Chapter 55: How Could It Be Her?

Fortunately, seeing Hao Yaolian beaten to the ground, Yun Qinshu realized she had lost her backup and long since slipped away in disgrace.

"Is this woman dead?" Situ Lexuan poked Yun Qiange's cheek and bluntly reached a conclusion.

"Nonsense, she is not dead." He swatted her hand away, his clear eyes once again welling up with tears. Under the sunlight, his eye rims were red, making him look precisely like a wronged little rabbit.

"Fine, fine, fine. She's not dead, she's just dying." Situ Lexuan waved her hand, soothing him with gentle words. Seeing that the young man had already hoisted the woman onto his back, she panicked: "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm taking her to the nearest medical clinic."

"You don't need to carry her yourself." She gritted her teeth. She had no intention of letting Mingxuan have physical contact with another woman. Under Dongfang Mingxuan's puzzled gaze, she righteously snatched Yun Qiange away and hoisted her onto her own shoulder, her words filled with disdain: "Hmph, I'm just afraid she'll crush you to death. After all, your little frame is as skinny as a bamboo pole."

With that, she rushed toward the medical clinic in a flurry, kicking up fallen leaves along the path in her wake.

Inside the clinic, the air was rich with the fragrance of herbs. A white-haired elderly physician felt Yun Qiange's pulse, stroked his tiger-like beard, and said, "This young woman has been injured by internal energy. Because she possesses no internal energy within her body, her injuries are quite severe. Had it not been for her exceptionally strong willpower, she would probably have already..."

Dongfang Mingxuan was startled, his face turning somewhat pale, only to hear the white-haired physician sigh: "Fortunately, when the internal energy struck, for some unknown reason, this young woman managed to disperse a portion of it. Therefore, despite her severe injuries, her life is not in danger. She only needs to recuperate quietly for a few months to fully recover."

After paying the silver to the elderly doctor and watching him leave, Situ Lexuan stroked her chin: "We don't even know her, and we have no idea when she'll wake up. Why don't we take off her veil, have someone sketch her face, and post notices everywhere? Maybe we can find her family."

"Mm." Dongfang Mingxuan nodded. He naturally wanted to take care of her, but he also possessed self-awareness. He was merely the top courtesan of a pleasure house; he could not casually bring people back to his quarters. If word got out and his reputation for purity was ruined, the procuress would force him to entertain guests. He did not want to entertain guests; he intended to preserve his chastity and leave that den of gold and silver. Once he saved enough wealth to redeem himself, his misty eyes would touch her face. *My lady, if one day I successfully leave the pleasure house, would you... be willing to marry me?*

Seeing Dongfang Mingxuan's sorrowful and mournful expression as those teardrops fell once again, Situ Lexuan delivered a light, powdery punch to the top of his head, though without much force: "Are your tears free? You are not allowed to cry."

Her fierce appearance failed to stop the young man from crying; instead, it made him cry even harder.

"You look so ugly when you cry." She awkwardly pulled a light cyan handkerchief from her sleeve: "Here, take it and wipe your tears."

"Lexuan, thank you." Warmth bloomed in his heart, and through his tears, he managed a faint, shallow smile. Situ Lexuan clumsily rubbed the back of her head, pouting indifferently: "I saw my father and the others using this, and I thought it would suit you, so I grabbed one from my father. Just make do with it."

Therefore, when Situ Lexuan saw the frozen smile on Dongfang Mingxuan's face, she wanted nothing more than to slap herself across the face. *Oh, Lady Situ, must you ruin the mood so thoroughly? Just how old is your father, and how old is Mingxuan! Clearly, you carefully selected this at a shop, so why couldn't you just tell the truth?*

To cover up her awkwardness, Situ Lexuan forced a laugh and stepped forward to pull away Yun Qiange's veil. As the veil drifted down, Dongfang Mingxuan abruptly stood up, his face drained of all color, trembling from head to toe in absolute terror: "How... how could it... be her."