Jianjia and Bailu replaced Kongqing guarding outside the bedroom door. Jingmo was stanching Huo Liuxing’s bleeding while Kongqing also focused on Huo Liuxing’s injuries. When Shen Lingzhen fell, her knees heavily striking the footstool, no one had the attention to help her up.
When Kongqing turned around and saw her fall with a deathly pale face, just as he was about to ask if she was alright, he saw her wave her hand and climb up by herself. Supporting herself on the bed rail, she stared fixedly at the unconscious Huo Liuxing.
“What…” Shen Lingzhen opened her mouth but couldn’t find her voice. Trembling, she repeated herself several times before managing complete words: “What happened?”
After asking, she shook her head at herself. Saving Huo Liuxing was urgent—what exactly happened could be discussed later.
“Where’s the physician?” Shen Lingzhen forcibly calmed herself. “Have you sent for a physician?”
“The physician is already on the way. To conceal his movements he must take a roundabout route and will arrive later. We’re doing emergency treatment for the young master first.”
“At a time like this, still…” She spoke urgently, stopping halfway.
In such a life-or-death situation, every moment should matter. But since they had made such arrangements, it meant the physician’s movements being exposed could be even more deadly.
Shen Lingzhen could only grit her teeth and voice no further objections. Watching Jingmo take three thick circles of white hemostatic cloth strips and tightly wrap Huo Liuxing’s wound, she had just breathed a sigh of relief when the next instant, she saw copious fresh blood surge out again from the innermost layer, quickly soaking through all three layers of cloth.
Kongqing’s face instantly whitened. He passed new cloth strips to Jingmo, joining him in pressing hard against the wound.
Blood continued seeping out. In just that brief moment, Huo Liuxing’s face took on a dark pallor, his forehead densely covered in cold sweat.
Shen Lingzhen felt dizzy watching, pinching the flesh of her palm to stay conscious: “This won’t work, this won’t work… Can we use heated iron to cauterize? I think I read about cauterization to stop bleeding in a book.”
“We’ve already sent someone to prepare it, but the young master’s wound was made by a curved-head axe. The injury is too deep—it’s exposed his internal organs. We don’t dare rashly cauterize. We must wait for the physician.”
Shen Lingzhen’s ears immediately began buzzing.
Curved-head axe, internal organs… The last time she heard these two words, Meng Qufei had asked Huo Liuxing whether, if he were injured by a curved-head axe to the point of exposed organs, he could survive.
Huo Liuxing had answered at the time that this was a severe injury—the possibility of survival was very slim.
Shen Lingzhen dared not ask whether Huo Liuxing would die. She only continuously warmed his increasingly cold face with her hands.
In this panicked touching, she noticed him furrow his brows as if sensing something.
If he could furrow his brows, it meant consciousness still remained. Kongqing also noticed. His blood-covered hands pressed firmly on Huo Liuxing’s wound while he said: “Young mistress, talk to the young master.”
Shen Lingzhen lowered her head: “My lord, can you hear my voice? Hold on a bit longer. The physician will arrive soon.”
“Young mistress, don’t say useless things! Say things the young master doesn’t like to hear!”
“What… what doesn’t he like to hear?”
“Talk about your life-saving benefactor, mention your cousin! The young master hates those two most!”
“Oh, oh…” Shen Lingzhen organized her thoughts and leaned close to his ear: “My lord, they say without comparison, there’s no harm. I see your injury looks very similar to my life-saving benefactor’s. You said he couldn’t survive, but ultimately no corpse was found. If you don’t make it through this time, and someday I encounter my living benefactor, you’ll have truly lost face…”
Whether from pain or actually hazily hearing these words, Huo Liuxing’s brows furrowed even deeper.
Even if it was anger, at least it meant he still had breath—better than completely losing consciousness. Kongqing nodded encouragingly: “Well done, young mistress! Intensify it—keep talking!”
Shen Lingzhen’s mind was in complete chaos. Unable to worry about propriety, she said whatever came to mind: “My lord, seeing you half-dead like this, I fear you won’t survive tonight. So I must also consider my own future. Thinking it over, at my young and beautiful age, becoming a widow for you is truly not worthwhile.”
“Consider that you and I have never consummated our marriage—we don’t really count as true husband and wife. And look at our Duke Yingguo’s household—vast and prosperous. Who wouldn’t curry favor? When the time comes, men of talent and appearance will naturally break down the door willing to be live-in sons-in-law. You surely think I’m not such a heartless person, but you must also face reality. You should know that time is the cure for all wounds. If one or two years won’t do, three or five years will. Someday, I will certainly forget your goodness and turn to embrace another good man.”
“Besides, you also know His Majesty is not a good person. If he could use me once, he can use me a second time. Once you’re gone, he’ll have to settle for second best and find another hero to intimidate Xiqiang. Who do you think is suitable? I think at both the arrow-throwing banquet and hunting ground, Cousin A’Jie performed outstandingly. When that time comes, perhaps His Majesty will have me remarry into the Xue family?”
These words hit the mark. Huo Liuxing’s hand lying at his side moved, as if grasping for something.
Shen Lingzhen immediately placed her hand in his palm: “This is my hand. Hold it tightly—if you let go, I’ll run off with someone else.”
In his dazed state, Huo Liuxing truly seemed to hear. Though he couldn’t muster strength, his five fingers curled into a curve.
Shen Lingzhen’s nose stung. She hadn’t cried when frightened to weakness earlier, but seeing this scene she could barely hold back. Fortunately, this surge of emotion was timely interrupted by the sound of the door being pushed open.
The physician finally arrived, hurrying in and hastily setting down his medicine chest. With practiced ease he ordered: “The iron I told you to heat—is it ready?”
Kongqing quickly brought in a basin of clean water and a piece of red-hot iron from outside.
Jingmo helped unwrap the hemostatic band to allow the physician to examine the wound.
Without the cloth’s constraint, fresh blood immediately gushed wildly. Huo Liuxing’s hand clasping Shen Lingzhen’s completely released—this time he had truly lost consciousness.
“My lord!” Seeing the wound gurgling blood at close range, Shen Lingzhen’s whole body trembled.
The physician glanced at her, washed his hands in the clean water, and said nonchalantly: “Family member, rest assured—he can still be saved. If I could heal this boy’s legs eight years ago, I can certainly patch up this hole now.” The old man spoke while using iron tongs to grip the iron piece, jerking his chin: “All idle people, get out!”
Shen Lingzhen couldn’t disturb the physician’s treatment. She could only steel herself to withdraw her hand and leave the bedroom. Only in the adjacent room did she ask Jingmo, who had followed to rest: “This physician is…?”
“South Luo, North Huang—this is the South’s Physician Immortal Luo, Luo Mi.”
Shen Lingzhen remembered. Of the two Physician Immortals in the world, the North’s Physician Immortal Huang served His Majesty and often stayed in the capital, while the South’s Physician Immortal Luo wandered among the common people, practicing medicine across the land. He had been without news for nearly ten years.
Last year when Zhao Xun visited the Huo residence in Qingyang, unable to find Physician Immortal Luo, he had brought a physician said to be Luo’s distinguished disciple to treat Huo Liuxing.
This suggested Physician Immortal Luo had never actually disappeared, but had been hiding in the shadows all along, working for the Huo family—or rather, for the previous dynasty’s imperial house.
Over these years, Luo Mi had not only healed Huo Liuxing’s legs but had also transmitted the secret art of sealing apertures and blocking meridians to Kongqing, helping the Huo family conceal the truth. When Zhao Xun’s physician couldn’t detect anything wrong with Huo Liuxing’s legs, it was precisely because the disciple couldn’t match the master.
Now thinking of Luo Mi’s earlier phrase “can still be saved,” Shen Lingzhen’s heart settled somewhat. Finally having the composure to ask about the circumstances of Huo Liuxing’s injury.
“Who injured him like this?”
“Yeli Chong,” Jingmo answered.
Shen Lingzhen nodded, unsurprised, because Huo Liuxing had said the curved-head axe was a weapon commonly used by Xiqiang people.
“How did he come to cross weapons with him? Isn’t he staying at the Court of State Ceremonial?”
Jingmo shook his head: “After nightfall tonight, the young master received intelligence that Yeli Chong entered the palace this evening to request an audience with His Majesty, saying he had received an urgent letter from his king commanding him to return home quickly, so he immediately set out to leave the capital. Because of Yeli Chong’s aerial horse-switching maneuver at the imperial hunting grounds, the young master suspected his background was connected to the Huo Family Army. He had originally planned to find another opportunity to investigate him in the capital, but because of his sudden departure, was forced to take desperate measures and had no choice but to disguise himself overnight and pursue him out of the city.”
Shen Lingzhen froze, feeling something wasn’t quite right.
Neither early nor late—why did Yeli Chong leave Bianjing precisely when Huo Liuxing became suspicious of him?
This afternoon at the imperial hunting grounds, some details she hadn’t paid much attention to at the time suddenly flooded into Shen Lingzhen’s mind.
She remembered when Xue Jie apologized to the Crown Prince, his expression was very poor. He had hesitated as if trying to explain something, only to be helplessly forced back by his father.
At the time she had thought Xue Jie was unhappy about losing face. Thinking about it now, that expression was clearly one of having suffered injustice.
He hadn’t accidentally shot off-target—he had been framed.
And among those present who could frame him, considering motive and capability, it could only be Yeli Chong.
In that kind of chase situation, making Xue Jie shoot off-target wouldn’t be difficult for someone of Yeli Chong’s skill—a small stone attacking the tiger’s mouth would suffice.
This way, killing two birds with one stone: both diminishing Xue Jie’s prestige and to some degree alienating the relationship between Xue Jie and the imperial family, while also using that maneuver to arouse Huo Liuxing’s suspicion.
Shen Lingzhen exclaimed in alarm: “Have you considered that this might be Yeli Chong’s trap?”
Yeli Chong had deliberately exposed himself to lure Huo Liuxing to pursue him out of the city, planning to strike with lethal intent under cover of night. Perhaps even the so-called “slip-up” at the Chongzheng Hall banquet had been Yeli Chong’s careful planning.
Jingmo nodded: “The young master should have known.”
“If he knew, why walk into the trap?”
“Because… because the young master was confident he could make a round trip.”
Shen Lingzhen looked at Jingmo’s unnatural expression and frowned.
She believed Huo Liuxing was confident in concealing his identity and not falling into enemy hands, but seeing tonight’s dangerous outcome, to say he was completely at ease would absolutely not be true.
“There’s no other reason?” Shen Lingzhen keenly guessed something. “Does Yeli Chong’s background involve something very important to him?”
With Huo Liuxing’s life and death currently uncertain, Shen Lingzhen needed to take charge here. Though Jingmo knew explaining this matter might cause her to blame herself, he could only recount the whole story in detail.
“Young mistress, consider this: if that orphan from back then not only didn’t die in battle with the other Huo Family Army soldiers but prospered in Xiqiang and became a general, what would this mean?”
Shen Lingzhen’s breathing caught.
This would mean… the death of the Huo family’s eldest son back then might have hidden circumstances. Her mother might not be the true culprit.
Shen Lingzhen suddenly felt a stifling tightness in her chest, unable to catch her breath.
Just this morning, she had been secretly upset about the consummation matter. Huo Liuxing had probably discerned her thoughts, which was why when he found this thread of hope to resolve the blood feud, he was so urgent and desperate.
Because of this, having always been cautious and good at endurance, he adopted this desperate measure and took an impulsive risk.
Because of her, he now lay severely injured and unconscious.
Kongqing’s announcement broke the deathly silence in the room: “Young mistress, the young master’s wound has been treated.”
Shen Lingzhen nearly lost her composure, lifting her skirts and running to the adjacent room: “Is he awake?” After charging in and seeing Huo Liuxing’s complexion still deathly pale as paper, her heart instantly plummeted to the depths.
Luo Mi was writing a prescription while instructing: “This hole is temporarily patched, but we can’t rule out the wound breaking open again. Prepare some hemostatic medicine. First get through tonight’s crisis.”
“Does Physician Immortal Luo mean he’s not yet out of danger?”
“If he can wake before daybreak, the problem won’t be serious. Right now others can do nothing—it depends on his fate alone.”
Shen Lingzhen bowed her thanks to Luo Mi, having Kongqing and Jingmo see him out while ensuring his movements remained hidden. She herself sat by the bedside.
Huo Liuxing’s face had no trace of vitality. He couldn’t even furrow his brows anymore, just lying there rigidly.
Thinking of Jingmo’s earlier words, Shen Lingzhen felt increasingly distressed. Tears pattered down as she gripped his hand and said: “My lord, we won’t care anymore, we won’t care about anything… Living people are most important. When you wake up, we’ll live our lives well. Even if the Huo family doesn’t like me, I’ll shamelessly stay with you and never run away again…”