Chapter 455 - 454: Bitter Medicine

Chapter 455: Chapter 454: Bitter Medicine

Du Yunluo walked over and looked at Mu Lianxiao lying on the kang.

His back, hands, and legs, everywhere she thought could be bandaged, were all covered.

There wasn’t a single place left uncovered.

Mu Lianxiao had his eyes closed.

While packing the medicine box, the military doctor said to Du Yunluo, "Madam, rest assured, the Princely Heir is asleep."

Du Yunluo breathed a sigh of relief.

"The other wounds are manageable, but the cut on his back is severe and wasn’t cleaned and bandaged immediately. It will likely take some time to heal, so please be extremely careful when you tend to him," the military doctor advised Du Yunluo before leaving to prepare a prescription.

General Huang felt a bit relieved at this moment and left with the military doctor.

Jin Rui poured a cup of water for Mu Liankang, who drank it in one gulp, saying, "Ah Shao will probably wake up tonight. You should take some rest when you can, as you’ll have a lot to do when he wakes up."

Du Yunluo curtsied and thanked him.

When the room was left with just Du Yunluo and Mu Lianxiao, she carefully sat down beside him.

Though he was said to be asleep, given his injuries, being asleep was not much different from being unconscious.

Du Yunluo gently held Mu Lianxiao’s hand, which wasn’t as warm as usual, even feeling cooler than her own, but as long as it wasn’t cold, she felt reassured.

She knew she should take a nap since she hadn’t slept all night, but she simply couldn’t fall asleep.

So she sat with him, watched him, and listened to his shallow breathing.

It wasn’t until the afternoon that Du Yunluo placed a pillow on the floor, sat on it, and dozed off leaning against the large kang.

Jin Rui walked in, noticed that neither of them had woken yet, and quietly tiptoed out.

The sky darkened, and torches were lit again in the camp.

Mu Lianxiao slowly opened his eyes, feeling extraordinarily weary; the weight of his injuries was such that he couldn’t even feel any pain.

He saw Du Yunluo, her small head resting beside him.

Her brows were furrowed, her sleep seemed uneasy.

His hand was enveloped in hers, and he wanted to pull it away to rub Du Yunluo’s brow and smooth away her worries, but he didn’t even have the strength to move a finger.

Nonetheless, just being able to see her, to return to her side, was a blessing for him.

In the vast Great Desert, during those times when he was severely injured and unconscious, Mu Lianxiao thought he might die there, yet he gritted his teeth and returned.

If he didn’t return, with his body left behind, it would be like Mu Liankang’s disappearance more than eight years ago.

Disappearing is even more painful for the family than dying in battle.

What would Madam Wu do, and what about Mrs. Zhou?

What would his Yunluo and Brother Yan do?

In his delirium, all he could see were visions of Du Yunluo, like a mirage guiding him step by step to hold on.

He had promised her he would return, that he would return alive, and he couldn’t break that promise.

He didn’t want to see her widowed, and he definitely wouldn’t let her become someone else’s wife.

So he had to hold on.

Mu Lianxiao held on.

Now, being able to see her was the best reward for him.

Du Yunluo seemed to have had a nightmare; her body jerked, and she suddenly opened her eyes.

They locked eyes, and for a moment, Du Yunluo was stunned. Once she realized Mu Lianxiao was awake, she hurriedly called, "Princely Heir!"

Before her hoarse voice faded, tears welled up in her eyes.

Ignoring them, she asked, "Does it hurt anywhere? Are you uncomfortable? Do you want some water?"

Her misty eyes were filled with concern and anxiety, and Mu Lianxiao slowly smiled, saying, "It doesn’t hurt."

Du Yunluo didn’t believe it; she winced even at a needle prick, so how could Mu Lianxiao, in his condition, feel no pain?

Seeing the disbelief on her pursed lips, Mu Lianxiao chuckled softly, which quickly turned into a cough.

He truly wasn’t lying to her; his body was numb by now, and he didn’t know what pain was anymore.

When Du Yunluo heard him cough, she quickly released his hand, intending to pat his back.

But as she lifted her hand and noticed the bandages, she awkwardly put it down.

Du Yunluo sniffed and got up to pour some water.

Mu Lianxiao couldn’t easily drink while lying down. After a moment’s thought, Du Yunlo took a sip and then bent down to feed Mu Lianxiao mouth to mouth.

Hearing some movement, Jin Rui peeked in and asked, "Madam, shall I bring over the porridge?"

Du Yunlo looked at Mu Lianxiao, and seeing his gesture, she said to Jin Rui, "Bring it over."

Soon, Jin Rui brought the porridge.

Given Mu Lianxiao’s injuries, the military doctor advised starting with porridge, so that he’d have something in his stomach before taking his medicine.

Du Yunlo fed him spoonful after spoonful.

After the meal, they had to wait a bit before the medicine. Jin Rui attended to Du Yunlo’s dinner, and noticing the time, fetched the medicine.

Du Yunlo tested the temperature with the back of her hand.

The smell was pungent; just a sniff indicated it would surely taste very bitter.

Mu Lianxiao tried to suggest that Du Yunlo feed him with a spoon, but before he could speak, he saw her frown, take a mouthful, and lean over to him.

The bitterness of the medicine was indescribable; if it tasted that bitter to Mu Lianxiao, it must have been even more so for Du Yunlo.

She almost seemed to want to spit out her tongue.

But Du Yunlo didn’t hesitate, she continued despite frowning at the taste; it was just bitter medicine and nothing compared to the hardships she’d endured.

Having fed the medicine this way, she brought water to rinse Mu Lianxiao’s mouth, then tended to herself.

Mu Lianxiao knew Du Yunlo’s penchant for honey syrup to accompany medicines, but such luxuries were unavailable at Shanyu Pass, so she had to endure it.

"A spoon would be enough," Mu Lianxiao sighed, feeling sorry for her.

Du Yunlo pouted.

The suggestion sounded easy, but the spoon was large; with Mu Lianxiao lying down, feeding him with a spoon required him to open his mouth wide or suck it in; otherwise, more would spill than go in.

Mu Lianxiao struggled with speaking, let alone such laborious actions as sucking or opening his mouth wide.

"Princely Heir," Du Yunlo disregarded the bitterness in her mouth, with a smile she teased, "If you feel sorry for me, then next time I’m sick, you can take care of me yourself."

Speaking lightly, her eyes curved into a smile.

Involuntarily, Mu Lianxiao felt drawn to respond with a smile: "Alright."

Late at night, it was time to sleep, yet Du Yunlo didn’t move.

This kang was too small, and her restless sleep often had her turning into Mu Lianxiao’s arms, risking his injury.

However, Mu Lianxiao wasn’t willing for Du Yunlo to stay up all night watching over him or sleep on the kang with him.

Du Yunlo didn’t want to worry him and feared not resting well herself, thus being too tired to care for him.

After some discussion, Du Yunlo and Jin Rui went to the opposite room, leaving Jiuxi to attend to Mu Lianxiao.

The west side room had only one small bed.

Having napped during the day, Jin Rui refused to share the bed with her mistress, letting Du Yunlo sleep, while she made do with a chair for the night.