from behind, Qilin had always thought that one strike couldn’t knock someone out – actors were too dramatic, plots too absurd. But today, she clearly sensed the pain slowly seeping into her bones and...Chapter 22 Healing in the Secret Chamber

"Tell me, do you like me"

"What nonsense are you talking about" Qilin didn't expect Bai Qianye to ask this question. Her face flushed red and her heart tightened. She wanted to avoid Bai Qianye's gaze but was instead forced to look at him as he held her chin, sheepishly saying, "A-are you crazy"

To her surprise, Bai Qianye merely smiled and leaned in to kiss her lips gently, as if her lips were coated with honey that he savored carefully.

Before she could recover from the question, Qilin was kissed. Her mind went blank for a moment before gradually being drawn into this tender kiss, forgetting everything that happened earlier and slowly responding to Bai Qianye.

"Do you like me"

Sometime later, she heard him ask again. Immersed in his tenderness, she opened her blurry eyes with a soft smile.

"I like you." After saying this, she felt relieved and hugged Bai Qianye's waist, whispering into his shoulder, "I like you."

"Then... die for me."

Huh Qilin was certain she had heard him wrong. She raised her eyes in surprise when a sharp pain hit her chest, instinctively clutching it but unable to stop the blood from seeping out. When she looked up again, Bai Qianye was still smiling, with some of her blood staining his white robes.

Everything around her suddenly changed; there was nothing except for Bai Qianye approaching her with a dagger, and she instinctively backed away, realizing too late that she was standing at the edge of an abyss and falling down.

"Ah~!"

Feng Changqing bolted upright and rubbed his temples. Suddenly remembering something, he hurried to check on Qilin in bed.

She was drenched in sweat, sitting there as if she had just survived a great calamity. Feng Changqing rushed over and held her hand, worriedly asking, "Are you still uncomfortable anywhere No, call the imperial physician immediately."

Qilin was thoroughly examined by the imperial physicians for the rest of the day, weakly answering their questions until she eventually closed her eyes, allowing them to continue. This went on all day long and only stopped in the evening.

"Lady, please take it easy." Green Bamboo carefully helped Qilin sit up and placed a pillow behind her for support before bringing over a bowl of medicine, saying, "Lady, you should drink this medicine. The imperial physician says it's to promote blood circulation; you've lost too much blood. Please, drink it. It was stewed for three hours."

But the moment Qilin smelled the medicinal scent, she frowned in pain and turned away. She had been taking medicine all day long due to Feng Changqing being present, but now that he had left to attend to state affairs, there seemed no reason to continue.

"Green Bamboo, if you truly care for me, get me something to eat instead. I'm starving." First, her soul had left her body as she watched herself being fussed over by others; then she inexplicably lost consciousness and had a nightmare where she dreamed of Bai Qianye and even said those words... Thankfully, Feng Changqing hadn't heard any of it.

However, after drinking medicine all day long, she hadn't eaten anything and her stomach was growling with hunger. Moreover, she had been in a coma for three days and nights.

Right as she finished speaking, she saw Green Bamboo fall to the ground with a thud, looking at her with a difficult expression and saying, "Little Lady, please listen and take your medicine. Green Bamboo begs of you."

Tongue-tied, Qi Lin rolled her eyes. Another kneel All day long she had been hearing phrases like "Mercy, forgive me, calm down," and seeing groups of people kneeling before her. She always had to say things like "Please don't blame them, be lenient with them."

"Has my beloved not listened again"

Just as she was about to call for Green Bamboo to rise, Feng Changqing's voice sounded from outside the door. Qi Lin was taken aback; it had only been two hours since he left.

"Slave greets His Majesty." Green Bamboo turned around and knelt before Feng Changqing.

Feng Changqing took the medicine bowl from Green Bamboo's hand, waved his hand dismissively, and said, "Prepare a light dinner. I will dine here tonight."

Green Bamboo responded and withdrew, leaving Qi Lin with an imploring look in her eyes,

"I didn't expect that the beloved consort who pleases Empress Dowager so much would be afraid of taking medicine." Seeing Qi Lin's pained expression again, Feng Changqing teased, "As expected, you won't obediently take your medicine. Would it be fine if I feed it to you myself This is a privilege only you can enjoy; cherish it."

Qi Lin awkwardly tugged at the corners of her mouth. It's not like he has to drink it himself, so naturally, he didn't care. But just as Qi Lin thought this, she saw Feng Changqing lift the medicine bowl and take a sip. Qi Lin immediately became vigilant; could it be that he was going to do something unexpected

At the thought of that possibility, Qi Lin quickly covered her mouth and watched Feng Changqing warily, but before she knew it, Feng Changqing had gulped down the medicinal soup without so much as a grimace, even offering her a smile.

"This medicine... tastes pretty good. Want some"

Qi Lin snatched the medicine bowl from Feng Changqing's hand in one go and held her breath to swallow it all down.

Why was this happening It was just out of fear that Feng Changqing would do something unexpected, right

But as soon as the medicinal soup hit her stomach, a strong bitterness rose up into her head, making Qi Lin feel nauseous and want to vomit.

"Yuck~"

Covering her mouth to vomit, but just as she raised her hand, Feng Changqing grabbed it. Almost immediately afterward, a soft pair of lips covered hers.

Everything happened too quickly for Qi Lin to react; all the words she wanted to say were stolen by Feng Changqing's kiss, and all her thoughts froze at that moment.

The hands were held behind her back by Feng Changqing, making movement impossible. However, the urge to resist was growing stronger.

"Emperor... uh..." Due to struggling, she pulled at the wound on her chest and drew in a sharp breath, causing Qi Lin to go limp in Feng Changqing's embrace.

Feng Changqing was taken aback and quickly released Qi Lin. Seeing her pale face made him feel guilty for his impulsiveness.

Once Qi Lin's breathing steadied, Feng Changqing spoke up, "How are you feeling I will—"

"Your Majesty," knowing that Feng Changqing was about to call in the imperial physician, Qi Lin hurriedly stopped him and forced a smile. "I am merely... tired."

"Then lie down." He quickly helped her onto the bed and covered her with a blanket, softly saying, "Sleep well. I will come see you tomorrow and accompany you to your meals. By the way, Qianli Pool is almost completed; when I have time, we can go take a look."

Qi Lin nodded and closed her eyes.

Feng Changqing's kindness and tenderness toward her were all very real, as was the affection in his eyes. Yet... everything felt like it was just an elaborate joke. If Bai Qianye had control over every aspect of her life, including her emotions, then she too was playing with her own feelings—though she had never dared to admit it.

Now, did not responding to Feng Changqing’s feelings make her irresponsible

The room finally fell silent. Qi Lin turned over and quietly pondered; suddenly noticing someone moving behind her, she sighed.

"Green Bamboo, I am not hungry now. Please leave." After saying this, she closed her eyes, intending to focus on figuring out how she had been poisoned.

However, without receiving a response from Green Bamboo, she felt herself grow lighter and nearly cried out.

"It's me."

Hearing the familiar voice, Qi Lin did not cry out. She raised her eyes to see Bai Qianye smiling as always, but his smile made her heart clench painfully, wetting her eyes; she held back tears and buried her head in Bai Qianye’s shoulder.

Bai Qianye carried Qi Lin into a secret chamber, placed her on the ground, then reached into the medicinal pool to test the water temperature. He turned around to help Qi Lin remove her clothes, only to have his efforts thwarted when she moved away from him and looked at him with suspicion.

"Hehe... take off your clothes and get in for a dip; it will be good for your wounds and can also eliminate the remaining poison in your body." Bai Qianye smiled slightly, explaining, "Trust me."

This wasn’t an issue of trust or lack thereof. This was… something else entirely.

Qi Lin glanced around hesitantly and said, "Could you turn away

Upon seeing Bai Qianye's smiling headshake, Qi Lin hesitantly untied her clothes and carefully stepped into the medicinal pool. The warm water enveloped her body, making her feel cozy and comfortable.

Wait a moment... This feeling seemed familiar to her... It was when she had an escape from sneezing during her visit to Drunken Flower Tower, attempting to evade Pearl. Although it was somewhat vague in memory, there was indeed such warmth enveloping her back then.

Could it be Him

"Ah!" She excitedly raised her head to ask, only to see Bai Qianye right before her eyes. When did he come down here Qi Lin crossed her arms over her chest and retreated to the far side of the pool, turning her back towards him as she said in embarrassment, "What are you doing"

"The medicinal pool alone isn't sufficient to expel your remaining poison; I'll use my inner strength to help you." However, seeing Qi Lin's reluctance to cooperate, he simply immobilized her with a touch and had her face him.

He channeled his inner strength into his palm and placed it on Qi Lin’s abdomen.

A warm current slowly entered Qi Lin's body, circling around her dantian. But the warmth was short-lived; soon after came a sharp pain in her lower abdomen that gradually ascended to her stomach.

The pain intensified until it almost took away Qi Lin’s breath.

"Cough."

She finally spat out a mouthful of black blood, which slid softly into the water.

Bai Qianye lifted Qi Lin and held her in his arms, placing his hand at her back to continue supplying inner strength.

"Where did you run off to before" After spitting the black blood out, she felt much better. She guessed it was likely the remaining poison within her body; she hadn't expected there would be so much left but now couldn’t muster any energy at all.

Bai Qianye continued to supply Qi Lin with inner strength and found amusement in her words—she still worried about him even when on the brink of death.

"I've been right beside you, watching over you," he whispered tenderly into her ear. "Including just now."

"That's not true!" Hearing him mention 'just now' made Qi Lin panic and she turned to explain, but was cut off by a kiss from Bai Qianye. It felt like punishment as he nibbled on her lips; the slight pain only heightened her sense of happiness.

Closing her eyes, she reciprocated his kiss, yet in her mind, she recalled that dream.

"Will you let me die for you" who happened to know more than others, but that was all thanks to her era and circumstances. How could she be so miraculous"Where did you get such thoughts" Feng Changqing still believed in Cheng Ren...