Shen Yue, though she didn't feel any pain, adopted a look of excruciating agony upon hearing Chang Sheng speak so gravely.
Her face pale, she tilted her slender and elegant neck, which looked as if it could snap with the slightest pressure. Veins bulged beneath her thin skin, hinting at the immense pain she was enduring.
Cold sweat dampened her hair, with a few strands sticking to her cheeks.
Watching her in such a wretched state, gasping for breath, Chang Sheng felt a pang of sadness. He had been practicing medicine for years, had witnessed countless tragedies, and had grown accustomed to life and death, yet his heart still ached slightly.
He removed the white cloth that had been covering Shen Yue's eyes. Her eyes were tightly shut, her excessively long eyelashes like butterfly wings.
After the medicine was finally applied, Shen Yue fainted. As he settled her down, his palm accidentally brushed against something soft…
Something soft…?
Chang Sheng glanced down, and the sight was astonishing. A sense of shyness washed over him inexplicably. His face flushed red, his fair cheeks burning with a vivid blush, his long eyelashes fluttering gently.
As if scalded, he quickly withdrew his hand. He felt as though his head was emitting smoke, burning hot, as if touching it would scorch his hand.
He had not realized…
He had not realized that this young master was actually a woman.
And he had committed such an act that would ruin a maiden's reputation; he had even touched…
It felt as though all the blood in his body had rushed to his face, his heart pounding wildly, almost as if it no longer belonged to him.
The soft sensation lingered on his fingertips, reaching deep into his heart.
***
Shen Yue's wounds healed very slowly. Chang Sheng soon sensed that something was amiss. After a thorough examination, he discovered something that left him unable to remain calm.
Shen Yue had been poisoned by the Dragon Toxin!
He had previously noticed that Shen Yue's body temperature was much lower than that of ordinary people, but he hadn't paid much attention at first.
He hadn't expected her to be poisoned…
Moreover, the poison had not been completely cleared. Now, with her injuries, her wounds naturally healed slowly.
Furthermore, the Dragon Toxin could not be cleared all at once; it required gradual elimination over time.
Shen Yue slept for a long time, and Chang Sheng personally attended to almost all her needs, from food and clothing to daily life. He stayed by her side day and night, serving her with utmost dedication. The Dragon Toxin even flared up once, and Chang Sheng immediately concocted an antidote to suppress it.
After taking the medicine, the frost on Shen Yue's eyebrows and eyes seemed to melt away. Her body was still very cold, almost emitting white mist.
Fearing she might be cold, Chang Sheng lay beside Shen Yue, loosely embracing her frail body. His body was perpetually imbued with the bitter scent of medicinal herbs. Shen Yue seemed to be particularly attached to this smell, nestling into his collar in her sleep, restless.
Chang Sheng had never experienced the world, yet he lived with clarity. He knew he might have fallen in love, but he didn't even know Shen Yue's name.
He didn't know where she came from or where her home was. He understood nothing of these things, yet he had unknowingly developed a selfish desire.
Shen Yue had stated from the beginning that she was seeking medicine.
The medicine for resurrection.
But what Shen Yue didn't know was that this resurrection medicine was as vital to him as his own life; if the resurrection medicine disappeared, he would disappear as well.
Their lives were intertwined, each indispensable to the other.
He gently caressed the face of the person beside him with his fingertips, from her eyebrows, eyes, nose, to the corners of her mouth, lingering as if he could never get enough.
He surmised that this person must be carrying his medicine to save someone very important, otherwise, she wouldn't have risked her life to save him.
Yao'er set up a small stove near the doorway, with a medicinal pot simmering on it. The bitterness wafted through the room with the heat. Yao'er wrinkled his nose, sniffed, and then opened the pot, looking at the dark medicinal soup. He felt that this medicine was so bitter it could churn one's internal organs.
He turned to look at the person on the bed. Her large, bright eyes were red, with a faint shimmer of moisture welling up. He sniffled, and after a moment, turned back to focus on boiling the medicine.
When he saw Chang Sheng approaching with fragrant porridge, Yao'er immediately began to cry, "Immortal, why hasn't the Immortal woken up yet? Will she never wake up?"
Chang Sheng's hand trembled, his gaze sharp. "Do not speak nonsense."
Yao'er pouted, his whole body heaving with sobs. However, he was afraid of disturbing the person inside, so he could only shed pitiable tears.
Chang Sheng ignored him and walked in softly. He sat by the bed, extended his long arm, and gently supported Shen Yue's upper body. He first touched Shen Yue's cheek and found that it was not as cold as yesterday. He then tucked a strand of dark hair from her cheek behind her ear.
His movements were careful and tender, as if he were handling a fragile and beautiful piece of jade.
Thus, day after day, he cared for her meticulously. Shen Yue's body temperature slowly rose, but it remained lower than that of ordinary people.
Chang Sheng thought, she should be waking up soon.
As he held the person in his arms and finished feeding her the medicine, the person in his arms soon stirred. Her two long, delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her long, thick eyelashes trembled gently, like butterflies poised for flight.
Chang Sheng's eyes widened, and he dared not move.
Soft, warm light shone in, falling upon both of them. Even their hair seemed to shimmer with a golden hue, making her skin appear even softer and more translucent. Her eyelashes fluttered, as if she were struggling to open her eyes.
Chang Sheng couldn't help but reach out a finger to touch her eyelashes. The faint sensation on his fingertips tickled his heart like a gentle feather, a tantalizing itch he couldn't shake.
The next moment, Shen Yue's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and then she slowly opened her eyes.
What kind of eyes were those?
They were simply indescribable.
A faint red, like the twilight glow of dawn, rippled with layers of undulation, refracting a rosy glow, like a river of red agate scattered, shining brilliantly.
That faint red was veiled by a layer of white film, yet it remained breathtakingly beautiful.
Chang Sheng met those eyes, his heart racing like a startled deer, pounding as if his heart were a turbulent lake, restless.
He was clearly stunned by that touch of color.
Shen Yue's gaze was somewhat bewildered. She stared blankly at the green collar in front of her, and after a while, her focus gradually sharpened.
Her eyes could not see, but she could feel the warm sunlight and the scent of medicine from the man.
She gently turned her head, her voice hoarse.
"Chang Sheng, is that you?"
The person holding her remained as stiff as stone, his entire body tense. Shen Yue could feel the man's heart beating rapidly, as if it were about to leap out.
She called out again, puzzled, "Chang Sheng?"
Chang Sheng then seemed to come to his senses, quickly replying, "I am here, I have always been here."