The cold blade made Qin Zheng shiver all over.

She instinctively said, “Your Highness, it’s me.”

The breathing behind her was heavy.

The sword, glinting with cold, was finally sheathed.

A hoarse and weak voice sounded, “Where is this?”

Qin Zheng turned around to see the Crown Prince standing weakly against the wall.

He held a sword in one hand and the other hand pressed against his chest.

Beads of sweat covered his forehead, and his originally pale face had a hint of abnormal flush.

Although it was inappropriate, looking at his overly handsome face, the words “excessively beautiful” popped into Qin Zheng’s mind.

She quickly stopped her thoughts and, after placing the pot on the table, went over to support him.

“This is the Qiyun Village in Liangyan Mountain. The girl we encountered on the pirate’s boat earlier is the sister of the village chief.”

The Crown Prince had lost too much blood and was feverish, weak all over.

He had to rely on Qin Zheng to help him back to bed.

Earlier, the men in the village had helped bathe him with warm water.

Now, Qin Zheng acted as a human crutch and felt how heavy he really was.

She couldn’t help but say, “The doctor said you need to rest your wounds. If you get out of bed when you wake up, it could cause trouble if the wounds reopen.”

The corners of the Crown Prince’s good-looking lips pursed into a cold straight line.

After a moment of silence, he said, “When I woke up, I found you were gone.”

He vaguely remembered before falling into a coma, they seemed to be in danger.

When he woke up, he thought Qin Zheng had encountered trouble, and his first thought was to save her.

So when he heard footsteps outside the door, he dragged his sick body behind the door, intending to ambush the person and find out where they were.

Luckily, it was all a false alarm.

Qin Zheng helped him back to bed, and upon hearing his response, she paused for a moment, her face turning red with belated realization.

If she hadn’t misunderstood, was he expressing concern for her?

Although the prince in the original book was a scoundrel, the person she had encountered after crossing over was clearly different from the character in the book.

Sometimes, Qin Zheng even doubted whether he and the prince in the original book were the same person.

She couldn’t help but cough twice. “I was afraid you’d wake up hungry, and since we can’t use the kitchen in the courtyard, I went to the main kitchen in the village to make some chicken soup for you.”

Qin Zheng saw a blush spreading across the prince’s face, induced by the warmth of embarrassment.

Instinctively, she reached out to touch his forehead, but her hand was intercepted by an equally hot palm.

The prince frowned at her, looking somewhat puzzled.

In such a situation, who should retreat would be awkward.

Qin Zheng put on a calm face, applying a bit of pressure with her hand until the back of her fair hand touched the prince’s forehead.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but the prince’s forehead seemed even hotter than before.

Under the prince’s deep and enigmatic gaze, Qin Zheng struggled to maintain her composure. “Your Highness, you have a fever again. It’s been recurring these past few days. I’ll use warm water and wine to soothe you later.”

The prince stared at her in silence, his large hand gripping her delicate wrist without letting go.

Qin Zheng felt like the circle of her wrist held by his palm was burning.

She tried to pull away with a little force but couldn’t.

Eventually, she had to speak up. “Your Highness.”

Only then did the prince release her hand.

Qin Zheng rubbed her wrist.

He hadn’t used much force, but she couldn’t pull away just now, and now there seemed to be a lingering warmth from his palm on her wrist.

“Did I hurt you?” A low, mellow, and hoarse voice suddenly came from above her.

Qin Zheng looked up and met the prince’s deep, unfathomable eyes.

She instinctively wanted to avoid his gaze, feeling as though beneath those seemingly calm and indifferent eyes, there lurked a beast weathered by time and desolation.

Qin Zheng shook her head hastily. “No.”

She averted her gaze, noticing the earthenware pot on the table.

It seemed like she had finally found a topic to end this awkward atmosphere.

She hurriedly asked, “Are you hungry? I’ll serve you a bowl of chicken soup.”

The prince was still running a fever, feeling weak all over, and didn’t have much appetite.

He didn’t want anything oily or heavy, but upon hearing Qin Zheng’s offer, he nodded slightly.

He hadn’t eaten anything for a day and a night; he needed to eat something to regain his strength.

Qin Zheng scooped a bowl of chicken soup for him and brought it to the bedside. Seeing how weak he was, she didn’t hand him the bowl directly.

Instead, she carefully blew on a spoonful of soup to cool it down.

As she puffed out her cheeks to blow, her long eyelashes drooped slightly, forming a graceful arc at the corners of her eyes.

Her skin was porcelain-white, almost poreless.

When Qin Zheng brought the spoon to the prince’s lips, he looked at her inexplicably, but didn’t open his mouth.

Qin Zheng thought he might still be following royal customs, where a silver needle would be used to test for poison before meals.

But at this point, where was she supposed to find a silver needle for him?

This guy really was difficult to serve.

After a moment’s thought, Qin Zheng took a sip of soup herself and then said, “Your Highness, the temperature is just right. Please drink.”

However, the prince didn’t take the spoon she offered but instead took the bowl directly. “I’ll do it myself.”

He tilted his head back and finished the bowl of chicken soup in one go.

When he passed the bowl back, he caught a glimpse of the gleam of water on its rim and quickly averted his gaze.

Qin Zheng asked, “Would you like more?”

The prince shook his head gently.

Knowing that people in sickness often had little appetite, Qin Zheng didn’t insist.

She instructed him to rest well and then took the dishes to the small kitchen in the courtyard.

As the magpie had said, the kitchen was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Qin Zheng quickly cleaned the stove, washed the pots and pans, boiled a pot of hot water, poured it into a wooden basin, added some cold water, and then poured in half a jar of strong liquor before carrying the basin into the room.

“Your Highness, you’re still running a fever. I’ll wipe you down with warm water mixed with alcohol to help lower your temperature,” Qin Zheng said as she twisted a cloth.

The prince remained in the same position he had been in before she left, leaning against the soft pillow.

He simply responded, “Thank you.”

Qin Zheng wiped his forehead with the cloth.

Remembering what the doctor had said earlier, that a fever could be life-threatening for him, she feared any oversight.

Worried that wiping his neck might help too, she said, “The doctor mentioned that we should also wipe the neck.”

The prince obediently loosened his collar a bit.

Perhaps due to the loss of blood, his skin was cold and pale.

Looking through the wide collar, the white bandage wrapped around his robust chest was faintly visible, showing his leanness despite the obvious muscle definition.

Though Qin Zheng had wiped him with warm water before, she found it particularly challenging this time.

Even though she tried to keep a straight face, her cheeks still felt warm.

Perhaps it was a bit embarrassing to wipe him while he was awake, Qin Zheng comforted herself.

Strangely, the areas she wiped with warm water seemed to heat up even faster than before.

As Qin Zheng prepared to continue wiping him, the prince grabbed her wrist, his palm astonishingly hot.

He said, “It’s enough, I’m much better now.”

With that, he released her wrist as if an electric shock had passed through him.

Afraid that there might be another issue with his health, Qin Zheng worriedly suggested, “Should I call the doctor to check on you? It’s not good for you to keep running a fever like this.”

Avoiding her gaze, the prince said, “It’s fine. I know my body.”

Hearing his response, Qin Zheng didn’t insist further.

To work more comfortably, she rolled up her sleeves to her elbows.

With sweat glistening on her cheeks, she wiped it away with her arm.

Her slender forearm kept catching the prince’s eye, so he closed his eyes.

Qin Zheng thought he must be exhausted and needed rest.

Before leaving, she reminded him, “I’ll be in the small kitchen. If you need anything, just call out, and I’ll hear you.”

The prince nodded slowly and added, “Don’t tire yourself out too much. I’ll take care of things once I’m feeling better.”

He always remembered that she was the illustrious prince’s consort, accustomed to wearing the most splendid robes under the heavens, residing in the grandest palaces, and having an endless retinue of servants.

Yet now, she was here, delicately handling everyday chores with hands that seemed more suited for handling precious gems.

Qin Zheng thought to herself that with his current condition, it would take at least a month to recover.

If the kitchen couldn’t be tidied up during this time, what would they eat?

But at least he was expressing concern, so Qin Zheng felt somewhat relieved in her heart.

She replied casually, “I understand. It’s not anything too strenuous. Your Highness, just focus on recovering.”

As the prince watched her walk away, he recalled the faint words he had heard before he slipped into unconsciousness:

“If you want to kill me, just do it.” In that moment, his gaze became complex and profound.