Jiang Rao was momentarily struck dumb, as if she had lost her voice.

In the middle of a freezing winter day, amidst the heavy snow, she broke out in a cold sweat.

What… what is he doing here?

She quickly rolled off him, crouching down to help him up, only to see his eyes closed, his face pale as if he had fainted.

Jiang Rao was frantic.

She hurriedly draped his arm over her shoulder, trying to use her body to support him, hoping to lift him.

But despite his weakened condition, he was still taller than her by a whole head. His muscles, honed from years of martial training, were solid and not something a delicate and powerless girl like Jiang Rao could support on her own.

She turned her head to shout for Ming Shao. “Ming Shao, hurry up and help me!”

Ming Shao rushed over, her fingers barely touching Rong Ting’s arm when his eyes suddenly snapped open. His gaze was sharp and venomous, like a poisonous snake that had just emerged from the darkness. There was a thick mist in his eyes that felt almost tangible. “Don’t touch me.”

His voice was hoarse and weak, interrupted by a harsh cough, but it carried a chilling warning.

Ming Shao’s hand froze in mid-air, and she quickly withdrew it, trembling.

Jiang Rao recalled his strange aversion to others getting too close, and she immediately became nervous, wondering if she should take advantage of his momentary distraction to quickly release his grip on her waist and shoulders.

But just as she hesitated, he leaned in, pressing all his weight onto her.

His cheek was pressed against her shoulder blade, his head resting on her shoulder, and his disheveled hair fell in strands across her chest. When he closed his eyes, the previous murderous and cruel energy faded away, leaving behind only the image of a pitiful, sickly beauty.

His breathing was shallow and rapid, as though he was enduring immense pain. The heat of his breath lingered against Jiang Rao’s neck, making her skin itch from the warmth.

In that moment, Jiang Rao suddenly realized—

When she fell, she must have landed on his injured legs.

A chill shot through her body. She quickly turned to Ming Shao and shouted. “Ming Shao, go fetch a doctor!”

…

Before the old doctor arrived, Rong Ting had completely passed out.

Jiang Rao was frantic, like an ant on a hot pan. She gathered all her strength and carefully lifted him onto her back. Every step was a struggle, but she gritted her teeth and carried him into his room. She laid him on the bed, sweat dripping down her forehead from the exertion.

When the old doctor arrived, Jiang Rao anxiously waited by his side, her heart in turmoil as she awaited his diagnosis.

She leaned against the edge of the bed, her heart racing. She was desperate to ask the doctor how the young man was doing, yet afraid that her movements might disturb him while he examined him. She bit her lip, trying not to make a sound.

The old doctor frowned throughout the entire examination, and after checking Rong Ting, he shook his head repeatedly.

Jiang Rao immediately asked. “Doctor, how is his leg?”

The old doctor interrupted her, still frowning, and scolded. “How careless can you be? Even if he’s your future fiancé and you have a close relationship, you shouldn’t have just jumped on top of him!”

“Eh?” Future fiancé? Jiang Rao froze for a moment, then her pale face immediately turned bright red. “N-No, he’s not my… future fiancé…”

She hadn’t jumped on top of him either…

“Not?” The old doctor muttered, though his gaze was filled with suspicion.

The last time he made a house call, this young man had refused to take any medicine from anyone except her, and he seemed especially close to her. Today, seeing how worried she was, he grew even more convinced that they had an unusual relationship. Seeing that they were both young and not yet of marriageable age, he assumed they must be betrothed.

Besides, they looked so well-matched, it seemed odd to think they weren’t a couple.

Jiang Rao didn’t know what the old doctor was thinking. Her face flushed with embarrassment, she suppressed the shyness in her heart and asked. “Doctor, please tell me—what’s wrong with his leg?”

The old doctor sighed deeply. “His leg injury was clearly improving over the past few days, but after the heavy impact today, I’m afraid…”

Heavy impact—meaning Jiang Rao. Her heart immediately sank to the bottom of her chest.

The word “afraid” made her feelings feel as heavy as if they were dragging her down, and her voice caught in her throat. “Is—Is it… going to be beyond recovery?”

The old doctor’s voice was grave as he sighed in pity. “I fear there’s nothing I can do. Perhaps only someone as skilled as Hua Tuo in his prime could save him. For now, I’ll prescribe some medicine to ease his pain and help him wake up. Beyond that, I’m afraid there’s nothing more I can do.”

Jiang Rao froze, her body numb.

She looked at Rong Ting, her gaze trembling.

He lay there, eyes closed, pale, his entire body engulfed in an aura of illness. If it weren’t for this sickness, he would have been vibrant and full of life, brimming with energy.

Jiang Rao’s heart churned with immense regret.

If only she hadn’t come to disturb him.

Since the moment she met him, both times he had fainted were linked to her. She had promised to treat him well to avoid retaliation, but now, it was she who had caused his legs to be beyond healing…

The guilt weighed heavily on her like a massive stone pressing down on her, and the flood of regret nearly suffocated her, threatening to drown her in despair.

Her long lashes slowly became damp with tears, and two lines of tears silently streamed down from her reddened eyes.

…

Back at home, Jiang Rao, in a panic like a desperate patient, locked herself in her father’s study and began searching through medical books.

But no matter how many pages she turned, how could she, someone who had only picked up a few books on a whim, match the skill of an old doctor who had spent his life practicing medicine?

The old doctor had said the injury was incurable—if he couldn’t do it, then no one could.

Jiang Rao knew this deep down, but the more she understood it, the more bitter and hopeless she felt. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to give up. In just two days, she had grown thinner. The baby fat on her cheeks was visibly gone, and her once vibrant face now bore signs of sorrow and exhaustion.

She hadn’t gone to see him in the past few days. It was because she had been afraid of him, but now, she was a criminal who had ruined his life. How could she face him?

Jiang Rao even found herself resentful of the dreams she had.

What was the point of knowing the future? What was the point of trying her best? Despite all her efforts to change the outcome of those dreams, none of them had ever changed. It was always the same tragic end. So what use were those dreams to her?

She had been feeling down for several days, until one night, she had another dream.

In the dream, she found a way to cure the young man’s leg injury.

There was a renowned divine doctor in Dazhao named Ren Fuqing, who could heal almost any ailment. However, he was a free spirit by nature, and in his youth, he had a rivalry with his father. He rejected authority, cared little for imperial power, and refused to serve as a court physician. Instead, he chose to be a wandering healer, setting a personal rule: “I will never enter Jinling.”

Recently, he happened to be passing through Ye City.

However, due to the heavy snow, although Ren Fuqing had passed by Ye City, he chose to take a detour.

In her dream, Jiang Rao could only watch helplessly as he moved farther away, unable to do anything. She was so desperate that it felt like her heart was bleeding. She woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, gasping for breath.

In the pitch-black darkness, Jiang Rao sat up in bed, her heart pounding like a drum. She placed her hand over her chest to calm her frantic heartbeat, murmuring to herself in a daze. “Ren Fuqing…”

Before fully waking, the last image that lingered in her mind—

Was his carriage traveling down a snow-covered mountain path, only to plunge off a cliff at a sharp bend.

But at that moment, Jiang Rao couldn’t afford to think about anything else.

The thought that the divine doctor who could heal the young man’s leg was about to pass through here lifted the weight that had burdened her heart for days. It was replaced with a feeling of wild joy and urgent hope.

=^_^=