Jian Yi had not gone far. He simply walked out of the room and directly into the courtyard.

The night wind blew around him for quite some time, and still it could not scatter the restless turmoil in his heart.

Feng Jiu’er had no idea what was going through his head — surely he hadn’t taken her offhand remark seriously?

If carrying someone on your back was already considered physical contact, then what about a dying female patient — could she not be saved by anyone?

What sort of era was this anyway? Utterly absurd.

She sighed inwardly. How she missed Ninth Imperial Uncle.

If Ninth Imperial Uncle were here, never mind the matter of contact — even if he undressed her to treat her wounds, she would not think anything of it.

Hmm… now why had she thought of Ninth Imperial Uncle undressing her for no reason at all?

But she truly missed Ninth Imperial Uncle so much…

Jiu’er settled herself properly on the bed and opened her needle case.

But the moment she took out the silver needles, she hesitated again.

Without first using medicine and applying pressure massage, plunging the needles in directly would be genuinely agonizing.

Despite being a physician herself, she was afraid of pain.

The act of needling — something she performed for others with ease and composure — became a source of dread the moment it was her turn to be the patient.

A physician cannot treat themselves. That principle, too, must apply here.

Inserting needles in others was light and effortless. Inserting them in herself — she could not bear even the slightest discomfort.

Outside, footsteps suddenly sounded. Feng Jiu’er had been gradually growing familiar with the rhythm of those footsteps. It was Jian Yi.

Jian Yi stopped outside the door and knocked.

Feng Jiu’er made no response.

He knocked twice more, and still received no answer from Jiu’er. After a pause of roughly ten or so seconds, he knocked a third time.

Feng Jiu’er suddenly felt there was something rather amusing about this man.

If she just kept not answering, would he simply stand there indefinitely and keep knocking?

With that dull, earnest manner of his — how on earth had he become Bei Mu’s number one assassin?

She had always assumed assassins were all ruthless, callous, and cruel. But from what she could see now, this assassin was not entirely cold after all.

Jian Yi knocked on the door a fourth time. Feng Jiu’er still took no notice, sitting quietly against the head of the bed, gazing toward the doorway.

The night was long and unbearably tedious. Her hand might be cut off at any moment — there was truly not even a sliver of hope left. She was not going to bother with him.

Jian Yi knocked a fifth time, and this time he called out twice: “Feng… Jiu’er, have you gone to sleep? I’ve brought medicine for you — put your clothes on first.”

So he was afraid that she had not yet dressed, and that if he came in he would see something he should not.

Medicine… Jiu’er’s heart was somewhat tempted — she wanted to respond. But when she thought about how this man was absolutely set on cutting off her hand, she felt so wronged and stifled she had no desire to acknowledge him at all.

Were men and women not forbidden from contact? Was he not some kind of gentleman?

Let him stand there and be his upright gentleman in peace. She would wait and see whether he was a hypocrite or a genuine scoundrel.

Not that there was much difference between the two…

But what surprised Jiu’er was that Jian Yi truly did stand outside the door for a very long time.

A very, very long time — at least half a column of incense worth, a full hour.

Was this man going to simply not come in if she refused to respond to him? What if something urgent came up?

Or what if she had actually had an accident — fainted, or worse, died?

Outside, Jian Yi seemed to have finally come to his senses. Alarmed, he called out, “Feng Jiu’er — are you… are you all right?”

Jiu’er naturally gave no reply. Jian Yi called out again, “Feng Jiu’er, are you well? If you don’t say something, I’m coming straight in!”

Still not a single response from inside. Yet he could clearly hear the sound of her breathing. Could someone have sealed her pressure points?

Jian Yi felt uneasy. Feng Jiu’er had lost her martial arts, and he had stepped away just now to fetch medicine from Elder Sister Mei.

If some intruder had broken into Feng Jiu’er’s room during that time, given her current condition, she would have had no means of resistance whatsoever.

At the thought that Feng Jiu’er might be in danger, he could hold back no longer. He shoved the door open with force.

“I’m not dressed.” Feng Jiu’er said evenly from where she sat on the bed.

When Jian Yi had stepped through the door, he had not dared look toward the bed right away. Now, hearing Feng Jiu’er’s words, he felt another wave of alarm — and immediately turned his back to her.

“Why… didn’t you respond?” He seemed to have been standing outside for quite some time just now.

“Why should I?” He was the person who intended to cut off her hand — an enemy, not a friend. Why should she respond to him?

Jian Yi had not expected that she had simply been ignoring him on purpose.

All that time standing outside — what a waste.

He felt a flicker of irritation, but did not know how to act on it.

Never mind. What was there to bicker about with a girl who had lost her martial arts, was helpless as a lamb, and had injured her foot on top of everything else?

When he thought about it that way, the girl was already quite pitiful enough, and her little pranks no longer seemed worth troubling over.

He exhaled quietly and pulled over a small stool, sitting down beside the bed.

“I’ve prepared some medicine. Let me tend to you — otherwise that foot of yours will be very slow to heal.”

“Since it won’t heal properly anyway, you may as well chop off my foot and present it to Feng Qingyin.”

After all, it was parts of her body that were meant to be cut off — a foot would do just as well. It was far better than losing her hand.

Her hand was worth so much more to her than her foot.

She had not expected Jian Yi to set the medicine aside, only to draw his long sword with a hiss.

He fixed his gaze on her, his expression turning sharp and cold. “Do you mean that?”