Lu Tong placed the oil lamp on the table and said calmly, “The people haven’t gone far. Do you need me to call them back?”

He smiled noncommittally, glanced at the white jade Guanyin in the small Buddhist shrine, and said meaningfully, “Is this how you always deceive people? A bodhisattva in front of others, a demon behind their backs?”

Lu Tong retorted, “The Captain presents himself as an imperial guard in public, but is a palace fugitive in private. Captain Pei and I are just two of a kind.”

She hadn’t forgotten that Shen Fengying had just said an assassin had escaped from the palace.

Lu Tong could smell the very faint scent of blood on Pei Yunying, making some things easy to deduce.

Pei Yunying was startled, then laughed, walked to sit at the table by the window, and sighed, “If I had known Doctor Lu was so formidable, I wouldn’t have offended you before.”

Lu Tong said nothing.

When Shen Fengying came to search the clinic, because Pei Yunying had come out in haste, she had no choice but to hide him behind the yellow pear wood cabinet in her bedroom that was stuffed with clothes.

The patrol soldiers had searched Yin Zheng’s room and the other empty room carefully, but because of their previous encounter, Shen Fengying had searched Lu Tong’s bedroom rather perfunctorily.

To mask the scent of blood on Pei Yunying, she had deliberately pushed out several large ceramic jars with Yin Zheng to attract Shen Fengying’s attention. The venomous creatures in the jars had startled Shen Fengying, and in his shock and surprise, he convinced himself he was overthinking things and wouldn’t continue to suspect Renxin Medical Clinic.

Admittedly, successfully deceiving them also had to do with Pei Yunying hiding himself well.

Seeing tea and clean empty cups on the table, he reached out to lift the pot and pour tea, though his movements were slightly more sluggish than before. This change was very subtle, but Lu Tong immediately noticed it.

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

Pei Yunying paused in his tea-pouring and didn’t deny it, “Do you have medicine?”

Lu Tong turned and walked away, “Sold out.”

She had no interest in playing the bodhisattva, especially not for this uninvited fugitive assassin before her. Tonight had been truly dangerous—one careless move and she would have been implicated by Pei Yunying, ruining all her future schemes.

It was hard not to be resentful.

“Doctor Lu.” Pei Yunying sat at the table, smiling as he called to her, “Didn’t you say that when treating patients and saving lives, you’re just a doctor?”

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

Lu Tong’s steps paused.

These were words she had said when delivering Pei Yunshu’s baby at the Prince of Wen’s mansion.

At that time, Pei Yunshu’s struggles and hopes during labor had reminded her of Lu Rou, so she had rarely softened, and this softness had extended to Pei Yunying. To slightly soothe his anxiety, she had said those words.

She hadn’t expected Pei Yunying to bring them up now.

After a moment of silence, Lu Tong walked to the cabinet in the room, found her medical kit, took out a medicine bottle, walked to Pei Yunying, and set it down on the table with a thud.

“Fifty taels of silver.”

Pei Yunying: “…”

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

“Medical consultation and medicine, clearly marked prices.”

“I thought you’d ask me for a favor.” Pei Yunying shook his head with a smile and good-naturedly took out a bank note from his chest and placed it on the table.

Lu Tong took the bank note—a hundred-tael note. This man was quite generous.

She took out copper scales from her box, weighed out scattered silver pieces, made up fifty taels to return to Pei Yunying, her tone flat and calm, “The Captain’s favors aren’t worth much—not as reliable as silver.”

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

Lu Tong stood by the table, frowning as she looked at him, reminding him again, “The people outside have left. When will the Captain be leaving?”

Pei Yunying hissed and said seriously, “Right now you and I are partners in their eyes. If we go out and run into people, Doctor Lu won’t escape either. Better to wait a bit longer.”

His tone was casual, as if he and Lu Tong had a deep friendship, showing no constraint at all, but this immediately stirred thin anger in Lu Tong’s heart.

Because her own activities were secretive, Lu Tong had always been unwilling to be overly involved with others. When Xia Rongrong had moved into the small courtyard, she had found ways to make her move out.

Yet now Pei Yunying had entered her bedroom and didn’t know how long he intended to stay.

This man was clearly scheming, yet always found the most innocent excuses, looking so righteous it made people angry.

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

The courtyard was cold with wind and snow in the night, while the room was warm as spring. The north wind carried heavy snow past the window, vaguely revealing the sky full of scattered jade and flying crystals, yet the people in the room cast warm, shadowy silhouettes of cutting candles and pouring tea on the flower window.

Quiet and gentle.

Lu Tong looked toward him.

He sat by the window, head lowered drinking tea. When not smiling, he had a coldness that kept people at a thousand li distance. His black arrow-sleeved clothing was clean and sharp, showing faintly damp traces in the lamplight.

As if sensing Lu Tong’s gaze, he turned his head and smiled slightly, so the previous aloofness suddenly dissipated, as if it had just been an illusion.

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

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

Pei Yunying wore all black, making it impossible to see the wounds on his body clearly. But Lu Tong could smell the increasingly strong scent of blood on him, meaning his wounds were continuously seeping blood.

She didn’t have the habit of burning incense in her room. If Shen Fengying suddenly brought patrol soldiers back for a surprise return, they wouldn’t even need to search—the bloody smell in the room would give away Pei Yunying’s whereabouts.

If Pei Yunying died here, she’d still have to deal with disposing of the body, which would be very troublesome.

Better he not die, and if he must die, not die here.

Pei Yunying was unaware of Lu Tong’s thoughts. He picked up the medicine bottle from the table. The bottle was small with a delicate body. He pulled out the cork, hesitated, then sprinkled it on his shoulder.

Lu Tong: “…”

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

In all her years of practicing medicine, Lu Tong had never seen anyone apply medicine this way. Pei Yunying’s secretive behavior—those who didn’t know might think he was applying poison.

Pei Yunying’s movements paused, “Your room is too small.”

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

Pei Yunying was at a loss for words.

After a while, he looked toward Lu Tong and reminded her, “If I undress to apply medicine in your bedroom, aren’t you afraid it would damage your reputation?”

“Don’t forget, you have a fiancé.”

He deliberately emphasized the words “fiancé.”

Lu Tong frowned as she looked at him.

She hadn’t expected Pei Yunying to think about such trivial matters. Then she suddenly remembered in Immortal Encounter Tower, when she had actively embraced Pei Yunying to avoid Qi Yutai’s suspicion, how Pei Yunying’s body had slightly stiffened and he had deliberately pulled away.

Thinking of this, Lu Tong’s tone carried a hint of sarcasm, “Captain Pei worries too much.”

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

Pei Yunying: “…”

He looked calmly toward Lu Tong. Her expression was so cold it was hard to tell whether she was serious or joking.

In the dim lamplight, the two stared at each other for a long while.

After a moment, Pei Yunying lowered his head, looked at the teacup before him, and said lightly, “You really speak harshly.”

Lu Tong sneered inwardly.

This heir of Duke Zhaoning was being hunted throughout the city in the middle of the night. With his methods, he might not be unable to find ways to escape, yet he specifically broke into Renxin Medical Clinic to avoid pursuit. It was hard not to suspect he did it on purpose.

Pei Yunying was deliberately dragging her down with him, perhaps out of some malicious amusement of his.

Since they had already seen through each other’s hypocrisy and pretense, there was no need to maintain surface politeness and courtesy. She couldn’t do anything to Pei Yunying right now, but making him feel a bit uncomfortable was better than doing nothing.

Lu Tong was too lazy to hide her coldness and impatience.

Perhaps because of Lu Tong’s sarcastic comparison of him to pork, and further hesitation would confirm his squeamishness, Pei Yunying stopped hesitating and reached out to tear open the fabric at his shoulder that had been cut by a sharp weapon.

The moment the fabric tore, Pei Yunying frowned.

Lu Tong looked up.

Where her gaze fell, this man’s right shoulder to half his back was bloody, looking like an arrow wound. No arrowhead was visible, only torn flesh that was shocking to behold.

Lu Tong thought to herself that carrying such a wound, this person could still chat and laugh casually—Pei Yunying’s endurance was stronger than she had imagined.

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

Lu Tong nodded, “Yes.”

As if not expecting her to be so agreeable this time, Pei Yunying was startled, then smiled, “Thank you…”

The next moment, Lu Tong interrupted his thanks.

“Just add silver.”

Pei Yunying: “…”

Lu Tong got up, found a silver water pot, found a wooden basin from the flower stand, and poured some hot water into it. She also found a clean cloth to soak in it, then carried the hot water to Pei Yunying and placed the wooden basin on the table.

Pei Yunying looked at the hot water before him, thought for a moment, then pushed the fifty taels of scattered silver Lu Tong had returned to him toward her.

“Is this enough?”

Lu Tong collected the silver and put it back in the box, “Barely.”

He shook his head with a smile, not bothering to haggle over Lu Tong’s price-gouging, and reached out to take the handkerchief from the basin, wringing out the excess water.

The handkerchief was in a woman’s style, light blue with embroidered hibiscus branches. Women’s personal handkerchiefs were often sprinkled with scented powder or fumigated with incense, but this handkerchief only carried a faint herbal scent, identical to the clear, bitter medicinal fragrance on Lu Tong.

Pei Yunying gripped the handkerchief and reached back to wipe the wound on his shoulder.

The bloodstains were gradually cleaned away, revealing the hideous wound. Lu Tong could see clearly that the arrow wound came from an oblique rear angle—he must have been shot from behind.

After Pei Yunying finished cleaning the wound, he set down the handkerchief and picked up the medicine bottle to sprinkle powder on his shoulder. Using one hand wasn’t very convenient—half the powder landed on the wound, while the other half scattered on the floor.

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

Pei Yunying: “…”

He was both annoyed and amused, saying, “Doctor Lu, though you and I can’t be called friends, we’re at least acquaintances.”

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

Outside the window, the wind and snow grew thicker. The north wind blew the window open wider, and white frost gradually accumulated on the roof tiles. Through the lanterns’ weak dim light, heavy snow could be seen dancing throughout the courtyard.

Under the room’s flickering lamplight, the figures by the window were hazy. A snowflake drifted through the window gap into the inner room, landing on someone’s bound hair, quickly disappearing.

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

Pei Yunying was startled.

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

The wound medicine Pei Yunying held, though not made from 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, only turned his head and smiled, “Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Lu.”

Lu Tong stood behind Pei Yunying. His shoulders were broad, and the arrow-sleeved clothing outlined a sufficiently attractive physique. Where her gaze fell, his skin wasn’t like those pale, thin, weak young masters. Perhaps due to years of martial practice, his muscle definition was even and contained strength.

Lu Tong placed one hand on his shoulder.

Pei Yunying’s body stiffened slightly.

The next moment, Lu Tong raised her hand and with a “ripping” sound, tore off a large piece of the already torn black clothing, along with flesh that had been stuck together with blood.

Pei Yunying sucked in a sharp breath.

“Just a small wound.” Lu Tong picked up the medicine bottle and evenly sprinkled it on his wound, “Why does the Captain make such a fuss?”

Pei Yunying turned his head, frowning as he looked at Lu Tong, “Is Doctor Lu settling personal scores?”

“How could that be?” Lu Tong corked the bottle and placed it in Pei Yunying’s palm, smiling slightly, “Applying medicine always involves some pain. Captain Pei must not avoid treatment out of fear.”

Pei Yunying stared at her fixedly for a while. After a moment, he nodded self-mockingly, “Very well, Doctor Lu has the final say.”

Lu Tong’s eyes flickered slightly.

She had deliberately used force to cause Pei Yunying pain, yet this person could still speak to her pleasantly—his self-control was truly first-rate.

After applying the medicine, bandaging was still needed. Lu Tong cut white silk for bandaging from her medical kit and walked behind Pei Yunying to bandage him.

Pei Yunying seemed very resistant to overly intimate contact with people, consciously or unconsciously pulling away slightly. Lu Tong had no such concerns, reaching around Pei Yunying’s shoulder and arm from behind to skillfully wrap the bandage.

Speaking of which, the wound on Pei Yunying’s shoulder wasn’t too deep, but there was another hideous knife scar on part of his back below the shoulder—it should be an old wound. New wound and old wound together must be difficult to bear, but throughout the night, Pei Yunying hadn’t shown the slightest sign of pain.

Perhaps because this injury wasn’t much to him, or perhaps he was just able to endure it.

Lu Tong cut off the edges of the bandaged white silk and casually asked, “Was there an old wound here?”

Pei Yunying paused, “Yes.”

Lu Tong glanced at that old knife scar. The scar was extremely deep, and someone had sewn the wound, but it was sewn haphazardly, just like her childhood needlework—here and there, crooked and askew, branded on Pei Yunying’s back like a ridiculous dark red ink mark.

She said, “It looks like an enemy sewed it for you.”

To sew someone’s wound into such a state was almost like it was done on purpose.

Hearing this, Pei Yunying seemed to remember something, his smile dimples becoming more pronounced, “More or less. The doctor was a little girl who hadn’t been practicing medicine long. Her medical skills weren’t as good as yours, but her vengeful heart was just as strong as yours.”

The oil lamp on the table was nearly burned out. Lu Tong got up to take another lamp from the cabinet, pouring in lamp oil while speaking, “What did you do that made her want revenge?”

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

“She saved me and treated my wounds, though not very willingly.”

Lu Tong was startled, the lamp oil pouring in, but she forgot to light it with flint.

In an instant of lightning and thunder, the past broke through heavy curtains of snow and rushed toward her. Distant scenes floated up before her, illuminating the swirling snow.

Pei Yunying was unaware, raising his eyes to look out the window.

On this snowy night in the capital, a weak lamplight by the window illuminated the continuous snow outside. The eaves and ground were adorned in silver, and heaven and earth were vast and white, creating a sense of lonely, empty coldness.

His voice was also as light and lonely as snow.

“Speaking of it, the day I met her, it was also snowing.”

As if to match what he said, rustling snow particles flew through the window gap to the table, white frost falling into the flower lamp, creating ripples with a cold aura.

He turned toward Lu Tong and spoke with a smile.

“That was the heaviest snow Jiangnan had seen in ten years.”

Lu Tong suddenly looked up.

In an instant, snowflakes covered the lamp wick, and the last bit of weak light flickered.

The candle flame went out.

Happy Valentine’s Day, darlings!