Gu Mang did not like drinking the medicine Jiang Fuli prescribed.
The reason was simple: it was too spicy.
Jiang Fuli had actually created a prescription so unbelievably pungent that anyone who merely held it in their mouth would immediately spit it out. He even claimed that the flavor absolutely could not be changed—if it was altered, the medicine would lose its effectiveness.
Li Wei was completely baffled by this.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be something that disperses stagnation through fragrance? If someone has emotional knots in their heart, shouldn’t they take something sweet?”
When those words reached Jiang Fuli’s ears, his reaction was:
“He knows nothing. Is he the pharmacist, or am I the pharmacist?”
Thus, every day in the Xi He Residence, there was a familiar scene.
Li Wei chased after Gu Mang, begging him to drink his medicine like he was pleading with an ancestor. The entire courtyard became chaotic, and the commotion never ended within half an hour.
Mo Xi valued peace and quiet and hated noise, so Li Wei usually forced Gu Mang to take his medicine while Mo Xi was attending court.
But on this particular day, Gu Mang’s resistance was especially fierce.
Even Li Wei and more than ten servants failed to catch him. Instead, Gu Mang kicked Li Wei hard in the chest, nearly knocking the medicine jar out of his hands.
Seeing that Gu Mang was about to escape the courtyard, Li Wei shouted while chasing after him:
“Catch him! Catch him! Use the Binding Immortal Rope! Your grandmother’s—!”
Gu Mang ran while looking back. Without warning—
Bang!
He crashed straight into a wall that was both hard and warm.
“Ah…”
Gu Mang covered his aching forehead and lifted his face.
He met Mo Xi’s deep black eyes.
Mo Xi looked down at him coldly.
“What are you doing?”
Mo Xi’s voice carried the authority of someone looking down from above.
Li Wei came running over, panting.
“My lord! My lord, he refuses to take his medicine!”
Mo Xi had just returned from court. His body still carried the cold frost and snow from outside.
He stared at Gu Mang silently for a moment.
The instant Gu Mang realized things were going badly and prepared to run again, Mo Xi grabbed his wrist.
While staring at him, Mo Xi suddenly raised his hand.
“Li Wei.”
“I’m here! I’m here!”
“Give me the medicine jar.”
Mo Xi dragged Gu Mang into the side room.
With the toe of his black leather military boot, he pushed the door shut and suddenly pressed Gu Mang against the wall.
Bamboo curtains hung inside the room, making the light dim.
Mo Xi’s eyes glowed faintly in the darkness as he stared at Gu Mang.
After a while, he gritted his teeth and said:
“All the good habits disappeared, but the bad ones haven’t changed at all.”
Back then, Gu Mang had the exact same problem.
He would rather stay sick for several more days than drink medicine.
Exactly the same as before.
Mo Xi still remembered that time.
When he went to see Gu Mang, the young man had been curled up inside his military tent, wrapped tightly in blankets, revealing only a tuft of soft black hair.
Hearing someone enter, Gu Mang thought it was Lu Zhanxing.
Without even opening his eyes, he mumbled:
“Zhanxing, stop bringing me medicine. I’m not drinking it… Damn it, just smelling it already makes me sick…”
The young Mo Xi walked to his side, placed the steaming bowl of medicine on the table, and sat beside his bed.
“It’s me.”
“Damn.”
Gu Mang suddenly poked his head out from under the blanket.
His face was flushed red from the fever, and he looked dazed.
“Why are you here?”
Mo Xi did not answer.
He simply raised his hand, touched Gu Mang’s face, and said:
“Take your medicine.”
“I’m not drinking it!”
Gu Mang rolled his eyes and tried to crawl back under the blankets, but Mo Xi pulled him out.
Mo Xi said:
“If you don’t drink it, then keep burning with fever.”
“Burn, burn. Once I’m cooked, I’ll just eat myself. Anyway, this medicine is disgusting. I don’t even want to touch it.”
Mo Xi frowned.
“Are you still a man?”
Gu Mang disliked hearing that.
He immediately turned around.
His fever-clouded eyes struggled to widen as he glared angrily.
“You don’t know whether I’m a man? Didn’t you figure it out when you slept with your brother? You little bastard. Your older brother here has fought for the country and the people. I’m already burning like this, and instead of giving me flowers and applause, you’re questioning my gender? You little brat…”
His mind was already muddled.
He sniffled and muttered nonsense.
Mo Xi watched him.
He felt both heartache and amusement.
His dark eyes became gentle as he looked at his senior brother curled up among the messy blankets.
Gu Mang’s cheeks were burning red.
“You’re just standing there saying things because it doesn’t hurt you. You don’t even know how bitter this damn medicine is…”
Originally, it was only a complaint.
If Gu Mang had been clear-headed, he would have said it in his usual shameless, arrogant, gangster-like tone.
But he was not in that state.
His eyes were hazy.
His lips were damp.
When he opened and closed them while scolding Mo Xi, there was not even a trace of intimidation.
Instead, there was only endless softness.
At that moment, Mo Xi had a thought.
If he said it out loud, Gu Mang would probably jump out of his illness and strangle him.
He thought—
Gu Mang looked like he was acting spoiled.
That wishful misunderstanding made his heart burn.
It felt itchy and warm.
He lowered his gaze at Gu Mang, whose hair was messy inside the blankets.
For a long time, he could not look away.
He stared at Gu Mang’s face, then reached out and picked up the bowl of medicine.
Gu Mang thought he was going to force it down his throat.
He immediately cursed:
“Mo Xi, get out! I said I’m not drinking it! I—”
The rest of his words stopped.
Because his Mo-shidi had actually taken the medicine into his own mouth.
Then he lowered his head and kissed him.
The bitterness of the medicine spread between their mouths.
But Gu Mang’s senses were completely overwhelmed by Mo Xi’s burning breath and the forceful invasion of his tongue.
Under such stimulation, Gu Mang felt as if he had become drunk and lost fragments of consciousness.
His eyes widened.
The medicine had been boiled thickly, and there was not much of it.
Yet Mo Xi kissed him more than ten times before most of the medicine was finally fed to him.
By the final time, Gu Mang had finally recovered enough to realize what was happening.
He wanted to curse that Mo Xi was insane.
But after feeding him the medicine, Mo Xi’s rough tongue pushed in possessively, fiercely entangling with him.
The movement was intense and lingering.
Even traces of the remaining medicine flowed down from the corner of Gu Mang’s lips…
Back then, they were young and full of passion.
Their newly awakened love grew so fiercely in their hearts.
They feared neither heaven nor earth.
Even when their feelings reached their peak, they did not care if someone lifted the tent curtain and saw them.
When Mo Xi finally released Gu Mang, the tip of his nose lightly brushed against Gu Mang’s cheek.
He stared at him.
His eyes were deep.
The feverish face beneath him was reflected in his gaze.
It was as if he wanted to build the strongest prison in the world inside his own eyes, forever trapping this one and only reflection.
Mo Xi’s voice was slightly hoarse.
He gently touched Gu Mang’s lips, which had become wet and slightly swollen from his kisses.
His magnetic voice whispered:
“Is it bitter? Why do I feel… Senior Brother is very sweet.”
Gu Mang gritted his teeth.
“I’m not candy! Sweet my ass!”
Mo Xi looked into his eyes.
They were so close that their eyelashes almost touched whenever they moved.
Mo Xi softly said:
“If you refuse to drink your medicine again, and I find out, then I’ll feed it to you this way every time.”
“…”
“Then you can’t say I’m just standing there talking without feeling the pain.”
“You fear the bitterness, so I’ll taste it with you.”
Gu Mang rolled his eyes.
“I’m afraid of bitterness? Ha. You’re joking. Your Gu Mang-ge is afraid of bitterness? Ha ha ha—”
The only response was Mo Xi lightly touching his forehead with his own.
Then he stood up and wiped away the medicine stain at the corner of Gu Mang’s lips.
Gu Mang narrowed his eyes and watched him.
After staring for a while, he suddenly smiled mischievously.
“I’ve discovered something. You’re not actually that serious of a person.”
“You may be quiet and boring…”
“But you sure have plenty of tricks.”
Young Mo Xi’s face was still thin-skinned.
Although he forced himself to remain calm, the tips of his ears became slightly red.
Gu Mang continued:
“Whoever you marry in the future, that girl will be blessed.”
Mo Xi suddenly turned and glared at him.
At that moment, he wanted to tell Gu Mang—
No.
The person I choose…
will be the only person in my entire life.
Whether alive or dead.
Whether poor or powerful.
I will only follow his footsteps.
I only want him.
Do you understand?
But his lips moved slightly.
Before the words even left his mouth, he already knew what Gu Mang would say.
He knew Gu Mang would casually brush him off and lecture him with those irritating ideas about how “men are naturally meant to be unfaithful.”
Gu Mang did not understand.
Some people’s hearts could not be touched.
They never played around.
They guarded that pure and clear feeling quietly.
The affection they possessed was limited.
A lifetime’s worth was only enough to water one person.
Gu Mang possessed emotions as vast as mountains, rivers, and oceans.
He would never understand.
At this moment, inside the dim side room, Mo Xi stared at Gu Mang’s clear blue eyes.
How could it be that after his bones were shattered and his soul was torn away, after he had changed so much…
Yet when it came to this annoying little habit, he still refused to change?
Mo Xi said:
“Open your mouth.”
Gu Mang glared at him.
The meaning was obvious: refusal.
Mo Xi grabbed his chin and, without giving him any chance to resist, prepared to force the medicine into him.
At first, Gu Mang stubbornly refused to open his mouth.
But Mo Xi was truly ruthless.
He directly covered Gu Mang’s mouth and nose, preventing him from breathing.
When Gu Mang’s face turned red from struggling, Mo Xi suddenly released him.
Gu Mang immediately opened his mouth to gasp for air.
And at that moment, Mo Xi pinched his chin and forced the medicine down his throat.
Gu Mang coughed violently.
Even his eyes were reddened from the bitter fumes.
His voice was hoarse.
“Why do you insist on making me drink this?”
Mo Xi clenched his teeth.
His expression was cold and frightening.
“Because you’re sick.”
“…”
“In the future, when Li Wei tells you to take your medicine, you’d better obediently drink it all.”
Mo Xi looked at him.
“If you make trouble again, and I have to personally feed it to you…”
“Then I’ll force it down.”
After saying this, his eyes fell on the medicine stains at the corner of Gu Mang’s lips.
“Wipe it yourself.”
Then he turned around and walked out without looking back.
After that, Gu Mang really became much more obedient.
After Li Wei finished forcing the medicine down him, he would always give him a bowl of warm milk or a piece of candy.
But Mo Xi gave him nothing.
He would simply force the medicine into him and then look at him with a strange, inexplicable gaze.
Gu Mang did not understand what that look meant.
He only instinctively felt a chill crawling up the back of his neck.
After completing one full course of treatment, three days before the year-end sacrificial ceremony, Mo Xi once again brought Gu Mang to Jiang Fuli’s residence for a follow-up examination.
The steward of the Jiang Residence, Zhou Guan, led them into the main hall.
Inside the luxurious and extravagant hall decorated with brocade and jade, Jiang Fuli was speaking with a middle-aged man.
The man wore a purple sorcerer robe with golden embroidery along the edges, representing his noble bloodline.
Yet his eyes were filled with exhaustion.
His body was slightly hunched.
There was not even a trace of the proud and imposing manner expected of a nobleman.
Beside him stood a small, delicate girl.
She also wore purple clothes with golden trim.
She kept her head lowered silently, holding a small bamboo dragonfly in her hands.
She looked obedient and adorable.
When Mo Xi first saw this disheveled nobleman, he did not immediately recognize him.
But when he saw the little girl beside him, he suddenly understood.
This was Lord Changfeng and his daughter who suffered from Madness Syndrome.
When they entered, Lord Changfeng was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes while thanking Jiang Fuli repeatedly.
Jiang Fuli said:
“Go back to your residence first. Your daughter will temporarily stay here with me. Since I accepted your payment, I will naturally take good care of her. You do not need to worry.”
“Really… really, I must trouble Physician Jiang. In three days, it will be the year-end ceremony. I will not be in the capital. If I leave Lan’er alone at home, I truly cannot feel at ease…”
“I take people’s money and solve their problems. You neither owe me money nor delayed payment. There is no need to thank me.”
Lord Changfeng gently touched his daughter’s head.
His tired face forced itself into a smile.
“Girl, Father will accompany His Majesty to the ceremony in a few days. The journey will be cold and difficult, so I cannot bring you.”
“You must behave well and stay at Physician Jiang’s residence.”
“Do not cause trouble for the physician, understand?”
Although Lan’er was young, it was obvious that she had suffered much rejection and bullying because of her illness.
She was unusually sensible and obedient.
It seemed as if she was always afraid she would be abandoned or hurt others.
Therefore, both her movements and her voice were extremely soft.
“Father… how long will you be gone?”
“Very soon. At most seven days, Father will return to bring you home.”
There was moisture in Lan’er’s eyes.
But she said nothing.
She endured it and nodded.
Lord Changfeng thanked Jiang Fuli once again.
Then he turned around.
At that moment, he saw Mo Xi and Gu Mang entering the residence.
Perhaps he had been rejected and humiliated by too many nobles recently.
This middle-aged man, whose temples were already streaked with white hair, looked like a frightened bird.
With fear completely unlike his age and status, he lowered his head nervously.
“Lord Xi He…”
Mo Xi felt a little pity for him.
However, he had always been poor at expressing emotions.
So he merely greeted him.
In Mo Xi’s memories, Lord Changfeng had always been an honest and steady person.
Precisely because he was too honest and too uninterested in competing for power, the influence of his noble family gradually declined.
Eventually, even ordinary cultivators in the capital no longer respected him.
After greeting Mo Xi, Lord Changfeng slowly raised his trembling gaze.
It landed on Gu Mang.
At the same time, Mo Xi had already shifted his attention away.
He looked toward the little Lan’er standing beside Jiang Fuli.
Perhaps both of them noticed that the other was watching the patient they had brought.
Almost at the same time, they spoke with a protective tone.
Mo Xi said:
“He is not dangerous.”
Lord Changfeng said:
“She is not dangerous.”
For a brief moment, there was awkward silence.
Finally, Mo Xi spoke.
“I understand. You do not need to worry.”
These past few days, wherever Lord Changfeng went, he had needed to explain his daughter’s condition.
He had begged various noble families not to expel his daughter from the academy or destroy her spiritual core.
He had endured too much difficulty and humiliation.
Suddenly hearing Xi He Jun speak in such a calm and understanding manner, his heart became unbearably sour.
He almost cried.
He hurriedly lowered his head and thanked Mo Xi.
Then he looked back at Lan’er one last time.
Afraid that the longer he stayed, the harder it would become to leave his daughter, he turned and departed.
Jiang Fuli checked Gu Mang’s pulse.
After adjusting the prescription again, he stood up.
He looked at Gu Mang and Lan’er.
Then he said:
“Lord Xi He, let us speak somewhere else.”
Mo Xi frowned.
“Leave them here?”
Zhou Guan smiled.
“Lord Xi He, please rest assured. I am here watching them. Nothing will happen.”
“If one of my patients can cause trouble inside my own residence, then I might as well close my medical hall.”
As Jiang Fuli spoke, his eyes glanced at the black ring around Gu Mang’s neck.
There was obvious disdain in his voice toward such an object.
“Besides, does Gu Mang not still wear the slave-lock ring you gave him?”
In truth, Mo Xi knew that the Jiang Residence was no less secure than the Yue Residence.
Nothing could possibly happen in such a short time.
But he still felt a strange uneasiness and anxiety whenever Gu Mang left his sight.
This feeling had not weakened after spending more time with Gu Mang.
Instead, it had become increasingly obsessive and intense.
If this continued, perhaps the person who needed Jiang Fuli’s medical treatment would no longer be only Gu Mang.
He himself might need medicine too.
The Jiang Residence’s backyard was filled with countless rare flowers and strange trees.
Spiritual energy continuously flowed through the entire garden.
No matter the season, it was always filled with fragrance and beauty.
Jiang Fuli and Mo Xi walked along the winding corridor while speaking.
Jiang Fuli said:
“The year-end sacrificial ceremony is the day after tomorrow. All of you pure-blood nobles will have to depart with His Majesty for the Soul-Calling Abyss to perform the ceremony, won’t you?”
Mo Xi nodded.
“It happens every year.”
“Lord Changfeng entrusted his daughter to me. What about you? What are your plans?”
“Gu Mang is too dangerous. I will report to His Majesty and bring him along.”
Jiang Fuli said:
“I expected that would be your answer.”
“But there is something I need to tell you.”
He stopped walking.
Under the shadows of flowers beneath the sky, he turned around and stood with his hands behind his back.
“Gu Mang’s pulse has stabilized. There are signs of recovery.”
“You must pay close attention during your journey to the Soul-Calling Abyss.”
“Within five days at the earliest, or one month at the latest, he will definitely remember some scattered fragments.”
Mo Xi’s heart suddenly trembled.
His fingers clenched so tightly that his nails nearly pierced his palm.
“I will prepare seven more doses of medicine for you.”
“I will try my best to delay the effects until you return to the capital.”
“If his memories return and become unfavorable to Chonghua, you can still control him in time.”
Jiang Fuli paused.
“But the affairs of the world are unpredictable.”
“Lord Xi He, his first memory recovery will happen during this period.”
“You need to prepare yourself.”
Mo Xi’s expression changed slightly.
The hand hidden inside his sleeve tightened.
He knew.
The moment he had been waiting for was finally approaching.
But instead of joy, his heart was filled with unease.
Because he did not know what Gu Mang would remember.
Would he remember the years when they stood side by side?
Would he remember the feelings they once shared?
Or would he remember everything that happened afterward?
The betrayal.
The war.
The hatred.
The bloodshed.
Mo Xi lowered his eyes.
For so long, he had hoped that Gu Mang would recover.
But now that the moment was truly coming…
He was afraid.
Because the person who might return was not necessarily the same person who had once loved him.
Jiang Fuli looked at him quietly.
After a moment, he said:
“Mo Xi.”
“You should understand better than anyone.”
“Memories are not always beautiful things.”
“Sometimes, forgetting is also a kind of protection.”
Mo Xi remained silent.
After a long while, he slowly said:
“I know.”
“But even if he remembers everything…”
“I will accept it.”
Jiang Fuli raised an eyebrow.
“You are certain?”
Mo Xi looked toward the distant sky.
His voice was low.
“I owe him too much.”
“I cannot hide the truth from him forever.”
“But…”
His fingers tightened.
“If he remembers and hates me…”
“I will accept that too.”
Jiang Fuli watched him for a moment.
Then he sighed.
“You truly are stubborn.”
Mo Xi did not answer.
Because he knew.
There was something he had never changed.
From the beginning until now.
The person he wanted was always Gu Mang.
Meanwhile, inside the main hall.
Gu Mang sat quietly.
The medicine had made him sleepy.
He rested his chin on his hand and stared curiously at the little girl beside him.
Lan’er also looked at him.
The two of them stared at each other.
After a while, Gu Mang blinked.
“Little girl.”
Lan’er immediately sat straighter.
“Yes?”
Gu Mang tilted his head.
“Are you afraid of me?”
Lan’er shook her head.
“No.”
Gu Mang smiled.
“Really?”
Lan’er nodded.
“Father said… people who are sick are not scary.”
Gu Mang froze slightly.
Then he looked away.
For some reason, those simple words made him feel uncomfortable.
After a moment, he asked:
“What kind of sickness do you have?”
Lan’er lowered her head and touched the small bamboo dragonfly in her hands.
“I don’t know.”
“Sometimes I cannot control myself.”
“Sometimes I hurt people.”
Her voice became smaller.
“So everyone says I am a monster.”
Gu Mang looked at her.
A strange feeling appeared in his chest.
He reached out and gently tapped her forehead.
“You are not a monster.”
Lan’er looked up at him.
Gu Mang smiled.
“You’re just sick.”
“Being sick doesn’t make someone a monster.”
The little girl stared at him.
Her eyes slowly became wet.
She quickly lowered her head.
“Thank you…”
Gu Mang looked at her awkwardly.
“Why are you crying?”
Lan’er shook her head.
“No…”
“I’m just happy.”
Gu Mang scratched his cheek.
He did not know how to comfort children.
So he simply said:
“Don’t cry.”
“Otherwise your father will think I bullied you.”
Lan’er quickly wiped her eyes.
“No, you didn’t.”
Gu Mang smiled.
“Good.”
“Because I’m actually a very good person.”
Lan’er looked at him seriously.
Then she nodded.
“I believe you.”
At that moment, Mo Xi and Jiang Fuli returned.
Mo Xi’s eyes immediately fell onto Gu Mang.
Seeing that he was sitting peacefully beside Lan’er, his tense heart finally relaxed slightly.
But the next second—
Gu Mang looked over and smiled.
“Mo Xi.”
“Come here.”
Mo Xi paused.
Then he walked toward him.
Gu Mang pointed at Lan’er.
“She’s not scary.”
“She’s just sick.”
Mo Xi looked at him.
For some reason, those words struck him deeply.
Because once upon a time…
Gu Mang had also been someone everyone feared.
A person who had been labeled a traitor.
A person who had been abandoned.
Yet he himself had never believed that Gu Mang was a monster.
Not even once.
Mo Xi lowered his gaze.
Quietly, he said:
“I know.”