Chapter 482: Chapter 174: Girl No. 17_2
What was outrageous was that this young Commander, not yet betrothed, had already been the subject of scandalous rumors with others...
This was not good at all.
Sneering glances fell on Lu Tong, who slightly furrowed her brows.
Qi Yutai had already gone mad suddenly because of Qi Huaying’s incident; Pei Yunmeng’s actions undoubtedly added fuel to the fire. For him, it was very bad news indeed.
If he were sensible, he should immediately make it clear that he had nothing to do with her, no matter what lofty reasons he might invent.
"Creditor."
She heard Pei Yunmeng’s voice.
Lu Tong was taken aback.
In the dense forest, trees lush, the distant sound of brook water rippling.
Pei Yunmeng’s grip on her arm was tight; his expression, obscured by the sunlight filtering through the trees, was indistinct.
He said calmly, "She is my creditor."
...
What started as a fine hunt came to an abrupt end.
Usually, after Xia Miao’s hunt ended and the game was tallied, it was the turn of the Crown Prince to reward. However, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince were both attacked, which made it impossible for the hunt to continue, thus Xia Miao concluded hastily. The Crown Prince’s party, accompanied by the Ban Wei guards, returned to the palace immediately.
As for Lu Tong...
Being a little-known female doctor at the Medical Officer Institute, except for Qi Yutai, no one paid her much attention for the time being. But because she had been bitten by a ferocious dog, and her injuries were not light, it was not feasible to rush her on the road immediately, so she stayed at the hunting ground, in the tents with a few other Medical Officers, to set out early the next morning.
Lin Danqing stayed behind as well.
It was already evening, the sunset sinking, the sky filled with crimson clouds. Inside the tent, Lin Danqing, who was wiping Lu Tong’s wound, couldn’t help but show a shocked expression upon seeing the ferocious wound in front of her.
"Younger Sister Lu," her voice trembled, "how did you get such a serious injury?"
Earlier on the mountain standoff, although she had seen Lu Tong covered in blood with a pale face, she did not exhibit much pain, and her demeanor was fairly calm; she thought perhaps it was more the blood from the hunting dog.
Now, having shed her clothes and washed the wound with clean water, the ghastly injury was laid bare to see.
It was by no means a "minor injury."
Lin Danqing, feeling terrified, hesitated even to dress the wound, cursing through gritted teeth, "That bastard Qi Yutai!"
Lu Tong leaned on a crudely made short cot and glanced at the wound on her arm, saying, "Fortunately, my face wasn’t hurt."
"What a time to joke!" Lin Danqing glared at her, "You should be thankful that your throat wasn’t hurt!"
Lu Tong looked down in silence.
When the ferocious dog lunged to bite her, she instinctively protected her head and face.
The Hanlin Medical Institute had an unwritten rule: those with disfigured appearances were not allowed to practice medicine.
Perhaps that was considered another kind of "dignity," but at that moment, all she thought was that she had finally gotten to this point and could not afford to let it all be in vain.
Thinking about it now, she only cared about protecting her head and face and forgot to guard her abdomen. If that dog had torn open her belly and dragged out her intestines, even a divine being would struggle to save her.
She was indeed frightened after the fact.
Lin Danqing carefully bandaged the wound for her, but as she did so, her tone suddenly turned somber.
"It’s all my fault."
She said softly, "When the guard led you away, I should have been more vigilant. If I had gone with you, perhaps you wouldn’t have been injured."
Although the wounds were not life-threatening, if not well cared for, they could lead to complications.
Moreover, scars might remain in the future...
Seeing her like this, Lu Tong gave a faint smile.
"It has nothing to do with you; they were targeting me," she said, "whether it was today or tomorrow, this was bound to happen."
"What do you mean?" Lin Danqing raised her head in confusion, "When did you offend Qi Yutai?"
"Didn’t you say the Empress Dowager was considering a marriage proposal between the Qi Family and the Pei Family?"
"Who knows if rumors are true..." Lin Danqing’s voice trailed off, and she stared at her in shock, "Could it be..."
Lu Tong remained silent.
She blurted out in realization, "That madman Qi Yutai!"
It was just an interest in a prospective son-in-law, not even a word of agreement, and the Pei Family may not even consent to the marriage, yet even the royal family would not resort to such ruthless measures.
But the Qi Family dared.
They were nothing short of a bunch of lunatics!
After wrapping the final wound, Lin Danqing helped Lu Tong put on her robe and sat on the edge of the cot, her voice filled with worry: "This is bad. If the Qi Family is really so-impudent, now that you’ve killed his dog today and refused to yield to death, the feud is likely to deepen... Unless Pei Yunmeng openly declares his protection of you outright, trouble will come sooner or later."
"What an undeserved calamity, but what will you do in the future?"
Lu Tong felt a heavy weight in her heart.
This was what worried her the most.
The Grand Preceptor’s Mansion could easily harm her, and for her to get even a step closer to it would be as difficult as reaching the heavens. Pei Yunmeng could protect her once, but what about next time? Or in the future?