Pang Xiao had grown much thinner. His facial features appeared even more deeply sculpted and three-dimensional. His long eyebrows, extending to his temples, pressed over a pair of phoenix eyes that sparkled with radiance. When he gazed at Qin Yining, his eyes held a tenderness so gentle it seemed it could drown a person, while his curved lips revealed his current good mood.

Qin Yining’s heart raced and face flushed as she averted her gaze, unable to meet his eyes directly. She noticed he wore a patched jacket, and upon closer inspection, there seemed to be dark bloodstains on his abdomen.

Remembering the bloody scent that had filled her nostrils when he had held her just moments ago, she hastily touched his abdomen lightly. Indeed, it felt somewhat warm and sticky to the touch.

“You’re injured!” Qin Yining exclaimed in a low voice.

Pang Xiao looked down at his abdomen with some annoyance. “It’s nothing, just minor wounds. Perhaps I moved too vigorously just now and reopened the bleeding.”

Qin Yining hurriedly pushed him to sit on a nearby embroidered stool, then turned to Bingtang. “Quickly help examine him.”

Though Bingtang felt regret over Prince Ning’s death, she also understood the principle that war required each side to rely on their own abilities, and that swords and blades on the battlefield showed no mercy. Thus, she nodded without hesitation and went to fetch her medical kit.

Qin Yining looked around and lowered her eyes. “This place is not convenient. Come with me.”

Examining wounds would certainly require lighting lamps, but lighting lamps here would allow people outside to clearly see the silhouettes inside.

Qin Yining took Pang Xiao’s hand and led him to the inner room, lifting the gauze curtains around the canopy bed and guiding him to the inner chamber where he sat on the bed’s edge.

Her canopy bed was carved from purple sandalwood, divided into inner and outer chambers. The inner chamber contained a large bed spacious enough for two people to roll about several times, while the outer chamber held a small table, low cabinet, and footstool. Both inner and outer areas had light-blocking gauze curtains, positioned like an independent small room within the bedroom. As long as the outer curtains were properly drawn, lighting lamps within the canopy bed would not reveal any shadows to outsiders.

Pang Xiao sat boldly on the bed’s edge, curiously looking around. Seeing the light blue curtains embroidered with pear blossoms, the light green and light pink bedding and pillowcases, and breathing in what seemed to be the subtle fragrance unique to young maidens that belonged to Qin Yining, his heart felt tender and weak.

Looking again at Qin Yining dressed in snow-white silk clothing and long skirt, which made her figure appear even more delicate with her slender waist so pitiable, he couldn’t help but feel protective tenderness.

“You’ve grown much thinner.”

Hearing this, Qin Yining smiled. “Aren’t you the same?”

She placed a silk lantern on the small table and took out a fire starter, bending to light the lamp. Her slightly open collar revealed her delicate collarbone, and her bowed head made her small face appear palm-sized. With her bending motion, her soft long hair slid from her shoulders toward the front.

As the warm lamplight brightened, looking at Qin Yining, Pang Xiao felt that all the fatigue and anxiety of this period had vanished.

Qin Yining turned back to fetch and light two more standing lamps, illuminating the canopy bed very brightly, then carefully drew the gauze curtains closed securely.

“Quickly let Bingtang examine you.”

Pang Xiao only stared at her foolishly, taking a moment to react before laughing. “Then I’ll remove my clothes.”

Speaking thus, he gazed at Qin Yining with burning eyes, as if unwilling to miss any change in her expression, while his hands leisurely began undoing his clothing.

His movements were like silent seduction, making Qin Yining’s face flush completely red. She scolded in a low voice, “So improper! Doesn’t your wound hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt. Seeing you makes me forget all pain.” His eyes remained fixed on Qin Yining.

Qin Yining finally admitted defeat and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

If not for wanting to see how his wound was, she would have fled long ago.

Pang Xiao understood the principle of moderation and stopped teasing her. He removed his jacket and tossed it aside, revealing his very fit bare arms and torso with bandages wrapped around his abdomen.

He had an upright bearing. Though he appeared thin, he was the typical “clothed he looks lean, unclothed he has muscle” type. However, at this moment, Qin Yining had no leisure to appreciate the smooth lines of his shoulders, neck, and arms. The moment her gaze touched the bloodied bandages around his abdomen, her heart clenched tight and her whole body turned cold.

“How did you get this injury?” Her voice trembled slightly.

Bingtang had already begun unwrapping the bandages.

Pang Xiao allowed Bingtang to work while giving Qin Yining a reassuring smile. “It’s nothing. Prince Ning slashed me with a blade. Nothing serious – it’s healing well now. What about you? I heard you were severely injured, and with your family’s troubles during this time, no wonder you’ve grown so thin. I very much wanted to come see you, but with our two armies at war, I couldn’t easily leave my post. I also feared that coming here and being discovered would bring you trouble.”

Pang Xiao sighed, swallowing the part about Yuchi Yan’s plan to establish Qin Yining as empress, and smiled. “Fortunately, your emperor has recently been selling offices for grain, and the newly appointed commander Li Mian is a cowardly mouse who dares not engage in battle. Only then could I disguise myself among the laborers carrying sacks to sneak into the city to see you.”

Hearing Pang Xiao’s understated words, Qin Yining felt very sorrowful. “I am perfectly well. What matters is you – swords and blades show no mercy on the battlefield. You must be extremely careful.”

“I know. Rest assured – the person who can kill me, Pang Zhixi, has not yet been born.” Pang Xiao smiled gently at her.

Qin Yining asked Bingtang, “How is his wound?”

Bingtang was taking a small knife from her medical kit. She frowned and laughed coldly. “If Prince continues refusing proper care, next time a hole will rot straight through your belly! Your wound is infected and you’re running a fever, yet you dare run around letting the wound repeatedly rupture. Even if you wish to die, don’t make my miss bear the sin!”

As a physician, what angered her most were patients who didn’t take their own bodies seriously.

Moreover, Pang Xiao’s symptoms were identical to those of the recently deceased Prince Ning – the same knife wounds, blood loss, and infected inflammation. The difference was that Prince Ning’s injuries were more severe and he was older, while Pang Xiao had only this one wound and was young and strong. Seeing such an injury, Bingtang’s mood became particularly heavy, so her words were not polite.

Pang Xiao felt somewhat sheepish after being scolded. “I just wanted to come see your miss. If I didn’t come, I might have gotten lovesickness again.”

Bingtang snorted. “If you don’t want to die young and make my miss become a widow early, I advise you to listen to me and recuperate properly. My miss refused to even be empress, wanting neither glory nor wealth – surely not so she could grieve in the future?”

Pang Xiao touched his nose and looked at Qin Yining with some apology. “Have these days been difficult for you? Making you caught in the middle – it’s my incompetence.”

Qin Yining shook her head through her tears. “What are you saying? You never deceived me about anything. The day I agreed to you, I knew there would come a time like this. This isn’t your fault.”

She watched as Bingtang skillfully treated Pang Xiao’s wound – scraping away putrid flesh, disinfecting with strong alcohol, suturing, applying medicine, and bandaging.

Throughout this series of procedures, she felt pain just watching, her hands and feet growing cold. Yet Pang Xiao didn’t even furrow his brow, still gazing at her with such warm eyes, as if treasuring every moment he had the opportunity to look at her.

Qin Yining felt deeply distressed, but unable to do more for him, tears began falling uncontrollably.

Seeing her thus, Pang Xiao said with great heartache, “Don’t cry, Yi jie’er, don’t cry. This wound is nothing – it’s not fatal. If you don’t believe me, ask Bingtang.”