At daybreak, the morning wind in the northern borderlands still carried a bone-chilling cold.
With Wei Mingchen’s assistance, Su Muchen quickly changed and washed up. He did not even have time to eat breakfast before grabbing his medical kit and hurrying to the South Courtyard to check on Xiao’s condition.
He pushed open the door and said, as usual, “Rounds.”
Xiao had already woken up.
Usually, Xiao either lay on the couch wearing nothing but a thin snow-white inner garment, or weakly leaned against a bolster, sitting half-reclined with no vitality at all.
Today, however, although his long hair was still casually draped over his shoulders, his outer robe was already properly dressed, and even his belt was tied with meticulous neatness.
He was dressed even more properly than he had been that day when Su Muchen had helped him put on his clothes.
Su Muchen looked him over from head to toe. For some inexplicable reason, he felt that something about Xiao was different.
That suffocating sense of deathly stillness lingering around him seemed to have faded somewhat.
There were still faint blood vessels visible in his eyes, and the dark circles beneath them had not disappeared.
But those eyes that had once been devoid of vitality seemed to have regained their focus.
If it were merely the assistance of medication, his spirits could not possibly have recovered to this state in such a short time.
Su Muchen had originally expected it to take much longer.
He could not help feeling puzzled.
He did not ask further questions. Instead, he first checked Xiao’s physical condition as usual.
He took out a compact vital-sign monitor from the medical kit and fastened it around Xiao’s wrist.
Only after seeing the data fluctuating on the screen and confirming that his vital signs were stable did he remove the device with relief.
Next, Su Muchen flipped through the military physician’s records from the previous night, and his brows immediately furrowed.
“You didn’t sleep in the middle of the night and went outside for an hour and a half. What did you go out to do?” he asked irritably.
Xiao’s expression remained calm. He replied indifferently with two lazy words.
“Take a walk.”
Su Muchen could not help rolling his eyes, nearly laughing from exasperation.
“I said you could get out of bed and walk around more, because it would help with your recovery. But I never said you should go for a walk in the middle of the night, in low temperatures, instead of sleeping.”
But then he thought about it.
Xiao had previously always looked as though he were prepared to die at any moment.
At least now he was willing to take the initiative to go outside and walk around. That was not entirely a bad thing.
Su Muchen sighed, quickly writing a few notes in the medical record before asking, “How did you sleep?”
“Not very well.”
“Have you eaten breakfast?”
“Yes.”
“Good boy.” Su Muchen nodded. “How’s your appetite?”
“Acceptable.” Xiao paused, seeming somewhat helpless. “It’s just that I’ve gotten a little tired of porridge.”
Hearing this, Su Muchen stopped writing and looked up at him in surprise.
This was the first time since Xiao had arrived here that he had voluntarily expressed a preference—or dislike—for food.
He put down his pen and softened his tone slightly.
“The northern borderlands are poor, and the food at the administrative office is nothing special. Having something to eat is already pretty good. You’re still seriously injured and haven’t fully recovered, so your stomach is weak. Just eat simple, nutritious food. I’ll have the kitchen prepare different things for you. If there’s anything in particular you want to eat, I can order takeout to be delivered to Guichen Studio and bring it over to you.”
He knew Xiao was picky about food. It seemed that next time, he should bring some food over so Xiao could change his palate.
Xiao thought about it for a moment, then shook his head.
“Forget it. It’s troublesome.”
Su Muchen put those thoughts aside, his expression becoming serious. He cautiously tested the waters.
“Then, right now… can you ‘open the door’?”
Xiao was silent for a while. Lowering his eyes, he replied softly, “Not very smoothly. I don’t know the exact reason.”
Upon hearing this, Su Muchen did not continue questioning him.
He merely silently took a small measuring tape from the pocket of his white coat and stepped forward to pull up Xiao’s sleeve.
The strange black markings on his wrist remained glaringly conspicuous.
Su Muchen carefully measured the boundary of the markings with the tape, then reached out and touched the surrounding skin.
That patch of skin remained as cold as a dead person’s, without the slightest trace of living warmth.
Fortunately, however, the measured width had not increased.
At least, there was no sign of spreading that could be detected with an ordinary physical measuring tool.
After asking all the routine questions, Su Muchen carefully recorded everything from today’s examination in the dedicated medical file labeled “003 Xiao.”
Then he turned around and took a small medicine dish from the military physician waiting nearby.
He carefully checked the types and dosages of the medications on it. Only after confirming that everything was correct did he hand it to Xiao.
Xiao did not reach out to take it. Instead, he frowned and stared at the pile of pills in the dish.
“What is it?” Su Muchen asked.
“Too many.” There was a hint of resistance in Xiao’s voice. “They make me groggy all day after I take them.”
“That’s a side effect of the medication.” Su Muchen patiently explained, “You still can’t stop the iron supplements and vitamins. You can stop the antibiotics after a few more days. If you’re not in pain, you don’t need to take the painkillers. The rest of the medications can’t be stopped immediately either. But considering your condition today, we can indeed reduce the dosage slightly.”
With that, Su Muchen took a small pill cutter from the medical kit.
He skillfully cut several specific pills in half, put the excess away, then handed the newly adjusted medicine dish back to Xiao.
“Take it slowly. You’ll still need to keep taking them for some time. Let’s observe you for a month first, then gradually reduce the dosage depending on how well you’ve recovered.”
Xiao said nothing more. He obediently accepted the medicine dish and tilted his head back to swallow the pills.
Su Muchen made sure he had swallowed everything before packing up his things.
“I still need to go back to Guichen Studio and deal with the northern borderlands’ supplies. Get some proper rest. You can walk around, but don’t walk for that long at once. Don’t wear yourself out and get sick again.”
Just as Su Muchen was about to turn and leave, Xiao’s low voice suddenly came from behind him.
“Muan, thank you.”
“Why are you suddenly being so polite?”
Su Muchen’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt. He turned around in surprise, with a hint of wariness.
He was afraid Xiao was about to do something again.
“…Because you’re still willing to save me.”
In the past, he had always been the one saving others.
This time, however, they were the ones saving him.
“And the blood. Don’t donate recklessly,” Xiao reminded him.
“How did you know?” Su Muchen was surprised again.
For once, Xiao’s lips curved into an extremely faint smile.
“Your cousin isn’t stupid. The label on that blood bag had the name of one of the group’s partner hospitals printed on it, and the blood-donation date was that very day. Other than you, who else could have produced that bag of blood out of thin air?”
That kind of rare panda blood was not something one could obtain just anywhere.
Su Muchen awkwardly scratched the back of his head. He had thought he had hidden it well.
However, looking at Xiao’s calm eyes at that moment, he suddenly realized that Xiao really had improved considerably today.
He was not as sharp and decisive as he had once been, but at least he was willing to speak of his own accord now. He could even make a few small jokes.
That trapped soul seemed to have finally found a crack through which it could breathe.
“No need to thank me either.”
Su Muchen smiled and waved his hand.
“You’ve helped me so much before. It’s just a bag of blood. What’s that worth? As long as you take good care of yourself and stop making me worry about you, that’s enough.”
Just then, a personal guard hurried into the guest room of the South Courtyard and whispered a few words to the military physician.
Su Muchen’s hearing was sharp, and he happened to catch the words “Director Xia” and “fever.”
His brows immediately furrowed.
“What’s wrong with Director Xia?” he asked the guard.
The guard hurriedly reported respectfully, “Doctor Su, it seems that His Lordship caught a chill. He developed a fever early this morning and is even having difficulty getting out of bed, so he would like the military physician to go over and take a look.”
Everyone in the administrative office knew that Xia Lanshi had always been physically frail. A fever was not particularly unusual for him.
But Su Muchen still could not feel at ease.
With Xia Lanshi’s battered constitution, even an ordinary cold could take half his life.
He also remembered Xia Lanshi saying that he had been scratched by the snow owl he kept.
He was deeply afraid that it might have become infected.
He picked up the medical kit he had just put down and decided to go there himself.
“Let’s go. I’ll take a look too.”
Xiao, who had been sitting on the couch the entire time, said nothing, but his brows knitted tightly together.
Without saying a word, he threw off the covers, got up, and followed Su Muchen toward the East Courtyard.
◆◇◆◇◆
The already-not-very-spacious guest room in the East Courtyard suddenly became crowded with people.
Xiao Yuan had just finished handling military affairs when he heard the news and hurried over.
Chi Banyue also stood not far from the bed, keeping watch.
Then Su Muchen, Xiao, and several military physicians entered the room one after another.
Xia Lanshi was leaning against the headboard, his cheeks flushed with an abnormal redness from the fever. From time to time, he suppressed a few coughs.
Looking at the number of people gathered in his room, he helplessly smiled bitterly.
“Your Highness, everyone… I merely caught a slight chill. There’s really no need to make such a fuss.”
At this moment, it looked as though he were seriously ill, which left him somewhat amused and exasperated.
“Huaiyu, your constitution isn’t like an ordinary person’s. How can you say it’s merely a slight chill?”
Xiao Yuan’s brows were tightly furrowed.
Xia Lanshi had indeed been somewhat overworked these past few days, but he had not even been coughing. He had been perfectly fine, yet had suddenly developed a fever. Naturally, this made him worried.
Xia Lanshi did not take it to heart. He smiled faintly as he spoke.
“I’m weak by nature, so I’m prone to illness. It’s nothing.”
Xiao watched the smile on his face and could not help lowering his eyes.
He knew that wasn’t the case.
It was because last night, he had given him the cloak meant to keep out the cold.
The underground hall had been bitterly cold, and Xia Lanshi had stayed with him on that freezing floor for quite some time.
He had not even noticed.
A powerful wave of guilt and worry immediately surged through him.
Chi Banyue stood in the corner with her arms crossed.
Her sharp eyes keenly caught sight of Xiao standing by the door, as far away as possible.
Although Xiao stood far away and maintained his usual indifferent expression on the surface, the worry and self-reproach in his eyes as he stared at Xia Lanshi were impossible to conceal.
As the leader of the hidden guards, she had naturally received the secret report long ago, learning that Xiao and Xia Lanshi had gone to the underground ancient door one after another late last night and had remained inside for quite some time.
Although the shrine guards had been ordered to stand watch outside the door, and no one knew what had actually happened inside, looking at the way the two exchanged glances from across the room, Chi Banyue already understood everything perfectly.
She simply chose to see through it without saying anything.
Su Muchen stepped forward to check Xia Lanshi’s vital signs.
Other than his elevated temperature, everything else was normal.
His gaze fell on the bandage around Xia Lanshi’s wrist.
Yet Xia Lanshi pulled his long sleeve over it, seemingly unwilling to let anyone touch it.
“Is there anywhere else you’re uncomfortable?” Su Muchen asked.
“My head hurts a little. My throat feels slightly uncomfortable, and my body feels weak.”
“What about the injury on your wrist?”
“It’s fine.”
Su Muchen asked several more questions. After confirming that the fever was not caused by an infection from the snow owl’s scratch, he finally felt somewhat relieved.
“It’s nothing serious.” Su Muchen turned to the others and said, “His Lordship’s constitution is simply too weak. Combined with the excessive fatigue of recent days and exposure to the cold, it caused the fever. Continue treating it the same way as before. For the next few days, make absolutely sure he doesn’t get exposed to drafts or cold. He must rest.”
Xia Lanshi’s constitution was more suited to treatment through traditional Chinese medicine. Su Muchen had relatively little experience in that field, but previous experience had already proven that it worked for Xia Lanshi, so they continued with the same approach.
“Thank you for your trouble.”
Xiao Yuan nodded at Su Muchen, somewhat relieved.
“All right. Since it’s nothing serious, everyone can go back.” Su Muchen began driving everyone out without the slightest courtesy. “There are so many people crammed into this room that the air isn’t even circulating. How is the patient supposed to rest? Everyone, out.”
Xiao Yuan knew Su Muchen’s temperament. Besides, Xia Lanshi genuinely needed to rest, so he instructed him to take good care of himself before leaving the room first.
Chi Banyue was equally tactful. Before leaving, she gave Xiao a knowing, almost teasing glance and followed him out.
Seeing this, the military physicians naturally hurried off to prepare and boil the medicine as well.
After giving a few more instructions, Su Muchen also prepared to leave.
Before leaving, he saw Xiao standing there. He said nothing and simply departed.
In the blink of an eye, the previously crowded room became quiet.
Only Xia Lanshi remained inside, along with Xiao, who was still standing by the door.
Xia Lanshi coughed softly twice and raised his heavy eyelids to look at the man who seemed like someone who had done something wrong and did not dare approach.
He sighed helplessly.
“Why are you standing so far away? Are you afraid I’ll give you my illness?”
Although Xia Lanshi’s voice was weak, it carried a faint hint of amusement.
Xiao pursed his lips before finally walking slowly to the bedside.
Looking at Xia Lanshi’s pale face tinged with the unhealthy flush of fever, he said softly, “…I’m sorry. I made you catch a chill.”
“Don’t take everything upon yourself. I was the one who chose to go. Besides, the northern borderlands are cold and frozen all year round. I get sick several times every year.”
Xia Lanshi extended one hand from beneath the covers and gently tugged on Xiao’s sleeve, tilting his head up to look at him.
“Those Great Sheng clothes suit you quite well. Though that color doesn’t match you. Should I prepare a few sets for you to change into another day?”
Xiao did not answer.
Instead, he took Xia Lanshi’s feverishly hot hand in his own and carefully tucked it back beneath the warm covers.
“Doctor Su said you need to rest.” Xiao tucked the edge of the blanket around him, his movements unbelievably gentle.
“With you here, I can rest.”
Xia Lanshi looked at him, his fever-reddened eyes filled with tenderness and reassurance.
“Xiao, as long as you don’t leave without telling me and don’t push me away… this little chill is nothing.”
Xiao gazed at him for a long time.
In the end, the hardness in his brows and eyes completely softened.
He sat down on the wooden chair beside the bed and gave a soft response.
“Mm. I’m not going anywhere. Sleep peacefully.”
And so he quietly remained by the bedside, listening as Xia Lanshi’s breathing gradually became steady.
No matter how bitterly the cold wind howled outside the window, within this small room, warmth had quietly begun to fill the space.
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