Chapter 137 It was as if he was holding her in his arms.

Xie Qi shook his head with difficulty, "Not yet. Now that they know I have returned to the capital, they will definitely ambush me in the places I will go. That is why I came to your residence."

He weakly raised his head, "I only believe in you."

Jiang Zhi unconsciously pursed her lips, her eyes filled with an unfathomable gravity, "But your arrow wound..."

"I can only ask you to handle this for me," Xie Qi said, his face filled with trust and guilt. "Don't be afraid, I'm lucky and won't die from a small arrow wound. Just do it."

Jiang Zhi twisted the gauze in her hand repeatedly, her brows furrowed in hesitation.

Xie Qi is in a dangerous situation now, and she cannot go out to find a doctor she doesn't know.

As for Doctor Xue...

She thought about it for a moment and immediately dismissed the idea.

She met Doctor Xue through Xiao Yunheng, but now that Xiao Yunheng's motives are unclear, she can't completely trust Doctor Xue either.

I'll do it myself.

So Jiang Zhi nodded, "Then bear with it, I'll try to be careful."

Even so, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Qingxing brought her hot water to wash her hands. Ruying and Anyue brought out strong liquor from the cellar. Jiang Zhi took a deep breath, took the dagger Xie Qi handed her, heated it over the fire, and then aimed it at his wound.

Xie Qi couldn't help but tease, "Princess Qinghe's serious expression makes me feel like I'm about to die."

Jiang Zhi glared at him, "Don't talk nonsense here."

"Then relax, I still have to report to the Emperor, I won't die in your bed..."

Xie Qi had intended to make a few jokes to ease her tension, but unexpectedly he suddenly felt a chill in his chest. Without warning, she used the tip of her knife to cut open his flesh and remove the arrowhead left inside him!

His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation, as if he had practiced them countless times.

Caught off guard, his face turned deathly pale. Just as he was about to speak, a wad of gauze was stuffed into his mouth.

"Don't shout, or you'll bite your tongue."

With a "ding," the arrowhead was thrown to the ground.

Jiang Zhi quickly bandaged him up, without losing any extra blood.

Xie Qi snapped out of his pain, pulled the gauze out of his mouth, and weakly asked, "Does Princess Qinghe often treat people's injuries? Her technique is so skillful."

Jiang Zhi glanced at him but didn't say anything.

In her past life, no one treated her in the backyard of the Earl of Loyalty's mansion; she always bandaged and treated her own injuries.

This is experience she gained by practicing on herself.

At this time, the hemostatic medicine that Qingxing had boiled was ready. She fed it to Xie Qi, and not long after, Xie Qi finally fell into a deep sleep due to exhaustion.

Jiang Zhi then instructed Ru Ying and An Yue to guard the courtyard gate tonight, not allowing even a fly to get in.

Seeing that the bed was occupied, Jiang Zhi didn't care and simply made a makeshift bed on the floor next to the bed and fell asleep right next to it.

The next morning.

Xie Qi opened his eyes from his deep sleep. A faint fragrance of orchids lingered around his nose. Before him was a half-drawn lotus-colored soft silk curtain, and beneath him was a smooth brocade quilt.

He was momentarily dazed.

Wasn't I being chased? How did I suddenly find myself in a paradise of comfort, as if I were still in a dream?

He turned his head and saw the woman curled up under the bed.

Her long, flowing hair was loosely tied up, her breathing was shallow, and the morning light shone through the window, outlining her gentle profile with a golden edge.

Xie Qi unconsciously softened his breathing.

He remembered that the two guards who had returned with him had drawn away the pursuers to save him, and he, severely wounded and with nowhere else to go, had come to Jiang Zhi’s residence with his last breath.

It was Jiang Zhi who saved him again.

He tentatively reached out to touch her cheek, but accidentally aggravated his wounds, letting out a hiss.

Jiang Zhi woke up immediately.

"Why are you moving around when you're injured? Lie down properly!" She got up and lifted Xie Qi's blanket to check his injuries.

Sure enough, blood had seeped through the gauze from yesterday's arrow wound.

"Let me change your dressing again." She frowned, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and went to untie the bandage.

Xie Qi was sleeping on the couch, taking up almost half of her bed. Jiang Zhi could only lean over to help him untie the gauze wrapped around his chest, and her half-tied black hair inevitably cascaded over him.

It carries the delicate fragrance of orchids, accompanied by a tingling, itchy sensation.

It was as if he was holding her in his arms.

Xie Qi's Adam's apple bobbed suddenly, his heart pounded like a drum, and he couldn't even feel the pain from the aggravated wound.

During his time in the North, he thought of her every single day.

Now that the person he had been longing for was right in front of him, as if he could reach out and catch her long hair, he suddenly remembered something, his hand stopped moving, and the color drained from his face.

She is going to marry Shen Ci'an.

This was a message his mother had sent him at breakneck speed.

My disordered heartbeat felt as if it were being squeezed by a person, and a strong sense of bitterness welled up inside me.

He could not forget the shock and panic he felt when he received the news.

The feelings he hadn't had a chance to express are now gone forever.

"You and Lord Shen are getting married?"

He found his voice to be terribly hoarse.

"Mm." Jiang Zhi rewrapped the gauze for him and stood up.

"I... I haven't even had a chance to congratulate you yet." Xie Qi clutched the brocade quilt beside him, each breath becoming incredibly difficult.

"Thank you," Jiang Zhi said softly, not wanting to continue the topic, so she asked him, "What does Prince Xie plan to do next?"

Xie Qi was momentarily dazed before he snapped out of the intense feeling of suffocation. "The capital must have laid a trap, just waiting for me to show myself. I'd like to stay here for a few days to recover before returning to the palace to report back."

Jiang Zhi couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Who is that city-guarding general who colluded with the Northern Di? How could he have such powerful connections in the capital?"

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but the less you know about this matter, the better, otherwise your life could be in danger,” Xie Qi said.

Just look at his current situation and you'll know.

Jiang Zhi nodded without saying anything more.

And so Xie Qi settled down in Jiang Zhi's residence.

To avoid attracting attention and prevent anyone from finding out, Jiang Zhi arranged for Xie Qi to stay in her study in her courtyard, with only Qing Xing, Ru Ying, and An Yue serving him. No one else was allowed to come or go as they pleased.

As for Xie Qi's injury, since she herself had been injured a few days ago, she announced to the public that her injury had relapsed and she needed to take medicine again. Qingxing and she personally supervised the decoction.

After everything was arranged, Xie Qi's injuries had not yet healed when a piece of news that Jiang Zhi had not expected suddenly arrived.

While providing disaster relief in Sizhou, Shen Ci'an was robbed by bandits. The Imperial Guard responsible for protecting him was seriously injured, and Shen Ci'an's whereabouts and fate are unknown.

Upon hearing Ru Ying's report, Jiang Zhi was startled. The medicine pot she had just brewed fell to the ground, spilling brownish-red liquid all over the floor.