Xiao Xun lowered his head, focusing intently on wiping. Her fingers were slender and fair, yet frighteningly cold. He only stopped when the last trace of blood was wiped away, revealing her original skin color. He didn't release her hands, but instead gently and completely enveloped them in his warm, dry palms. A warmth flowed continuously from his broad palms, warming her icy fingertips and seemingly soothing her heart, frozen by hatred and slaughter.
The sedan chair moved forward in silence, with only the steady footsteps of the porters and the whistling of the cold wind sweeping across the roof. Xin Jiuwei kept her eyes closed, but her tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly. She turned her hand back and gently, almost imperceptibly, squeezed the warm and strong hand that was holding her.
Xiao Xun's hand seemed to pause slightly, then tightened its grip. He didn't look at her; his gaze was fixed on the swaying sedan curtain ahead, and something, like an undercurrent beneath ice, silently surged in the depths of his profound eyes.
Back in the warm pavilion of the prince's residence, Xin Jiuwei was practically carried by Xiao Xun to a soft couch. The immense mental strain and physical weakness had left her in a semi-conscious state. Xin Kui, her eyes red-rimmed, carefully wiped her cheeks and changed her undergarment, which was soaked with cold sweat.
Xiao Xun stood by the bed, looking at Xin Jiuwei's furrowed brows and pale face, even in her sleep, and remained silent for a moment. He turned to Lin Wanyi, who was standing beside him, and asked, "What is her condition?"
After taking her pulse, Lin Wanyi's expression turned grave: "You are exhausted, and your vital energy is greatly depleted. The old injury to your heart meridian has been aggravated by this shock, and there is a risk of it recurring. You need to rest absolutely and must not be subjected to any further stimulation. Otherwise..." She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Xiao Xun's eyes darkened. He glanced at the unconscious Xin Jiuwei, turned and whispered a few instructions to You Ye, then strode away from the warm pavilion. His back remained upright, yet carried a heavy, impending storm.
For the next two days, Xin Jiuwei remained in a daze. Her body felt completely drained, the old wound in her chest throbbed with pain, and her spirit was utterly exhausted. At times, she was lucid, staring blankly at the gray sky outside the window; at other times, she was trapped in bizarre dreams, where Qi Huaiyu's distorted face, Xiao Xun's fallen figure, and splattered blood intertwined, leaving her terrified and uneasy in her sleep.
Xin Kui and Lin Wanyi stayed by her side every step of the way, feeding her medicine, changing her dressings, and comforting her. Xiao Xun did not appear again, but Xin Jiuwei knew that he was in the mansion. She could feel the tense atmosphere in the mansion, like a taut bowstring, the servants' footsteps were even lighter, and she could occasionally hear the faint but urgent sounds of arguing coming from the direction of the council hall in the middle of the night.
The flames of war in the north have clearly reached the heart of the capital.
On the morning of the third day, Xin Jiuwei finally felt a little better. She managed to drink half a bowl of congee, leaned against the pillow, and watched Xin Kui comb her hair. In the mirror, she was still pale and haggard, but the deathly emptiness in her eyes had dissipated, replaced by a weariness of surviving a disaster and an indescribable calm.
"Miss," Xin Kui said softly, combing her long, smooth hair as she recounted news from the manor, "Princess Zhao sent someone to inquire about your well-being yesterday. She said the old lady is recovering very well and can drink a whole bowl of ginseng soup. She also mentioned that she wants you to come and talk to her when you are feeling better." Xin Kui tried to pick out the good news to comfort her young mistress.
Upon hearing the news about her aunt, a glimmer of warmth finally appeared in Xin Jiuwei's eyes: "Aunt is blessed with good fortune; she will surely recover." She paused, her voice lowering, "Is there any news from the Northern Border...?"
Xin Kui paused, a hint of worry flashing across her face. She whispered, "This servant doesn't know the specifics either. I only heard... the war is very intense. His Highness and General Xin... have barely slept these past few days, constantly running between the Ministry of War and the Prince's council hall. Last night, it seemed... it seemed an urgent military report arrived, and the light in His Highness's study... stayed on all night." She dared not go into too much detail, afraid of upsetting her mistress.
Xin Jiuwei's heart sank again. Brother… She clutched the blanket covering her lap tightly. Although Qi Huaiyu was dead, the crisis in the North was like a sword hanging over her head, ready to fall at any moment.
Just then, a series of hurried and heavy footsteps sounded outside the warm pavilion. Xin Jiuwei's heart clenched! Those footsteps... were You Ye's! And they carried an unusual anxiety!
Sure enough, the door to the warm pavilion was suddenly pushed open, and You Ye's tall figure appeared in the doorway. His face was extremely pale, even showing a hint of unprecedented panic. He didn't even bother to bow, his gaze falling directly on Xin Jiuwei on the bed. His voice was dry and hoarse, with a forced, suppressed tremor:
"Miss Xin! Urgent report from the Northern Territory! General Xin Yunzhou... while pursuing the fleeing Rongdi soldiers outside Black Stone Ridge... was ambushed! He has been... struck by three arrows! One of them... pierced through his chest! He is... in imminent danger!"
"boom--!"
Like a thunderclap from the heavens, it exploded in her ears! Xin Jiuwei felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, and a metallic taste instantly surged into her throat! Her body swayed violently, and she barely managed to steady herself by grabbing the edge of the bed. A tearing pain shot through her old wound in her heart!
"Brother—!" A piercing, distorted cry burst from her lips! All her strength and composure were shattered in that instant! Overwhelming fear, like a cold tide, instantly engulfed her!
"Miss!" Xin Kui was terrified and grabbed the swaying Xin Jiuwei to support her.
You Ye rushed to the bedside, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears, his voice choked with sobs: "Miss! Hold on! Physician Lin! Quickly, call Physician Lin!"
Xin Jiuwei felt dizzy and her chest tighten, making it hard to breathe. Her brother… an arrow through the chest… on the verge of death… these words burned into her heart like a red-hot iron! Qi Huaiyu was dead, but was her dearest, her only brother, going to fall in that distant, icy north?
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