Guanshan Muyu

chapter 19

Xia Xun woke up thirsty.

His throat was dry and painful, his tongue and his palate seemed to be stuck together, and when he tried to swallow, he felt that his throat was on fire.

He sat up with his eyes closed, looking for water to drink, touched the side of the bed casually, and was firmly caught by a pair of soft, fluid  hands.

He woke up immediately.

When he looked up, he saw Zhi Gui’s face. Her eyes were very light in colour, glowing like ambers.

Before he could speak, Zhi Gui put a cup of warm tea into his hand.

After Xia Xun drank three or two sips, she added more. They repeated it several times, and finally Xia Xun drank a pot of tea in one go.

He drank in a hurry and there was water trickling on his chin. He wiped it off casually with his sleeve and felt a few strands of hair sticking to his face.

The hairpin He Cong had given him disappeared at some point and his hair was loose, unusual for him.

He asked Zhi Gui: “Where’s my hairpin?”

Zhi Gui glanced at the brazier hesitatingly. Xia Xun followed her gaze.

In the charcoal fire, the shape of a charred wooden hairpin was vaguely visible, together with the remains of a handkerchief next to it.

Zhi Gui told Xia Xun that it was Qi Yan who burned them. She said that after he fainted, Qi Yan carried him back.

The wounds on Qi Yan’s back kept bleeding and as he walked with Xia Xun in his arms, he left a trail of bloody footprints.

While Xia Xun was unconscious, the servants in the mansion cleaned up the mess for a long time.

“Qi Hui invited all the doctors from the nearby clinics. At that time, you were sleeping and couldn’t wake up. Some doctors treated you while others bandaged the lord. The room was full of blood. When the lord took off his clothes, he was bleeding—”

Seeing that Xia Xun remained unconcerned, Zhi Gui did not continue.

Xia Xun sat on the bed for a while before realizing that the sun in the sky was not rising but setting.

He lay down for a whole day.

His head was still hurting and the wound on his neck also felt very uncomfortable.

He watched the sunset for a while and asked Zhi Gui: “Do you have any food?”

The dinner was quickly served; Xia Xun tore off a piece of cloth from the bed curtain, tied his hair up and sat down at the table.

When he saw the dishes on the table, his appetite disappeared.

“Within only one night, did your Qi Mansion fall? Can’t you even afford to eat meat?”

There was porridge and side dishes on the table, and no trace of meat. There was also a bowl of dark liquid next to it. At first glance, it was some medicine.

The smell from the liquid quickly hit him in the face.

Zhi Gui comforted him:

“It’s all made for you in accordance with the doctor’s instructions. The doctor said that your diet should be light and not greasy. When your injuries are healed, you can eat whatever you want.”

Xia Xun frowned, picked up the crystal clear rice porridge, clamped his nose and poured it down.

Colourless and odourless white porridge was more difficult to drink than bitter medicine.