"Сan't yоu bе а littlе gеntler with me?" Zhuo Qi smilеd, аnd Han Yаn couldn't hеlр but аdmirе him fоr bеing able tо laugh in such a situation. Zhuo Qi sаid, "I'm injurеd. When I wеnt into thе wаtеr еarliеr, mу wоund rеоpеned."
"If you'rе hurt, whу push уourself so hаrd?" Han Yаn retortеd irritаblу. Реорle like Zhuо Qi brоught troublе uроn themsеlves, аnd nоw this situation wаs trulу a hеadachе.
Zhuo Qi lookеd аt hеr and smilеd faintly. "Don't bе аfrаid, I'm fine." Еvеn аs hе sаid this, hе leаnеd almоst entirеly on Нan Yаn. Shе сould fееl his trеmbling аnd weakness—it wаs clear Zhuo Qi was еnduring indescribablе pain. Yеt evеn nоw, he didn't fоrget to comfort Han Yan, and her heart softened a little.
"What do we do now?" Han Yan supported him. "If you don't get a doctor to look at your wound soon, it could leave lasting damage." In her previous life, Han Yan knew that many illnesses became chronic because they weren't treated promptly at the onset. Zhuo Qi had lost so much blood; if no doctor came to treat him soon, it could lead to serious problems.
Zhuo Qi was silent for a moment. "Can you take me back to the inn?"
Han Yan was taken aback. "What?"
"Take me back to the inn," Zhuo Qi said. "I can't get back on my own now. If you want to help me, find a carriage for me and call a doctor."
Han Yan was displeased. This wasn't something she should be doing. In fact, she considered herself barely acquainted with Zhuo Qi. Every time this man appeared, he brought trouble. Now that he was in trouble, it shouldn't be her responsibility to help him. She looked at Zhuo Qi and said, "You must be joking. What about your subordinates? A distinguished prince of the Western Rong—surely you can find a subordinate to attend to you?"
Hearing this, Zhuo Qi smiled faintly. This smile was different from his usual mischievous or domineering expressions—instead, it carried a hint of mockery and sorrow. His voice held no emotion. "Do you think Western Rong people in the Great Dynasty can openly appear before the common folk? And why do you think a prince of the Western Rong would come to the Great Dynasty? Subordinates—the more people who know my identity, the greater the danger."
Han Yan was stunned, recalling her earlier suspicion that Zhuo Qi was being pursued by the Western Rong. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. The current emperor of the Western Rong was not Zhuo Qi, yet he was a prince of the Western Rong. Those people would naturally hunt him down to ensure absolute security. Even in the Great Dynasty, there were invisible conflicts between the Seventh Prince and the Crown Prince. Being part of the royal family was inherently a matter of compulsion. Outsiders saw immense wealth and power, but only those within knew how piercing that wealth could be.
Seeing Han Yan's expression, he smiled with effort. "But with you, this is the first time I've voluntarily revealed my identity."Han Yan saw that it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to speak. Today's events, when all was said and done, were because of her. If she hadn't gone to look for that hairpin, Zhuo Qi wouldn't have jumped into the lake, his wound wouldn't have reopened, and there wouldn't be this trouble now. This person, from beginning to end, didn't seem to have harmed her. If she disliked him because of Irina, wasn't that too rash? More importantly, Zhuo Qi's words just now had touched Han Yan. She knew that feeling of being alone, with no one to trust. In her previous life, she had been like that—struggling in hardship, having a home that was no home at all, and those who wanted to harm her were precisely the people closest to her.
Seeing Zhuo Qi was like seeing another version of herself. Han Yan wondered if she could become someone Zhuo Qi could trust. For people like him, trust was too precious. If that trust was not accepted, it would mean utter destruction for that person. She had already been granted rebirth, but Zhuo Qi didn't have the chance to start his life over.
She stood up and stared at Zhuo Qi with a complex expression for a long time before finally nodding gently. "Alright."
Zhuo Qi's eyes instantly brightened, and he suddenly broke into a smile at Han Yan. It was a simple, bright smile, filled with joy that she was willing to help him. At this moment, Zhuo Qi looked just like a child. Han Yan's heart softened involuntarily as she helped him to his feet. "Where are Ji Lan and Shu Hong?"
Zhuo Qi was taken aback. "Over there. I sealed their acupoints."
Han Yan glared at him, and Zhuo Qi avoided her gaze.
After finding Ji Lan and Shu Hong, Zhuo Qi unsealed their acupoints. Ji Lan immediately rushed to Han Yan's side. "Miss, are you alright? Did this person harm you?"
Han Yan shook her head. "Go find a carriage. We'll take him back."
"Huh?" Shu Hong looked at Han Yan in surprise, then at Zhuo Qi, only then noticing that Zhuo Qi was leaning entirely on Han Yan, his face pale as if injured. Earlier, while she and Ji Lan were talking, someone had suddenly sealed their acupoints. Shu Hong had been extremely worried, afraid that Han Yan had encountered a villain. Now, seeing Han Yan unharmed, she breathed a sigh of relief, but Zhuo Qi's appearance left them puzzled. It was likely this person who had sealed their acupoints earlier. What was his relationship with the young miss? Why did the young miss seem so concerned about his injury?
Shu Hong and Ji Lan had seen Zhuo Qi a few times and naturally knew that his relationship with Han Yan was far from friendly—he had even threatened her the first time they met.
Han Yan had no time to explain to them and only said, "He's injured. We can't just leave him here. Ji Lan, go find a carriage."
Ji Lan was stunned for a moment. Though still confused, she quickly left to look for a carriage. Only Shu Hong remained by Han Yan's side, eyeing Zhuo Qi suspiciously. Zhuo Qi grew weaker and weaker. At first, he could still exchange a few words with Han Yan, but soon he fell silent. When the carriage arrived, Han Yan helped Zhuo Qi into it, then climbed in herself, heading straight for the inn Zhuo Qi had mentioned.Along the way, Zhuo Qi quietly leaned against the carriage with his eyes closed. This rare moment of tranquility in the man was displayed before Han Yan, who glanced over and saw him frowning slightly, looking just as unhappy even in his sleep. Han Yan thought of Fu Yunxi, who also often furrowed his brows slightly, and wondered what troubles might be weighing on his mind.
As she was lost in thought, the carriage had already stopped at the entrance of the inn. Han Yan helped Zhuo Qi into a room in the inn and asked Shu Hong to find a doctor to examine him. Fortunately, all three of them had worn veils before leaving, so no one had seen their faces. The doctor arrived quickly, took Zhuo Qi’s pulse, and wrote a prescription. It turned out that besides the severe injury to his waist, Zhuo Qi had also been poisoned. Although the wound had been cleaned earlier, it had not been done thoroughly, leaving residual toxins in his body. Coupled with his exposure to water today, his condition had worsened.
After seeing the doctor off, Ji Lan and Shu Hong went to prepare the medicine for Zhuo Qi. Han Yan stayed in the room to keep him company, as he had already fallen into a coma by then. Han Yan glanced around the room—it was a very simple space, not as meticulously furnished as those of ordinary nobles. Everything appeared to be ordinary, unremarkable items used by commoners. Just by looking at this room, who would have guessed that it housed a prince of the Western Rong?
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