Because Shu Yao was lying face down, she didn't see the pity and heartache on Huo Jingsha's face. When he slowly removed the bandage from her back, the dried bloodstains stuck to the wound along with the bandage. No matter how gentle and slow he was, he still inevitably pulled off some flesh and blood.
This feeling was even more unbearable than being injured himself; it was as if someone was cutting his skin and sucking his blood. This was an experience he had never had before in his life, so his gloomy expression was truly frightening.
His woman, Huo Jingsha's woman, was kidnapped under his protection, and right in his own mansion no less! This was tantamount to a slap in the face for him, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Since her abduction, she must have endured a long and arduous journey, without a single day of comfort, causing her wounds to reopen and worsen. Looking at her delicate skin, now ravaged like this, he felt an urge to kill the kidnapper immediately.
He continued to concentrate on cleaning and changing her dressings. He never expected that these hands, which were so ruthless in killing, could make such gentle movements, as if afraid of hurting her in the slightest.
At this moment, You Shuyao's surprise had long surpassed her pain. She had thought she had reached the end of her rope, but unexpectedly, things had taken a turn for the better. Huo Jingsha, oh Huo Jingsha... you are so clever all your life, yet so foolish this time, actually thinking that she had been kidnapped instead of escaping on her own.
That's right! After she escaped, she hid very well and wasn't harmed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Then she was kidnapped by Qi and his men, and she was completely under their control and manipulated along the way. Huo Jingsha would naturally assume that she had fallen into the hands of thieves and was forced to run so far away.
So it seems he didn't come to capture her, but to save her! This realization revived Shu Yao's lifeless heart, cleared her mind, and infused her with boundless energy.
She said, "After nine lifetimes of suffering, it's time for me to be reborn in my tenth life. My life hasn't come to an end yet, so he didn't kill me, and I survived!"
After Huo Jingsha finished treating the wound on her back, he noticed that she hadn't uttered a sound or cried out in pain the whole time, which filled him with admiration. He had known that this girl had a stubborn streak, but her performance always exceeded his expectations and surprised him.
She looked so petite and fragile, yet she managed to hold back a single sound, which both pained and comforted him. He bent down, his nose brushing against the crook of her neck, his voice now more alluring and magnetic.
"Don't be afraid, and there's no need to worry. After we return to the capital, I will ask the imperial physicians to treat your wounds and use the best ointment to remove the scars. I will make sure that this beautiful back is free of any blemish." As he spoke, he tenderly placed a kiss on her shoulder.
To his surprise, his heartfelt words of comfort received no gratitude in return. Huo Jingsha was taken aback, and upon closer inspection, he suddenly realized that the girl had actually fallen asleep. He could only smile helplessly. No wonder she wasn't making a sound; there were still a few glistening tears on her eyelashes. She looked so pitiful. It turned out she was still in pain, but she was just enduring it without saying a word.
Huo Jingsha's usually cold and hard heart melted into a pool of soft water. He slowly picked her up, carefully placed her on his lap, and held her close in his arms. Gazing at her well-behaved appearance as she slept soundly, he couldn't resist gently pressing his lips to her face, one after another... from her eyebrows to the corner of her lips. In the end, he had to stop, afraid of disturbing her peaceful dream.
"Sleep peacefully. With me here, I will never let anyone hurt you again."
He spoke with great affection, truly regarding her as the apple of his eye. Unfortunately, You Shuyao didn't hear a single word of his heartfelt confession.
She was indeed exhausted. From being startled awake in the middle of the night last night, to the interrogation, escape, encirclement, and the shock of being caught by Huo Jingsha, both her body and mind had been pushed to their limit. Now that she was sure she was safe, she could no longer hold on. Even the pain of having her skin peeled off could not stop her from feeling tired.
Next, even the most earth-shattering events will have to wait until she's had enough sleep before we talk about them.
*** ***
After being shrouded in dark clouds for many days, the Huo mansion was finally bathed in sunshine again.
A smile returned to Huo Jingsha's face, a stark contrast to his previous gloomy and cold demeanor, like the difference between the dead of winter and the warmth of spring.
The head of the household was in a good mood, which greatly relieved the servants in the mansion. Before that, they had been living on the edge of their lives, fearing that they would be punished by their master if they were not careful.
Only then did everyone realize how much the master valued Shu Yao's maidservant; it wasn't just a passing fancy, but a genuine affection and care he held dear.
Just by looking at the lord's furious reaction after Shu Yao's disappearance, one can tell that he not only severely punished all the negligent servants, but also searched and pursued her day and night. After finally bringing her back, Shu Yao not only did not fall out of favor, but was cherished even more. Even the lord, who always preferred to travel by fast horse, changed to taking a carriage back to the mansion to accommodate her.
The carriage wouldn't arrive for another two days, but the master had already sent a messenger back, instructing the steward to take his edict to the palace to summon the best imperial physicians and to order the doctor in charge of moisturizing the ladies' skin to quickly prepare a scar-removing ointment. No matter how precious or rare the medicinal materials, the Huo family could provide them. Now everything was in order, and all that was left was to wait for the woman in his arms to arrive at the mansion.
As soon as the carriage door opened, a woman was seen in the arms of an official, draped in a mink cloak bestowed by the Emperor. He treated her like a precious treasure, as if she were something to be cherished. The official carried Shu Yao directly to the main courtyard's bedroom, not to his concubine's residence, Biyueju. This treatment highlighted the vastly different status Shu Yao held in his heart. Everyone witnessed this; she was being treated with the utmost respect, as if she were a wife.
Back at the Huo residence, You Shuyao was still fast asleep. This was actually due to her worsening injuries, which had caused inflammation and fever, leaving her in a coma and thus unable to wake up for an extended period.
Huo Jingsha held her in his arms, touching her burning body temperature. His face was so foul that people several meters away could feel its eerie aura.
Once he catches those madmen, he'll use every single torture method in the Zhaoyu prison on them. The woman he's been protecting so carefully was inexplicably kidnapped. He finally managed to rescue her, but she was left battered and bruised, utterly exhausted. All the weight he'd painstakingly regained in the past few days was gone. And now, even killing and drawing blood wouldn't be enough to quell the hatred in his heart.
In fact, You Shuyao's injuries were not that serious. They were caused by swinging the reins too hard during the escape, which caused her wounds to reopen. The main reason was that she was restless and overthinking.
The biggest taboo in recuperating from illness and injury is to overthink all day. After several days of treatment by the doctor, and with Huo Jingsha bringing out all the precious medicinal herbs from the storeroom, her condition finally stabilized. By the third day, her fever had finally subsided, and the doctor informed her that her injuries were no longer a problem. As long as she took her medicine on time and rested well, she would recover soon.
Upon hearing this, Huo Jingsha's unpleasant expression eased slightly, and the people in the mansion were finally relieved of their fear.
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