Shao Mingyuan gripped the quilt even tighter.

Qiao Zhao said leisurely, “I should remind General Shao that if the silver needle below your heart is knocked off, you’ll fall back into unconsciousness.”

Shao Mingyuan instinctively looked down.

He couldn’t feel the needle’s presence because at this moment, all his internal organs were in pain.

Seeing cold sweat covering his forehead, Qiao Zhao sighed softly in her heart.

So he did know pain after all.

She had thought she was dealing with a man of iron—even with cold poison attacking his heart, he still had the energy to fight her for the quilt.

“General Shao is the patient, I am the physician. At this time, physicians don’t distinguish between men and women. I hope General Shao can understand this.”

Liar!

Chen Guang, squatting by the door, silently refuted in his heart.

When he had just pulled at the general’s belt, Third Miss had yelled at him. Now she was deceiving the general by claiming she didn’t distinguish between men and women.

“My cold poison—I’ve consulted many physicians, and they were all helpless,” Shao Mingyuan explained.

The Northern Territories were extremely cold, and the physicians there had more experience with symptoms caused by cold than those in the capital. If they had no solution, could Miss Li succeed?

Moreover, even if physicians didn’t distinguish between men and women when treating patients, he wasn’t a physician—he was the patient…

He didn’t want to think of today’s embarrassing scene every time he saw Miss Li in the future.

“But those physicians aren’t me.” Seeing how much pain he was in, Qiao Zhao’s heart softened somewhat. She said earnestly, “The cold poison in your body has already invaded your heart meridian. We can’t delay any longer. Don’t you care about your own body at all?”

Seeing that Shao Mingyuan remained silent, Qiao Zhao intensified her tone: “You don’t care even if you won’t live past a year?”

“I—” Shao Mingyuan didn’t know what to say.

Did he care? Who wouldn’t care about their own life?

But sometimes, thinking about what he’d been carrying all these years, he felt deeply weary.

Qiao Zhao lowered her eyes: “Even if General Shao doesn’t care, there are surely people who care about you. So for the sake of not making those who care about you sad, General Shao shouldn’t be willful.”

Chen Guang nodded vigorously.

The third Miss spoke so well! If the general fell, what would they do?

Following the general meant having meat to eat, battles to fight, the strongest wine to drink, the most beautiful girls to sleep with—bah, bah, the last part hadn’t been achieved yet!

Shao Mingyuan silently let go.

Qiao Zhao tossed the obstructive brocade quilt aside. Seeing that the silver needle inserted below Shao Mingyuan’s heart hadn’t fallen out, her slate eyebrows relaxed as she leaned down to insert the second needle.

These silver needles densely surrounded Shao Mingyuan’s heart, inserted in a circle. Qiao Zhao explained: “Today we’ll first force the cold poison that has invaded your heart to retreat to other places.”

She was very close, and being a martial artist with keen senses, Shao Mingyuan could clearly feel the young lady’s breath brushing against his chest, as well as her hair tips sweeping across his body with each movement.

His body was very cold, making him all the more aware of the warmth from the young lady’s fingertips.

Shao Mingyuan awkwardly looked away without making a sound.

With one glance, he saw Chen Guang squatting by the door, cupping his face and sneakily peering this way, making his face heat up.

Hmm, it had been a long time since he’d exercised his muscles and bones. He could spar with Chen Guang later.

Qiao Zhao inserted the last needle, feeling slightly relieved. Just as she was about to speak, she glimpsed Shao Mingyuan’s reddened ears and couldn’t help but pause.

Was this man… shy?

Miss Qiao had originally felt completely at ease, but noticing Shao Mingyuan’s shyness, with his solid, broad chest in view, she inexplicably felt her face heat up. Her gaze moved downward, and she immediately saw his distinctly defined abdominal muscles.

Why was it shaped like this? So different from a woman’s.

Curiosity taking over, Qiao Zhao forgot her embarrassment and stared in fascination for a moment.

Shao Mingyuan’s entire body stiffened. He even held his breath while sweat instantly broke out on his palms.

Miss Li was… looking at what?

He had known this would be too embarrassing!

Shao Mingyuan couldn’t help but regret not insisting earlier, but this moment was so delicate, with invisible flames seemingly flowing through the air, that he dared not speak rashly.

Pretending nothing had happened was probably the best approach, the general thought silently.

But wasn’t Miss Li looking for rather too long?

Sweat from his forehead condensed and dripped, landing right on his lower abdomen, like playful spring rain hitting earth that had been frozen hard through a long winter, awakening everything that had been sleeping.

Qiao Zhao came back to her senses. Despite her inner embarrassment, her expression remained composed: “Mm, the cold poison hasn’t spread here.”

Shao Mingyuan: “…”

After a good while, the young general asked: “When will I recover?”

“We need to wait a bit longer. General Shao, don’t speak. Once your fingernails turn azure, we can remove the needles.”

Shao Mingyuan already felt the cold swirling around his heart had eased considerably, so he blinked to indicate his understanding.

Miss Qiao’s gaze drifted back to the young general’s abdominal muscles.

So was that part hard?

Shao Mingyuan simply raised his eyes to look at the ceiling.

He always couldn’t help but overthink.

He must be too narrow-minded, unable to understand Miss Li’s benevolent physician’s heart.

Time passed slowly. For Shao Mingyuan, every moment felt exceptionally long, and for those waiting outside, it was the same.

“Just how is Miss Li helping Tingquan drive out the cold poison? It’s been so long, why is there still no movement?” Yang Houcheng was impatient by nature, standing in the corridor and frequently glancing toward the door.

“Stop muttering, it’s annoying!” Chi Can said coldly.

What was that girl doing inside? Could she help Shao Mingyuan expel the poison? Hmph, what was there that couldn’t be disturbed? It wasn’t like he was as talkative as Yang Er!

The people waiting outside each had their thoughts when suddenly someone reported: “The Marquis has arrived.”

The Marquis?

Everyone looked up to see a thin, middle-aged man walking over.

Chi Can and the others exchanged glances.

Why had Marquis Jing’an come?

In the blink of an eye, Marquis Jing’an had walked up close.

“Lord Marquis.” Because of their relationship with Shao Mingyuan, even someone as unpredictable as Chi Can still gave face to Marquis Jing’an and greeted him.

Marquis Jing’an’s temples were streaked with white, his eyes dark and heavy with an air of twilight. After nodding in return to the several men, he asked: “Where is Mingyuan? How is he?”

“Tingquan is in that room. A physician is treating him.”

Marquis Jing’an took two steps toward the door.

“The physician is administering acupuncture. It would be inconvenient to disturb him right now,” Chi Can spoke up.

“What physician was summoned, and from where?”

Yang Houcheng, upon hearing this, secretly worried for Qiao Zhao. Unfortunately, he lacked quick wit and couldn’t help but look toward Chi Can.

“The physician was summoned by Tingquan’s guard.” Chi Can skillfully avoided the marquis’s question.

Vomiting blood at such a young age was quite serious. Marquis Jing’an remained concerned and asked again: “Where is the personal guard who summoned the physician?”

“Uh, he’s inside assisting the physician.”

Yang Houcheng secretly gave Chi Can a thumbs up.

Chi Can, however, rolled his eyes.

What was there to give a thumbs up for? Looking at Marquis Jing’an’s manner, he was going to wait. When that girl came out of Shao Mingyuan’s room later, that would be the real entertainment.