“Elder Brother Lu Zhao!” Shen Qingyao cried out in pain, finally breaking free from that moonlit night.
She slowly opened her eyes, still gasping for breath under the despair from her dream. Her chest heaved as she tried to calm herself, staring at the canopy above the inn bed. Gradually returning to reality, Shen Qingyao felt dazed, as if unsure of the present moment.
She tried to speak but her throat burned like fire, too dry to form words. She moved her fingers lightly, only to be tightly grabbed by someone.
Shen Qingyao turned her head and saw Lu Zhao leaning beside her bed, his large hand clutching hers, deeply asleep yet gripping her hand instinctively.
He was still in the same clothes as their last meeting, dust and blood stains still vividly visible. He hadn’t changed them, and upon closer inspection, his face, once like jade, now showed signs of wind and frost, with faint dark circles under his eyes and a stubble on his otherwise clean chin.
Shen Qingyao’s nose tingled and her eyes suddenly welled up. She silently looked at Lu Zhao, as if engraving his face into her heart. Though they had only been apart for a few days, her fainting seemed like a fleeting moment, yet it felt like she hadn’t seen him in years. She scrutinized him inch by inch.
As she continued to watch, Lu Zhao’s eyes twitched, slowly opening. Startled awake, he seemed momentarily disoriented, then quickly regained his senses, tensing up immediately and vigilantly surveying the surroundings. He tightened his grip on Shen Qingyao’s hand, meeting her tear-filled eyes.
He was first surprised, pulling her gently and saying, “Yaoyao? You’re awake?”
Seeing her about to cry, his heart tightened again, thinking she might be feeling unwell again. He hurriedly asked, “Is your chest hurting again? Don’t worry, I’ll find the doctor for you!”
He started to get up to leave.
This incident had frightened not only Shen Qingyao but also Lu Zhao, who had lost his usual composure, afraid to think what might happen if she couldn’t hold on.
A gentle force from her palm made Lu Zhao pause. Shen Qingyao didn’t say a word but held onto him firmly. When Lu Zhao turned back, Shen Qingyao was lying on the bed, looking at him with pleading eyes, filled with sorrow. She shook her head slightly and sniffled softly, “I’m not in pain… Elder Brother Lu Zhao, can you stay with me…?”
Lu Zhao’s heart immediately softened. How could he refuse? He sat down, finally releasing the tension he had been holding for days.
Shen Qingyao looked at his lively face and remembered the blood-red scene in her dream. Her heart ached, and she slowly raised her hand. Lu Zhao sensed her intention, smiled, and lowered his head in response.
Her cool fingers touched his face, lightly brushing past his eyes, causing his eyelashes to quiver. Finally, her hand rested gently on his cheek.
“Yaoyao?” Lu Zhao instinctively felt that something was amiss with the little girl’s emotions right now. He called her name, but he didn’t move, allowing her to touch him. As if triggered by his voice, Shen Qingyao blinked, and tears that had been building up for a long time streamed down her cheeks.
Lu Zhao was almost immediately flustered. Before he could say anything, Shen Qingyao struggled to sit up from the bed and threw herself into Lu Zhao’s arms. Feeling the warmth of his chest and the strong heartbeat, it was nothing like the cold, stiff body from her dream. Shen Qingyao closed her eyes, her heart slowly settled down.
Her Elder Brother Lu Zhao was still here.
This realization dispelled the lingering panic in her heart. She rubbed against him in his embrace, wiping away a few tears that had fallen uncontrollably. Then Shen Qingyao lifted her head again, pouting as she said grievously, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, why did you grow a beard… It doesn’t look good at all…”
Lu Zhao was taken aback, not expecting her to say that. Then the little girl intentionally making a disgusted expression and lightly pushing him, saying, “Go take a bath quickly, you don’t smell good anymore…”
Lu Zhao turned his head aside and chuckled softly again. Because his heart, which was like hanging only by a thread, felt like it was pulled back to its place. Being called not good looking and not smelling good by this little girl made him not know whether to laugh or cry. Still, he couldn’t help but reach out and pinched the little girl’s reddened nose, thinking to himself that she cried like a little kitten and didn’t look much better.
Having had enough laughter, he spoke again, “Alright, I’ll go now, tidy up and come back to accompany on the bed?”
Accompany what?
Even if Shen Qingyao suppressed many things in her heart, she couldn’t help but chuckle. Suddenly, she felt it was so nice to be able to joke around like this with Lu Zhao. She lowered her eyes and silently vowed not to let him turn evil.
Shen Qingyao was anxious to send him to wash up to rest as soon as possible. Since she had been kidnapped until now, several days had passed, and anyone could see how tired Lu Zhao was. Lu Zhao didn’t brush off her concern and nodded before leaving. However, even as he left, he remembered to call Kong Lin to come and check on her again.
When Lu Zhao returned, he was refreshed, back to his ethereal appearance like a clear breeze and bright moon. Kong Lin was sitting in front of the bed, checking Shen Qingyao’s pulse. Shen Yushu and Shen Qinglin hurried over upon hearing that Shen Qingyao had awakened. Standing nervously nearby were Cui Qiao and Hong Yun, even the King of Nanzhao’s guard, who had been borrowed to find Shen Qingyao, and Tu Lan.
It was quite a roomful of people. Lu Zhao raised an eyebrow and saw the little girl lying obediently on the bed, her eyes still somewhat red but her emotions stable. At this moment, she was smiling and chatting with Shen Qinglin. He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction as the little girl’s attention was diverted by others.
“Alright, it’s nothing serious. A heart ailment needs rest. I have a prescription that needs some more adjustments to try again. This is a condition carried from birth and can’t be rushed. As for the others…” Kong Lin paused, and everyone in the room held their breath, involuntarily thinking of the Gu that An’yu had planted on Shen Qingyao.
“Master Kong, the pair of Gu are linked, but one has already died. Can you still draw out the one on Yaoyao’s body?” Shen Yushu stepped forward anxiously and asked.
Kong Lin snorted disdainfully. “Draw it out? Such a small thing, why would I need to draw it out?”
Shen Yushu was taken aback. What did he mean? Tu Lan, standing beside him, noticed his dumbfounded expression and chuckled softly.
Shen Yushu turned to look, seeing the pretty girl smiling gently, and instantly blushed.
Kong Lin didn’t lower his head to rummage through his medical kit but instead took out a set of tools and carefully selected a long silver needle. He said to Shen Qingyao, “Extend your hand.”
The silver needle gleamed coldly. Shen Qingyao trembled slightly and swallowed nervously. She looked up pitifully at Lu Zhao’s position. Understanding her, he quickly walked over and sat by her side, lifting her into his embrace.
Shen Qingyao buried her face, then bravely presented her right hand to Kong Lin. “Here, go ahead and poke.”
Kong Lin looked somewhat disgusted as he stared at the affectionate couple before him. Clicking his tongue, he bent his head and used the silver needle to prick open the swelling on Shen Qingyao’s wrist. The silver needle pierced into flesh, causing Shen Qingyao to flinch. She held Lu Zhao tighter with her other hand, feeling the silver needle stir around in her hand for a few moments. Then, as if it had hooked onto something, Kong Lin flipped his hand, and a thin brown-black thread dropped into the jade plate.
Shen Qingyao gasped in pain, and Lu Zhao gently patted her. Thinking of Princess An’yu, who was still imprisoned by them, his eyes grew colder.
“Alright, I’ll give you a few more doses of medicine. Brew it and take it after, and rest quietly for a few days, and you’ll be fine.”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Cui Qiao and Hong Yun took the prescription and hurried away.
Kong Lin also didn’t want to stay longer. After nodding to Tu Lan, the two of them soon left.
Only Shen siblings and the Nanzhao guard remained in the room.
“Yaoyao, are you feeling better? Is there anywhere that still hurts? If there’s anything you want to eat, just tell Eldest Brother, I’ll get it for you!” Shen Yushu almost lost his sister, so he felt like blaming himself and guilty. He seized the opportunity and hurriedly asked.
Shen Qingyao lifted her head from Lu Zhao’s embrace, feeling warmed by her Eldest Brother’s words. She smiled faintly and said softly, “Thank you, Eldest Brother, I’m fine…”
Lu Zhao’s expression was already showing impatience. Shen Qingyao had just woken up and needed rest, but he couldn’t dismiss the few remaining people directly. He could only stare at Shen Yushu coldly while the latter remained oblivious and even wanted to say more.
“Enough, Eldest Brother! Let Yaoyao rest!” Shen Qinglin stopped Shen Yushu, glancing subtly behind her. “You have other matters to attend to.”
Shen Yushu was taken aback and followed her gaze. The Nanzhao guard stood motionless, like a puppet. His expression darkened. Indeed, there were still many matters to attend to. The Princess of Nanzhao had harmed an envoy from Great Liang, and the matter of Princess Yonghe’s enthronement was also still unsettled. He had to continue dealing with King of Nanzhao and must seek justice for his sister.
“Yes, then we won’t stay longer. Yaoyao, rest well.”
Shen Qingyao nodded. Soon, the others left as well. Shen Qingyao watched Shen Qinglin, who had fallen behind, feeling that her earlier glance was somewhat strange. Wasn’t that Lin Yingqiu? But the system clearly had no response.
Suddenly, her vision dimmed as a large hand blocked her view, covering the gaze she hadn’t withdrawn.
Shen Qingyao hummed softly, pushing the hand away, turning her head to ask, “What is it?”
She saw Lu Zhao smiling gently. After staring at her attentively for a moment, he said softly, “Didn’t you say you wanted me to accompany you?”
Shen Qingyao’s face suddenly turned red. Stuttering, she said, “Who… who said that! It was clearly you who said it!”
She was still a patient, after all!!!
Seeing this, Lu Zhao chuckled and gathered her back into his arms gently, saying tenderly, “Hmm, it was me.”
Familiar cold fragrance enveloped her, and Shen Qingyao leaned against it contentedly. After all the commotion, even though she had just awakened from a deep sleep, she couldn’t resist the weariness that came over her once again. She yawned lightly, but still worried about Lu Zhao. She knew that if she slept alone, Lu Zhao probably wouldn’t rest and would go busy himself with other things again. So she held back from saying it.
But Lu Zhao noticed first. He lowered his head and asked, “Want to sleep a bit more?”
Instead of answering directly, Shen Qingyao tugged at his sleeve and asked softly, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, are you tired?”
Lu Zhao was momentarily stunned, meeting the clear gaze of the little girl. Feeling warmth in his heart, though he could work tirelessly for days without feeling tired, he said, “Hmm, a bit.”
Shen Qingyao immediately smiled with narrowed eyes. She moved aside on the bed and pulled back the covers, patting the empty spot, “Then, Elder Brother Lu Zhao, come up quickly! I’ll keep you company while you rest!”
Though she also wanted him to keep her company, Shen Qingyao said this nonchalantly, without blushing or feeling uneasy. Lu Zhao chuckled softly.
When Cui Qiao entered again with the medicine, the room was dimly lit. The two on the bed were snuggled together, fast asleep. She paused, sighed deeply, and smiled as she quietly withdrew, thinking her Miss could take the medicine later; it would be better to let this young couple enjoy a moment of tenderness now.
Once the person left, Lu Zhao opened his eyes. The movement disturbed the person in his arms, who shifted uneasily and murmured as if in a dream, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao…”
“Yeah, I’m here.” Lu Zhao’s voice was somewhat hoarse from just waking up. He gently patted Shen Qingyao’s back and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. Then he closed his eyes again, saying softly, “Sleep.”