Chapter 74 He was timid. Xu Congjing trembled, so anxious he was about to cry...

After a moment's hesitation, Ning Jingran took a drag of the thick smoke and choked twice. She quickly covered her mouth and nose and shouted, "Don't worry about me, go save her!"

Lu Hengzhi immediately stepped over the charred coals and moved forward, but the roof panels above him crackled and slammed down in front of his feet with a "boom," creating a sea of ​​fire that blocked his path.

Separated by a ditch of fire, Lou Yanxu gritted her teeth and pulled away, her face contorted with bulging veins from the effort. Looking up, she saw thick smoke billowing from Ning Jingran's direction and roared in a low voice, "Lu Hengzhi, don't forget, that's your wife!"

One sentence seemed to nail him to the spot. On one side was responsibility, on the other was feelings. How could he choose?

Lou Yanxu recognized Xu Congjing's voice almost instantly. Before she could even think about why he had returned to the capital a few days earlier, she craned her neck and shouted, "I'm here! Zizheng! I'm here!"

Xu Congjing rushed in immediately, carrying a bucket of water to extinguish the fire in the trench. He then tried to lift the heavy beam with his bare hands, but almost collapsed again. He had to kneel down to support the weight and create space for Lou Yanxu.

"Come on, let's take off."

Upon seeing this, Lu Hengzhi quickly turned around to save Ning Jingran. When he turned back, he saw Xu Congjing hurriedly carrying the person out.

Outside the fire, Yun Lu led the others in fighting the blaze. Once they were out of danger, Xu Congjing finally had a moment to ask her, "Are you alright?"

Her right leg was so painful she couldn't move it, and eventually her whole body went numb. Lou Yanxu raised her pale face, closed her eyes, and mumbled, "I'm fine, it just hurts..."

He looked down at the bloodless face and was terrified. He quickened his pace and ran towards the nearest clinic, muttering, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, let's go to the clinic, let's go to the clinic."

The air was bitterly cold after winter set in, and although he was wearing a thick robe, she could still feel him shivering, sweating profusely as he trembled. She just stared at him, and whether it was from the pain or something else, tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn't help but pull her sleeve to wipe his sweat.

Fortunately, the clinic wasn't far away; it was just a few more steps away.

"Doctor! Save her quickly!" he shouted as he ran, almost kneeling before the doctor, pleading in a deep voice, "Save my wife!"

The doctor, who looked to be over sixty and clearly had seen it all, remained calm and composed. Without uttering a word, he instructed his disciple, "Quickly, bring it in."

Lou Yanxu felt a little dizzy and felt herself being laid flat on the bed. The two of them were busy treating her wounds at the foot of the bed. She was in so much pain that her body was stiff. She gripped the bed sheet tightly in her hand to cheer herself up. She glanced at Xu Congjing and saw that he had a tense face and was looking around anxiously. He was about to cry. Suddenly, she felt that the pain was not so bad.

"Zizheng..." she called out, and he snapped back to reality, thinking she was unwell. He immediately sat up, his voice trembling, "What's wrong?"

The doctor was picking at the small splinter stuck in her flesh when she suddenly felt a sharp pain and instinctively grabbed his wrist, but she didn't forget to comfort him, "Don't be afraid."

This was not a fatal injury; it would only hurt for a few days at most. The doctor didn't take it seriously at all. Upon hearing this, he exchanged a glance with his disciple, barely suppressing his laughter, thinking to himself that he had never seen such a timid young man.

Xu Congjing felt he was being laughed at, but before he could retaliate, the hand on his wrist suddenly tightened, then loosened again. It turned out she had fainted from the extreme pain. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her and complained to the doctor, "Tsk, be gentle."

The old doctor really wanted to give him a good thrashing. He was a doctor, not a god. How could someone ask him for help with so many demands? But seeing his dazed look, he decided not to bother arguing with him.

Finding faults is a delicate task. The old doctor helped Shan Zhao up and handed the task over to his disciple. He also found Xu Congjing an eyesore, so he wrote a prescription and sent him to go and decoct the medicine.

As the first rays of evening light streamed through the window, Lou Yanxu struggled to open her eyes. Just then, the doctor entered, carrying a bowl of medicine. "You're awake. Now you can drink this medicine."

The pain in her body had lessened considerably, which must have been due to the medication. She propped herself up, took the bowl of medicine, and drank it all in one gulp, her eyes glancing around intentionally or unintentionally.

The old doctor was an experienced man, and he understood the young man and woman's thoughts perfectly well. So he glanced at her and said, "Don't bother looking anymore. I sent your husband off to prepare the medicine."

Upon hearing the word "husband," she touched the tip of her nose, her face showing embarrassment. However, after thinking about it for a moment, it made sense. Just now, Xu Congjing had said he was saving his wife as soon as he entered the door, so it was normal for the doctor to have a misunderstanding.

"This young man, heh, is a coward, not even as good as you, young lady!" The old doctor mocked, making Lou Yanxu smile. Xu Situ was known for his ruthlessness, and this was probably the first person to dare to laugh at his cowardice.

However, the doctor's expression suddenly turned sad, and his tone became heavier, "I can see that your husband cherishes you very much."

She smiled and nodded, but before she could speak, he opened the door and called out, "Your wife is alright, come and see her!"

Almost instantly, Xu Congjing appeared before him. He stood there breathlessly, his hands trembling, at a loss. His eyes were filled with the joy of having her back. He wrapped his arms around her, and only after confirming her identity did he tightly embrace the little lady he had been longing for.

Lou Yanxu's face flushed slightly, and she patted his head with a gentle smile, "Did I scare you?"

Xu Congjing laughed out loud at her words, and took her hand in his, rubbing the back of her hand. "You're in so much pain, yet you still have the mind to comfort me."

She immediately grimaced, "You know what, it really does hurt a bit."

"Just a little?" He pinched her leg through the blanket to loosen her muscles, and Lou Yanxu lifted her leg outwards. "It hurts so much that my body is numb. Quickly blow on it for me."

When she was little, she was very spoiled. Whenever she got hurt, she would cling to him and have him blow on her nose to warm it up. Otherwise, she would throw a tantrum and cry for ages. Over time, he would do it without her prompting. But as they grew up and things changed, he gradually forgot about it. Xu Congjing hooked her nose with his index finger and smiled, "Lou Yanxu, are you a child?"

She glanced at Bo sideways and said, "No matter how old I get, I'll always be your sister."

“Not my sister.” His voice was filled with emotion, each word distinct and clear. “She is my wife.”

He blew on the wound and caught a glimpse of the blood-red clump that hadn't been treated yet. His eyes immediately welled up with tears again. He buried his head in her shoulder and neck, his voice hoarse and dry, "Get well soon, I can't wait to marry you."

Lou Yanxu's features were exquisite, her palm resting on the back of his neck, a hint of playfulness in her smile, "Good things come to those who wait."

The two continued their affectionate cuddling until Yunlu came to report that Lu Hengzhi had arrived.

Xu Congjing immediately frowned, his words tinged with resentment, "Why is he here?"

"Go and investigate whether the fire at Panlou was an accident or arson." Lou Yanxu patted his shoulder to shoo him away, but he frowned in displeasure. "Why are you sending me away?"

He was already jealous of their past relationship and couldn't bear to see them alone. But the next moment, the young lady glanced at him, and he dared not be angry or speak out. He pouted and slunk away, giving Lu Hengzhi a fierce glare as he approached.

Lou Yanxu ignored Xu Congjing and asked Lu Hengzhi to sit down. The latter forced a faint smile, his hands hanging awkwardly at his sides, looking somewhat at a loss.

"You seem to be much better, then I'm relieved."

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence.

One already has a family, and the other is about to remarry; they are no longer people who can confide in each other. After a moment's thought, Lou Yanxu broke the silence, "How is the young master's wife?"

"She's fine, she just inhaled some smoke and passed out, but she's already woken up." He mentioned it casually, clearly not taking his wife seriously. She noticed this and had her own thoughts, her words carrying a hidden meaning. "That's good, otherwise I would have felt really bad."

Sure enough, Lu Hengzhi steadied himself, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"You probably don't know, do you?" She looked up at the colorful light reflected on the plum vase, her whole body bathed in a gentle halo. "She had a chance to escape, but she turned back to save me."

Under his surprised gaze, she continued to advise, "I told you before that you should put in some effort to understand the people around you."

Lu Hengzhi understood that she was advising him to cherish his wife, so he remained silent, secretly making plans in his heart.

But as the saying goes, "Speak of the devil," and before he could even think it through, a servant announced that Ning Jingran had arrived.

"Look at you two, running towards me one after the other." Lou Yanxu's lips were still pale, but she forced a smile and nodded at him. "You should hide inside."

"We are innocent, why should I hide?" He was puzzled. He had not done anything wrong, so why should he be afraid of being seen?

She persisted, leaning forward and nearly aggravating her wound, before he finally moved behind the screen.

As the hem of her robe was hidden behind the screen, hurried footsteps drew closer. Ning Jingran stepped across the threshold, lifted the white cloth covering her face, revealing half of her small face. "Is Lady Lou feeling any better?"

The room was filled with the fragrance of medicine, which masked the Du Heng scent on Lu Hengzhi's body. Lou Yanxu gestured for him to sit down, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. Just let him rest."

Ning Jingran hadn't even settled into her seat when she breathed a sigh of relief, twirling her handkerchief and smiling, "Then he can rest assured."

Upon hearing this, Lou Yanxu knew that her guess was correct. Ning Jingran had deep feelings for Lu Hengzhi and was definitely not the kind of malicious person who would kick someone when they were down.

“Second Madam Ning…” She stared at the handsome face with its distinct features before her, and her words startled Lu Hengzhi behind the screen, “You truly love Young Master Lu, don’t you?”

Ning Jingran raised her eyes slightly, a hint of surprise appearing on her face, then gave a self-deprecating smile, "Even you noticed, but he just couldn't."

As if she had opened a floodgate, she revealed her feelings to outsiders for the first time, "It was my mother who said that you changed your mind at the last minute and didn't want to marry me, so I agreed to the marriage, but he didn't believe me." They had argued about this several times, but they got tired of arguing and just stayed cold to each other every night without saying a word.

Finally, she gave a bitter smile, her lips twitching, "I know he still thinks about you, but haven't I also been deeply in love with you all these years?"

Such a poignant declaration of affection left Lu Hengzhi with mixed feelings. He had directed all his discontent at his wife, never truly considering that she was also a victim. In that sense, wasn't he also a villain? He was instantly filled with remorse.

Tormented by her inner turmoil, she then heard Lou Yanxu speak, "So you risked your life to save me."

I don't want to see him in such pain.

It must be said that Lou Yanxu herself could not compare to such great love, and she was happy that Lu Hengzhi had found a good match, so she called out to him.

"Come out, Prince Lu."

"I'm sure you already understand what I just said to you."

She just told him to take the time to understand the person he was sleeping with, and he remembered that.

Ning Jingran stared blankly for a moment, not expecting that Lu Hengzhi was right there and had heard everything she said. Her face immediately flushed red, and she bit her lip and lowered her head.

Lu Hengzhi looked down and saw her fluttering eyelashes. Without saying a word, he bid farewell to Lou Yanxu and went home.

Lou Yanxu didn't know what he was thinking, but after this experience, she should have figured some things out.

After a moment's thought, the curtain fell and he realized he had been lost in thought for a long time. When he looked up, he happened to be looking at Xu Congjing, who was leaning against the door. The man had his arms crossed and was smiling smugly.

That laugh was truly provocative; if she weren't injured, she would have loved to kick him. She glanced at him and snorted coldly, "Are you satisfied now?"