Huo Qi Lang dumped Yuwen Rang onto the bed in the quarters. He barely opened his eyes to scan the surroundings, confirmed he was back at Prince Shao’s mansion, mumbled “The Yuwen clan fulfilled its duty…” then fell back unconscious.

Huo Qi thought this fellow was quite interesting and casually turned him onto his side, wedging a helmet at his lower back to prevent him from choking on his own vomit.

Afterwards, she went to the courtyard to fetch a basin of clean water, took some soap beans to wash her hands and face. While wiping water droplets from her face, she looked toward the main house. She saw crows perched on the eaves as usual, guards taking turns standing watch at the door – exactly the same as when she’d left yesterday.

There was still most of the day before her evening night duty. Huo Qi Lang could have returned to the quarters for a comfortable nap, but a thought suddenly popped into her head: How did Li Yuanying sleep last night?

Once this thought arose, it wasn’t easily dismissed. Huo Qi Lang dumped the water into the drainage well. Several sparrows fighting over food fluttered away. She returned to her room, changed back into her guard uniform, and headed to the main house.

As soon as she entered, she felt the house was silent as death. The attendants and maids all held their breath, and the air not only carried the familiar smell of boiled medicine but also a tense, oppressive atmosphere. Caifang held a silver water pot, and seeing Huo Qi enter, desperately made eye signals at her.

Seeing her ominous expression, Huo Qi Lang was about to ask what was wrong when Madam Li emerged with a face like frost. Seeing it was her, she completely changed from her usual kind and loving demeanor, saying bitterly: “After carousing all night, you finally know to come back? How I doted on you before!”

Sensing trouble, Huo Qi Lang quickly asked: “Is the Great King alright?”

Madam Li remained silent, jerking her chin toward the bed deep in the large room.

Huo Qi Lang strode over, circling behind the screen to see an elderly man with white hair and beard kneeling beside the bed, holding silver needles and performing acupuncture on the person lying there.

Li Yuanying lay on his side facing inward, curled into a ball from severe headache. Each needle insertion made his entire body tremble as if flesh were being carved from his body. His hair was already soaked through, showing the extreme pain.

Having been intimately acquainted with his body’s responses these past nights, Huo Qi Lang knew this person was extremely tolerant – even enduring stimulation beyond physical limits, he would only grit his teeth and tremble without making a sound.

Huo Qi Lang observed the old man’s technique, seeing his precise acupoint location and steady needle insertion – clearly an experienced physician. She inquired: “What is the old gentleman treating?”

The elderly man, sweating nervously, answered softly: “To relieve headache.”

Acupuncture needles were thin as cow hair – a layperson could bend them just by holding them. Huo Qi Lang had often watched Old Four Qiu Ren perform needling on people, and patients barely felt anything – it shouldn’t produce this reaction.

She asked puzzledly: “If it’s to relieve pain, why does needle insertion hurt so much?”

The old physician said cautiously: “Acupuncture is naturally like this. The first two or three times produce no pain sensation, but each repeated needling at the same acupoint increases pain by one degree. The more times needled, the more painful it becomes. This happens to all patients worldwide – it’s not that I’m deliberately tormenting the Great King…”

This explanation was both for Huo Qi Lang and to defend his innocence to the noble patient.

Between nervousness and hidden fear, the old physician’s sweat nearly blinded him. Not daring to dirty his hands, he wiped on his shoulder clothes with his arm, looking ready to collapse from exhaustion.

Prince Shao’s chronic headache had lingered and recurred. To stop the pain, he’d undergone nearly a hundred acupuncture sessions in half a year. Though these dozen or so acupoints showed no obvious external marks, the muscle tissue underneath was probably riddled with holes, making each session more agonizing than the last. Only heaven knew when this prince would finally be unable to endure it and, in furious rage, make things end badly.

After hearing the physician’s explanation, Huo Qi Lang understood and felt some sympathy for the old man. She said peacefully: “Since acupuncture is meant to stop pain, there’s no reason to create more suffering. Old gentleman, please go down and have some tea to rest. Let me care for the Great King.”

The old man dared not move on his own until Li Yuanying, gritting his teeth with a hoarse voice, squeezed out: “Withdraw…” Only then did he hastily pack his needle bag, scramble up, and hurry away.

Once the physician disappeared behind the screen, Huo Qi Lang moved like wind, pulling out all the silver needles from Li Yuanying’s head, neck, and back and tossing them aside.

“My hands are already clean.”

She explained, then according to where the physician had needled, lightly placed her ten fingertips on the acupoints and gently pressed, controlling the pressure while channeling internal energy. This way she wouldn’t add more trauma to the muscle tissue while reaching deep into the acupoints from surface to interior.

After continuously massaging for the time it takes to drink tea, Li Yuanying’s bow-taut body gradually relaxed, and the severe pain appeared to ease. His clothes were completely soaked, and he still buried his face in the pillow. His raven-black long hair spread across the bed – because any movement felt like knife cuts during headaches, no one was allowed to touch him, nor could it be styled into a topknot.

Huo Qi Lang glanced back, seeing the attending servants didn’t dare approach and the screen blocked their view. She boldly reached out to pull him from the brocade quilt and held him against her chest.

Due to photophobia during attacks, Li Yuanying immediately raised his hand to cover his head and face. In that brief moment, Huo Qi Lang had already seen his face pale as paper with wet eyelashes.

He could suppress his voice, but tears seemed impossible to control. Whether from pain or pleasure, when sensations became intense enough, he would bury his face in brocade quilts to hide it. If someone deliberately forced him to show his face now, he would definitely fly into rage and drive them away.

Huo Qi Lang felt tender affection, cupping her palm over his eyes to block light while using thumb and middle finger to continue massaging his temples. Her sword-wielding hands were large and steady, enhanced by martial power. Li Yuanying, tormented by headache all night, finally got a moment’s respite.

Madam Li circled around to look from a distance without speaking, then quietly led all attendants and maids away.

With the great room silent and no sound of others breathing, Huo Qi felt safe to joke: “I only took one day off to go out and play, and the Great King couldn’t sleep well.”

Li Yuanying, ears ringing, tiredly accused in a low voice: “You reek of alcohol.”

Huo Qi Lang honestly confessed: “Because when I was carrying Yuwen Rang back, he vomited on me, but I’ve already changed outer clothes…”

Before finishing, Li Yuanying showed disgust and disdain, struggling free from her embrace to crawl deeper into the bed.

Taking advantage of being alone, Huo Qi grabbed his ankle and forcibly dragged him back, embracing him again. The strength in her arms could easily restrain even a healthy horse – there was no breaking free. Li Yuanying, exhausted from an entire night of headache attacks, had no energy left to struggle and could only give up resistance.

Naturally, Huo Qi didn’t dare actually use force to hurt him. She buried his head and face against the softest part of her chest to block light, softly defending: “It was the Great King who ordered Yuwen Rang to follow. This attendant can’t handle alcohol, so I couldn’t just abandon him on the street.”

Li Yuanying angrily scolded: “Do you know why ten-day rest is called ‘rest and bathing’? Leave is an opportunity for you to bathe and clean yourself, not to go out drinking and gambling until you reek of alcohol!”

Knowing the patient was suffering and in a foul mood, finding fault with everyone, Huo Qi Lang agreed with him: “I’m back now, aren’t I? And I’m not on duty until evening – I’ll definitely bathe before night watch. Strictly speaking, I’m still on leave right now. I came early out of concern that the Great King couldn’t sleep well at night.”

Only then did Li Yuanying stop and cease his scolding.

“My ‘Dying Lamp Hand’ was originally a fierce and domineering external martial art. If my master knew I was using it for massage, he’d definitely lift his coffin lid and personally tear me into two-finger-wide meat strips to feed wild dogs in mass graves.”

Huo Qi observed his expressions to comfort him while continuing to knead acupoints on his neck.

Li Yuanying sneered mockingly: “What a Chen Shigu – truly the ‘righteous sect’ grandmaster style.”

Hearing this, Huo Qi Lang inwardly groaned, forcing a smile: “What has the Great King heard?”

Li Yuanying said coldly: “Just some rumors heard in passing. Youzhou is too far from Guanzhong after all. The ‘one strike kill, revenge before dawn’ blue-robed knight – now my sister is in this evil sect’s hands.”

Huo Qi Lang sighed, knowing his entire thoughts were on Bao Zhu, so she spoke frankly: “Canyang Academy’s reputation is indeed poor. But the Great King needn’t worry – rather than saying Jiu Niang is in my senior brother’s hands, it’s more accurate to say Wei Da is in Jiu Niang’s hands. If Jiu Niang orders eastward movement, he absolutely wouldn’t dare lead a donkey one step west.”

Li Yuanying snorted: “As ‘loyal and reliable’ as you?”

Knowing her record of insubordination was extensive and difficult to defend, Huo Qi Lang could only be candid: “Though this blue-robed knight ranks first in martial arts at Canyang Academy, he’s actually a clueless brat in his teens. When I last saw him, he was still a virgin. I’d bet my lifetime’s gambling luck that this guy would never dare make the first move. Of course, if the princess wants to do something… that’s not Canyang Academy’s fault – she is a princess after all.”

After Li Yuanying muttered “damned gambler,” he fell silent.

Seeing his pain slightly eased, Huo Qi Lang moved him aside and got up to find some soup to moisten his throat. After searching around, she discovered that the area where physician Lu Qingguang had prepared aromatic medicines was now empty, leaving only physician Zhu Minhuo’s medicinal materials and equipment.

She returned to feed Li Yuanying tea and asked: “Where’s Lu Qingguang?”

“Shaobo sent him away.”

Huo Qi Lang smiled: “Congratulations, Great King. It seems the formula has been found.”

Li Yuanying showed no joy whatsoever, saying gloomily: “Panax notoginseng, agrimony, carbonized hair, and cattail pollen… only four ingredients could be confirmed in the end. Beyond that, no one could smell the difference.”

Huo Qi Lang said: “Isn’t that just the most ordinary blood-stopping herbal soup?”

Li Yuanying closed his eyes and nodded slightly. He had secretly asked countless physicians and martial world people what poison would make someone bleed to death after consumption – the answer was unheard of.

Just an ordinary blood-stopping soup.

Huo Qi Lang sat back on the bed edge, carefully placing this beautiful head on her lap, shading his eyes while combing through his long hair with her fingers.

“What’s there to worry about? Constant worrying makes your head ache like this. You have an emperor for a father – this reincarnation skill, few in the world could surpass.”

Li Yuanying snorted disdainfully: “He’s long harbored suspicions about me.”

Huo Qi Lang shrugged: “Then ignore him. He’s just the Chang’an military governor anyway.”

Li Yuanying thought his tinnitus made him mishear: “What military governor?”

Huo Qi Lang said carelessly: “The twelve Hexi provinces have fallen to Tibet, the three Hebei garrisons don’t listen to him, frontier garrisons stand everywhere under heaven. The territory the emperor can directly control is just around Guanzhong – isn’t that just ‘Chang’an military governor’? If he doesn’t favor you, stay away from him. That’s called ‘heaven is high and the emperor far away, strong dragons can’t suppress local snakes.'”

Li Yuanying lay on Huo Qi Lang’s lap, listening to this completely reversed, treasonous discourse. After long silence, he suddenly burst into laughter so intense that his ears rang and his skull felt ready to split, yet the stagnant qi in his chest dissipated by seventy or eighty percent with this laughter.

The two exchanged no more words. Huo Qi Lang smoothed his long hair, gathering it together to reveal a small widow’s peak at his hairline center. Finding this adorable, she bent down to kiss it.

Li Yuanying didn’t react.

So she grew restless, attempting to push further. When his usually cold, forbidding gaze was covered, his lip shape appeared soft and beautiful. Even pale in color, it remained alluring. She planted another light kiss, tasting cool softness.

This time Li Yuanying moved, raising his arm. Huo Qi felt satisfied and didn’t dodge, waiting to take his elbow strike, but he didn’t counterattack – only pressed lightly at the back of her head.

This was an extremely rare “initiative” from this quiet, reserved prince. Huo Qi Lang seized the opportunity, deepening the insufficiently satisfying kiss.

The bitter taste of boiled medicine filled the mouth, yet it was indescribably mellow and beautiful. An emotion existing only between bodies flowed where lips and teeth met, then produced wondrous effects – more effective than calming soup mixed with cinnabar and lead powder, making those inescapable sharp pains and pressures gentle.

She knew too many of his secrets. Someday he would order her silencing, Huo Qi Lang thought. But so what? All worldly matters were dangerous and unpredictable. Even with millions of troops, one could face total annihilation at any moment.

She lived only in this moment, enjoying this moment.

Author’s Note:

The endorphins produced by passionate kissing and ‘exercise’ are morphine-like endogenous hormones that not only relieve stress and anxiety but were the most powerful painkillers available in that era. Probably not only intoxicating but addictive.

I haven’t repeatedly emphasized Huo Qi’s appearance, which may have caused some readers’ misconceptions due to her name. Recalling her debut description, though Seven has a masculine appearance as a woman, her gender characteristics are obvious – no one has mistaken her when she’s not disguised. She’s a 183cm+ very attractive dark-skinned female warrior (tanned from traveling to deliver messages).