Nangong Yehen's phoenix eyes held a soft glimmer. "Why not sleep on the bed?"
Chu Lingzhi didn't answer him. She sat up straight, both arms aching from being pressed down. She stretched her limbs before reaching out to feel his forehead, letting out a sigh of relief. "The fever's gone."
Nangong Yehen looked at her slightly weary face, his gaze deep as an abyss. "Go back to sleep."
"Does it hurt a lot?" Chu Lingzhi asked, looking at him with concern.
"I can bear it."
But lying like this for so long was uncomfortable.
"You should go rest."
Don't wear yourself out—who would take care of him then?
"I'm fine." Chu Lingzhi shook her head with a smile.
He shifted, trying to get up.
Chu Lingzhi quickly stopped him. "You can't move now!"
His injuries were severe; several deep wounds had been stitched up.
"How long have I been lying like this?" Nangong Yehen stayed still, looking at her, his voice hoarse.
"Over thirty hours."
"Try lying on the bed for thirty hours yourself."
"I know it's uncomfortable, but you have to stay like this for now."
Nangong Yehen frowned. "It's exhausting lying like this."
"Your wounds are serious; you shouldn't get up and move around yet. Many cuts are stitched, and if you move too much, they'll tear."
Chu Lingzhi glanced at his back, covered with a dust-proof gauze.
"How long until I can move?"
"Another ten hours."
"Another ten hours like this, and my chest will be flattened," the man muttered gloomily, casting a resentful look at Chu Lingzhi.
"..." Chu Lingzhi felt three black lines streak across her forehead.
"Your chest is flat even when you're not lying down," she couldn't help muttering.
Nangong Yehen's deep gaze swept lightly over her chest. "Don't ever sleep like this in the future."
"I don't like sleeping on my stomach."
Sleeping on your stomach affects lung function, easily causes stuffiness, and over time, poor blood circulation in the chest can lead to pain—it's an unhealthy sleeping position.
"No wonder your chest is so firm and round," he said, his gaze lingering on her front for a few seconds.
"..."
She wanted to poke both her fingers into his eyes and blind him.
"You can still tease me—guess the wounds don't hurt at all."
"Silly woman." Nangong Yehen looked at her with a smirk. Wasn't he saying all this to ease her mind?
He could see her tension and worry, along with the fatigue between her brows.
"Scared?" Nangong Yehen gazed deeply at her.
"Of what?" Chu Lingzhi didn't know what he meant.
"Seeing my wounds—are you scared?"
Chu Lingzhi didn't deny it. "Of course I am. This is the first time I've faced such severe injuries. If you'd come back ten minutes later, you'd have bled out and died."
Nangong Yehen looked into her eyes. "Wounds like this could happen to me anytime."
At that, Chu Lingzhi's heart tightened inexplicably, as if gripped by five fingers, a bitter feeling rising.
"Why do you have to get the Suspended Pearl? Legend says its scent can make people smell it and never age. But true or false, it's just a legend—no one has truly possessed it for more than five years in a thousand years." Chu Lingzhi looked at him as she spoke.
Forget never aging—he was already severely injured before even getting it. Why bother?
This time, he was lucky to be fine.
If something had gone wrong, he'd have ascended to heaven before the pearl was in hand, let alone enjoy its fragrance.
Nangong Yehen raised an eyebrow. "You don't understand."