Chapter 7

Xie Ye let out a heavy cough from his chest, and in that instant, his face turned deathly pale. A mouthful of blood surged from his lips, and his frail figure collapsed. Li Jingci was shocked, quickly wrapping his arm around Xie Ye’s waist, catching him in his embrace, and shouted, “Someone, come quickly!”

The doctor and servants were bustling back and forth in the mansion. The room, which was originally used to hold prisoners, was now filled with the smell of blood. Warm water mixed with blood was changed basin after basin. A maid, trembling with fear, held a blood-soaked cloth, serving beside the doctor. They exchanged glances, seeing the fear in each other’s eyes.

The person on the bed had lost too much blood. His white inner clothes were stained with blood, and his pale lips trembled. He struggled to stay conscious, refusing to pass out, but his eyes were unfocused, staring blankly at the canopy above.

The doctor treating Xie Ye was a young man with handsome features, but from the moment he stepped into the room, his brows never relaxed. He reached out to check Xie Ye’s pulse, then instructed a servant to prepare some hemostatic and blood-circulating medicine. He then pressed several acupoints on Xie Ye’s body to block the pain, using acupuncture to counteract the internal injuries.

Xie Ye’s lips moved as if he was saying something, but his voice was so faint that it was almost indistinguishable. However, the doctor keenly lowered his head and asked, “What did you say?”

“Don’t save me…” Xie Ye said weakly.

Don’t save me.

His patient lay on the bed, pleading with him as if on the brink of death.

The doctor remained silent for a long time before saying, “I’m sorry, but this is His Highness’s order. I cannot disobey.”

Xie Ye closed his eyes in exhaustion and disappointment, saying nothing more.

Li Jingci waited outside the door all day. It wasn’t until evening that Xie Ye’s condition gradually stabilized.

Xie Ye had been secretly escorted to the capital by him. He couldn’t let the court know that the Mingyuan Pavilion Master was actually alive. Even when Xie Ye was on the brink of death, Li Jingci didn’t dare to openly summon the imperial physician to save him. Fortunately, his mansion housed many talented individuals, and Jiang Huaiyuan, who treated Xie Ye today, was one of his advisors.

This man had aspired to study medicine and save lives in his youth, but fate was unkind, and he never had the chance to take the imperial medical exam. Later, he was taken under Li Jingci’s wing and temporarily worked in the Second Prince’s mansion.

“You did well. If you want any reward, just let me know,” Li Jingci said, standing at the entrance, gesturing for Jiang Huaiyuan, who had just come out of the room and was bowing to him, to rise.

“To serve Your Highness is my honor. I dare not ask for a reward,” Jiang Huaiyuan replied humbly.

Seeing the bloodstains on him and his tired expression, Li Jingci said no more and waved him away.

Inside, Xie Ye was still unconscious.

Li Jingci clenched his fist, gripping so tightly that his palm bled.

He hadn’t expected that this person would truly seek death, using such extreme means to provoke him into action, just to die at Li Jingci’s hands.

But Li Jingci wouldn’t let him have his way.

The Mingyuan Pavilion Master had so much blood on his hands in his past life. If he were to die so easily, it would be too lenient, the Second Prince thought darkly.

Xie Ye’s injuries were severe. Li Jingci’s strike had indeed aimed for his heart, and surviving was a miracle.

The room was as cold as an ice cellar, with no heating in the winter.

When Xie Ye awoke from his coma, a snowstorm was raging outside. Snowflakes mixed with ice shards invaded through the drafty window, landing on his limp wrist. His skin was as jade-like as the snow, making it hard to distinguish between the two.

It was the chill that brought Xie Ye back to consciousness.

He opened his eyes slightly, his long black hair cascading down the pillow. His face was still as pale as gold paper. Li Jingci hadn’t locked him up this time, but there was no need. In Xie Ye’s current state, even if a knife was placed in his hand, he wouldn’t have the strength to wield it.

There was an argument in the room.

“Hey! His Highness said to keep him alive, but you just had to go and give him water. Born to be a servant!”

“This person is in a coma day and night, not eating or drinking. If he dies due to our negligence, His Highness would be justified in skinning you alive!”

These voices were familiar. Xie Ye, lying on the bed, vaguely remembered who they were.

One was the jailer whose ear he had bitten off in the dungeon, and the other was the servant who had secretly given him water at night and was beaten for it.

Xie Ye smiled bitterly. Choosing these two to guard him, Li Jingci truly didn’t intend to let him have an easy time.

He propped himself up slowly, the pain in his chest still intense but no longer life-threatening.

The two servants stopped arguing and looked over at him simultaneously.

The jailer snorted coldly, clearly not intending to check on him, and turned to leave. The other servant quickly stepped forward, supporting Xie Ye’s arm, and asked in a low voice, “Are you feeling better, sir?”

Xie Ye smiled, “I’m no ‘sir.’ My surname is Xie, and I’m a few years older than you. Just call me Brother Xie.”

The servant quickly replied, “How could I!”

Xie Ye placed his hand on the servant’s muscular arm, his fingers cold and his demeanor extremely weak. The servant dared not pull away, fearing that if he let go, this fragile beauty would shatter.

“What’s your name, young man?”

The servant replied shyly, “My surname is Zhao, and my given name is Ming.”

Xie Ye gently patted him, “Thank you for your help these days, Brother Zhao. As for the one outside, I’ll have to trouble you to keep him in check. In my current state, I’m afraid I can’t handle him.”

Zhao Ming immediately bowed, “Rest assured, Brother Xie. As long as I’m here, I won’t let that scoundrel near you!”

Xie Ye nodded slightly, his breath weak, to express his gratitude.

With Zhao Ming watching, the one-eared jailer couldn’t find an opportunity to cause trouble for a while. But he was quick-witted and soon reported to Li Jingci that the prisoner had awakened, but the other servant hadn’t informed him, asking His Highness to punish him.

Zhao Ming had just brought the freshly brewed medicine from the kitchen and watched Xie Ye drink it slowly. Li Jingci then pushed the door open and barged in.

“Your Highness,” Zhao Ming bowed and knelt low before Li Jingci.

Li Jingci, with a cold expression, gestured for him to leave.

The jailer, who had been gloating on the side, saw that His Highness had no intention of punishing Zhao Ming and couldn’t help but feel resentful.

Xie Ye showed little reaction to Li Jingci’s arrival. His injured wrist was too weak to hold the medicine bowl steadily, and it trembled slightly. Li Jingci stared at his slender, snow-white wrist, as if trying to bore a hole into it with his eyes.

Xie Ye took the last sip of medicine, the bitterness seeping into his lungs, clashing with the dull pain in his chest. He couldn’t help but grit his teeth, not wanting to show too much weakness in front of Li Jingci.

He had just placed the medicine bowl on the bedside when, in the next moment, he was grabbed with a forceful grip.

“What are you doing!” Xie Ye exclaimed in shock, instinctively trying to resist. But he was no match for Li Jingci, who grabbed his wrist, locked his waist, and pinned him down.

Li Jingci pressed him onto the bed, veins bulging on his forehead, eyes filled with rage as if they were about to burst into flames.

Xie Ye’s wounds hadn’t fully healed, and the pain made him gasp for breath, unable to speak coherently. He felt Li Jingci’s grip was like iron, holding him down tightly.

“Your Highness, have you finally realized that keeping me alive is useless and a waste of your mansion’s resources, and you’re planning to dismember me?” Xie Ye asked with a pained smile.

Li Jingci said nothing, just held him down. After a while, large tears rolled from his eyes, falling onto Xie Ye’s delicate collarbone.

Xie Ye’s inner garment was slightly open, torn and disheveled, with finger marks and tear stains crisscrossing his pale chest, giving off a fragile allure.

But he had no time to worry about that because Li Jingci was holding him on the bed, shedding large tears that rolled down his torn clothes and into his collar.

Xie Ye froze in place.

“Let go… Li Jingci!” Xie Ye finally reacted and began to struggle. He was being pressed so hard that his wounds ached, and he couldn’t breathe.

What terrified him even more was that Li Jingci, with one hand restraining him, was fumbling with his clothes. The bedding tangled, and Xie Ye soon found himself breathless from struggling, his hands pinned above his head, as Li Jingci forcefully kissed him.

Their lips and teeth met, hair mingling. Xie Ye bit down hard on Li Jingci’s lip, but it was futile. Li Jingci held his chin, ravaging his lips with such force that it brought tears to Xie Ye’s eyes.

“Who allowed you to seek death!” Li Jingci growled through gritted teeth, his breath hot against Xie Ye’s ear.

“You owe me a lifetime, and you dare try to end it by my hand…” Li Jingci suppressed all of Xie Ye’s resistance, covering his mouth with one hand, leaving only his tear-filled eyes visible. Amidst the disheveled hair, Xie Ye’s broken and weak state seemed to pierce Li Jingci’s heart.

“I won’t let you die,” Li Jingci vowed softly. “Pavilion Master, it’s best to abandon that thought.”

Xie Ye’s long hair scattered as he finally found the strength to push away his restraints, gasping out his first words.

Li Jingci expected him to cry, beg for mercy, or slap him after being treated so roughly.

But Xie Ye did none of those things. In this extreme confinement and violent suppression, he simply curved his eyes gently, his red, beautiful lips parting to utter words tinged with blood.

“Looks like I guessed your feelings correctly, Xiao Jing,” Xie Ye smiled weakly.

“What feelings?” Li Jingci, despite being the dominant one, instinctively followed his train of thought.

“The feelings you had for me since you were young,” Xie Ye said, bending his leg to press against Li Jingci’s lower body. “You say you hate me to the bone, yet you can’t bear to let me die.”

“Do you want to kill me, or… do you want me?”