Across the bustling crowd, Yan Ge suddenly caught sight of her.
His keen gaze traveled from her dirty clothes to her silver-white hair, finally focusing on her sallow face.
He saw that the wrinkles around her eyes were so numerous they could trap a mosquito.
Age spots dotted her nose like scattered stars.
Her entire face was such that one look was enough to deter a second glance.
But Yan Ge looked again and again.
Finally, through her bright eyes, he recognized her.
In an instant, Yan Ge's figure moved swift as the wind, rushing towards her.
"Miss Qi?"
"It's me."
"Oh, Miss Qi, you look quite strange today."
"How so?"
Yan Ge tactfully replied, "Strange... as in not beautiful."
"......"
Qi Huan fell silent. She suddenly remembered that it was with this very appearance that she had personally fed Shu water and medicine...
Thankfully, Shu hadn't woken up...
Otherwise, he might have preferred to die of thirst rather than be defiled by her, right?
She snapped back to reality and tugged on Yan Ge's sleeve. "Let's head back to the villa first."
"Alright. Everyone's been going mad looking for you these past few days. We should get back soon to let them know. Miss Qi, you can't do this again. I haven't been sleeping well, eating properly, can't even enjoy my tea or food..."
Qi Huan lowered her gaze to look at the meat bun in his hand, complete with teeth marks.
Noticing her gaze, Yan Ge instantly tossed the bun to a stray dog by the roadside and spread his hands. "Ah, it's been like this for days. I've been so worried about you that I've lost my appetite."
The dog pounced on the bun with a yelp. Delicious.
At the same time, Yan Ge called over Yan Qing and said to her, "Miss Qi has returned."
Yan Qing politely greeted her, "Hello, Grandma Qi!"
"......"
Qi Huan's smile froze on her lips. "Qing Qing, it's me."
After hearing her voice clearly up close, Yan Qing was shocked. "Sister Qi?"
"Mm, that's right."
The three of them walked and talked.
They passed through the night market lit by lanterns, heading towards a dimly lit area.
Qi Huan wanted to get back to the villa quickly to have a doctor treat Li Shuchen. She stopped and reached out to Yan Ge. "Sister Yan Ge with the fair skin, beautiful face, and long legs, could you please carry me and fly back?"
"Of course, no problem!"
Yan Ge nodded eagerly, swiftly wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and flew off into the night.
His steps were unprecedentedly light and quick.
Upon returning to the villa, he grinned from ear to ear, returning the compliment: "Miss Qi, delicate and soft, so easy to carry, would you like to bathe first or have dinner?"
"Those can wait. First, go and call Seventeen Yan over."
Yan Ge was stunned, looking her up and down. "Are you injured somewhere?"
"It's not me, it's Shu."
"Sister Yan Ge with the fair skin, beautiful face, and long legs, please bring Seventeen Yan here as quickly as possible."
Hearing this, Yan Ge shot off like an arrow, not even asking where His Highness was.
As the courtyard quieted down, Qi Huan returned to her room and transferred Li Shuchen from her spatial storage onto the bed.
She tucked the blanket around Li Shuchen and turned to light an oil lamp. In the dim candlelight, Li Shuchen's jade-like face was as pale as paper, without a hint of color.
Qi Huan sat by the bed, holding his elegant hand, only to suddenly discover it was as cold as ice.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Yan Ge dragged Seventeen Yan in by his waistband.
When the two saw the person on the bed, they exclaimed in unison: "Your Highness!"
"Shu has an external injury on his waist and has also been poisoned. Quick, come take a look at him."
Qi Huan released his hand, making way for Seventeen Yan.
She didn't forget to walk over to Yan Ge and remind him, "Shu is injured on his waist. Seventeen Yan needs to undo his clothes. Turn your face away and don't peek."
"Alright!" Yan Ge promptly turned to face the wall and casually asked, "Miss Qi, aren't you going to turn away too?"
Qi Huan wanted to say that there wasn't a single part of Shu's body she hadn't seen before.
But she didn't. She slowly moved to Yan Ge's side and quietly waited for Seventeen Yan's diagnosis.
A hushed atmosphere pervaded the room, time seeming to crawl. She nervously fiddled with the hem of her clothes, constantly praying in her heart.
But it seemed heaven was too busy to hear her prayers.
Seventeen Yan's expression was grave as he spoke in a low voice, "His Highness's external wound has been treated well. There's no infection, and the bleeding has stopped. With proper care, it should heal fine. However, His Highness has been afflicted by a potent cold poison. He has also forcibly circulated his internal energy multiple times, causing the poison to spread throughout his body. It's quite tricky."
"I need to take a small blood sample from His Highness to study it further."
"Shu has already coughed up a lot of blood," Qi Huan said, both distressed and regretful. "If only I had thought to collect some earlier..."
"It's alright, we can still draw some now."
Seventeen Yan respectfully handed her a dagger.
His Highness's body was worth its weight in gold, and he didn't dare to act rashly. But Miss Qi was His Highness's beloved; surely he wouldn't blame her for drawing blood. He might even praise her for making a neat incision.
Qi Huan held the dagger, surveying Li Shuchen's body, unable to bring herself to cut anywhere.
She addressed Li Shuchen, "Shu, why don't you cough up a bit more?"
Li Shuchen didn't respond.
She thought for a moment, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Shu, I don't like you anymore..."
In an instant, Li Shuchen coughed up a mouthful of black blood, which Seventeen Yan swiftly caught in half a cup.
Qi Huan stared at him, her face full of disbelief.
Li Shuchen's deep phoenix eyes fixed intently on her, two words escaping through his clenched teeth: "Not... allowed."
......
Qi Huan felt she could still make amends, to quench Li Shuchen's anger. So she said:
"Silly, what I feel for you isn't just like, it's love."
"I love you."
As she finished her cheesy declaration, the cold aura surrounding Li Shuchen gradually dissipated, his piercing gaze softening.
After regaining consciousness, his body felt as if pierced by icicles, both painful and cold.
His brows furrowed tightly, thin lips pressed into a straight line, teeth chattering slightly. "...Cold."
Yan Ge hurried to fetch more blankets.
Seventeen Yan busied himself preparing medicinal water for a hot bath, calling Yan Jiu to help.
After Yan Jiu and Seventeen Yan helped him bathe, they conferred briefly and decided to return him to Qi Huan's room.
As night deepened, everyone else withdrew.
Qi Huan removed her makeup and bathed, then climbed into bed feeling warm and cozy. She snuggled close to Li Shuchen, trying to warm him with her body heat.
As a result, she caught a cold the next day.
"System, repurchase heat packs."
"Certainly, host."
Whoosh—
The delivery dropped.
After opening the heat packs, Qi Huan plastered Li Shuchen's undergarments with them.
Besides closely attending to Li Shuchen, she also frequently inquired about Seventeen Yan's progress in preparing the antidote.
On this day, a secret guard came to report that a Young Master Shen was requesting an audience.
Qi Huan, not in the mood to meet unfamiliar people, frowned and asked, "Did he mention the purpose of his visit?"
"In reply to Miss Qi, he said he wishes to borrow books, exchanging books for books. He claims to be an apprentice of the Medical Immortal Shen Huixiang, carrying several volumes of medical notes. He hopes to share knowledge with you, exchange medical texts, and improve medical skills together."
"Medical Immortal? Those with such a title must be quite formidable, right?" Qi Huan's eyes suddenly brightened.
"Indeed," Seventeen Yan hurriedly arrived upon hearing the news.
"Shen Jueming, the Medical Saint of the Apricot Forest, and Gu Ziling, the Venomous Hand. If we could invite their help, His Highness would surely recover quickly!"
Seventeen Yan's eyes were filled with excitement as he lavished praise on them. Having traveled far and wide with merchant caravans, he was most skilled in treating external injuries and had some knowledge of poisons. He could identify and cure simple poisons, but was powerless against such a complex cold poison.
He winked at Qi Huan, "Miss Qi, you might as well meet him. Ask for his... junior sister's help!"
