Song Xizhi swallowed hard and hurriedly stepped forward.

When she reached the soft couch, she saw that the man was moving extremely quickly. His fingers were nimble, and in no time, he had taken off his clothes, revealing his strong arms.

The man's chest heaved, the muscles on his abdomen bulging slightly, taking on a honeyed hue in the candlelight, complemented by his slightly furrowed brows...

The unspoken meaning seemed to make the air of the late autumn night even hotter.

But as Song Xizhi's gaze slowly moved down to the man's lower abdomen, she couldn't help but twitch her eyelids and gasp.

Song Xizhi hurriedly sat down on the soft couch, moved closer to the man, and examined the wound on his lower back.

The situation was urgent that day in the cave.

The first thing she did was to help the man raise his body temperature, so she didn't carefully examine the wound on his lower back.

But now that I look at it, I realize that the wound from the pebble was as thick as a baby's forearm!

With such a long wound, the skin and flesh were turned inside out, so it must have been stitched up with fine thread by Master Yuanhui.

Perhaps because the man had moved too quickly when he came down the mountain, he had aggravated the fine threads on his wound, and now the threads had all come undone, making it look bloody.

It even soaked his black clothes.

"How come you didn't make a sound with such a long wound?" Song Xizhi frowned, hurriedly went to the side to get his first-aid kit, and tentatively approached the wound again.

The man lay on the soft couch with his clothes half-undone. Hearing Song Xizhi's obviously anxious voice and feeling the worry in her eyes, he smiled and lowered his eyes.

His lower abdomen heaved slightly, then he reached out and touched Song Xizhi's cheek, his fingertips gently stroking the corner of her eye before he spoke in a hoarse voice:

“In the past, when we were on the march and fighting, this kind of injury was nothing.”

"Don't blame yourself, and don't worry."

Song Xizhi silently disinfected the wound, removed the stitches, and then carefully stitched it back up again: "It hurts a lot. There's no anesthetic, so you'll just have to bear it."

The man's gaze followed her every move, feeling her breath so close to his as she bent down, then spraying onto his lower abdomen.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he looked away again.

Only after the sharp pain in his lower back subsided did He Jingyan raise his eyes again and ask Song Xizhi in a low voice:

Are you still angry with me?

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi was first taken aback, then burst into laughter in exasperation.

I didn't even say anything when my movements aggravated the wound, and I didn't feel any pain when the wound was being stitched up. My mind was just filled with these things.

I wonder if she just sewed on cowhide or human skin!

Song Xizhi took a deep breath and did not answer his question. He simply said, "It will still hurt if it aggravates the wound. There's no need to go up the mountain tonight. Just stay here for the night."

The man's previously bloodshot eyes suddenly lit up.

But then Song Xizhi said in a cool tone, "I haven't forgiven you, but since you're injured, you can sleep on the bed, and I'll sleep on the soft couch."

Judging from his appearance, he's still angry.

Upon hearing this, He Jingyan leaned back slightly before slowly picking up the clothes scattered on the soft couch to cover himself, and then said:

"Then I'll just make do on the soft couch for the night. I'll get used to it. If Madam still doesn't forgive me, then I'll have a long time to sleep on the soft couch."

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi's eye twitched involuntarily.

She remarked, "You do have some self-awareness."

Then she turned around and went to get the bedding.

Song Xi was worried during the night and actually got up several times to check on the situation.

But I don't know when, the man left.

When she woke up the next day, the room was empty, and the bedding on the soft couch had been put away, as if nothing had happened.

Song Xizhi sat on the bed in a daze for a long time before getting up and getting off the bed.

Hearing the commotion inside, Granny Wu and the others entered the house one after another, began to pack their clothes and trunks, and then carried their belongings out of the courtyard bit by bit.

After washing up, Song Xizhi followed them out and saw that Madam Zhao's room was empty, and Madam Xin also looked like she had just gotten up. Her servants were also moving things out of her room.

She nodded towards Madam Xin in the distance, then gestured with her lip towards Madam Zhao's empty house: "What happened?"

When did she leave?

Following Song Xizhi's gaze, Madam Xin rolled her eyes again: "She left first."

"She's finally gone. Having a neighbor like her was the root of all evil."

Hearing her indignant words, Song Xizhi couldn't help but laugh: "The root of all evil? In my opinion, this trip was worthwhile."

She took two steps forward and took Madam Xin's hand: "I heard that the Empress Dowager bestowed upon you an imperial title, and now I shall call you Lady of Imperial Title."

Upon hearing this, Madam Xin couldn't help but laugh: "Other people's titles of nobility are earned through the merits of their sons or husbands. Only my title of nobility was earned by you."

"On the day of the Fengshan ceremony, I listened to your advice and guided them to a safe place, saving people. The Empress Dowager is kind-hearted, which is why she rewarded me."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but turn to look at Song Xizhi: "Aren't you the vice president of the Imperial Medical Academy?"

"She was the first female imperial physician and the first vice-president of the hospital during this major campaign!"

Upon hearing Madam Xin's words, Song Xizhi smiled sincerely, which completely dispelled the emptiness he had felt earlier.

It must be said that the title of vice judge is very useful.

Recalling everything that happened on Heyan Mountain, Song Xizhi couldn't help but sigh, "It was truly a worthwhile trip."

Hopefully, her position as the vice president of the Imperial Medical Academy will allow her to make more contact with people in the palace, so that she can find out the truth about her mother's death as soon as possible and protect her maternal grandparents' family.

Even if this matter involves a wide range of people, including the previous dynasty, the harem, and even the Western Rong, she is willing to do anything about it.

After the courtyard was gradually moved in, Song Xizhi and Madam Xin boarded the carriage, and by evening the carriage had arrived in the capital.

Looking at the plaque of the Marquis of Anding's residence, Song Xizhi, supported by Granny Wu, slowly got off the carriage.

When she returned to that familiar courtyard, she saw that familiar man sitting on the soft couch waiting for her.

"He Jingyan?"

Remembering his promise, Song Xizhi stopped and called out.