Chapter 123: Zhou Sinian Was in Trouble!

“Ming Dai shouted anxiously, ‘Zhou Sinian! Zhou Sinian! Wake up!’

As she called out his name, she quickly checked his pulse.

After feeling it, she was shocked by the condition of his body. All of Zhou Sinian’s immune systems seemed to be sounding the alarm.

The thing she feared most had still happened — Zhou Sinian’s body had completely lost control.

All the effort she had spent to maintain that delicate balance had crumbled overnight. His current condition was extremely dangerous.

What on earth had happened to him? What kind of stimulus had he suffered to collapse like this?

Following the direction where Zhou Sinian had been looking, Ming Dai noticed the box on the shelf.

In that moment, she regretted bringing back the tiger bone more than anything.

Zhou Sinian’s eyes were half-closed, his gaze unfocused. It was obvious he still had not regained consciousness.

Ming Dai dared not delay. Using the power of her space ability, she brought Zhou Sinian back to his room.

After placing him on the bed, she quickly fetched her medicine kit. She disinfected the tools in a hurry, ready to insert the acupuncture needles to stop the energy loss in his body.

But the moment she removed Zhou Sinian’s shirt, she couldn’t help but gasp.

A long claw mark stretched across his chest.

The twisted, swollen scar made it clear — this had once been a fatal injury.

And when she thought about Zhou Sinian’s unusual reaction earlier, there was no doubt in her mind: the tiger he feared so much was the very one that had left this wound.

Ming Dai’s heart tightened with anxiety, and her regret for accepting the tiger bone only grew heavier.

She continued to remove Zhou Sinian’s clothes as he lay unconscious on the bed. One by one, the scars were revealed — knife wounds, gunshot wounds, and other injuries of unknown origin covered the body that had only recently regained its strength.

Ming Dai struggled to steady her emotions and carefully inserted the needles.

Half an hour later, Zhou Sinian lay on the bed, his body bare, his face pale like gold paper. He was drenched in cold sweat, his cheeks flushed red, and his lips moved, murmuring something. Ming Dai leaned in closer and only managed to make out two words: “Run… quickly.” The rest was too faint to hear.

She had grown used to the carefree, untroubled Zhou Sinian, used to his strength and fearlessness. Now, seeing him collapsed and so fragile made her heart ache unbearably.

Even though she had known in advance how he ended in his previous life, the sight of those wounds still shocked her. How much pain must he have endured?

She could not accept that someone as full of life as Zhou Sinian would one day die alone in the mountains, possibly without even leaving behind a body.

In this life, no matter what, she would not let him meet that same fate.

Raising the temperature in his room, Ming Dai quietly left, went to the storage room, and gathered the necessary herbs to prepare medicine for him.

Not long after she left, the man lying on the bed slightly opened his eyes. His gaze was empty and unfocused, and he whispered weakly, “Ming Dai… Ming Dai… it hurts…”

Once the medicine was ready and had cooled slightly, Ming Dai brought it into Zhou Sinian’s room.

He was still unconscious, showing no signs of waking up.

Ming Dai first removed the needles from his body. After checking his pulse, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. His life force had been preserved. Now, the rest would depend on careful recovery.

At this moment, Zhou Sinian was like a beautiful porcelain vase covered in cracks — too delicate to endure any more strain. Most importantly, he had to avoid extreme emotions, whether joy or sorrow. Otherwise, even if she saved him this time, his lifespan would be drastically shortened, and early death would be unavoidable.

Seeing that both his body and the bedding beneath him were soaked with cold sweat, Ming Dai used her spatial ability to carefully lift him into the air. She gently wiped him clean and changed him into fresh clothes and bedding.

She was grateful that her spatial ability could help her in moments like this. Otherwise, with her small, slender frame, there would have been no way for her to move Zhou Sinian on her own.

Perhaps it was because he had been changed into clean clothes and given fresh bedding, but Zhou Sinian’s tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little.

Ming Dai lifted the bowl of medicine and began feeding it to him.

It took great effort to pry his teeth open and get the medicine in. But as soon as it entered his mouth, Zhou Sinian used his tongue to push it out, whining softly. It was obvious he found the bitterness unbearable.

After several failed attempts, Ming Dai let out a sigh. But there was no choice — he had to take it. She pinched his nose and forced the medicine down his throat.

Her technique was skillful; Zhou Sinian didn’t choke. But the bitterness made him stick out his tongue repeatedly, looking both pitiful and oddly adorable.

Ming Dai quickly made a bowl of honey water and fed it to him. Only then did he settle down and drift back into a deep sleep.

She sat quietly by his side for a while, watching him carefully to make sure there were no adverse reactions to the medicine. Once she was certain he was sleeping soundly and peacefully, she finally felt at ease.

As she gazed at his quiet, youthful face, Ming Dai found herself lost in thought.

There were so many contradictions in Zhou Sinian.

Sometimes, his innocence made people forget his age and height, making him seem only a little stronger than a silly child.

Other times, the strength and reliability he displayed made him feel dependable. Anything he promised Ming Dai, he always followed through with. With him around, she felt safe.

But tonight, the heaviness and pain lingering around him were shocking.

If she hadn’t been there, that weight of fear and regret might truly have taken him away.

Looking at his sleeping face, Ming Dai murmured softly, “What kind of secrets are you carrying on your shoulders?”

Once she was sure his condition was stable, Ming Dai carried a basket filled with the animal repellent medicine she had prepared earlier and went alone to the village chief’s house.

Seeing her arrive by herself, Aunt Huang was a little surprised. “What’s this? Zhou Zhiqing didn’t come with you?”

Because of Ming Dai’s influence and Zhou Sinian’s changes, the village chief’s family had already begun addressing Zhou Sinian more respectfully.

Ming Dai had been busy all morning and hadn’t eaten. Her face looked pale and a little tired.

“He caught a cold,” Ming Dai explained. “I didn’t let him come. I also wanted to tell you — for now, don’t let Tiedan and the others go looking for him to play. It’s best to avoid passing anything on to the children.”

Aunt Huang quickly nodded. “You take care of yourself too. You don’t look well.”

Ming Dai smiled but didn’t explain. She handed the basket to Hei Laohu. “Brother Huzi, this is the animal repellent medicine I made. I’ve already portioned it into small packets. You just need to put them into breathable cloth bags and hang them from the trees. Most wild animals hate this smell, so it should help.”

Hei Laohu took the basket with excitement and thanked her repeatedly.

Ming Dai was still worried about Zhou Sinian, who was resting inside her space, so she didn’t linger. After exchanging a few polite words, she quickly returned home.

Once inside the space, she went to check on Zhou Sinian first. He was still sound asleep, the feverish flush on his face had faded, leaving him pale — even paler than before, almost frighteningly so.

But Ming Dai knew this meant the internal heat had finally been released, and she felt a bit more at ease.

After quietly closing his door, she went to the kitchen, reheated some buns, and made herself a cup of warm milk.

Knowing Zhou Sinian wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, she cooked some soft porridge that would be easy for him to swallow later and placed it in the storage area to keep warm. Then she returned to sit by Zhou Sinian’s bedside, guarding him in case he woke up and couldn’t find anyone.

She waited for quite a while and eventually couldn’t resist laying her head on the edge of the bed, falling asleep herself.

Zhou Sinian slept through the entire day. In the end, it was the burning sensation in his stomach that finally woke him.

He struggled to open his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling for a moment before recognizing it as his own room.

He tried to sit up but found his entire body aching and weak, without the strength to move.

What had happened to him?

As he thought about it, he smacked his lips instinctively. There was a lingering sweetness — not the bitter taste he had expected.

Beside him, he heard soft, steady breathing. He turned his head and saw Ming Dai sleeping soundly, her face peaceful.

He moved his lips, but his throat felt stuck, as if glued shut — no sound came out.

He struggled to lift his hand and gently rubbed it against Ming Dai’s cheek.

Startled by the cold touch, Ming Dai woke up with a jolt. As soon as she sat up, she was met with Zhou Sinian’s large, pitiful eyes staring at her.

Stretching lazily, she smiled and asked, “You’re awake? How do you feel?”

Zhou Sinian moved his mouth, but still couldn’t say anything.

Ming Dai gestured for him to wait and went outside to pour a fresh cup of honey water.

When Zhou Sinian saw the water, his eyes lit up, and he struggled to sit up.

Ming Dai placed the bowl on the table, gently helped him up, and tucked two pillows behind his back.

“You don’t have the strength to hold it. I’ll feed you.”

At her words, he stopped struggling and obediently waited.

Ming Dai brought the bowl to his lips and watched as he gulped down the entire bowl in big swallows. Clearly, he had been very thirsty.

After finishing the honey water, the burning sensation in his stomach and the dryness in his throat eased.

He smacked his lips, savoring the lingering sweetness, and then rubbed his growling stomach, looking up at her pitifully. “Ming Dai, I’m hungry… I want grilled fish and braised silly deer.”

Ming Dai sighed. No matter the situation, nothing could stop a foodie’s longing for delicious food.

“Grilled fish and silly deer stew are out of the question,” she said. “I made porridge for you. Right now, you can only have porridge.”

Zhou Sinian looked a little disappointed, tucking his chin into the blanket and gazing at her with big hopeful eyes. “Porridge… Can you add some meat?”

Ming Dai softened a little. “Not right now. Tomorrow, I’ll make it for you. But today, it has to be plain porridge.”

Hearing this, Zhou Sinian looked at her with pitiful eyes and pleaded, “Ming Dai, can I have it with sugar?”

That, at least, was allowed. Ming Dai added some honey to his porridge.

When Zhou Sinian tasted the sweet porridge, he finally looked satisfied. If Ming Dai hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve tilted the entire bowl and poured it straight into his stomach.

After finishing one bowl, he asked for another, but Ming Dai refused — he had just woken up and couldn’t eat too much at once.

After asking twice and still being denied, Zhou Sinian finally gave up and lay back down obediently.

Ming Dai sat by his bedside, chatting idly and casually, while carefully watching his expression.

At the moment, Zhou Sinian seemed completely fine. The pain and distress she had witnessed that morning were gone, and he looked as carefree as he always did.

But whenever the conversation shifted toward anything related to the warehouse, he unconsciously avoided the topic.

This made Ming Dai worried that his condition might flare up again.