Chapter 43 : Filled With Expectations

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Murong Heng held Shen Ci’s hand and assisted him into the house. He hadn’t expected that the house, which didn’t look very large on the outside, was a place of charm and beauty on the inside. The huge yard is filled with various medicinal herbs. As they walked along the path, they could spot a house. That must be the place where the Medicine King resides.

“Tell me, why do you seek this old man?” Medicine King stepped into the courtyard and carelessly fiddled with a herb. There were many people who came here, but many were trapped in the trigram formation in the bamboo grove. Those who could break through the formation were not ordinary people.

Murong Heng was quiet for a long time and said in a deep voice, “We heard that Medicine King’s healing skills are unparalleled. My beloved’s eyes have been blinded for some reason since childhood. Therefore, I would like to request that Medicine King cure him. I would be extremely grateful.” He glanced at Shen Ci, who was beside him, and noticed that he’d inclined his head, as if he were looking at him. Murong Heng couldn’t help squeezing his palm, communicating to him not to be nervous.

“Beloved?” Medicine King turned his head and eyed the two of them when he heard the words. Then he carefully took in the man dressed in white. He perceived that his eyes were vacant, and he was indeed blind, and he had been blind for some years. As he considered this, he glanced back at the man in black beside him. After pondering for a while, he stood up and walked to stand before him and asked, “Do you love him very much?”

Murong Heng didn’t expect the Medicine King to ask this question out of nowhere, so he nodded subconsciously.

“How much do you love him? Are you willing to die for him?” Medicine King sneered, and the words that came out were as cold as ice: “If this old man said, I want you to show me yourself committing suicide here, and only then will this old man save him. What would you do?”

As soon as the words fell, Murong Heng distinctly felt Shen Ci’s body tremble beside him. He looked coldly at Medicine King, and all the expectations inside him plummeted to the bottom. He suddenly recalled that before they’d left, he’d learned about the Medicine King’s characteristics. This person was known for his scathing manner of speaking all his life. In reality, he possessed a sharp tongue and a soft heart—not at all scary. With this thought, Murong Heng gave a light cough and said seriously, “Medicine King, if you can cure Ah Ci, I can give you whatever you want, except for my life and Ah Ci’s.”

“Why?” Medicine King raised his eyebrows and then said with a sneer, “Sure enough, you said you loved him, but you’re only treating him as a plaything. Once your life is threatened, you can even forgo your beloved.”

Once he’d spoken, Shen Ci immediately frowned. He hadn’t uttered a single word all this time, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t listening. As he witnessed the Medicine King insulting Murong Heng like this, the intention of leaving appeared in his mind. He would rather continue to be blind instead of letting such a person heal him. If his eyes cannot be healed, so be it! Unexpectedly, when he was about to drag Murong Heng away, the person next to him spoke up.

“That’s not the case.” Murong Heng spoke softly, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze. He squeezed the palm of Shen Ci beside him and continued, “It is exactly because Ah Ci and I are in love that you absolutely cannot have my life. My whole life, my entire lifetime, belongs to Ah Ci.”

After Murong Heng finished speaking, the Medicine King was stunned. He’d heard countless honeyed words in his life, some of which were true and some of which were false. Contrary to expectations, these terms of endearment—which were not actually terms of endearment—caused an inexplicable stirring in the depths of his heart. Even the way they looked at him now seemed even more pleasant.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to die for him; it’s just that he fears that if he does die, there will be no one to take care of Shen Ci. Therefore, he will live a long life and grow old with Ah Ci. This is Murong Heng’s love for Shen Ci.

There was another silence. The Medicine King sighed softly. “Forget it, come in.” He then turned and walked towards the hut. These two people broke through his formation and said something that moved him so much. Even the heavens would disapprove if he didn’t heal him!

Seeing that Medicine King acquiesced, Murong Heng was overjoyed and shouted, “Elder Medicine King, have you promised to treat Ah Ci?”

“I promised to treat it, but I didn’t promise to cure it.” The Medicine King took out a small camphor wood box. He let Shen Ci sit on a chair, lifted his eyelids with his fingers to carefully examine them, and said seriously, “These eyes have been blind for several years. I can’t guarantee that they will be cured. Furthermore, the treatment process will be quite painful. It’s very likely that you will not be able to regain your sight even after enduring the pain. Both of you can give me an answer after you’ve thought it through.” He wanted to leave after finishing speaking, but was grabbed by Shen Ci.

“Elder, no need to think it through. Just treat it.” Shen Ci stood up, with a serene smile on his lips. “If it can be cured, it would be a blessing for me. If it can’t be cured, there is someone who will accompany me for the rest of my life. It doesn’t matter.” Murong Heng said that he would be his eyes for the rest of his life, and he believes him.

When the Medicine King heard the words, he turned around. After a long silence, he patted Shen Ci’s shoulder. His grey beard shook three times, and he said with a smile, “Good boy, I will definitely do my best based on what you just said.” Once he was done speaking, he meticulously explained to them the things that need to be observed prior to the treatment, one by one, the pain involved in the process, as well as some matters in the later stages. After they were mentally prepared, he turned and headed to the medicine house in the backyard to prepare the items needed for eye treatment.

It wasn’t until Shen Ci was lying on the soft couch that he realised that the Medicine King was really willing to treat him. However, Medicine King didn’t permit Murong Heng to remain in the house and insisted on driving him out.

“Are you leaving?” Medicine King glared, his beard raised.

“Not leaving!” Seeing Medicine King’s appearance, Murong Heng felt amused and couldn’t help wanting to tease him.

“Heh!” Medicine King took a deep breath. The appearance of him fuming with rage was completely different from the icy demeanour earlier.

“That’s enough. Murong, you go out first; I’m fine.” Shen Ci couldn’t bear hearing the two quarrelling any longer, so he asked Murong Heng to go out and wait.

Since his beloved had spoken, Murong Heng had no choice but to sheepishly walk out, causing the Medicine King to burst out laughing.

“You’re obstinate! But no matter how obstinate you are, you still have to listen to Little Ci!” Medicine King’s crowing reached Murong Heng’s ears. He shook his head helplessly and waited outside.

Shen Ci lay quietly on the soft couch. As soon as he discerned Medicine King becoming serious, a needle was stuck around his eyes, and he couldn’t feel anything. But for the subsequent needle jabs, he gradually tightened his palm, clenching it into a fist.

A cold sweat began to break out on his forehead. All the spots where the needle was pricked by Medicine King were major acupuncture points around the eyes. If he wasn’t careful, not only would he lose his sight for the rest of his life, but he might even die from it. He nervously held his breath and gritted his teeth to hold back the groans of pain that were about to escape.

Murong Heng waited anxiously outside. He clearly wanted to go in and have a look; he endured in order not to interfere with Medicine King’s treatment. A familiar voice could be heard from time to time. It was obviously an uncontrollable moan of pain. Murong Heng clenched his fists, his eyes filled with distress.

The sun gradually set behind the western hills, its afterglow gleaming on the horizon. The scenery around the hut was beautiful, completely different from the elegance and luxury of the imperial palace. However, at this moment, Murong Heng wasn’t in the mood to admire the gorgeous scenery. His concerns were solely focused on Shen Ci.

Finally, the sky darkened, and another hour later, the door opened. Medicine King came out, his brow suffused with Then he asked anxiously, “Elder, how is it?” As he asked, he couldn’t stop looking inside the house.

“It’s done, but whether or not it can be cured, we won’t know until the cloth is removed after fifteen days.” Medicine King took a breath, lamenting that he was old and his physical strength wasn’t as good as it was before. When he got better, he stretched out his finger to point into the room and said, “Go in and have a look. Be careful not to disturb him.”

“Thank you!” Murong Heng nodded vigorously and strode into the house. There was a tiny lamp, and on the soft couch, Shen Ci lay quietly; apparently, he’d fallen asleep. His eyes were covered with white gauze, and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. Murong Heng ruefully took out a handkerchief from his lapels and carefully wiped off the sweat on Shen Ci’s forehead. Then he picked him up and carried him to the next room.

After blowing out the candles, Murong Heng hugged him. The bed was very hard and was no comparison to the dragon bed. It couldn’t even be compared to the bed in the prince’s mansion, but he felt extremely at ease right now. Murong Heng tightened his hold as he stared unblinkingly at Shen Ci. He prayed silently in his heart and didn’t sleep all night.

Early in morning the next day, Murong Heng felt the person in his arms shift. His eyes opened wide as he watched Shen Ci gradually awaken. His expression changed from uncertainty to indifference, and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning over to kiss him. He asked, “How does it feel?”

Shen Ci moved his body. Yesterday, his eyes were studded with needles, and ointment had been applied. At this moment, the area around his eyes felt extremely cool, but his eyes still hurt. So he shook his head to indicate that he was fine.

Murong Heng felt a pain in his heart. It’s not that he didn’t hear the groans of pain from last night, so he knew that Ah Ci must still be in agony at this moment, but he didn’t want to say it out of fear that he would worry. As he thought that way, he kissed the gauze over Shen Ci’s eyes and seriously said, “Elder said that it will take fifteen days before the gauze can be removed. Don’t worry, I believe it can be cured.”

“I believe it too.” Shen Ci smiled a little. In fact, he knew fairly well in his heart. He’d been blind for many years. Even the King of Medicine was not completely assured that he was capable of healing his eyes. But, like he’d said yesterday in front of the King of Medicine, if it can be cured, it’s a blessing; it’s the heavens pitying him and unable to bear his continued blindness. If it can’t be cured, it was because the heavens were apathetic. But he is not afraid, because he has Murong Heng.

The two chatted for a while. Then, Murong Heng helped Shen Ci sit upright and get dressed before going out to fetch breakfast. He fed it to Shen Ci on the bed bit by bit, with the utmost tenderness.

The days passed by similarly. It seemed like Murong Heng and Shen Ci hadn’t come here to treat his eyes, but to take off and relax. When they left the palace, Murong Heng had specially brought along a set of blind chess, which came in handy.

Unexpectedly, Medicine King was also adept in blind chess, so he and Shen Ci often played for an afternoon. Both their chess skills were comparable, and the eliminating moves were very exciting. Even Murong Heng clapped his hands and cheered.

After sunset, Murong Heng put away the chessboard and brought Shen Ci to have dinner. Medicine King didn’t only excel in medical skills but was also superior in knowledge. The three chatted while eating and learned many useful aspects from each other.

Once dinner was done, Murong Heng took Shen Ci to stroll around the hut and described the surrounding scenery to him in detail. The words he said were very ordinary, nothing more than things like ‘today’s night scene is beautiful’ or ‘the sky is filled with stars’ and so on. This type of contentment emerges a lifetime-like feeling in Shen Ci.

Yes, he truly wished to be with Murong Heng for the rest of his life!

Before they knew it, fifteen days passed by in a flash, and it was time to remove the gauze. The two of them weren’t nervous. Murong Heng held Shen Ci’s hand, giving him silent support, before turning to look at Medicine King. He said in a low voice, “Let’s begin.”

As soon as the words were uttered, Medicine King nodded solemnly and began to remove the gauze.

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