133 How did you feed it? (Fifth update)

"Ugh..."

Perhaps due to overwhelming nerves, Mu Qingcheng pushed with too much force, causing Si Qingchen to tumble backward onto the bed.

The man landed on his injured back, his brow knitting in pain as a muffled groan escaped his lips.

"Si Qingchen!"

Startled, Mu Qingcheng didn't even bother to smooth her clothes; she lunged toward him, carefully pulling him upright. "Don't move. Let me see the wound."

But the man looked at her stubbornly, refusing to turn around. The implication in Si Qingchen’s eyes was far too clear; Mu Qingcheng understood it the moment she caught his gaze.

"Brother Chen, please, let me see the wound. Will you?"

"Hmm."

Only when she softened her voice to plead with him did the man nod in satisfaction and slowly turn around.

In the angle she could not see, a faint, triumphant curve touched the corners of Si Qingchen's lips.

...

Clearly, the wounds Si Qingchen had just bandaged had split open again.

Earlier, from a distance, Mu Qingcheng hadn't grasped the true severity of the injuries. Seeing them now, she could not help but be horrified.

Across Si Qingchen’s back, no fewer than ten purple-red welts from a rattan whip crisscrossed his skin. Each blow had been struck with full force, a shocking sight. Some of the flesh had been torn into jagged furrows, revealing older, faded scars beneath the fresh ones. His entire back was a mosaic of trauma.

As she looked, Mu Qingcheng noticed other remnants of various injuries scattered across his back and waist. She suddenly recalled the nature of the missions for "Shadow"...

They were all far more perilous than anything "Trace-less" had ever entailed. Almost every single one... had been a gamble with death.

"Brother Chen... the wound has split. I... I will reapply the medicine for you."

Mu Qingcheng’s intermittent, choked sobs made Si Qingchen frown instantly. He had indeed wanted her to feel pity for him, but he had never intended for her to be... this distressed.

"Qingcheng."

Just as Mu Qingcheng turned to climb off the bed to fetch the ointment, Si Qingchen suddenly spun around and caught her by the wrist.

He saw the girl’s face drenched in tears, her lips pressed tightly together as she struggled to keep from sobbing aloud.

"Tsk, damn it."

A profound sense of self-reproach struck the man’s heart. He gave a firm tug, easily pulling her back into his arms. "Don't cry. They’re just small wounds; I’m fine."

"..."

Mu Qingcheng did not speak. It was not that she didn't want to; she simply... could not bring herself to say it. Because once that "I'm sorry" was uttered, it would mean she had lost all her defenses.

...

Si Qingchen did not force the issue. After patiently soothing her for a long while, he said with a touch of feigned annoyance, "Qingcheng, I feel like my back... might be bleeding."

"What?" Mu Qingcheng sat bolt upright.

She hurriedly turned him around and saw that, indeed, the central wound had reopened, with a thin trickle of bright red blood seeping out.

"There are too many wounds here. Ointment alone won't be enough; you need to take medicine."

"Take what?" The man looked back in confusion, only to see the little one had already hopped off the bed.

Mu Qingcheng ran to the door, bending down to retrieve the small bag Si Nan had left there. Soon, she fished out a tiny black cloth pouch.

Si Qingchen raised an eyebrow as he watched her dash back, her face etched with unconcealed anxiety. She hadn't even bothered to put on her shoes; barefoot, her slender, firm calves moved like a young deer running at full tilt.

She was indescribably cute and alluring.

When Mu Qingcheng knelt beside him again, she retrieved a dark brown pill from the pouch and made as if to feed it to him.

"Qingcheng, have you fed me this medicine before?"

"..."

The man gripped her wrist, gently rubbing the delicate skin beneath his fingertips. Mu Qingcheng froze. After a long moment, she gave a slow, hesitant nod.

Suddenly, Si Qingchen pulled her closer, lowering his voice deliberately as he asked, "Then tell me, how exactly... did you feed it to me?"