Under Jinhsi’s “round-the-clock supervision,” Mohai’s days were both cozy and agonizing.
Cozy, because he lived the pampered life of a top-tier patient who was fed and dressed without lifting a finger.
Agonizing, because he was practically growing mold.
“No way.
I am taking a bath today!” Mohai declared with righteous conviction, attempting to defend his final dignity as a modern man.
“Overruled.” Jinhsi, who was currently changing his dressings, rejected him without even looking up.
Her movements were gentle and focused.
Dipping a cotton swab in ointment, she carefully applied it to the small, scabbed-over wounds on Mohai’s arms.
These were merely superficial scratches caused by flying debris during the Battle of the Crescent Blade, and they had ceased to be an issue long ago.
Yet Jinhsi insisted on personally inspecting and redressing them every day, as though it were a matter of gravity.
“Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet, and the weather is turning chilly.
What if you catch a cold?” she said in a tone that brooked no argument, sounding like a worrying wife.
“I promise I’ll make it quick!
Hot water!” Mohai held up three fingers to swear.
“If I don’t wash now, my image is going to drop from ‘mysterious expert’ to ‘Beggar Sect Elder.'” Jinhsi couldn’t help a soft laugh, though her hands never stopped moving.
“Still no.” She helped him roll his sleeves back down, picked up a basin of warm water wafting with a soft herbal fragrance, and grabbed a clean towel.
“Today you only get a wipe-down.” Saying so, she naturally pressed the warm, wrung-out towel against Mohai’s face.
Mohai froze entirely.
The girl’s touch was as light as a feather.
The warm towel wrapped around him in an instant, bringing the fresh scent of herbs mixed with her faint, delicate fragrance.
Through the faint steam, he could see her flawless face right in front of his eyes.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly like tiny fans with her movements.
Those eyes, usually as cool and clear as jade, were now filled with intense focus as she wiped his cheeks, his forehead, the bridge of his nose, inch by inch…
In that moment, the entire world seemed to quiet down.
Mohai could even hear his own treacherous heart pounding like a drum inside his chest.
Too close.
This was…
way too close.
His mind went completely blank.
Every witty joke and sarcastic remark stuck in his throat, and he couldn’t utter a single word.
Jinhsi, unaware of his inner turmoil, finished wiping his face and naturally unbuttoned his collar.
The warm towel slid down his neck, moving further down…
Mohai drew in a sharp breath, his body tensing up instinctively.
He swore he just wanted a bath—he wasn’t trying to start anything improper!
Just as he was about to say something to break this overwhelmingly charged atmosphere— “Magistrate Jinhsi?” From outside the door, Changli’s cool, steady voice suddenly drifted in!
“I just came from the council hall.
The new military dispatch from the Beiluo Barren has a few points that require your immediate review.” *Boom—!* Both of their brains exploded at the exact same time!
Mohai’s reaction was pure instinct!
He grabbed Jinhsi’s wrist before she could even gasp, pulled her back toward the bed, and dragged her under the blanket with him, yanking it completely over their heads!
The entire sequence of actions was seamless and lightning-fast!
“Mm!” Jinhsi felt the world spin.
In the next second, she found herself wrapped tightly in a warm embrace, her nose pressed against a firm chest as they were plunged into a cozy, pitch-black space.
The blanket shut out the light and sound from the outside world, amplifying every sense within.
She could clearly hear Mohai’s heart thumping like a war drum right beside her ear.
She could feel his warm, slightly hurried breath brushing over the top of her head.
She could smell his scent—a mixture of herbal fragrance, soap, and his own distinct aroma—dominating her senses and making her head spin.
“Jinhsi?
Are you inside?” Changli’s voice sounded again, carrying a note of confusion.
Her footsteps had already reached the doorway.
Both of them froze beneath the blanket, holding their breath.
Mohai instinctively held the girl in his arms a bit tighter, using one hand to nervously cover her mouth, terrified she might make a sound.
Jinhsi curled completely against him, burying her small face in his chest, not daring to move an inch.
She could feel the heat radiating from his chest through the thin fabric of his clothes, burning hot.
She could also feel her own cheeks turning hot enough to fry an egg.
What…
was going on?
Why was she under the covers with Mohai?
Why was he holding her so tightly?
Why…
did her own heart seem to be beating even faster than his?
*Creak—* The door was gently pushed open.
Footsteps paused inside the room for a moment.
Beneath the blanket, both of their hearts were practically leaping out of their throats.
Changli looked at the towel left on the floor and the bulging, slightly shivering lump under the blanket on the bed.
A knowing, helpless smile flashed across her cool eyes.
She picked up the military dispatch from the table, backed out as silently as she had entered, and thoughtfully pulled the door shut behind her.
“Ah, no harm in reading the dispatch later.
It seems…
some things are catching…” From outside, Changli’s amused voice drifted back as her footsteps faded into the distance.
Only when the footsteps completely disappeared did the two beneath the blanket finally exhale a long, silent sigh of relief, as if coming back to life.
Mohai slowly loosened his hand from her mouth.
In the darkness, their eyes met.
Though they couldn’t see clearly, both could imagine the other’s blushing, flustered expression.
“Is she…
gone?” Jinhsi’s voice was as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz, trembling with a touch of lingering panic.
“P-probably,” Mohai said, his throat feeling dry.
They remained in each other’s arms, neither making the first move to pull away.
It was as if both wanted to linger for one more second in this heart-stopping intimacy.
After a long silence.
“Um…” Mohai spoke up first, attempting to explain.
“That was just a knee-jerk reaction.
I was worried she’d see us…
and it’d be hard to explain…” “I…
I know.” Jinhsi buried her face a little deeper into his chest, her voice muffled.
Of course she knew.
Understanding it was one thing, but this uncontrollable pounding in her chest was another matter entirely.
Another beat of silence passed.
“Can you…
let me go first?” Jinhsi protested softly.
“It’s a bit…
hard to breathe.” “Ah?
Oh, right, sorry!” Snapping back to his senses, Mohai released her like he’d been shocked by lightning and threw off the blanket.
The two parted in an instant, retreating to opposite corners of the bed.
Light restored the room, but the air remained thick with a sweet, indefinable awkwardness.
Jinhsi’s cheeks were red enough to bleed.
She smoothed her messy clothes and hair, not daring to look up at Mohai at all.
Standing up like a startled fawn, she bolted for the door without looking back.
“I…
I just remembered I have an urgent official document to process!
I’m leaving!” *Bang!* The door slammed shut.
In the room, Mohai was left sitting on the bed in a daze.
He raised his hand and sniffed his fingertips.
The faint, elegant scent of her hair still seemed to linger there.
He collapsed back onto the bed, pulled the blanket over his face, and let out a satisfied yet frustrated silent groan.
How was anyone supposed to resist that?!