Xie Jinglan gazed at the desk and noticed that the position of the painting silk had shifted.
In this study, no one dared to enter without his permission, so it must have been Wen Ning who had tidied his desk for him.
He prided himself on being a hardened warrior on the battlefield and a formidable presence in the imperial court, yet he felt uneasy over secretly keeping a portrait of her.
It felt unlike himself.
In the days that followed, Xie Jinglan stayed in the military camp due to rigorous training of elite troops.
Though he slept in the camp, his thoughts wandered to her day and night, consumed by longing.
Every night, he was haunted by her captivating warmth and softness.
He suddenly realized that desire truly corroded the heart—it was no lie!
Today, after the military drills concluded, Xie Jinglan stepped into his tent but inexplicably felt a trace of restlessness. He thought it was yet another improper thought stirring up wicked desires.
But this slight burning sensation…
Something was wrong.
His Adam’s apple bobbed—it was… a poison flare-up!
The tent was simple and crude, with no ice water, let alone anything cold enough to suppress the sinister poison coursing through his body.
Xie Jinglan immediately called out in a low voice toward the tent entrance, “Qing Feng! Return to the manor!”
Galloping back at full speed, Xie Jinglan could feel the scorching heat traveling along his meridians, spreading through his entire body in an instant like wildfire.
He leaned over the horse’s back, his fingers digging deep into the mane, the veins on the back of his hand bulging violently.
Upon arriving at Tingsong Courtyard, Qing Feng, while carrying his master on his back, urgently shouted to the people in the courtyard, “Prepare ice water!”
Several servants immediately understood. They moved swiftly in and out of the inner chamber, and within moments, the bathtub behind the screen was filled with ice water.
Xie Jinglan drove everyone out. He removed his soft armor and, without bothering to take off his archer-sleeved training attire, stepped into the bathtub.
“What… what exactly has happened to the Marquis?” Nanny Xue’s voice trembled with fear as she tightly grasped Qing Feng’s wrist guard, asking anxiously.
Qing Feng pulled Nanny Xue aside and briefly explained to her about the Marquis’s poison flare-up.
Wen Ning was also witnessing such a scene for the first time. In her heart, the Marquis was always majestic and formidable, with an iron will and unyielding strength—capable of repelling thousands of troops and protecting the realm.
But now, he clutched the edge of the bathtub tightly, his body convulsing uncontrollably under the torment of pain.
Xie Jinglan’s eyes were bloodshot, and his veins bulged like twisted vines along his neck, raging wildly through every meridian.
It felt as if thousands of venomous ants were gnawing at his bones, and his internal organs seemed to be drenched in molten lava.
All he could see was a swirling crimson haze, and the only sound in his ears was the roaring of boiling blood.
“Ugh!”
Xie Jinglan threw his head back and let out a suppressed roar, his spine slamming against the side of the tub.
Wen Ning could no longer bear to watch him like this. Carrying a bathing tray, she stepped forward.
“I beg the Marquis… to allow this servant to alleviate your pain.”
Xie Jinglan only felt a light splash of water in front of him before catching sight of a graceful figure sitting down in the water.
She hadn’t left at all!
Suddenly enveloped by the cold water, Wen Ning couldn’t help but shiver.
“You… get out!”
Xie Jinglan knew that during a poison flare-up, he was prone to losing his senses. Fearing he might harm her in a moment of out of control, he refused to let her stay.
Wen Ning not only remained unmoved but also reached out to undo the buttons on the front of his robe.
“You… seeking death! Get out!”
Xie Jinglan let out a low roar, his large hands gripping her waist as he tried to force her out. But Wen Ning clung tightly to him, her cool breath brushing against the back of his ear. “Marquis, trust this servant. I can help you…”
It seemed more intoxicating than any antidote. Xie Jinglan clenched his teeth tightly, the veins at his temples throbbing, but he no longer struggled.
Wen Ning immediately helped him remove his upper garment, exposing the Renying Acupoint on the side of his neck. This point contained the essence of the innate stomach meridian, which could guide and expel fire toxins.
“This servant must use a silver hairpin to draw blood beads and suck out some of the fire toxins to alleviate your pain. Please cooperate with me as much as possible, Marquis.”
However, this meridian was located on the side of the neck, where the slightest mistake could be fatal.
Wen Ning could only press his broad frame against the tub wall with her petite body. Though she said she was pressing him against the wall, it was more like she was leaning into his embrace. Then, she reached out a hand to clasp the back of his neck, pulling him toward her.
Her softness pressed tightly against his chest, and her cool jade-like fingers rested on the side of his neck. Xie Jinglan felt as if he had fallen into another sea of fire, almost consumed by the flames. Beads of sweat the size of beans slid down his tense jaw.
The ice water in the bathtub had now been “boiled” into warm water by Xie Jinglan’s scorching body. Even through her clothing, Wen Ning could feel his intense body heat.
“Marquis, I am about to begin…”
She picked up the silver hairpin that had been soaked in wine from the nearby bathing tray, pressed her cheek against Xie Jinglan’s, and then located the Renying Acupoint. The silver hairpin moved in and out with his breathing until blood beads emerged. Only then did she let out a slight sigh of relief.
Wen Ning tilted her head slightly and pressed her soft lips against the red bead.
The moment her lips touched the neck pulse, both of them trembled almost simultaneously.
“Wen Ning, Wen Ning…” Xie Jinglan’s voice was hoarse. The mixture of stinging pain and tingling numbness on his neck made him endure the agony within, not daring to move for fear that Wen Ning might accidentally swallow a drop of poisoned blood.
The figure before him lightly closed her eyes, her long, curled eyelashes glistening with moisture. Every time she lifted her head to catch her breath, it made his heart tremble.
After spitting out the last mouthful of poisoned blood, Wen Ning, still slightly breathless, said to Xie Jinglan, “Marquis, you only need to endure a little longer, and the pain in your body will subside.”
“Get out!”
Xie Jinglan felt he had not yet recovered and did not want her to stay here any longer.
As if she hadn’t heard him, Wen Ning picked up a cotton cloth and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead.
While wiping, she spoke to him to distract his attention. “Marquis, I used a silver hairpin, not an ordinary round needle. This meridian is on the side of the neck. Weren’t you afraid…”
Xie Jinglan suddenly grasped her slender wrist. “With your abilities… you couldn’t harm this Marquis,” he said, enduring the burning pain. “Moreover, I trust you.”
Wen Ning’s fingertips trembled slightly. She lowered her eyelashes, but the corners of her lips couldn’t help curling into a faint smile.
Xie Jinglan finally felt that his body was no longer as scorching hot. The pain gradually dissipated, and his senses returned.
He leaned forward slightly and embraced Wen Ning face-to-face, pulling her entirely into his arms.
“Marquis!” Wen Ning exclaimed softly, only to see that his expression seemed to have returned to normal.
She had seen her master use this silver hairpin bloodletting method before but had never performed it herself. Thinking back on it now, she felt a lingering fear at having dared to experiment on the Marquis.
Her eyelashes fluttered with joy as she asked, “Marquis, are you better now?”
Her soaked clothing clung tightly to her body, outlining a breathtakingly delicate curve.
From sucking out the poison earlier, her collar had already loosened and slipped halfway down, revealing a porcelain-smooth, rounded shoulder.
Glistening droplets of water trailed down her jade-like neck, playfully disappearing into the shadows beneath her collarbone.
Xie Jinglan felt his throat tighten and chided her, “You’ve made it worse with your treatment.”
"How could that be…" Wen Ning was about to retort, but when she met his eyes, which seemed to contain surging molten lava, she couldn't help but shrink back.
"This servant… should leave now." She pushed against the broad, solid chest in front of her and tried to stand up.
"Just like this?"
Only then did Wen Ning realize she was completely drenched and her clothes were in disarray. She turned aside to straighten the front of her garment, then immediately sat back down.