Lin Zhi took the medicine, glanced at it, and sniffed it under his nose. "It's not bad. The medicinal properties of a ten-year-old He Shou Wu are weaker, so we just need to add more."
"That's good... that's good..."
Cai Qing breathed a sigh of relief, a relaxed smile on her face, glad she hadn't made a mistake.
It didn't matter if the ten-year-old He Shou Wu had weaker medicinal properties, as long as it could be used.
"Then I'll go and brew the medicine right away."
Without further delay, Cai Qing busily picked up the medicine and hurried out.
Watching Cai Qing's retreating back, Lin Zhi couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. He never expected that Lu Shi, a simple-minded and somewhat dull person, would have a girl so devoted to him.
Then he looked at himself. He was clearly a man of talent, yet no girl was devoted to him like that.
Heaven was truly unfair... unfair!
After brewing the medicine, Cai Qing quickly fed it to Lu Shi.
She didn't know when Lu Shi would wake up. He had already taken the medicine, yet there was no sign of him waking up.
Cai Qing stayed by his side until after midnight when Lu Shi finally stirred.
When Lu Shi opened his eyes, he saw Cai Qing sitting by his bedside. His throat was extremely dry, and the moment he uttered a sound, his throat pained him.
The faint noise woke Cai Qing, who had been asleep. She instinctively stood up and opened her eyes, seeing that Lu Shi was awake.
"You're awake. Are you feeling unwell anywhere? I'll go and call Doctor Lin right away!"
The joy in Cai Qing's eyes was undisguised, and her voice was filled with excitement. Without waiting for Lu Shi's reply, she hurried to get Lin Zhi to check on Lu Shi.
As she stood up, her wrist was grabbed by Lu Shi behind her.
"What is it?" Cai Qing turned around and asked, thinking Lu Shi was feeling unwell. She inquired anxiously, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere? I'll go and call Doctor Lin right away..."
"I... I'm fine..."
Lu Shi forced out a few words with all his strength, and the pain in his throat intensified immediately.
"I want... want to drink... a sip of water..."
"I'll go and get some for you right away."
Understanding what Lu Shi meant, Cai Qing quickly got up and fetched a cup of water to give to him.
"Do you want more?"
The dryness in his throat had eased considerably. Lu Shi shook his head. "No, it's much better."
Their eyes met, and a wave of awkwardness instantly filled the air.
Cai Qing quickly lowered her head. "Well... well, the Young General and the others were in a hurry to return to the capital, so they left first... With your serious injuries, they were worried about further accidents on the road, so they found this residence for you to rest for a few days until your injuries heal before rushing back to the capital."
Lu Shi's eyes sharpened. It must have been something extremely important for the Young General to choose to leave ahead of time.
With this realization, Lu Shi instantly became restless and threw off the covers, intending to stand up.
"What are you doing? You can't move around now. Don't you know how badly you're injured! Madam and Doctor Lin saved you all night and pulled you back from the brink of death!"
Cai Qing scolded him angrily and pushed Lu Shi back onto the bed. "Don't move around anymore. I'll go find Doctor Lin to examine you again."
Fearing that Lu Shi might run off again, Cai Qing closed the door behind her when she left.
She searched the entire courtyard and found Lin Zhi, then she hurriedly pulled him away.
"Slow down, girl. How can you have so much strength?"
"Doctor Lin, Lu Shi is awake. Please hurry and come and see him."
Cai Qing said in a hurried tone, dragging Lin Zhi forward, her feet not daring to slacken for a moment.
Upon reaching the room, Cai Qing pulled Lin Zhi to Lu Shi's side. "Doctor Lin, please examine him quickly."
Lin Zhi placed his hand on Lu Shi's wrist, his expression calm, betraying no emotion.
"Doctor Lin, how is he? Is there anything wrong?" Cai Qing asked with some concern.
After a brief pause, Lin Zhi withdrew his hand. "He's fine. He's recovering well and needs a few more days of rest. For now, avoid any strenuous activity. Your wound hasn't healed yet. If it splits open, I don't have Madam's skill to stitch it up."
Upon hearing this, Cai Qing quickly urged Lu Shi to lie down. "Just listen to Doctor Lin. For the next two days, try not to get out of bed. If you need anything, tell me, and I'll get it for you."
"He just likes to scare people. I'm already much better."
"As you wish. If you don't listen, I can't do anything about it, but you'll have to bear the consequences. I'll be leaving now."
Lin Zhi casually threw out a remark and then got up to leave.
However, Cai Qing took Lin Zhi's words to heart and absolutely refused to let Lu Shi get out of bed.
"If you hadn't saved me, you wouldn't have gotten injured. Let me take care of you these few days. Only when you're well can I be at ease."
If something were to happen to Lu Shi, she would be tormented by guilt for the rest of her life. Fortunately, Lu Shi was out of danger, and she could finally relax the heart that had been suspended for days.
"I saved you willingly. If something had happened to you, I... I..."
He never regretted saving Cai Qing. As long as he could save Cai Qing, he would be willing to give his life.
However, these words stuck in his throat and he couldn't speak them.
"In short, it's good that you're alright."
After saying this, Lu Shi turned his head away, avoiding Cai Qing's gaze.
"Then you rest first. I'll send a carrier pigeon to Madam to inform her that you're awake."
...
"Madam, please have some water and rest for a while before we continue our journey."
Chu Qing handed Feng Jin a cup of warm water. They had been traveling all day without any time to rest.
They only had a brief moment to dismount and stretch their legs during meal times. Sitting in the carriage for an entire day made their bones ache.
Feng Jin ate a few bites of the dry biscuit and felt full. Perhaps it was because the dry biscuits were very filling, or perhaps she had been eating them for days, she had lost all appetite.
"Madam, you should eat more. We might not have a place to eat tonight."
Cai Qing offered Feng Jin a pastry, urging her to eat a little more.
"I won't eat anymore. I'll eat when I'm hungry."
Having eaten this for several consecutive days, she truly had no appetite anymore. She really couldn't eat these things.
Especially now that they were getting closer to the capital, she really missed all those delicious foods.
She hadn't had a proper meal in a long time, and her stomach had been neglected for a while.
"You eat more. I'll go sleep in the carriage first."
The road had been bumpy all along. She would be jolted awake soon after falling asleep. Taking advantage of this moment when the carriage was stationary, she needed to catch up on some sleep. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to sleep once the carriage started moving again.