Editor: Otwentyfirst
His cold, parched lips made her heart gave a jump. Trying to suppress her present emotions, she focused on slowly feeding him.
Dyed by the blood, their lips were scarlet red.
Her prior resolution began to falter and she wondered whether she was making the right choice in saving him? Would she regret this decision down the road?
With lips dyed red and eyes glinting with coldness, she didn't appear to be saving him, but rather biting him instead.
She had decided to save him because the people had begged her but deep down she knew a part of it was also due to her own selfish desires.
Dying in this way was simply too good of an ending for the likes of Ji Feng Li. She still had to defeat him and witness his suffering as he fell from grace.
Soon enough the cup of blood was fed.
Using a cloth, she wiped his lips clean and lowered him down to lay flat on the bed.
She had only heard of this method, but never tried it out before. Since she wasn't certain it would work, she didn't dare leave. She placed a wet cloth on his forehead and remained there. After two hours had passed, his fever seemed to have lowered somewhat and his breathing also calmed. She decided to feed him some more of her blood so she took the small dagger and inflicted another wound on her hand.
Near the break of dawn, she checked his forehead once more and found that his fever was completely gone. As long as his fever had subsided, his illness could be said to be half-cured. Hua Zhu Yu let out a sigh of relief, she didn't expect this method to be so effective.
She stood to leave but suddenly her wrist was seized by Ji Feng Li.
"Don't go…. Don't leave me…" his lashes quivered as his brows knitted together in discomfort as though he was having a nightmare.
Don't leave me? Who did he think she was? Hua Zhu Yu coldly smiled. Ji Feng Li had grabbed right at her wound, making her brows furrow together from the pain. Quickly, she withdrew her hand with force.
"Don't go…" he said in a voice tinged with pain as his hand reached out once more to take hold of her wrist. This time he held on tightly, like a drowning man grasping at straws."Don't go… Don't leave me… Mot…"
She couldn't catch his last words for he was mumbling under his breath, incoherently.
Who he didn't want to leave, she did not know.
His soft plea was steeped in anguish, making it hard for others to listen to.
Unknowingly, a sliver of pain gnawed at her heart.
Ji Feng Li came from an underprivileged background. To become the Left Chancellor that he was today, he surely must've endured countless hardships. In the beginning, she had agreed to the marriage precisely due to this reason. Within the capital city, there were many noble, distinguished men that only knew how to rely on their family backing like Huangfu Wu Shuang. She thought that it was admirable Ji Feng Li relied only on his himself and his abilities.
But this admiration was gone with the wind; she only held hatred for him now!
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Gazing at him coldly, she placed the cup down on the table. With her free hand she tried to remove his. Suddenly in this moment, his lashes flickered and his eyes opened, cold and clear, as he gazed at her silently.
Ji Feng Li was definitely one of a kind. He fever had just broke and he already regained his consciousness.
Not expecting this, she froze in surprise and the two were left in a strange position.
Ji Feng Li was holding onto her wrist while her other hand was holding onto his.
Abruptly, they both let go.
A complicated look surfaced in his eyes as he turned to look elsewhere.
She took a step back and said with a smile, "It's great that Lord Chancellor has awakened. I shall go prepare the medicine then."
"Wait!" His unfathomable eyes narrowed as he coldly stared at her before saying, "Nevermind. Call Lan Bing in."
Hua Zhu Yu sounded in assent. Before taking her leave, she made sure to take the bloodied cup with her. If someone saw they would surely figure out how she had saved him and she didn't want it made known to him that she had used her own blood just to save him.
She quickly left the room.
Lan Bing and several guards were waiting outside. Upon seeing her, Lan Bing rushed forward, asking, "How is Lord Chancellor?" With bloodshot eyes, he seemed like he would choke her then and there if she didn’t give him the answer he was looking for.
"Lord Chancellor called for you," Hua Zhu Yu replied before quickly leaving.
Resting on the bed, he looked at Lan Bing through narrowed eyes and asked, "Did Yuan Bao stay here last night? Was there no one else?"
Lan Bing replied with a smile, "Yes, Lord Chancellor! Not only were you sick, you were also poisoned. Imperial Physician Zhang had no means to save you yet Yuan Bao said he had a way so I let him stay here to take care of you but I don't know what method he used that could be this miraculous."
Ji Feng Li furrowed his brows as a coldness flashed in the depths of his dark eyes.
Last night when he was lost in consciousness, he vaguely sensed a pair of hands, cool to the touch, like the snow in early spring, appearing in the night, gently stroking his forehead. Though the fingertips were cold, the palm was warm. When placed on his forehead, it brought a sense of warmth he had never felt before. He also faintly felt something soft and delicate like the petals of a flower fall on his lips. He didn't know what it was, but what else on this earth could be that soft apart from….
Ji Feng Li suddenly shut his eyes, not daring to continue that train of thought.
"Lan Bing, call two guards over to wait on me. As for Yuan Bao, let him go take care of the other patients!" Ji Feng Li slowly instructed.
Lan Bing was not clear of the reason so he quickly asked, "Why? Wasn't Yuan Bao taking good care of you? If not for him…"
Ji Feng Li suddenly narrowed his eyes, glaring at Lan Bing. "No reason! Just do so!"
Lan Bing nodded in assent. Seeing Ji Feng Li's ice cold face, he didn’t dare continue questioning.
"Have you found anything in regards to the poison?" Ji Feng Li coldly asked.
"Tong Shou discovered that the poison was hidden in the candle, when lit, the poison evaporates into the air. It is an odorless poison and the dose is very small, only if one inhales it for long periods of time will one be poisoned. Imperial Physician Zhang had said that once your illness is controlled, he will make the antidote to detoxify the poison. During this time, many people came and went from your tent, they might have blended in with the patients." Lan Bing said in a lowered voice. "Don’t worry about these matters. Lord Chancellor, is there anything you'd like to eat, or how about you rest some more?"
Ji Feng Li nodded, "I'll sleep for a while longer."