Chapter 30: Sinful Spawn

Early that morning, the doctor arrived to examine Cheng Ji.

Cheng Ji had regained the ability to produce sound, though his speech remained slurred and indistinct. As usual, the doctor administered acupuncture. After the silver needles were inserted, they required a short wait to take effect. Coincidentally, the doctor was busy that day, so he decided to attend to Master Cheng during the interval.

Madam Cheng left with the doctor, instructing Su Yunqing to keep watch over Cheng Ji in the room. With Su Yunqing present, Mujin did not enter, choosing instead to wait outside the door. Cheng Ji’s eyes could move, but he could not speak; unable to converse with him, and having endured Mujin’s growing hostility over the past few days, Su Yunqing naturally had no desire to talk to her either.

Thus, feeling somewhat bored, she rose and wandered around the room.

All the furniture and ornaments were meticulously arranged and spotless. Even though he had been bedridden for so long, eating, sleeping, and attending to all his needs in bed, there was no scent in the room other than that of medicine. Cheng Ji’s clothes, hair, face, and hands were always kept clean and fresh. She thought to herself that Mujin took exceptionally good care of him.

As she stood with her back to Cheng Ji, admiring a jade carving on the shelf, she suddenly heard him trying to make a sound, his tone urgent.

"Thi... Thi... Sister!"

Surprised, she turned around, only to feel something gently tugging at her skirt. Before she could address Cheng Ji, she looked down and saw a massive spider, its eight legs spanning an inch long, dragging a belly the size of a bird's egg as it crawled up her person.

Cheng Ji’s voice had caught Mujin’s attention at the door. She rushed in, exclaiming excitedly, "Young Master, can you speak?"

But Cheng Ji’s gaze remained fixed on the terrifying spider, filled with worry. Following his line of sight, Mujin screamed, covering her mouth in horror, "Someone help! Quickly, come here!"

Su Yunqing realized it was merely a bean spider. Though large in size, it was harmless, and she felt no fear. However, she wondered how such a thing had appeared in Cheng Ji’s room and crawled onto her.

The first to rush in upon hearing the cries was not a servant, but Cheng Cong. Su Yunqing remained composed, letting the spider crawl on her while watching Cheng Cong burst through the door. Seeing his expression shift from a smug, hidden smirk to one of utter disbelief, she immediately knew whose handiwork this was.

Su Yunqing pinched the bean spider’s large belly between two fingers and walked calmly toward Cheng Cong. Mujin, terrified, hurriedly spread her arms to shield Cheng Ji on the bed. Now it was Cheng Cong’s turn to panic; his eyes widened, and he retreated two steps.

"Third Master, come outside with me for a moment."

Two servants arrived, hearing the commotion, but were dismissed by Su Yunqing. Once they were gone, she gestured toward Cheng Cong with her chin and headed out the door.

By the time Cheng Cong, his mind in a flurry but still putting on a facade, reached the courtyard, she flicked the spider in her hand. It landed with precision down the back of his collar.

Cheng Cong felt something cool slip down his back. Seeing Su Yunqing’s empty hand, he began to hop around the courtyard like a monkey, flailing his arms and reaching over his shoulder to claw at his back. But the spider had fallen to his waist; how could he reach it from his shoulder?

Furious, he pointed at a servant cowering by the door and barked, "You blockhead, what are you standing there for? Come help!"

The servant approached tremblingly and reached a shaking hand down Cheng Cong’s back, but pulled it out as if electrocuted the moment he touched something.

Cheng Cong asked, "Did you catch it?"

The servant replied with a sob, "Third Master, I don’t dare! I told you not to play with such terrifying things, but you wouldn’t listen..."

"Shut up! Get it out for me!"

The servant’s hand went in and out several times. Frustrated, Cheng Cong elbowed him and continued to hunch over, clawing at his back himself.

Su Yunqing walked over, arms crossed. With one hand she grabbed his collar, and with the other, she reached into his back, rummaging around unhurriedly.

"Oh, I’ve got it."

"Quick, quick, take it out!"

"Oh, it ran away again..."

"Ah, good sister, please, help me!"

"My, what a cunning little thing, it’s so fast."

"Good sister, I’ll never do it again..."

The movement behind his back stopped, and a limp, crushed spider appeared before his eyes. Su Yunqing held it up and shook it at him. "Third Master, do be careful. Don't lift a stone only to drop it on your own feet."

Seeing the spider was out, Cheng Cong’s groveling posture vanished instantly, replaced by a look of fury. His wolf-like eyes seemed to spark with fire. He swatted Su Yunqing’s hand away, causing the spider to fall to the ground, where he stomped it into a pulp before storming off without looking back.

Inside, Mujin was still shaken, but Cheng Ji was smiling.

Cheng Cong, fuming, ran straight into Madam Cheng, who was returning with the doctor. Seeing his disheveled clothes and messy hair, she asked, "What has happened?"

Cheng Cong said nothing and brushed past her, striding away. Madam Cheng shook her head in frustration. "That unfilial son..."

Hearing that Cheng Ji could speak, Madam Cheng wept with joy, clutching her chest as tears streamed down her face. Once the doctor had removed the silver needles one by one, she sat by the bed, holding his hand in one of hers while wiping her eyes with the other.

"Mother..."

"Yes!"

That single word of 'mother' made her feel as though she had returned to the moment he first learned to speak, and she was overcome with emotion. Mother Jin stood behind her, also wiping away tears. Su Yunqing, feeling pleased with her earlier victory and genuinely happy for Cheng Ji’s recovery, stood behind Madam Cheng, watching with a smile.

"Mother, I’m... fine... don’t cry."

Madam Cheng nodded quickly. "I won't cry, mother won't cry, I'm just happy."

Following Madam Cheng’s gaze, she met Su Yunqing’s smiling eyes and found herself unable to look away. Su Yunqing, noticing his lingering gaze, cautiously retracted her smile and wiped her face. Cheng Ji’s smile only deepened.

Madam Cheng, in her joy, ordered a maid to bring a gold ingot for the doctor and personally saw him to the gate. Just then, a refined, elegantly dressed middle-aged man appeared at the entrance, his face obscured by a folding fan.

"Madam, please stay."

Madam Cheng turned back. "And you are?"

The man looked around, and seeing no one else at the gate, closed his fan to reveal a bright red nose that looked strikingly out of place on his otherwise fair, bearded face.

At the sight of him, Madam Cheng’s expression shifted. She stepped forward and said respectfully, "Master Lu? Why have you come? Please, come in."

Master Lu shook his fan and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Madam, but I shall not enter. I came only because I left something important behind during my last visit. I thought to retrieve it; if you could have someone bring it out, I would be grateful."

After confirming what the item was, Madam Cheng sent a maid to fetch it and attempted to persuade Master Lu to return to teaching, but he only pointed at his crimson nose and shook his head repeatedly.

Madam Cheng sighed deeply. "Wicked wretch!"