My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 113 Mouth Escape

After helping him to the bed, Xie Yan took his pulse again. Looking at Dongfang Shuo, who was even weaker than before, he stroked his chin and said, "Your illness... is very strange."

When the two fought just now, Dongfang Shuo's skill was astonishingly profound, but in the blink of an eye, he was as weak as a dying man.

He turned to look at Dongfang Shuo, who was lying on the couch with a pale face, and frowned, saying, "You say you are sick, but your pulse also suggests poisoning, yet saying you are poisoned is not entirely accurate..."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Shuo twitched the corner of his mouth, coughed a few times, and said, "Many people say this, but no one knows what kind of disease it is."

"Over the years, I have consulted countless famous doctors, but no one has been able to cure my illness."

He lowered his eyelashes and said in a low voice, "Perhaps, this is fate."

Xie Yan frowned upon hearing this. He withdrew his hand, looked at the calm-faced Dongfang Shuo, and couldn't help but say, "Do you yourself also think this is an incurable disease?"

Dongfang Shuo opened his eyes, looked at the bed curtains above his head, and said with a wry smile, "I have searched for almost all the famous doctors in the entire martial arts world, but no one knows what my illness is, let alone how to treat it."

“Everyone says that I’m getting my comeuppance because I killed too many people in my younger years.”

Dongfang Shuo gave a forced smile, but his eyes remained calm and unwavering, as if he didn't care about anything at all.

You could tell he had truly resigned himself to his fate.

But Xie Yan's eyes flickered slightly as she looked at his expression.

He stroked his chin and suddenly said, "You haven't consulted all the famous doctors, have you? I do know someone here who is quite skilled in medicine. Would you like to give him a try?"

"No need."

But Dongfang Shuo calmly refused, saying, "I've already come to terms with it, there's no need to make any more trouble."

After all these years, he had long since given up any hope.

Seeing him like this, Xie Yan sincerely comforted him, "Anyway, you're going to die, so why not give it a try?"

Dongfang Shuo: ...Is that how you comfort people?

Dongfang Shuo was momentarily choked up by this pure and unpretentious comfort, forgetting his original purpose of finding Xie Yan.

He looked at Xie Yan with a dark expression, and just as he was about to say something, Xiang Qingsheng rushed in from the outer room.

"Master, are you alright?!"

As the leader's adopted son and eldest disciple, he was responsible for maintaining order at the conference. Upon receiving news of Dongfang Shuo's accident, he immediately rushed back.

"What are you doing back?"

However, when Dongfang Shuo looked at Xiang Qingsheng, who had a worried expression, his face suddenly darkened.

He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Didn't I tell you to guard the martial arts tournament? Who gave you permission to leave without permission?"

Xiang Qingsheng was taken aback by his reprimand, and opened his mouth to say, "But Master, I heard that you..."

"I am fine."

Dongfang Shuo interrupted him, frowning, and said, "Go back and take charge of the overall situation. You don't need to worry about this."

Xiang Qingsheng paused, looked at Dongfang Shuo lying on the sickbed with a pale face, and finally pursed his lips before turning and leaving.

Xie Yan stood to the side with her arms crossed, watching the interaction between the master and apprentice, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Watching Xiang Qingsheng's dejected figure as he left, he said thoughtfully, "You seem to have particularly high expectations for this disciple."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Shuo paused for a moment, then said in silence, "He is the most promising candidate to succeed as the next leader of the alliance, so I will naturally place high hopes on him."

His voice was calm, but Xie Yan could detect a complex emotion in it.

Upon hearing Dongfang Shuo's words, Xie Yan couldn't help but turn and glance at him.

It seems he still can't bear to part with his daughter, which is why he's so strict with this disciple, wanting to train him to be the next leader of the alliance so he can entrust his daughter to him.

Xie Yan leaned against the table, looking at Dongfang Shuo and said, "Didn't you ever consider that your daughter might not want to walk the path you've laid out for her?"

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Shuo paused, then turned to look at Xie Yan with a sharp look in his eyes, saying, "I haven't settled accounts with you yet!"

He glared at Xie Yan, his expression full of displeasure, and said, "Su'er has never been so rebellious before. Did you instigate Su'er to do something?!"

Upon hearing this unfounded accusation, Xie Yan shrugged calmly and said, "You're wronging me. I didn't say anything."

A half-smile played on his lips as he said, "But you, do you really understand your own daughter?"

Dongfang Shuo stared at Xie Yan, who had a calm expression, and took several deep breaths before he could calm himself down.

He withdrew his gaze, turned his head, and said coldly, "My daughter, I naturally know her."

"Really?"

Xie Yan chuckled softly and said slowly, "Then do you know what her favorite color is, what she likes to eat, and what she likes to do most on a daily basis?"

Dongfang Shuo was taken aback by the barrage of questions. He frowned, about to say something, but the words caught in his throat.

He suddenly realized that he didn't really understand his daughter.

Over the years, he has been busy with matters of the martial arts world and has had little time to spend with Dongfang Su, so he doesn't know much about her.

Realizing this, Dongfang Shuo frowned deeply, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Seeing the rare look of frustration on his face, Xie Yan smiled and decided to continue to torment him—

"I've only met Miss Dongfang a few times, yet I know she prefers white to pink; she prefers candied fruit to pastries; and she longs to venture out into the world rather than stay at home..."

"But you, as a father, don't even know what your own daughter likes; you just impose your own will on her."

"You've entrusted her to someone else, leaving her to depend on them for the rest of her life. If she meets a good man, she might have a peaceful life, but if she meets a bad one, you've ruined your own daughter's life with your own hands."

Xie Yan, unusually, stopped smiling and looked at Dongfang Shuo with a deep gaze: "Do you really think this is for her own good?"

As Xie Yan finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Dongfang Shuo was speechless. He sat on the edge of the bed, his expression changing several times before finally turning into a sigh.

He rubbed his temples wearily, his voice hoarse and self-reproachful as he said, "I am indeed not a good father."

After a moment, Dongfang Shuo finally made up his mind and said, "...No matter who wins this tournament, the previous agreement will be null and void."

"I will not entrust Su'er's life-long happiness to anyone. Let her arrange everything herself."

Even if some people might be unhappy then, and his reputation might be damaged as a result, none of that mattered compared to his daughter.

And that was the biggest concession he could make.

But Xie Yan looked at his dejected expression and smiled meaningfully, saying, "Don't worry, Miss Dongfang may be much more capable than you think."