Wei Qingge blushed and tried to push him away, flustered.
"I really don't need it."
Li Qiongyu said, "Don't leave a scar."
She thought he was being disgusted.
Wei Qingge said displeasedly, "You're covered in scars."
"It's uncomfortable to touch."
Li Qiongyu spoke as he peeled off her clothes.
Illuminated by the firelight, her藕色 (lotus-root colored)肚兜 (bellyband) made her fair skin appear snow-white and translucent, so delicate and tender it seemed a squeeze would draw out moisture.
He examined her carefully, not missing a single inch of skin.
Wei Qingge's face flushed red and her neck turned crimson under his ministrations. Hearing his words, a faint sense of disappointment welled up within her, and she retorted.
"Who wants you to touch me."
Her upper body wasn't injured, only a few faint abrasions.
Li Qiongyu held the medicine and applied it to her, "Aren't I touching you right now?"
Her waist was exceptionally firm, without a trace of excess flesh, smooth and delicate to the touch.
The two of them were very close, their breaths intertwining. The confined mountain cave instantly became filled with an ambiguous and lingering atmosphere.
Wei Qingge felt his hands roaming over her body, his warm breath fanning her ears, tickling and numbing her. Her heart fluttered with a soft warmth that made her body go limp.
She lowered her eyes to look at her own figure. She had practiced martial arts for years and was often engaged in combat. In the past, she had received rare medicines from him, so she had never been left with any scars.
Perhaps due to her constant martial arts practice, her waist-to-hip ratio was excellent, and her figure’s lines were more fluidly beautiful. However, her skin was too fair, making the curves less obvious.
The climate of Shangjing nourished people, and most women there had very good skin. She had been exposed to the elements in the frontier for so many years, yet she hadn't been tanned.
"What are you touching randomly?"
Suddenly, she grabbed his hand as it was reaching lower.
Li Qiongyu said, "To see if there are any abrasions on your legs."
As he spoke, he lifted the hem of her skirt, which piled loosely around her waist. Her fair, slender legs, bathed in the firelight, appeared as tender as tofu.
Seeing that he was indeed applying medicine, Wei Qingge couldn't say anything more, only remarking.
"I only have a few minor abrasions, it's nothing. Don't waste the medicine. Let me apply medicine to your back."
He must have already treated the other areas.
Li Qiongyu's fingers traced the skin on her body, and he squinted slightly, his thoughts becoming somewhat unruly.
"I'm fine."
Upon hearing this, Wei Qingge said no more.
A quiet stillness flowed in the air.
She couldn't help but lower her gaze to stare at him. He was truly handsome, exuding an air of romantic depth, especially his slightly upturned peach blossom eyes, which were full of a springlike allure.
She stared too intently, and he suddenly looked up. Their gazes met in the firelight.
She had been caught.
Wei Qingge started and quickly averted her eyes.
Li Qiongyu chuckled softly, cupped her chin, and his voice inexplicably held a hint of indulgence.
"He's your own husband, look at him as much as you want."
"Don't talk nonsense. I haven't married you yet."
She immediately retorted loudly.
Li Qiongyu raised an eyebrow and threatened, "The imperial decree for marriage has already been issued. If you refuse to marry me, you will be disobeying the decree, and it will implicate the entire Wei manor."
"-----"
Wei Qingge pouted and ignored him.
Actually, marrying him wasn't a bad thing. He certainly wouldn't bully her, nor would he restrict her. They could roam the martial world together and defend the borders.
Thinking this, her eyes instantly sparkled with a smile as her mind wandered freely.
Li Qiongyu's fingers brushed against her leg, and he couldn't resist reaching further inside.
Wei Qingge immediately sensed something amiss. She quickly tightened her legs, pulled down her inner garment and trouser legs, and scolded him.
"Shameless, what are you doing?"
Li Qiongyu withdrew his hand, slowly stood up, and said, "Take off your clothes to dry."
Wei Qingge snorted and didn't bother with what had just happened.
"I'll dry them like this, I don't want to take them off."
Li Qiongyu reached out and took her outer robe from the rack, looking at her.
"Take them off yourself, don't force me."
"You--"
Wei Qingge knew he always followed through with his decisions regarding her. She let out a discouraged sigh.
"Then turn around."
Li Qiongyu said nothing, tossed the clothes to her, and as he turned away, he instructed.
"Take off everything except your undergarments to dry."
After that, he moved to boil water.
She brought back a can of water, clear and clean, which could be placed on the fire to boil and drink.
Wei Qingge quickly took off her clothes and hung them on the rack.
Li Qiongyu turned his head and glanced sideways. Through the thin clothes on the rack, he could see her slender figure by the campfire, faintly alluring.
His throat felt dry, and he averted his gaze.
Wei Qingge, unaware of his attention, quickly put on his dried robe. Her entire body instantly felt warm.
Her jet-black hair cascaded down her back. Her shapely figure was enveloped in his large robe, which was wide and long, covering her from head to toe.
When Li Qiongyu, leaning on his legs, came around, he saw her standing sideways by the fire, wearing that red robe, her hands cupped and wrapped tightly around herself, making her appear very slender.
She rarely wore red, and seeing her like this, she looked even more alluring.
Wei Qingge sensed his gaze, turned her head, let out a soft hum, and handed him a large bag of things she had found in the mountains.
"I don't know what these are called. I saw they had white flesh inside, so they should be edible. I picked a lot. Let's roast them to fill our stomachs."
Li Qiongyu glanced at them and threw them all onto the fire to roast. "These are sweet chestnuts."
"Sweet chestnuts?"
As Wei Qingge was about to speak, she glanced sideways and suddenly saw large patches of blood seeping through his back.
"Ah, you're bleeding."
In her haste, she quickly wrapped herself in the robe and rushed to help him.
"I told you not to be restless and to stop moving around. Your back injury hasn't been treated yet. Did you injure your leg bone too and not tell me? Did you also suffer internal injuries?"
Li Qiongyu sat down, supported by her, and before he could answer her, she pulled off his inner garment.
His back was covered in wounds from being struck by sharp objects at the bottom of the river, some of which were inflamed, varying in depth.
Her eyes welled up with tears. They were all injuries sustained from him protecting her, cushioning her.
"How do we treat this? I'm afraid it might get infected."
Li Qiongyu's expression remained unchanged. "Get me the heated knife."
Without fire needles, they could only remove the pus this way.
Wei Qingge quickly brought over the knife that had been heating on the fire and, as instructed, prepared some simple bamboo tubes.
She immediately understood.
"Let me do it. I saw military doctors doing this when I was at the frontier."
This kind of injury was easiest to treat with cauterization, which reduced the risk of infection, allowing for the removal of the pus root and subsequent bandaging with medicine.
Li Qiongyu very trustingly handed her the knife.
Wei Qingge lived up to his trust. After heating the knife and using the fire poker to remove the pus, she used the bamboo tubes to suction the wound, clearing out all the residue, and then sprinkled on the medicine.
Throughout this entire process, she was sweating profusely, but more from tension, fearing she wouldn't handle the wound properly.
However, she also admired him greatly. He didn't utter a sound throughout the entire procedure, only his face was tightly drawn, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
After Wei Qingge wrapped his wound with a clean inner garment, she immediately tore another piece from her own inner clothing and wet it to wipe the sweat from his brow.
"Stop tearing it, if you tear any more, you won't have anything left to wear."