I Am Your Natural Enemy

The final product looked like a porridge that had been boiled down, with some smooth and tender things inside, resembling something like rivulets in sour soup, with a smooth and tender texture.

Lord Zhu asked the cook to step aside; he did everything himself, looking very serious.

After it was ready, he added some brown sugar to the pot, took a spoon himself, calmly and seriously stirring slowly over the lowest heat to prevent it from sticking to the pot.

That year, he was still small and felt unwell. His grandfather scolded his father and personally cooked a bowl of sweet soup for him while he watched by the side. He watched his grandfather, whom people said was fierce and frightening, patiently cook a bowl of sweet soup.

This was the most profound thing he remembered, far surpassing all other things.

Even in death, the first thing he recalled was still this event.

Lord Zhu finished cooking the sweet soup, carried the clay pot to Wen Yan, and looking at Wen Yan’s bewildered face, he put down the pot.

”Drink some while it’s warm, it’ll make you feel much better.”

Wen Yan took a bowl, filled it with the soup, and was somewhat surprised by the first taste.

”Sweet soup?”

”Yes.”

A hint of sweetness mixed with warmth, along with the unique taste of brown sugar.

However, wasn’t this something people usually ate when they had diarrhea?

Wen Yan didn’t ask further. After a few more sips, he indeed felt much better, with the nausea and awkwardness gradually being soothed by the warmth in his stomach.

”Is this just ordinary sweet soup?”

Seeing its seemingly immediate effect, Wen Yan couldn’t resist asking.

”Yes, I cooked it with my own hands. I used to drink this when I was unwell as a child.”

Lord Zhu answered casually, also taking a small bowl for himself and filling it with the soup.

The two of them sat around the small table, resembling two patients, each holding a small bowl.

”Don’t tell anyone that you vomited after eating my beef.”

”...”

”Just rest here for the next couple of days.”

Lord Zhu left these words behind, then took the clay pot and left.

Even Wen Yan noticed that Lord Zhu seemed a bit off, as if suppressing something, which he could feel.

Having eaten his fill, Wen Yan rubbed his stomach. The ordinary sweet soup’s effect seemed unexpectedly good, as the nausea sensation grew weaker over time.

He walked out of the house and just ran into Feng Wei, who smiled apologetically.

”The prince specifically instructed me that you’re not feeling well and to let you rest here for two days. I’m not allowed to send you off.”

After Feng Wei finished speaking, he quickly left.

”Uh...”

Wen Yan was a bit dumbfounded, looking at Tong Si, who was inseparable from Feng Wei.

”Tong Si, don’t leave just yet; I have something to ask you.”

”Tell me, anything is fine except sending you away.”

”Take a look at me, can you see anything unusual?”

Tong Si blinked, transforming into Grim-eyed, and just after a glance, couldn’t help but rub her slightly sore eyes.

”Nothing unusual, in fact, your Yang Energy is more abundant and restrained than before.”

”Alright, then it’s fine.”

Wen Yan casually bestowed Yang Energy upon Tong Si and gave a blessing to Feng Wei as well.

He returned to the courtyard, pulled out a lounge chair for himself, and lay on it.

Alright then, since he wasn’t permitted to leave, he wouldn’t leave. It was the perfect opportunity for him to rest for a few days and recuperate.

Feng Yao called, and Wen Yan just said he received the automatic push from his phone. Conveniently, while visiting Lord Zhu, he solved the issue with ease. It was no big deal, and the Ghost was only slightly troublesome, though it matched his expertise perfectly.

After hanging up the phone, Wen Yan continued to lie back.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lord Zhu entered the room where Old Zhu’s memorial tablet was kept.

He carried a tray, on it lay a brush, an ink stone, an ink stick, and a small dish of water.

Placing the items in front of him, he knelt in front of Old Zhu’s tablet and performed a series of nine prostrations, kneeling until noon the following day.

At three-quarters past noon, when the Yang Energy was at its peak, he bowed once more, picked up the ink stick, started grinding the ink, and with the loaded brush, approached Old Zhu’s memorial tablet.

”I’ve been under your protection for many years, and you personally returned your memorial tablet from the Netherworld, which is a great favor to me. This unworthy descendant has taken the liberty today, please forgive me.”

Lord Zhu reached out a hand, gently wiping upward from the bottom of the tablet, revealing words seemingly like a curtain being lifted, with three more characters below.

The first character was clearly ”Zhu,” but the other two were unclear and hard to make out.

Lord Zhu had long known, closing his eyes as the layer was revealed and uncovering it once more.

The next layer was blank.

He picked up the brush and wrote the name ”Wen Yan” on it.

The moment the words landed, they dried, as if imprinted there.

Lord Zhu re-covered the previous two layers, returning the memorial tablet to its original appearance, belonging to Old Zhu.

The name in the second layer was his own.

Thus, to this day, no one truly knew his origins, only that he belonged to Old Zhu’s family, but no one knew who he specifically was.

Of course, no one cared too much about this issue.

Nobody had a completely reliable count of how many people were in Old Zhu’s family at the end, only that there were a great many.

Seeing as there was someone unfamiliar claiming to be from Old Zhu’s family, everyone tacitly avoided asking.

He was called Lord Zhu, but in reality, to anyone slightly knowledgeable, it seemed likely he had never been appointed as a prince in life.