How to Survive As a Villain

After hearing Yan HeQing’s words, Xiao YuAn took a deep breath of cold air. His whole face was filled with fright as he stepped back a few steps. However, after doing just that, he felt that his reaction was too exaggerated, so he took another step forward, stabilizing his body.

‘I was already preparing myself for the fact that I would have to follow the Third Female Lead’s plot, however, could you at least warn me before you’re ready to start?!’

Yan HeQing, who has been staying in the cabin all by himself, bored to death, was now willing to go out for a walk. Naturally, Xiao YuAn didn’t have any reason to refuse this request, so he cut a wooden cane for Yan HeQing and led him all the way to the mountain’s stream. Xiao YuAn observed Yan HeQing’s steps, afraid that since he couldn’t see well enough, he would fall. So, if that were to happen, Xiao YuAn thought of pulling Yan HeQing towards himself so that the two of them would fall together down the mountain; until finally, the two of them end up dying in the wilderness. Now that Xiao YuAn thought about it, that scenario was quite upsetting.

Originally, the path wouldn’t take more than half an hour’s walk, however, it took them nearly an hour for them to arrive at the stream.

The stream’s water was clear and cold, and the flow of the water sounded like a jade pendant and a jade ring clanking against each other. Xiao YuAn helped Yan HeQing sit down in the shadow of a tree beside the stream, so that he could call for Xiao YuAn if he were to need anything. Xiao YuAn then took the medicine basket, rolled up his trousers, exposing his white ankles, and stepped into the water bending over to clean the medicinal herbs.

After washing medicinal herbs for a while, Xiao YuAn felt like a burning gaze was staring at him the whole time. However, when he looked back, the only thing he saw was the half-blind Yan HeQing calmly sitting in the tree’s shadow.

Xiao YuAn thought that he was just being paranoid, so he bent down again and continued to wash clean the muddy leaves from the medicinal herbs. A small fish of the size of a palm, swam across the stream until it slammed its head against the ankle of Xiao YuAn. The fish seemed to be confused after this collision and flicked its tail to get around him; however, Xiao YuAn reached for the water around the fish, which ended up scaring it and making it hit Xiao YuAn’s ankle once again.

Under the clear sunlight, the little fish casted a shadow over the bottom of the stream, and when he saw the little fish’s struggle, Xiao YuAn puffed out a laugh.

Yan HeQing, who was sitting under the shadow of a tree, suddenly started coughing violently. He covered his mouth with one hand and pressed his chest with the other, however, he didn’t recover for a while.

Xiao YuAn didn’t have the time to roll down his trousers since he hurried over Yan HeQing’s side and asked him with a worried voice: “Gongzi, what happened to you?”

Yan HeQing just shook his head indicating that he was fine.

When Xiao YuAn saw that his cheeks were slightly red from coughing, he didn’t believe that he was fine at all, but it was a good thing that he didn’t cough up blood like last time. Like this, he didn’t feel the need to ask him any more questions, and he turned around to keep washing the medicinal herbs.

After washing a basket full of medicinal herbs, Xiao YuAn walked ashore, put on his boots, carried the basket on his back and helped Yan HeQing up; slowly taking him back to the wooden cabin.

After they returned to the cabin, Xiao YuAn was afraid that Yan HeQing’s wounds would split open from walking around, so he told him to sit down and rest. Then he picked up a few medicinal herbs from the basket and pounded them into a paste. After that he put the paste into a porcelain bowl and brought it into the cabin: “Gongzi, it’s time to apply the medicine, let me help you.”

Yan HeQing nodded his head and reached out to untie the belt and take off his upper outer garment.

Xiao YuAn unwrapped the previous bandages and cleaned off the medicine he applied last time. After finishing cleaning Yan HeQing’s skin, Xiao YuAn saw that his wounds seemed to begin scabbing.

‘He’s really worthy of being the Male Lead, even his healing abilities are stronger than ordinary people!’

Xiao YuAn couldn’t help but say: “Gongzi is recovering pretty well. We should be able to go down the mountain quite sooner than expected.”

Yan HeQing stiffened, swallowed saliva, and with some hesitation, he said: “Go down the mountain?”

Xiao YuAn replied while applying the medicine on his wounds: “Yes, I saw that you were in a hurry to go down the mountain before, and since your wounds began to scab, they’ll be healed in no time. Gongzi doesn’t need to worry, we’ll go down the mountain very soon.”

Yan HeQing’s eyes drifted away and his thoughts dispersed, staying silent for a while, until finally, he came to his senses and hmmmed in response. However, he didn’t say anything more. The day passed by really slowly, and by the time when the night came, it was gloomy and dark all over due to the clouds covering the moon. Yan HeQing waited for Xiao YuAn to fall asleep and slowly got up. He got close to Xiao YuAn, and after a few moments of staring at his sleeping face, Yan HeQing quietly walked out of the cabin. Outside the cabin he looked up at the moon, which looked like a hook, appearing behind the clouds; the moonlight was as dim as the water.

Facing the moonlight, Yan HeQing untied his belt, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his mouth. Then he took off his upper garment revealing the deep and shallow wounds on his body. Yan HeQing unwrapped the new bandages, and without hesitation, stabbed his fingers into the wounds. Bit by bit, the wounds that were healing pretty fast, were brutally torn open once again.

The red blood dripped down his fingers onto the grass. Under the hazy moonlight, the blood looked like it was faintly glowing.

Due to the pain, the belt on Yan HeQing’s mouth was almost swallowed by him. The bitter roughness of the cotton in his mouth barely relieved some of the pain. After tearing up a few wounds, Yan HeQing bent over a tree beside him and kept inhaling and exhaling with some difficulty, cold sweat rolling down his cheeks.

While he waited for the pain to ease up a bit, Yan HeQing washed his wounds and hands. Then he re-bandaged his wounds, adjusted his clothes, and walked back into the cabin.

The next day, when Xiao YuAn unwrapped the bandages, he couldn’t help but scream: “What happened?! Why are these wounds open?!”

Yan HeQing restrained his eyes and asked softly: “So I won’t…. be able to walk down the mountain for a while?”

‘Could it be…. that he wanted to stay with me for a little while longer?’

Xiao YuAn wanted to break open Yan HeQing’s head, so that he could see what he was thinking. He couldn’t understand! How could Yan Heqing’s wounds suddenly split open?

And they even look so miserably torn open too!

‘Although we went out for a walk yesterday, Yan HeQing didn’t fall nor made any abrupt movements!’

‘Could it be that Yan HeQing was sleepwalking at night? When he falls asleep, does he make a full 180 degree spin upside down and a back somersault?’

‘In what other ways could’ve he split them open?’

Xiao YuAn was trying to figure out how it happened, when suddenly, he had an epiphany.

‘Could it be because I wasn’t following the plot the right way?’

Hhhh….

No matter how bad Yan HeQing’s wounds were, the two of them had to be trapped in the mountains. So, in order to get down the mountain as soon as possible, Xiao YuAn decided to keep disguising himself as Lin Shenling, and try to carry on the original plot. That night, Yan HeQing was lying down in his usual bed, when suddenly, he heard Xiao YuAn ask: “Yan-gongzi, the weather is turning cold lately. Do you feel cold when you go to bed at night?”

Yan HeQIng was startled, and slightly puzzled, but he still replied regardless: “It’s alright, I don’t feel so cold.”

Xiao YuAn: “….”

‘Why are you not acting your part?!’

‘Aren’t you supposed to reply: I’m cold, why don’t you come closer to me, so we can both get warm?!’

‘So then, the Third Female Wife can go along with it and be hugged and sleep with you, the Male Lead?!’

‘Did your seduction skills get eaten by a dog just because your First and Second wives eloped?!’

‘Wait, no! Wasn’t he being all provocative before, just to let me take him up the mountain?! So, was he still feeling some uncertainty towards me, and that’s why he’s not using his seduction skills now?!’

Xiao YuAn didn’t care if he acted shameless, he smashed a cracked pot1, and said bluntly: “But I feel cold, Yan-gongzi. So, can you sleep with me in your arms tonight?”

Yan HeQing suddenly supported his body, abruptly moved back, and then fell off the bed-board.