Inside the cave, the fire—once roaring—had dwindled to embers, its flames starved of fresh wood. At least the coals still held heat. Xia Yuge only needed to add a few sticks to bring it back to life. Beside the fire lay a flat slab of blue stone; upon it, motionless, lay a man dressed entirely in black, his body streaked and stained with blood.
“That wretched Xiao Jiu… ‘peerless handsome man,’ indeed!” she grumbled. “Woke me up in the dead of night just so I could play doctor? Fine—he’s going to get an earful later!”
She should have known better. There was no such thing as a free lunch. This wasn’t some dreamboat; this was nothing less than a peerless stroke of bad luck—a walking disaster. Who else ends up half-dead and abandoned in a cave deep in the mountains at midnight? Still… if it hadn’t been for Xiao Jiu finding him, things would look far grimmer. In that sense, he was fortunate.
The cave was far too dark. Xia Yuge stirred the fire to life and stacked on fresh wood. Moments later, flames blazed high once more, flooding the cavern with warm, golden light. Only then did she step over to him with a weary sigh and begin assessing his injuries.
Good heavens. He bore severe wounds, yes—but he had also been poisoned. Worse still, he burned with a raging fever. If his constitution hadn’t been extraordinarily strong, he would have breathed his last long before Xiao Jiu ever fetched her.
There was no time to lose.
Xia Yuge swiftly took out her silver acupuncture needles and pressed them into key acupoints. Whatever else needed doing, bringing that fever down came first. If his temperature stayed this high, he’d be a raving simpleton by the time he woke—poison cured or no, wounds healed or no.
His injuries were manageable. The poison in his veins, however… that would be far harder to drive out.
Ah well. A healer’s heart knows no bounds. She had seen him now; she could hardly stand by and watch him burn to death.
Once the needles were set, she took her scalpel and carefully excised the rotting flesh surrounding his wounds. Just as she finished, Xiao Jiu returned.
【Master! I’ve gathered healing herbs—see if these will do!】
Proudly, the little fox laid them out one by one like a treasure offering. To Xia Yuge’s surprise, there were not only herbs to mend flesh, but also medicine to reduce fever and counteract toxins.
“Very well,” she said, shooting Xiao Jiu a sharp look. “For the sake of these herbs, I shall overlook your deception… for now.”
【Ah—only for now? Can’t we renegotiate? Look—he may be down on his luck at the moment, but he really is strikingly handsome! It’s just that his face is dirty. Trust me—once cleaned up, he’ll look every bit the part. If you don’t believe me, watch!】
Desperate to avoid punishment, the fox darted out—only to return moments later. From his spirit pouch he produced her enamel mug, brimmed to the rim with fresh spring water.
“Xiao Jiu… since when did you start using my personal mug as a washbasin?” Xia Yuge asked, staring flatly.
【Details, Master! Mere details! The point is—he is devastatingly handsome! Just watch!】
With nimble strokes of his little paws, Xiao Jiu dipped water and wiped the man’s face clean in one fluid motion. Slowly revealed was a face pale yet breathtaking—chiseled features carved as if by master hands, every line and contour sharp and striking.
“Well I’ll be…” Xia Yuge breathed out, unable to hold back her quiet gasp of surprise. Gu Nianchen had been tolerable-looking—decent enough features, nose, mouth, all present and correct. But set beside this man in black? Gu Nianchen was nothing but a firefly trying to outshine the sun and moon. They were not even in the same league.
【So, Master?】 Xiao Jiu whispered eagerly, reading her expression. 【Isn’t he handsome? Does your heart flutter? Do you feel the sudden urge to throw yourself into his arms?】
“Mm. I’ll concede—he is remarkably handsome,” Xia Yuge said coolly. “But so what? Throw myself at him? Have you not noticed that he clings to life by the thinnest of threads? If I did throw myself upon him, that last breath would surely leave him. Do you wish to see me a widow before I’ve even married? Besides—one needs a husband first to become a widow. It looks far more like you simply dragged me out here to bury him.”
【Master, do not speak so! To any ordinary soul—yes, he would be past saving. But you, Master… you are no ordinary soul. Xiao Jiu believes—if you set your mind to it—you will save him.】
The flattery was laid on thick—and effective enough to coax a faint smirk.
“Hmph. Of course. Who else am I? I am Xia Yuge! Renowned far and wide! There is no one I cannot heal—only those I choose not to.” She paused, deftly grinding and applying medicine. “And yet—even if I save him… what then? Who knows whether he already has a wife and children at home? Am I to demand marriage as payment for a kindness?”
Her words were dismissive, yet her hands never slowed. She cleansed, dressed, and bound his wounds in smooth, practiced motions.
【Master… do not human beings not have a saying? That one who saves another’s life offers his own in return? He owes you his life—ought he not marry you and pledge himself to you?】 the little fox tilted its head.
“You say that now,” Xia Yuge replied. “But what if he already has a family?”
【Then he shall divorce her and marry you! If Gu Nianchen could break an engagement, why may he not leave a wife? Rest assured, Master—should he dare refuse, Xiao Jiu shall personally send him back to meet his ancestors. No matter what, I shall not see Master wronged!】 Xiao Jiu brandished his tiny, sharp claws. Just try rejecting my mistress, his glare said. I shall strike you dead myself.
Xia Yuge knew that look all too well.
“Xiao Jiu—enough. We shall do nothing that weighs heavy on one’s conscience. Think of this today simply as… one good deed.” She shook her head gently.
Little did she know that this single “good deed” would keep her trapped inside that cave for three long days, fighting to keep this handsome yet hapless man alive. Thank goodness she had brought plenty of seasoning and fuel—or she might well have perished of boredom.
Only on the morning of the third day did Xia Yuge withdraw the final silver needle, having nearly purged the poison from his system.
“Phew… utterly exhausted.” She wiped beads of sweat from her brow. One droplet slipped free, drifting downward to land—and rest—upon his lips. Before she could brush it away, it slid into his mouth.
“Ugh… what is this? Salty…” Lu Tingxiao murmured in his daze. Weak with hunger, he unconsciously darted out his tongue to lick those cracked, dry lips—an innocent, reflexive little gesture that Xia Yuge never even noticed.
She finished everything that remained to be done, left food set aside for him, and prepared to depart. Before leaving, however, she helped herself to exactly half the banknotes and bills tucked inside his coat pocket.
She counted them over while speaking aloud.
“Fancy that. He’s actually quite well-off. I know this hardly makes me a saint—but half? Surely that is not unreasonable? After all, Doctor Xia also deserves recompense. I trekked deep into these mountains in the dead of night, sacrificed my beauty sleep, and lost precious time I ought to have spent gaining flesh. You can hardly expect me to come away empty-handed… now can you?”
She glanced back toward the still-figure.
“Silence means consent. Splendid—since you are so gracious, I shall leave you one extra gift.” She placed a neatly written prescription beside the remaining half of his money. “Follow this regimen for a fortnight hence, and I warrant you shall emerge stronger than before—every last remnant of poison flushed away, and your body fully restored.”
She knew—thirty minutes at most—and he would wake.
And so, exactly as she predicted: half an hour later, Lu Tingxiao slowly opened his eyes.