Chapter 94: The Fever That Would Not Break

During this time, due to his lack of spiritual power, he could only revert to his fox form, his tail drooping off the edge of the bed.

At that moment, beside him, Xie Yingying opened her eyes. Her gaze was hazy and confused, as though she couldn’t immediately discern where she was.

Suddenly, her eyes focused and a hint of irritation appeared. She began to mutter, “Why does every day feel like I’m a dog about to drop dead from exhaustion… and still penniless…”

Bai Shengyun’s ears twitched, but he didn’t open his eyes.

“Ugh…” Xie Yingying tried to turn over, but her chest hurt so much she couldn’t move, and she began to cry in helpless frustration. As she wept, she wailed, “I don’t want to be a dog anymore! Why does my chest hurt so much? Someone help me…”

Bai Shengyun heard her shrill, piercing cries and opened his eyes at once, turning his head to look at her coldly.

Xie Yingying sensed someone’s gaze and slowly turned her head, only to see a white fox with amber eyes.

For a moment, her memories failed her. All she felt was that this white fox was unspeakably adorable. She rushed forward, scooped him into her arms, and hugged him tightly, even rubbing him vigorously.

“Ah… so cute, and so lovely to hold!” Xie Yingying exclaimed with narrowed eyes, then lowered her head and planted a kiss on Bai Shengyun’s forehead.

Bai Shengyun, already in a foul mood, was utterly stunned by her sudden kiss. His tail shot straight up, his furry ears quivered in alarm, and the entire fox scrambled desperately to retreat.

Had he been in human form, the faint blush on his cheeks would have been impossible to miss.

But Xie Yingying wasn’t satisfied yet. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him even tighter.

Now, he was pressed firmly against her chest, his tail, crowned with a little red hat, bristling higher still, his ears fluffed in agitation, struggling with all his might. He opened his mouth to scold her, but only managed a series of sharp yelps:

“Let go! Are you asking for death?!”

“Didn’t you despise me before? And now you’re so shameless! Release me!”

“Xie Yingying, you’d better remember who I am! Tch.”

But Xie Yingying didn’t understand a single word and instinctively ignored his indignant cries.

“So warm!” she laughed with delight, snuggling closer, “I really love this!”

Wait… Xie Yingying’s expression changed. This was a fox?

She lowered her head slowly, meeting those familiar, icy eyes, and couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

“Bai… Bai Shengyun…”

Seeing that she finally remembered him, Bai Shengyun extricated himself from her embrace and began to gather the ambient spiritual power once more.

As the energy surged into his core, a flash of white light burst forth. The dazzling light faded, and Bai Shengyun’s human form gradually appeared before Xie Yingying.

She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Bai Shengyun stepped forward, grasped her chin, and looked down at her with a mocking and disdainful gaze.

“I… I…” Xie Yingying stared into his golden eyes, tongue-tied and meek, all her former bravado vanished.

“Why don’t you keep hugging?” Bai Shengyun sneered. “Why stop now?”

She was speechless, staring at his handsome face with an audible gasp, and then promptly fainted.

Bai Shengyun’s expression darkened further, but he soon noticed her rising fever.

With growing impatience, he reached out to touch her forehead, feeling the searing heat and frowning.

He considered healing her, but recalling the many times she had slighted him, especially her escape on their wedding day, anger flared within him.

After a long pause, he spoke coldly, “Wait here and let your fever break on its own.”

With that, he rose and walked away, his retreating figure seemingly heartless.

Yet as soon as he passed the tea table, he hesitated and stopped.

“Bai Shengyun…” came Xie Yingying’s weak voice from behind him, “I… I don’t want to die yet… have mercy.”

He turned slightly, seeing her eyes tightly shut, her face etched with fear and pleading.

Bai Shengyun pressed his lips together, staring at her for a long while, lost in thought.

After a moment, he clicked his tongue, poured a cup of tea, warmed it with his spiritual power, then returned to the bedside. Gently prying her mouth open, he poured the tea in.

But he had no idea how to care for another, and much of the tea spilled from the corners of her mouth, making her choke and cough.

“Troublesome,” Bai Shengyun muttered impatiently.

At last, after finishing the tea, he sat by the bed and checked her pulse.

Her pulse revealed nothing amiss apart from weakness. With no other choice, Bai Shengyun extended his spiritual sense to scan her entire body, but still found nothing unusual.

Rubbing his temple and tapping his finger, he suspected her wound had become inflamed.

If that truly was the case, Bai Shengyun was at a loss.

If it had been some internal injury, he could have rummaged through his pills for something suitable. If it had been a conflict of spiritual energies, he could have expended a little more effort to balance them.

But if the sword wound on Xie Yingying’s chest had turned septic, he could do nothing.

After all, he was a man of honor, not one to take advantage of another, let alone undress her himself to tend her wound.

Even thinking of it brought back memories of their wedding night.

Bai Shengyun covered his face, his ears tinged faintly pink.

After a moment’s thought, he placed his palm on Xie Yingying’s sweat-drenched forehead, channeling his spiritual power to make his hand icy cold.

But Xie Yingying seemed even more uncomfortable, turning away slightly. Bai Shengyun had no choice but to gently turn her head back and continue cooling her.

After several rounds of this, his impatience grew. He fished a rope from his storage pouch, bound her securely, and held her chin in one hand, rendering her completely immobile.

Propping his chin in his hand, Bai Shengyun looked at her blankly, then suddenly recalled the nonsense she’d spouted and let out a soft, sardonic laugh.

“I have no interest in killing you,” he said dismissively.

Soon, dawn broke, and the sky lit up with rosy clouds.

In front of the pile of flower remnants in the Hall of Harmony, two tall figures stood—Huo Tianqing and Gu Ruohan.

During the night, Jing Ling and Lie Yang had left one after another, but these two remained. Through the long hours, as a new day dawned, they had not once departed.

Gu Ruohan recalled how Bai Shengyun had carried Xie Yingying into the room, and the words Xie Yingying had spoken to him. He was filled with anxiety, fearing what Bai Shengyun might do to her.