Chapter 421: Does this count as protecting you? (1/2)

Chapter 421: Does this count as protecting you?

Han Yunxi soundlessly fainted on top of Baili Mingxiang, causing the detox system to grind to a halt. Nothing had gone wrong with it this time. Its owner was just far too exhausted. The morning that Baili Mingxiang had gotten into trouble was right after she’d pulled an all-nighter. Over the past five days, she and Long Feiye were too busy hurrying back and forth on the road. Though she caught a few snatches of sleep in his arms, it wasn’t much. With a human life at stake, she couldn’t relax enough to sleep. Moreover, she could hardly rest soundly when Long Feiye was working so hard to gain them speed.

The insides of her brain had been stretched taut over the last few days from tiredness and neglect. Thus, the moment she let down her guard, she collapsed. Outside the room, Long Feiye stood facing the courtyard, his hands clasped behind his back. General Baili paced back and forth, the two of them forming a guard.

After a while passed with no reaction from inside, General Baili couldn’t help but ask, “Your Highness, now that the medicine’s here, everything should be fine, right?”

General Baili dearly wished for His Highness Duke of Qin to go inside and take a look. Esteemed wangfei might lose her temper when others disturbed her, but His Highness Duke of Qin should be an exception to that rule.

“Mm,” Long Feiye replied. Generally speaking, he’d always been asked out of the room when Han Yunxi was doing her treatments. Never had he witnessed her at work. General Baili tried to speak up, paused, and gave up to resume his pacing back and forth.

The two of them waited and waited until someone suddenly cried out, “Someone! Someone come, ah!”

That’s Baili Mingxiang’s voice! What’s going on?!

Before General Baili had recovered his senses, Long Feiye was already pushing open the doors! When he saw Baili Mingxiang sitting up in bed with an unconscious Han Yunxi across her legs, his face filled with alarm before he found himself at a loss. Baili Mingxiang panicked as His Highness Duke of Qin headed her way.

Long Feiye picked up Han Yunxi and nestled her protectively against his chest before he demanded, “What happened here?”

Baili Mingxiang saw the bloodshot eyes and icy expression of His Highness Duke of Qin up close and was frightened mute. She had just woken up, so the last thing she remembered were memories from days ago. She had no idea what had happened. Impatience flitted across Long Feiye’s eyes at Baili Mingxiang’s reaction. He raised his voice and roared, “Baili Yuanlong, go find a doctor!”

General Baili had just entered the room and was equally shocked by the scene. He assumed that his daughter was in trouble, but it was actually esteemed wangfei. Fortunately, the doctors were all nearby, so he found one very soon. All of the physicians at the estate held His Highness Duke of Qin in reverence and awe, so the one that came in couldn’t help his knees going weak when they entered to see his icy, murderous expression. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before finally taking the patient’s pulse. As the room grew silent, Baili Mingxiang calmed down as well. Although she had no idea what had happened, she knew that esteemed wangfei must have come to save her.

After figuring out his diagnosis, the doctor’s heart sank back down in his chest. “Your Highness, please set your mind at rest. Esteemed wangfei collapsed from overexhaustion, so she’ll wake up after sufficient rest. It shouldn’t be anything serious.”

Thank goodness it wasn’t anything serious. Otherwise, he might kick me out of this room. His Highness Duke of Qin has a ghastly expression on right now!

Long Feiye pursed his lips into a thin, cold line. He cradled Han Yunxi in his arms and prepared to leave when General Baili spoke up.

“Mingxiang, hurry and thank His Highness and esteemed wangfei. If they hadn’t traveled nonstop for five days and five nights to find you medicine, you would’ve died already!”

Five days and five nights? Nonstop traveling? His Highness went as well?

So the reason esteemed wangfei fainted from exhaustion was my fault? And the reason that His Highness’s eyes look so bloodshot is because I tired him out as well?

Baili Mingxiang’s heart clenched. Ignoring her weak body, she hastened off the bed to kneel on the cold, hard floor and kowtow her head. “Thanks to Your Highness Duke of Qin and esteemed wangfei for saving my life!”

Long Feiye ignored her as she struck her forehead against the floor, refusing to reply in favor of take large strides out the door. He wasn’t even interested in knowing whether Baili Mingxiang had taken her medicine, much less if she’d recovered. Long after they left, Baili Mingxiang remained kneeling until General Baili pulled her up and had a doctor examine her.

The doctor marveled at her state after doing a thorough examination. “Imperial Physician Gu’s prescription really is marvelous. No major ailments are plaguing young Miss. You’re only too weak right now, so you need time to recover your body.”

General Baili rejoiced and rewarded the doctor before dismissing him. Bail Mingxiang finally spoke up. “Father, His Highness, he—”

Naturally, a father was privy to his daughter’s thoughts. General Baili told Baili Mingxiang everything that had happened in the past few days, including the updates on the Beauty’s Blood.

“You had to be disobedient! Esteemed wangfei told you to take your poisons slowly, but you just had to eat them all in one go! It was lucky that esteemed wangfei was only exhausted this time. If anything happened to her, see what would’ve become of you!” General Baili rebuked her.

Baili Mingxiang’s head drooped as she accepted the lecture. She hadn’t meant to eat 10 days’ worth of poisons all in one go. But that day, she’d been unable to bear the agony of her poisons acting up again and lost all sense of reason. In her pain-addled haze, she’d simply gobbled up all the poisons in sight until her memories turned blurry.

It was difficult to describe certain types of pain without experiencing them personally. She knew that any further explanation would be useless, because other people would only accuse her of being quarrelsome and contentious.