Hibiscus as a Painting

Chapter 169

Xiao Bai obediently let Zi Jin stroke her, then looked up at Zi Jin's face. The mist that had been gradually dissipating in her eyes filled up again, and ripples of joy gently spread across her eyes: "Xiao Zi, I...missed you...please don't...stop me...I'm so sad..."

Zi Jin's tears kept flowing. She carefully rested her head on his shoulder, sobbing silently, calling out that name she longed for over and over again. So much reluctance, so much longing, so many emotions, she couldn't say them, nor should she.

"Little Purple, don't cry... I'm feeling bad..." Little White's eyes were full of panic, but she didn't know how to comfort her.

Zi Jin was startled, but she pretended to be calm and sat up. Without looking up, she said in a low voice, "Have some porridge. You need to change your dressings later." Her lowered face revealed no emotion whatsoever.

Looking at Zi Jin with her eyes downcast, Xiao Bai felt a tightness in her chest: "Xiao...Xiao Zi, you...I...you're angry? Why?...I...I..."

Zi Jin stopped talking and held the spoon to Xiao Bai's lips. Xiao Bai's eyes were full of fear, and he dared not say anything more. He opened his mouth blankly and drank the porridge that Zi Jin brought him, mouthful by mouthful.

After finishing a bowl of porridge, Zi Jin slowly raised her eyes, her gaze devoid of any emotion. "Changing the dressing later might hurt a bit." She stood up, wrapped one arm around Xiao Bai's neck, and helped him turn to his side. Xiao Bai tried his best to cooperate with Zi Jin's movements, turning over little by little. If the movement was even slightly too large, he would frown, pursing his lips tightly, but daring not to groan out loud.

Xiao Bai's pained expression seemed to stab Zi Jin's already wounded heart with another knife, tearing her apart. She forced herself to remain calm, keeping her eyes fixed on Xiao Bai as she unbuttoned his clothes, but her movements became increasingly gentle.

Xiao Bai stared blankly at Zi Jin, who was so close to her, her eyes gradually reddening. She opened her mouth and said, "Xiao Zi... why... don't you miss me, do you?" Her voice was choked with suppressed sobs.

Upon hearing this, Zi Jin's hand trembled slightly. She took a deep breath to suppress the intense pain in her heart and untied the bandages from Xiao Bai's body. Xiao Bai groaned softly in pain, but when it saw Zi Jin's increasingly pale face, it forcefully suppressed the cry of pain.

Zi Jin turned to get the medicine, forcefully suppressing the tears in her eyes. She then carefully applied the medicine to the wound and changed the gauze. Once everything was done, both of them were covered in sweat. Zi Jin carefully wiped the sweat from Xiao Bai's forehead with her sleeve and slowly stood up: "Don't move..."

Xiao Bai stared blankly at Zi Jin's retreating figure, then without thinking, reached out and grabbed her collar: "Xiao Zi... no, don't... I, I'm in pain, I can't breathe... you want me, how... only..."

Zi Jin frowned slightly, turning around to see Xiao Bai struggling to hold back tears, his pale lips trembling slightly from the pain. Zi Jin dared not move again, turning back to sit down and helping Xiao Bai lie down properly: "Be careful of your wound."

Xiao Bai grabbed Zi Jin's hand, her eyes red and swollen: "Xiao Zi, I...you, don't go...I miss you, I miss you so much...it hurts so much, I miss you...don't go...tell me, tell me...what should I do...I'm afraid, I'm afraid..."

In an instant, the surging tears could no longer be held back, and they slid down her cheeks one by one. She slowly reached out and gently rubbed Xiaobai's face again and again: "Xiaobai... does it hurt?"

Xiao Bai looked at Zi Jin's tearful eyes in panic, shaking her head repeatedly: "No, no, no..."

Zi Jin pressed her face against Xiao Bai's, silently shedding tears: "Xiao Bai, do you know how wicked you are?... I missed you so much, my heart ached. I waited and waited, but you never came back, never came back... Just when I decided to stop waiting for you, to never see you again, why did you have to come back at this moment?... Do you know that now, we... can never go back, we can never go back..."

Even though the two were so close, Zi Jin felt as if a piece of her heart had been ripped out, leaving her feeling empty. Zi Jin seemed oblivious, gently rubbing her face against Xiao Bai's, as if trying to absorb more warmth.

Hearing these words devoid of joy or sorrow, Xiao Bai's heart was instantly filled with fear. His dark, gentle eyes were filled with anxiety and panic: "No, no... Xiao Zi is here, I'm here... No, no... Xiao Zi, please don't, don't do this, I... I... uh..." A sudden, burning pain in his chest made Xiao Bai groan.

"You idiot! What are you crying for? Don't you see how badly he's injured? If he gets too angry, even a miracle won't save him!" Cheng Qingsong, who had been standing outside the window, could no longer hold back. After shouting loudly, he turned and left.

Zi Jin's face instantly paled. She quickly stood up, wiping away her tears, and looked at Xiao Bai's deathly pale face with lingering shock. She hurriedly wiped away her tears. Zi Jin tried hard to suppress the trembling in her voice as she looked at the lukewarm medicine beside her: "...Xiao Bai, would you like to drink your medicine first?"

"Mmm." Seeing that Zi Jin had stopped crying, Xiao Bai bit her lip to endure the sharp pain in her chest, slowly calmed her breathing, concealed the panic and anxiety in her eyes, and gave a somewhat ingratiating smile, obediently replying.

Xiao Bai stared intently at Zi Jin's face, obediently swallowing all the medicine. He suppressed his intense drowsiness, daring not to close his eyes, and kept a close eye on Zi Jin's every move, not daring to speak.

Zi Jin lowered her eyes, turned around and placed the bowl on the table. Then she turned back to look at Xiao Bai's pitiful, sleepy expression, and her heart ached. She forced a smile, patted Xiao Bai gently, and said softly, "Sleep, I won't leave."

Xiao Bai looked at Zi Jin drowsily, finally succumbing to the intense sleepiness, and slowly closed her eyes: "Xiao Zi..."

"Don't worry, I won't leave. Promise Xiaobai, I won't leave." Zi Jin silently gazed at Xiaobai's sleeping face, gently patting him again and again, while her other hand gently rubbed Xiaobai's eyes, eyebrows, face, and lips, as if it was never enough... never enough.

noob……

"You brat! Trying to slack off again! Did you carry the twenty buckets of water today?!" Just as Zi Jin was feeling heartbroken, Cheng Qingsong stood at the window again and shouted in a low voice.

Zi Jin paused slightly, then lost all interest in looking gloomy. She looked at Xiao Bai with a pained expression, then slunk her head and slowly moved towards the door, muttering, "We haven't finished using the ones we picked out yesterday yet."

Just as Cheng Qingsong was about to leave, he turned around and shouted, "If he took the medicine today, he won't need to take it tomorrow!"

Zi Jin grabbed Cheng Qingsong, who was about to leave, and said with a forced smile, "No, no... Master, I'll go, I'll go right now, okay?"

Cheng Qingsong watched as Zi Jin stumbled out the door, stroking his snow-white beard and a mysterious smile playing on his lips. He turned his head and glanced through the window at the sleeping Xiao Bai, his eyes gleaming.

When Zi Jin returned after fetching water, she saw Cheng Qingsong touching Xiao Bai's pulse and nodding repeatedly as he entered the room.

"Master, how is he recovering?" Zi Jin stood beside Cheng Qingsong, her breathing slightly unsteady, and asked softly as she looked at Xiao Bai.

"Then you can feel his pulse." Cheng Qingsong raised his hand and stood up, gesturing for Zi Jin to sit down.

Zi Jin sat uneasily on the edge of the bed, pressed Xiao Bai's pulse, closed her eyes for a moment, and a hint of joy flashed in her eyes.

"Did you figure it out?" Cheng Qingsong asked.

Zi Jin looked at Cheng Qingsong with a happy expression: "His pulse has stabilized a lot, so he should no longer be in danger of dying, but his internal energy is still very weak."

Cheng Qingsong stroked his beard, looking quite smug: "I snatched him from the brink of death. If anyone else had treated him, he would have been dead long ago. It's no wonder his internal energy is weak. It looks like I'll need to give him some nourishing medicine tomorrow... Don't stay with him today, go to sleep early. Don't forget to drink your medicine... Tomorrow I have some other things to tell you."

Zi Jin stared at Cheng Qingsong suspiciously: "Oh... uh?... What does Master mean?"

"It's alright, it's alright. He's out of danger and he's awake now. I should teach my disciple some martial arts now, so that you won't embarrass me, the unruly lone wanderer, when we're out in the world."

Having put aside her worries of the past few days, Zi Jin felt a sense of relief. Her eyes shone as she looked at Cheng Qingsong under the lamplight with adoration: "Is he invincible? Does he possess the skill of lightness and agility?"

Cheng Qingsong stroked his beard smugly: "Hehe... As long as you can fully master my teachings, you will be hard to beat in the martial world."

Zi Jin stared blankly at Cheng Qingsong, her mind wandering to all sorts of fantasies. Oh, Dongfang Bubai...

Looking at Zi Jin's ecstatic and foolish expression, Cheng Qingsong wore a smug smile: "Enjoy your moment of bliss, though. The real hardship is yet to come..."

The next day, before dawn, Zi Jin was woken by Cheng Qingsong's roars. Dragging her groggy body, she chopped firewood, chopped more firewood, and chopped until the sun was high in the sky. Then she started a fire to cook porridge and prepare medicine. After the meal, just as Zi Jin was about to feed Xiao Bai his food and medicine, Cheng Qingsong snatched the bowls away. He shoved a medical book inside, thus taking over the task of feeding and treating Xiao Bai.

Zi Jin was furious and about to resist, but she was met with Cheng Qingsong's stern face, which threatened to deny her medicine if she dared to resist. Zi Jin instantly deflated and quietly hid by the window, secretly watching Xiao Bai drink her medicine and porridge. When Xiao Bai woke up, she kept looking towards the door, seemingly searching for something, but seeing Cheng Qingsong's fierce expression, she dared not ask any questions. The worry and anxiety on his face tore at Zi Jin's heart, almost bringing her to tears. Finally, unable to bear watching any longer, she picked up her medical book and walked hesitantly towards the bamboo grove.

Before noon, Cheng Qingsong tossed two wooden buckets to Zi Jin, who then began carrying water, carrying more water, and carrying more water. After carrying twenty buckets, she started a fire to cook porridge. Just as Zi Jin was about to carry the porridge into the small white house, Cheng Qingsong suddenly appeared, snatched the bowl, threw down two sandbags, and made Zi Jin tie them to the sandbags and run ten laps around the bamboo forest.

Zi Jin stared dumbfounded at the endless bamboo forest. After ten laps, she thought, "This person would be beyond saving." "Um... Master... I... I've always been physically weak... Is there... also Xiao Bai...?"

Cheng Qingsong squinted his tiny eyes: "Ying Ruo? Not counting the medicinal herbs you've been taking these past few days, just think about all the herbs you've taken since you were a child. Do you know how many people they could have saved?! He... he's not running away, right?... Then he..."