Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Xu Sheng was reminded: "I almost forgot, Young Master Nan's most prized feature is this face. What if I were to carve you into an ugly monster..."

Xu Sheng dropped the whip, his short sword darting back and forth against Nan Fei's face. Genuine fear was evident in Nan Fei's face and eyes.

Luo An knew that Nan Fei cherished his face the most; he would apply medicine three times a day even for a mosquito bite. If he were truly disfigured, Nan Fei would probably be more distressed than dead, and might even attempt suicide.

He brought out a living person and returned a corpse. This affected not only the Crown Prince and Princess, the Nan family, and the royal family, but also the Zhenbei Army and Dongyang. The relationship between Dongyang and the Zhenbei Army had been fragile for years, and it wasn't impossible that Yuan Fengruo might defect to the Datars in a fit of anger.

With the fall of the southern desert, nomadic cavalry from the northern desert swept down, Xiling gained the support of the Yellow River to launch an eastern expedition, and the Southern Yue took revenge through coercion. Dongyang was surrounded by enemies on three sides and bordered by the sea on the other, and its demise was imminent.

Seeing Nan Fei trembling like a leaf, Xu Sheng curled his lips into a smile: "Since ancient times, beauty fades and love wanes, this applies to both men and women. Young Master Nan, if you were truly disfigured, do you think Yuan Feng would still like you? Would Luo An still let you be his apprentice doctor? But don't worry, I'll make sure the cuts look good..."

The short sword was held upright in Xu Sheng's hand, the tip of the sword moved to his chin, the posture indicating that he intended to slash downwards.

Luo An opened his mouth: "No..."

He hadn't spoken for years, but in his desperation, he finally uttered a sound, which those around him only heard as a muffled "uh." The scene fell silent; everyone stared at Luo An, holding their breath.

Xu Sheng paused slightly: "What did you say?"

Luo An said, "No..."

The word "not" doesn't sound as natural as it would be spoken by a normal person, but it's still recognizable.

Xu Sheng sneered: "You say no, but I insist on doing it anyway."

Nanfei's chin was cut open by one centimeter.

Luo An stepped forward: "I...don't know...I don't know."

The last sound was short and clear, indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person.

Xu Sheng flew into a rage, pointing his sword at Luo An: "If you don't know, who does?"

Just as he moved his sword away, Hu Zi, who had been hiding in the tree, cut the rope with a single stroke. At the same time, Liu Lin's flying knife flew towards Xu Sheng, and Nian Yao's long sword followed closely behind, blocking Nan Fei's path.

Nanfei fell headfirst to the ground and lost consciousness. Huzi jumped down from the tree, picked Nanfei up, and rushed towards the backyard, shouting, "Dr. Luo, come quick!"

Liu Lin and his brothers watched the battle, intending to test Nian Yao. Xu Sheng countered each move but didn't really go all out. Luo An glanced at them and then followed Hu Zi.

Nanfei was awakened by the pain. The moment his memory returned, he screamed, "My face..."

Nanfei felt even more pain when he moved. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his upper body was wrapped up like a rice dumpling.

Ignoring his injuries, Nanfei lay there shouting, "Mirror, give me a mirror, I need a mirror... Is anyone there? I need a mirror, give me a mirror..."

Luo An put down his book, got up, and took a mirror to look at his face. Except for his eyes, nose, and mouth, his entire face was completely covered up.

Nan Fei cried out, tugging at Luo An's sleeve pitifully, "Young Master, what happened to my face? Can it be healed? I won't live if I'm disfigured..."

Nianyao walked in: "Are you even a man? A man's success in this world depends on his ability, his breadth of vision, his character, and his magnanimity, not on his looks."

Nan Fei touched the white cloth covering his face, almost crying: "I'm not a man. I don't care about ability, magnanimity, or character. I just want my face. Yuan Feng values ​​my face. If I'm disfigured, she definitely won't want me anymore."

The group that had come to see Nianyao all turned back. The men who had weathered the storms of Chongming Island were men who would bleed but not cry. They couldn't comfort Nanfei if he cried, nor could they bear to hear him.

Nianyao turned to Luo An: "How did you put up with him for so many years?"

Nanfei was indignant: "If the young master were disfigured, would you still marry him?"

Nianyao said, "It's not like we're really getting married, so what does it matter what kind of person it is?"

Nanfei said, "What if we really get married? You wouldn't mind if he had a hundred or two hundred scars on his face, was blind, had a crooked nose, a grinning mouth, and was missing an ear..."

Nianyao looked at Luo An and began to imagine that the immortal in front of her was just like Nanfei had described.

Luo An crumpled up a handkerchief and stuffed it into his mouth.

Nanfei ripped it away: "You hesitated, and hesitation means you can't do it. You women are all so hypocritical, talking about how a gentleman should live a virtuous life and a man should establish himself. Those who aren't good-looking aren't even called gentlemen or men, you call them ugly monsters or toads..."

Nianyao said patiently, "I can see it very clearly. There's a cut on your face, and the cut on your chin is just a small scratch."

Nanfei calmed down slightly: "Then why is it bandaged like this?"

Nianyao said, "Ask your young master."

Nanfei steadied himself: "What about my cuts? How deep are they? Will they leave scars? How big will the scars be...?"

Nianyao retorted angrily, "What does it matter? Who can see you when you're dressed?"

Nanfei complained again: "If I take it off, they'll see it, and it'll affect our intimacy."

Nianyao couldn't take it anymore: "Don't you know how to turn off the lights?"

Nanfei said helplessly, "This is the only way."

Nianyao shook her head and left.

The room fell silent. Nanfei had intended to ask Luo An about his injuries, but when he turned around, he saw Luo An staring at him with a probing look in his eyes.

Nanfei felt guilty and closed his eyes, weakly crying out, "It hurts so much, it hurts so much... Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, the Buddha who saves all sentient beings... Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life, please have mercy on me... Amitabha, good, good..."

As expected, Luo An left.

Nanfei opened his eyes, made sure no one was in the room, and smiled, thinking to himself, "Brother-in-law, you should be satisfied with this generous gift from your brother-in-law, right?"

That evening, after changing his dressing, Luo An went to Yaochi. Nianyao sat in the small hall reading, still the same "Three Hundred Poems." Was she trying to study hard and improve herself every day?

Nianyao looked up at him from her book, pointed to the chair, and Luo An sat down opposite her.

Nianyao said, "After you left, Xu Sheng abandoned his sword and surrendered. He didn't really intend to hurt anyone. In terms of martial arts, he should be stronger than Nanfei. However, if Nanfei hadn't been drugged, it would have been difficult for him to dress her in women's clothes and hang her upside down on a tree without alerting anyone in the early morning."

Nianyao flipped her wrist and placed a key in front of him: "He's locked in the forbidden room next to the Discipline Hall. He hasn't eaten or drunk anything all day. You decide what to do."

Luo An took the keychain and held it in his palm. Nian Yao continued reading her book, and after a while, she asked: Why isn't "Flowers Are Not Flowers" listed?

Luo An immediately remembered the crumpled paper he had thrown away earlier, got up and went out.

Xu Sheng sat leaning against the corner with his eyes closed, hearing the sound of the lock opening and smelling the aroma of food. He scoffed, "What, you're not planning to let me starve to death?"

No one answered, but there was the sound of food being set out. Xu Sheng knew something was wrong, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Luo An. There were three dishes and rice on the table.