Huh?
What was going on?
Mu Qing, who had just narrowly escaped being trampled by an ox, was utterly baffled. But with her savior collapsed in front of her, she couldn’t just leave him lying there… Besides, something about this felt a little too sudden—he had seemed fine just a moment ago, and then he just dropped?
She flashed a trademark smile at Xueli, who was panting, tear-streaked, and had only now managed to reach her side. “I’m fine, Xueli, don’t cry. I’m totally okay, don’t worry.” Before the girl could launch into her usual fretting, she stuffed the still-sobbing child into her arms and gestured for her to look after him. Then she turned her attention to checking the condition of her savior.
First order of business: get that obstructive veil off.
She had no idea why this man was dressed so conservatively, especially with such tight concealment, but with him unconscious, any reason for it would have to wait.
Mu Qing knelt beside the man and murmured a soft “forgive me” before gently lifting his veil.
And then she froze.
Underneath the white veil was a breathtakingly handsome face.
No—not just handsome.
“Stunning enough to topple a nation” would not be an overstatement.
Faced with such beauty, it wasn’t just her—caught off guard by the full impact—who fell into a daze. Even Xueli, who had just begun her usual flurry of concern, suddenly fell silent. Even the toddler, who had been crying nonstop, abruptly stopped.
Fortunately, voices called out from afar, snapping Mu Qing out of it first. Remembering how she’d just lost herself staring, her face flushed red with embarrassment. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. So this is what they mean by “astounding beauty”…
No wonder he wore a veil—with a face like this, things like “fruit-filled carriages drawn by admirers” were no exaggeration at all.
But the beautiful young man wasn’t looking good.
His face was deathly pale, and his eyes remained shut. Mu Qing checked his breathing first—weak, but he was alive.
When she touched his forehead and hands, they were unnaturally cold.
His pulse was so faint she almost thought he was dying—which meant he wasn’t dead, but probably close?
That scared her a little. She knew next to nothing about medicine, and thinking back to this man’s earlier display of agility, scenes from martial arts dramas flashed through her mind—was he suffering from some terrible injury or deadly poison?
This was definitely outside her area of expertise. She had to find a physician, fast.
Judging from the voices earlier, the rampaging ox must’ve already been spotted and likely subdued.
If Xueli went back to the village with the child now, she should be able to get help—and given that she’d just saved a child, they’d probably be quick to lend a hand.
Thinking this, Mu Qing quickly turned to the still-stunned Xueli. “Xueli, this gentleman doesn’t look well. Take the child and go ask the villagers—see if there’s a physician nearby. Hurry, bring someone to help!”
Xueli finally snapped out of it, her face flushing as she nodded and rushed off with the child in her arms toward the village.
That left Mu Qing alone to watch over him.
She tried to recall the few scraps of emergency aid knowledge she had, wondering what she could do to ease the handsome man’s… ahem, her savior’s… condition, or at least buy a little more time.
Since he was still breathing, artificial respiration wasn’t needed for now.
Besides mouth-to-mouth, what other first-aid methods were there?
Her already limited knowledge of emergency response had been dormant for more than a decade—it was practically nonexistent now.
So this is what “regret not studying enough when you need it” feels like!
Mu Qing felt the urge to punch the ground in frustration, but seeing the blood on her own arms made her stop that particular self-harming idea.
But the sight of her injuries did remind her—while she didn’t know medicine, she’d been to hospitals before.
Whether modern doctors or ancient physicians, the basic diagnostic process was the same: “look, listen, ask, and feel the pulse.”
If he had fainted, wasn’t it best to ensure his airway was clear?
And such a pale face—was he suffering from blood loss? Maybe he had a serious wound?
Could falling earlier have made it worse?
Yes, all of that was possible. She needed to check.
With that in mind, Mu Qing quickly knelt up and reached for the handsome man’s collar, loosening the tightly fastened neckline of his inner robe.
Though he wasn’t dressed heavily, the layers typical of ancient attire made it tricky. She had to undo them one by one, but Mu Qing was patient and fast. Soon, she peeled them back to reveal a white, flawless chest.
It was, admittedly, very pleasing to the eye—a beauty overload—but Mu Qing knew this was not the time for fangirling.
Time to get serious.
Good—his chest muscles were firm. No visible wounds so far.
Further down, she couldn’t see clearly…
Mu Qing reached for his belt. But just as her fingers touched the edge, her hand was suddenly caught in a tight grip.
“Ow! Ow! Ow!”
She cried out in pain and quickly let go.
Looking up, she saw that the handsome young man had opened his eyes at some point.
He had been gorgeous with his eyes closed. Now that they were open, he was downright stunning.
“Take it off.”
Mu Qing blinked, momentarily confused.
When he pointed to her arm and repeated himself, she looked down and realized what he meant—her blood had stained his clothes.
Bright red splotches on his pristine white robe—very eye-catching. Though Mu Qing was a bit carefree at times, she was always considerate when it came to others.
She quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, sir. I stained your robe. I didn’t mean to. Once we get to Linqing City, I’ll buy you a new one.”
She was about to say more when she noticed his complexion worsen—paler than before, sweat dripping down his face. Alarmed, she leaned in and placed her hands on his shoulders.
“Sir, are you alright—”
The closer she got, the worse he looked. The unmistakable rejection in his reaction finally clued her in.
Given how tightly he’d shut his eyes earlier, Mu Qing suddenly had a bold thought—
“Wait, are you… a clean freak…? I mean, do you hate being touched? I wasn’t trying to strip you or anything! I just thought maybe you had a serious wound and I should check for it first… How was I supposed to know you’d pass out just from being touched… Really, I just wanted to help. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”
At her words, the man clearly flinched, reopening his eyes to look at her with an expression of… complex emotion.
Mu Qing couldn’t tell what exactly he was feeling, but it definitely carried a strong sense of judgment. Why did she feel like she was being silently ridiculed?
“Hand.”
Ahh, he spoke again.
Oh, right.
Mu Qing sheepishly withdrew her hand from his shoulder and hurried to say, “Don’t worry, sir. My maid’s gone to the village to get help. She should be back soon with a physician.”
She shouldn’t have said that.
The moment he heard her words, the man grabbed her hand and locked eyes with her.
“Don’t call anyone. Make them leave. Now.”
What?
Mu Qing didn’t understand at first.
But she understood soon enough.
Before the man’s words had even faded, an unexpected and dramatic change occurred.
