They soon arrived at the clinic. The air inside was thick with the smell of medicine, and the long benches in the main hall were packed with people.
An attendant climbed a ladder to retrieve herbs, while the drawers of the medicine cabinet gave off occasional soft clicks.
Ji Zhaoxi and Fu Xianyan sat on a bench. She munched on snacks while watching the busy apprentice scurry back and forth for medicine.
The sky gradually darkened outside. Ji Zhaoxi glanced at Fu Xianyan, who had his eyes closed, and asked softly, “Fu Xianyan, are you sleepy?”
Fu Xianyan was silent for a moment before shaking his head. “No.”
His brows drew together slightly, and his fingertips had gone pale.
Just then, a few raindrops fell outside the window, and the wind began to pick up.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at Fu Xianyan’s pale face, then at the older woman beside them who was holding a child. Without a word, she closed the window.
Before long, the rain grew heavier. Wind drove threads of rain through the cracks in the window, bringing the chill into the clinic. The air filled with the scent of wet earth.
Unable to resist, Ji Zhaoxi finished the rest of her snacks.
She glanced at Fu Xianyan again and poked him. “Fu Xianyan, are you feeling unwell?”
Fu Xianyan gave a quiet hum. “It’s raining.”
He had spent years dealing with venomous creatures. Whenever the weather turned cold and rainy, the chill would seep into his body, causing a dull ache to spread through his bones.
Fu Xianyan looked at Ji Zhaoxi, whose face was rosy and healthy, and suddenly felt an itch in his fingers.
Ji Zhaoxi sighed. “Your health is far too poor.”
And he didn’t even like to eat. What was she supposed to do with him?
Her father had forced her to eat plenty of meat ever since she was little, which was why she had such a strong constitution now.
At last, it was their turn.
Ji Zhaoxi and Fu Xianyan entered the inner room. Without even looking up, the physician expertly placed two fingers on Fu Xianyan’s wrist.
As he felt the pulse, the physician’s brows furrowed. He looked up at Fu Xianyan.
“Miss, please take a seat.” The physician turned to Ji Zhaoxi.
Ji Zhaoxi sat down in a daze. She wasn’t the one here to see a doctor.
The physician felt her pulse and nodded. His fingers hadn’t been mistaken.
He then took Fu Xianyan’s pulse again. His expression grew solemn, mingled with bewilderment.
“Young man, your constitution…”
The physician hesitated.
Fu Xianyan was so deeply poisoned, yet he was still alive and well.
Was he even human?
Seeing how serious the physician looked, Ji Zhaoxi said sadly, “Doctor, he’s been poisoned.”
The physician stroked his beard and sighed with emotion. “Poisoned? He’s practically the Poison King!”
“The Poison King?!” Ji Zhaoxi exclaimed. “That powerful?”
The physician gazed at Fu Xianyan with undisguised admiration.
If only this young man weren’t human. If he were some sort of animal—or perhaps a plant—and all those poisons could be extracted from him, what an incredible treasure that would be.
A look of regret crossed the physician’s face.
Ji Zhaoxi had no idea what the physician was regretting. She merely imitated his manner and let out a solemn sigh.
Fu Xianyan, who had witnessed the entire exchange: …
Although the physician could do nothing about the poison in Fu Xianyan’s body, he could treat the superficial injuries on him—such as the wound on someone’s neck.
Outside, the rain grew heavier and heavier, and the entrance to the clinic was covered in muddy footprints.
The two of them sat beside the medicine stove, warming themselves by the fire. Its heat slowly seeped into their bodies, but the chill in Fu Xianyan’s bones refused to disperse.
Fu Xianyan had long grown accustomed to the pain. Ji Zhaoxi kept talking beside him, and he listened with his eyes closed, responding with an occasional hum.
“Fu Xianyan, you’re so pitiful. You should eat more from now on.”
“I wonder how Miss Qin and Young Master Xu are doing…”
“The rain outside is so heavy.”
…
Fu Xianyan sat silently with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he felt something soft bump against his arm.
He slowly opened his eyes. His vision was a little blurry. Ji Zhaoxi had squeezed in beside him and was rummaging through the bundle in her lap with her head lowered.
She was probably looking for something to eat again…
Fu Xianyan let her press against him. Her scent gradually drifted over.
It was faint, carrying a trace of medicinal herbs and the warmth of clothing heated by the fire. It was impossibly gentle.
“My glutinous rice cake seems to have fallen out…” she said miserably.
Fu Xianyan couldn’t help moving a little closer to her. Her scent surrounded him, and the restlessness in his heart gradually eased. His entire being felt as though it had sunk into a thick, soft blanket.
The rain continued to pour, showing no sign of stopping. The people standing outside the clinic wore deeply troubled expressions.
“Everyone, have some hot tea first.” The medicine apprentice handed cups of steaming tea to the people inside the clinic.
Then he suddenly remembered that there were two more people in the decocting room.
When he reached the back courtyard, he found the two of them asleep against the wall. The man had been squeezed into the corner, while the woman leaned back comfortably, sleeping as soundly as could be.
With the medicine stove burning, the room was much warmer than the main hall.
The apprentice’s mouth twitched.
Which one of them was actually the patient?
He set the tea down on a stool and went back outside to continue working.
Rain pelted the wooden window. Sparks occasionally leaped from the charcoal in the brazier, and the bitter medicinal scent was softened by the heat of the fire.
The two of them sank deeper and deeper into sleep.
The attendants came and went through the decocting room, but it did nothing to disturb them.
No one knew how much time had passed when Qin Qiwu and Xu Ancheng arrived at the clinic with umbrellas.
As soon as they entered, they saw Fu Xianyan lowering his head as he polished his sword. Ji Zhaoxi had squeezed him into a huddled position, leaning against him and sleeping soundly, her face flushed from the heat of the fire.
“Young Master Fu.”
Qin Qiwu called out with a smile. A trace of chill from outside clung to her.
“The rain has stopped. Let’s head back now.”
The umbrella in Xu Ancheng’s hand dripped steadily onto the floor. His eyes curved into a smile. “If it starts raining again later, we really won’t be able to make it back.”
The three of them turned their attention to the person sleeping soundly beside them.
Qin Qiwu was just about to wake Ji Zhaoxi when Fu Xianyan spoke after a moment of silence.
“It’s fine. I’ll carry Miss Ji back.”
“Young Master Fu?” A look of surprise appeared on Xu Ancheng’s face.
Qin Qiwu blinked. “That would be wonderful.”
That way, Miss Ji could sleep a little longer.
It was just that Young Master Fu looked so frail. Could he really carry her?
Fu Xianyan awkwardly lifted Ji Zhaoxi onto his back. He had never carried a person before. The only things he had carried were the venomous creatures he raised—and those had always been transported basket by basket…
People were different from venomous creatures. He carefully adjusted his posture, afraid that he might drop the person on his back.
Qin Qiwu was just about to comment on how soundly Ji Zhaoxi slept—she hadn’t even woken up after all that—when she looked up.
Ji Zhaoxi was staring at them with a thoroughly bewildered expression, her face still heavy with sleep.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
Fu Xianyan assumed he had carried her improperly and cleared his throat.
“I don’t have much experience carrying people. I’ll get better after a few more attempts.”
Xu Ancheng looked from Fu Xianyan to Ji Zhaoxi and scratched the back of his head.
But Miss Ji was awake now, so there was no need for him to carry her anymore.
Still, judging from Young Master Fu’s expression, he didn’t seem to mind carrying her at all…
