Volume One, Chapter 15: My Condolences

“What are you running around for?” he reproached her.

Lilan felt the world spin, unable to catch his words clearly, only noticing the dark circles under his eyes, his expression one of utter exhaustion.

Recalling Baoqin’s words, a wave of nausea suddenly rose in Lilan’s chest.

“It hurts so much…” She pushed her body to the limit, her stomach churning violently, and her consciousness gradually fading.

“Shut up,” Kedash snapped irritably.

How dare this woman stay out all night and leave herself in such a state!

Lilan hadn’t slept this long in a long time. When she opened her eyes again, it was already the next day.

She was inside Gesa’s medical tent.

Baoqin stood vigil by her bedside, and upon seeing her wake, hurried to help her sit up.

“Sister Lan’er, you’re finally awake. You were unconscious for so long; I was so worried.”

Lilan frowned in pain, and after a while, memories flooded back like a tide.

That night, she had been blocked outside the tent by that barbarian, enduring the cold wind all night, her head spinning. Later... it seemed that barbarian came looking for her and even carried her away?

“Yesterday morning, I came out of Kedash’s tent and happened to see you lying on the ground with a high fever and no one to care for you. I was terrified and quickly fetched Gesa. Sister, how do you feel now?” Baoqin asked with concern.

Lilan lowered her eyes, a dense pang of pain blossoming in her chest. So it was she who had saved her; everything else had been just a dream.

“Thank you,” she said.

Baoqin slapped her shoulder heartily. “Thank what? When I was away, you were the one by Kedash’s side. I should be the one thanking you.”

Lilan caught the implied meaning behind her words.

Now that Kedash’s rightful queen had returned, it was time for her—this “plaything”—to disappear.

She smiled bitterly but said nothing.

“By the way, this is top-grade wound medicine, very expensive. Kedash forbade you from using it, but I secretly got some for you. Use it quietly, don’t let him find out. After all, it was my bad horsemanship that hurt you. It’ll make me feel better if you recover soon.”

Lilan had heard this before; hearing it again from someone else made her pain seem a little less sharp.

She took the medicine bottle lightly and thanked her again.

Baoqin advised her to rest more, then twisted her slender waist and left the medical tent.

Outside, Baoqin’s gentle expression vanished, replaced by a cold, ruthless gleam in her eyes.

“How is it, sister? Did it work?” Baozhu waited anxiously at the door.

Baoqin crossed her arms. “Of course. There’s poison in the bottle. She dared to seduce my Kedash; dying from the poison would be the best outcome.”

...

When Gesa returned to the medical tent, Lilan was about to apply her medicine.

Hearing the noise, she trembled and hurriedly hid the bottle.

Gesa didn’t notice her movement and simply placed the medicine chest by her bedside, filled with countless bottles.

“The king truly likes you. Knowing you’re injured, he’s sent a steady flow of rare medicines, many even I have never seen.”

Lilan was stunned, then realized.

“You really are a good doctor,” she said.

That barbarian had deemed her lowly, forbidding her from using medicine. Yet this doctor was willing to lie just to help her.

Truly, the heart of a healer is like that of a parent.

Gesa scratched his head, puzzled by her sudden praise.

Shouldn’t she have thanked the king first?

Just as he was about to speak, a loud cheer broke out outside the tent.

Lilan lifted her head to look out but the distance blurred her vision.

Gesa sighed softly. “Baoqin must be causing a ruckus again. She’s lively and restless—whenever she’s around, the grassland is never quiet.”

For some reason, a wave of unease swelled in Lilan’s chest.

It felt like balancing a bowl of water in a bumpy carriage, the liquid sloshing everywhere.

“I’ll go see,” she finally could no longer contain herself.

Gesa stopped her. “Your foot isn’t healed yet. Do you want to become a little cripple?”

“Sit down. I’ll go check for you.”

Lilan was pushed back, but her anxiety only grew.

She could not wait. Once Gesa left, she limped after him.

Baoqin, cloaked in a vivid red cape and holding a longbow, rode atop a tall chestnut horse. Dozens of tall, strong barbarians followed behind.

They were practicing mounted archery.

Lilan exhaled in relief and was about to return when a familiar low cry reached her ears.

She turned.

Pei Qizhou was tied to the archery target!

His body was riddled with dozens of crooked arrows.

Blood foamed at his lips.

A pool of blood lay on the ground beneath him.

This scene struck Lilan’s eyes like a blow; she screamed, her foot aching fiercely, but she ignored the pain and dashed into the chaos.

“Let go... let go...” she screamed, nearly losing her voice.

But the barbarians were caught up in their revelry, paying her no mind.

Feathered arrows flew wildly through the air. Lilan wept, trying to shield the bloodied man with her body, but he was unconscious, his body growing cold.

“Lan’er... the jade seal, the jade seal is... under the desk...”

Pei Qizhou, using his last strength, managed to utter these fragmented words.

Lilan collapsed to the ground, hysterically crying out, begging them to stop shooting, but the rain of arrows continued unabated.

The man behind her, hit by arrow after arrow, had at first made faint sounds, but now not a single breath escaped him.

Lilan cried his name, but there was no response.

Only a face darkened with blood and bruises remained.

“So satisfying! That last arrow went straight into the captive’s heart!” Baoqin exclaimed joyfully.

Bahu was about to agree, but his expression suddenly changed.

“There seems to be someone beneath the target.”

Baoqin’s smile faded. Following his gaze, they saw a small figure crouched beneath the target—hardly visible unless looked at closely.

“Stop—stop!” she raised her hand.

The crowd instantly fell silent; the surroundings returned to quiet.

Baoqin urged her horse forward toward the target.

“Are you crazy? Don’t you see we’re shooting? Go away, go! What a spoil-sport!” Baoqin looked down at her from horseback, her tone impatient.

Lilan’s eyes were bloodshot as she trembled and knelt beneath the horse.

“I beg you, please... spare him.”

Only then did Baoqin see her face clearly.

“It’s you?”

By the time Gesa arrived, Lilan was completely a tear-streaked wreck; Baoqin was wiping tears nearby as well.

“I’m sorry... I truly didn’t know this captive from the Central Plains was Lady Lan’er’s husband. It’s my fault. If her husband dies because of this, I won’t live either...”

Gesa, irritated, hushed her and checked Pei Qizhou’s pulse, his expression growing grimmer.

“Accept the loss,” he said.

The words struck like thunder from a clear sky; Lilan could not accept it.

She shook her head, crying, “No, you’re the best doctor on the grassland, please save him, I’ll kowtow to you...”

Pei Qizhou was so noble, while she was a calamity everyone shunned. He had braved this den of demons alone to save her. They had been through so much together. Soon, they would escape the grassland together.

So why couldn’t he hold on a little longer?

Lilan pounded her forehead on the ground like a madwoman, blood covering her brow, not ceasing.

She was a woman who had long sought death. Without Pei Qizhou, without his sudden arrival, she wouldn’t have endured this long.

He had become her spiritual pillar.

She could not live without him.

Gesa reluctantly helped her up. “He’s been pierced by multiple arrows and lost too much blood. He’s already one foot in the underworld. Even immortals would be powerless.”

Upon hearing this, Lilan nearly fainted.