On the back mountain.
Jiang Wan and Cheng Sinian squatted under a tree, resting their chins on their hands, watching Erlang shuttle back and forth in the stone formation, occasionally laughing at his yelps when he was hit.
Erlang, having been laughed at so many times, no longer cared. After each hit, he would concentrate even harder, judging the trajectory of the next stone.
Cheng Sinian slapped his own face, killing a mosquito that was biting him, then scratched himself. "Wan Wan, I heard you're practicing calligraphy with your elder brother?"
Jiang Wan nodded. "What about it?"
Cheng Sinian puffed out his chest. "Your elder brother just learned to write himself, how can he teach you? Why don't you learn from me? I can write so many characters, the teacher even praises my handwriting. "
Jiang Wan refused without a second thought. "No."
Cheng Sinian was puzzled. "Why?"
"My elder brother teaches very well!"
"Impossible!"
Jiang Wan snorted. "Believe it or not, I'm not learning from you anyway."
As if. She couldn't let others see her calligraphy, or how would she face anyone in the future?
If she had known earlier that ancient people's handwriting was so difficult to master and the brushes so hard to hold, she would never have agreed to learn calligraphy from her elder brother!
She also didn't quite understand. Her hands were very flexible and obedient, so why did she become like a disabled person the moment she picked up a brush? She couldn't control it at all, and the strokes she wrote looked like drawings of earthworms, simply unbearable.
It was fine to do embarrassing things at home, but she couldn't let outsiders know!
She also had her pride, alright!
Cheng Sinian was about to try again when suddenly, Little Pony excitedly shrieked from the tree branches.
Jiang Wan's eyes widened, and she swiftly turned her head towards the small courtyard halfway up the mountain, nearly twisting her neck.
Her "energy tree" was back!
She desperately tried to control herself, not to rush forward, otherwise, if she scared him away again, he might never return.
She needed to be reserved, to be elegant!
Jiang Wan suppressed herself with all her might, distractedly watching Erlang practice, her small hands unconsciously reaching for the grass on the ground, plucking and tearing at it.
But she was truly tormented inside.
Without knowing the situation in the small courtyard, she felt uneasy, fearing that the master and disciple were packing their bags to leave.
So, she quickly asked Little Pony to go and keep an eye on them. If they were to leave again, it was imperative to follow them closely!
However, not long after Little Pony flew over, it rapidly returned, circling and squawking in the air.
After receiving the news it brought, Jiang Wan's expression changed. She quickly stood up. "Second Brother, I have something to attend to. Wait for me here and keep an eye on Cheng Sinian."
With that, Jiang Wan sprinted towards the small courtyard at top speed.
Erlang was flustered. "Wan Wan, where are you going? Ouch, ouch, ouch—"
His footwork faltered, and the stones began to hit him one by one, nearly causing him internal injuries.
Jiang Wan's feet moved swiftly, darting through the woods like an arrow, reaching the front of the small courtyard at the fastest possible speed.
As soon as her hand touched the courtyard gate, she heard a fierce roar from the room, "Ah—"
That was the "energy tree's" voice!
Jiang Wan rushed into the courtyard and straight to Gu Chenzhou's room.
She saw Gu Chenzhou bound tightly and fixed to the bed. His expression was one of extreme pain and ferocity, his face contorted as he desperately twisted his body, trying to break free from the ropes. The veins on his body bulged as he strained.
Yan Li stood by, his face tense, anxious, and helpless.
Upon noticing Jiang Wan's arrival, Yan Li turned his head and yelled coldly, "Get out!"
Jiang Wan ignored him and walked towards Gu Chenzhou, her ability should be able to help him calm down.
However, Yan Li grabbed her. "I told you to get out, didn't you hear me?"
As he spoke, he tried to lift her and throw her out the door.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Wan slapped his wrist heavily. He felt his wrist go numb and loose, followed by a sharp pain.
Jiang Wan seized the opportunity to quickly rush onto the bed and sat down on Gu Chenzhou.
The frenzied Gu Chenzhou had immense strength. The moment Jiang Wan sat on him, he almost threw her off.
But Jiang Wan's strength was greater. She reached out and pressed down on Gu Chenzhou's shoulders, immobilizing his upper body. He could only desperately wriggle his bound legs, but thankfully, Yan Li had tied him tightly, so his legs couldn't do much.
Just as Jiang Wan was about to transfer her ability to Gu Chenzhou, Yan Li quickly rushed over, grabbed her, and dragged her off the bed. "Get down!"
Jiang Wan, thoroughly annoyed, simply grabbed his hand, yanked him fiercely to her front, and then swung her fist, followed by a strong push. The martial arts expert Yan Li was sent uncontrollably crashing towards the window.
"Boom—"
With a loud crash, the wooden wall of the small hut was broken through by Yan Li, creating a human-shaped hole. Yan Li himself was thrown heavily onto the ground, stunned on the spot.
Jiang Wan didn't have time to worry about Yan Li's fate. She quickly pressed down on Gu Chenzhou and transferred her ability.
Soon, Gu Chenzhou's struggles began to weaken, and his expression gradually shifted from extreme frenzy to vacant confusion.
Jiang Wan said softly, "Don't be afraid. I'm here, no one can hurt you. Relax, don't think about anything, just have a good sleep. When you wake up, everything will be fine..."
Gu Chenzhou's vacant eyes gradually blurred. After a moment, he gently closed his eyes, his expression one of extreme relaxation and peace, his breathing becoming light and steady.
Yan Li could hardly believe his eyes!
He strode forward, wanting to check Gu Chenzhou's condition, but was met with a fierce glare from Jiang Wan.
"What else do you want to do!"
The little girl bared her teeth at him in a low voice.
Yan Li was a bit embarrassed. "I want to check his pulse."
Jiang Wan snorted, got off Gu Chenzhou, and stood aside, showing no intention of leaving.
Yan Li didn't drive her away either and began to check Gu Chenzhou's pulse by the bedside.
After a moment, he looked at Jiang Wan with some surprise. "What did you do to him?"
In the past, when Gu Chenzhou had an episode, it would take at least a day or two for him to recover. But today, he had just fallen ill, and as soon as this little girl arrived, he was fine!
How did she manage it?
Jiang Wan spread her chubby hands. "I just coaxed him! Although the little brother looks a bit scary, he's actually quite easy to coax. Don't you know that children need to be coaxed?"
Yan Li: ...
Worried that Jiang Wan might have done something to Gu Chenzhou, such as giving him some medicine, Yan Li reluctantly checked Gu Chenzhou's pulse again.
His pulse was steady and strong, very healthy and normal.
He didn't believe a single word Jiang Wan said.
Coaxed?
How much had he coaxed him over the years? When he first fell ill, he always held him tightly and comforted him. In the beginning, it had some effect, but as Gu Chenzhou's condition worsened, those methods became useless.
He had even given him medication to calm him down when he couldn't control him.
But that was too damaging to his body. He was still a child, and too much of that medicine would cause irreversible harm to his body.
He had also tried to knock him out, but he woke up again after a short while, and his condition worsened.
Later, when there was no other way, he could only restrain Gu Chenzhou with ropes when he had an episode, forcing him to grit his teeth and endure.
This process was very painful, but it caused the least harm to his body.
He had also sought medical advice for him everywhere. The half-year he left before was for this purpose. Who would have thought it was a trap, nearly costing Gu Chenzhou his life.
After returning, he found that Gu Chenzhou's episodes had started to become more frequent, from once every six months to once every one or two months, and the duration of the episodes was getting longer.
This month, Gu Chenzhou had already had two episodes.