Su Ling'er woke up to find it was past three in the afternoon. She rubbed her stiff neck and sat up. Seeing the thin blanket covering her, she suddenly turned her head to look at the wooden bed on the other side.
Leng Feng was still asleep on the bed, his back to her. Su Ling'er felt something was off. She got off the low couch and walked to the table. Seeing the empty bowls and cups, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Leng Feng had already woken up and eaten.
Looking at the thin blanket that had fallen to the floor, pulled by her, and the food she had deliberately dirtied for Leng Feng to eat, Su Ling'er felt a strange sensation.
However, this feeling quickly disappeared. Although Leng Feng was nice to her, it was his own fault for being so useless. If he were even a little bit more capable, she wouldn't be in such a difficult position, nor would she have done such things to him...
During the afternoon, Leng Feng woke up several times intermittently. If someone came to check on him, Su Ling'er would either tuck him in or wipe his face, appearing busy and caring. Anyone who didn't know would think she genuinely cared about Leng Feng.
But as soon as others left the room, Su Ling'er would sit back on the low couch, lost in thought. By six in the afternoon, Leng Heng came to deliver their meal again.
Looking at the several bowls, cleaner than a face, Leng Heng glanced at the two of them. He pondered for a moment, wondering if doubling the portion wasn't enough.
Su Ling'er looked nervously at Leng Heng, who was staring at the food bowls with a strange expression. She was afraid he would ask if Leng Feng was full or if he was satisfied with the food.
Fortunately, Leng Heng just looked a few times and left without saying anything. Su Ling'er breathed a huge sigh of relief. She glanced at Leng Feng lying on the bed, used his back as a cover, picked up the cup of medicine, and took a big gulp.
She wanted to drink more, but she vaguely heard a movement behind her. When Su Ling'er turned her head, she saw Leng Feng slowly sitting up.
She hurriedly put down the cup in her hand, then quickly poured a little water into it, before turning to look at Leng Feng. "Brother Leng Feng, you're awake? Do you feel any better today?"
"I rested more today, and I feel better now." Leng Feng's attitude was not as warm as before. Su Ling'er attributed it to his weakness.
That was close! She was about to eat some herself before waking him up. Fortunately, she hadn't done that.
"The Deputy General Leng and the others just delivered the meal. I'll help you to it," Su Ling'er said, reaching out to help him sit on a stool.
"Wow! Why is tonight's meal so generous?" Su Ling'er exclaimed softly in feigned surprise as she lifted the lids of the dishes, then discreetly looked up at Leng Feng's expression.
Leng Feng's hands, resting on his legs, clenched and unclenched. He suppressed the complex emotions in his heart before weakly grasping his chopsticks and saying softly,
"I don't know! Perhaps the Prince is returning, so they brought me more food."
"These people are really... Brother Leng Feng, you should drink your medicine first. When did you wake up to eat at noon? Why didn't you call me to help you?" Su Ling'er mumbled a few words and handed him the cup. Leng Feng wouldn't be able to tell she had only drunk half of the divine water.
Looking at the cup she handed him, Leng Feng's hand holding the chopsticks paused. He had clearly seen Su Ling'er secretly drinking the medicine.
If he hadn't deliberately made a sound when he woke up, this cup of spiritual spring water would have been drunk by her again and replaced with plain water.
Leng Feng had intended to see if Su Ling'er would call him to eat this time. But who knew she would drink the spiritual spring water first? So Leng Feng couldn't be bothered to pretend anymore.
He hadn't eaten all day, and his stomach was rumbling with hunger. Even if he wanted to test Su Ling'er, he shouldn't starve himself to death.
What if she rolled the food on the ground again and then asked him to eat? Would he eat it or not?
"I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't call you. Anyway, I rested well today and don't feel as weak as yesterday." Leng Feng quickly regained his composure and began to eat the food in his bowl slowly.
Seeing him eat so slowly, Su Ling'er felt more reassured. It seemed Leng Feng hadn't noticed anything amiss with the midday meal. Otherwise, someone who hadn't eaten all day, and a robust man at that, wouldn't eat this slowly upon seeing so much delicious food.
Around seven in the evening, Huo Qiyuan finally returned to Qingya Pavilion riding an eagle. He went directly to Qingya Pavilion with his Qiankun bag.
After hearing Su Muqing say that the spiritual spring water was in the process of healing and could have adverse effects if there were foreign objects in the wound, he immediately thought that Leng Ren must have had a very difficult time over the past day and more.
When he left, Leng Ren's left shoulder blade was protruding significantly, indicating a bone injury. He couldn't imagine what the situation was like beneath the skin.
If there were no bone fragments inside, the spiritual spring water could likely play a significant role. But if there were shattered bones, the pain would only intensify after applying the spiritual spring water to the wound.
It was just like the ribs that had been lodged in Leng Nuo's internal organs back then.
Huo Qiyuan rushed to Leng Ren's room. As expected, he heard Leng Ren's suppressed groans and gasps of pain from outside the door.
When he pushed the door open, Leng Ao was cleansing Leng Ren's shoulder with spiritual spring water. However, the effect of the spiritual spring water seemed to have weakened today, and Leng Ren was trembling with pain. His clothes had not been dry since the beginning.
Leng Heng's eyes lit up considerably when he saw Huo Qiyuan enter. He craned his neck to look for a long time but couldn't see Su Muqing, and was disappointed that His Majesty hadn't come with him.
"Your Highness, you're finally back. Please take a look at Big Brother. His wound has been hurting for a day and a night."
"The army doctor said all the bones in his shoulder were shattered. If they treat him using his method, his left arm will be useless..."
He wondered if His Majesty had given the Prince any potent divine medicine. If so, Big Brother wouldn't have to lose an arm. Leng Heng and the others informed Huo Qiyuan of Leng Ren's condition, hoping he had a better solution.
"This Prince is aware."
Before they could ask about the situation with the tenth prince, Leng Si and the others saw Huo Qiyuan take out a strange object from the Qiankun bag.
The object was somewhat humanoid in shape, but its entire body emitted a luster similar to that of a profound iron dagger. For now, let's call it the Profound Iron Man.
Huo Qiyuan closed the room door and, under the gaze of several people, touched the Profound Iron Man a few times. The group watched as the Profound Iron Man suddenly moved...