"Do you know how many medicinal herbs and treasures I lost because of this incident?" he asked apologetically.
Now that he was back, it wouldn't be right not to take the opportunity to make some profit.
Xuanyuan Yan knew Fukang's nature well. "What do you want?" he asked.
"I heard you extorted a large sum from that person. I won't ask for much, just one-tenth will do," Fukang proposed.
Xuanyuan Yan agreed, after all, he hadn't charged for treating his eye condition before. "Let it be as you say then."
"As for that person in the palace, should I treat them or not?" he asked, since he had already taken the money.
Xuanyuan Yan replied, "Whether you treat them or not, the outcome won't be much different. However, as a divine physician, if you fail to cure him, you might lose your title."
"I was thinking the same. I should treat him, after all. I'm very interested in the gu worms from the Southern Border. As a doctor, it's my duty to treat illnesses and save lives. The rest is not my concern."
Xuanyuan Yan understood what Fukang meant. "I know what you're saying."
"Then I won't disturb you any further today. I hope you achieve what you desire."
The news of Fukang entering the palace with Qi Tan wasn't kept secret. Murong Yan quickly received the information from the palace servants.
The last incident in the western part of Shengjing City was resolved so quickly because of his involvement.
His medical skills were indeed far superior to those of the palace physicians, so it wasn't surprising that he could identify the poison.
However, detoxification wasn't an easy task. If he accidentally killed the patient during treatment, he would have to bear the responsibility.
It was unclear why this so-called divine physician would accept such a thankless task.
"Yan Lan, keep an eye on Yangxin Hall these days. Report any developments immediately," Murong Yan instructed.
"There's no need to administer more poison for now. We should avoid them discovering any clues. It's a critical moment; we can't let them catch onto our schemes."
Yan Lan understood perfectly. "I understand, my lady. I will act according to your instructions."
Spring at Jing University was particularly lively, with various competitions in full swing.
Lou Xi and Feng Qingyi met with Zong Huanyi, the award-winning junior student Shen Hanyue had mentioned.
Zong Huanyi had a baby face, looking more like a high school student.
Although he appeared young, his abilities were not to be underestimated.
After deciding on the theme, the three of them created a small group chat to discuss further.
Zong Huanyi played a crucial role in this. His enthusiasm was contagious, influencing both Lou Xi and Feng Qingyi, causing Feng Qingyi to change her decision about submitting their work right on the deadline.
As it was a university-organized competition, the school placed great importance on it, and many students participated.
The preliminary round had an open theme, and entries would be screened to select the final ten groups to compete for the top positions.
The trio spent several nights working hard and finally produced a research paper proposal they were relatively satisfied with.
Once she got busy, Feng Qingyi lost track of time. As soon as she finished, she received a message from Qin Yuchuan and replied.
Qin Yuchuan checked the time and decided to video call Feng Qingyi.
When the call connected, Feng Qingyi had just submitted the final revised paper.
"Why are you calling me now?" she asked.
Through the flickering candlelight, Feng Qingyi could see Qin Yuchuan's face, though the dim light made it hard to see clearly.
"What time is it now? Why haven't you rested yet?" Qin Yuchuan asked.
Feng Qingyi looked at the time and realized it was already past midnight.
"I've been busy with something these past few days, so I've been staying up late," she explained.
Qin Yuchuan asked with concern, "Is it something important?"
Feng Qingyi explained, "I suppose so. It's a competition organized by the university. We're in teams of three, dividing the work."
"Because it's a team effort, we need to coordinate, so we've been working intensively. We all have classes during the day, so there isn't much time, and I don't want to hold the team back."
"But we've just finished completely, so I won't need to stay up late anymore."
Qin Yuchuan, noticing Feng Qingyi in her thin nightgown, said, "Since you've finished, you should return to your room and rest. You've worked hard these past few days."
"I think you've had it harder than me. How have you been lately?" Feng Qingyi asked.
Qin Yuchuan didn't hesitate to share about the recent battles.
After successfully capturing Nanwu, the subsequent defensive battles had gone smoothly.
The enemy seemed to have chosen a war of attrition rather than a quick decisive battle. If this continued, the war would last longer.
However, they still held the initiative for now.
Taking advantage of this time to recuperate and then launch a major offensive later could be a clever strategy.
Feng Qingyi didn't really understand these matters, but she listened attentively to everything Qin Yuchuan said.
In his area of expertise, the confidence and composure he displayed were admirable to Feng Qingyi.
As they talked, they lost track of time. Besides discussing matters of the battlefield, Qin Yuchuan mostly listened to Feng Qingyi ramble about trivial matters.
Qin Yuchuan would occasionally agree or offer a small opinion, but mostly he listened attentively.
Qin Yuchuan hadn't expected that someone who was just telling him about how delicious the egg fried rice at cafeteria window number three was, would suddenly fall asleep on the desk the next moment.
Looking at the dark screen and hearing the soft breathing coming through the phone, Qin Yuchuan sighed.
When Feng Qingyi woke up again, she found herself lying in a warm embrace.
Smelling the familiar scent of pine, Feng Qingyi slowly emerged from his arms and sat up.
This wasn't her room at all. As far as she could see, the surroundings were quite spartan, even the bed she was lying on was very hard, seemingly just a wooden board.
Feng Qingyi looked at the still sleeping Qin Yuchuan and carefully poked his face.
Seeing no reaction, Feng Qingyi became a bit bolder and started pinching his face freely.
Unexpectedly, his face, which looked angular, felt quite nice to touch.
Engrossed in her play, Feng Qingyi didn't notice that the hand of the person on the bed had somehow found its way to her waist.
"Enjoying the pinching?" he asked.
Feng Qingyi reflexively replied, "It's soft and feels nice."
After Feng Qingyi finished speaking, she suddenly realized something was amiss - the one who had just answered her question seemed to be Qin Yuchuan.
Meeting Qin Yuchuan's playful gaze, Feng Qingyi sheepishly withdrew her hand.
Judging by his expression, he must have been awake for a while. If so, he would have known everything she had just done. He had been pretending to be asleep even though he was awake.
Was he going to get back at her now?
Feng Qingyi tried to scoot away, but because the bed was small, she nearly fell off. Qin Yuchuan swiftly pulled her into his embrace.
"You've grown quite bold lately," Qin Yuchuan said, his tone laced with affection. Feng Qingyi, who had been worried just moments ago, now completely relaxed.
