Venerable Demon King & The Doting Immortal (QT)
Chapter 93: Are you a physician now?

Chapter 93: Are you a physician now?

"She must be tired after fighting that wolf last night. Let her rest for a while." he said and Han Zhan let the matter go. The two cousins ate their breakfast in companionable silence each lost in their own thoughts.

Han Xin only managed to keep his promise to keep a distance for a full morning. When the sun was halfway up there was a sudden commotion outside the carriage. They were sitting in the carriage, deep in discussion when Lian started yelling for him to come out.

Yi Nuo was standing at the entrance, trying to convince her not to enter. Han Xin’s eyes narrowed as he strained to hear the exchange. He exchanged a glance with Han Zhan, who nodded and moved to the door. "Let’s see what’s going on," Han Zhan said, his hand pulling the curtain of the carriage. He was met with a short, fiery girl being held back by Yi Nuo.

Lian stomped her foot her voice ringing out with no regard for decorum. "General Xin! Come out here!" The level of disrespect was so intense that the soldiers gambling at the campfire turned their heads to see what was going on.

"What’s going on?" Han Zhan asked seeming quite amused. It was like watching a gnome throwing a fit.

Lian’s eyes blazed as she yelled again, "Han Xin, come outside. I have a bone to pick with you!"

Han Zhan glanced at Han Xin. He sighed and got up wondering what Princess Xiu was up to. Why did she let her chihuahua off the leash and let it run loose? He stepped out of the carriage, waving Yi Nuo aside. "Let her through," he commanded.

Yi Nuo reluctantly stepped back, and Lian marched up to Han Xin, her fists clenched. She looked up at him like she was looking at a giraffe. "My master is sick, and it’s all your fault! You have to take responsibility," she accused, her voice trembling with anger. "You need to take my master to a good physician because that old man is terrible at his job."

Han Xin crossed his arms over his chest, his expression sceptical. "It was just a scratch and a cut on her palm so how can it be so serious? If she wants to see me she doesn’t have to go about this matter in a roundabout manner?"

"Yep, all she has to say is a word and he would come running," chimed in Han Zhan and his cousin’s head turned sharply glaring at him. His eyes were saying, "You are not helping." If any passerby heard what he said, they might think he was a simp for the princess and that he would bow at her command.

Lian’s face twisted with fury. "You!" she shouted, lunging forward. Yi Nuo quickly grabbed her, holding her back as she kicked and screamed like a feral rabbit.

"Let me go!" Lian shrieked. "My master was right, you are indeed an ugly bastard!"

Han Xin, "???" ’She said that?’ he thought wondering which part of him screamed ugly.

His eyes narrowed, but he remained calm while Han Zhan laughed so hard that he was leaning against the carriage holding his stomach. Lian finally pushed Yi Nuo away and stormed off, casting furious glances over her shoulder as if promising to come back and kill him in his sleep.

Han Xin entered the carriage, his annoyance palpable. His rationality was telling him that this was a trick by her but he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was serious. He tried to focus but his mind kept drifting back to Lian’s outburst. Frustrated, he slammed the scrolls down and got up, determined to find the physician.

"Jun De!" he called out, his voice sharp. "Find the physician."

Jun De, who had been squatting as punishment for losing his sword, felt so glad that he was getting a moment of reprieve. He stepped forward only for him to trip on his numb legs.

With a thud, he kissed the ground before getting up and sprinting with a limp into the forest to locate the physician. Meanwhile, Han Zhan, who had finally stopped laughing but still had a smile on his face, wiped tears from his eyes. "If it’s any consolation, I don’t think you are ugly," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Han Xin remained coldly indifferent, his mind too preoccupied to respond. Moments later, Jun De returned with the physician, who came running breathless.

"General," the physician called out while huffing and puffing.

Han Xin wasted no time. "What is Her Highness’ current condition?"

The physician’s face was grave. Last night, when he finished dressing her wounds, he had told her that she would heal quickly, but Peng Xiu was already sleeping, so he didn’t wake her. Who would have thought this morning, after the general had long left, one of the maidservants kicked him awake while saying if her master died, she would bury him with her?

Thinking that they were fussing over nothing he followed her to the carriage only to find that the matter was extremely serious. "Answering the General. She is delirious and has a high fever. I went to the forest to gather herbs to help reduce the fever."

Han Xin’s brows furrowed, and the smile on Han Zhan’s face vanished. "What caused this? Weren’t her injuries minor?" Han Xin demanded.

"When she was clawed by the wolf and cut on her palm, she must have been exposed to something that is making her sick," the physician explained his grey hairs almost falling out with stress.

Without another word, Han Xin rushed over to the carriage where Peng Xiu was resting. He pulled open the curtain to the carriage, and the twins immediately glanced in his direction. Lian, who was still angry with him, gritted her teeth, her glare like that of a fierce beast. Meanwhile, Mei was blinking away her tears, her face a mask of worry.

"Let me take a look," he said, his voice cold but filled with concern.

Lian shot back sarcastically, "Are you a physician now?"

Han Xin’s face fell at her words, but Mei quickly nudged her sister to stop. "Lian, enough," she whispered before dragging her out of the way.

He entered the spacious carriage, feeling the weight of the twins’ watchful eyes on him. It was as though if he made any sudden move they would attack. Peng Xiu lay curled up in a foetal position, her cheeks flushed with fever. He reached out to touch her, but his fingers hovered just above her skin, hesitating.

He could feel the heat radiating from her body and his heart clenched. They had their issues but he didn’t want her to suffer. "Your Highness," he murmured softly, his voice barely audible. "Forgive me for my rudeness," he said before pulling back her clothes to see the wound on her back.

He wanted to know if it was infected. Just as he touched her a hand shot out and gripped his wrist tightly as though to break his bones. If he was a fragile person he would have already been crying out in pain.