Lu Tong placed the oil lamp on the table and said calmly, “They haven’t gone far. Would you like me to call them back?”

He smiled noncommittally, glancing at the white jade Guanyin statue on the small Buddhist altar, and said pointedly, “Is this how you always deceive people? A Bodhisattva in public, but a demon in private?”

Lu Tong retorted, “An Imperial Guard in public, a palace fugitive in private – Lord Pei, we’re not so different.”

She hadn’t forgotten what Shen Fengying had just said about a fugitive assassin escaping from the palace.

Lu Tong could smell the faint scent of blood on Pei Yunying’s body. Some things weren’t hard to figure out.

Pei Yunying was stunned for a moment, then smiled and sat down at the table by the window, sighing, “Had I known Doctor Lu was this formidable, I wouldn’t have offended you earlier.”

Lu Tong remained silent.

When Shen Fengying came to search the clinic because Pei Yunying had left in such a hurry, she had no choice but to let him hide behind the yellow pearwood cabinet full of clothes in her bedroom.

The soldiers thoroughly searched Yinzheng’s room and the other empty room, but because of what had happened before, Shen Fengying’s search of Lu Tong’s private chamber was rather cursory.

To mask the smell of blood on Pei Yunying, she deliberately drew Shen Fengying’s attention by having Yinzheng help her move several large porcelain urns. The poisonous contents of the urns startled Shen Fengying, and in his alarm, he convinced himself he was overthinking things and wouldn’t suspect the Renxin Clinic anymore.

Indeed, their successful deception was also due to how well Pei Yunying had hidden himself.

Seeing tea and clean cups on the table, he reached out to pour himself some tea, though his movements were slightly slower than before. The change was minute, but Lu Tong noticed it immediately.

Lu Tong looked up at him: “You’re injured?”

Pei Yunying’s tea-pouring motion paused briefly. He didn’t deny it: “Do you have any medicine?”

Lu Tong turned to leave: “Sold out.”

She had no interest in playing the role of a living Bodhisattva, especially not for this uninvited fugitive assassin who appeared in the dead of night. Tonight had been extremely dangerous – one wrong move and she would have been implicated by Pei Yunying, all her plans ruined.

It was hard not to feel resentful.

“Doctor Lu.” Pei Yunying sat at the table, calling out to her with a smile, “Didn’t you say that when treating patients, you’re just a doctor?”

“At this hour, shouldn’t you still be a doctor?”

Lu Tong’s footsteps halted.

These were words she had said at Prince Wen’s mansion when she was helping Pei Yunshu give birth.

At that time, Pei Yunshu’s struggles and hopes during labor had reminded her of Lu Rou, softening her heart somewhat. This tenderness had extended to Pei Yunying as well, and to ease his anxiety, she had spoken those words.

She hadn’t expected him to bring them up now.

After a moment of silence, Lu Tong walked to the cabinet in the room, took out her medical box, retrieved a medicine bottle, walked to Pei Yunying’s side, and set it firmly on the table.

“Fifty taels of silver.”

Pei Yunying: “…”

He looked up: “You’re price-gouging, Doctor Lu.”

“Seeking medical treatment comes with clear prices.”

“I thought you’d ask me for a favor instead.” Pei Yunying shook his head with a smile, good-naturedly taking out a silver note from his robes and placing it on the table.

Lu Tong took the note – it was for one hundred taels of silver. He was quite generous.

She took out a copper scale and weighed some loose silver to make up fifty taels change for Pei Yunying, her tone flat and emotionless: “The Commander’s favors aren’t worth much. Silver is more practical.”

Pei Yunying looked at the scattered silver on the table, fell silent for a moment, then commented: “Doctor Lu is very practical indeed.”

Lu Tong stood at the table, frowning at him, and reminded him again: “The people outside have left. When will the Commander be leaving?”

Pei Yunying let out a hiss and said seriously: “Right now, they see us as accomplices. If we run into them outside, Doctor Lu won’t escape blame either. Better to wait a while longer.”

His casual tone suggested a deep familiarity with Lu Tong, showing no restraint at all, which immediately sparked a thin layer of anger in her heart.

Because her actions were covert, Lu Tong had always avoided getting too entangled with others. When Xia Rongrong had moved into the small courtyard, she had even found ways to make her move out.

Yet now Pei Yunying had entered her bedroom and showed no signs of leaving anytime soon.

This man, despite his deep scheming nature, could always find the most innocent reasons and maintain a self-righteous appearance that was simply infuriating.

Lu Tong suppressed the coldness in her heart and walked to sit in a chair by the couch on the other side.

Outside in the courtyard, the snowy night was cold, but inside the room was as warm as spring. The north wind carried heavy snow past the window, and one could faintly see countless jade-like snowflakes flying through the air, while the people inside cast warm shadowy silhouettes of candlelight and tea pouring on the decorative window.

Quiet and gentle.

Lu Tong looked at him.

He sat by the window, head lowered as he drank his tea. When not smiling, he had a certain coldness that kept people at a thousand li’s distance. His black archer’s uniform was clean and sharp, showing some wet marks in the lamplight.

Seeming to sense Lu Tong’s gaze, he turned his head and smiled slightly, and that previous indifference suddenly dispersed as if it had been just an illusion.

He asked: “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Lu Tong was quiet for a moment, then reminded him coldly: “Aren’t you going to apply the medicine?”

Pei Yunying’s black clothes made it impossible to see his wounds. But Lu Tong could smell the blood scent on him growing stronger, which meant his wounds were continuing to seep blood.

She didn’t have a habit of burning incense in her room. If Shen Fengying suddenly returned with his soldiers, they wouldn’t even need to search – the smell of blood in the room would betray Pei Yunying’s whereabouts.

If Pei Yunying were to die here, she would have to deal with disposing of the body, which would be very troublesome.

Better not to die, or if death was inevitable, better not to die here.

Pei Yunying was unaware of Lu Tong’s thoughts. He just picked up the medicine bottle from the table. The bottle wasn’t large but was exquisitely made. He pulled out the stopper, hesitated for a moment, then sprinkled it on his shoulder.

Lu Tong: “…”

She frowned: “You’re applying medicine through your clothes?”

In all her years of medical practice, Lu Tong had never seen anyone apply medicine like this. With Pei Yunying’s furtive manner, someone might think he was administering poison instead.

Pei Yunying’s movements paused, and he said: “Your room is too small.”

“So what? Does the Commander need to run while applying medicine?”

Pei Yunying was at a loss for words.

After a while, he looked at Lu Tong and reminded her: “Taking off my clothes to apply medicine in your bedroom – aren’t you worried about your reputation, Doctor Lu?”

“Don’t forget, you still have a fiancé.”

He deliberately emphasized the word “fiancé.”

Lu Tong frowned as she looked at him.

She hadn’t expected Pei Yunying to think of such trivial matters and suddenly remembered how at the Yuxian Tower when she had embraced Pei Yunying to avoid Qi Yutai’s suspicion, his body had stiffened slightly and he had deliberately maintained distance.

Thinking of this, Lu Tong’s tone carried a hint of mockery: “Lord Pei worries too much.”

“In my eyes, you’re no different from that half piece of pork buried under the tree back then.”

Pei Yunying: “…”

He calmly looked at Lu Tong. Her expression was so cold that it was difficult to tell whether she was serious or joking.

In the dim lamplight, they stared at each other for a long time.

After a while, Pei Yunying lowered his head, looking at the teacup in front of him, and said quietly: “You have a way with harsh words.”

Lu Tong laughed coldly in her heart.

The Young Master of the Zhaoning Dukedom was being hunted throughout the city in the dead of night. With his abilities, he could surely have found a way to escape, yet he chose to hide in the Renxin Clinic. It was hard not to suspect this was intentional.

Pei Yunying was deliberately dragging her into this mess, perhaps out of some perverse amusement.

Since they had both seen through each other’s hypocrisy and pretense, there was no need to maintain a facade of politeness and courtesy. While she couldn’t do anything to Pei Yunying right now, making him a little uncomfortable was better than doing nothing at all.

Lu Tong didn’t bother hiding her coldness and impatience.

Perhaps because of Lu Tong’s sarcastic comparison of him to pork, and not wanting to prove himself prudish by hesitating further, Pei Yunying stopped dawdling and tore open the shoulder of his clothes where a blade had cut through.

As the fabric tore, Pei Yunying’s brow furrowed.

Lu Tong looked up.

Where her gaze fell, his right shoulder to part of his back was covered in blood, appearing to be an arrow wound. There was no arrowhead visible, only torn flesh that was disturbing to look at.

Lu Tong thought to herself that for someone with such a wound to still be able to chat and laugh, Pei Yunying’s tolerance for pain was stronger than she had imagined.

He picked up the medicine bottle from the table, about to sprinkle it on, but suddenly felt it might be too careless, so he asked Lu Tong: “Do you have water and a cloth?”

Lu Tong nodded: “Yes.”

Seemingly surprised by her amenable response this time, Pei Yunying paused briefly before smiling: “Thank you…”

The next moment, Lu Tong interrupted his thanks.

“Just add more silver.”

Pei Yunying: “…”

Lu Tong stood up, found a silver water kettle and a wooden basin from the flower stand, and poured some hot water into it. She also found a clean cloth and soaked it in the water, then carried the hot water to Pei Yunying’s side, putting the basin on the table.

Pei Yunying looked at the hot water before him, thought for a moment, and pushed the fifty taels of loose silver that Lu Tong had just returned to him back toward her.

“Is this enough?”

Lu Tong took the silver and put it back in her box: “Barely.”

He shook his head with a smile, not arguing about Lu Tong’s price gouging, and reached for the cloth in the water basin, wringing out the excess water.

It was a woman’s handkerchief, light blue with embroidered hibiscus branches. Women’s handkerchiefs usually carried powder scent or incense, but this one only had a faint herb smell, identical to the bitter medicinal fragrance that surrounded Lu Tong.

Pei Yunying held the cloth and reached back to clean the wound on his shoulder.

As the blood was gradually wiped away, the ghastly wound was revealed. Lu Tong could see clearly that the arrow wound came from a diagonal angle from behind – he must have been shot from the back.

After cleaning the wound, Pei Yunying put down the cloth and picked up the medicine bottle to sprinkle powder on his shoulder. With only one hand available, half the powder fell on the wound while the other half scattered on the ground.

Lu Tong leaned against the table edge, coldly watching his movements, and suddenly spoke: “What a waste.”

Pei Yunying: “…”

Both annoyed and amused, he said: “Doctor Lu, though we may not be friends, we’re at least acquaintances.”

“Treating an injured person this way isn’t very nice.”

Outside the window, the snow and wind grew heavier, the north wind blowing the window open a bit more, frost gradually accumulating on the roof tiles. Through the dim lantern light, one could see snow dancing throughout the courtyard.

In the flickering lamplight inside, the figure by the window was hazy. A snowflake drifted through the window gap into the room, landing on his tied-back hair tips, quickly disappearing.

Lu Tong stood up, walked behind Pei Yunying, and snatched the medicine bottle from his hand.

Pei Yunying was startled.

Lu Tong said calmly: “The medicine is expensive. If you waste any more, you’ll have to pay another fifty taels for a new bottle.”

The wound medicine in Pei Yunying’s hand, though not made of precious ingredients, was quite troublesome to prepare.

She had always hated seeing others waste medicine.

Hearing this, Pei Yunying didn’t say anything this time, just turned his head with a smile: “Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Lu.”

Lu Tong stood behind Pei Yunying. His shoulders were broad, and the archer’s uniform outlined an admirably fine figure. Where her gaze fell, his skin was not like those pale, thin, delicate young masters – perhaps due to years of martial arts training, his muscles were well-proportioned, containing hidden strength.

Lu Tong placed one hand on his shoulder.

Pei Yunying’s body tensed slightly.

The next moment, Lu Tong’s hand swept up, and with a “rip,” the already torn black clothing was pulled away in a large piece, along with some flesh that had stuck to it with blood.

Pei Yunying drew in a sharp breath.

“Just a small wound,” Lu Tong took up the medicine bottle and sprinkled it evenly on his wound, “Why is the Commander making such a fuss?”

Pei Yunying turned his head, frowning at Lu Tong: “Is Doctor Lu taking personal revenge?”

“How could that be?” Lu Tong replaced the bottle stopper and put the medicine bottle in Pei Yunying’s palm, smiling slightly: “Applying for medicine always involves some pain, Lord Pei shouldn’t be so afraid of treatment.”

Pei Yunying stared at her for a long while, then after a moment, nodded self-mockingly: “Fine, whatever Doctor Lu says.”

Lu Tong’s eyes flickered slightly.

She had deliberately been rough to cause Pei Yunying pain, yet he could still speak to her pleasantly – his self-control was truly first-rate.

After applying medicine, the wound still needed bandaging. Lu Tong cut some white cloth from her medical box for bandages and walked behind Pei Yunying to dress his wound.

Pei Yunying seemed very averse to close physical contact with others, consciously or unconsciously trying to maintain distance, but Lu Tong had no such concerns. She reached around Pei Yunying’s shoulder and arm from behind, skillfully wrapping the bandage.

Come to think of it, while Pei Yunying’s shoulder wound wasn’t too deep, there was another ghastly sword scar running down from his shoulder onto part of his back – an old wound. The combination of new and old wounds must have been hard to bear, yet throughout the night, Pei Yunying hadn’t shown the slightest sign of pain.

Perhaps because this level of injury meant nothing to him, or perhaps he was simply able to endure it.

Lu Tong cut off the excess bandage edges and casually asked: “There was an old wound here?”

Pei Yunying paused, then said: “Yes.”

Lu Tong glanced at the old sword scar. It was very deep, and someone had stitched the wound, though the stitching was messy – like her childhood needlework, haphazard and crooked, leaving a ridiculous dark red mark branded on Pei Yunying’s back.

She said: “Looks like it was stitched by an enemy.”

To stitch a wound so poorly – it almost seemed intentional.

Hearing this, Pei Yunying seemed to recall something, his dimpled smile deepening, “You could say that. The doctor was a young girl, newly trained in medicine. Her medical skills weren’t as good as yours, but her desire for revenge was just as strong.”

The oil lamp on the table was almost burnt out. Lu Tong stood up to get another from the cabinet, and as she poured in lamp oil, she asked: “What did you do to make her want revenge?”

Pei Yunying thought for a moment: “Nothing much. A few years ago, I was being hunted in Sunan and got injured. I hid in a pile of corpses behind the execution ground. There, I met a little thief stealing bodies.”

“She saved me, treated my wounds, though rather unwillingly.”

Lu Tong froze, her hand continuing to pour the lamp oil but forgetting to light it.

In a flash like lightning, past events broke through layers of snowy screens and rushed forward, distant images rising before her, illuminating the falling snow.

Pei Yunying noticed nothing, raising his eyes to look out the window.

On this snowy night in Shengjing, a faint lamplight by the window illuminated the endless falling snow outside, coating eaves and ground in silver, the world a vast white expanse, creating a sense of lonely desolation.

His voice was as quiet as the snow.

“Come to think of it, it was snowing the day I met her too.”

As if to echo his words, snow particles from the courtyard drifted through the window gap to the table, white frost falling into the flower lamp, creating ripples of cold air.

He turned to Lu Tong, speaking with a smile.

“That was the biggest snow Sunan had seen in ten years.”

Lu Tong suddenly looked up.

In that instant, snowflakes covered the lamp wick, and the last faint light flickered.

The candle went out.