Jing Yulan smiled faintly, remembering last night's passionate encounter. She had taken the initiative, and the memory made her blush scarlet.
Her sudden change in demeanor did not escape Ye Zhan's notice.
Ye Zhan asked with concern, "Yulan, why is your face so red?"
Being asked so directly by Ye Zhan, Jing Yulan became even more embarrassed. She unceremoniously shoved the bowl of porridge into Ye Zhan's hands and said, "Drink it quickly!"
Ye Zhan looked at the bowl in his hands, then at Jing Yulan. He reached out and touched her cheek. "Yulan, your face is so hot. Are you sick from taking care of me?"
Jing Yulan glared fiercely at Ye Zhan, her neck flushing red with shame. She said coquettishly, "You're so naughty! You're bullying me, hmph! I'm not talking to you anymore!"
Ye Zhan was utterly bewildered by Jing Yulan's behavior. He asked, confused, "Yulan, how did I bully you? I was just worried about you!"
Jing Yulan pouted angrily, "Even the porridge can't shut your mouth, you blockhead!"
With that, she huffed and stormed out of the room, leaving a dumbfounded Ye Zhan looking at the porridge in his hands. He chuckled.
Ye Zhan drank the spiritual porridge in one gulp and immediately felt much better. He eagerly set the bowl aside and continued his healing.
Jing Yulan left the room, only then realizing her reaction had been a bit excessive. Would Ye Zhan overthink it?
She stomped her foot in annoyance, clutching her hot cheeks, and ran into the kitchen, plunging her head into the cool water.
Last night's intimacy, every scene from last night, replayed endlessly in Jing Yulan's mind.
"Sigh!"
"What should I do?"
"Should I tell Ye Zhan?"
"If I don't tell him, then when Ye Zhan and I have our wedding night, he'll surely discover I'm no longer a virgin. Will he think I'm a promiscuous woman?"
"But if I tell him, how should I say it? How can I bring up such a shameful matter?"
"Besides, I was the one who initiated it. Will Ye Zhan think I'm lying? Will he think I took advantage of him? Will he think I'm not a virtuous woman?"
"What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?"
Jing Yulan's heart was filled with struggle.
Perhaps the cold water had an effect, as the shame in her heart gradually faded, and her mind cleared.
"Forget it, I'll tell him the truth! And I'll ask Ye Zhan how he was poisoned by the Sanzhi Jiuye Cao."
Jing Yulan made up her mind. She tidied herself up, went back to her room to change, and then headed to Ye Zhan's room.
Ye Zhan was at a critical juncture in his healing, and Jing Yulan dared not disturb him. She could only sit quietly by the side, waiting for him to wake up.
Twilight descended, and the night was boundless.
Ye Zhan finally finished his healing and opened his eyes abruptly.
When he saw Jing Yulan, who had fallen asleep sitting by his side, he felt a pang of guilt.
Ye Zhan remembered Jing Yulan's heart-wrenching appearance and her heartbroken sobs before he lost consciousness, and he immediately felt remorseful.
Ye Zhan had been solely focused on killing Ping Le and fulfilling his oath, forgetting that there was a woman who loved him deeply and was waiting for him. He had forgotten that his departure would plunge the woman who loved him into an abyss of sorrow.
He had promised that upon returning to the Ye family, he would, as the young master of the Ye family, go to the Jing family to propose. But at the moment of his life-or-death struggle with Ping Le, he had completely forgotten his promise. Thinking back now, his heart was filled with guilt.
Ye Zhan slipped out of bed and gently picked up Jing Yulan, who was asleep in the chair. He carefully placed her on the bed and pulled the quilt over her.
Then, he sat by the bed, gazing tenderly at the deeply sleeping Jing Yulan, a blissful smile gracing his lips.
Suddenly, an inappropriate scene flashed through Ye Zhan's mind.
He seemed to see Jing Yulan's exquisite body in the dim candlelight, and he felt the merging of their souls. The sensation was so captivating that he couldn't help but immerse himself in it.
"Slap!"
A crisp sound of a slap echoed.
A red handprint appeared on Ye Zhan's face.
He cursed in a low voice, full of self-reproach, "Ye Zhan, you scoundrel! Yulan is so noble. How dare you have lustful thoughts about her? How can you repay her deep affection for you!"
Ye Zhan was consumed by self-blame, unaware that the sleeping figure on the bed had opened her eyes.
"Ye Zhan!" Jing Yulan called out with deep affection.
Ye Zhan started and quickly looked at Jing Yulan, who had a puzzled expression. He said gently, "Yulan, did I wake you up?"
Jing Yulan smiled faintly, shook her head, and sat up.
Due to the dim candlelight earlier, she hadn't noticed Ye Zhan's unusual behavior.
Now that they were suddenly closer, the slap mark on Ye Zhan's face caught Jing Yulan's deep gaze.
She asked with concern, "Ye Zhan, your face..."
Ye Zhan quickly turned his face away, trying to cover up his embarrassment. "It's nothing! I... I was just swatting a mosquito."
"Pfft!"
Jing Yulan was amused.
Although she knew Ye Zhan wasn't telling the truth, she didn't expose him. Instead, she played along. "Oh? Is that so? Then... the poison from the Sanzhi Jiuye Cao, was that from swatting mosquitoes too?"
"Sanzhi Jiuye Cao poison?"
Ye Zhan looked blank. "What is that? A poison?"
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and became extremely anxious. "Yulan, you're poisoned? Who did it? I'll go kill them right now!"
As Ye Zhan spoke, an aura of killing intent emanated from him.
Jing Yulan quickly grabbed him. "Ye Zhan, don't be anxious. It's not me who's poisoned, it's you!"
"Me?"
Ye Zhan was bewildered. When he woke up and began healing, he had checked his body and found no signs of poisoning.
However, Jing Yulan's serious demeanor suggested she wasn't lying. What was going on?
Jing Yulan nodded, blushing shyly. "And the Sanzhi Jiuye Cao wasn't poison, it was... it was... it was..."
She stammered "it was" for a long time without getting to the point.
Ye Zhan urged, "It was what? Yulan, hurry up and tell me!"
Jing Yulan's face burned like fire, and her voice was as quiet as a mosquito's hum. "An aphrodisiac!"
"What?"
Ye Zhan exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Although Jing Yulan's voice was soft, Ye Zhan's acute hearing had caught every word.
He was just finding it hard to believe, which was why he asked again.
Jing Yulan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "After you were severely injured and unconscious, I gave you a Blood Replenishing Pill to keep you alive until we reached Scarlet Blood City. Then, I invited an alchemist to help heal your injuries. The alchemist said you were poisoned by something called San Ye Jiu Zhi Cao, an aphrodisiac."