He frowned, looking Qiqi up and down. "How did you get so dirty?"
Qiqi wiped her face, recalling her "Cinderella" appearance that had drawn stares from passersby on the road. Feeling a bit frustrated, she said, "It's all because of the gem."
She vividly recounted to Rong Yi the story of how she and Zhuang Ruotong had outwitted the corrupt official and unscrupulous merchant. When she reached the exciting parts, she gestured animatedly. Unfortunately, her injured knee was uncooperative, giving a sharp pang just as she was feeling smug, causing cold sweat to bead on her forehead.
Rong Yi quickly helped her to a chair and sat her down, his handsome brows tightly knit. "How did you put yourself in such a dangerous situation? No, you can't go see Zhou Yi tomorrow alone—I have to go with you."
Qiqi clutched her knee, wincing. "It hurts so much."
Then she shook her head. "I should go find him tonight instead. My senior brother's condition can't wait."
Rong Yi firmly refused. "No, not tonight. I haven't fully recovered my strength, and I won't be able to protect you if danger arises. Let's do it tomorrow. I'll go with you."
Qiqi was about to insist, but Rong Yi pressed her down into the chair, lifted her white dress, and revealed her bruised and swollen knee.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Qiqi felt a bit awkward—though it was midsummer and showing her knee wasn't a big deal, his abrupt action of lifting her skirt was too rash.
Rong Yi's fingers froze—touching the girl's smooth, creamy skin made him a little embarrassed. That reckless move had been completely thoughtless.
What was wrong with him? Why was he acting more and more without consideration?
Rong Yi felt a bit annoyed, but his attention quickly shifted to the injury on Qiqi's knee—both of her knees were bruised and swollen, with some areas turning purple; tiny capillaries on the skin's surface had burst, forming pinprick-like blood spots, making the sight quite alarming.
"How could you be so careless?" Rong Yi's voice suddenly rose, sounding very angry. "This is a serious injury!"
Qiqi chuckled. "No risk, no reward. It's fine, it's fine. I can treat this little injury myself."
"You..."
Rong Yi looked like he was about to lose his temper, but seeing how badly the girl was hurt, he held it in. Qiqi then told him to go to the bathroom and wring out a towel. She carefully cleaned her knee, then curled up her legs, hugged her knees, and licked them—using her usual "instant cure." Saliva had a miraculous effect on external wounds; the broken, bleeding skin soon healed on its own. However, the bruises on her knees wouldn't fade so quickly.
"Rong Yi, could you please get some ice from the fridge? I need a cold compress," Qiqi instructed—swollen areas needed immediate ice to constrict blood vessels, relieving pain and stopping bleeding; after 24 hours, a warm compress would dilate the vessels, promoting local blood circulation to reduce swelling and aid healing.
But Rong Yi didn't listen. Instead, he knelt down in front of her—he placed his left palm over her knee, and immediately, a warm, gentle breeze flowed from his hand, continuously blowing over the knee, easing the pain in her leg.
"Wow, that feels amazing. What is this?" Qiqi asked, curious.
Rong Yi replied in a low voice, "It's my inner energy."
The inner energy was warm and soothing, making her knee tingle a little, but it felt wonderful—far more effective than ice.
Qiqi was a bit worried. "Aren't you still recovering your strength? Isn't it bad to use your inner energy now?"