Chapter 152: Care

Cuitong smiled with a hint of mystery and said, "If the young lady is looking for Sister Cuiyu, hehe, she's probably in the front courtyard."

The front courtyard?

Why would her own young lady, recovering from injuries, not stay properly in her own courtyard and instead run off to the front courtyard? This Cuiyu was truly heedless; it was a waste of affection to care for her so much.

Liu Qin muttered somewhat discontentedly in her heart, though she did not voice it aloud.

In the front courtyard, inside Lei Hu's room.

Cuiyu walked in carrying a bowl of medicine.

Lei Hu was severely injured. Although he was not in as critical a condition as Jiang Li, whose meridians and bones had nearly been damaged, he bore the most wounds on his body: three sword slashes on his back, two each on his chest and thighs, a cut on his right arm so deep the bone was visible, and even a slash across his face running diagonally from his forehead down past his left eyebrow.

Consequently, he was now wrapped from head to toe like a zongzi. When Physician Jiang treated him, he repeatedly praised him as a tough man; having lost so much blood and suffering such injuries, he had neither fainted nor uttered a single groan during the treatment.

In the end, Physician Jiang had sighed with regret, "I'm afraid scars will remain on his face. Alas, with such a fine man disfigured, it will likely be difficult for him to find a wife in the future."

Lei Hu had merely smiled indifferently. If he wished, the estate would naturally assign a maidservant to him, but he hoped rather to find a martial arts heroine like his master's wife—someone who also wielded swords and led rough lives, so that together they would not look down upon one another.

Speaking of his master's wife, she treated all the disciples like her own children, making clothes and shoes, bringing food and drink, and never treating them as outsiders. This time, when Lei Hu was injured, he was supposed to be taken back to the escort agency, but he chose not to return precisely because he did not want his master's wife to see him and worry with distress.

The estate had assigned a young manservant named Laifu to take care of him, but how could a manservant match a woman's attentiveness and care? Laifu was thoroughly clumsy.

A few days ago, instructed by the young lady, Cuiyu had brought some stewed medicinal diet to Lei Hu and happened to find Laifu feeding him. Lei Hu was half-reclining against the head of the bed, unable to move anything except his mouth. Seeing how butterfingered Laifu was, spilling the greater part of a bowl of medicine onto Lei Hu's body, Cuiyu—who was quick-tempered and straightforward—immediately scolded him: "You're completely useless! You can't even handle a simple task like this."

Unable to save face after being scolded, Laifu slammed the bowl onto the tall side table and retorted with displeasure, "If you're so capable, you do it then!"

Accustomed to being bold and unrestrained, and paying little heed to the traditional boundaries between men and women, Cuiyu jerked him to his feet and declared, "I'll do it then!"

With that, she snatched up the medicine bowl and personally fed the remaining small portion of medicine to Lei Hu.

It made Lei Hu blush furiously.

However, his skin was dark, so Cuiyu did not notice even though his face was red.

After feeding him the bowl of medicinal diet as well, she finally left the room.

As soon as Cuiyu stepped outside, Laifu, who had been keeping watch by the door, sheepishly sidled up to her and said with a flattering smile, "Good sister, please help me out. I've always done rough labor and truly don't know how to wait on people. Sister only needs to come over twice a day. Think of it as your younger brother begging you."

Laifu cupped his fists and smiled with utter obsequiousness. Cuiyu found it hard to refuse. Upon second thought, Brother Lei had been injured on account of the young lady, so taking care of him was only right, and she agreed.

Who would have thought that with this single promise, Cuiyu would find herself thoroughly entangled.

She simply could not bear Laifu's way of doing things. Whenever he brewed medicine, there was either too much water or he let it boil completely dry. Other times, he would knock over the medicinal stove; she had no idea how he managed to perform his duties around the estate on ordinary days.

Consequently, the task of brewing medicine also fell to her.

Carrying the bowl of medicine, Cuiyu walked in and called out toward the bed, "Brother Lei, time for your medicine."

Having been fed by her for several days, Lei Hu could now face it with a calm mind and no longer felt awkward, so he simply nodded.

After he finished the medicine, Cuiyu was about to take her leave when she heard Lei Hu let out a muffled groan. Turning her head, she saw that blood was seeping through Lei Hu's chest wound, and she cried out in alarm, "Brother Lei, why is it still bleeding? Should we call Physician Jiang?"

"It's fine. Physician Jiang left medicine and said to come once every three days from now on, while applying the medicine myself on ordinary days."

"But your wound has split open; you need to have it dressed right away."

"Have Laifu come in."

Lei Hu's brows were tightly knitted in pain, and not daring to delay, Cuiyu hurried outside to look for Laifu. To her surprise, thinking his duties were over for the moment, Laifu had slipped away to play and could not be found anywhere across most of the courtyard.

It was truly strange; not only was Laifu missing, but not a single other manservant was anywhere to be seen.

Left with no choice, Cuiyu hurried anxiously back inside, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Forget it, Brother Lei, I'll change the dressing for you myself."

Lei Hu was startled, his voice stuttering in disbelief, "How... how... how can that be?"

Bringing the medicine to the bedside, Cuiyu—despite lacking delicate maidenly airs—was still a young woman after all and felt a trace of shyness. With a slightly flushed face, she said, "Brother Lei, I don't even mind, what are you fussing about? We can't find anyone else, and with the weather so hot now, what will happen if we don't change the dressing immediately and your condition worsens?"

Without waiting for Lei Hu's consent, she pulled open the front of his garment, unwound the white cloth wrapped around his chest, and revealed two gruesome wounds.

The dark red flesh was rolled outward at the edges with no sign of closing whatsoever, and pale red blood constantly oozed out—a truly terrifying sight.

Cuiyu's stomach instantly churned in waves, and she could not help turning her head away, afraid she might throw up on the spot.

Yet the feeling rising in her heart was entirely different from revulsion; it was not disgust, but rather something akin to tender pity. Cuiyu could not understand it herself, but she cast a glance at Lei Hu carrying this inarticulable, nebulous emotion.

As she looked at Lei Hu, he was also looking at her, their gazes locked together in mid-air.

A spark cracked and burst in the air...

It seemed brilliant and eternal, yet also as fleeting as a single instant.

Both of their faces flushed red instantly.

Cuiyu lowered her head and poured the medicinal powder from the bottle onto the wounds. The powder was remarkably effective; the moment it touched the surface, the bleeding gradually stopped. Once the blood completely ceased seeping, she took a clean strip of white cloth from her side and bound the wound.

Bandaging the wound on his chest required wrapping the white cloth around his back, forcing Cuiyu to lean close to him. They were so close that Lei Hu could feel a stray lock of hair resting against his bare chest, brushing lightly, ever so lightly, across his skin...

When everything was properly done, before Lei Hu could manage to say a word, Cuiyu had already gathered her things and fled without a sound.

The door curtain lifted and fell back down.

Lei Hu stared dazedly at the doorway; the figure had long since vanished, leaving only the door curtain swaying gently in the breeze.

It was much like a budding romantic longing, drifting aimlessly back and forth in the empty air, unable to find a place to land.

Outside the house, a sparrow startled by something suddenly shot up from the grand tree, its loud and piercing cries unable to awaken his sunken thoughts...

Laiyue Gambling House within the city was forever the most bustling place.

"Bet big or bet small, place your bets and hold on to them!"

The croupier's voice remained the most prominent even amidst the chaotic din.

"Hahaha..."

"Unlucky, utterly damnable luck."

Some laughed aloud while others cursed vehemently, truly fulfilling the saying of how one family's joy is another's sorrow.

Feng Da squeezed into the crowd, his face having turned from dark to ashen. Tossing the final copper coin from his palm, he watched helplessly as even this last coin was swept up by the croupier and dropped into his pocket, turning his ashen face completely white.

Dejectedly, he squeezed his way out of the crowd, stepped out of the gambling house, and staggered back along the street.

A figure approached from ahead, crashing into him and causing him to stagger back two steps. Already frantic and frustrated from losing money, Feng Da opened his mouth and cursed, "Blind dog..."

The curses stopped abruptly. Feng Da's expression turned one of utter terror, as if his neck had been seized, cutting off even his breath. (To be continued.)