The Cousin’s Letter

Wen Xiuran clenched his teeth slightly.

“Last time—”

After a long pause, he finally forced out a few words.

“You knew?”

Yan Yi’s ears grew hot.

Realizing she had been reckless, she stammered awkwardly.

“…I accidentally noticed it.”

The strange reaction in his body became even more obvious.

Wen Xiuran felt rather embarrassed, and the strength in his arms loosened slightly.

Yan Yi immediately assumed the villain had become angry from embarrassment and was about to throw her to the ground.

Frightened, she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Your Excellency!”

She suddenly cried out.

The shout startled Wen Xiuran so much that his mind and body both calmed down at once.

He could not help but let out a breath of relief.

“What are you shouting for?”

Yan Yi held tightly to his neck and buried her face against it.

“Your Excellency, don’t throw me away.”

Wen Xiuran froze for a moment.

Instinctively he lifted her slightly by the waist to ensure she would not fall.

“You saved me.

I would not abandon you.”

A life-saving favor should be repaid with one’s body—no!

With boundless gratitude.

Clearly the great villain had been deeply moved by her heroic act.

Yan Yi could not help but feel delighted inside.

“Get down first,” Wen Xiuran suddenly said.

“Alright.”

She looked at him blankly.

“Your Excellency, are we not going back?”

Wen Xiuran replied, “First I will treat your injuries.

The body of a mortal is fragile and easily damaged.

If we delay, infection may occur.”

Yan Yi: “…”

Although the villain meant well, his words were really unpleasant to hear.

She freed one hand and touched the drowsy Xiao Li in her arms.

Then she said in a pleading tone, “Your Excellency, could you treat Xiao Li first?

She’s more seriously injured.”

Wen Xiuran looked around and found a clean flat rock.

He gently set Yan Yi down before examining Xiao Li’s injuries.

Multiple fractures throughout the body.

Damage to internal organs.

And severe depletion of demonic power.

“She was likely captured while off guard.

When attacked, she didn’t even have time to transform into human form.”

Yan Yi’s mouth opened slightly as she stared at him wide-eyed.

“Y-Your Excellency… you knew she was…?”

Wen Xiuran looked down at her as if she were a fool.

“With only your strength alone, it would be uncertain who would be lying on the ground instead.”

Yan Yi pouted inwardly.

This antique man’s mouth might be beautiful, but it was as sharp as poison.

If she kissed it once, she might die instantly.

“I can only treat her wounds.

As for her demonic power, that will take time to recover.”

Wen Xiuran returned Xiao Li to Yan Yi’s arms.

Then he bent one knee and crouched in front of her.

“Your knee.

Show it.”

Yan Yi carefully lifted the hem of her skirt above the knee, revealing a section of calf stained red with blood.

Before seeing the wound she had only felt piercing pain.

But now, staring at the mangled flesh of her knee, she could not help gasping.

It looked terrible.

Wen Xiuran stared silently at the unrecognizable wound.

His brows knitted deeply.

Somewhere in the softest corner of his heart, it felt as if a needle had pricked him.

His throat tightened, and for a moment he could not speak.

After a pause, he used a cleansing spell to wash away the blood and dirt around the wound.

Then he gently placed his palm over her knee.

A tearing pain shot through the wound.

Yan Yi immediately grabbed his shoulder.

“Your Excellency, it hurts!”

Wen Xiuran paused and looked up at her.

Rarely, he explained patiently, “Endure it for a moment.

It will stop hurting soon.”

Yan Yi bit her teeth and nodded with tears in her eyes.

The sharp pain gradually turned into a dull ache.

Then a fine tingling sensation spread through the wound, like ants crawling over the skin.

Yan Yi wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve and lightly pressed her healed knee with one finger.

It still hurt faintly.

“Don’t touch it,” Wen Xiuran reminded her.

“The wound is still recovering.”

Yan Yi withdrew her hand and immediately beamed with joy.

“Thank you, Your Excellency.”

Then she suddenly remembered something.

Long ago, when she had come to Fuyu Mountain to gather herbs and been chased by the strange blood mist, she had fallen down the mountain.

Although the wound on her lower back had healed long ago, it had left a long ugly scar.

Thinking of this, she cautiously asked,

“Your Excellency… can old scars be healed too?”

Wen Xiuran stood up and frowned slightly.

“When did you receive that injury?”

“The last time I came to Fuyu Mountain to gather herbs.

I accidentally fell.

The wound has healed, but it left a scar.

If it could be removed—”

Before she finished speaking, Wen Xiuran suddenly knelt again in front of her.

“Where is the injury?”

Yan Yi gave an awkward smile.

“My lower back.”

Wen Xiuran almost fell over on the spot.

“Let’s go back first.

It’s getting late.”

Yan Yi hugged Xiao Li and stood up with his help.

Only now did she realize how impulsive her earlier words had been.

It was true that she had saved the villain’s life.

But examining a wound on her lower back…

That kind of intimate contact seemed inappropriate.

When they returned to the residence, Wen Xiuran pushed open the door and entered the study.

“You will sleep in the study tonight.”

Preparing a new room so late was unrealistic, so Yan Yi happily accepted the arrangement.

She followed the villain inside.

On impulse she suddenly asked,

“Your Excellency… will you also sleep here?”

Even if the entire residence only had this one study, he would not stay here with her.

Wen Xiuran looked at her with an unreadable expression.

Yan Yi laughed awkwardly and slowly moved to sit on a chair beside the desk, hugging Xiao Li.

She quickly explained,

“Your Excellency, I… I was just asking casually.

I didn’t mean anything.”

Although she indeed harbored improper intentions toward the villain and urgently wanted to complete her mission and return to the real world—

But not now.

And certainly not tonight.

After Wen Xiuran left, Yan Yi hurried to wash Xiao Li.

She cleaned the dried blood from its fur.

Usually when she bathed Xiao Li, the cat would meow playfully and make trouble.

But tonight it was unusually quiet.

Only when the warm water touched its fur did Xiao Li weakly let out a faint meow.

It looked exhausted and listless.

Something was wrong.

Xiao Li seemed unable to understand her words anymore.

Yan Yi panicked.

It was late at night and inconvenient to seek help from the witch doctor.

So after quickly washing up herself, she carried Xiao Li to bed.

Still, she held onto a small hope.

Perhaps tomorrow morning Xiao Li would transform back into human form and stand beside the bed smiling at her.

Early the next morning, Yan Yi woke up to the sound of a cat meowing.

She slowly opened her eyes.

A furry head pressed tightly under her chin.

Yan Yi sat up happily and hugged Xiao Li as she got out of bed.

“Xiao Li, you can understand me again, right?”

The tabby cat lazily meowed and jumped out of her arms onto the windowsill to bask in the sun.

Yan Yi sent a message to Bu Shu saying she would visit shortly.

After quickly washing and dressing, she picked up Xiao Li and rushed out the door.

As soon as the study door opened, she slammed straight into a solid wall of muscle.

The impact made stars explode before her eyes.

Tears streamed down her face.

The scene reminded her of yesterday when she had attacked Wen Feng headfirst.

“Your Excellency—”

Yan Yi rubbed her sore nose, almost crying.

“Why are you standing at the door silently so early in the morning?”

Wen Xiuran choked slightly.

If he remembered correctly, this was his study.

He had only lent it to the mortal doctor for one night.

“Do I need to report to you before entering my own study?”

Yan Yi suddenly came to her senses.

She had overstepped again.

“I’m sorry, Your Excellency.

My brain was damaged yesterday when I hit it.

I’m confused.”

She admitted her mistake very quickly.

Wen Xiuran’s lips curled slightly upward.

Casually he asked,

“Where are you rushing off to?”

Yan Yi could not hide her anxiety.

She answered honestly.

“Your Excellency, Xiao Li might be injured somewhere.

She can’t understand what I’m saying.

I’m going to ask my master to check.”

Wen Xiuran stepped aside.

“Her demonic power was damaged.

She will need time to recover.”

Yan Yi understood the reasoning.

But seeing Xiao Li suddenly revert from human form to an ordinary cat was hard to accept.

Even if she could at least understand her words.

“I know.”

Yan Yi stepped outside, then turned back.

“But I’m still worried.

Maybe my master has a solution.”

“Go then,” Wen Xiuran said with a nod.

“Do not wander around.”

Yan Yi responded and ran off quickly.

Wen Xiuran stood there watching her gradually disappear into the distance.

Recently everything had gone poorly.

His headaches had become more frequent.

Even though the sachet helped relieve them, the effect was limited.

Subconsciously he touched his chest.

The sachet was still there.

He suddenly remembered how he had lost control in front of the mortal doctor again yesterday.

The thought made him somewhat annoyed.

Both body and mind were gradually slipping from his control.

Wen Xiuran slowly realized how serious the situation was.

A mere mortal woman possessed such influence over him.

He could not help wondering whether Yan Yi had secretly used some sort of bewitching incense on him.

“Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!”

When the carriage stopped at the witch doctor’s residence, Yan Yi sneezed three times in a row until tears streamed from her eyes.

Someone must be talking about her behind her back.

Not knowing how long she would stay, Yan Yi dismissed the guard who drove the carriage.

Then she knocked on the door.

“Xiao Yi has arrived.”

Bu Shu poked his head out from behind the door.

“Did you catch a cold?”

Yan Yi wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve and waved her hand.

“I’m fine, Master.”

She followed him inside and glanced around.

Bu Yingyue and her brother were nowhere to be seen.

“Master, are Yingyue and the others not home?”

Bu Shu replied, “They accompanied Sui’an back to her hometown to visit relatives.”

Meng Sui’an was Bu Shu’s wife and the mother of Bu Yingyue and Bu Yingxue.

She had originally been an ordinary mortal.

After giving birth to twins she was still alive.

Hundreds of years had passed, and likely only descendants remained among her relatives.

Yan Yi felt curious but did not ask directly.

Instead she said,

“Master, when will Mistress return?

I’ve never met her before.”

“In three or four days at most,” Bu Shu replied.

He led Yan Yi into the study and took Xiao Li from her arms.

“When did the abnormal symptoms begin?”

“Yesterday.”

Yan Yi briefly explained everything that had happened the day before.

After examining the cat carefully, Bu Shu returned Xiao Li to her arms and comforted her.

“There is nothing serious.

The cat was frightened and its demonic power was damaged.

Full recovery will simply take time.”

It was almost exactly what the villain had said.

Yan Yi finally felt relieved.

After learning the cause and treatment, she thanked Bu Shu and left the study.

“Master, when Mistress returns I will visit again.”

At noon the sun blazed overhead.

Standing in the courtyard, Yan Yi squinted at the scorching sunlight and groaned inwardly.

Walking from Bu Shu’s house back to the Demon Lord’s residence would take half an hour.

Under such heat, a mere mortal like her would surely suffer heatstroke.

She regretted dismissing the carriage earlier.

Moving slowly under the shade of trees, she crept toward the gate like a snail.

Just as she stepped outside the courtyard, she saw a familiar figure standing under a willow tree by the road.

Willow branches swayed in the wind.

The man stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a dark brocade robe.

His slightly curled hair was tied high behind his head, the ends fluttering gently.

“Your Excellency—!”

Yan Yi ran toward him happily as if grabbing a lifeline.

“Why are you here?”

“I happened to pass by,” Wen Xiuran said casually as he turned around.

“Why did you send the carriage away?”

Yan Yi smiled.

“I wasn’t sure how long it would take.

I didn’t want them to wait too long.”

Wen Xiuran studied her with raised brows.

“You seem to be in a very good mood today.”

Yan Yi nodded repeatedly.

Not having to walk under the blazing sun had greatly improved her mood.

“I thought Your Excellency came specially to pick me up.

That made me happy.”

Her words clearly pleased the villain.

The corners of his lips curved slightly, making his jade-like face look vivid.

“Let’s go,” Wen Xiuran said, extending a hand.

Yan Yi walked beside him.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the sachet hanging at his waist.

It was the golden filigree sachet she had given him earlier.

Previously he had hidden it in his robes.

Now he wore it openly at his waist.

Did that mean her importance in his heart had increased just a little?

The discovery filled Yan Yi with excitement.

Her motivation surged.

She pointed at the sachet happily.

“Your Excellency, you’re using the sachet I gave you!”

Wen Xiuran paused briefly.

“The medicinal effect is acceptable.”

Acceptable?

Yan Yi pouted inwardly.

If the dosage had been stronger, the villain would have noticed something strange long ago.

Their relationship would never have been this harmonious.

“If Your Excellency likes it, I’ll make more when we get back.

You can wear a different one every day of the week.”

Wen Xiuran nodded absentmindedly, assuming the mortal doctor was still babbling nonsense after yesterday’s shock.

Still, hearing that she wanted to make more sachets for him made him strangely pleased.

When they returned to the residence, Wen Xiuran ordered someone to prepare another courtyard for Yan Yi to live in.

Yan Yi stood outside his study holding Xiao Li and hesitated for a long time.

Then she said softly,

“Your Excellency, may I continue living in your study?”

“What did you say?”

Wen Xiuran turned back, thinking he had misheard.

Yan Yi gathered her courage and repeated louder,

“I want to live in Your Excellency’s study.”

The two maids standing behind Wen Xiuran exchanged shocked looks.

Realizing they misunderstood, Yan Yi calmly explained,

“I’m used to living in the study now.

I don’t want to keep moving to new places.

Otherwise I won’t sleep well.”

She had only stayed in his study twice.

Once after returning from the Ice Continent when she fainted.

And once last night after her residence was destroyed by the human bombs.

What habit was she talking about?

Only a fool would believe such nonsense.

Yet after a moment’s hesitation, Wen Xiuran nodded in agreement.

He ordered the two maids to move some daily necessities to the study.

Qiong Jiu nudged Lu Qin.

The two burst into laughter and hurried away.

“You—”

Wen Xiuran began to speak but stopped.

Inside he felt strangely pleased, assuming she simply wanted to stay in the room he used.

After waiting for a moment without hearing more, Yan Yi asked,

“Your Excellency, do you have any other instructions?”

“No.”

Wen Xiuran calmly gathered several important items from the study and left.

Yan Yi watched him go.

Just as he stepped outside the study door, a letter suddenly appeared in the air before him.

Assuming it was a message from the Demon Domain guards, Yan Yi paid no attention and carried Xiao Li toward the bedroom.

She had just covered the cat with a quilt when the villain called her from outside.

“Yan Yi, come out.”

Thinking the maids had returned with her belongings, she quickly stepped out.

But Wen Xiuran stood at the door holding a letter, his expression dark.

“Your Excellency?”

Yan Yi hesitated, unsure what had upset him.

“Your cousin sent a letter.”

Wen Xiuran tossed it onto the desk.

She walked over and examined the envelope.

It was intact.

The villain had not opened it.

Feeling relieved, Yan Yi opened the letter and read it quickly.

Su Can’s letter contained the usual meaningless chatter about his cultivation life and asked about her and the cat.

But at the end of the letter, Yan Yi’s eyes suddenly widened.

Su Can wrote—

He would visit soon.

Yan Yi panicked instantly.

She crushed the letter in her hand and paced around the room anxiously.

In the past, whenever Su Can mentioned visiting, she had asked Xiao Li to tamper with the letters to discourage him.

But now Xiao Li was seriously injured and powerless.

She was nothing more than an ordinary cat again.

If Yan Yi directly refused, Su Can might suspect danger and insist on coming to rescue her.

She was terrified that the original plot—where the novel’s protagonist opposed the villain—would happen early.

In the story, the male lead eventually killed Wen Xiuran after his beloved died.

As the protagonist, Su Can possessed the plot’s golden finger.

If he fought Wen Xiuran now—before the villain absorbed Wen Zhengming’s soul—killing him would be easy.

Then Yan Yi’s harvesting mission would fail completely.

Returning to the real world would become impossible.

Seeing her absent-minded expression, Wen Xiuran finally asked,

“What happened?”

Yan Yi composed herself and spoke carefully.

“Your Excellency… my cousin… wants to visit me.”

Wen Xiuran frowned.

“You don’t want him to come?”

Yan Yi complained inwardly.

Of course not!

How could the righteous hero arrive early in the villain’s territory?

“I don’t want him to,” she said quickly.

“Why?”

Yan Yi hesitated.

She could not reveal the truth.

So she invented a respectable excuse.

“Because—”

She raised her voice unconsciously to gather courage.

“My cousin came under my father’s orders to persuade me to return home and marry.”

It was a terrible excuse.

Yan Yi regretted it immediately.

One lie would require countless lies to support it.

“Marriage?”

Wen Xiuran frowned slightly.

“Marriage should be voluntary.

If you refuse, no one can force you.”

Yan Yi sighed inwardly.

She knew she would have to keep lying.

“Your Excellency lives in a high position and does not know the hardships of the mortal world.”

She rubbed her eyes until they turned red.

“For mortal women, marriage is determined by parents and matchmakers.

I have no right to decide for myself.”

“Absurd,” Wen Xiuran said coldly.

Then he asked patiently,

“Your father wants you to marry your cousin?”

“No,” Yan Yi quickly denied.

“It’s the son of a merchant I’ve never met.

They say he’s handsome and extremely wealthy.”

“You’ve never met him?”

Yan Yi nodded vigorously.

“Never.”

Then she looked up at Wen Xiuran with tearful eyes.

The tears trembled but did not fall, making her look pitiful.

“Back then my father insisted on the marriage.

I cried, caused trouble, and even threatened suicide, but it was useless.

So I escaped secretly.

But I fell into the hands of bandits and was eventually sent here.”

Wen Xiuran: “…”

It sounded as if she were accusing him of kidnapping women.

After a long silence, he finally said,

“I asked your consent.”

Yan Yi wiped her tears.

“I chose to stay willingly.

Your Excellency… please help me.

Find a way to make my cousin give up visiting the Demon Domain.”

Wen Xiuran sat beside the desk and looked at her thoughtfully.

“You previously had ways to stop your cousin.”

Yan Yi fell silent.

It turned out the villain had always known about the tricks she and Xiao Li played.

Her heart jumped into her throat.

Finally she decided to tell the truth.

“Before… Xiao Li helped me confuse him.”

Wen Xiuran suddenly laughed softly as if hearing a joke.

“Yan Yi, you are quite capable.”

It’s over.

It’s over.

Yan Yi almost cried.

She had only just gained his trust.

Could she lose it already?

“Your Excellency—”

She tried to act pitiful again.

“When I first arrived here, I knew no one.

Only Xiao Li could help me.”

Wen Xiuran felt strangely choked.

The mortal doctor was becoming increasingly bold.

It almost sounded like he was responsible for everything.

Seeing his attitude soften, Yan Yi pressed further.

“Your Excellency… will you help me?”

She slowly moved closer and handed him the letter.

“Look.

My cousin said he will follow the talisman trail and visit soon.”

Wen Xiuran did not take the letter.

He had no interest in reading private correspondence.

“From now on, you will stop communicating with your cousin.

Within a day, he will write back severing ties.”

“What?”

Yan Yi froze.

Wasn’t that too extreme?

She still needed the novel’s male lead later.

“Your Excellency, absolutely not!”

She grabbed his wrist tightly.

“My family are still my relatives.

I don’t want to cut ties with them.”

Tears suddenly fell from her eyes like broken beads, dripping onto the back of Wen Xiuran’s hand.

Looking at his wet hand, Wen Xiuran rarely felt troubled.