How To Survive as a Villain

At this, Xiao YuAn struggled to understand what was going on; but his head was exploding in pain from a strong headache, and the pain of his injured body, that was numb before, was now devouring him relentlessly. His mouth was bitter and his eyes were blurry. In the end, Xiao YuAn couldn’t help moaning in pain.

When the man carrying him noticed that Xiao YuAn had regained consciousness, he said: “Are you awake? Don’t talk, it’s better for you to save your strength. We’ll be in Taoyuan Village soon.”

“You… who are you?” Xiao YuAn opened his mouth, and of course, he wanted to say more, but right now he was only able to let out a few whispers. The qi and blood in his chest gradually surged up, and he felt the bitter taste of blood on his mouth.

There was also more than a trace of the taste of blood, as if he had tried to say anything else, he would have coughed up blood. At this, Xiao YuAn had to shut up.

“Benefactor, is me! Bao Yinxin. Do you still remember me?” The young soldier surnamed Bao was walking as fast as he could, and his feet were quite steady.

It took Xiao YuAn a while to remember that name: “Ah yes. It’s you… why-…”

“Benefactor, several of the soldiers of our Eastern Wu Kingdom were saved by you in the past, do you still remember? How could we let you die like this? So we thought of a way to save you and send you back to Taoyuan Village.” Bao Yinxin explained.

“But… but I’m already…. South-cough…” Before Xiao YuAn finished what he wanted to say, he suddenly began to cough violently.

“Benefactor, we don’t have the heart of a wolf nor the lungs of a dog¹. No matter who you’re now, you still saved our lives. A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring², so please, stop talking and take a good rest.” He said, concerned for Xiao YuAn after seeing him cough so violently.

“Thank you….” Xiao YuAn stopped coughing and replied almost whispering. After a long time, he vaguely said: “I can’t let him down….. can’t let down….. Thank you…..”

“What? What did you say?” Bao Yinxin couldn’t hear Xiao YuAn’s last words clearly, since Xiao YuAn had fallen unconscious again. Once he realized this, Bao Yinxin didn’t dare to waste any more time, and hastened to speed up his pace.

…

When Xiao YuAn woke up again, he saw the sunset on the horizon, making the bamboo shadows look inclined.

It hurts, there wasn’t a single spot in his body that didn’t hurt. He felt a stabbing kind of pain coming from his abdomen, a dull pain coming from his legs, a terrible headache, and a tear-like pain coming from his hands. Xiao YuAn then took a deep breath, when suddenly, a shout exploded right next to his ear: “Xiao-ge is awake!”

A few seconds ago, Xie Chungui was lying on the edge of the bed, with his hands acting as a pillow, taking a nap. When he heard some noise, he woke up and rubbed his eyes as he raised his head to see what was going on, only to see Xiao YuAn with his eyes wide open. At this, he excitedly jumped up and ran outside.

Xiao YuAn, on the other hand, couldn’t help but be puzzled. ‘Didn’t Xie Chungui go to the Western Shu Kingdom for medical treatment? Why is he still acting like a child?’

Xiao YuAn wanted to speak, but soon he realized that he wasn’t able to produce any sound. He then wanted to raise his hand and touch his throat, but when he saw the white cloth wrapped around his injured hand, he stopped mid-air.

After a short while, a group of people entered his room. All of them were familiar faces.

“Young Master, you’ve suffered.” Yang LiuAn’s face showed how distressed he was.

As Xiao Fengyue patted Yang LiuAn’s back soothingly, he softly said to Xiao YuAn: “Don’t worry, Young Master, we will take good care of you until your body heals.”

Third Aunt rubbed her eyes as she kept sobbing: “I- I said- wuwuwuwu, I told you that there isn’t any war without any danger. You child, why couldn’t you be more careful?! You had us worried to death, you know? You better get well soon! Didn’t you say that you wanted to eat Auntie’s braised pork, roasted chicken and marinated duck? How can you eat all that if you don’t get well soon?”

Lin Shenling supported Third Aunt and told her not to be too sad. Zhang Baizhu, who has always been heartless, when he saw Xiao YuAn’s tragic state, his eyes turned red: “Didn’t you say that you’ll be my baby’s godfather?! You better get well soon, I want you to help me organize the One-month Banquet³, you have to attend.”

Xiao YuAn tried to smile at them, but because he was under an immeasurable amount of pain, his smile was distorted, startling everyone present: ‘Where does it hurt? What’s wrong? Why are you showing such a horrible expression?’

Then, a wide and warm palm caressed the top of Xiao YuAn’s head. When Xiao YuAn raised his eyes to look at the owner of that hand, he pouted at his Shifu.

Zhang Changsong, who has always been a grumpy man, and was rarely amiable, patted Xiao YuAn’s head with tenderness. Then he stroked his white beard, and said: “If you don’t die after a great disaster, then you’ll be blessed in the future. Rest well and don’t worry, because we’re all here for you. There’s nothing to be worried about.”

For some reason, Xiao YuAn suddenly felt as if all the pain he felt in his body had greatly diminished.

Remember the Eastern Wu soldier XYA saved a while ago? The one that had a feminine name? He’s our bby boi’s savior! ✧⁺⸜(●˙▾˙●)⸝⁺✧

Now we can breathe, XYA is finally safe!! (´；д；`)

Footnotes

1. 狼心狗肺 láng xīn gǒu fèi; It’s a Chinese idiom. It means that the heart is as vicious and poisonous as that of wolves and dogs / Cruel and unscrupulous /Brutal and cold-blooded. From《醒世恒言》(xǐng shì héng yán), “The Wisdom of the World”, by (冯梦龙 féng mèng lóng) Feng Menglong [1574-1646] from the Ming Dynasty [1368-1644].
2. 滴水之恩当涌泉相报 dī shuǐ zhī ēn dāng yǒng quán xiāng bào; It’s a Chinese idiom, it means that even if you receive a small favor from someone in a difficult time, you should repay it twice as much (in deeds).
3. 满月酒 mǎn yuè jiǔ; It’s a banquet set up one month after the birth of a baby. In ancient times, the Han Chinese believed that a baby surviving one month after birth was a sign of having survived through a difficult period. At this time, the parents would usually hold a one-month banquet to celebrate their child’s survival, and to wish the newborn a healthy growth. The ceremony involves inviting friends and family to witness and pray for the blessing of the child.