Chapter 355 Still Not Enough to Win Her Heart

Chapter 355: Not Enough to Stir Her Heart

They played off each other in perfect sync, leaving Jiang Shuning's words stuck in her throat.

Resigned, she had no choice but to comply.

She had assumed it would be nothing more than a large wooden bathtub, but who would have imagined that the yamen's staff would directly lead them to a large hot spring pool in the rear courtyard.

She watched helplessly as the precious medicinal herbs prescribed by Divine Physician Sun were thrown into the pool by the servants, packet after packet, as if they cost nothing.

Ginseng, lingzhi, and many rare medicinal plants she had only ever seen in medical texts were all turned into a thick, brown medicinal broth, bubbling and steaming.

Her heart bled.

This one pool of medicinal broth could probably buy a decent house in Nanshuo City.

A common family would never see that much silver in a lifetime.

Just who was this Lord Jing, to be so insanely wasteful!

The steam rose, making Xiao Lingchuan's already strikingly beautiful face even more blurred, like an enchanting demon veiled behind gossamer gauze.

Jiang Shuning forced herself to look away. She crouched down and carefully tended to his wounds.

First, she used a clean cloth soaked in medicated wine to wipe the area around the several deep wounds on his back that reached the bone. Then she applied a thick layer of a special ointment, and finally wrapped it tightly with several layers of gauze.

Her fingertips inevitably brushed against his warm, firm skin.

Unlike the hideous wounds, the rest of his body was smooth and powerful, every contour of muscle a perfect masterpiece.

But feeling it through thin clothing was one thing; seeing it almost completely bare up close was another.

Her cheeks burned uncontrollably, and her heartbeat became chaotic, like a fluttering sparrow trapped in her chest, leaving her chest tingling.

"Doctor Jiang."

His low, smiling voice came from above, with a deliberately husky tone, like a feather gently brushing her eardrums.

Jiang Shuning jerked violently, almost dropping the gauze into the water.

Xiao Lingchuan enjoyed watching her like a startled bird. He leaned in slightly, his warm breath brushing the top of her head, carrying the rich scent of medicine and his own unique, crisp fragrance.

"You'd better bandage me carefully. If it accidentally gets wet and the wounds become inflamed, that would be troublesome."

Afraid of water? Then why take a medicinal bath?

Jiang Shuning muttered under her breath but dared not show it on her face.

Once everything was properly handled, she helped him slowly sink into the pool.

The warm water enveloped him, and he sighed in comfort, leaning against the boulder at the edge of the pool, closing his eyes.

Jiang Shuning breathed a sigh of relief, immediately stepping back a few paces, turning her back to him.

She dared not look at him anymore, but her sense of responsibility as a physician made her unable to relax. She could only steal glances through the cracks in the rockery to make sure his wounds weren't causing him discomfort from the bath.

The pool fell silent for a time.

This excessive silence only made the atmosphere more tense.

Seeing her avoiding him so deliberately, he felt the urge to tease her.

He let out a muffled groan of pain.

"Mm…"

Jiang Shuning's heart tightened. Forgetting all about propriety between the sexes, she rushed to the edge of the pool and asked urgently: "My lord, what's wrong? Does it hurt?"

Xiao Lingchuan leaned against the pool wall, his brows furrowed, his face looking even paler than before, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

He didn't open his eyes, but weakly raised one hand, pointing behind him: "It seems... the bandage has come loose... water... seeped in..."

Jiang Shuning panicked.

If the wound soaked in that broth, it would definitely fester!

Without a second thought, she leaned down and reached out to check the bandages on his back.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch his back, his previously weak hand suddenly grabbed her wrist with force.

A tremendous yank came, and Jiang Shuning let out a cry as she lost her balance and plunged into the pool!

With a splash, water flew everywhere.

The warm water instantly soaked through her clothes, clinging tightly to her body and hugging her curves.

She coughed up several mouthfuls of water, thrashing about blindly as her vision blurred.

The next moment, a powerful arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her out of the water and holding her tightly against a burning embrace.

She crashed into his deep, night-sky eyes shaped like peach blossoms, which now swirled with a vortex she couldn't understand, as if trying to swallow her soul whole.

Water droplets hung from the tips of his hair, tracing along his perfect jawline, finally vanishing at his collarbone.

He was so close—close enough for her to clearly see the glistening droplets on his long, curling lashes, close enough to feel his hot breath against her lips.

Time seemed to stand still.

He slowly lowered his head, those thin, seductive lips about to meet hers.

Just then, a name burst into her chaotic mind like a thunderclap—

Shuning.

Earlier, in the tree, before he lost consciousness, he had called out that name with deep affection.

A bucket of ice water was poured over her head, instantly dousing all the romance and ambiguity.

Jiang Shuning woke with a start.

His heart already belonged to a cherished beloved, and she, a lowly woman who didn't even dare show her true face, had no right to hope for his compassion or get entangled with him.

Using all her strength, she pushed him away with force. While he winced from the pain of his wounds, she scrambled out of the pool.

"If you still need me, my lord, just call!"

She tossed the words over her shoulder and dashed out without a backward glance, her back a picture of panic and determination.

Xiao Lingchuan watched her retreating figure from the pool, his outstretched hand frozen in midair.

The spot on his chest where she pushed him ached faintly, but it was nothing compared to the sudden hollow feeling in his chest.

The ripples gradually calmed, reflecting the undisguised disappointment on his face.

He had clearly burst back into her world as a lifesaver, got seriously hurt for her, and given her special treatment that no one else could match. Why was she still unwilling to accept him?

Was this not enough to stir her heart?

An indescribable sense of frustration washed over him. Xiao Lingchuan closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

On the other side, Jiang Shuning fled back to her own room.

She slammed the door shut behind her with a bang, leaned back against the door, and gasped for air.

Her soaked clothes clung to her body, heavy and giving off a stifling heat.

She was really annoyed, having nearly lost herself just now under Lord Jing's ambiguous, alluring gaze.

While taking off her wet clothes, she cursed herself harshly inside.

How utterly arrogant! She brought humiliation upon herself!

After changing into dry clothes, she walked to the bronze mirror, intending to tidy her disheveled hair, but the moment she saw her reflection clearly, her entire body froze.

That face in the mirror...

The more she looked, the more it seemed to resemble her original appearance.

She had clearly been taking the disguise pill that Jiang Tianze had left for her regularly.

Could the disguise pill have stopped working?