Volume Two: Eventful Autumn, Twists and Turns, Chapter One Hundred and Forty-One: Yielding to Destiny, Consumed by Demonic Fire

That blockhead was truly as dense as ever. In truth, Chang Yu had merely wanted to tease Yang Chengzi. If Yang Chengzi had yielded, wouldn't that have been a blessing in disguise? Yet she held no high expectations; after such a long time together, she understood him quite well.

Lately, however, Chang Yu was losing confidence in herself. She had always liked Yang Chengzi very much, but his attitude toward her alternated between hot and cold. Perhaps she had simply misread his intentions.

Although Chen Xin and Chen San bickered constantly, their relationship was proper and legitimate. Looking at herself by comparison, if Yang Chengzi ultimately refused to marry her, or did so grudgingly, what was the point of this entire journey?

"I will drink the medicine on one condition: you must answer a question honestly. Think it over carefully, but give me a clear answer."

"Ask away." Seeing that Chang Yu had stopped pouting, Yang Chengzi welcomed the chance. Wasn't this the turning point he needed?

Chang Yu suddenly grabbed the collar of Yang Chengzi's robe, and as their lips met, both fell completely silent.

Chang Yu closed her eyes, perhaps out of shyness, or perhaps because she did not know how to face Yang Chengzi at that moment. Yang Chengzi looked at her flushed face, his hands frozen, unsure of where to place them.

For a brief moment, Chen Xin wondered why the two of them had suddenly stopped talking.

Chang Yu finally released Yang Chengzi, saying with an uneasy expression, "I came to find you because you saw my body bare. I followed you because I want you to marry me. But I know you don't want to marry me. Sometimes, I truly feel like I am just an extra burden..."

Before Chang Yu could finish, Yang Chengzi interrupted, "I know what you are going to ask. My feelings for you have never changed. They are the same now as they were before."

As soon as Yang Chengzi spoke, Chang Yu's eyes welled up with tears. That blockhead certainly didn't know how to say comforting things.

"Though I am a Daoist priest and cannot take a wife, I follow the mandate of heaven. Whatever is meant to be, will be. I do not strive against heaven's will."

"You were always like this—neither a definitive yes nor a definitive no. Today, you must think this through properly. I refuse to listen to any more ambiguous answers."

With absolute calmness, Yang Chengzi continued, "I am a Daoist, bound by the Five Imperfections and Three Deficiencies. My fate might bring disaster upon my wife and children. Aren't you afraid?"

"To say I am not afraid would be a lie. But if you face it together with me, I am not afraid."

Seeing the sincere determination in Chang Yu's eyes, Yang Chengzi actually hesitated. To be honest, he had never truly imagined giving up life as a Daoist to pursue the routine of marrying and having children. Yet, facing the woman before him, this suddenly felt like an urgent matter.

After pondering deeply, he replied, "Should the day ever come when I take a wife and have children, that person will certainly be you."

Chang Yu had waited so long, and finally, she had received Yang Chengzi's promise.

Tears streamed down her face like heavy rain. Breaking down completely, she threw her arms around Yang Chengzi and wept bitterly—perhaps from the accumulated grievance in her heart, or perhaps because of that single promise.

Chang Yu had never wept like that in front of Yang Chengzi. For once, he embraced her back, a whirlwind of mixed emotions churning in his chest. He wondered if his words might ultimately harm her; perhaps leaving her without any hope would have made the rest of her life happier.

Nearby, Chen Xin was weeping tears of joy, sniffling as she felt genuinely happy for Chang Yu. Although Chang Yu always called Yang Chengzi a blockhead, his words this time had deeply moved them both.

Three or five days later, Chang Yu had mostly recovered. Her cold was practically gone, and she was full of energy, eager to go outside for some fresh air.

Yang Chengzi refused. After all, Chen San had not fully recovered yet. Although he was much better—able to walk, move around, and feeling very little pain—he probably couldn't handle a stroll through the streets. Besides, leaving him and the girl Chen Xin behind at the inn alone did not sit well with Yang Chengzi.

During these past few days, Chen Xin had noticed something strange. Ever since Chen San became able to get out of bed, he kept leaning toward her, consciously or not, with his mouth lingering close to her face as if about to press against it. It made her extremely uncomfortable.

Yang Chengzi and Chang Yu had also noticed this behavior. While Yang Chengzi said nothing, Chang Yu grew fed up and interrogated Chen San several times. Yet Chen San refused to admit it, insisting it was just coincidence.

It was not until the night of the fifteenth, with a full moon hanging high in the sky, long after dinner had finished.

The four of them chatted casually while discussing Chen Xin's proposal. She still wanted Yang Chengzi to take on the bounty, but under one condition: he had to accompany them to Puxian Temple.

Each of them shared their thoughts, save for Chen San, who seemed absent-minded and unfocused, answering with disjointed remarks. He certainly looked rather strange.

He had not been acting normally for a day or two; ever since his strange transformation, they had all grown somewhat accustomed to it and hadn't paid it special attention.

As the discussion drew to a close, Yang Chengzi prepared to go downstairs and ask the waiter to bring hot water up. He had just opened the door and was about to step out when the unexpected happened.

"Ah!"

Chen Xin let out a sharp scream, immediately followed by another shriek from Chang Yu. Turning around, Yang Chengzi was greeted by a spine-chilling scene.

Chen San had grabbed Chen Xin in a tight embrace, behaving like a lewd bandit attempting to violate a respectable woman. His lips were pressed right against Chen Xin's face while she struggled desperately, trying to push his mouth away with her hands.

As for why Chang Yu had screamed, it was likely because she had caught sight of the prominent bulge standing rigidly between Chen San's legs. Though concealed by fabric, Chang Yu was no fool and naturally knew what it was. Such an abrupt protrusion was visible to anyone with eyes.

Yang Chengzi lunged forward in a single bound, pried Chen San's hands apart, and pinned him onto the bed in a flurry of motion.

"Fetch the rope!"

Chang Yu hastily grabbed the ropes that had previously been used to tie up Meng Wuyan. After some effort, they bound Chen San just as before: his hands and feet tied behind his back, and then his secured limbs bound together in a tight knot, leaving him immobilized like a rocking chair.

Chen Xin was already weeping profusely, clearly terrified out of her wits.

While Chang Yu comforted her, she cursed loudly, furious that Chen San would attempt to molest Chen Xin right in front of them—something even a beast wouldn't do. Yang Chengzi was equally baffled. Although Chen San was somewhat lustful, he wouldn't dare assault Chen Xin with Chang Yu standing right there. It made no sense.

Staring at the flushed and violently struggling Chen San on the bed, Yang Chengzi searched his mind for an explanation.

How could this happen? Had an evil spirit possessed him right under his nose?

That was impossible. With Wan'er around, such a thing could not happen. Was it the phantom demon inside his own body?

It had never behaved this way before. No matter how much he thought about it, he could not make sense of the situation.

Chang Yu was still ranting angrily behind him, completely disrupting his train of thought.

Before Yang Chengzi could speak, Chen San blurted out, "It hurts, it hurts! Something's digging into me. Flip me over... it hurts..."

Yang Chengzi was utterly bewildered, failing to grasp his meaning at first. But when he saw Chen San's hips arching upward in a vain attempt to relieve pressure, comprehension dawned on him instantly.

He grabbed Chen San and flipped him onto his side facing the inner wall. Once Chen San's protruding area was hidden from Chen Xin and Chang Yu's sight, and with his face turned toward the wall so nothing was digging into him, he seemed much more comfortable. His struggling subsided significantly.

Seemingly drained of all strength, Chen San's raised head dropped back onto the bed as he panted heavily.

Yang Chengzi looked at Chen San in astonishment. The heat radiating from him seemed more than slight; wisps of white smoke were actually curling off Chen San's motionless body. Swallowing hard, Yang Chengzi gestured for Chang Yu to come over.

Chang Yu approached, looking at Yang Chengzi with a puzzled expression, while Yang Chengzi's eyes remained fixed on Chen San.

Sunlight or illusion? "Look, is he smoking? O-or am I seeing things?"

Frowning, Chang Yu assumed Yang Chengzi was talking nonsense, but when she glanced skeptically at Chen San and looked closer, faint wisps of white smoke were indeed rising from him.

"Goodness, he really is smoking! This is the first time I've ever seen a human smoke!"

With Chang Yu's confirmation, panic began to rise in Yang Chengzi's heart. Chen San was actually smoking...

Hearing this, Chen Xin wiped away her tears and came over to see the truth for herself.

"I'm hot, I'm hot! Open the windows, I'm so hot..."

No sooner had they noticed the smoke than Chen San began repeating that he was hot, throwing the group into a flurry of panicked activity. Some rushed to open the windows, others the door, while another wrung out damp towels.

Suddenly, a thought struck Yang Chengzi. The warming herbal prescription that Steward Yang had given Chen San was supposed to "vent internal heat." At the time, he hadn't understood the phrase and hadn't thought much of it. Now, seeing Chen San smoking like this, wasn't that precisely what venting internal heat meant? But how was one supposed to vent it? The steward hadn't mentioned a method.

Recalling Steward Yang's exact words, Yang Chengzi asked aloud, "When Steward Yang prescribed that medicine for Chen San, did he say it was meant to vent internal heat?"

In the chaos of the past few days, Chang Yu had completely forgotten, but Chen Xin remembered and nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, he did say it was for venting heat. Do we need to feed him something cooling?"

"Probably not. If it required eating something, he would have specified. Besides, judging by Chen San's condition, simply consuming something won't be enough."

"Then what should we do? His breathing is getting heavier and heavier, he..."