It was just like a fever dream. Jingting had no idea why, but he was out of it, totally exhausted, so when he was woken up with a clasp around his neck, at first, he thought he was still sleeping and just dreaming. Before his sleepy mind made him open his eyes to make sense out of what was happening.
The dead man on his bed was still lying, but his eyes were now open, and his hand was awkwardly bent, so he could strangle Jingting. His strength was enough to wake Jingting up, but now, when he was awake, he could easily open this guy's hand and put it back on the bed.
"You just escaped death thanks to my help, and this is your payback? I think I should take your life back," Jingting jokingly added, but walked away, checking the decoction. Thankfully, he didn't sleep long enough to burn it, and there was still some fire and water left. He added firewood and continued to boil it.
"W-w-water," the guy whispered, and Jingting rolled his eyes. He took the cloth and just watered his lips, and then poured only a few drops of tea into his mouth. He shouldn't take more, or he could vomit because of the toxicity of the medicine. And right now, Jingting needed him to keep everything inside. To heal faster.
"Mo….re." The guy's voice was rough and quiet. It showed he was exhausted and on the verge of death.
"You can't. To get better, you need to listen to me. I didn't stitch you up just for you to poison yourself through contraindications. I will give you some porridge later. If you survive the night, you can stop taking Ku Shen and eat normally," Jingting was kind enough to explain, just to get an annoyed look.
"Oh, come on. You are literally a dead man walking. You should be kissing my feet for the amount of work I've put into stitching you." Jingting pulled down the quilt and just pushed aside the men's undergarments and clean cloth with the salve. Nothing was tied up, it was for better access in case of an emergency.
The wound he revealed was not reddened, thankfully, the swelling had reduced, and it was healing properly, already looking better than it looked before. The stitches were holding, and no blood was seeping through. Jingting took a clean cloth and dipped it in the decoction.
He put a new thick green salve made from crushed centella and pine resin, known for drawing out heat and speeding tissue repair, on the wound directly and the soaked cloth over it with another clean cloth secured just by honey on the sides so it wouldn't fall off.
"For a third day… You will probably live if you listen to me. What's your name?" Jingting had to ask, because referring to that guy as a dead man, warrior, or that guy was already annoying him.
"L…" he stopped mid-word. "Baihua…" his voice broke. It was obvious he concealed his identity and Jingting had to hold in his laughter because of the White flower. But, well, he wasn't alone.
"I'm Peien," Jingting said and smiled, while pressing on the wound on Baihua's side to see if those stitches were holding on too.
"You are strong," he said because he heard only one grunt when inspecting the wounds. Normally, people would scream.
"Or I'm such a good doctor, and my pain meds are really effective," he mumbled and giggled to himself. Baihua ignored him. He looked like he was actually drifting away to sleep once more.
And he actually was falling asleep. Sheng didn't want to, but he was so exhausted that he was fighting his eyes to stay open. He wanted to see this person. He couldn't see him in the dimly lit room. Sheng only saw either a shadow or lines of body, then suddenly, out of nowhere, he was bathing in light after the person who called himself Baihua had reached the wall, and Shang couldn't see more than a flash of light.
Then, a graceful figure came to his side. He was in all white clothes, with some greenish and brownish spots. His skin was almost translucent, but when he moved to a different light, he was gracefully pale, as it was modern in the Capital. His hands were slim and slender, but calloused.
Peien's face was the most surprising thing for Sheng. He looked really young, clear-skinned, with soft features. His nose was a bit bigger, but it fit with his rounded but almond-shaped eyes. His mouth was rosy, small, and pursed in a pout as he was focused on changing his bandage. The contrast of his ethereal beauty was even more emphasized by his long black hair that was flowing down on his shoulders, from the simple hair accessory, yet some strands had escaped in his sleep, so now a few strands of hair were falling down in his face. And Sheng had the urge to tuck those strands behind Peien's beautiful ears. It was such a new reaction to Sheng. He was internally more confused by his sudden attraction more than by where he was. Yet, that was the last thing he thought and saw before he lost the fight with sleep.
While Jingting was methodically working, annoyed by his own hair that got loose from the secure knot he usually did, he looked over Baihua's body one more time. He had many treated wounds and cuts. Baihua was obviously in an active war. He had tanned lines, obviously training bare-bodied in the open sun. He was training a lot because his body was honed with precision to martial arts, lean, but muscled. And he had to be using something like a bow, as one hand was a bit more muscular than the other. Or a one-handed sword. Or maybe something quick like a spear. He definitely didn't have enough strength for other weapons.
But his face was a bit of a contrast to it. He looked beautiful. There was a hint of manliness in his face, but it had soft features, he was really pale because of the sickness, but the paleness couldn't hide the power that was underneath the skin, even in his face. It was so fascinating. The sharp jawline, nose, and the foxy dark brown eyes that were now closed. Bushy brows that only emphasized the power. His lips, with a prominent cupid's bow, a thin upper lip, but a full lower lip, now pressed in a painful line. Messy hair not combed for days, still with some blood left on it, even though Binbin tried his hardest, but he could do only this much without Baihua's assistance.
"I'm surprised about it. But I'm glad you made it. I think I should tie you up so you won't try to kill me again. I would have to defend myself… And I wouldn't like to hurt you after I patched you up…" Jingting laughed when he saw Sheng's frown as if he heard him. Amusing. Baihua was really amusing.