Murong Feiyan's pretty face grew hot. This fellow was utterly shameless. How could he say something like that so bluntly?
She had actually come today to have her stitches removed, and that naturally meant taking off her clothes, but the way Hu Xiaotian put it was simply intolerable.
Hu Xiaotian seemed oblivious to her furious gaze. He rose to bolt the door, closed the window as well, then said with a beaming smile, "Will you take them off yourself, or shall I help?"
"Shameless beyond belief!" Murong Feiyan snapped.
Hu Xiaotian sighed. "Come on, I'm trying to remove your stitches. I haven't a single shameless intention. I don't expect you to repay my kindness, but surely you shouldn't repay it with hostility?"
Murong Feiyan snorted coldly, grabbed the sword from the table, and rose to leave. She might be a constable, but she was still a young woman, and what Hu Xiaotian had just said wounded her pride terribly. You tell me to strip and I'm supposed to strip? What sort of woman would that make me? If you hadn't treated my injury, I'd give you a beating.
Hu Xiaotian said, "It's been seven days. Think this through. Those stitches have to come out, or the wound could become infected, swell up, and fester. Never mind leaving a scar-it might even endanger your life. I meant nothing else, Chief Constable Murong. Even if you're angry with me, don't punish yourself for my mistake!"
Murong Feiyan considered this and realized he was right. Wouldn't walking away just make things difficult for herself? She turned back and gave Hu Xiaotian a cold look. "I don't need you to remove them. I'll find Mr. Li."
Hu Xiaotian smiled. "Mr. Li is probably like a clay bodhisattva crossing a river-unable even to save himself. Besides, whoever tied the bell must untie it. I stitched your wound, so naturally I should remove the stitches. Don't you trust my medical skills, Chief Constable Murong?"
Though Murong Feiyan despised his character, she did acknowledge his medical skills. Leaving everything else aside, anyone who could extract a Fang-Barbed Arrow and treat her wound so well was no ordinary physician. She had seen the scars left by those arrows before; every one was a horrifying tangle of scar tissue. At that thought, she finally returned to her seat and glared fiercely at Hu Xiaotian. "You'd better show me some respect."
Hu Xiaotian smiled. "I'm actually quite kindhearted. It's just my mouth that gets me into trouble. Well then, Chief Constable Murong, please disrobe!" He had chosen what he considered a rather elegant expression.
Murong Feiyan truly felt helpless. What difference was there between stripping and disrobing? She shook her head and turned her pretty face away from Hu Xiaotian, then slipped the left side of her outer robe off, revealing her delicate, snow-white shoulder.
This Murong girl really puts on airs, Hu Xiaotian thought. Isn't disrobing the same as taking your clothes off? Tell you to strip and you glare at me and throw a tantrum, but tell you to disrobe and suddenly it's acceptable. What makes you so high and mighty? One day, I'll have you obediently disrobe until every last stitch is gone. The wicked thought flashed through his mind, only to be replaced at once by self-reproach. Damn, when did I become such a pervert? I'm a doctor, and she's a patient. How can a doctor entertain such shameless thoughts about a patient? No matter how spirited or beautiful she is, how could I think about stripping her naked? I'm despicable, utterly shameless! Medical ethics-I've always been a man with medical ethics.
He recited the principles of professional conduct to himself several times, but his eyes wasted none of that time. Snow-white skin, delicate texture, exquisite curves-wouldn't it be a waste not to admire such a lovely shoulder? To his credit, Hu Xiaotian still had some professional integrity. Looking was one thing, but he ultimately restrained his desires and did not reach out to feel her up. Of course, there was another important reason: he had witnessed Murong Feiyan's martial skills. If he really touched her, his reward would most likely be a beating as fierce as a raging storm. Weighing the pros and cons, he decided it was wiser to tuck away his bushy fox's tail and play the conscientious gentleman with medical ethics.
Murong Feiyan's wound had healed very well. Hu Xiaotian's surgery had been successful, and his stitching was beautifully done. Though a red mark remained at both the front and back, a little more recovery time should leave the skin almost normal, with nothing noticeable unless someone looked closely. Besides, women in this era did not go around wearing backless evening gowns. Presumably, apart from her future husband, no one would have a chance to see the little scars on her shoulder. Hu Xiaotian lit the strong liquor he had prepared, passed the stitch-removal scissors and forceps through the flame, and began removing her stitches. There were three each at the front and back. While he worked on her back, Murong Feiyan could not see his expression and felt somewhat more at ease. But when he moved to the front of her shoulder, she kept feeling that his breathing had grown noticeably heavier, hot breaths puffing against her neck.
Murong Feiyan was overwhelmed with embarrassment, her pretty face flushing all the way down to the base of her neck. Inwardly, she repeated Beast! countless times. In truth, Hu Xiaotian had done nothing beastly at all, but that did nothing to curb her imagination. By the end, the accusation in her mind had become Worse than a beast.
Hu Xiaotian felt no particular awkwardness. He removed the final stitch, disinfected Murong Feiyan's wound with strong liquor, and straightened up. She had already pulled her robe back into place at lightning speed, covering her bare shoulder.
Hu Xiaotian had worked from the back of her shoulder to the front. Seemingly hoping to ease the awkward atmosphere between them, he smiled and said, "Let me tell you a joke. A man and a woman slept in the same bed. The woman drew a line down the middle and told him, 'If you dare cross this line tonight, you're a beast.' The next morning, she found he really hadn't crossed it, so she told him, 'You're not even as good as a beast!'"
Murong Feiyan's pretty face instantly turned scarlet. Her hand naturally returned to her sword hilt as she silently cursed Hu Xiaotian for being worse than a beast.
Seeing that the girl was thin-skinned and rather lacking in humor, Hu Xiaotian hastily changed the subject. "Your wound is healing very well. Don't sunbathe for a while, or you might develop pigmentation."
"Sunbathe?" Murong Feiyan asked in bewilderment.
Hu Xiaotian said, "It means basking in the sun with your bare backside."
"Vulgar!" Murong Feiyan promptly delivered her verdict.
Hu Xiaotian said, "Honestly, talking to you is exhausting. It isn't vulgar; it's just a way of life. Where I come from, men and women like to strip naked and lie on the beach in the sunshine. That's called sunbathing. To live a healthy life, you need sunlight, air, and water. Don't you understand even such a simple principle?"
"Where you come from?" Murong Feiyan asked doubtfully. "I don't believe it. How could there be such shameless men and women?" That accusation cast a rather wide net, sweeping in everyone from Hu Xiaotian's hometown.
Hu Xiaotian said, "That's your feudal thinking talking. Exposure to sunlight helps the body produce a certain vitamin, and that vitamin is essential for absorbing a particular mineral.
"Sounds complicated, doesn't it?"
Murong Feiyan knew nothing about vitamins or minerals. She said scornfully, "It's not complicated. You're just basking in the sun! But you don't have to take your clothes off to do that!"
Hu Xiaotian blinked. "Do you know why my skin looks so healthy, and why its color is so handsome?"
Murong Feiyan picked up her sword and pointed its hilt at him. "What's handsome about being so dark? I'm warning you: you'd better not let me catch you doing anything that offends public decency, or I'll arrest you!"
Hu Xiaotian smiled. "Fine. Come to my backyard on a clear, sunny day. I'll definitely be sunbathing there. You're welcome to arrest me!"
"Shameless!" Murong Feiyan felt no other word suited Hu Xiaotian better.
As Hu Xiaotian packed away his surgical instruments, Murong Feiyan unbolted the door. Li Yifeng and Yuan Shiqing were just about to knock. Li Yifeng's face had grown even paler. He had vomited up even last night's dinner; simply remaining on his feet without collapsing was already quite an achievement.
Yuan Shiqing had no idea what had happened to his boss. He came forward with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting. "Young Master Hu, Chief Constable Murong, it's already noon. Our boss has arranged a banquet at the Swallowcloud Tower especially for you. Please do us the honor of attending."
Hu Xiaotian gave Li Yifeng a smiling glance. There was not a trace of murderous intent in it; it was warm, amiable, and purely friendly. Yet that smile made Li Yifeng's hair stand on end. He turned away, and before he had taken two steps, he vomited.
Before you continue