The person in front of him was soaked in blood. After peeling away layers of cloth, it became clearer that her undergarment was fully drenched in blood.
Zhou Gu knew he could not afford to hesitate at this moment.
He gently unfastened her bloody undergarment. Instead of fair skin, all he could see was blood. Her original skin was unrecognizable.
But her distinct features remained.
Zhou Gu wanted to close his eyes but he dared not. After all, who would apply medication and dressing with their eyes closed? He was no exception. Gritting his teeth, he took out a top-quality gold wound ointment from his bosom and liberally applied it to her wounds. He then tore her undergarment, swiftly wrapped her in it and carefully turned her over. The wound on her back was the deepest, so he quickly poured nearly half a bottle of the ointment into it. Finally, he dressed her shoulders, arms, and torso. When he discovered a wound near her thigh, his hands shook. Nonetheless, he managed to apply the ointment to her wound.
Su Rong’s undergarment was nowhere near enough to cover her numerous wounds. Zhou Gu couldn’t tear up all her clothes for dressing, so he halted and looked at Su Rong.
She was obediently lying there, her eyes wide open. On her pale little face, there was an indescribable expression that seemed to be a mix of resignation, despair, and vulnerability, similar to a fish on a chopping board, at his mercy.
Zhou Gu said hoarsely, "Close your eyes. Your undergarment isn’t enough. I’ll tear up mine for your wound dressing. It’s softer and more suitable for dressing."
Su Rong, who had originally been looking at the ceiling, turned her head to look at Zhou Gu upon hearing this.
In that split second, Zhou Gu thought he saw in her eyes an expression saying, "You’ve already seen me naked. Why can’t I see you?"
Zhou Gu covered her eyes with his hand. "Close your eyes."
Su Rong had no option but to do as he said.
Without hesitation, Zhou Gu removed his outer garment and with a blush on his face, took off his undergarment, quickly put the rest of his clothes back on. Su Rong only listened to the sound of his undergarment tearing.
This time, he worked fast and efficiently. In no time at all, he had dressed all her wounds and helped her back into her clothes.
"You can open your eyes now." Zhou Gu saw her being obedient and suddenly, he was overwhelmed with familiar feelings, feelings he had only felt when they first met in Jiangning County. Back then, she occasionally exuded an aura of obedience.
It had been a long time. Later, he felt as if he had come to know a stranger in her.
Su Rong obediently opened her eyes.
Zhou Gu looked at her, suppressed all his emotions and said to her, "It’s cold here. It’s not a place to stay long. You’ve lost too much blood and are weakened. I’m afraid if you sleep here overnight, you may catch a cold and fever. We still need to leave. If you’re tired, just sleep. I will carry you."
Su Rong nodded, "Alright!"
She knew she was now weak. Although the cave was very warm because of the fire, it was still drafty. Even with thick dry grass spread on the ground, it was still chilly.
Zhou Gu scooped her up into his arms.
In Zhou Gu’s arms, resting her head on his arm, Su Rong closed her eyes. She was genuinely tired.
Zhou Gu carried Su Rong out of the cave, instructed Ziye, who had been guarding at a distance, to put out the fire and clean up the cave. He then quickly left the scene, carrying Su Rong.
They took an hour to reach the foot of the barren hill where their horses were grazing. Zhou Gu gently lifted Su Rong onto his horse.
The nearest town was forty miles away. Once Zhou Gu and Su Rong reached the town, they checked into an inn.
Once he had settled in, Zhou Gu asked Ziye to invite a doctor from the medical hall.
After Ziye left, Su Rong seemed to doze off. She didn’t wake up even when the doctor arrived.
The doctor was an old man with a gray beard. He had a young assistant carrying a medicine box.
After taking Su Rong’s pulse, the doctor told Zhou Gu, "This young miss’s injury is quite serious, and she has lost a significant amount of blood. But, it seems she has consumed some good medicine that helps stabilize her condition and is very beneficial in her recovery. In my opinion, there’s no need to worry, as long as the young master takes good care of her."
Zhou Gu let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you, doctor."
The doctor shook his head, "If the young master has more of that good medicine, let her take it. I won’t need to prescribe anything. Even the medicine that I prescribe would not be as effective as the one she has already taken."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Gu nodded. He did have more of the good medicine. Unexpectedly, the doctor in this small town was able to discern Su Rong had taken some potent medicine. With that, his worries were completely alleviated. "Thank you, Doctor," he said.
The doctor waved his hand, "The girl’s injuries need at least half a month to heal. During this period, she should not engage in any vigorous activity and avoid contact with water." He glanced at the dressing on Su Rong’s arm, saying, "The dressing is quite well done. I won’t need to redo it for now to avoid disturbing the wound. When the wound starts healing tomorrow, it can be replaced with a cloth bandage."
He then added, "If the young master needs it, you can send someone to fetch me to help change the medication and re-bandage it for the young miss."
Zhou Gu nodded, "Alright, thank you, doctor."
He then glanced at Ziye.
Ziye understood and immediately handed over the payment for the visit.
The old doctor looked at the contents and added, "The young miss’s condition is not critical, but given her weakened state and the cold weather, she could catch a cold. You could prepare some ginseng soup for her to strengthen her body and keep her warm. If she develops a fever, it could be dangerous." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Zhou Gu nodded, "Alright, thank you, doctor."
The old doctor then suggested, "The young master has given quite a hefty doctor’s fee. I have some ginseng available in my medical hall. Why don’t you accompany me to fetch some?"
Zhou Gu didn’t see any objections. He nodded as he didn’t have any ginseng in hand and instructed Ziye to go fetch it.
Therefore, Ziye went to the medical hall with the doctor and his young assistant.
Zhou Gu sat by Su Rong’s bedside and watched her. When the room quieted, he leaned against the bedhead, looking at Su Rong. He had not had time to ponder Su Rong’s words earlier. Now that he had spare time, he finally had a chance to reflect.
He had never expected that Su Rong had already called off their marriage after Ye Guixue left.
She really called it off.
When she told him about it, he did not dare to delay dressing her wounds because he knew what was most important at that moment. But now, he wished he could wake her up and ask her about it.
He still remembered Su Rong asking him who else, under the heavens, could make her give up on Ye Guixue?
His heart pounded in his chest.
He belatedly realized, no wonder when he left the capital, she had made him medicine and let him stay in the room. He remembered that Ye Guixue hadn’t left the capital then. Had she made up her mind by then?
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