Chapter 182:
Fortunately, they were prepared today, with even medicines fully ready on the boat. Once the prescription was written, the medicine was soon boiled.
But the young lady lying on the couch was very stubborn, drowsily asleep yet always refusing to swallow the medicine.
Lu Ziyan took a handkerchief to wipe the medicine juice overflowing from her lips, then held her chin, gently pinched her cheek, raised his head to take a mouthful of medicine, and leaned down to feed it to her mouth to mouth.
One bowl of medicine was fed clean by him mouth to mouth.
Perhaps it was too bitter, the young lady already delirious from the fever had her nose tip twitch slightly, her face showing a bit of grievance.
Lu Ziyan also felt bitter, staring fixedly, his adam’s apple rolling slightly, the bitterness traveling down his throat and settling straight in his chest, surging like overwhelming waves almost overflowing.
He tenderly kissed her forehead, lingered for a while, then his kiss fell to her eyebrows and eyes, nose tip, finally covering her slightly pale lips.
He kissed very lightly, with a bit of caution, different from all their previous kisses; he did not have the ruthlessness of wanting to swallow her whole, but instead lightly pecked her lips one by one, grinding like this for a long time, his breathing gradually becoming heavy, somewhat unbearably pinching her cheek, deepening the kiss.
Throughout, he was gentleness to death, only releasing her when the unconscious young lady let out a protesting whimper.
If Xie Wanning were awake now, facing the deep desire in the man’s eyes on her, she would probably be at a loss again.
But she was sick and confused, her head dizzy and unable to wake up.
Lu Ziyan secretly thought he was indeed a beast.
His Wanwan had just gone through such a thing, her neck wounded, and now she was unconscious from illness, yet he was still thinking…
Taking a deep breath, Lu Ziyan sat up, slowly calming the restlessness of his body before lowering his eyes to look at her again.
Finally noticing she was still wearing that bloodstained clothes.
When her neck was cut, the dress was stained red with blood on half a side, and after being rescued, it had not been changed.
Lu Ziyan was somewhat glad he hurried over from the Northern Frontier Battlefield, worried she might be injured in the Jin Raiders’ hands, so he brought a military doctor but no maidservant.
Now on this boat, there were no other women, and she herself was unconscious.
So…
He thought for a moment, turned to fetch a bottle of ointment, took a deep breath, and tremblingly reached to untie the sash of the young lady on the couch.
…She had been tormented by the Jin Raiders for over ten days, probably covered in wounds under her clothes.
Lu Ziyan abruptly closed his eyes, telling himself this was all because of him, he should look clearly, the humiliation she suffered, one day he would wash it clean inch by inch for her.
No one knew how much torment Lu Ziyan was in at this moment.
He hated his own incompetence; reborn, not only did he lose the girl at his heart’s tip, but let her be harmed again.
He regretted even more that when leaving the capital that day, he should have taken her away regardless, why hesitate, learn to yield, learn to be courteous!
The sash untied, the bloodstained gauze dress peeled off bit by bit from her jade shoulder, the unconscious girl’s upper body left only with a lotus-colored undergarment.
Her snow-white skin was smooth and tender, her two thin collarbones forming shallow hollows, the chest covered by the undergarment rising and falling slightly with her breathing; just lying there motionless, it carried a soul-stirring temptation. Lu Ziyan’s gaze paused, hurriedly looking to her arms, waist and abdomen.
After carefully checking once over, he reached to remove her last close-fitting undergarment.
…No imagined full body of bruises, covered in wounds.
Lu Ziyan’s expression was stunned for an instant.
He knew best how tender this young lady’s skin was; he never bore to handle her roughly, but even after the most restrained lovemaking, she would have very obvious marks, and the waist and abdomen he gripped would leave fingerprints.
Even applying the best body ointment, it took several days to fade.
Could it be these days, the Jin Raiders for some reason did not touch her?
Lu Ziyan’s heart ached, not daring to think further, he took the prepared clothes and stiffly dressed her.
His movements were careful and serious, but when had Young Lord Lu ever done the work of dressing someone; even if not intentionally indecent, his hands touched certain unspeakable places several times.
By the time the clothes were changed, his stern face was covered in a thin layer of sweat; the desire he had forcibly suppressed earlier came back, urging him to do something, but in the end, looking at the young lady on the couch for a long time, he still got up to take a cold bath.
When he returned again, his whole body seemed to carry icy frost; afraid of chilling her, he waited for the chill to dissipate some before lifting the quilt onto the couch, avoiding the wound on her neck, and holding her in his arms.
She was frightened and sick, needing someone most right now; he never thought of sleeping elsewhere.
The delicate soft young lady entering his arms, Lu Ziyan felt his chest, ravaged by cold winds and empty, finally had warmth.
He buried his head in her hair, greedily inhaling her breath, a tear seeming to slide from the corner of his eye.
Too long.
It had been too long since the last time holding her like this lying on the couch.
………..
The next day.
When Xie Wanning’s consciousness cleared, she felt her body very heavy, as if confined in place, unable to move hands or feet, even breathing not happy; she frowned, slowly opening her eyes.
What met her eyes was a bare chest, the pectoral muscles thin yet powerful, at first glance not exaggeratedly muscular, but still carrying the lean build unique to a youth.
…She was very familiar.
Xie Wanning blinked, her first reaction was that she had entered those dreams again?
The next instant, meeting the man’s eyes before her, she immediately dismissed the thought.
The Lu Ziyan in her dream, not having gone through the later series of events, would never have such a gaze carrying pain.
Xie Wanning looked away, trying to ignore the discomfort in her heart, and said, “You…”
As soon as she spoke, she felt the dryness in her throat.
Lu Ziyan frowned, “Don’t speak first.”
Saying so, he got up and went to the table, poured a cup of tea, and when handing it to Xie Wanning, it was already warm.
She sipped the tea in the cup bit by bit, Lu Ziyan took the empty cup and asked, “More?”
Seeing her shake her head, he casually set the cup down and was about to return to the couch.
Who knew, turning around, the little young lady on the couch had already hugged the quilt and retreated to the bed corner, looking at him full of vigilance.
“…” Meeting that accusing gaze, he uncomfortably coughed lightly and said, “I did nothing.”
Whether he did or not, Xie Wanning could feel it herself.
But even if nothing was done, he shouldn’t get on the bed of a married woman.
Moreover… she lowered her head to look at herself, her whole body stiffening for an instant, her voice dry, “Who changed my clothes.”
As soon as the words were out, she felt such a question was superfluous.
