Chapter 55 : Stay Tonight

Song Ying yawned and was just about to blow out the lamp and go to bed when she heard a strange noise outside the room.

Faer looked at Song Ying, immediately blew out the oil lamp, picked up the nearest object, and rushed outside.

From inside the room, Song Ying saw Faer standing in the courtyard staring at the wall. She said in surprise, “Huh? It’s General Huo climbing the wall. He’s alive.”

Huo Zhen, who was halfway over the wall, chuckled and said, “You’re quite the joker, girl. Can a dead man climb a wall?”

Faer exclaimed, “Oh…. that voice is definitely General Huo. Miss, it’s really him!”

Song Ying opened the door, stood there, and asked, “Why don’t you use the front door?”

“I came to see you. Why would I go through the main entrance? And why are you wearing men’s clothes?”

The wall was quite high, and Huo Zhen hadn’t fully recovered yet. He lowered his head to search for a foothold.

The clever Faer ran back into the house, brought out a chair, and placed it under the wall. “General Huo, step here.”

Huo Zhen: “Hey, thanks.”

As he climbed over, Song Ying frowned, noticing how laborious his movements were.

When he got closer and she saw the sweat on his face, she asked seriously, “Are you sick?”

“No.” Huo Zhen wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. He didn’t want Song Ying to worry. “I just got tired from horseback riding.”

Song Ying noticed his fingers trembling slightly. She told Faer to wake Xiaomi, then said to Huo Zhen, “Come in.”

“Alright.”

Pointing at the bed, Song Ying said, “Sit there and take off your clothes.”

Huo Zhen’s eyes widened in disbelief and he tried to reason with her, “I know you missed me, but isn’t this a bit sudden? I just came to see you and explain that I didn’t mean to avoid you—”

Song Ying: “Just take them off. Why so much nonsense?”

Huo Zhen hesitated. Song Ying pressed again: “Are you a man?”

Huo Zhen, flustered: “Of course I’m a man! If I weren’t, how could I marry you?”

Song Ying: “Then quit stalling and hurry up!”

Yelled into submission, Huo Zhen quickly took off his outer robe and only the outer robe.

“I’m really fine.” Huo Zhen knew she wanted to see his wounds. He didn’t want to scare her, so he turned around and stood straight. “See? I’m fine.”

Song Ying: “Take it off.”

Huo Zhen dug in this time: “No, no way…”

Just then, Xiaomi walked in. Song Ying said, “Strip him for me.”

Xiaomi rolled up his sleeves, “Sorry, General Huo.”

Huo Zhen darted behind the screen. “No! Don’t touch me! I said I’m fine!”

Xiaomi chased him around the screen…

“Huo Zhen!”

Huo Zhen stopped and looked at the angry Song Ying. His heart trembled. He obediently sat down on the couch, closed his eyes, and said to Xiaomi, “Go ahead.”

Song Ying stood aside and watched as Xiaomi helped remove Huo Zhen’s clothes layer by layer.

When only his inner garments remained, a strong medicinal and fishy smell filled the air.

Xiaomi held his breath and removed the final layer, revealing the wounds on Huo Zhen’s back to Song Ying.

New scars over old ones, there wasn’t an inch of intact skin.

The worst part was the black medicinal paste covering festering wounds oozing pus.

Huo Zhen sighed. “I told you not to look. You’d be scared.”

Song Ying took away the clothes he tried to cover up with and said to Xiaomi, “Go get the medicine box.”

Xiaomi: “Yes.”

Song Ying sat behind Huo Zhen, carefully examining his wounds. “Where’s the medicine I asked your brother to give you?”

Huo Zhen: “Uh, I gave it to the brothers here. Really, my injuries only look bad. It’s just some bleeding.”

Show-off.

Without this ointment, he would have been dead.

Xiaomi set the medicine box down on an empty spot on the couch and asked, “Miss, which one do you want to use?”

Song Ying: “Go get a basin of hot water.”

Xiaomi: “Okay.”

Xiaomi went out. Faer was standing outside the door and poked her little head in. “Miss, do you need my help?”

Song Ying: “Go make some mung bean water.”

Faer: “Got it.”

Only Song Ying and Huo Zhen were left in the room, and in the quiet space, the only sound was each other’s breathing.

Huo Zhen suddenly felt a bit awkward and gave a light cough. “Aying…”

“Don’t move.” Song Ying was busy searching the medicine box for a suitable remedy.

She had come prepared. The people of Xiyue were known for their insidious tactics and often laced their weapons with poison.

The mild cases left people bedridden, while the severe ones resulted in instant death.

Judging from Huo Zhen’s wounds, he had been poisoned with Yinhong Powder, a substance frequently used by Xiyue.

This poison is highly toxic, it can break the skin and cause continuous bleeding and festering. It requires both internal and external treatment for seven days to stop the bleeding.

If it pierces deeper into the body, it causes massive internal bleeding and death.

Fortunately, Huo Zhen was a seasoned warrior. Knowing how dangerous this poison was, he had protected himself well and only suffered surface injuries.

Xiaomi returned with hot water, and Song Ying used a towel to gently clean the old ointment from Huo Zhen’s back, bit by bit.

Huo Zhen didn’t say a word and let her do what she needed. He trusted her completely.

Faer brought over the mung bean water. “Miss, should we give this to General Huo now?”

Song Ying took the bowl, added the medicinal powder she had prepared, stirred it with a silver hairpin, and then used her hands to apply the ointment to Huo Zhen’s wounds.

Her delicate fingertips moved across his skin. Huo Zhen’s back tensed and his ears turned red. “Ahem… maybe let Xiaomi do it?”

Song Ying ignored him. As she applied the medicine, she observed how the wound reacted to it.

The medicine the army doctors used was from older formulas, it could treat the illness but took too long.

She had prepared a new formula to shorten the healing time, but this was her first time trying it. Since Huo Zhen was here, she decided to test it on him.

“How does it feel?” Song Ying asked.

Huo Zhen shifted his back slightly. “Doesn’t feel like much, just hot and a little itchy.”

Song Ying: “You can handle a little itch, just don’t scratch.”

Huo Zhen nodded firmly: “I can endure it.”

Song Ying stood up and sat down in front of him.

Facing each other, Huo Zhen looked uneasy and didn’t dare to meet her gaze. He mumbled again, “Let Xiaomi do it. I feel uncomfortable when you’re here.”

“Uncomfortable?”

Huo Zhen’s face turned red. After a long pause, he stammered, “Well… just… don’t look at me… I mean, not like that, I just…”

Song Ying: “Then close your eyes.”

Huo Zhen obediently closed his eyes, but soon regretted it.

The temporary blindness made his other senses sharper.

He grabbed Song Ying’s hand, which had rested near his belly, and pleaded, “No, let Xiaomi do it.”

His voice was hoarse. Song Ying glanced at his lower abdomen, then handed the bowl to Xiaomi.

“You do it. After applying the medicine, wrap the gauze. Then take off his pants, treat all the wounds, and bandage those too.”

Xiaomi: “Understood.”

Song Ying walked out of the room and looked down at her hands.

There was still some ointment on them, along with the lingering warmth of his body.

Half an hour later, Xiaomi came out and said, “Miss, the medicine’s been applied.”

Song Ying turned back and entered the room. Huo Zhen was getting dressed.

She stepped forward and took his hand. “You just got your treatment. Don’t move around. Leave tomorrow morning.”

Huo Zhen thought he’d misheard and looked at her, slightly confused.

Then he heard Song Ying say clearly, “Sleep here with me tonight.”