The scorching sun was obscured by thick clouds, gradually darkening the forest. Lu Tong raised her eyes to look at the person standing beside her. How did Pei Yunying come here?

Qi Yutai’s cold voice rang in her ears: “What does the Commander mean by these words?”

“Does Young Master Qi not understand?” His lips curved in a smile as he looked at Qi Yutai, killing intent gradually gathering in his eyes. “I said, humans shouldn’t kneel to beasts.”

Everyone present heard the mockery in these words. Qi Yutai’s face darkened: “You!”

“Young Master Qi,” he interrupted, his knuckles white as he gripped his waist blade, “The Empress Dowager regularly worships Buddha at Wan’en Temple, understanding Buddhist principles, maintaining purity and non-action. Yet you use her name to let evil beasts commit heinous acts, damaging the imperial family’s reputation.”

“The matter of beasts is minor, but the imperial family’s reputation is grave. When it concerns the Empress Dowager’s reputation, how can it be dismissed lightly?”

“I think,” he said, “we should wait until we return to court, let the censors write a memorial, and discuss this matter properly in court.”

The young man’s tone was indifferent, his gaze cold as ice as he stared at Qi Yutai, making him shudder. Then his chest suddenly tightened.

This bastard!

Earlier, he had brought up the Empress Dowager, wanting to use her imperial gift to punish Lu Tong. But Pei Yunying was even more ruthless, bringing up the Empress Dowager’s reputation and talking about having censors submit memorials after returning to court – clearly intending to blow up the matter.

His father valued face above all else. To preserve the Qi family’s reputation, he would certainly not insist on pursuing this matter and would make him back down first. Moreover, after the imperial banquet incident, Pei Yunying gained considerable royal favor, and the Empress Dowager treated him with particular kindness.

Pei Yunying was supporting Lu Tong.

Qi Yutai looked at Lu Tong.

She stood beside Pei Yunying, with his hand supporting her back as if protecting her in his embrace. Her face was as yellow as paper, seeming frail and about to collapse.

Quite pitiable indeed.

But he hadn’t forgotten Lu Tong’s frenzied state when killing the dog earlier.

This scene in Qi Yutai’s eyes was jarring, further confirming his belief that there must be something between Pei Yunying and Lu Tong. Otherwise, he wouldn’t support Lu Tong in front of so many people, nor would he oppose the Qi family so directly.

No wonder it had made Qi Huaying weep so bitterly – what a fine pair of adulterers.

Qi Yutai’s gaze at the two became increasingly sinister.

No one around spoke, each contemplating the undercurrents visible to all.

It was Crown Prince Yuan Zhen who broke the deadlock, speaking casually: “It’s just a beast, why make such a fuss? If things are inappropriate at the hunting grounds, let’s discuss them after descending the mountain.”

His words suggested letting the matter drop.

Currently, the victory between him and Yuan Yao remained undecided, and the Palace Guard Command was also a valuable chess piece – everyone wanted to compete for it, or at least avoid making enemies.

Pei Yunying calmly replied: “Naturally.”

Seeing this situation, the Crown Prince pulled his reins, turned his horse around, and ordered the cavalry to descend the mountain. Those around who had watched this drama, being clever, didn’t dare linger. Various appraising glances fell on her, and Lu Tong saw that Commander Yan Xu from the Privy Council – who had confronted Pei Yunying on the forest path before ascending the mountain – was staring at her intently, his eyes seemingly full of meaning.

She knew well that after today, rumors about her and Pei Yunying would surely fly everywhere. Not just Yan Xu, but probably everyone from the Medical Officials Bureau and anyone who knew Pei Yunying would think their relationship was unusual.

Just as she was thinking this, darkness suddenly fell before her eyes.

Qi Yutai walked over to the two of them.

He seemed extremely unwilling to let it go, but despite having a Grand Preceptor for a father, he only held a powerless sinecure position in the Ministry of Revenue, carrying no deterrent force against the naturally ruthless Pei Yunying.

Qi Yutai glanced at Lu Tong beside Pei Yunying and sneered: “Commander Pei seems particularly concerned about Medical Official Lu’s affairs. Those who don’t know might think you two have an intimate relationship.”

Lu Tong coldly looked at him.

Qi Yutai smiled again: “Rushing back in such a hurry, may I ask Commander, what is she to you?”

His words were neither loud nor soft, just right for those nearby to hear clearly. There were still officials who hadn’t left, and hearing these words, they all turned their heads, their gazes revealing some anticipation for drama.

Pei Yunying, the promising Commander of the Palace Guard with a brilliant future ahead, was also the heir to the Marquis of Zhaoning, with looks and abilities both top-tier in the capital. Such a man would surely marry a noble lady in the future. Earlier, some in the capital had speculated that since the Grand Preceptor’s precious daughter was still unmarried, perhaps she could form a marriage alliance with the Pei family.

Yet today, Pei Yunying was willing to offend the Grand Preceptor’s son for a lowly medical female official.

A medical female official had no power or influence, only beauty. Beauty is like a bone-scraping knife, and given Pei Yunying’s youth and romantic nature, flying into a rage for a beautiful woman wasn’t outrageous.

What was outrageous was that this young Commander was still unmarried, and before marriage, he had already sparked romantic rumors with another…

This was not good at all.

The surrounding suggestive gazes fell on Lu Tong, causing her to slightly furrow her brows.

Qi Yutai had already suddenly gone mad because of the Qi Huaying matter, and Pei Yunying’s actions were undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire. For himself, it was extremely unwise.

If being rational, he should immediately distance himself from her now, using any dignified reason.

“Creditor.”

She heard Pei Yunying’s voice.

Lu Tong was stunned.

In the deep forest, trees grew thick, and in the distance, water flowed quietly through the dark valley.

Pei Yunying held her arm tightly, his expression unclear in the sunlight filtering through the tree branches.

He calmly said: “She is my creditor.”

…

The good hunting expedition came to an abrupt end.

Originally, after the summer hunt ended, there should have been a count of prey followed by rewards based on merit. However, with both the Crown Prince and Third Prince being ambushed, the hunt could not continue, and this summer hunt ended hastily. The Crown Prince’s party, with their escort guard, immediately returned to the palace.

As for Lu Tong…

As an unknown minor medical official from the Medical Officials Bureau, aside from Qi Yutai, no one paid attention to her for now. But because she had been bitten by the vicious dog and her injuries were not light, it wasn’t good for her to travel immediately, so she stayed in the tents at the bottom of the hunting grounds with the remaining medical officials, planning to set out early the next morning.

Lin Danqing also stayed behind.

It was already dusk, with the setting sun gradually sinking and red clouds filling the sky. In the tent, Lin Danqing, who was cleaning Lu Tong’s wounds, couldn’t help but show horror at the ghastly injuries before her.

“Sister Lu,” her voice trembled, “how did you get injured so severely?”

Earlier during the confrontation on the mountain, although she had seen Lu Tong covered in blood and pale-faced, she hadn’t shown much pain, and her expression had been relatively calm, making Lin Danqing think it was mostly the hunting dog’s blood.

However, now with the clothes removed and the wounds cleaned with clear water, once exposed, the injuries were horrifying to behold.

This was far from a mere “minor injury.”

She was terrified at the sight and even hesitated to bandage them, gritting her teeth to curse: “That bastard Qi Yutai!”

Lu Tong leaned against the crude low couch made of wooden planks, glanced at the wounds on her arm, and said: “Fortunately, it didn’t injure my face.”

“How can you still joke at a time like this!” Lin Danqing glared at her, “You should be grateful it didn’t get your throat!”

Lu Tong lowered her eyes in silence.

When the vicious dog had lunged to bite her, she had instinctively protected her head and face.

The Imperial Medical Officials Bureau had an unwritten rule that those with disfigured appearances could not practice medicine.

Perhaps that was another kind of “dignity,” but at that moment she had only one thought – having come this far, she couldn’t let everything be in vain.

Thinking about it now, she had been so focused on protecting her head and face that she had forgotten to guard her abdomen. If that vicious dog had torn open her belly and dragged out her intestines, even the gods couldn’t have saved her now.

It was indeed frightening in retrospect.

Lin Danqing carefully bandaged her wounds, and as she worked, her tone suddenly became gloomy.

“It’s all my fault.”

She said softly: “When the guard led you away, I should have been more vigilant. If I had gone with you, maybe you wouldn’t have been injured.”

Although these wounds weren’t life-threatening, if not properly cared for, they might leave lasting effects.

Moreover, there might be scars in the future…

Seeing her like this, Lu Tong gave a faint smile.

“It has nothing to do with you, they were targeting me specifically,” she said, “if not today, it would have been tomorrow. This was bound to happen eventually.”

“What do you mean?” Lin Danqing raised her head in confusion, “Qi Yutai did this deliberately? When did you offend him?”

“Didn’t you say the Empress Dowager intended to arrange a marriage between the Qi family and the Pei family?”

“Who knows if such rumors are true…” Lin Danqing’s voice faltered, and she looked at Lu Tong in shock, “Could it be…”

Lu Tong remained silent.

She exclaimed in astonishment: “That madman Qi Yutai!”

Just because they had their eye on a potential son-in-law, with nothing certain yet, and the Pei family might not even agree to this marriage – even the imperial family wouldn’t be so ruthless.

But the Qi family dared to be.

They were simply a bunch of lunatics!

After finishing bandaging the last wound, Lin Danqing helped Lu Tong put on her outer garment and sat by the couch, speaking worriedly: “This is bad. If the Qi family is truly this arrogant, and today you killed their dog and refused to bow down, the grudge will only deepen… Unless Pei Yunying publicly declares his protection of you completely, something will happen sooner or later.”

“This is truly an undeserved calamity, but what will you do in the future?”

Lu Tong felt heavy-hearted.

This was also her greatest concern.

It would be effortless for the Grand Preceptor’s mansion to deal with her, while for her to take even one step closer to the Grand Preceptor’s mansion would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. Pei Yunying could protect her once, but what about next time? What about the future?

He couldn’t appear every time.

She couldn’t pin her hopes on others.

After a moment of silence, Lu Tong spoke: “It’s fine, we’ll take it one step at a time.”

The hostility from the Grand Preceptor’s mansion had come early, and upon returning to the Medical Officials Bureau, she would face an even more violent storm, but…

But fortunately, some things had already reached the point where they were meant to happen.

In the coming days, the Grand Preceptor’s mansion should be very busy, too busy to deal with a small “insect” like her.

Just as she was thinking this, a shadow fell on the snow-white tent, and Ji Xun’s voice sounded from outside: “Medical Official Lu.”

Lin Danqing started, quietly asking Lu Tong: “Why has he come?”

Lu Tong shook her head.

Earlier on the mountain, when Ji Xun spoke up for her, it wasn’t just surprising to others, but also to Lu Tong herself.

If Pei Yunying speaking up for her was due to their past friendship, Ji Xun and she were now practically strangers, with their only conversation at the Medical Officials Bureau ending unpleasantly.

She couldn’t find a reason for him speaking up for her, and could only attribute it to his kind nature and upright character, which led him to speak out for justice.

Lin Danqing left with the medical box, and as the tent flap was lifted, someone else walked in.

Lu Tong looked at Ji Xun.

He took two steps inside, still maintaining his usual cool and aloof demeanor, his gaze falling on Lu Tong as he asked: “How are your injuries?”

Though his words showed concern, his tone remained as distant as ever.

“It’s fine, not too serious,” Lu Tong replied.

He nodded: “I’ve taken the dog’s brain. You should apply it to your wounds tonight.”

Lu Tong raised her head in surprise.

Medical texts had recorded that “for dog bites, they recur every seven days, if they don’t recur after twenty-one days, one is safe, though a hundred days must pass for complete immunity.”

And that “if one kills the biting dog and applies its brain to the wound, there will be no recurrence.”

The reason Lu Tong wasn’t worried was because, according to Lin Danqing, although the Qi family’s mad dog had bitten people, there had been no previous cases of victims dying from hydrophobia shortly after being bitten, so it wasn’t that dangerous.

Moreover, she had other medicines to prevent such conditions.

But she hadn’t expected Ji Xun to go and take the gray dog’s brain matter.

Qi Yutai treasured his mad dog like a pearl or jade and was already furious it had died at her hands. He certainly wouldn’t have willingly allowed its brain to be used as medicine for her. Ji Xun’s action would inevitably offend Qi Yutai.

Lu Tong asked: “Young Master Qi agreed?”

“He doesn’t know yet,” Ji Xun answered, “No one was watching the dog’s corpse, so I took it myself.”

Lu Tong stared at him with widened eyes in shock, as if seeing him for the first time.

Yet he remained composed, as if unaware how this action damaged his image as a refined gentleman, and continued: “I examined the wounds on the dog’s body – the neck vessel, celestial gate, lung point, heart point, celestial pivot, hundred convergences… your strikes were very precise.”

Lu Tong calmly replied: “Of course, I just reviewed the acupoint diagrams three days ago.”

“Looking at diagrams on paper is different from actually applying them,” Ji Xun showed confusion, “Even the masters in the Imperial Medical Bureau might not locate points as accurately as you did.”

Such decisive and clean strikes, each hitting its mark – even if ordinary doctors had such skill and technique, they couldn’t remain so calm in a crisis.

Panic is human instinct.

Lu Tong looked at him steadily: “Medical Official Ji seems to have forgotten, that I ranked first on the Imperial Medical Bureau’s spring examination. Naturally, it wasn’t all empty praise – I do have some exceptional abilities.”

Ji Xun started, seemingly recalling his previous words mocking her about the spring examination rankings, and his face reddened slightly.

Seeing him like this, Lu Tong turned her head away, furrowing her brows as if feeling pain from her wounds, and let out a soft “hiss.”

Ji Xun raised his eyes to see a shallow scratch near her neck on the left side of her face.

It must have been scratched by the gray dog. Though the wound wasn’t deep, barely grazing the surface, it was like a crack in white porcelain, particularly jarring.

After a moment of silence, he took out a medicine bottle from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

“This is Immortal Jade Skin Ointment from the Imperial Medicine Bureau. You have too many wounds; without careful treatment, they’ll inevitably leave scars.”

Lu Tong was somewhat surprised and then heard him say: “Rest well. You shouldn’t move around these days, and after returning to the city, you needn’t come to the Medical Officials Bureau first. I’ve spoken with Chief Physician Chang, and you’re granted half a month’s leave to recover.”

After a moment’s silence, Lu Tong nodded: “Thank you.”

He gave a few more instructions about using the medicine, which Lu Tong acknowledged one by one. Only when the last rays of evening glow had disappeared into the forest did he leave the tent?

After he left, Lu Tong looked at the small medicine bottle on the table.

The bottle was exquisite, tiny in size. She had seen it once in the Southern Medicine Storage – it was the Imperial Medicine Bureau’s finest scar-removing medicine, made with precious ingredients and used by palace nobles. She had heard He Xiu mention that one bottle was quite expensive.

She hadn’t expected Ji Xun to give it to her.

…

The sky gradually darkened.

Most of the escort guards and noble families had already returned to the city, leaving only a few medical officials, injured imperial guards, and some servant women in the tents outside the hunting grounds, waiting to set out early the next morning.

While the nobles could leave at will, the small vendors who had followed them couldn’t move so easily.

Especially the food vendors who had finally set up their stoves and pots here, hoping to make a good profit in tonight’s market. Now with the cavalry gone, only scattered servants remained moving about. Since moving everything was inconvenient, they could only continue setting up in the forest, pushing their lantern-hung carts and calling out loudly.

There were still several dozen white tents that hadn’t been taken down, with nearly a hundred people remaining, and though not as crowded as previous years, it gave the forest night market some liveliness.

Lin Danqing had also gone out to buy cooked food, leaving Lu Tong alone in the tent. Listening to the somewhat noisy voices outside, she lifted the thin blanket covering her and stood up from the couch.

As soon as she moved, pain shot through her leg wound. Lu Tong’s brows furrowed, and it took quite a while before she steadied herself.

She held onto the edge of the tent, slowly making her way to the table.

After applying medicine to the wounds from the vicious dog’s bites, the delayed pain gradually began to spread. Her head and face weren’t much injured, and she had protected her abdomen well. Most of the scratches and bites were on her limbs, all avoiding vital areas. The worst injury was to her left arm, because in that moment of emergency, she had thrust her entire arm into the vicious dog’s mouth, and the dog’s teeth had sunk almost completely in, like sharp knives cutting deep.

There was a “window” at the edge of the white tent’s table, a small curtain that could be rolled up. Lu Tong rolled up the tent flap.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, a cool night breeze blew in from outside.

She looked out the window.

Not far away, along the thin, winding stream by the hunting grounds, lights had been lit all around. The scattered dim yellow lights illuminating the water’s surface made the night beneath the hunting grounds bright and lively, with bargaining voices drifting over from the night market.

“Oh, these thin bean jelly noodles are cut quite fine, I’ll have a bowl! Extra sesame!”

“Coming right up! It’s hot out, so why not try some pickled mustard cucumber too? They’re refreshing together!”

“Alright, add a sugar-coated mung bean cake too, give me a good price…”

The noisy voices fell in the forest, and without the carriages and nobles, the night at Huangmao Ridge showed a more simple authenticity.

Lu Tong listened carefully for a while, then slowly sat down at the table, supporting herself.

Turning her head, she suddenly remembered she hadn’t drunk the medicine Lin Danqing had brewed for her. It had been sitting for so long it must be cold by now, so she turned around.

She didn’t want to get up and walk over again – the wound on her leg shouldn’t be moved carelessly, and those few steps just now had already felt forced. So she just reached toward the low table by the couch.

The low table wasn’t far, but the medicine bowl had been placed quite far in. She strained awkwardly, her fingers barely able to touch the edge of the bowl, trying hard to pull it closer to herself.

A hand reached from behind her and picked up the medicine bowl.

Lu Tong’s movements froze.

Pei Yunying placed the medicine bowl on the table, then reached out to support her back, helping her sit properly at the table. Only then did he look at her with slightly furrowed brows and say: “Didn’t I tell you to rest in bed? Why are you wandering around?”

Lu Tong was stunned for a moment.

The brown medicinal soup rippled slightly in the candlelight. He sat down at the table and pushed the medicine bowl closer to Lu Tong.

Lu Tong looked down at the medicine bowl and unconsciously asked: “Why haven’t you left?”

Except for the injured ones, all the Dragon Guard had returned to the city with the Crown Prince’s party. As Commander of the Palace Guard, how could Pei Yunying still be lingering here?

He said: “I’m injured too, so of course I need to stay for treatment.”

Injured?

Lu Tong suddenly remembered hearing from Lin Danqing about the Third Prince being ambushed in the forest, and Pei Yunying protecting him down the mountain.

At that time, he had stopped Qi Yutai’s humiliation, and as Commander of the Palace Guard, he had to accompany the Crown Prince down the mountain, while she had been taken back to the tent by Lin Danqing and Chang Jin. She hadn’t seen Pei Yunying again. At the time, Pei Yunying had appeared composed, his behavior normal, showing no signs of injury.

As if sensing her thoughts, Pei Yunying explained: “Just a minor injury, Chang Jin treated it for me. But you…” He paused, his gaze at her becoming grave, “Your injuries aren’t light.”

Lu Tong fell silent.

They weren’t that serious.

She lowered her eyes and lifted the medicine bowl to her lips. The medicine had cooled considerably. Lin Danqing had deliberately brewed it longer, making it extra strong and bitter. She drank all the medicine in the bowl in one go, and when she put down the bowl, a colorfully wrapped piece of paper appeared before her.

Pei Yunying offered her a piece of candy.

After a pause, Lu Tong took the candy and held it in her palm, faintly hearing the noise from the distant night market carried by the wind. After a while, she spoke: “You shouldn’t have intervened today.”

Pei Yunying quietly looked at her.

“The Qi family wants to win you over,” her voice was calm, “In front of everyone, you opposed him directly, making Qi Yutai lose face. He will surely hold a grudge against you now.”

“With the Commander’s astuteness, you shouldn’t have acted so rashly.”

“I don’t understand…”

Lu Tong slowly raised her eyes: “Why did the Commander help me?”

Although Pei Yunying was mysterious in his movements, Lu Tong could vaguely sense that what he was planning couldn’t be detected by others. Just like herself, bringing conflicts into the open too early would bring her countless harm and no benefit.

To these nobles, she would have just kowtowed three times, nothing serious, while the vicious dog had lost its life – from any angle, she had gotten the better deal.

Even she had nearly resigned herself to fate, having decided to accept this unavoidable humiliation, yet he had stepped forward at that moment.

The moonlight was cool, and the tent’s yellow light flickered.

He looked at her, his tone somewhat strange: “You’ve thought everything through for my sake.”

Lu Tong remained silent.

“Didn’t I say? You’re my creditor.”

Creditor?

Lu Tong felt confused.

Was he referring to the debt of gratitude from when she saved Pei Yunxu and her mother?

But that debt had been spent away in various subsequent matters, and after that… he hadn’t owed her any favors.

The wind shook the moonlight, countless flowing moonbeams rushing in eagerly, making the delicate candle on the table flicker in and out of visibility.

He reached out, using silver scissors to trim the candlewick, speaking casually: “It is a bit troublesome.”

“However…”

“The kindness of an old friend is hard to forget.”

Lu Tong froze, suddenly realizing something, and sharply looked at Pei Yunying.

Not far away, in the night market under the forest bridge, the smoke was faint and the crimson gauze lanterns bright. The young man sat in the tent, with the moonlight lifted by the tent flap spreading out behind him. The silver ring held between his fingers fell into her eyes without warning, catching her completely off guard.

It was an old blackened ring, the silver rough, worn, and blurred, showing some of its gentle past when illuminated by the dim candlelight.

Lu Tong’s heart trembled.

The young man sat quietly, the dying light illuminating his handsome features, his gaze at Lu Tong silent, unclear whether it held joy or sorrow.

He looked at her: “Isn’t that right, Seventeenth Miss?”