head leaning against that person’s chest and his face pressed against the dark blue brocade official’s robes. Then he landed on his back onto the ice-cold floor tiles, knocking the back of his head to the point where his vision darkened and his ears could not stop buzzing.īut before he could feel the dull pain start up, the door of the bedroom was kicked open and someone rushed into the room to pick him up in their arms. When Fu Shen fell down, his abdomen was first poked harshly by the footstool. The bed was not particularly high, but there was a footstool right underneath. Because of this excessive force as well as his unstable center of gravity, he toppled over and fell straight off the bed. His arms and abdomen both used force at the same time. When he finally regained control of his eyelids, he reached out to grab the bed in order to try and sit up-īut he forgot that his legs were still disabled and he had no sensation below his knees. He quietly slowed down his breathing and tried to blink his eyes. He could not move, his head spun, and his ears buzzed-it was exactly the symptoms of “sleep paralysis” 1 described by the commonfolk.Īlthough Fu Shen had not yet fully awakened, his consciousness was clear. Halfway between sleep and waking, he felt as if a large boulder was pressing down on his chest. The medicine he took had countless side effects including heart palpitations, nightmares, and shortness of breath. Please let me know where my translations can be improved! (You should be reading this at )įu Shen did not sleep well. Trying my best to go on a translating spree before the next round of hectic scheduling starts…