Earlier, although the yellow robed woman had successfully taken advantage of the chaos to break through the encirclement, the palace guards werenât pushovers. Though they couldnât catch up to her with Qinggong, they still had crossbows. Her movements were exceptional and she dodged most of the bolts, but in the end, she couldnât avoid them all.
After returning to the eunuch’s residence, she had initially planned to use her internal energy to force out the arrowhead. Unfortunately, she was seriously injured, and the True Qi she could utilize was limited. On top of that, the arrowhead was barbed. Every time she tried to circulate her energy, the pain at the wound nearly made her faint. She didnât dare continue.
Because the arrowhead remained in her body, it was hard to stop the bleeding even after sealing her acupoints. Blood leaked from the wound, dripping onto the wooden floor, creating the ‘drip drip’ sounds that had caught Song Qingshuâs attention.
After hearing what she said, Song Qingshu had an odd expression. âThat might not be appropriate⌠Men and women shouldnât have intimate contact. Iâm afraid this could affect your reputationâŚâ
âWhat do you mean âmen and women shouldnât have intimate contactâ? You’re clearly a enuââ The yellow robed woman nearly fainted from anger. She had finally mustered the courage to ask for help, only to get such a reply? If it had been a real man here, he certainly wouldnât be hemming and hawing like thisâof course, if it ‘were’ a real man, she would rather die than let him help.
âWell, since you donât mind, Iâll lend a hand,â Song Qingshu added, âJust so weâre clear, youâre the one asking for this, so you canât hold it against me later.â
The yellow robed woman figured he was worried sheâd silence him afterward, feeling both amused and exasperated. âDonât worry, I wonât come after you.â
âTurn around. Let me take a look,â Song Qingshu instructed as he began preparing clean water and gauze, muttering inwardly how ever since coming to this martial arts world, he had encountered this kind of situation so often he was practically becoming a surgeon.
The yellow robed woman slowly turned her back to him, her lips tightly pressed together, clearly in immense pain. When Song Qingshu looked, he saw the wound was at the junction of her shoulder blade and ribs. She had already broken off the arrow shaft herself, leaving only a short segment of the head embedded in her flesh. The fabric around the wound was soaked in blood and clung tightly to her body.
Without saying a word, Song Qingshu tore the back of her clothing. The yellow robed woman reacted as if she had been scalded by boiling water, immediately grabbing the nearby quilt to cover herself. She sat up abruptly, both shocked and furious. âWhat are you doing?!â
Already injured, the sudden movement only worsened her condition. She couldnât help but let out a pained moan, nearly passing out from the agony.
âI canât take the arrowhead out if I donât remove your clothing,â Song Qingshu said helplessly.
Her sharp gaze finally softened, and her pale face was tinged with a bit of red. âBut⌠you didnât need to tear off so much, did you?â
âI just pulled at it casually. Itâs your clothes that are made of bad material,â he said quickly upon seeing her murderous glare. âAlright, alright. Heroine, donât react so strongly. After all, Iâm a eunuch.â
âSometimes I really doubt that you are!â the yellow robed woman muttered through gritted teeth.
âIf you donât believe me, youâre welcome to check for yourself,â Song Qingshu grinned, deliberately lifting his leg a little.
âShamelessâŚâ The woman had long grown used to his shamelessness and didnât get as angry as before.
âYouâd better lie back down, Heroine,â Song Qingshu said, reaching to support her. âIf we donât get that arrowhead out soon, you might bleed out before you finish cursing me.â
As soon as his hand touched her shoulder, the womanâs whole body tensed. She quickly said, âIâll do it myself,â then struggled to lie back down, burying her face into the quilt to hide her expression.
Song Qingshu lifted the quilt covering her back and clearly felt her body tremble again. Looking at the large expanse of pale skin before him, he couldnât help but mutter, âHeroine, now that Iâve seen your body, you wonât try to kill me afterward, right?â
âShut up and take the arrowhead out already!â the woman was fuming. If she had any other choice, sheâd have skewered this damn eunuch without hesitation.
âAlright, alright, but brace yourself,â Song Qingshu said, finally getting serious. He held the knife over the flame to sterilize it, then carefully began to cut open the wound on her back.
âMmgh~â Cold sweat instantly broke out on the womanâs face from the pain, and she reflexively grabbed Song Qingshuâs hand beside her.
He was momentarily stunned but quickly realized it was from the pain, so he let her hold on as he continued. âGood thing Iâm not an ordinary person. If I needed both hands and you grabbed one, how would I take the arrow out?â
Seeing her silently enduring the pain, Song Qingshu couldnât help but feel a touch of pity. He gently patted the back of her hand in comfort, only for her to instinctively grip his hand even tighter…
âAll done. The arrowheadâs out.â After an unknown amount of time, Song Qingshu finally let out a long breath. âIn the past, Guan Yu scraped poison from his bonesâtoday, Iâve seen a female version of Guan Gong. Truly impressive.â
âPeh, ‘youâre’ the female Guan Gong.â The yellow robed woman couldnât help but laugh. This little eunuch had no learning but always tried to act cultured and quote classics, ending up only making a mess of it.
âOf course youâre not Guan Gong. His face wasnât nearly as fair,â Song Qingshu joked. âBut Heroine, could you let go of my hand now? I still need to apply medicine.â
âAhââ Only then did she realize she had been holding his hand the entire time. Whatâs more, their fingers were interlocked. Her face turned bright red and she quickly flung his hand away.
Song Qingshu didnât mind and continued treating her wound while teasing, âThis must be the second time Iâve tended to your injuries, right? For someone with such high martial arts, you really should be more careful. If you keep getting hurt, I might end up seeing your whole body.â
The yellow robed woman raised an eyebrow, but knowing he was only being flippant and actually cared, she didnât lash out. Instead, she said coolly, âMy affairs are none of your concern, little eunuch⌠Hm? What medicine are you using?â She suddenly realized he hadnât used the medicine she had prepared.
Song Qingshu held up the bottle in front of her. âOf course itâs good medicine. It helps wounds heal faster and doesnât leave scars. Youâre so prettyâif you end up with scars, your future husband would be heartbroken.â
âPeh, what husband nonsense.â She snapped, though her tone wasnât harsh. Like most women, she cared about her appearance, and after hesitating a moment, let him use his own medicine. âBut how does a little eunuch like you have such good medicine?â
Song Qingshu replied calmly, âDid you forget? Iâm the Empressâs favored attendant. This medicine was a gift from the Imperial Medical Bureau.â
âI seeâŚâ The yellow robed woman couldnât help but nod.
âYou should stay here and rest. I need to return to the palace to run some errands. Iâll have the imperial kitchen prepare something nourishing to replenish your blood and energy. Be sure to eat more when it arrives.â After tending to her wound, Song Qingshu stood up to take his leave.
The woman turned her head to look at him, her clear eyes locking onto his. âWhy⌠are you being so kind to me?â
FSM Patreon Update: 5 more chapter added to the FSM Patreon advanced tier, making it 20 chapters.
Become a Flower Stealing Master ($5 per month) member at Goblinslate Patreon and get 20 Advance Chapters immediately, then stay 20 chapters ahead of the regular release for the month! I will be adding more in the future.Â