Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Nianyao gently called out to Luo An, but he still didn't wake up. Luo An usually slept better than her, so he probably wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night.

Nianyao clasped her hands together and whispered, "Young Master Luo, Doctor Luo, Divine Physician Luo, Immortal Luo... You can't even sleep in such a big bed, just lend me a tiny bit of it..."

Nianyao completely forgot that the bed was originally hers. She quietly threw the blanket to the inside and then carefully tiptoed over from the foot of the bed.

With one foot still in mid-air, Luo An suddenly rolled over and stretched out his leg, bumping into her other foot. Nian Yao instinctively cried out, and as she was about to fall off the bed, a force pulled her to the inside of the bed, where she landed on the soft blankets.

Still shaken, Nianyao looked up and saw Luo An had already sat up like a ghost. Feeling guilty, she instinctively kicked him without thinking.

Luo An never dreamed that Nian Yao would repay kindness with enmity. Caught off guard, he fell off the bed with a thud.

Neither of them moved in the darkness; the air seemed to freeze.

Feeling guilty, Nianyao crawled to the bedside and asked tremblingly, "Are you alright...? Should we call a doctor?"

Unbearable, no need to endure.

Luo An stood up and walked out, but Nian Yao jumped off the bed and rushed over to block the door: "You can't leave, Uncle Liu will kill me if you leave. He's terrifying when he gets angry, even my dad is afraid of him."

In the darkness, Nianyao couldn't see his expression. She clasped her hands together, very devoutly: "Amitabha, Dr. Luo is a compassionate healer, please forgive me. I didn't mean to kick you, I was just startled and reacted instinctively..."

Luo An didn't move, seemingly not sincere enough. Nian Yao pointed upwards: "I swear to God, I didn't mean to kick you, I was just really scared. You're like a Bodhisattva on Chongming Island, Uncle Liu and my father treat you like royalty. Even if I had a thousand, ten thousand, a billion times more courage, I wouldn't dare kick you. I'm telling the truth, if I'm lying, may I be struck by lightning..."

As soon as Nianyao finished speaking, a loud bang came from the horizon, and another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.

Nianyao's face turned pale, and after a long while she murmured, "Is Heaven going to kill me?"

Luo An couldn't help but laugh, his deep and pleasant voice resonating in Nian Yao's ears.

Nianyao asked uncertainly, "Did you laugh? Was it you laughing?"

In the three years Luo An spent on Chongming Island, no one had ever seen him laugh out loud. At most, it was a fleeting, faint smile. Was this some kind of gloating laughter at the impending doom of her? How could a person be so...heartless...?

Another flash of lightning illuminated Luo An's smiling face. He was usually as aloof and unapproachable as a snow-capped mountain or a cold moon, but the fleeting smile he wore in the lightning flash possessed a childlike innocence and sincerity—the contrast was striking…

Seeing her undisguised shock and disorientation, Luo An coughed lightly to stop laughing. The room fell silent again, while the sound of the pouring rain outside was quite lively.

Nianyao lit the lamp and saw that Luo An had returned to his usual indifference. Perhaps because she had just seen his smiling face, the kindness and sincerity in Nianyao's mind had not yet faded, so she did not feel that Luo An was distant.

Nianyao said sincerely, "Dr. Luo, if Heaven wants you to stay, please don't leave. I apologize for any offense I may have caused you."

Luo An is a deity who doesn't associate with mortals, while Uncle Liu's temper is enough to frighten even ghosts and gods. Weighing the two, it's more worthwhile to appease Luo An. Nian Yao, with great magnanimity, clasped her hands and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, refusing to rise.

Nianyao had a stubborn look on her face, as if she wouldn't get up unless someone helped her, and she even deliberately bent her waist down. Luo An finally reached out to lend a helping hand.

Nianyao immediately sat up straight: "Since Dr. Luo doesn't mind, let's go to bed."

During the day, he could still mistake her for a man, but at night, she was only wearing an undergarment. With such a vibrant young woman watching him sleep, he couldn't even pretend to be asleep.

Luo An had no choice but to open his eyes and look at her. Nian Yao sat on the edge of the bed and asked very gently, "Dr. Luo, can't you sleep? Let's chat..."

What could be more terrifying than Nianyao feigning gentleness? Luo An got goosebumps and simply sat up.

Nianyao said, "It's been damp these past few days, and the mattress and blankets haven't been aired out yet. They're so wet and hard to sleep on. The bed is so big, and you, with your good sleeping posture, are taking up such a small space—it's such a waste. How about you share half with me? I promise I won't touch you or get too close. The Liang-Zhu duo used to put a bowl of water in the middle of their bed, so we can put a bowl of water too… No, what if the water spills and we have nowhere to sleep? We can put…"

Nianyao glanced around the room: "We can use swords, hanging them on the bed. Whoever crosses the line can be slashed by the other side..."

Nianyao sensed something was wrong and chuckled, "That's too brutal. We're all peace-loving people, and if we get hurt, we'll just be a burden on you, the doctor. We can move the curtain over and put it in the middle of the bed. That's both safe and effective, right?"

Nianyao reached out and pulled him: "Since you agree, then get up, I'll move the curtain."

Did he agree? If this goes on any longer, the whole night will be gone. Do we even want to sleep anymore?

Luo An got up and sat down in the chair, while Nian Yao began to nail, hang ropes, and take down and install the curtain...

Nianyao said, "Hey, it's hard for me to hang it by myself, can you come and help me?"

Luo An was unable to speak, and only regretted that Nan Fei was not by his side.

He looked at Nianyao, who grinned and said, "Immortal Luo, come and help me."

Luo An jumped up and quickly stood up to help her hang the curtains. After the curtains were hung and piled on the bed, Nian Yao took the scissors and snipped them flat against the bed. She nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, you can sleep now."

She usually suffers from insomnia, but she had been busy until late at night and was very satisfied with her masterpiece. She crawled behind the curtain, covered herself with the blanket, and soon her breathing became long and even as she slept soundly.

Luo An lay in bed listening to the rain until dawn. The bed and blankets were the ones Nian Yao usually slept on, and they naturally had a faint, delicate fragrance. Now that Nian Yao was lying beside him, the fragrance wafted through the curtains, lingering at his nose, rushing into his mind, and permeating his very being.

The strict separation of men and women? Nianyao showed none of that. Was it because she didn't understand or because she trusted him completely?

Qin Jiu asked, "Is the young master impotent or averse to women?"

Luo An swallowed hard, realizing for the first time that none of them were true!

As dawn broke, Luo An got up and went to the tea room, only to find someone else there even earlier than him. Xu Sheng sat opposite him in his usual spot, fiddling with the charcoal in the small celadon tea stove.

Xu Sheng placed the cup on his seat: "Plum wine, come on, try my cooking... Didn't sleep well last night? You're not used to sleeping on the floor anymore?"

Luo An looked up at him, a hint of threat in his eyes.

Xu Sheng laughed and said, "Last time you poisoned me, the brothers on the island were terrified. If you do it again, you'll ruin the reputation of Tianxia Medical Manor, and that would be unfair to me, wouldn't it?"

Xu Sheng reached for the chess box, scooped out a few chess pieces, and played with them in his hand: "These are Yunzi, treasured by my mother. It is said that they are unique in the world. I was young and ignorant when I was young. Once, I went to my mother's palace and saw them and insisted on having them. Later, I left Qinzhou with my adoptive father for ten years. When I returned, my mother was no longer there. I traveled around and was not often in the palace, so I did not need to use Go. About three years ago, my uncle asked me if I still needed the Yunzi. If not, he would give them to me. I thought he was going to use them to play Go with my aunt. I did not expect that he was giving them to you."