Chapter 4: The Fever Broke

Li Youqing was awakened by the piercing noon sun. As consciousness returned, it was followed by a full, aching soreness in her chest.

Remembering what had happened in this bed last night, she squeezed her eyes shut, an unspeakable, murky emotion rising in her heart.

The only men she had ever had physical contact with since childhood were her Father Emperor and the Crown Prince.

But even with her closest blood relatives, there had never been such improper behavior as last night.

Because of last night’s nightmare, the scene she had witnessed in the crevices of the rockery at Shu Yun Palace all those years ago became active and vivid in her mind once more.

Two gusts of wind, sometimes strong, sometimes weak, rose and fell by her ears.

She had thought she could finally stop thinking about these things…

Because of these unbearable memories, all matters between men and women were a mass of filthy, unbearable images in her mind.

Fortunately, the high fever had broken, and the pain in her chest had eased considerably.

Li Youqing carefully moved off the bed and sat down at a square table made of Zitan wood with plum blossom patterns carved into its edges. She picked up the teapot and poured herself a cup of cold tea.

A faint scent of sandalwood permeated the room, mixed with a wisp of an unfamiliar aroma.

It was like the fragrance of licorice growing in the yellow sands of the great desert—not overpowering, yet extremely invasive. Once inhaled, it was impossible to forget.

A chill crept into Li Youqing’s heart… The adopted son of Zhenbei Wang, Commander of the Zhenbei Army, Xuan Rui, was actually a sanctimonious beast.

She vaguely remembered him questioning her about her identity again last night.

Li Youqing thought with a tremor of fear, if that pervert discovered she was lying, he might just kill her on the spot.

After a few mouthfuls of cold tea, her thoughts cleared slightly.

To return to the Central Plains smoothly, she had to gain Xuan Rui’s trust as soon as possible.

Just then, Hua Ping’s voice sounded from outside the door. “Miss, I’ve brought you your lunch.”

The door opened. Seeing Li Youqing sitting there in a daze with a pale face, Hua Ping said in a soft tone, “Don’t be afraid, Miss. The General went out to drill the troops before dawn and won’t be back until late at night.”

Li Youqing followed the sound and saw that this maid was not only young and beautiful, but her features also held a hint of exotic charm, as if she had some Hu Qiang ancestry.

She first washed up simply, then took the towel Hua Ping handed her to dry her hands and face.

On the table, steaming hot dishes had already been laid out.

When Li Youqing raised her hand, it pulled at her chest muscles, causing her to suck in another sharp breath of cold air. She endured the discomfort, ate half a small bowl of rice, and drank a bowl of bone broth.

Looking up, she saw Hua Ping staring at her in a daze. She put down her bowl and chopsticks and asked in a casual tone, “How many years have you been serving General Xuan?”

“Replying to Miss, I have been here for five years,” Hua Ping replied with her eyes lowered, but she couldn’t resist another glance upward.

The smudged makeup had been washed away, revealing a face as tender as a peeled egg.

The young woman’s features were pure and lovely, and her pair of eyes were bright and lively. Even without a trace of makeup, she was as dazzling as a young phoenix soaring through the nine heavens.

Hua Ping stared at this face for a long while and actually felt a little dizzy.

Such magnificent beauty, no matter which country or tribe she was in, was the kind of devastating allure that could bewitch a monarch.

Perhaps, this time, the General would truly be moved.

She was someone from the Zhenbei Wang’s residence and had followed the General for several years; she absolutely could not let an outsider seize the advantage.

But General Xuan was such a fearsome figure, one who seemed ready to take a life at any moment. She had no way to even begin.

Besides, his mind was entirely on the battlefield. When had he ever spared half a thought for anyone else?

Li Youqing clearly saw the trace of resentment in Hua Ping’s gaze.

The two exchanged a few simple words, and Li Youqing learned that besides a few kitchen maids, Hua Ping was the only serving maid in the residence.

She deliberately let out a soft sigh and asked in a tempting manner, “You have served the General personally for many years, so you must know his temperament. Could you teach me how I might win his favor?”

She deliberately emphasized the word ‘personally’ and watched Hua Ping’s expression. Seeing a hint of bashfulness in her look, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

Then, Li Youqing clutched her chest and said in a sorrowful tone, “That kick yesterday was truly terrifying. But I am all alone in this great desert. If I cannot gain the General’s goodwill, it will be impossible to take even a single step, let alone return to the Central Plains.”

Hearing that she was still thinking of returning to the Central Plains, Hua Ping asked curiously, “Where in the Central Plains is your home, Miss?”

Li Youqing realized that her identity was still being kept tightly under wraps and had not been spread throughout the residence.

“I have no family or relatives now, so I don’t know where to return to,” she answered vaguely.

Thinking that this was also the truth, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad for a moment.

She forced a smile and looked toward the bed. “I’m in a lot of pain. I’d like to lie down for a while longer.”

Hua Ping, however, said, “Miss, don’t be in a hurry to lie down. You’ve just finished your meal. You still have to drink your medicine in half an hour.”

Li Youqing was greatly surprised. “What medicine?”

“Naturally, it’s medicine to heal injuries and disperse bruises. The prescription was written by the General himself, so it can’t be wrong.” Hua Ping smiled, began to clear the dishes from the table, and then went to the small kitchen to bring over the medicine pot.

Li Youqing was afraid of bitterness. In the past, when she lived in Changxin Palace, she had driven the Empress and the Crown Prince to their wits’ end by refusing to take her medicine when she was sick.

But this time, she needed no persuasion. With a cold face, she downed the medicinal liquid without leaving a single drop.

Sometimes, one could be willful and spoiled only because there was someone to indulge them. Now, she had no capital for reckless behavior. She had to nurse her body back to health first.

When the medicine took effect, she fell into a drowsy sleep for another half a day.

She had thought the day would pass peacefully, but she didn’t expect that sunset would mark the beginning of her nightmare.

Afterward, Li Youqing recalled that in order to survive in the palace over the past few years, she herself had used schemes on many people.

For example, the head palace maid of Shu Yun Palace, Du Ruo, and the eunuch under the Crown Prince, Zhang Heng—these people had all received “gifts” from her.

It was just that these “gifts” were coated with a layer of honey on the outside, but inside was a chilling coldness, a pile of white bones.

So this time, it was heaven’s retribution for her.

This night of the full moon was the beginning of her second nightmare.

When she came to, she found herself bare from the waist up, her back pressed tightly against a strange man’s chest as she stood before the window, the back of her thighs pushed up by his knees.

She was facing the window, and because of the force from behind, her upper body was forced to lean slightly forward.

From this angle, she could see a small, vermilion flower with silky stamens in the center blooming in the corner of the wall.

She had seen this flower in books before. It was shaped like a silk net and had a bewitching appearance. Its name was Suo Luo flower.

The scene was so strange that her thoughts stalled for a moment. Then she heard a soft, gentle cry overflow from someone’s throat.

Immediately after, she heard a man’s cold shout, “Shut up!”

That voice belonged to that devil, Xuan Rui!

A roar went off in Li Youqing’s mind. She looked down and saw a large hand on her chest, cupped over the most sensitive spot. She finally lost control and screamed.

Compared to him taking advantage of her last night when she was injured and powerless to resist, his absurd actions at this moment were even more nauseating!

The scream pierced the night sky, sounding particularly shrill. On the large tree outside the window, the wings of several birds rustled as they were startled into flight.

The shadows of the trees on the ground trembled violently, shattering the faint moonlight into pieces.

Her lips were suddenly covered. Li Youqing let out a few last muffled grunts. Turning her head, she saw his chiseled, cold face, and her breath caught.

This was the first time she had met him while fully conscious. Although she was burning with shame and anger, she was still terrified by the man’s mountain-like presence.

His sculpted, three-dimensional features were ignited by a pair of eyes as cold and sharp as a falcon’s. A wildness emanated from the depths of his gaze, unrestrained and fearless.

It was as if nothing in the world could bind him, and nothing could make him care.

And the hard chest of the man behind her was like an impenetrable wall, leaving one with no escape.

This pervert—

Xuan Rui glared viciously at the back of the woman’s head, his belly full of fire with nowhere to vent. It was like holding a piece of soft tofu in his arms; he didn’t dare use an ounce of extra force.

What damn bad luck—

He had been passing by on his way back to the residence just now when he saw this woman walk out of her room from a distance, dressed very improperly.

Not only was she wearing sleep trousers, but her upper body was covered only by a silk stole, which seemed to be the same one she wore when she entered the residence yesterday.

Moreover, her eyes were vacant and lifeless. She had no reaction upon seeing him, as if she were sleepwalking.

Under the moonlight, the woman’s exposed skin was as white as jade, shimmering with an alluring luster like a clear spring.

Xuan Rui suddenly felt a little thirsty. Seeing that she was still walking forward, he feared complications and had no choice but to go over and carry her back to her room first.

Who knew she would cling to him desperately like an octopus, her hands restlessly groping all over him.

Xuan Rui resisted the urge to throw her out, cursing inwardly. What the hell was this thing? Why hadn’t he kicked her to death yesterday?

Because his hidden guards were nearby and the current situation was extremely awkward, the first thing he did after entering the room was to close the window.

But the woman was incredibly restless. Although her whole body was draped over his shoulder, her two tender calves kept kicking wildly in the air.

He could only switch to holding her with one arm to prevent her from falling headfirst, while freeing up a hand to close the window.

But because of the large movements just now, the stole on her body was about to slip off. Xuan Rui, with quick eyes and hands, pulled it back and immediately covered her with it.

Just in that instant, he once again saw the small beauty mark on the woman’s left breast.

It was a rosy color, shaped like a cardamom seed.

He had practiced archery since he was a child, and his eyesight was beyond that of an ordinary person. In that brief glance, he could see that it was slightly different from before.

Xuan Rui sat her down on the windowsill. After a moment’s hesitation, his left hand gently pulled open the stole, his eyes carefully fixed on that spot.

Sure enough, to the right of the beauty mark, there was a new, faint, thin line. It looked like it was spreading toward her heart.

Having been in the northwest for more than ten years, he had witnessed some of the ancient methods passed down by certain clans. He secretly thought that the woman had most likely been cursed with a ‘gu’ by the Eerhai people, which would explain her abnormal behavior.

In the instant he was pondering this, the woman suddenly began to struggle violently again, losing her balance and falling toward the window.

Xuan Rui’s expression was calm as he pulled her back, wrapping his arm around her from behind to hold her securely. But immediately after, a rush of hot blood surged in his head.

As luck would have it, a woman’s soft moan drifted by his ear at that very moment.

For an instant, he wanted nothing more than to snap her neck or force that damn moan back down her throat.

The two of them stood overlapping, a significant height difference between them, and with him holding her from behind.

Even their shadows cast on the ground exuded an utterly ambiguous air.

The stole slipped from her slender shoulders again, leaving her upper body completely exposed to the air. The wind blew, sending shivers through her.

His iron-hard pectoral muscles were pressed tightly against her slender back. He frowned deeply and said viciously, “Shut up!”

A fierce gust of wind blew, making him suddenly realize that this was the despicable plan of the Eerhai people.

The woman’s seaweed-like long hair was swept by the wind onto his face, the strands spreading wantonly, slick and resilient.

Xuan Rui closed his eyes. Just as he was about to push her away, he heard her scream.