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Tao'er walked to the windowsill, and the night breeze carried the fragrance of gardenias.

She saw that familiar person.

Her breath hitched; the figure by the window, almost blending into the night, was none other than Xiao Yi.

His usual white robe was now stained dark, like ink spreading on rice paper, yet it carried a metallic, sweet smell.

Her fingers gripped the window frame, her fingertips turning slightly white. "How could you…?"

The joy that had just begun to well up in his eyes was interrupted by the sudden burst of crimson into his vision. Xiao Yi leaned against the wall, his left hand pressed tightly against his right rib, dark red seeping out between his fingers, dripping down his wrist and making small, sticky sounds as it hit the stone slab.

His lips were drained of color, yet he managed a weak smile, managing to utter two hoarse words, "Tao'er..."

Tao'er frowned, her voice tinged with anxiety, "Don't speak, you're injured!"

Tao'er knew she couldn't carry him alone.

He turned around, slammed his palm heavily on the windowpane next door, and shouted anxiously, "Qingge, come out and help!"

Almost the instant she finished speaking, the window was pushed open from the inside, and a slender figure nimbly flipped out, landing silently.

The moment Qingge saw Xiao Yi, her pupils suddenly contracted, but she didn't ask a single question. She simply stepped forward and, together with Tao'er, supported Xiao Yi's arms on either side.

Xiao Yi's weight pressed down heavily, carrying a burning heat, and Tao'er's heart sank along with him.

There is a guest room in the courtyard, with clean bedding and a lit candlestick.

When the two placed Xiao Yiping on the bed, he let out a very soft groan, his brows furrowed, but he never opened his eyes.

Tao'er reached out to touch his forehead, and her palm was burning hot: Oh no! This guy has a high fever!

Looking at the fabric of his clothes near the wound on his ribs, it was soaked with blood and some kind of murky liquid, sticking to his skin.

"Qingge, go fetch some warm water, and be quick."

Tao'er's voice steadied, carrying a calmness that she herself was unaware of, as if it had sunk to the bottom of the water.

Qingge responded and left, the door closing gently behind her.

The only sounds in the room were the occasional crackling of the candlelight and Xiao Yi's heavy, uneven breathing.

Tao'er took out a leather pouch from her spatial storage, unfolded it, and inside were a row of silver needles, two small knives, a roll of bandages, and several small white porcelain bottles.

She picked out the sharpest pair of scissors, bent down, and carefully cut her clothes along the edge of the wound.

The fabric was stuck together with bloodstains, and when it was torn, it made a slight "ripping" sound. Xiao Yi's body tensed up for a moment.

With the wound exposed to the candlelight, Tao'er's breath hitched.

It wasn't a simple sword or knife wound; the edges of the wound were irregularly jagged, as if it had been torn apart by something.

The surrounding skin and flesh had turned black and swollen, with yellow pus mixed with blood seeping from the ulcerated tissue, emitting a nauseating odor of rust and rotting flesh.

The most terrifying thing is that from the depths of that black wound, several strange dark purple lines can be vaguely seen, spreading extremely slowly towards the surrounding healthy skin, just like living things.

Poison! This is poisoning again!

Good grief, this guy's really into drugs!

Tao'er gritted her teeth, her gaze darkening.

She recognized the poison as the Bone-Eating Vine, a parasitic plant found in the miasma forests of the far west. Those poisoned by it suffer festering wounds, and the toxins attack the heart along with the blood and qi. If it is not cured within three days, even a god cannot save them.

Judging from the condition of Xiao Yi's wound, at least a day and a night have passed.

Did this guy... force himself to ride back to find her?

There's no time to think about it anymore.

Tao'er uncorked a white porcelain bottle and poured out a bright green antidote pill.

These pills took her several months of painstaking effort to make, using a variety of precious medicinal herbs and spiritual spring water. They were originally prepared as a precaution.

There are only ten in total.

She pried open Xiao Yi's jaw with one hand, put the pill into his mouth, and then took the water pouch from the table.

It was undiluted spiritual spring water. Without hesitation, she poured half of the bag down. The medicinal effects needed to be dissolved in water, and the spiritual spring water would allow the medicine to exert its full potential.

Tao'er then took out a dagger, which Xiao Yi had given her, and now it came in handy.

She held it up to the candlelight, the flame licking the blade and gradually turning it a dark red.

She glanced back at Xiao Yi. He was unconscious, his face flushed an unnatural red from the high fever, his lips were dry and chapped, and there was a fine layer of cold sweat on his forehead.

She reached out and gently covered his clenched fist, feeling the heat and slight trembling of his palm.

"Bear with it, it hurts a little!" she whispered, unfortunately there was no anesthetic.

She'll have to make some herself another day.

I'll go back to the mountains and pick some herbs to make anesthetic; we might need them later.

The dagger fell.

The moment the red-hot blade touched the rotting flesh, there was a soft "hiss" sound, and a wisp of white smoke rose, carrying an even stronger stench of burning flesh.

Xiao Yi's body suddenly arched, convulsing violently as if struck by lightning. A suppressed cry of pain rolled out of his throat, but he never woke up.

Tao'er's hands were extremely steady. She held her breath and precisely removed the blackened and rotten flesh with each cut, each one showing clear decisiveness.

Dark purple poisonous blood gushed from the new wound, which she kept wiping with a clean gauze cloth until the blood gradually turned bright red.

This was the scene that Qingge saw when she pushed open the door carrying a copper basin.

Tao'er's wisps of hair were stuck to her temples with sweat, and the candlelight illuminated her focused profile as she swiftly brought down the knife without the slightest hesitation.

The warm water in the copper basin was quickly stained a shocking color, and it had to be changed three times.

Qingge handed over gauze, changed the water, and held down Xiao Yi's body, which occasionally twitched due to the pain. She watched Tao'er's skillful movements and felt a sincere admiration in her heart.

Although she had treated similar wounds many times before, none were as skillful and perfect as Tao'er's.

About half an hour later, Tao'er finally cleaned the wound and removed all the rotten flesh.

Then, he used silver needles to seal several large acupoints around the area to prevent the spread of poisonous gas, sprinkled on some high-quality wound medicine, and carefully wrapped the area with clean bandages layer by layer.

After doing all this, she straightened up and let out a long breath; her back was soaked with cold sweat.

She reached out and touched Xiao Yi's forehead again. The fever seemed to have subsided slightly, and his breathing was a little more steady than before.

"Qingge, it's almost midnight. Pack your things and go to the Liu family's old house to see if you can find anything."

Tao'er wiped the sweat from her forehead and gave instructions to Qingge. Her voice was tired from the event, but still clear.

"Okay, miss, I'll change my clothes and go."

And what about you?

"I have to stay with him; he might have relapses of high fever at night, so I can't leave him alone."

Qingge nodded, said nothing more, and turned to go back to her room.

She took out a set of night clothes from the closet and changed into them. Before her figure disappeared into the night, she glanced back at the room: Tao'er was gently wiping the sweat off Xiao Yi's face with a damp handkerchief, and the candlelight cast a warm shadow on her lowered eyes.

Qingge withdrew her gaze, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and silently swept over the courtyard wall, heading towards the Liu family's old residence.

The room fell silent again.

Tao'er moved a stool and sat on the edge of the bed, cupping Xiao Yi's cold hand in her palm and feeling the faint pulse at his fingertips.

With a sigh, I said, "You're destined for a bitter life too!"

Why am I always being poisoned and assassinated?

"Luckily you ran into me, otherwise you'd be dead!"

No one responded to her.