roccoschili Chapter 185 - 154: A Budding Heart
Chapter 185 - 154: A Budding Heart
In a room hewn from rock, a pleasant medicinal fragrance burned quietly, emitting an aroma that cleared the mind and soothed the spirit.
Several Luminous Pearls, embedded in the stone wall above, cast a gentle light. At the far end of the room stood a gauze canopy, and beneath its fine layers, a figure lay unconscious.
"Ugh..."
Situ Jingyu groaned and slowly regained consciousness. She opened her eyes and looked around, discovering she was lying on a wooden bed. It was just a little too small, making it difficult for her to fully stretch her legs.
’Hmm, it’s not that the bed is small, I’m just too tall,’ the thought flashed through Situ Jingyu’s mind. She then looked down at her abdomen and saw that it had been wrapped in a white cloth, her organs no longer exposed.
She pulled back the cloth. The massive wound on her abdomen had contracted and was no longer gushing blood, though the center had not yet healed. A lot of medicinal powder had been sprinkled over it. Situ Jingyu pinched a bit and placed it in her mouth, realizing it was a potent Healing Elixir that had been crushed and applied to the wound.
Situ Jingyu’s body felt sore and weak. She tried to prop herself up, only to find that this once simple action had now become the most difficult of tasks.
’That damned Fire-Bright Mother Bird! It didn’t just peck a huge hole in my stomach, it nearly shattered every bone in my body with its wings. And now, I’m afflicted with Bright Fire Poison. This is so much worse than I imagined.’
Situ Jingyu closed her eyes, using her Divine Sense to inspect her body. She discovered that the Bright Fire Poison—a Divine Technique from the Golden Core Demon Beast, the Fire-Bright Mother Bird—was entangled with her Spiritual Power. Expelling it would not be a quick or easy task.
’And because of this Bright Fire Poison, my mind is groggy and my self-control is severely weakened. This is such a hassle.’
’Looks like I’ll be bedridden for a while.’ At this thought, a wave of irritation washed over Situ Jingyu. ’If the junior brothers from the sect saw me like this, my reputation would be ruined.’
’I just wonder... is Junior Brother Fang satisfied with the Golden Core cub I brought back?’
For a moment, Situ Jingyu’s mind began to wander. Just then, she heard footsteps at the door, and Fang Qingyuan entered, carrying a bowl of medicinal soup.
Fang Qingyuan came to Situ Jingyu’s side. Looking at her now that she was awake, he saw that his formidable Senior Sister had lost her usual domineering aura. Pale and limp on the bed, the two-meter-tall woman had somehow regained a trace of feminine softness.
"Senior Sister Situ, you’re awake. Here, drink some medicinal soup. I brewed it with ginseng, Ice Cup Flower, and Soul Revival Grass. It’s perfect for replenishing your energy, restoring your vitality, and nourishing your soul. I’m not skilled in Alchemy and I’m not familiar with the properties of the herbs, so some medicinal potency was probably lost when I mixed them. But it’s fine, I just used three times the amount of each ingredient..."
As Fang Qingyuan stood before her holding the bowl, rambling on about how he had brewed the soup, Situ Jingyu listened, and for some reason, the irritation in her heart began to fade.
Fang Qingyuan continued rambling for a bit, mainly to ease any suspicions Situ Jingyu might have. After all, he couldn’t help but feel that the situation was uncomfortably similar to that infamous trope: ’Darling, it’s time for your medicine.’
When Fang Qingyuan finally finished rambling, Situ Jingyu asked,
"Is the Golden Core cub all right?"
Hearing her question, Fang Qingyuan understood her real concern. He took a storage pouch from his waist, which contained thirty Top-grade Spirit Stones.
Fang Qingyuan placed the storage pouch in Situ Jingyu’s hand and said with a smile,
"The Golden Core cub is very healthy. Jinbao is looking after it, and they’re getting along great, so you don’t need to worry. Inside are the thirty stones, the amount we agreed on. Go ahead and count them."
Seeing the storage pouch and thinking of the thirty Top-grade Spirit Stones inside—all of which were now hers—Situ Jingyu was so overjoyed she almost tore her abdominal wound open again.
Situ Jingyu gripped the storage pouch tightly, her strength apparent, but when she reached for the bowl of soup from Fang Qingyuan, her hand trembled violently.
Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan offered,
"Never mind, Senior Sister, it’s too difficult for you. Let me."
After speaking, Fang Qingyuan held the bowl to Situ Jingyu’s lips, gesturing for her to open her mouth.
Situ Jingyu’s face flushed red. Since coming of age, she had never been treated so gently by a man. It left her feeling awkward, along with another, indescribable emotion.
Fang Qingyuan noticed her flushed face, but he remained completely unmoved. ’A woman like Situ Jingyu isn’t my type,’ he thought. ’I’d rather just treat her like one of the guys.’
Once Situ Jingyu finished the soup, Fang Qingyuan put the bowl away in his storage pouch and said,
"We’re still on the second underground level. You should focus on healing, Senior Sister. Once your injuries have recovered some, I’ll get you out of here. About the wound on your abdomen—I didn’t dare touch it much. I just applied some Elixir Pills externally. If you need anything else, let me know."
After he finished speaking, Fang Qingyuan pushed the door open and left. On the bed, Situ Jingyu clutched the storage pouch tightly, her mind replaying the moment he had fed her the soup.
When Fang Qingyuan stepped outside, the first thing he saw was Jinbao delivering a massive slap to the little bird’s head, nearly beating the crap out of the Golden Core cub that was worth thirty Top-grade Spirit Stones.
Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan scowled and snapped at Jinbao,