Chapter 285: Ah Wu, Ah Wu, Little A Wu
As the Chief Eunuch, it had been a long time since Li Yuzong had heard that form of address.
He said awkwardly, "After the Holy Emperor took the antidote you gave him, he had a severe adverse reaction. It’s not just that his True Qi is running rampant, but also..."
Hearing there had been an unexpected reaction, Le Xi finally perked up, the playful look on his face vanishing.
Instead, he asked seriously, "What else? The antidote is supposed to throw his True Qi into disarray, but with his level of martial skill, he should recover with just a few days of conditioning."
That was why he hadn’t paid the Emperor’s injury much mind.
Le Xi had a strange rule when it came to treating patients: he wouldn’t see anyone unless it was a difficult and complicated case, because common ailments were not challenging enough to pique his interest.
If Emperor Wu Su hadn’t sent men to forcefully drag him over, he would have never willingly left his tranquil, forested courtyard.
Li Yuzong looked troubled. "You’ll understand once you see for yourself."
Le Xi was suddenly spry, his feet moving as if carried by the wind as he hurried inside.
*
「Inside the hall.」
A moment ago, just as Ji Qingwu was about to withdraw the hand she had placed on the Emperor’s chest, he pulled it back.
Zhao Mingyan lowered his gaze and asked casually, "You think you can come as you please, touch as you please, and then leave once you’re done?"
Her wrist caught in his grip, Ji Qingwu said plainly, "No. I’m not leaving."
The Emperor was a little surprised. "Not leaving?"
His gaze darkened. ’Now that she’s here, leaving won’t be so easy.’
Ji Qingwu looked up to check the Emperor’s expression. His lips were still pale, and the veins on his forehead stood out starkly. Her own reflection was mirrored in his dark pupils as he gazed at her, his thoughts unreadable.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Ji Qingwu yanked her hand free.
Emperor Wu Su reflexively reached to grab her again, but in the next instant, his body shuddered, and his eyes widened in surprise.
His gaze slowly moved down, watching the movement beneath his nightclothes.
Ji Qingwu’s hand plunged deep into the Emperor’s collar, and she felt his muscles tense instantly.
She answered his earlier question in a soft, gentle voice, "I’m not finished yet. I’ll leave when I am. Your Majesty needn’t rush me."
The corner of Zhao Mingyan’s mouth twitched.
Ji Qingwu’s fingers slid over the skin of his chest. When she didn’t feel the expected bandages or dressings, she frowned.
’After returning to the palace from the Wei Family, he hadn’t even applied any medicine. He was just letting the wound get inflamed.’
Next, Ji Qingwu’s fingers brushed the edge of the wound on the left side of his chest.
The soft pads of the woman’s fingers and her smooth, rounded nails grazed a spot on his chest. Zhao Mingyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed a few times as he suppressed something.
She frowned, her tone holding a hint of a doctor’s reprimand. "Why haven’t you been properly dressing your wound, Your Majesty?"
Zhao Mingyan’s attention was completely fixed on her hand. His only answer was the darkening of his eyes.
Ji Qingwu couldn’t see how the wound was healing. She remembered how it had split open the night before, bright red blood seeping through the bandages.
Her actions grew urgent. Her fair, delicate hand grabbed the dark-patterned collar of his nightclothes and, with a firm tug, ripped them open.
Zhao Mingyan’s expression instantly became inscrutable.
The garment hung half-torn from his arms, revealing a well-built, lean torso.
Ji Qingwu deftly tore away the Emperor’s clothes, not a single stray thought in her mind.
She carefully examined the arrow wound. The new, pinkish flesh was red and swollen. It hadn’t scabbed over yet, but the wound was no longer bleeding.
’The medicines I used on the unconscious Emperor Wu Su were all top-grade—they stopped the bleeding, relieved the pain, and I even used a miraculous draught to promote healing.’
’As long as it isn’t aggravated by any external force, a flesh wound like this should heal very quickly.’
’The arrow wound isn’t that serious, nowhere near as dire as Little Dongzi made it sound. So what’s causing his body’s abnormal reaction?’
Now that they were so close, Ji Qingwu caught his scent—the cool, faint fragrance of someone who had just bathed.
She then realized the chill on his skin had come from an ice bath.
But at this moment, the coldness she had felt at her initial touch was gone. Emperor Wu Su’s body heat was rising steadily.
The skin beneath her hand began to grow warm, verging on becoming feverishly hot.
By the time Ji Qingwu realized she should pull away, it was already too late.
Zhao Mingyan leaned forward, his tall, imposing figure completely enveloping her.
He was being consumed by a fiery heat when Ji Qingwu appeared before him, her small, pliant hand roaming over his body.
Even though he knew she was only examining his wound, for him, it was an agony that threatened to overwhelm him.
A look of agitation appeared on Zhao Mingyan’s face.
His voice was cold and deep, brimming with an anger that seemed to claw its way into her ears.
"Have you touched your fill this time?"
Ji Qingwu first nodded, then shook her head, her fair face downturned.
Although she still hadn’t figured out the real reason for his current state, she saw that his reaction now was the same as last night.
With utmost sincerity, she said, "I wronged you last night, Your Majesty. Your symptoms don’t seem to be caused by that kind of medicine."
Hearing this, Zhao Mingyan—already suffering a headache from his surging True Qi—felt the veins on his forehead begin to throb violently.
A loud sneeze came from the doorway.
Ji Qingwu turned to see Le Xi hiding behind a black pillar in the hall. He had his head poked out, arms crossed, watching the two of them with a profound, all-knowing expression.
Ji Qingwu shoved the disheveled Emperor Wu Su aside, hurried to the center of the hall, and dragged Le Xi forward.
"Doctor Le, come quickly! You have to see what on earth is wrong with His Majesty!"
As she dragged him forward, Le Xi said in surprise, "You look so delicate, miss. How is your grip so strong?"
Emperor Wu Su’s gaze locked onto Ji Qingwu’s hand holding Le Xi’s, then shifted to Le Xi’s face.
"Are you here to collect my corpse?"
Le Xi grinned. "Why is Your Majesty speaking such gloomy words? You’ll make your grand-uncle sad." He sounded nothing like the man who’d been talking about holding a state funeral at the palace gates just moments before.
Zhao Mingyan narrowed his eyes. "I thought you’d forgotten who you are. If I didn’t know your history, I’d suspect you were a spy from the Xijin Faction—another link in the plot to assassinate me."
For once, Le Xi looked abashed. He rubbed his nose and said, "That mouth of yours has been sharp since you were a child. Now that you’re the Emperor, you’ve gotten even better with your words."
Ji Qingwu stared at Le Xi. ’No wonder he seemed familiar,’ she thought. ’The grandnephew he was talking about is the Emperor.’
Le Xi saw her eyes darting back and forth, shifting between him and Zhao Mingyan.
He introduced himself to her, "Little A Wu, my surname is Zhao. My full name is Zhao Lexi, but I go by Le Xi in the martial world."
Ji Qingwu had never heard of this particular member of the Zhao Imperial Family.
"The Zhao Family disowned you long ago. Don’t associate yourself with us." The Emperor shot Le Xi a cold glance. "And another thing... what did you just call her?"
Le Xi said provocatively, "Ah Wu, Ah Wu, Little A Wu."
Ji Qingwu didn’t dare to respond.
Emperor Wu Su’s breathing grew heavy and ragged, his eyes shooting fiery daggers at Le Xi.