Healing

Chapter Twenty-Three

"How could this be... that bastard!"

Before I could even speak, Lan Feiyu gasped in shock when she saw the blood and filth on my body. I finally snapped out of my shock and turned to look at her face and her eyes.

On that face, in those eyes, besides surprise and anger, one could easily catch a hint of pity and heartache. I quickly turned my head away.

I am dull-witted and stupid by nature, and I really can't tell whether her emotions are real or just a pretense to make me lower my guard.

"Swallow it." Lan Feiyu probably had no time to care about my pitiful and miserable heartache. She rummaged through the clothes she had just taken off and found a hemp-colored cloth bag that was about half the size of her palm. She took out a black pill the size of her thumb and put it to my lips.

I didn't move, and she continued, "It's made from 'black heart' ingredients. It stops bleeding and relieves pain. Eat it quickly, or you'll die of pain later."

It's "heartless" again!

I am well aware of the principle that medicine and poison share the same origin. Recalling how quickly the effects of that "black-hearted" medicine took hold after I ate it, I reluctantly opened my mouth and swallowed the pill that Lan Feiyu gave me.

She glanced at me, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Then she took out a narrow-mouthed, pure white porcelain bottle with a cork in it from the cloth bag and said to me, "Lie down, I'll put some medicine on your shoulder."

Lan Feiyu's nonchalant attitude finally pushed me to my limit, and I stammered, "But, but..."

Although my sister-in-law helps out, she mostly assists my mother with household chores so that she can have some free time to visit the charity. Even though our family is almost entirely composed of women, I learned to dress and groom myself from a young age. As for bathing and changing clothes, those were all my own responsibilities, and I didn't need to ask anyone else to do them.

Moreover, I am neither a servant nor do I have the duties of those who serve others. In my life, how could I possibly have the opportunity to see a "lotus emerging from the water"?

Therefore, to expect me to be almost naked, facing a girl of the same age who has no clothes to cover her, and to remain calm and composed even if Mount Tai collapses in front of me, is really, really asking too much of a person!

My gaze inadvertently drifted to Lan Feiyu's small, exquisite breasts, and I was so ashamed I wanted to disappear into the ground. But this guy seemed completely oblivious, or perhaps he didn't care at all, and leaned closer. I quickly turned my head away, inexplicably annoyed: "Put your clothes back on! What kind of behavior is this!"

"Whether you look presentable or not, let's apply the medicine first." Lan Feiyu replied bluntly and without any politeness. "Are you going to listen to me or not? I'm here to heal your wounds. Even if I were to sell you, I'd have to wait until you're fully recovered before I can get a good price for you!"

Her words were forceful and assertive, and I lost my temper. After thinking about it carefully, I realized why I had bothered. I groaned and carefully lay down on the hay.

Lan Feiyu knelt beside my head, bent down, and held the porcelain bottle close to my bloody wound. She gently shook the bottle and sprinkled the fine black powder inside evenly onto the wound.

The powder wasn't made of anything special. When it first touched the wound, the pain was excruciating. In my haste, I couldn't help but let out a scream. But as she applied layer after layer, the pain gradually lessened, and a cool sensation slowly arose from the wound, starting weak and then growing stronger. By the time she put the bottle back in the cloth bag, the pain had been completely overwhelmed by the coolness. The feeling was so wonderful and amazing that if my right arm hadn't still been weak, I would have almost swung it around twice.

Upon closer inspection, I found the wound thickly covered by black powder, with no trace of blood remaining.

"Don't lie still," Lan Feiyu frowned and scolded me when she saw me sit up halfway. "It's not over yet."

"Please get dressed first, okay?" I softened my tone, half pleading. "What if you catch a cold?"

Lan Feiyu glanced at the nearby fire, then at me, and silently picked up her clothes from the ground, putting them on at a speed almost as fast as she took them off.

I turned my head away again, not daring to look at her slender waist, rounded shoulders, and her brown skin that shone brightly in the firelight.

These differences between her and other women made me feel extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable, but I couldn't explain why. Perhaps it was just because it was the first time I had met such a free-spirited girl of my age, and the first time I had ever been so open and honest with a girl like her.

After she finished dressing, she returned to my side, gesturing with her eyes for me to keep my promise. I silently lay down, and this time she knelt down around my waist, extended her right hand, palm down, and whispered, "Bear with it," before directly touching my chest. I quickly held my breath, knowing she was just checking my injuries. However, while this held me still, it did nothing to quell the overwhelming embarrassment and awkwardness. I could only close my eyes and silently hope she would finish quickly.

My eyes are closed, but my body is even more...

I could feel her slightly cool, soft hand slowly stroking down from my chest, occasionally pressing down. When it reached my waist, I almost couldn't help but laugh because of the ticklish feeling. Fortunately, she quickly moved to my lower abdomen. I felt that wherever her palm and fingers touched, not only did the pain suddenly ease, but I also had a strange sensation. It was as if she was a spring breeze and I was a budding flower, and the bud was just beginning to bloom as the spring breeze passed by.

I thought Lan Feiyu would be done after examining my injuries, but to my surprise, her hand moved away from my abdomen and then suddenly touched my cheek. I opened my eyes in astonishment and saw that she looked dazed, her brows furrowed with confusion, as if she too had a question she couldn't figure out.

When our eyes met, Lan Feiyu pouted, looking rather embarrassed and angry: "It's all your fault, always worrying about these inexplicable things, making me feel inexplicably tired too!"

I opened my mouth and retorted, "It's not because of my appearance. If I were a man, according to the customs of our Eastern Chu, you would marry me."

Lan Feiyu scoffed: "I told you before, when you were unconscious with a high fever, I was the one who wiped your body and changed your clothes. If anyone should marry, it should be you marrying me."

“It’s different,” I said, blushing as I grabbed Lan Feiyu’s wrist. “You said it yourself, I was unconscious at the time, so it doesn’t count. But you’re awake now, and I didn’t force you. You voluntarily…voluntarily undressed in front of me.”

This reasoning seemed to finally refute Lan Feiyu. She was stunned for a moment, unable to find words to refute it. A blush rose on her cheeks, and she said angrily, "Alright! I've made you dizzy with your nonsense again. Anyway, you're not a man, and this isn't Dongchu. Between you and me, what's this about who marries whom? Yes, you're really lucky. The external injuries are scary, but fortunately, your internal organs and bones are unharmed. As long as the wound on your shoulder doesn't worsen, you'll recover to normal in a while."

I nodded, but I wasn't quite willing to let go of that topic so easily. I stared at Lan Feiyu and asked seriously, "Lan Feiyu, tell me, what kind of person do you want to marry?"

Lan Feiyu ignored me. She placed one hand behind my head and the other on my left shoulder, helping me to sit up carefully. Then she went to the place where the firewood was piled up, bent over, and when she stood up, she was holding two iron bowls and a soup spoon in her hands.

She wiped the tableware that had magically appeared with dry grass, went to the fire, scooped a spoonful of thick soup from the earthenware pot, and handed it to me.

I clearly remember that when Bai Ri and Yuan Zi came to see this place, there was a rusty iron pot on it. I don't know when it was replaced with an earthenware pot. I don't know if the thing being cooked in this earthenware pot was prepared by Lan Feiyu, Yuan Zi, or someone else who had some connection with Lan Feiyu. Taking the bowl of soup that Lan Feiyu gave me, the contents of which I didn't know, I was suddenly moved and sighed, "No matter what, I always admire you. This idea of ​​rescuing those women who were being treated as prey was yours, wasn't it? Even if we are 'different on the same path,' you are still much more useful than me."

These words were indeed spoken from the heart, yet Lan Feiyu remained silent. She slowly stirred the soup in the earthenware pot, and just when I thought she wouldn't speak to me again until I finished my bowl, she suddenly spoke, drastically changing the subject: "I don't want to get married. Most men in this world are arrogant and vulgar, not worthy of my affection. Don't you Han women have a saying about finding a good man to entrust your lives to? But I don't want to give myself to anyone. What about you, Xi'er?"

She still called me "Xi'er," which made my heart skip a beat. I pretended to be nonchalant and took a sip of the soup—it was a little hot, and the taste was strange, but not bad. It tasted like some kind of herbal soup with fresh meat.

"What kind of person do you want to marry?" Lan Feiyu asked again.

I pondered for a moment, holding the bowl in both hands. The rising steam hit my face, making my words somewhat muffled: "Well, I ran away because I didn't want to get married. But, I don't think all men in the world are as bad as you say. There are good men too."

"Oh?" The tone was clearly one of disbelief.

“Yes.” I counted for Lan Feiyu, “My uncle, several brothers… maybe even our emperor could be considered one? Anyway, my uncle said he was a good emperor, but I don’t know if he was a good man.”

Well, I'm being honest. I've only met His Majesty the Emperor a few times. I don't know if he's a good man or not, but my brothers are all trembling in fear in his presence, not daring to utter a sound. Perhaps... he can't be considered a "good man" in my eyes.

"So, Xi'er still wants to get married?"

"No, these are two different things." I replied quickly. "I have no such thought, but I have never sworn never to marry. After all, my mother still hopes that I will have a grand wedding and give her a few grandchildren to play with."

Lan Feiyu was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Then, where is your father?"

I was taken aback, then shook my head again: "I don't know. My mother has never told me anything about my father. Isn't it funny? I've never known who my father is."