Chapter 943: Nightmares
Zheng Dan instinctively tried to stand up, but she suddenly felt dizzy. Her body rocked back and forth, as if she were going to fall down.
Zu An quickly moved over to support her and asked “What’s wrong?” She was a sixth rank cultivator, as well as a former female gang boss. When had he ever seen her act so weak before?
“I’m okay, I just got up a bit too quickly.” Zheng Dan leaned against him and forced a smile.
Sang Qien’s expression was strange. The two of them were so intimate and natural with each other. Are you two completely ignoring my existence right now? But she was also worried about Zheng Dan’s body, so she couldn't be bothered with those other things.
“Why is your body so weak?” Zu An frowned. At the same time, he pressed his hand against her pulse point. Even though he wasn’t a doctor, cultivators were all extremely familiar with the human body. He sent in a strand of aura to examine Zheng Dan’s body. Zheng Dan felt something as well, but due to their relationship, she didn’t resist it, allowing his energy to enter her.
“I don’t know either. It might be because I haven’t been able to sleep well recently.” Zheng Dan retained her forced smile, but her complexion was extremely pale.
“You can’t sleep?” Zu An frowned. The bodies of cultivators were much tougher than those of ordinary people. It wouldn’t matter much even if they didn’t sleep for too long, so why had she ended up so weak?
His rough checkup told him that apart from her body being a bit weak, there was nothing wrong. It was a pity that Ji Dengtu and Xiaoxi weren’t here; otherwise, they would be able to accurately discern what was wrong.
He even wondered if he could invite some imperial physicians to come and take a look. The imperial physicians didn’t always reside in the palace; they were swapped out as well. While at home, nobles and ministers would often pay them hefty sums to have them treat their people. With his current status, it shouldn’t be too difficult to invite an imperial physician.
Sang Qien spoke up and said, “We’ve already invited the well-known doctors of the capital to examine her, and we even invited someone from the imperial hospital, but all of them said that there was nothing wrong with sister-in-law’s body, and she just needs some rest. They prescribed some relaxing medicines, but none of those things helped.”
Zu An was even more shocked when he heard that they had already invited imperial physicians over. Not even the imperial physicians had been able to diagnose what was wrong with Zheng Dan’s body?
After some hesitation, Sang Qien said, “There were some doctors who suggested that sister-in-law’s physical condition is fine, but perhaps she has something preoccupying her mind.” She spoke extremely tactfully. In truth, they had said that Zheng Dan wasn’t sick, and that if she wasn’t faking it, she had some mental issues.
She immediately recalled Zheng Dan and Zu An’s relationship. After all, her father had rejected her suggestion to let Zheng Dan leave the Sang clan. She and her father were both worried that that was the reason for Zheng Dan’s illness.
“Nonsense! Those doctors didn’t have the ability to find the root of the illness and are just muddling through with this absurd reasoning.” Zu An was furious and criticized the doctors.
A smile appeared on Zheng Dan’s face. After all, she was no stranger to the arts herself. She naturally sensed the Sang clan’s suspicions toward her. It’s Ah Zu who understands me best after all.
Sang Qien also became a bit embarrassed. She could only explain, “We personally watched as sister-in-law’s condition grew worse and worse, her body becoming weaker and weaker. We were worried too. That’s why we wanted to see if you had any ways to help her.”
Zu An quickly looked at Zheng Dan and asked, “Is there anything else wrong apart from your body being weak?”
“I don’t think so. I just can’t sleep at night, and if I try to, I have nightmares,” Zheng Dan replied.
“What kind of nightmares?” Zu An asked.
“Nightmares are nightmares, alright? All I know is that they’re scary.” Zheng Dan’s pale cheeks flushed red. She often dreamed about being locked in passion with Zu An, but then Sang Hong and Sang Qien would barge in. Then, she and Zu An would be dragged through the streets to be criticized and ostracized in public. But how could she say that in front of Sang Qien?
Zu An asked in a different way, “How long has this problem persisted?”
“I think it started about half a month ago.” Zheng Dan tried to remember, but she yawned several times in a row, clearly feeling extremely fatigued.
“Half a month ago? I remember the last time…” Zu An gave Sang Qien a look. After a pause, he said, “I don’t remember this being a problem the last time I visited.”
Zheng Dan replied, “There were already times when I woke up in the middle of the night then, but it wasn’t that serious yet. But recently, it’s gotten worse and worse.” She sounded extremely worried. After all, she was still young, and there were so many beautiful things left to experience in this world. She didn’t want to die early just like that.
“Then did anything special happen half a month ago? Did you encounter anyone special? Or maybe you came into contact with something different?” Zu An even began to wonder if she had come into contact with anything radioactive.
“There wasn’t anything different…” Zheng Dan was confused. “I was in the manor most of the time, and I would check on the Zheng clan’s business in the capital from time to time. There were a few times when I went for a stroll in the capital with Little Qien.”
“Where did you two go?” Zu An looked at Sang Qien. She was more familiar with the capital, so asking her would be better.
“Just some of the more famous scenic spots…” Sang Qien listed several places in a row. They were indeed just some of the most commonly seen places in the capital. There were many people who passed through those places every day, so it wasn’t too likely for anything suspicious to have happened there.
Zu An thought for a bit, then asked, “Then do you have any problems?”
Sang Qien was confused and replied, “I don’t. I feel great.”
Zu An began to think to himself. His first reaction was that the Sang clan had discovered his relationship with Zheng Dan, and so they had harmed Zheng Dan to help their deceased heir vent his anger.
But he immediately rejected that thought as unlikely. They were in the honeymoon phase of their alliance right now, so how could the Sang clan possibly do something so dangerous? If they were exposed, wouldn’t the two parties be completely hostile? Judging from our meetings, I think the odds of Sang Hong taking the initiative to give me Zheng Dan are much higher than the odds of him hurting her. That meant the issue was with Zheng Dan alone. She spent most of the time in Sang Manor, while there was nothing wrong with the others…
He suddenly thought of something. He looked at Zheng Dan and asked, “What kind of business does your Zheng clan have in the capital? Did they get into conflict with anyone?”
“It’s the silk cloth business, of course,” Zheng Dan replied. They obviously couldn't continue the salt trade in the capital like back in Brightmoon City. “As for conflict, we’re fighting for a market share with the local merchants as newcomers, so conflict is unavoidable. But even so, it’s only limited to some of the usual methods in the marketplace. We dealt with many similar situations back in Brightmoon City.”
Zu An was also perplexed when he heard her say that. He really couldn't figure out where the problem lay. He could only say, “I’ll stay here with you today to see if you can fall asleep or not.”
Sang Qien had an awkward expression as she remarked, “Big brother Zu, that’s a bit inappropriate, right?”
Even though her father already tacitly approved, she still had to cover it up on the surface. After all, the Sang clan had servants. If they learned that Zu An had openly stayed behind in the room of a young lady and started rumors, that would be a huge blow to the Sang clan’s reputation. It wouldn’t be good for Zu An’s image either.
Zu An said impatiently, “I didn’t say I was going to stay the night. Can’t she still sleep during the day?” Sang Qien sighed in relief when she heard that he was talking about the daytime. The daytime was much better in comparison.
Zu An said to Sang Qien, “Little Qien, you should leave first. I’ll just watch this place alone.” He had many things to tell Zheng Dan in private. It wasn’t too convenient to talk with a third wheel here.
Sang Qien was speechless. This is my house! And she’s my sister-in-law; aren’t you being a bit too much… She could only say, “I can’t leave right now, or else others would easily gossip if they saw this.” If a single man and a single woman were left in the same room, it was easy for gossip to start, even if it was during the daytime. Hmph, if not because I was worried about Zheng Dan’s condition, I would already be fighting you right now!
Zu An figured that made sense as well. He thus said to Zheng Dan, “You should go to bed first, I’ll be right here. Let’s see if this helps.”
“Okay,” Zheng Dan said with a sweet smile. She felt a mysterious sense of peace with Zu An at her side. As for Sang Qien, she already couldn't be bothered, considering how things were.
Zheng Dan lay down on the bed. She could feel Zu An pulling the covers over her. Her smile became increasingly gentle, and she rested on her side, calmly looking at him.
Zu An looked back at her. He gently patted her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry and sleep. I’ll be right here.”
“Mmm.” Zheng Dan thus closed her eyes.
Sang Qien’s expression changed several times. These two adulterers really were getting more and more out of hand! Am I invisible or something? But she could also sense the feelings in their gazes. She sighed. Just what kind of wedding did dad arrange for my big brother? The two of them are already a perfect pair.
Perhaps it was because she was really tired, or maybe it was because Zu An was right there, but Zheng Dan’s breathing quickly calmed down. She had clearly already entered the land of dreams.
Sang Qien sighed in relief. She thought to herself, This guy still has some use after all. After some hesitation, she decided that there were still some things she should make clear with Zu An. She was just about to speak when she saw Zu An make a ‘shush’ motion, however.
Is he looking down on me for annoying him or something? Sang Qien was about to get a bit upset, but she quickly followed his line of sight. The quietly resting Zheng Dan suddenly frowned, as if she were experiencing something terrifying.