I'll Come to Your Room to Treat You

"You have poison in your body?"

Bai Mo held tightly onto Shen Qing, her face full of surprise, refusing to let him take another step. Shen Qing's strength was no match for hers, and he froze when she suddenly said that.

He looked back at her, somewhat incredulous. "How did you know?"

Bai Mo glanced at his wrist. "Well, when I grabbed your wrist, I diagnosed it by accident."

"You know medicine?"

"A little."

"Let go of me first."

"Then don't leave yet. It wasn't easy for me to get a chance to see you. I sincerely want to talk."

Bai Mo let go. Shen Qing's expression was cold, but he sat back down in his chair.

"I really didn't mean to do it that time. Someone set me up, and I had no choice. How about this? I'll cure your poison, and we'll beat our swords into plowshares."

The moment she had touched Shen Qing's wrist, her Wood-Element Ability had become unusually restless. It was poison, and a virulent one at that.

Bai Mo thought it over. The Wood-Element Ability was the strongest healing ability to begin with, so it should be able to cure him, but she would have to circulate it through his body to know for certain.

Shen Qing sneered. "There's no need. Unless the Ghost Physician were still alive, and even then, there would have to be a Tianshan snow lotus. Otherwise, there's no cure for my poison."

After that, he said nothing more.

Bai Mo frowned slightly. During the apocalypse, people everywhere had begged her to help them, offering piles of crystal cores.

This was the first time she had begged to treat someone, only for them to refuse...

He came from a prominent family and had a fine reputation. How had he come to be so gravely poisoned? Recalling what her uncle had said about his circumstances, she supposed things really were difficult for him.

But his temperament really was too awful...

"Give me your hand. Let me take a look. I won't treat you unless I'm confident."

Shen Qing remained unmoved.

"Everyone says Young Master Qingya is courteous and gentle as jade. Why resist so much when I only want to take your pulse? What are you afraid of, young master? Besides, this is the residence of the vice minister of war."

An amused smile curled Bai Mo's lips. "Or are you afraid that if I touch you again... you won't be able to marry?"

Anger gathered on Shen Qing's face. "I have no intention of marrying. Besides, my purity has already been ruined, and I don't have long to live."

"Why are you being so coy? I said I could cure you, but you won't believe me."

"As for your purity, if that won't do... why don't you marry me?"

Bai Mo looked up at him.

Shen Qing thought the woman before him was truly unreasonable. He must have been possessed by a ghost to come here and suffer this humiliation today.

"Are you finished, Eldest Miss Bai? If you are, I'll be going. An unmarried man and woman alone in a room will only invite gossip."

Shen Qing started to rise again...

Bai Mo was growing irritated. She stood and walked straight toward him, the impatience on her face even more apparent. "Why are you so impervious to reason? I want to make peace with you. What more do you want?"

She gripped both sides of the chair, pinning him in place.

"Give me your hand."

Shen Qing was startled by her boldness. Plenty of women admired him, but which of them didn't treat him with a measure of courtesy?

Shen Qing took a deep breath and was about to speak again when Bai Mo picked up his hand and gripped his wrist.

"Don't move or speak. Don't disturb me."

A current of warmth seemed to rush into his body. With the woman almost pressing down on him, he didn't dare move an inch.

The warm current seemed to soothe his mind, and he gradually calmed down.

Bai Mo withdrew her ability and was just about to speak when she lowered her eyes and saw that his eyes were tightly shut, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

Was this man an eyelash spirit in his previous life? How could his eyelashes be as long as fans?

Bai Mo looked away and stood up. "You were poisoned as a child, weren't you? It seems you really don't have much time left."

Shen Qing was not surprised. He knew full well how terrible the poison was and that his days were numbered. Hearing Bai Mo say it, he felt calm, though also slightly disappointed.

"But I really can cure you." Bai Mo returned to her seat and took a sip of tea, a faint smile on her lips.

Shen Qing jerked his head up. "Is that true?"

Bai Mo shrugged casually. "I said I can cure your poison. Didn't you understand? But the poison has seeped deep into your bones. One or two treatments certainly won't cure it. I'll need at least a month, and I guarantee you'll be back to normal."

Shen Qing really was surprised. She had always thought Bai Mo was a notorious wastrel. When she said she could cure the poison, he had assumed she had heard about it somewhere and wanted to use it as an excuse to pester him.

But the warmth just now had been real, and her nonchalant manner did not seem feigned. If one could live, who would want to die young?

"Can you truly cure my poison?"

Still unable to give up, Shen Qing asked again to make sure.

Seeing how serious he looked, Bai Mo answered patiently, "The poison can be cured, but you're too deeply poisoned. You have to give me at least a month, and we must start as soon as possible. Otherwise, even I won't be able to help."

"Will you need a Tianshan snow lotus? I've searched for five years without finding one." Shen Qing's eyes dimmed again.

"No. I don't need any precious medicinal herbs, so you don't have to worry about any of that. Just cooperate with the treatment for half a shichen every day, for a month straight."

"Really?"

"Really."

Bai Mo felt helpless too. If her ability had been at its peak, she could have cured him in one go. Unfortunately, this weakling of a body functioned too poorly; a month was already the limit. She would probably have to swallow quite a lot of medicine to cure the poison.

"If you really can cure me, I'll let the matter from before go."

Bai Mo made no comment. "Then how will you come see me?"

Shen Qing was stumped too.

He was a young master raised in the inner chambers, never stepping beyond the front or second gate. He occasionally attended flower gatherings or poetry gatherings when invited, but visits to other people's residences like today's were few and far between.

Neither of them spoke. While they were still thinking, Bai Jingyao came over.

"My sincere apologies for the poor hospitality. To make amends, we've prepared a banquet today. Might I ask what sort of food Young Master Shen prefers?"

Bai Jingyao returned to the seat of honor and glanced at the two younger people. The atmosphere seemed much more relaxed. Presumably, they had talked through whatever misunderstanding there was?

It really was improper for an unmarried man and woman to be alone in a room. He had already wandered around the garden twice, and it would hardly do to linger any longer...

Shen Qing rose and nodded, replying with a smile, "I'd be happy to accept. Thank you, First Husband."

Bai Mo saw a smile appear on his lips.

She could only think that Shen Qing really was exceptionally handsome. What a pity that face belonged to him...

With that unpleasant temper, what a waste of a face!!

"Uncle, I want meat and wine."

"Uncle Fu, give the orders to prepare the meal. Have the kitchen make a few of its best meat dishes for Miss Cousin, and bring out a jar of my wife's treasured wine."

"Yes, First Husband."

Near the end of the noon hour, after lunch, Bai Jingyao rose to see the two younger people off.

Bai Mo mounted her horse and saw Shen Qing's carriage set off.

She lowered her eyes and hesitated for a moment, then rode up beside the carriage window and said softly, "If you don't mind, I can come to your room every night to treat you."

When there was no response from inside the carriage, she thought he was angry again... so she cracked her whip and rode away.

Shen Qing was left sitting in the carriage, dumbfounded...

That lecher!!!!

Truly incorrigible and utterly without propriety.