Su Ren’s heart jumped to his throat. Su Ling’s unusual appearance made Su Ren feel uneasy. Walking towards Su Ling, Su Ren asked, “Big Brother?”
As if hearing nothing, Su Ling didn’t reply. Su Ren’s heart sunk, did Qing Mo really have an accident (died)?!
Su Ren walked towards the building. Lou Xi Yan was exiting the building. He still looked polished but couldn’t conceal the visible tiredness on his face. Su Ren quickly approached him and asked, “Prime Minister Lou, Qing Mo?”
Lou Xi Yan slightly shook his head and answered, “She is still being treated.”
If she was still being treated, then it meant she was still alive! Su Ren took a deep breath and looked at Su Ling. He sighed; his big brother worried about Qing Mo too much. Qing Mo was still alive, how could he behave like this! Su Ren wanted to go and persuade Su Ling, but a hand stopped him. Lou Xi Yan said, “Let it go. Don’t disturb him.” Su Ren didn’t see Qing Mo’s condition last night. He also didn’t witness her being stabbed, so he wouldn’t understand Su Ling’s feeling.
Glancing at Su Ling once again, Su Ren nodded and didn’t go there.
The two men stood outside of the door, not entering the building but also not leaving. They could only hope that time would pass by quicker.
Under Dan Yu Lan’s order, Cheng Hang came to inquire about Qing Mo’s conditions. However, when he entered the courtyard, he felt the abnormal atmosphere. He also saw Su Ling, who was leaning on the fake mountain. He couldn’t help but curse silently. Just a night could make General Su look like this. Did Qing Mo…
Jogging to Lou Xi Yan’s side, Cheng Hang whispered, “Prime Minister Lou, did Miss Qing…”
He hadn’t finished his question when Lou Xi Yan quickly responded, “Still being treated.”
“Then, it is good.” Cheng Hang patted his chest. Earlier, his heart had almost come out.
Squinting his eyes, Lou Xi Yan saw a familiar figure standing outside of the courtyard’s gate. It was… Ao Tian! The tall figure stood there silently, without the usual arrogance, as if he were a prisoner waiting for his sentence.
Su Ren also noticed Ao Tian. With a dark expression, he asked, “Was the person caught?”
Cheng Hang excitedly nodded and replied, “None of them were able to escape! Ye Mei was also rescued.” Following Qing Mo’s strategy, they successfully surrounded Ao Jie’s den last night. The battle was too elegant. It made Cheng Hang admire Qing Mo more and naturally, not want her to get into trouble (sick or dead).
Su Ren sighed disapprovingly. As a military man, he couldn’t agree on this method which relied on a woman being killed to arrest people!
Cheng Hang didn’t understand the sudden change in Su Ren’s expression. His eyes once again looked at Su Ling and he asked, “What happened to General Su? Isn’t Miss Qing still being treated?”
No one answered his question. Lou Xi Yan simply stated, “Let’s wait.”
The entire courtyard once again fell into silence. The sounds of birds and insects at this moment made one feel restless. Cheng Hang was sitting beside the door when the inner room’s door finally opened.
“She finally comes out!” Cheng Hang who was sitting next to the door looked at Zhuo Qing. Her complexion was poor and she looked really tired. It seemed like she didn’t even have the energy to walk. Lou Xi Yan quickly embraced her. Zhuo Qing shook her head and told him, “I am okay.”
Lou Xi Yan helped Zhuo Qing walk to the courtyard. Su Ling’s stiff body slowly stood up. His eyes didn’t leave her. The lone figure outside the courtyard also instantly locked his gaze on her.
At this moment, all eyes were on her, but no one dared to ask. Cheng Hang finally couldn’t wait any longer and asked, “How is she?”
Everyone held their breath, waiting for her reply. Their faces were very solemn, except Ao Tian. If she lived, then he would live. If she died, he would accompany her!
Zhuo Qing looked over to Su Ling and Ao Tian before replying, “She is still alive.”
She still lived!
Cheng Hang and Su Ren shouted almost simultaneously, “That’s good!” Qing Mo was alright. They couldn’t imagine what would happen if Qing Mo had died. Who would clean up this mess! Su Ling’s heart finally settled down; leaning onto the rock, he took in deep breaths as though he hasn’t breathed for the entire night. Everyone looked relieved. Zhuo Qing looked at the black figure, who after eavesdropping their conversation, silently left.
After this stabbing, he will most likely never appear in front of Yun again.
“When can she return to the General Manor?”
Zhuo Qing regained her focus. Su Ling had come to her front. Zhuo Qing shook her head, “Not now. At least we need to wait until the dangerous period is over.”
Su Ling’s face became solemn. His eyes were red and his hands were still holding the blood-stained handkerchief from last night. His entire being looked haggard. Last night, he must have suffered for the entire night! She knew that Su Ling had feelings towards Gu Yun, but she didn’t expect it was this deep! Zhuo Qing began to feel tormented whether to tell him the truth or not.
Dangerous period? After hearing this phrase, Su Ling’s heart tightened, “Say it clearly!”
Everyone’s heart once again stopped beating.
Zhuo Qing thought for a moment and sighed, “Although this stabbing didn’t injure the heart, it still created a deep wound. If there are no further complications, based on her previous health condition and resilient spirit, she will be able to move after 5 days. However, if the wound becomes infected…” Zhuo Qing was unwilling to continue explaining. With the simple medical equipment and rough disinfection procedures, the chance of infection was really high. Coupled with no available antibiotics, she was afraid to imagine if the wound was infected. How could she save Yun!
After a night of torment, Su Ling’s face remained expressionless. With a slightly shaken but determined voice, he asked, “What would happen?”
With the beard covering his face, he looked like a mess. His ‘deep’ eyes looked straight at her. To these pair of eyes, she decided to tell the worst case scenario. Taking a deep breath, Zhuo Qing replied, “If it is a light infection, the wound would heal slower and probably leave a scar. If it is a heavy infection…. She would die.”
After Zhuo Qing finished speaking, she saw the waves of emotions in the just-calmed eyes. She thought that he would act irrationally again, but he just closed his eyes. His voice was flat and had no energy, “What should I do?”
Zhuo Qing’s lips raised slightly. It seemed like this man had hopelessly fallen for Gu Yun. Although it looked like before today, he, himself didn’t seem to notice it. An idea suddenly came to her mind. Zhuo Qing stepped forward and patted Su Ling’s shoulder, “For several days, she might have a fever. She also might have breathing difficulties such as wheezing and eccetera. She would need a person beside her all the time to monitor her conditions and report them back to me. I have helped her pass through the first hurdle. Right now is the second hurdle and to pass this we are relying on you. I hope you can give her the strength to pass this. The next three days will be the most critical moment. If she can safely get through this, she will be fine.”
At his side glance, he saw a slender hand on his shoulder. Su Ling looked up and saw Zhuo Qing faintly smiling at him. His expression stiffened. He stepped back to avoid Zhuo Qing’s hand. His expression went back to normal and to Su Ren who was beside him, he said, “Su Ren, you need to lead the Su army to ensure the capital’s safety for the next couple of days. Please do it carefully and make sure nothing happens. If there is something important, please come here to find me.”
Su Ren was astounded for a moment, then replied, “Yes.” Because of her, Big Brother would push the responsibility of the celebration onto him. It seemed like the feeling was not as simple as a fondness. Bing Liang really didn’t choose the wrong person.
Su Ren was about to leave when Su Ling stopped him to say, “Also, you need to go to Minister Dan to keep an eye on the case’s development. Then using my name, write a petition to be presented to His Highness. Ao Jie had kidnapped babies, raped women, bombed the ambassador houses, and attempted to destroy the celebration. This kind of person who committed many serious crimes needs to be che lie (it is an ancient method of punishment, I think, where a person’s limb will be tied to several horses and the horses will be directed to several directions. Basically, tear the person into pieces.)”
Che lie! Su Ren was slightly shocked. The murderous intent in Su Ling’s eyes was so prominent that even the blind could feel it. Su Ren didn’t dare to speak any further and just nodded, “Yes.”
Su Ling didn’t speak anymore and went into the room with wide strides. Cheng Hang looked at the Su Ling’s cold parting back and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Ao Jie’s upcoming brutal end. Last night, when they found Ye Mei, the tendons on his arms and legs were destroyed by a raging Ao Tian. Now, General Su wanted to ask for him to be punished with che lie. The emperor would be very likely to approve the petition. This Ao Jie could kill anyone, yet he chose Miss Qing. This was a completely reckless action!
Zhuo Qing slightly frowned. This Su Ling was really not a good person to mess with. She was better off not confessing to him about her lies.
The hand on her waist gently patted her. Lou Xi Yan’s warm voice was heard from her side, “Tired?”
“En.” Zhuo Qing nodded. She was really tired. Working non-stop for 10 or more hours was nothing for her, however, the patient was Yun, so it was not the same. Now, she felt burnt out.
Lou Xi Yan softly wiped a thin layer of sweat on Zhuo Qing’s forehead while gently saying, “I will help you back to your room to rest for awhile.”
Zhuo Qing partly leaned into Lou Xi Yan’s embrace. The two went out of the room. Who cares, as long as Yun was alright and Lou Xi Yan was here, she didn’t have anything to fear about.
Su Ren had left and Cheng Hang had also left in hurry. In the huge outer hall, there were only five to six physician left who looked at each other. After sitting there for the entire night, they were very tired but none of them dared leave. After last night, although they didn’t understand any other thing, there was one thing that they could clearly understand: If something happened to the little girl who was lying inside, all of them would face an unfortunate event as well!
Leaving the group of people in the outer hall, Su Ling entered the room alone. The candles which covered the entire room had burnt out, leaving only the wax marks behind.
On the surgery bed, Qing Mo clothes were changed to simple white clothes. A thick white bandage wrapped around her chest, tightly binding her, making her appear more vulnerable. Long hair was scattered beside her body and the strands in front of her forehead were damped because of the sweat stuck on her face. White-coloured clothes, white-coloured bed sheets, white-pale skin. The only white-coloured thing (e.g. the pale skin) that made one afraid… (Translator’s note: this is supposed to be poetic, but I couldn’t find a poetic way to express it). Su Ling slowly extended his hand. His thumb caressed the face that was even smaller than his palm. He wanted to use her body temperature to assuage his heart, which had been in chaos the entire night (Translator’s note: again it was meant to be poetic. In a simple word: he need to feel that she was still alive).
“I, how am I supposed to deal with you?” Seeing the woman who could disappear at anytime, he really didn’t understand how could there be such a strange person. When she was awake, her eyes always looked determined with a bright and far-sighted wisdom. She also had extraordinary skills which made people overlook that she was actually just a girl who had yet to reach her fifteenth birthday. Yet, at this time she looked very frail and could be broken anytime. How was he supposed to deal with this kind of woman?
The big hand which was full of calluses covered Gu Yun’s white hands. Su Ling came up with the answer.
Time passed very slowly like he had been suffering a lifetime, but a day had just passed. However, it also felt like the time had flown fast in a different sense. He had just stared at her for a moment but the day had been replaced by the night.
Su Ling sat on the wooden chair beside the bed, never loosening his grip on the white hand, however, the increasing temperature on his palm made Su Ling feel somewhat uneasy. The person on the bed started to move. Her breathing became rapid, her eyebrows unconsciously formed a knot, and her mouth started to murmur.
“What are you saying?” Su Ling slightly leaned his body forward. His ear was near her lips, trying to listen to her voice. A slightly sobbing voice that could stab one’s heart spoke, “Hurt…”
He finally understood what she was saying. The word ‘hurt’ was like a thorn, deeply piercing into his heart. Having experienced so much in the past two days, he thought that his heart had had enough agony that it could no longer feel any more pain. However, at this moment, the sound that was barely discernable had made him experience what was real pain.
Su Ling thought that she had woken up and was just about to ask where was she pained until he realised Gu Yun’s eyes were still closed. The previous ‘hurt’ cry was only her unconscious utterance. His palm quickly but lightly touched her forehead. It indeed confirmed what he had guessed, very hot!
Remembering Zhuo Qing’s previous words that she might have a fever, Su Ling’s heart was uneasy. This could not be the complications that were mentioned, right?
Gu Yun’s cry of pain, and the temperature on his palm kept increasing. It made Su Ling’s heart uncomfortable. Su Ling’s eagle eyes darkened and he quickly shouted, “Summon people!”
The two physicians who were staying on guard outside were surprised. The two didn’t even have enough time to rush in before Su Ling from the inside once again roared, “Physician!”
“Yes.”
The two obeyed and came in. They looked at the girl who was lying on the bed. Her face was red and shook uneasily. Her mouth murmured incoherently. Su Ling pointed at the older looking physician amongst them while saying, “Quick, take a look!”
“Yes, yes!” the old physician didn’t dare to delay and quickly felt Gu Yun’s pulse.
Looking at the younger physician, Su Ling ordered, “Quick! Ask Qing Ling to come.”
“Yes.” The younger physician ran towards the exit.
The old physician had felt the pulse for a while but didn’t say a word. He frowned some times, yet nodded the other time. Su Ling urged, “What’s happening to her?”
“Pain.”
The old physician hadn’t replied when Gu Yun cried of pain, hurting Su Ling’s heart and darkening Su Ling’s face by several degrees. The old physician’s face was covered in sweat. For a long time, he didn’t dare to speak. Su Ling had long lost his patience and just shouted, “What are doing there?! Quickly subside her pain! Didn’t you hear her crying in pain!”
“Yes, yes!” The old physician recovered from his thoughts. His mouth quickly answered but at this moment he didn’t know how to subside her pain. Seeing him not taking action, Su Ling’s expression became much more frightening.
The old physician didn’t dare to breathe loudly. Finally, he decided to use acupuncture to subside the pain. This was the quickest way. The old physician quickly took out his silver needle.
“Wait!” At this moment, Zhuo Qing’s clear voice was heard.
Seeing the incoming person, the old physician secretly sighed out of relief and quickly retreated to the side while respectfully greeting, “Mrs. Lou.” Just before, he was taking the pulse of the lady on the bed. Although the injury was severe, it was not life-threatening. However, General Su’s behaviour made him feel flustered. Luckily, Mrs. Lou entered, enabling him to relax for a bit.
Zhou Qing quickly walked to Gu Yun’s side and placed her hand on Gu Yun’s forehead. Her body temperature was really high! Looking over the bandage covering her chest, there was no blood stain, meaning the wound hadn’t reopened. Zhuo Qing slowly lowered her body and stuck her ear on Gu Yun’s body, listening carefully. Without a proper stethoscope, the ability to listen to the sound was not great, however, she could still determine that there was not much liquid accumulation in the thoracic cavity. She secretly sighed in relief and stood up. To the servant who stood behind her, she said, “Go and fetch a pot of clean water and a pot of strong liquor.”
“Yes.” The servant quickly went out to fetch the things. Seeing her not taking any further action, Su Ling urged, “How is she?”
Zhuo Qing rubbed her temple and whispered back, “She’s fine. It is just the normal aftereffect reaction.” Maybe due to the night-long operation where Zhuo Qing had used her entire focus that caused her to have a headache all day today. Fortunately, Gu Yun’s conditions were better than what she was expected. Yun had a fever but no other alarming complications.
Su Ling’s hand once again touched Gu Yun’s forehead. It was still scorching hot. Seeing Zhuo Qing’s seemingly indifferent attitude angered Su Ling, “Her body temperature is already this high, yet you say it’s normal?!”
“She only has a fever. You just need to wipe her forehead and limbs with water and liquor. As long as the temperature doesn’t rise, she will be okay.” Understanding Su Ling’s anxious mood, Zhuo Qing ‘generously’ explained. However, it failed to extinguish the raging fire that was ignited by his anxiousness and fear. Instead, it made him even more out of control and he bellowed, “Just that? Is there no way to subside her pain?! Do you want her to continue enduring the pain?”
“I am not deaf, you do not need to roar!” Her head had already ached enough, yet he still shouted at her! Zhuo Qing was also angry, “With her current condition, there is no medicine that she can drink. Her injury is at heart, so you can’t just apply some poultice on top of it. Anesthetic acupuncture is useless too! Haven’t you ever gotten injured before? Everyone has experience and survived it!.” There is no analgesic shot in here. Did he think that she didn’t feel for Yun’s pain?! Damn it!
Su Ling was at a lost for words. He knew that he was being unreasonable, but the cries of pain beside his ear created even more pain than if he had experienced it himself! The fire in his heart, as well as the anxiousness, had nowhere to vent, spurring Su Ling to mercilessly punch the stone wall. The loud ‘bang’ echoed in the silent night, wanting to diminish all of the worry and fear for Gu Yun’s life.
“Madame, the water and liquor that you wanted.” When the servant carried the water and liquor in, he quickly discovered the strange atmosphere in the room. The two royal physicians were covered in sweat, standing there while quivering. At the same time, General Su was standing up and facing the wall.
“Put them here.” Zhuo Qing glanced at Su Ling and shook her head. Again, she whispered to the servant, “Find a YaTou (girl servant, but not a personal servant) to take care of her.” With Su Ling behaving like this, she was afraid that before Yun could even overcome the danger period, he would go insane!
“No need.” Su Ling’s husky voice interrupted before the servant had time to reply. Su Ling turned around. The waves in his eyes were restrained as he walked over to the basin, picked up a cotton cloth and dunked it in the liquor. Then, he started to wipe Gu Yun’s forehead and palms. Although his action was a bit clumsy, it was exceptionally cautious.
Zhuo Qing’s mouth gaped. Facing this kind of lovestruck fallen man, she didn’t know what to say. In the end, it turned into a deep sigh.
The bright sun of the dawn came as it was scheduled, not changing for anything nor anyone. The dawn light shone through the paper window into the room, projecting on the fragile and weak body lying on the wooden bed.
The person who laid on the bed was very pale. Her lips were dry. Two beautiful eyebrows wrinkled. Her long lashes gently shook. The eyeballs beneath the lids moved for a while, until finally, her eyes slowly opened.
Gu Yun had regained her consciousness but it seemed like her body was still out of control. After trying for some time, she finally was able to open her eyes. The warm sunlight was too bright for her eyes. After adapting for a while, she finally could see the thing in front of her just barely.
Gu Yun slowly turned her stiff neck, wanting to see her surroundings. Once her head turned, she could see a man was sitting beside her. He was holding some cotton cloths. There were two basins beside his feet. His face was covered in beard and his eyes were staring at her hands. No one knew what he was thinking. Although she could only see the side of his face, Gu Yun felt some familiarity, yet it also felt somewhat unfamiliar. She tilted her head a bit as she wanted to see who he was. Unfortunately, it affected her chest wound. The pain was nearly unbearable that she almost cried in tears.
The movement finally attracted the man’s attention as he immediately turned around. Gu Yun’s eyes quickly met with a pair of deep onyx eyes, which looked very familiar. However, Gu Yun really couldn’t connect the man in front of her with the high-spirited Su Ling, who could be very overbearing from time to time. The pain and restlessness in his eyes made Gu Yun’s heart inexplicably quiver. He looked as though he didn’t believe that she had woken up. For awhile, he was just silently staring at Gu Yun.
Gu Yun with some hesitation spoke, “Su Ling?” How many days had she been unconscious? And what had happened during those days? Why did he look like this?!
Struggling to speak, the husky voice wasn’t like hers. However, it was enough to awaken the man who had been physically and emotionally tortured for three days.
She found Su Ling’s black eyes had kept on staring at her for a long period of time, but he didn’t speak a word. Gu Yun frowned slightly. She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but her dry throat made her unable to produce a sound for a while. However, at this time, Su Ling suddenly stood up and rushed towards the exit. Gu Yun was puzzled. She suddenly heard a loud bang followed by footsteps and people’s voices.
Since she had just woken up, Gu Yun would not let herself to faint again. She tried hard to figure out what was going on outside. At that moment, the door opened once again. A familiar figure came into her vision.
Zhuo Qing quickly went by Gu Yun’s bedside and urgently asked, “How do you feel?”
“Not good.” Licking her dry lips and squinting at Zhuo Qing, Gu Yun replied with slight difficulty, “It hurts so much! Your medical skills really suck!” She had been injured before and needed to stay in the hospital, but this time was her most painful injury.
Seeing Gu Yun still had enough energy to complain, Zhuo Qing’s heart finally settled down. She fed Gu Yun a spoonful of water. Her eyes were slightly red, but her mouth complained, “I am good enough that I can bring your life back! Furthermore, I am a forensic doctor!”
Seeing tears sparkle in the Zhuo Qing’s eyes, Gu Yun’s lips raised slightly and she chuckled, “Thank you, Qing.”
Zhuo Qing’s hand that fed Gu Yun with water stiffened, she glared at Gu Yun. This woman! Once she woke up, the first thing that she wanted to do was to make her (Zhuo Qing) cry. Scooping a spoonful of water to Gu Yun’s mouth, she suddenly recalled the accident that had just happened outside. Zhuo Qing softly said, “Okay, don’t speak too much! Rest a bit more. Also, the person you need to thank to is not only me. Su Ling had been attending to you for three days. For three days, he had not been an inch, away, from, you!”
Su Ling had refused to leave. She suddenly recalled his awkward and embarrassed look before. Gu Yun couldn’t explain what her heart felt. Warmth, yet astringent. She didn’t know whether to be happy or angry. She looked past Zhuo Qing, but couldn’t find Su Ling’s shadow. Gu Yun asked, “Where is he?”
Zhuo Qing couldn’t help but smile, “Fainted.”
“……”
Fainted? How could this be possible? Then, the loud bang before… couldn’t be because of her, right? Gu Yun felt her heart ache! She needed more sleep, just a little more rest.
***
Just a little bit! There was a bowl of water placed on the bedside table. The slender arm struggled to reach it. A finger had touched the bowl, but she was still unable to reach it.
Gu Yun didn’t dare to move her upper body too much, so she could only straighten her arm. Little by little, closing onto the target. These two days, Qing had found a YaTou to attend her. That little girl was very attentive and responsible. Regardless of the time, when Gu Yun opened her eyes, the YaTou would be there. However, Gu Yun was not used to being accompanied by a person all the time, especially when she slept. Thinking that there was a person who would always stare at her without blinking, even if she died, she wasn’t able to sleep well!
After much hard work of getting rid of that person, she didn’t want that person to return so quickly. Now, she needed to rely on her own ability to get the water.
Finally, she reached it. A big smile appeared on Gu Yun’s face. Although that small task had made her out of breath and her forehead covered with sweat, she was still happy. The bowl was quite full with water, so Gu Yun carefully moved the bowl. Just when she was almost successful in getting the water, the door suddenly opened. Gu Yun took a look at the door and immediately froze…
The man at the door was standing upright. He was dressed in dark silver clothes. The sleeve cuffs and the front piece of his robe were embroidered with a gold and silver flowing cloud pattern. A jade belt hung on his waist. His jet black hair was tied at the crown of his head, quietly emitting luxury. His entire being looked very noble, making people unable to look away from him. The sunrays from the window behind him shone upon the room, silhouetting his face. Was it Su Ling? It looked like he had lost a significant amount of weight. He normally wore either a war uniform or a plain black robe. Gu Yun had never seen this kind of him. She absent-mindedly stared at him, temporarily forgetting what she intended to do.
Su Ling had just entered the room when he saw that woman who wasn’t afraid of death stretching her body forward, trying hard to get the bowl on the bedside table. Her face was as pale as it could be, yet she was still very stubborn. Would calling for help kill her? He was really crossed. That nervousness and slight anticipation, that were present before he had arrived, instantly vanished without a trace! Su Ling strode to the bedside. One of his hands grabbed the bowl, while the other helped her sit up.
The strong forcefulness with a darkened face, he was just like the normal him. Gu Yun sighed. Although his clothes had changed, he was still a bully!
Su Ling was also angry, but his hand still carefully fetched a spoon of water to her lips. Gu Yun subconsciously shrank; she was already this old, yet she needed someone to fed her. This was really embarrassing! In addition, the person who fed her was him! Gu Yun coughed slightly and said, “I will do it myself.”
Su Ling simply ignored her and still placed the spoon on her lips. It looked like if she didn’t want to drink, he would use power to force her. Gu Yun pouted. A wise person knew better than to fight when the odds were against them (proverb). It was clear that she currently couldn’t fight him!
After silently being fed several spoons of water, Gu Yun shook her head. Su Ling put down the bowl and sat down on the side of her bed. The bed sunk slightly due to the sudden increase in weight. The bed was quite narrow, so he sat beside her legs. The weirder thing was he just sat there silently while his eyes quietly looked at her. His expression was unreadable.
She thought that he wanted to say something, so she waited. However, after waiting for some time, he was still there, constantly looking at her. Gu Yun slightly frowned and said, “Isn’t today the celebration day? Why are you here?”
Su Ling’s black eyes narrowed and with a low voice, he responded, “Are you trying to drive me away?”
Uh… Gu Yun was speechless. She pretended to be easy-going while replying, “Thank you for your care for the past couple of days. I am alright now, so you can go and do your matters.” She heard that he had tended to her for three days. Although she knew Su Ling didn’t have an obligation to do so, he had done it anyway. The least she could do was express her gratitude.
Her relaxed tone was full of gratitude. But it was only gratitude (and nothing else). Did she have no interest in him at all?
The jet black eyes locked gaze with hers. Gu Yun suddenly felt suffocated. This time when she regained her consciousness, Su Ling had changed a lot. In the past, he had often glared at her and she would glare back at him. However, today, she weirdly didn’t dare to look at those pair of eyes. She was afraid that if she wasn’t careful, she would be sucked into the wind storm that was inside. Slowly turning her head away, Gu Yun said, “Su Ling, I am not very used to this kind of you. Do you have something to discuss with me?”
Just when she finished her sentence, Gu Yun immediately regretted it. What kind of question was that? What did she hope he would say to her?
“I do have something to say.” The baritone voice whispered against her ears. Gu Yun was surprised and she immediately turned her head to him. Su Ling’s face was very close, so when she turned, her lips pressed against his ear.
Faint breaths were caressing the back of his ear. Warm and soft lips were grazed his ear. Her clear distinct cold breaths blew. His body was very stiff, as if he had an acupuncture point pressed and couldn’t move at all. All of the senses seemed to become unusually more active. Su Ling could only feel the blood rushing through his head.
Gu Yun didn’t expect it would be like this. After blanking out for a moment, she quickly retreated. However, the sudden action was too much for the wound on her chest. It was so painful that she bit her lips. What a day! What did she do today to be this unlucky!
The pain-filled voice finally called Su Ling out of his thoughts. Seeing that her hand was on her chest and her expression revealing pain, Su Ling urged, “What happened? Where does it hurt?”
Gu Yun shook her head and closed her eyes in embarrassment. What happened today? It seemed like everything was not working properly!
Was she embarrassed? Su Ling’s lips formed a nice arch. The deep voice with a hint of pampering said, “I will be really busy for these two days, so I won’t be able to visit you. Your condition will be better in three days and I will be here to take you home.”
He had fallen in love with her. This fact was very obvious to everyone, but it seemed like she wasn’t aware of this. Nevermind. When her heart improved, he would let her know exactly what he wanted to say to her!
“Oh.” Gu Yun muffled back. Su Ling did not make things more difficult for her. Pulling back the quilt that she had left half-uncovered, he turned around and exited the room.
Gu Yun opened her eyes and stared blankly at the big and tall back which vanished in front of her. At that moment, the shrewd brain once again became dumber (?), did she just kiss him?!
What on earth! How could there be such a coincidence?
Accident, it was merely an accident.
***
Two days later, Su Ling really didn’t appear. She gradually forgot about that embarrassing accident. After lying for so long, Gu Yun finally could not bear it anymore. Although her chest was often in pain, it had little impact on her movement. Now, the place that ached was her waist. Lying down for any longer would make her entire body uncomfortable!
With one hand on her chest, Gu Yun slowly sat up. After properly putting on shoes, she prepared to walk a bit when a cold female voice angrily shouted, “If you don’t want to live well, can you at least wait until you are in the General Manor? I don’t want Su Ling to roar at me again!”
Gu Yun looked up. It was Zhuo Qing.
“I am quite well now. If I don’t exercise a bit, I will get rusty!” Looking disdainfully at Zhuo Qing, Gu Yun was still busy with herself. Her feet had landed on the ground, and she slowly stood up.
Zhuo Qing was scared to death because of her. She quickly helped Gu Yun and provided support for her. She led Gu Yun back to the bed and sat her down. “I know you have an unbeatable prowess, but I do not. Please lay down obediently for me. Even if you do not love yourself, there is someone that cares about you!”
“Qing…” Gu Yun cried pitifully.
Zhuo Qing held Gu Yun’s shoulder and pressed her down to the bed. She pulled the pillow so Gu Yun could lean comfortably on it while smiling, “Why? Are you embarrassed?”
Embarrassed my ass! Glowering at Zhuo Qing whose smile was as wide as her face, Gu Yun cursed, “Will you die if you do not talk about him?” She was almost crazy for these past days. From time to time Qing would make fun of her and all people who had visited her would mention Su Ling. The scarier thing was the YaTou that was in charge of taking care of her. The YaTou would tell her how nice Su Ling was towards her. How infatuated he was of her! Being told that by them, Gu Yun would feel very awkward when she met Su Ling! All of this was because of that person who wished everything to be in chaos!
“He? Who?” Zhuo Qing acted like she didn’t know anything.
“Huh! Isn’t it too late for you to act dumb?!”
The anger made Gu Yun’s pale face blush a bit. At a glance, she looked slightly healthier. Zhuo Qing sat beside her and with a serious tone, said, “Yun, I want to talk to you.”
Gu Yun looked up slightly and said, “Tell me.” Zhuo Qing looked really serious. It must be something important.
“In the future, can you not use such a method to capture the enemy? Can you plan not to intentionally injure yourself? Although Ao Jie was arrested, Ye Mei was rescued, and the truth had finally come to light, you made a trip to the hell’s gate (proverbs: almost died). Even if you don’t care about yourself, please think about it for me, for Su Ling, for Ao Tian. If you died, Ao Tian wouldn’t be able to live. Su Ling would most likely drive himself crazy. At the same time, everyone would not feel better! And me…” Zhuo Qing didn’t continue. Every time she recalled those events, her hands would shake and her heart would tremble. Although she understood Yun, such a thing should only happen once. Once was enough!
Taking Zhuo Qing’s hands to her palm, Gu Yun said, “Sorry, I just…” Although she wanted to explain, she didn’t have any words to say. At that time, she could only think of how to solve the case by proving Ao Tian’s innocence and bringing the real killer to justice. She simply ignored their feelings. However, if time had turned back and she was asked to choose again, Gu Yun does not know whether she would change her decision or not.
Gripping back Gu Yun’s hand, Zhuo Qing smiled, “I know you have your own norms and beliefs, but in the future, can you take into account the feelings of the people who love you?”
Nodding slowly, Gu Yun replied, “I know.”
Seeing Gu Yun taking in her words, Zhuo Qing didn’t say it again and just smiled, “This time, you really made Ao Tian and Su Ling miserable.” Especially Ao Tian. She didn’t know whether Yun actually helped him or harmed him!
Gu Yun felt somehow off. Having recalled not seeing Ao Tian for a couple of days, she thought something had happened to him. She urgently asked, “Did Ao Tian have an accident? What about others?”
“On the second day after you got injured, Ao Tian came to see you. Knowing that you were okay, he quickly left. I heard Ye Mei was poisoned by Ao Jie and Ao Tian took her to the master to get the antidote.”
“Oh.” Gu Yun was secretly relieved. It was good that nothing happened. However, Ao Jie was really devious, he was still able to poison Ye Mei!
“I don’t need to talk much about Su Ling. You can see him yourself.” Yun was really an exotic flower (i.e. unique girl). She was really precise when settling a case, and her IQ was high but she was lacking in emotional matters. She was a piece of wood! (i.e. slow-witted)
Gu Yun expression stiffened. Qing kept on talking about him all day. Her mind also understood it. Hesitating for a second, Gu Yun said, “Qing! He and I are impossible.”
“Why?” Zhuo Qing puzzled. “You are really unaware about your luck! When Su Ling loses his temper, sometimes, it is unbearable. However, can’t you feel his feelings towards you?” In her opinion, Su Ling was a person who couldn’t express his emotions very well nor was he an easy man (i.e. a man who easily falls in love), however, once he had fallen, he would be absolutely sincere. Why would Yun be dissatisfied? Was she really that stupid to not understand Su Ling’s feelings?
Zhuo Qing clearly looked at her as though she was an idiot. Gu Yun said, “Don’t look at me like that. I know about it now!”
Now she knew, but she still said she didn’t know about it! Well, Zhuo Qing didn’t expect much from Yun in this aspect! Zhuo Qing was curious, “Is he no good? Or you don’t like him?”
With her hands folded, Gu Yun frowned and replied, “Qing, you know. I have never given up the search for the bagua plate. I want to go home.” Here, the monarch had absolute power, men were superior, and the legal system lagged behind. This kind of society didn’t suit her.
Zhuo Qing went silent for a while and asked, “Now, I just ask you, do you love him?”
Gu Yun was speechless. Did I love Su Ling? After a long silence, she replied with three words, “I don’t know.”
Don’t know?! Zhuo Qing snapped angrily, “You are driving me mad! You need to first figure out your feelings: do you or do you not love him. Then, you can talk about whether both of you are possible or impossible!!”
Suffering a roar for no reason, Gu Yun was also angry, “Since I have decided to go back, what’s the point in asking this question?”
Zhuo Qing took a deep breath and sighed. She was finally able to suppress the intent to strangle Yun. She slowly explained it to Yun, “If you don’t like him, then you can simply take him out of your considerations when you plan. But if you like him, you should take him into account. Aren’t you afraid that once you go back, you will finally realise your heart was left with him? At that time, it will be too late to regret it! Do you understand?”
Gu Yun’s face went solemn and she didn’t reply her. Zhuo Qing knew she was at loss. With mixed feelings, she grabbed Yun’s shoulder and said, “Can you use a little bit of your brain capacity to think about this?” Zhuo Qing lost her words. She was at a despair. For Su Ling to move the feelings of this ‘stone’, it would be an uphill battle!
Her shoulder was in pain due to the clench. Gu Yun slapped Zhuo Qing’s hand and cursed, “Please. I just came back from hell. The moment I woke up, I just realised this world has changed. Please give me time to adapt!”
Glancing at her, Zhuo Qing was really not an optimist, she could only pray that Su Ling’s heart was strong enough!
“Madam, General Su has come.” A servant reported from the outside.
Zhuo Qing stood up and smiled, “He has come. You need to figure it out yourself!”
Gu Yun silently cursed, “Hey…” Zhuo Qing just left like that. She really didn’t have any sense of obligation whatsoever!
Zhuo Qing turned her back towards Gu Yun and waved. She didn’t look back at all. Pushing the door, Su Ling’s tall figure appeared in the doorway.
Su Ren’s heart jumped to his throat. Su Ling’s unusual appearance made Su Ren feel uneasy. Walking towards Su Ling, Su Ren asked, “Big Brother?”
As if hearing nothing, Su Ling didn’t reply. Su Ren’s heart sunk, did Qing Mo really have an accident (died)?!
Su Ren walked towards the building. Lou Xi Yan was exiting the building. He still looked polished but couldn’t conceal the visible tiredness on his face. Su Ren quickly approached him and asked, “Prime Minister Lou, Qing Mo?”
Lou Xi Yan slightly shook his head and answered, “She is still being treated.”
If she was still being treated, then it meant she was still alive! Su Ren took a deep breath and looked at Su Ling. He sighed; his big brother worried about Qing Mo too much. Qing Mo was still alive, how could he behave like this! Su Ren wanted to go and persuade Su Ling, but a hand stopped him. Lou Xi Yan said, “Let it go. Don’t disturb him.” Su Ren didn’t see Qing Mo’s condition last night. He also didn’t witness her being stabbed, so he wouldn’t understand Su Ling’s feeling.
Glancing at Su Ling once again, Su Ren nodded and didn’t go there.
The two men stood outside of the door, not entering the building but also not leaving. They could only hope that time would pass by quicker.
Under Dan Yu Lan’s order, Cheng Hang came to inquire about Qing Mo’s conditions. However, when he entered the courtyard, he felt the abnormal atmosphere. He also saw Su Ling, who was leaning on the fake mountain. He couldn’t help but curse silently. Just a night could make General Su look like this. Did Qing Mo…
Jogging to Lou Xi Yan’s side, Cheng Hang whispered, “Prime Minister Lou, did Miss Qing…”
He hadn’t finished his question when Lou Xi Yan quickly responded, “Still being treated.”
“Then, it is good.” Cheng Hang patted his chest. Earlier, his heart had almost come out.
Squinting his eyes, Lou Xi Yan saw a familiar figure standing outside of the courtyard’s gate. It was… Ao Tian! The tall figure stood there silently, without the usual arrogance, as if he were a prisoner waiting for his sentence.
Su Ren also noticed Ao Tian. With a dark expression, he asked, “Was the person caught?”
Cheng Hang excitedly nodded and replied, “None of them were able to escape! Ye Mei was also rescued.” Following Qing Mo’s strategy, they successfully surrounded Ao Jie’s den last night. The battle was too elegant. It made Cheng Hang admire Qing Mo more and naturally, not want her to get into trouble (sick or dead).
Su Ren sighed disapprovingly. As a military man, he couldn’t agree on this method which relied on a woman being killed to arrest people!
Cheng Hang didn’t understand the sudden change in Su Ren’s expression. His eyes once again looked at Su Ling and he asked, “What happened to General Su? Isn’t Miss Qing still being treated?”
No one answered his question. Lou Xi Yan simply stated, “Let’s wait.”
The entire courtyard once again fell into silence. The sounds of birds and insects at this moment made one feel restless. Cheng Hang was sitting beside the door when the inner room’s door finally opened.
“She finally comes out!” Cheng Hang who was sitting next to the door looked at Zhuo Qing. Her complexion was poor and she looked really tired. It seemed like she didn’t even have the energy to walk. Lou Xi Yan quickly embraced her. Zhuo Qing shook her head and told him, “I am okay.”
Lou Xi Yan helped Zhuo Qing walk to the courtyard. Su Ling’s stiff body slowly stood up. His eyes didn’t leave her. The lone figure outside the courtyard also instantly locked his gaze on her.
At this moment, all eyes were on her, but no one dared to ask. Cheng Hang finally couldn’t wait any longer and asked, “How is she?”
Everyone held their breath, waiting for her reply. Their faces were very solemn, except Ao Tian. If she lived, then he would live. If she died, he would accompany her!
Zhuo Qing looked over to Su Ling and Ao Tian before replying, “She is still alive.”
She still lived!
Cheng Hang and Su Ren shouted almost simultaneously, “That’s good!” Qing Mo was alright. They couldn’t imagine what would happen if Qing Mo had died. Who would clean up this mess! Su Ling’s heart finally settled down; leaning onto the rock, he took in deep breaths as though he hasn’t breathed for the entire night. Everyone looked relieved. Zhuo Qing looked at the black figure, who after eavesdropping their conversation, silently left.
After this stabbing, he will most likely never appear in front of Yun again.
“When can she return to the General Manor?”
Zhuo Qing regained her focus. Su Ling had come to her front. Zhuo Qing shook her head, “Not now. At least we need to wait until the dangerous period is over.”
Su Ling’s face became solemn. His eyes were red and his hands were still holding the blood-stained handkerchief from last night. His entire being looked haggard. Last night, he must have suffered for the entire night! She knew that Su Ling had feelings towards Gu Yun, but she didn’t expect it was this deep! Zhuo Qing began to feel tormented whether to tell him the truth or not.
Dangerous period? After hearing this phrase, Su Ling’s heart tightened, “Say it clearly!”
Everyone’s heart once again stopped beating.
Zhuo Qing thought for a moment and sighed, “Although this stabbing didn’t injure the heart, it still created a deep wound. If there are no further complications, based on her previous health condition and resilient spirit, she will be able to move after 5 days. However, if the wound becomes infected…” Zhuo Qing was unwilling to continue explaining. With the simple medical equipment and rough disinfection procedures, the chance of infection was really high. Coupled with no available antibiotics, she was afraid to imagine if the wound was infected. How could she save Yun!
After a night of torment, Su Ling’s face remained expressionless. With a slightly shaken but determined voice, he asked, “What would happen?”
With the beard covering his face, he looked like a mess. His ‘deep’ eyes looked straight at her. To these pair of eyes, she decided to tell the worst case scenario. Taking a deep breath, Zhuo Qing replied, “If it is a light infection, the wound would heal slower and probably leave a scar. If it is a heavy infection…. She would die.”
After Zhuo Qing finished speaking, she saw the waves of emotions in the just-calmed eyes. She thought that he would act irrationally again, but he just closed his eyes. His voice was flat and had no energy, “What should I do?”
Zhuo Qing’s lips raised slightly. It seemed like this man had hopelessly fallen for Gu Yun. Although it looked like before today, he, himself didn’t seem to notice it. An idea suddenly came to her mind. Zhuo Qing stepped forward and patted Su Ling’s shoulder, “For several days, she might have a fever. She also might have breathing difficulties such as wheezing and eccetera. She would need a person beside her all the time to monitor her conditions and report them back to me. I have helped her pass through the first hurdle. Right now is the second hurdle and to pass this we are relying on you. I hope you can give her the strength to pass this. The next three days will be the most critical moment. If she can safely get through this, she will be fine.”
At his side glance, he saw a slender hand on his shoulder. Su Ling looked up and saw Zhuo Qing faintly smiling at him. His expression stiffened. He stepped back to avoid Zhuo Qing’s hand. His expression went back to normal and to Su Ren who was beside him, he said, “Su Ren, you need to lead the Su army to ensure the capital’s safety for the next couple of days. Please do it carefully and make sure nothing happens. If there is something important, please come here to find me.”
Su Ren was astounded for a moment, then replied, “Yes.” Because of her, Big Brother would push the responsibility of the celebration onto him. It seemed like the feeling was not as simple as a fondness. Bing Liang really didn’t choose the wrong person.
Su Ren was about to leave when Su Ling stopped him to say, “Also, you need to go to Minister Dan to keep an eye on the case’s development. Then using my name, write a petition to be presented to His Highness. Ao Jie had kidnapped babies, raped women, bombed the ambassador houses, and attempted to destroy the celebration. This kind of person who committed many serious crimes needs to be che lie (it is an ancient method of punishment, I think, where a person’s limb will be tied to several horses and the horses will be directed to several directions. Basically, tear the person into pieces.)”
Che lie! Su Ren was slightly shocked. The murderous intent in Su Ling’s eyes was so prominent that even the blind could feel it. Su Ren didn’t dare to speak any further and just nodded, “Yes.”
Su Ling didn’t speak anymore and went into the room with wide strides. Cheng Hang looked at the Su Ling’s cold parting back and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Ao Jie’s upcoming brutal end. Last night, when they found Ye Mei, the tendons on his arms and legs were destroyed by a raging Ao Tian. Now, General Su wanted to ask for him to be punished with che lie. The emperor would be very likely to approve the petition. This Ao Jie could kill anyone, yet he chose Miss Qing. This was a completely reckless action!
Zhuo Qing slightly frowned. This Su Ling was really not a good person to mess with. She was better off not confessing to him about her lies.
The hand on her waist gently patted her. Lou Xi Yan’s warm voice was heard from her side, “Tired?”
“En.” Zhuo Qing nodded. She was really tired. Working non-stop for 10 or more hours was nothing for her, however, the patient was Yun, so it was not the same. Now, she felt burnt out.
Lou Xi Yan softly wiped a thin layer of sweat on Zhuo Qing’s forehead while gently saying, “I will help you back to your room to rest for awhile.”
Zhuo Qing partly leaned into Lou Xi Yan’s embrace. The two went out of the room. Who cares, as long as Yun was alright and Lou Xi Yan was here, she didn’t have anything to fear about.
Su Ren had left and Cheng Hang had also left in hurry. In the huge outer hall, there were only five to six physician left who looked at each other. After sitting there for the entire night, they were very tired but none of them dared leave. After last night, although they didn’t understand any other thing, there was one thing that they could clearly understand: If something happened to the little girl who was lying inside, all of them would face an unfortunate event as well!
Leaving the group of people in the outer hall, Su Ling entered the room alone. The candles which covered the entire room had burnt out, leaving only the wax marks behind.
On the surgery bed, Qing Mo clothes were changed to simple white clothes. A thick white bandage wrapped around her chest, tightly binding her, making her appear more vulnerable. Long hair was scattered beside her body and the strands in front of her forehead were damped because of the sweat stuck on her face. White-coloured clothes, white-coloured bed sheets, white-pale skin. The only white-coloured thing (e.g. the pale skin) that made one afraid… (Translator’s note: this is supposed to be poetic, but I couldn’t find a poetic way to express it). Su Ling slowly extended his hand. His thumb caressed the face that was even smaller than his palm. He wanted to use her body temperature to assuage his heart, which had been in chaos the entire night (Translator’s note: again it was meant to be poetic. In a simple word: he need to feel that she was still alive).
“I, how am I supposed to deal with you?” Seeing the woman who could disappear at anytime, he really didn’t understand how could there be such a strange person. When she was awake, her eyes always looked determined with a bright and far-sighted wisdom. She also had extraordinary skills which made people overlook that she was actually just a girl who had yet to reach her fifteenth birthday. Yet, at this time she looked very frail and could be broken anytime. How was he supposed to deal with this kind of woman?
The big hand which was full of calluses covered Gu Yun’s white hands. Su Ling came up with the answer.
Time passed very slowly like he had been suffering a lifetime, but a day had just passed. However, it also felt like the time had flown fast in a different sense. He had just stared at her for a moment but the day had been replaced by the night.
Su Ling sat on the wooden chair beside the bed, never loosening his grip on the white hand, however, the increasing temperature on his palm made Su Ling feel somewhat uneasy. The person on the bed started to move. Her breathing became rapid, her eyebrows unconsciously formed a knot, and her mouth started to murmur.
“What are you saying?” Su Ling slightly leaned his body forward. His ear was near her lips, trying to listen to her voice. A slightly sobbing voice that could stab one’s heart spoke, “Hurt…”
He finally understood what she was saying. The word ‘hurt’ was like a thorn, deeply piercing into his heart. Having experienced so much in the past two days, he thought that his heart had had enough agony that it could no longer feel any more pain. However, at this moment, the sound that was barely discernable had made him experience what was real pain.
Su Ling thought that she had woken up and was just about to ask where was she pained until he realised Gu Yun’s eyes were still closed. The previous ‘hurt’ cry was only her unconscious utterance. His palm quickly but lightly touched her forehead. It indeed confirmed what he had guessed, very hot!
Remembering Zhuo Qing’s previous words that she might have a fever, Su Ling’s heart was uneasy. This could not be the complications that were mentioned, right?
Gu Yun’s cry of pain, and the temperature on his palm kept increasing. It made Su Ling’s heart uncomfortable. Su Ling’s eagle eyes darkened and he quickly shouted, “Summon people!”
The two physicians who were staying on guard outside were surprised. The two didn’t even have enough time to rush in before Su Ling from the inside once again roared, “Physician!”
“Yes.”
The two obeyed and came in. They looked at the girl who was lying on the bed. Her face was red and shook uneasily. Her mouth murmured incoherently. Su Ling pointed at the older looking physician amongst them while saying, “Quick, take a look!”
“Yes, yes!” the old physician didn’t dare to delay and quickly felt Gu Yun’s pulse.
Looking at the younger physician, Su Ling ordered, “Quick! Ask Qing Ling to come.”
“Yes.” The younger physician ran towards the exit.
The old physician had felt the pulse for a while but didn’t say a word. He frowned some times, yet nodded the other time. Su Ling urged, “What’s happening to her?”
“Pain.”
The old physician hadn’t replied when Gu Yun cried of pain, hurting Su Ling’s heart and darkening Su Ling’s face by several degrees. The old physician’s face was covered in sweat. For a long time, he didn’t dare to speak. Su Ling had long lost his patience and just shouted, “What are doing there?! Quickly subside her pain! Didn’t you hear her crying in pain!”
“Yes, yes!” The old physician recovered from his thoughts. His mouth quickly answered but at this moment he didn’t know how to subside her pain. Seeing him not taking action, Su Ling’s expression became much more frightening.
The old physician didn’t dare to breathe loudly. Finally, he decided to use acupuncture to subside the pain. This was the quickest way. The old physician quickly took out his silver needle.
“Wait!” At this moment, Zhuo Qing’s clear voice was heard.
Seeing the incoming person, the old physician secretly sighed out of relief and quickly retreated to the side while respectfully greeting, “Mrs. Lou.” Just before, he was taking the pulse of the lady on the bed. Although the injury was severe, it was not life-threatening. However, General Su’s behaviour made him feel flustered. Luckily, Mrs. Lou entered, enabling him to relax for a bit.
Zhou Qing quickly walked to Gu Yun’s side and placed her hand on Gu Yun’s forehead. Her body temperature was really high! Looking over the bandage covering her chest, there was no blood stain, meaning the wound hadn’t reopened. Zhuo Qing slowly lowered her body and stuck her ear on Gu Yun’s body, listening carefully. Without a proper stethoscope, the ability to listen to the sound was not great, however, she could still determine that there was not much liquid accumulation in the thoracic cavity. She secretly sighed in relief and stood up. To the servant who stood behind her, she said, “Go and fetch a pot of clean water and a pot of strong liquor.”
“Yes.” The servant quickly went out to fetch the things. Seeing her not taking any further action, Su Ling urged, “How is she?”
Zhuo Qing rubbed her temple and whispered back, “She’s fine. It is just the normal aftereffect reaction.” Maybe due to the night-long operation where Zhuo Qing had used her entire focus that caused her to have a headache all day today. Fortunately, Gu Yun’s conditions were better than what she was expected. Yun had a fever but no other alarming complications.
Su Ling’s hand once again touched Gu Yun’s forehead. It was still scorching hot. Seeing Zhuo Qing’s seemingly indifferent attitude angered Su Ling, “Her body temperature is already this high, yet you say it’s normal?!”
“She only has a fever. You just need to wipe her forehead and limbs with water and liquor. As long as the temperature doesn’t rise, she will be okay.” Understanding Su Ling’s anxious mood, Zhuo Qing ‘generously’ explained. However, it failed to extinguish the raging fire that was ignited by his anxiousness and fear. Instead, it made him even more out of control and he bellowed, “Just that? Is there no way to subside her pain?! Do you want her to continue enduring the pain?”
“I am not deaf, you do not need to roar!” Her head had already ached enough, yet he still shouted at her! Zhuo Qing was also angry, “With her current condition, there is no medicine that she can drink. Her injury is at heart, so you can’t just apply some poultice on top of it. Anesthetic acupuncture is useless too! Haven’t you ever gotten injured before? Everyone has experience and survived it!.” There is no analgesic shot in here. Did he think that she didn’t feel for Yun’s pain?! Damn it!
Su Ling was at a lost for words. He knew that he was being unreasonable, but the cries of pain beside his ear created even more pain than if he had experienced it himself! The fire in his heart, as well as the anxiousness, had nowhere to vent, spurring Su Ling to mercilessly punch the stone wall. The loud ‘bang’ echoed in the silent night, wanting to diminish all of the worry and fear for Gu Yun’s life.
“Madame, the water and liquor that you wanted.” When the servant carried the water and liquor in, he quickly discovered the strange atmosphere in the room. The two royal physicians were covered in sweat, standing there while quivering. At the same time, General Su was standing up and facing the wall.
“Put them here.” Zhuo Qing glanced at Su Ling and shook her head. Again, she whispered to the servant, “Find a YaTou (girl servant, but not a personal servant) to take care of her.” With Su Ling behaving like this, she was afraid that before Yun could even overcome the danger period, he would go insane!
“No need.” Su Ling’s husky voice interrupted before the servant had time to reply. Su Ling turned around. The waves in his eyes were restrained as he walked over to the basin, picked up a cotton cloth and dunked it in the liquor. Then, he started to wipe Gu Yun’s forehead and palms. Although his action was a bit clumsy, it was exceptionally cautious.
Zhuo Qing’s mouth gaped. Facing this kind of lovestruck fallen man, she didn’t know what to say. In the end, it turned into a deep sigh.
The bright sun of the dawn came as it was scheduled, not changing for anything nor anyone. The dawn light shone through the paper window into the room, projecting on the fragile and weak body lying on the wooden bed.
The person who laid on the bed was very pale. Her lips were dry. Two beautiful eyebrows wrinkled. Her long lashes gently shook. The eyeballs beneath the lids moved for a while, until finally, her eyes slowly opened.
Gu Yun had regained her consciousness but it seemed like her body was still out of control. After trying for some time, she finally was able to open her eyes. The warm sunlight was too bright for her eyes. After adapting for a while, she finally could see the thing in front of her just barely.
Gu Yun slowly turned her stiff neck, wanting to see her surroundings. Once her head turned, she could see a man was sitting beside her. He was holding some cotton cloths. There were two basins beside his feet. His face was covered in beard and his eyes were staring at her hands. No one knew what he was thinking. Although she could only see the side of his face, Gu Yun felt some familiarity, yet it also felt somewhat unfamiliar. She tilted her head a bit as she wanted to see who he was. Unfortunately, it affected her chest wound. The pain was nearly unbearable that she almost cried in tears.
The movement finally attracted the man’s attention as he immediately turned around. Gu Yun’s eyes quickly met with a pair of deep onyx eyes, which looked very familiar. However, Gu Yun really couldn’t connect the man in front of her with the high-spirited Su Ling, who could be very overbearing from time to time. The pain and restlessness in his eyes made Gu Yun’s heart inexplicably quiver. He looked as though he didn’t believe that she had woken up. For awhile, he was just silently staring at Gu Yun.
Gu Yun with some hesitation spoke, “Su Ling?” How many days had she been unconscious? And what had happened during those days? Why did he look like this?!
Struggling to speak, the husky voice wasn’t like hers. However, it was enough to awaken the man who had been physically and emotionally tortured for three days.
She found Su Ling’s black eyes had kept on staring at her for a long period of time, but he didn’t speak a word. Gu Yun frowned slightly. She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but her dry throat made her unable to produce a sound for a while. However, at this time, Su Ling suddenly stood up and rushed towards the exit. Gu Yun was puzzled. She suddenly heard a loud bang followed by footsteps and people’s voices.
Since she had just woken up, Gu Yun would not let herself to faint again. She tried hard to figure out what was going on outside. At that moment, the door opened once again. A familiar figure came into her vision.
Zhuo Qing quickly went by Gu Yun’s bedside and urgently asked, “How do you feel?”
“Not good.” Licking her dry lips and squinting at Zhuo Qing, Gu Yun replied with slight difficulty, “It hurts so much! Your medical skills really suck!” She had been injured before and needed to stay in the hospital, but this time was her most painful injury.
Seeing Gu Yun still had enough energy to complain, Zhuo Qing’s heart finally settled down. She fed Gu Yun a spoonful of water. Her eyes were slightly red, but her mouth complained, “I am good enough that I can bring your life back! Furthermore, I am a forensic doctor!”
Seeing tears sparkle in the Zhuo Qing’s eyes, Gu Yun’s lips raised slightly and she chuckled, “Thank you, Qing.”
Zhuo Qing’s hand that fed Gu Yun with water stiffened, she glared at Gu Yun. This woman! Once she woke up, the first thing that she wanted to do was to make her (Zhuo Qing) cry. Scooping a spoonful of water to Gu Yun’s mouth, she suddenly recalled the accident that had just happened outside. Zhuo Qing softly said, “Okay, don’t speak too much! Rest a bit more. Also, the person you need to thank to is not only me. Su Ling had been attending to you for three days. For three days, he had not been an inch, away, from, you!”
Su Ling had refused to leave. She suddenly recalled his awkward and embarrassed look before. Gu Yun couldn’t explain what her heart felt. Warmth, yet astringent. She didn’t know whether to be happy or angry. She looked past Zhuo Qing, but couldn’t find Su Ling’s shadow. Gu Yun asked, “Where is he?”
Zhuo Qing couldn’t help but smile, “Fainted.”
“……”
Fainted? How could this be possible? Then, the loud bang before… couldn’t be because of her, right? Gu Yun felt her heart ache! She needed more sleep, just a little more rest.
***
Just a little bit! There was a bowl of water placed on the bedside table. The slender arm struggled to reach it. A finger had touched the bowl, but she was still unable to reach it.
Gu Yun didn’t dare to move her upper body too much, so she could only straighten her arm. Little by little, closing onto the target. These two days, Qing had found a YaTou to attend her. That little girl was very attentive and responsible. Regardless of the time, when Gu Yun opened her eyes, the YaTou would be there. However, Gu Yun was not used to being accompanied by a person all the time, especially when she slept. Thinking that there was a person who would always stare at her without blinking, even if she died, she wasn’t able to sleep well!
After much hard work of getting rid of that person, she didn’t want that person to return so quickly. Now, she needed to rely on her own ability to get the water.
Finally, she reached it. A big smile appeared on Gu Yun’s face. Although that small task had made her out of breath and her forehead covered with sweat, she was still happy. The bowl was quite full with water, so Gu Yun carefully moved the bowl. Just when she was almost successful in getting the water, the door suddenly opened. Gu Yun took a look at the door and immediately froze…
The man at the door was standing upright. He was dressed in dark silver clothes. The sleeve cuffs and the front piece of his robe were embroidered with a gold and silver flowing cloud pattern. A jade belt hung on his waist. His jet black hair was tied at the crown of his head, quietly emitting luxury. His entire being looked very noble, making people unable to look away from him. The sunrays from the window behind him shone upon the room, silhouetting his face. Was it Su Ling? It looked like he had lost a significant amount of weight. He normally wore either a war uniform or a plain black robe. Gu Yun had never seen this kind of him. She absent-mindedly stared at him, temporarily forgetting what she intended to do.
Su Ling had just entered the room when he saw that woman who wasn’t afraid of death stretching her body forward, trying hard to get the bowl on the bedside table. Her face was as pale as it could be, yet she was still very stubborn. Would calling for help kill her? He was really crossed. That nervousness and slight anticipation, that were present before he had arrived, instantly vanished without a trace! Su Ling strode to the bedside. One of his hands grabbed the bowl, while the other helped her sit up.
The strong forcefulness with a darkened face, he was just like the normal him. Gu Yun sighed. Although his clothes had changed, he was still a bully!
Su Ling was also angry, but his hand still carefully fetched a spoon of water to her lips. Gu Yun subconsciously shrank; she was already this old, yet she needed someone to fed her. This was really embarrassing! In addition, the person who fed her was him! Gu Yun coughed slightly and said, “I will do it myself.”
Su Ling simply ignored her and still placed the spoon on her lips. It looked like if she didn’t want to drink, he would use power to force her. Gu Yun pouted. A wise person knew better than to fight when the odds were against them (proverb). It was clear that she currently couldn’t fight him!
After silently being fed several spoons of water, Gu Yun shook her head. Su Ling put down the bowl and sat down on the side of her bed. The bed sunk slightly due to the sudden increase in weight. The bed was quite narrow, so he sat beside her legs. The weirder thing was he just sat there silently while his eyes quietly looked at her. His expression was unreadable.
She thought that he wanted to say something, so she waited. However, after waiting for some time, he was still there, constantly looking at her. Gu Yun slightly frowned and said, “Isn’t today the celebration day? Why are you here?”
Su Ling’s black eyes narrowed and with a low voice, he responded, “Are you trying to drive me away?”
Uh… Gu Yun was speechless. She pretended to be easy-going while replying, “Thank you for your care for the past couple of days. I am alright now, so you can go and do your matters.” She heard that he had tended to her for three days. Although she knew Su Ling didn’t have an obligation to do so, he had done it anyway. The least she could do was express her gratitude.
Her relaxed tone was full of gratitude. But it was only gratitude (and nothing else). Did she have no interest in him at all?
The jet black eyes locked gaze with hers. Gu Yun suddenly felt suffocated. This time when she regained her consciousness, Su Ling had changed a lot. In the past, he had often glared at her and she would glare back at him. However, today, she weirdly didn’t dare to look at those pair of eyes. She was afraid that if she wasn’t careful, she would be sucked into the wind storm that was inside. Slowly turning her head away, Gu Yun said, “Su Ling, I am not very used to this kind of you. Do you have something to discuss with me?”
Just when she finished her sentence, Gu Yun immediately regretted it. What kind of question was that? What did she hope he would say to her?
“I do have something to say.” The baritone voice whispered against her ears. Gu Yun was surprised and she immediately turned her head to him. Su Ling’s face was very close, so when she turned, her lips pressed against his ear.
Faint breaths were caressing the back of his ear. Warm and soft lips were grazed his ear. Her clear distinct cold breaths blew. His body was very stiff, as if he had an acupuncture point pressed and couldn’t move at all. All of the senses seemed to become unusually more active. Su Ling could only feel the blood rushing through his head.
Gu Yun didn’t expect it would be like this. After blanking out for a moment, she quickly retreated. However, the sudden action was too much for the wound on her chest. It was so painful that she bit her lips. What a day! What did she do today to be this unlucky!
The pain-filled voice finally called Su Ling out of his thoughts. Seeing that her hand was on her chest and her expression revealing pain, Su Ling urged, “What happened? Where does it hurt?”
Gu Yun shook her head and closed her eyes in embarrassment. What happened today? It seemed like everything was not working properly!
Was she embarrassed? Su Ling’s lips formed a nice arch. The deep voice with a hint of pampering said, “I will be really busy for these two days, so I won’t be able to visit you. Your condition will be better in three days and I will be here to take you home.”
He had fallen in love with her. This fact was very obvious to everyone, but it seemed like she wasn’t aware of this. Nevermind. When her heart improved, he would let her know exactly what he wanted to say to her!
“Oh.” Gu Yun muffled back. Su Ling did not make things more difficult for her. Pulling back the quilt that she had left half-uncovered, he turned around and exited the room.
Gu Yun opened her eyes and stared blankly at the big and tall back which vanished in front of her. At that moment, the shrewd brain once again became dumber (?), did she just kiss him?!
What on earth! How could there be such a coincidence?
Accident, it was merely an accident.
***
Two days later, Su Ling really didn’t appear. She gradually forgot about that embarrassing accident. After lying for so long, Gu Yun finally could not bear it anymore. Although her chest was often in pain, it had little impact on her movement. Now, the place that ached was her waist. Lying down for any longer would make her entire body uncomfortable!
With one hand on her chest, Gu Yun slowly sat up. After properly putting on shoes, she prepared to walk a bit when a cold female voice angrily shouted, “If you don’t want to live well, can you at least wait until you are in the General Manor? I don’t want Su Ling to roar at me again!”
Gu Yun looked up. It was Zhuo Qing.
“I am quite well now. If I don’t exercise a bit, I will get rusty!” Looking disdainfully at Zhuo Qing, Gu Yun was still busy with herself. Her feet had landed on the ground, and she slowly stood up.
Zhuo Qing was scared to death because of her. She quickly helped Gu Yun and provided support for her. She led Gu Yun back to the bed and sat her down. “I know you have an unbeatable prowess, but I do not. Please lay down obediently for me. Even if you do not love yourself, there is someone that cares about you!”
“Qing…” Gu Yun cried pitifully.
Zhuo Qing held Gu Yun’s shoulder and pressed her down to the bed. She pulled the pillow so Gu Yun could lean comfortably on it while smiling, “Why? Are you embarrassed?”
Embarrassed my ass! Glowering at Zhuo Qing whose smile was as wide as her face, Gu Yun cursed, “Will you die if you do not talk about him?” She was almost crazy for these past days. From time to time Qing would make fun of her and all people who had visited her would mention Su Ling. The scarier thing was the YaTou that was in charge of taking care of her. The YaTou would tell her how nice Su Ling was towards her. How infatuated he was of her! Being told that by them, Gu Yun would feel very awkward when she met Su Ling! All of this was because of that person who wished everything to be in chaos!
“He? Who?” Zhuo Qing acted like she didn’t know anything.
“Huh! Isn’t it too late for you to act dumb?!”
The anger made Gu Yun’s pale face blush a bit. At a glance, she looked slightly healthier. Zhuo Qing sat beside her and with a serious tone, said, “Yun, I want to talk to you.”
Gu Yun looked up slightly and said, “Tell me.” Zhuo Qing looked really serious. It must be something important.
“In the future, can you not use such a method to capture the enemy? Can you plan not to intentionally injure yourself? Although Ao Jie was arrested, Ye Mei was rescued, and the truth had finally come to light, you made a trip to the hell’s gate (proverbs: almost died). Even if you don’t care about yourself, please think about it for me, for Su Ling, for Ao Tian. If you died, Ao Tian wouldn’t be able to live. Su Ling would most likely drive himself crazy. At the same time, everyone would not feel better! And me…” Zhuo Qing didn’t continue. Every time she recalled those events, her hands would shake and her heart would tremble. Although she understood Yun, such a thing should only happen once. Once was enough!
Taking Zhuo Qing’s hands to her palm, Gu Yun said, “Sorry, I just…” Although she wanted to explain, she didn’t have any words to say. At that time, she could only think of how to solve the case by proving Ao Tian’s innocence and bringing the real killer to justice. She simply ignored their feelings. However, if time had turned back and she was asked to choose again, Gu Yun does not know whether she would change her decision or not.
Gripping back Gu Yun’s hand, Zhuo Qing smiled, “I know you have your own norms and beliefs, but in the future, can you take into account the feelings of the people who love you?”
Nodding slowly, Gu Yun replied, “I know.”
Seeing Gu Yun taking in her words, Zhuo Qing didn’t say it again and just smiled, “This time, you really made Ao Tian and Su Ling miserable.” Especially Ao Tian. She didn’t know whether Yun actually helped him or harmed him!
Gu Yun felt somehow off. Having recalled not seeing Ao Tian for a couple of days, she thought something had happened to him. She urgently asked, “Did Ao Tian have an accident? What about others?”
“On the second day after you got injured, Ao Tian came to see you. Knowing that you were okay, he quickly left. I heard Ye Mei was poisoned by Ao Jie and Ao Tian took her to the master to get the antidote.”
“Oh.” Gu Yun was secretly relieved. It was good that nothing happened. However, Ao Jie was really devious, he was still able to poison Ye Mei!
“I don’t need to talk much about Su Ling. You can see him yourself.” Yun was really an exotic flower (i.e. unique girl). She was really precise when settling a case, and her IQ was high but she was lacking in emotional matters. She was a piece of wood! (i.e. slow-witted)
Gu Yun expression stiffened. Qing kept on talking about him all day. Her mind also understood it. Hesitating for a second, Gu Yun said, “Qing! He and I are impossible.”
“Why?” Zhuo Qing puzzled. “You are really unaware about your luck! When Su Ling loses his temper, sometimes, it is unbearable. However, can’t you feel his feelings towards you?” In her opinion, Su Ling was a person who couldn’t express his emotions very well nor was he an easy man (i.e. a man who easily falls in love), however, once he had fallen, he would be absolutely sincere. Why would Yun be dissatisfied? Was she really that stupid to not understand Su Ling’s feelings?
Zhuo Qing clearly looked at her as though she was an idiot. Gu Yun said, “Don’t look at me like that. I know about it now!”
Now she knew, but she still said she didn’t know about it! Well, Zhuo Qing didn’t expect much from Yun in this aspect! Zhuo Qing was curious, “Is he no good? Or you don’t like him?”
With her hands folded, Gu Yun frowned and replied, “Qing, you know. I have never given up the search for the bagua plate. I want to go home.” Here, the monarch had absolute power, men were superior, and the legal system lagged behind. This kind of society didn’t suit her.
Zhuo Qing went silent for a while and asked, “Now, I just ask you, do you love him?”
Gu Yun was speechless. Did I love Su Ling? After a long silence, she replied with three words, “I don’t know.”
Don’t know?! Zhuo Qing snapped angrily, “You are driving me mad! You need to first figure out your feelings: do you or do you not love him. Then, you can talk about whether both of you are possible or impossible!!”
Suffering a roar for no reason, Gu Yun was also angry, “Since I have decided to go back, what’s the point in asking this question?”
Zhuo Qing took a deep breath and sighed. She was finally able to suppress the intent to strangle Yun. She slowly explained it to Yun, “If you don’t like him, then you can simply take him out of your considerations when you plan. But if you like him, you should take him into account. Aren’t you afraid that once you go back, you will finally realise your heart was left with him? At that time, it will be too late to regret it! Do you understand?”
Gu Yun’s face went solemn and she didn’t reply her. Zhuo Qing knew she was at loss. With mixed feelings, she grabbed Yun’s shoulder and said, “Can you use a little bit of your brain capacity to think about this?” Zhuo Qing lost her words. She was at a despair. For Su Ling to move the feelings of this ‘stone’, it would be an uphill battle!
Her shoulder was in pain due to the clench. Gu Yun slapped Zhuo Qing’s hand and cursed, “Please. I just came back from hell. The moment I woke up, I just realised this world has changed. Please give me time to adapt!”
Glancing at her, Zhuo Qing was really not an optimist, she could only pray that Su Ling’s heart was strong enough!
“Madam, General Su has come.” A servant reported from the outside.
Zhuo Qing stood up and smiled, “He has come. You need to figure it out yourself!”
Gu Yun silently cursed, “Hey…” Zhuo Qing just left like that. She really didn’t have any sense of obligation whatsoever!
Zhuo Qing turned her back towards Gu Yun and waved. She didn’t look back at all. Pushing the door, Su Ling’s tall figure appeared in the doorway.
