Detoxification
Qin Lingfeng caught a glimpse of Song Guansui's intensely focused gaze out of the corner of his eye. The killing intent and anxiety in his heart surged like magma, but he forcibly suppressed it.
"you."
Song Guansui's cold voice suddenly rang out, pointing at Qin Lingfeng, who was grinding medicinal herbs.
"Be quieter. If you disturb him, I'll take your life."
Qin Lingfeng paused, then immediately lowered his head even further, replying in a hoarse voice, "Yes, I know I was wrong."
He deliberately made his voice sound rough and unpleasant, completely different from his original voice.
Mr. Xue spoke at the opportune moment, diverting Song Guansui's attention.
“Young Master Song, the medicinal bath requires careful control of the water temperature. Too hot or too cold will affect the efficacy of the medicine. Please allow my servant to supervise the fire and add water. He is most skilled in this.”
Song Guansui's sharp gaze swept over Qin Lingfeng, the scrutinizing intent almost piercing through his disguise.
After a moment, he slowly nodded.
"Yes, but if he makes even the slightest mistake, you will be punished along with him."
"Thank you, young master. I will not fail you."
Mr. Xue bowed and secretly gave Qin Lingfeng a very subtle "cautious" look.
The medicinal bath was ready, and the rising steam, carrying a strong medicinal aroma, filled the sealed room.
The next step is extremely crucial and confidential—the unconscious Jiang Manyan needs to be placed in the bathtub.
Mr. Xue looked at Song Guansui.
"Young master, this..."
Song Guansui struggled to get up, but Fu Cong held him down: "Young Master, you must not move your injured body!"
Song Guansui frowned deeply, clearly extremely unwilling to let anyone touch Jiang Manyan's body, especially that "servant" who made him feel uncomfortable.
However, his current physical condition makes it difficult for him to complete the task personally.
"Mr. Xue, please come in person."
Song Guansui gave the order, but his gaze swept over Qin Lingfeng like a knife.
"You, turn your back. Do not turn around without orders."
Qin Lingfeng's fingernails almost dug into his palms as he stiffly turned around to face the wall.
He could hear the rustling of clothes behind him and imagined Jiang Manyan being carried into the water, each second feeling like being fried in oil.
This was the closest he had ever been to him, yet he couldn't even glance at him.
Jiang Manyan was carefully immersed in the medicinal bath.
The warm water and the stimulation of the medicine caused him to unconsciously let out a very soft moan, his long eyelashes trembling as if he had a slight reaction.
This subtle movement made Song Guansui and Qin Lingfeng, who had their backs to him, tense up at the same time!
Song Guansui almost held his breath, his eyes blazing with intense anticipation.
Qin Lingfeng, however, was able to restrain himself from turning back thanks to his strong willpower.
He guessed that this was a normal reaction to the removal of the poison, and hearing his voice with his own ears made Qin Lingwenfeng's heart surge with excitement.
Mr. Xue carefully adjusted Jiang Manyan's position to ensure that the medicine did not cover the key acupoints.
Thick, long eyelashes, delicate features, a slender neck, fair skin…
He bit his tongue, forcing himself to concentrate fully on the treatment.
The young man before him was so beautiful that even Xue, who had great self-control, couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
Mr. Xue's forehead was beaded with sweat. He observed Song Guansui and the "servant" out of the corner of his eye. He knew that the real danger had only just begun.
Every acupuncture treatment and every dose of medicine had to be performed under Song Guansui's watchful eye, without the slightest mistake, and without letting the disguised Qin Lingfeng give himself away.
The next two days were a long and agonizing tug-of-war.
For Song Guansui, every moment was a mixture of hope and anxiety.
The excruciating pain in his chest was constantly eroding his will, and the dizziness from blood loss almost knocked him down several times, but he managed to hold on only because of his obsession with Jiang Manyan's awakening.
Those bloodshot eyes, filled with pain and exhaustion, remained like those of a vigilant hawk, intently watching Mr. Xue's every move.
And that “servant” who made him inexplicably uncomfortable.
Any slightest sound or a casual exchange of glances could instantly make him tense up and exude murderous intent.
Song Guansui's body needed rest, but his spirit refused to relax in any way, as if the faint hope would slip through his fingers if he blinked even slightly.
For Qin Lingfeng, who was in disguise, these two days were undoubtedly the most cruel torture.
He was forced to watch helplessly as his beloved was lifelessly immersed in the medicinal liquid at the closest distance, while he could only play the role of a lowly servant who could not overstep his bounds.
Every time he added medicine or stirred the charcoal fire, he restrained the urge to touch Jiang Manyan.
He must always remember his identity, suppress all the surging heartache, anger, and murderous intent, and seal all his emotions under a numb mask.
He seized every opportunity to observe the layout of the secret room and the pattern of the guards changing shifts, searching for that almost non-existent moment when he could have a private encounter with Jiang Manyan.
For Mr. Xue, these two days were like walking on a rope over a bottomless abyss.
He devoted all his knowledge to using acupuncture and medicinal baths to truly remove the toxicity of "Shenmeng Silk".
This is both upholding medical ethics and fulfilling a promise made to Mrs. Shen Qingyuan.
At the same time, he had to keep a close eye on Qin Lingfeng beside him, using subtle coughs, glances, or seemingly unintentional movements to remind him to restrain his overly expressive emotions.
He also had to deal with Song Guansui's endless stream of sharp questions, which were full of scrutiny and suspicion, and he had to carefully consider every answer.
You need to demonstrate professionalism without arousing any suspicion.
The tension in his mind was no less than that of the two young people beside him, each with their own thoughts.
Inside the sealed room, the medicinal aroma lingered.
After two days of careful treatment, Jiang Manyan's condition has greatly improved.
His complexion returned to a rosy hue, his breathing became steady and long, and his pulse was strong; he was no longer the person who had been on the verge of death.
Instead, it seemed as if she had fallen into a deep sleep, and there was even a faint smile on her lips, as if she was about to wake up.
The four people in the secret room—Song Guansui, Qin Lingfeng, Mr. Xue, and even the silent bodyguard Fu Cong—almost simultaneously noticed this subtle change, and all of them couldn't help but show expressions of surprise and delight.
Song Guansui struggled to get up and approach, but was seized by a wave of dizziness, and his body swayed slightly.
His face was ashen and his lips were bloodless. His body, exhausted from pushing himself to the limit, was now at its limit. Compared to Jiang Manyan, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed, he looked more like the patient whose life hung by a thread.
Fu Cong, the bodyguard who had been silently protecting him, had to speak up, his voice filled with rare concern.
"Master, Master Yan is out of danger. If she wakes up and sees you like this, she will be sad and blame herself."
Seeing that Song Guansui's eyes flickered slightly, as if he had taken some of the advice to heart, he pressed on.
"My lord, why don't you take this opportunity to close your eyes and rest for a while? I will wait here for you. When you wake up, you can wash and tidy yourself up, looking refreshed, so that Young Master Yan can be completely at ease when he wakes up."
Song Guansui cared most about his image in Jiang Manyan's eyes. Upon hearing this, he looked at his slightly disheveled robes, which were bleeding from his wounds.
He glanced again at Jiang Manyan, whose face was serene on the couch, and finally nodded, his strong will finally relaxing a little.
He turned to Mr. Xue, his voice hoarse with exhaustion.
"I'll leave the remaining day of treatment to Mr. Xue."
After speaking, Song Guansui, supported by Fu Cong, finally walked to the soft couch on one side of the secret room, preparing for his first short, necessary rest in three days.
The tense atmosphere in the secret room seemed to ease slightly with his temporary departure.
---
Song Guansui finally closed his eyes on the soft couch. Although his brows were still furrowed and his breathing was not very steady due to the pain, he finally fell into a brief rest.
The suffocating oppression in the sealed room gradually dissipated as his consciousness sank into a deep sleep.
Qin Lingfeng, who had always kept his head down and seemed invisible, finally got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity thanks to a very subtle glance from Mr. Xue.
He carried the warm, disposable towels that needed changing and slowly approached the bed.
Every step he took was on his heartbeat. He first glanced cautiously at Fu Cong, who had been led aside by Mr. Xue to talk in hushed tones.
And the piercing-eyed guards standing beside Song Guansui's soft couch confirmed that no one was paying full attention to him.
Then, Qin Lingfeng reached out, his fingertips trembling almost imperceptibly, and finally touched Jiang Manyan's wrist, which was resting on the edge of the bathtub.
The warm, soft touch, with a steady life force flowing beneath his skin, instantly swept through Qin Lingfeng's entire body through his fingertips.
At that moment, all the pent-up panic, uncertainty, and tormented longing seemed to find an outlet.
He was quickly soothed by the real touch. Ever since he received the charred corpse and the jade pendant, he had never truly believed that Jiang Manyan was dead.
But that unwavering conviction based on intuition has also been eroded by fear in countless dark nights.
At this moment, the clear and strong pulse under his fingertips was like the most powerful evidence, completely confirming his belief and instantly calming his emotions that were almost out of control.
Qin Lingfeng swiftly and with a force that only the two of them could perceive, gently squeezed that hand, as if to transfer his warmth and strength to it, or as if to silently say, "I'm here, don't be afraid."
It was only a brief contact before he immediately withdrew his hand, as if he were merely performing necessary care.
He picked up a towel and professionally and calmly wiped away non-existent beads of sweat from Jiang Manyan's forehead, taking the opportunity to get a closer, more greedy look at her sleeping face.
That's enough. That's enough.
Qin Lingfeng took a deep breath, and when he raised his head again, all the intense emotions that had been exposed in his eyes had completely subsided, settling into a deep and unfathomable calmness and determination.
The previous anxiety and the near exposure of his emotions stemmed from his extreme worry about Jiang Manyan's uncertain fate.
Now that he has confirmed that his lover is out of danger, but is just temporarily unable to wake up, his wildly beating heart has finally settled down.
His mind began to race, discarding all unrealistic and impulsive thoughts.
Taking Slow Cigarettes now? Absolutely not.
Although Song Guansui was seriously injured, the secret room was heavily guarded, and he was alone with the unconscious Manyan, making it impossible for him to move an inch.
Taking force will only put the two of them and Mr. Xue in a hopeless situation.
Now that it's confirmed that your loved one is safe and sound, all that's left is to make plans.
He was no longer in a hurry.
Mr. Xue was clearly able to stabilize the situation and at least ensure that Man Yan would be properly cared for before waking up.
He needed to use the temporary convenience provided by this identity to find out the defenses and personnel movements of the Song residence, so that he could place his own people there...
The Song residence was heavily guarded; the spies he had recently planted had been eliminated one by one before they could even penetrate the interior… He had to admit that Song Guansui was a formidable enemy…
Qin Lingfeng retreated to the servant's position, standing with his hands at his sides, his posture respectful.
But at this moment, his lowered eyes no longer held suppressed pain, but rather the patience and composure of a hunter.
He knew the rhythm of the game had subtly shifted. He had found his treasure; now, all he needed was a foolproof plan to reclaim it.
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