There was no movement from the man after Zhao Xing knocked him out, but then again who’d have enough conscience after being hit so hard? He didn’t even groan in pain nor did he launch a counterattack. He just fainted right away.

Zhao Xing was feeling proud for a brief of moment. She, a useless modern woman, could take down an ancient flower thief such as this man. However, that pleasant feeling only lasted for a blink of an eye. The girl was immediately stunned as she glanced down at the layer of snow in the ground being tinted with a bright, crimson liquid.

If Zhao Xing remembered correctly, she didn’t use much force to whack him. Her strength could definitely make him faint, but not to the point that he would directly meet King Yama and bleed this much!

Did he die? Did he really die? He couldn’t have! Her strength was still weak! Did she possess some supernatural strength? How ridiculous!

Panicking, Zhao Xing nudged the man’s body with her feet. “Oi, Big Brother?”

Seeing as though he wasn’t responding, the second young miss quickly squatted down and placed her head on the man’s broad chest. She also rolled up his sleeves to feel his pulse. Zhao Xing let out a relieved sigh upon hearing his heartbeat. Even though it was unsteady, at least she was sure he didn’t actually die... because man, that’d be rough.

However, Zhao Xing’s breath hitched as her gaze fell on the man’s stomach. The wound didn’t stop bleeding, and the injury seemed quite heavy, to the point where his blood already soaked the majority of his robe.

“Oh no!” Zhao Xing didn’t exactly know what to do in this sort of situation. In her previous life, she’s never really seen such an injury like this. She became more alarmed at how fast this man could die whilst her heart pounded rather erratically.

Right at that moment, Xiao Yi appeared behind her. The maid was still panting, taking deep breaths before struggling to speak. Despite the cold weather and the winds picking up, her forehead was filled with a faint layer of sweat.

“Yo—” She still couldn’t calm her racing heartbeat. “Young Miss, Ruyi is still nowhere to be seen! He’s not in his pavilion!”

Zhao Xing wanted to cry, but she had no tears to shed!

Closing her eyes in frustation, the girl quickly took a decision. This man needed to be saved! She wouldn’t let her mansion to be haunted by a flower thief ghost!

“Xiao Yi, help me to bring him to my chamber.” Zhao Xing positioned herself to lift the man’s upper body. “You go lift his feet. Let’s not drop him on the ground!”

The man was heavy, and the girls struggled to carry him all the way inside. It was fortunate that they managed to bring him in Zhao Xing’s chamber. Along the way, the girl lost count of how many times she accidentally dropped his head on the ground. If he got amnesia, it was not her fault!

“Xiao Yi ah, go help me fetch a basin of clean water and silken cloth,” Zhao Xing quickly instructed her maid with the last of her energy. Her face was already pale as a ghost with sweat trailing down the side of her face.

Before tending the man that lying on her bed, Zhao Xing dragged herself to the tea table to take a quick drink. She couldn’t die from dehydration, she definitely couldn’t die! To save that person, she chugged down several cups of tea and was relieved by the moment of peace.

Zhao Xing’s body was already delicate and fragile to begin with. Now with how much energy she exerted, the girl felt as if she almost lost her life for the second time. She needed several more moments to calm her racing heart and steadied her shaking legs. Zhao Xing began to feel better after Xiao Yi came back with a basin of clean water in her hand.

“Miss, we’ve ran out of silken cloth. Young Miss used the last one to wrap around Guard Wu’s wounds last time!”

Zhao Xing didn’t the have remaining energy to feel panic or cry for her miserable life. With a bit of a helpless tone, she instructed Xiao Yi to put down the basin and leave her chamber to have a rest. As her loyal servant it was only natural that Xiao Yi refused to take a rest before her master. However, since Zhao Xing insisted and threatened her a bit, the young maid could only leave and collect more wood to feed the furnace.

When Xiao Yi was busy with the furnace outside the chamber, Zhao Xing began to take care of the dying man. After cleaning her hands, the girl started her treatment with taking off the man’s hanfu. Her action would be considered bold in ancient times since man and woman couldn’t see each other’s skin unless they were married. Even when she attended to Ruyi back then, she only helped him treat his arm. But now, she couldn’t care about those things anymore. It was a matter of saving one’s life. Moreover, there was no such thing as male and female in medical field. There wasn’t a need to be embarrassed when it they should only be considered as a patient and doctor, even if Zhao Xing wasn’t a professional doctor.

Zhao Xing hissed with empathy upon observing the male’s wound at the lower part of his stomach, as though it was her who felt the pain. Looking at the bright, crimson blood still dripping from his ripped skin, the girl instantly relaxed before inching closer to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. He was, for certain, not poisoned. It was just that his wound was a little bit deep and she might need to stitch him up a little. Hopefully, he’ll stay unconscious until she finishes the treatment. It’d be a headache for him screaming in pain every few seconds. She won’t hesitate to knock him out come again if that happens.

The girl didn’t have any other choice other than using her silken dudou[1] to clean his wound, and wrapping it around the injury later. Her outer hanfu would be so troublesome to use and other cloths weren’t as suitable to treat wounds. Since it was an emergency, this man shouldn’t complain too much after he regains consciousness!

Zhao Xing needed more than two hours to clean, stitch and apply some medicines while bandaging the man’s wounds. She also gave him some pills to reduce the pain and replenish his blood.

Fortunately, Zhao Xing had these medicines ready with her. Since she realized her current body was like a tissue that could easily be blown away by the wind, the girl utilized her medical knowledge to collect many types of herbs and medicines. Finally, her brain’s knowledge could be useful... a bit.

When she was done treating the flower thief, Zhao Xing felt exhausted to the point of even fainting. Thus, she sat at the edge of her bed, resting her head at the wooden pillars, and closed her eyes for a few moments. However, just before she could drift away to dreamland, she forced herself to open her eyes again. There was one thing left she wanted to do so badly; taking off the man’s mask to see his appearance!

Shifting herself carefully, Zhao Xing stretched out her hands and gently took off the black, silken mask. The moment his pale face was revealed, Zhao Xing felt like her world stopped revolving, and the snow outside suddenly froze midair. She was stunned to the point of never taking her gaze away from the man’s beautiful face.

This man was literally the most handsome person she’s ever seen in her whole lifetime! Even those celebrities in the modern world paled in comparison!

Zhao Xing almost couldn’t describe his perfect, flawless features. This person posessed a celestial visage covered with a chilly aura. And with the man’s eyes still closed, it just only addes onto this mysterious vibe of his. Each shape in his face was like the Gods’ masterpiece. Everything was perfect from his phoenix eyes, to his sword-like eyebrows. Along with long eyelashes and the bridged nose, tempting lips, and jade-like skin—all of them were excellently sculpted His appearance was a mixture of beauty and manliness, but unfortunately it was hard to described in words.

The girl couldn’t keep her hands away, almost touching every curve on the man’s face with the tips of her fingers. Zhao Xing couldn’t resist the urge to worship this otherworldly creature with all of her heart.

“Seemed like I just hit the jackpot!” Zhao Xing grinned mischievously.

● ● ●

“Miss, Young Miss!”

Xiao Yi had lost count in how many times she tried to wake her master up. Since her young miss had revived from death, she would always sleep like there was no tomorrow. And she was like a dead person, very hard to be woken up!

Groaning, Zhao Xing avoided Xiao Yi hands and rolled on her bed. “Xiao Yi ah, let me sleep a little bit longer! I’m so tired. I feel like my leg almost detached from my body!”

Xiao Yi stomped her feet in frustration. “Miss! The flower thief is gone ah!”

Zhao Xing’s pair of peach blossom eyes shot open the moment Xiao Yi replied. Who was missing? The flower thief?

No wonder she was able to roll around her bed so much!

“He’s gone?” The girl jolted awake and casted her gaze wildly around her inner chambers, trying to look for her patient. “H-how come ah? He’s injured heavily! The stitch on his stomach will be ripped apart if he’s moving too much!”

“...” Xiao Yi blinked her eyes, her expression was blank. Why did Young Miss care so much about that thief’s well being ah? I’m anxious to bring him to the Yamen!

Before Zhao Xing could cause even more of a tantrum, a certain figure suddenly swung the door open with great force and dashed inside the inner chamber. Zhao Xing had to blink her eyes several times before realizing who it was. The male who just came in almost blinded her with his beauty. His eyes gleamed brightly, almost passionately at the girl, narrowing into slits which would’ve scared her if it didn’t seem so seductive. Compared to the thief who disappeared, his body was a bit smaller and thin since his robes exposed a bit of his skin. He came in such a hurry that the man didn’t bother fixing up his attire, making him appear alluring to the eyes. His red lips pursed in frustration when he realized he arrived too late. The man’s face was almost on par with the thief’s appearance, but he exuded more of an enchanting aura and ravishing expression. A devilish beauty. While on the contrary, that flower thief was more pure and refined, like an immortal from the heavenly realm.

Zhao Xing rubbed her eyes again. This kid... was he in some sort of brothel? Did her manor seem like that? How come he looked like a devil, trying to seduce her? She became irritated at the sight of his thin clothing. Was it not winter outside? How come he’s running about like it’s summer?

This man, Ruyi, who’s he trying to impress?

Standing before Zhao Xing, Ruyi anxiously scanned the girl from head to toe, as though he was checking whether she was injured or not. His charming face was filled with unspeakable worries. Once he found out that she was fine, he immediately let out a sigh.

Fortunately she was alright, or else he wouldn’t know how to punish himself.

Zhao Xing looked at the man in confusion. Blinking her eyes innocently, the girl asked, “Big Brother, what happened to you ah? You looked like you’re being chased by a ghost!”

Wu Ruyi couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh as ripples of gentleness could be seen in his eyes. Since she could make fun of him then she must be alright.

“I-” Before he could even express his worries, he was interrupted by the door being opened once more.

At this moment, a maid suddenly rushed inside with panicked expression. Kneeling before Zhao Xing, the maid reported, “Miss, someone from Prime Minister’s manor just arrived. He said he will bring Young Miss back to the capital!”

Zhao Xing suddenly went dizzy. She didn’t expect this time to arrive this quickly!

Author’s Note:

[1] “Dudou”, or bellyband, is a piece of cloth that covers one’s belly. It dates back thousands of years. It was used by Chinese women as an undergarment in ancient times and can be considered China’s most original underwear.