It was over. With the Enforcement Hall's methods, if they traced it back to him, he was finished...
The disciples beneath the Martial Arena had all witnessed Feng Yulong's sneak attack on Song Zhizhi. They were all crucial witnesses and could not leave until the Enforcement Hall had collected the evidence, so they gathered together to discuss what had just happened.
"Who was that young man just now? Why have I never seen him in the sect?"
"He was wearing an elder's robes. He should be some elder from the inner sect. It's normal that we haven't seen him."
"His presence was so terrifying just now. I almost didn't dare breathe standing near him."
"More than that! I was closest to the stage, and his aura felt so cold, like an iceberg. I was shivering from the chill."
"What do you think his relationship with Martial Uncle Song is?"
"Hey, Liu Changfei, you're friends with Martial Uncle Song. Do you know which elder that was? What's his relationship with Martial Uncle Song?"
Liu Changfei: ...I do know, but I'm afraid you'll be scared to death if I say it.
"I'm not sure either. Zhizhi has a senior brother. Maybe he was her senior brother."
Not everyone knew that Song Zhizhi's senior brother was in seclusion. Besides, both Sword Venerable Mingxiao and Senior Brother Molan were Song Zhizhi's senior brothers, so she was not wrong to say that.
"Her senior brother? Why do I feel like that's not it?"
"I think Song Zhizhi and that senior brother look like a couple. Once, my mother accidentally cut her hand while chopping vegetables, and my father was worried sick. Song Zhizhi's senior brother had exactly the same expression just now."
Liu Changfei's heart jolted. "Can't they simply have a pure senior brother-junior sister relationship? Zhizhi was hurt, so it's perfectly normal for her senior brother to worry about her. Don't make wild guesses!"
Liu Changfei spoke with a very serious expression. Everyone believed her, but she herself was uneasy: Zhizhi was carrying a child in her belly. She and Sword Venerable Mingxiao... shouldn't be in that kind of relationship, right? Surely... not, right?
While Liu Changfei stood there like a mess tossed by the wind, Song Zhizhi was carried back to the bedroom on Clear Snow Peak by Xie Xiuji. He wanted to apply medicine to her, but after taking out the medicine bottle and letting his gaze fall on the wound on her back, he suddenly realized that to treat her wound, he would have to first remove her clothes—or tear open the clothes around the wound.
Neither option seemed appropriate.
After pausing, he set the porcelain bottle of Spirit Dew beside the bed, then turned to Song Zhizhi and said, "I'll wait outside. Apply the medicine yourself."
Song Zhizhi: ?
She looked at the porcelain bottle beside the bed. Xie Xiuji had already walked out of the room and even thoughtfully shut the door behind him.
Song Zhizhi sighed and took off her bloodstained clothes. She turned to look, but the wound was in an extremely awkward position. No matter how she looked, she could not see where it was. If she reached out to feel for it, she was afraid of touching the wound and causing pain.
Song Zhizhi: ...
Helpless, she set down the porcelain bottle, buried herself beneath the blanket, and called toward the door, "Come in."
Sword Venerable Mingxiao entered the bedroom again. He saw Song Zhizhi covered by the blanket and a bundle of bloodstained clothing beside the bed. He did not dare look too much. Walking to her bedside, he picked up the porcelain bottle and examined it. The Spirit Dew inside had not been touched at all. Confused, he asked, "Why haven't you applied the medicine yet?"
Song Zhizhi coughed, somewhat embarrassed. "The wound is on my back. I can't see it. Apply the medicine for me."
Sword Venerable Mingxiao froze. Then his gaze fell on the bloodstained dress beside the bed, and the porcelain bottle in his hand suddenly felt scorching hot.
Author's note:
The current Sword Venerable: he gets shy even at the sight of intimate clothing.
The Sword Venerable after marriage: "Wife, I want to see you wear that pink one." (Not really.)
P.S. This chapter was nearly four thousand words. Let me see who still says I'm short! (Stare—)
This novel will probably go premium in a couple of days. There will be extra updates afterward; before then, there will temporarily be one update a day.
Sword Venerable Applies Medicine
Sword Venerable Mingxiao held the porcelain bottle in a daze, his heart pounding like thunder. "This isn't appropriate..."
Song Zhizhi had initially felt somewhat shy, but now someone was even more uncomfortable than she was. That trace of embarrassment was immediately flung to the back of her mind. As long as I'm not embarrassed, then Xie Xiuji is the embarrassed one!
It was just showing her back. She would treat it as wearing a backless outfit in summer.
With that thought, Song Zhizhi turned over and lay facedown on the bed, the back of her head facing Xie Xiuji. Calmly, she said, "What are you standing there for? I can't apply the medicine myself, and there's no one else on Clear Snow Peak besides you. If you won't help me, who else can?"
Xie Xiuji's Adam's apple bobbed for a moment. Hesitantly, he placed his long fingers on the Cloud Quilt covering Song Zhizhi, struggling inwardly.
At this moment, neither of them realized that with Sword Venerable Mingxiao's speed, it would take no time at all to go down the mountain and find a female disciple to apply medicine for Song Zhizhi. Song Zhizhi had grown used to Clear Snow Peak having only the two of them and had not thought of that. As for Sword Venerable Mingxiao, Song Zhizhi's words had stunned him so badly that his mind had yet to turn the corner.
When Song Zhizhi felt that Xie Xiuji had not moved for a long while, the wound on her back seemed to start aching faintly again. The area around it felt damp, and she did not know whether it had begun bleeding again. Growing nervous, she said, "Xie Xiuji, stop standing there. It's not like you haven't seen it before. Hurry up!"
Sword Venerable Mingxiao came back to himself. He took a deep breath and finally pinched a corner of the Cloud Quilt, slowly pulling it downward.
To make applying the medicine easier, Song Zhizhi had already taken off her clothes. As the Cloud Quilt slowly lowered, it revealed her smooth, fair shoulders. Her skin was as white as snow, even three parts whiter than the Cloud Quilt beside her. Because she was nervous, her back was tense, and a faint flush showed through her skin. Sword Venerable Mingxiao's usually cold and emotionless eyes deepened for a moment.
The man's gaze was intensely palpable. Everywhere it landed felt numb, as if struck by electricity. Song Zhizhi's heart trembled slightly, and the tips of her ears grew warm.
Sword Venerable Mingxiao noticed Song Zhizhi's unusual reaction. He gave a light cough, lowered his eyes, and restrained his gaze from wandering.
Further down, the wound was revealed. There had been too many people and too many eyes at the Martial Arena, making it inconvenient to inspect it. Now, without clothes blocking the view, he could see the wound on Song Zhizhi's back more clearly.