Chapter 452: So comfortable
The lights over at Leisurely Cloud Pavilion were still on despite it being this late. Han Yunxi had run into trouble. She was hoping to hang Su Xiaoyu up for a few days to attack her psychologically so she’d confess easily, but the girl was surly to the extreme. Even after being starved for so long, she still refused to say a word. If this situation kept on, Su Xiaoyu would really die from starvation. Meanwhile, the guards hadn’t found any new leads, either. Once the little girl died, all their clues would dry up.
Currently, Han Yunxi was sitting in her dudou undergarment, exposing her fair shoulders as she lay on the bed. Baili Mingxiang was applying the medicine to her injuries as they talked about Su Xiaoyu. Recently, the days had been hot enough to sweat. Han Yunxi wasn’t the type who could sit still, either, so her wounds had yet to finish scabbing.
“As I see it, that girl is threatening us by acting like she is. She’s guessing that we will not really kill her,” Han Yunxi said unhappily.
“Esteemed wangfei, don’t you know of methods that are worse than death?” Baili Mingxiang remarked offhandedly.
Han Yunxi thought it over before answering, “We’ll starve her one more day. If that still doesn’t work, we’ll take her down and have me do a personal interrogation with her!”
Baili Mingxiang had already removed all the gauze covering the wounds and picked up the cotton swabs that Han Yunxi had provided to apply a salve. The cooling sensation contrasting against her burning wounds caused Han Yunxi to give a long exhale. “Oooh….that’s rather comfy! Use more strength to rub it in, don’t worry about hurting me.”
Right now, her injuries felt extremely uncomfortable. They had yet to finish scabbing over, so the pain was scorching hot. The worst was the ever-persistent itchiness that made Han Yunxi want to scratch at them. Thus, applying pressure to her wounds while smearing on the medicine was very comfortable for her. She was a medical practitioner herself and had told her share of patients to not do this or that. But she couldn’t help but break those same taboos when her own injuries were involved.
Seeing Han Yunxi enjoy herself so, Baili Mingxiang couldn’t help but coax, “Esteemed wangfei, the weather’s been so hot these days that you should stay lying down tomorrow. Don’t move about so much, just wait until your injuries scab over at least, to do what you want.”
A back injury such as hers swathed in bandages made it hard to get dressed, much less move about like she had been. The best cure was to lie still with the back exposed, occasionally loosening the bandages for air so the skin beneath wouldn’t sweat. But this mistress of hers loved to be active and simply couldn’t stay put. Han Yunxi didn’t reply, but waved her hand to signal Baili Mingxiang to keep applying medicine. She was silently brainstorming ways to question Su Xiaoyu. She’s so young but still so stubborn. I’d like to see how long that temper of hers lasts!
By now, Long Feiye had already reached the foot of the stairs inside Leisurely Cloud Pavilion and signaled for Zhao mama to stay quiet. Because Tang Li had kept mum on the recent events, Long Feiye still had no idea that Han Yunxi had been burnt, but Zhao mama had assumed he knew. Seeing him walk soundlessly up the stairs, she only felt confused! Esteemed wangfei had been injured days ago, but His Highness had only come back just now. And he was climbing the stairs so slowly. What’s going on? With his personality, shouldn’t he have lost his temper long before now?
But…but why did his expression even look a little happy?
Zhao mama determined that she had to be imagining things. After all, though Wang Laifu and Su Xiaoyu were both punished in the wake of esteemed wangfei’s injury, everyone still had their hearts in their throats. That was because the return of His Highness Duke of Qin would mean the beginning of their nightmares. Zhao mama even thought of trailing Long Feiye upstairs, but she only had the guts to follow him with only her eyes.
Long Feiye had softened his steps on purpose while scaling the stairs. This was the first time he’d come straight to the Leisurely Cloud Pavilion after completing a task. Now that he knew all about Han Yunxi’s origins—even though it confirmed her as the West Qin heir—he was still feeling happy. He didn’t fear the truth. He was only afraid of knowing nothing, of the Seven Noble Families knocking on their gates, of finding out too little, too late. Now that everything was clear to him, he could go ahead and do many things with a settled heart. Actually, he himself wasn’t sure what he needed to find Han Yunxi for in the middle of the night, but since he was here, he didn’t think twice of it.
“Ohh…so comfortable, ah! Again!” Han Yunxi’s voice suddenly came from the door, causing Long Feiye to halt his steps with a stiff expression.
“Too good, use more strength! Hurry!”
“No, no, that’s not enough. Use more….yes, a little harder… Yes, just like that…hnngh…so comfortable!” Han Yunxi’s cries grew louder and louder as she sighed with great feeling.
Long Feiye’s entire body stiffened to match his face. What in the world is that woman doing in there? Why is she…shouting like that? He narrowed his eyes before ruthlessly kicking open the door.
Bang!
The sudden sound of the door slamming open startled Han Yunxi and Baili Mingxiang, who both turned to see the man of their dreams circle around the privacy screen to appear before them. He was dressed in black robes and covered in dust from his travels, his face as cold as the Arctic beneath a pair of knitted brows.
“Your Highness?” Han Yunxi was surprised. So was Baili Mingxiang, whose hand shook as she swiped the cotton swab against Han Yunxi’s injuries and accidentally broke through one of her few already formed scabs.
“Ah!” Han Yunxi cried out in pain. That’s even worse than when I was burnt! She felt unwell all over.
Greatly alarmed by the event, Baili Mingxiang hastened to fix her mistake. “Esteemed wangfei, I’m sorry! Mingxiang didn’t do it on purpose.”
Long Feiye was caught off guard, never expecting to witness a scene like this. What happened to Han Yunxi’s back? He stepped forward for a careful look, only to see the sad state of her skin. First came shock, then rage. “What happened?!”
His voice was so cold that Baili Mingxiang’s heart shook along with her fingers. But Han Yunxi had long grown used to it. She sucked in a few breaths of air until the pain had subsided, then replied, “Su Xiaoyu did it. Your Highness, you didn’t hear what happened?”
“Su Xiaoyu did it?” Long Feiye felt lost in a fog. He stared fixedly at Han Yunxi’s wounds, finding the sight vexing the more he looked at it. Then he saw Baili Mingxiang’s trembling hands as she applied the medicine and finally lost his patience. “Scram!” he roared.
Baili Mingxiang’s head was bowed so low that it was almost touching her chest. She had told herself to give up on her feelings and stay calm, but just the sight of that man still made it hard to keep her cool. Her face was still wracked with anguish over her mistake. She quietly rose to her feet and retreated to a corner.
“Su Xiaoyu was…” Han Yunxi turned to explain, but Long Feiye simply cut her off with a stern command.
“Your lordship wants you to shut your mouth and lie still!”
Momentarily frightened, Han Yunxi dropped her head and stopped moving about. Long Feiye examined her injuries and correctly recognized them as burns that were already a few days old. None of them had healed properly yet. Dammit, Tang Li didn’t tell me about something this important? That brat, does he want to go back to the Tang Clan instead?
“This medicine?” Long Feiye asked about the salve nearby.
“Yes,” Baili Mingxiang didn’t even dare to lift her head as she replied.
“The injuries don’t seem to be getting any better even though she’s used it for days. What kind of quack prescribed this?” Long Feiye fumed.
He was nothing but irritated right now, a bomb that would explode with a single spark. Neither Baili Mingxiang nor Han Yunxi had ever seen him so flustered over anything. Han Yunxi simply laid there obediently without a word. Although she was still in pain, she still felt a hint of sweetness rising in her heart.
Aye, looks like I’m growing to like his temper tantrums more and more.
Since esteemed wangfei wouldn’t speak, Baili Mingxiang could only speak in her place. “To reply Your Highness, this medicine…was prescribed by esteemed wangfei herself.”
Han Yunxi snickered secretly as she buried her head deeper into the pillows.
“Don’t you have any other medicines?” Long Feiye asked unhappily.
She finally spoke up. “This is the best one. But the weather’s been too hot and the injuries heal too slowly, so it can’t be helped.”
It’s only because you move around too much and sweat, alright! Baili Mingxiang knew the truth of the matter, but how could she dare to say that out loud? Long Feiye finally stopped asking questions, his cold face and stern form emanating a dangerous air that warned others to keep away. Despite all this, his movements were as gentle as water. He didn’t use the cotton swab, but instead his own fingers, to dip into the salve and lightly apply it to Han Yunxi’s wounds. His movements with light, gentle, and delicate, filled with a tender protectiveness.
Compared to Baili Mingxiang’s swabs, the comfort this gave Han Yunxi seeped into her very bones, and then into her heart. Lying on her cool, pure silk quilt, Han Yunxi felt herself relax completely. She was willing to hand her entire back to this man so he would never stop his light caresses on her skin.
Occasionally, Baili Mingxiang would steal peeks at the couple. When she saw the fine crease between His Highness Duke of Qin’s brows, then the delicate movements of his fingers, she found out for the first time that he was a man capable of loving a woman dearly. So this is what he looks like when he’s distressed…
Seeing him like that…made her distressed, too!
Long Feiye had practiced martial arts ever since he was young and had faced his share of assassins. He was familiar with all sorts of injuries as long as they were poison-related. After treating both of Han Yunxi’s burns, he moved on to the scab that Baili Mingxiang had accidentally broken through. He stared at the spot so intently that an actual wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows. There was a bit of liquid coming from the wound as well, indicating that it was quite serious. Applying medicine to a reopened scab would only cause acute pain, but it was mandatory that he did so.
While hesitating, he glanced coldly at Baili Mingxiang. Though he didn’t say a word, his gaze was enough to shatter her heart into a thousand tiny pieces. She bit her lip and silently fell to her knees. “For hurting esteemed wangfei, this servant deserves death!”
Long Feiye stopped looking at her, but Han Yunxi turned her head around and spoke. “Mingxiang, what are you doing? Get up!”
Yet Long Feiye was quick to reach over and turn her face back to meet her pillow. Displeased, he said, “Stop moving around so!”
Then he coldly ordered Baili Mingxiang, “Withdraw!”
Baili Mingxiang silently retreated. With Long Feiye’s hand keeping her head in place, Han Yunxi couldn’t turn around at all. Even speaking was difficult—and if this continued, breathing would become so, too.
But Long Feiye let go soon enough and intoned, “It’s going to hurt, so don’t hold back. If it’s painful, just cry out if needed.”
Han Yunxi turned her head to take in fresh air, completely ignoring him. Pain she could deal with, as long as it didn’t come as abruptly as last time. By now, Baili Mingxiang had already left the room and was shutting the door when she heard those words. It made her sigh with a wealth of emotion. How many men had coaxed their woman like this? It was always, ‘It’s going to hurt, so endure it,’ or ‘It’ll hurt, so be strong and don’t cry.’
But His Highness Duke of Qin had told Han Yunxi, ‘It’s going to hurt, so don’t hold back.’
With words like that, even the harshest injuries would stop hurting anymore, right? Baili Mingxiang thought to herself.