Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen: Who Was the Beast?

The sensation of having her face pinched was far too intense. If Liu Ling'er did not wake soon, Bai Li Xian would surely pinch her cheeks swollen. She slowly opened her eyes, as if crossing back from a dream into reality once more.

The shift was so abrupt that Liu Ling'er was utterly lost upon waking, but the hand on her face instantly sent a surge of anger through her heart. Bai Li Xian, so it really was you. I thought that dream had been false, but it turned out to be real after all.

She could not endure it. Liu Ling'er blurted, “Let go!” But her voice was terribly hoarse and weak; had Bai Li Xian not had such keen ears, he might easily have missed it.

Bai Li Xian froze, then sheepishly released her cheek. Delight quickly spread across his face, and he said in a gentle, tender voice, “Ling'er, you’re finally awake. Is anything uncomfortable?”

Uncomfortable? Liu Ling'er tried to prop herself up and take a look, but the moment she moved, stabbing pain rolled across her back, as though a layer of skin had been torn clean away. The searing agony made her draw in a sharp breath, her teeth clacking together so hard that she nearly blacked out from the pain.

Her whole body seemed wrong everywhere. Liu Ling'er did not dare move recklessly and hurriedly stilled herself, able only to glance around with her eyes.

In a short while, she had surveyed her surroundings. What met her gaze was a bed canopy of bright yellow silk. She herself was lying face-down on a large carved rosewood bed, covered by a quilt embroidered with golden phoenixes. Bai Li Xian was actually lying beside her, propping up his head as he looked at her.

Through the canopy she could see the room. Wisps of pale smoke rose from an incense burner, and with a light inhale Liu Ling'er recognized it as top-grade dragon’s-breath incense.

Dragon’s-breath incense—wasn’t that the Empress Dowager’s favorite? Could it be that she was in the Empress Dowager’s Phoenix Rest Palace, lying in the Empress Dowager’s bed?

A warm breath brushed the side of her neck, making her skin itch faintly. Liu Ling'er could not help turning her head, and at once saw that Bai Li Xian’s expression was terribly abnormal, clearly the look of a man stirred by desire.

Liu Ling'er’s expression turned strange. Her voice remained rasping as she teased, “Prince Xian, what are you doing? Spring has arrived, yes, but if you’re going to go into heat, at least do it in private. If people saw this, I’d be the one embarrassed.”

Bai Li Xian looked a little awkward, then laughed softly at her. “Is that so? Then please, my princess, do not set fire to me. Your hands are doing beastly things, yet your mouth speaks so righteously. Don’t you think there is something off about that, Ling'er?”

“Who’s a beast? Don’t think because I can’t move right now that you can slander me. Am I the kind of starving woman who’s desperate for it? My hand, um...” Liu Ling'er moved her hand, and the slick sensation in her palm made it easy to tell that Bai Li Xian had not lied.

Heavens above, this was humiliating beyond words. Liu Ling'er did not dare lift her head. She was certain Bai Li Xian must be laughing at her. She yanked her little hand away from his chest in one swift motion, then blushing furiously buried her head beneath the quilt like an ostrich.

Her movement had been a little too abrupt, and the wound on her back seemed to tear a bit, sending a burst of pain through her body that made her stiffen, her face going pale.

Bai Li Xian felt a little pained for her. He helped pull the quilt down and asked softly, “Uncomfortable? Should I call the imperial physician?”

As he spoke, he lowered his head. The strands of his hair brushed her neck, and once again Liu Ling'er felt an involuntary itch run through her. What was more, Bai Li Xian kept lowering his head, coming closer and closer. Liu Ling'er widened her eyes. What on earth? You still have the nerve to call me beastly? I can’t even move, and you’re actually thinking of—

Before she could finish the thought, Bai Li Xian had already pressed his forehead against hers. After the brief contact, he let out a relieved breath and calmly said, “Not bad. At least the fever is gone.”

When Bai Li Xian lifted his head, Liu Ling'er was left covered in dark lines, almost blown into confusion by the wind. Was there some mistake? Next time you do something like that, could you at least use your hand? I thought you were about to do something indecent just now!

Bai Li Xian tapped his temple and said to Liu Ling'er, “You were unconscious for four days. You’ve been running a fever for three of them. If not for Imperial Physician Jun’s miraculous skill, I’d probably be burning paper money for you this time next year.”

Could you say something a little nicer? Liu Ling'er suddenly remembered something. It seemed that Bai Li Xian had already brought death upon three wives. If she died as well, wouldn’t his reputation for dooming wives grow even louder?

After a brief pause, Bai Li Xian continued, “Imperial Physician Jun says you’re fine now. The poison from the sleeve arrow has been cleared. It’ll just take some time for the wound to heal. Best case, half a month; at the slowest, another month or so. For this period, you should just lie obediently in bed.”

Lie in bed every day? Wouldn’t that make her into a bear? What if her chest got flattened? What about eating, what about using the privy? And bathing! Wait—bathing and applying medicine—

Liu Ling'er seemed to suddenly think of something. She had not looked at herself since waking, but now, sensing it, a feeling of utter despair crashed over her. She felt like dying.

Aside from being wrapped in a few white bandages, she seemed to be wearing nothing at all. In other words, the moment she moved, spring would be exposed. Since just now until this very moment, she seemed to have exposed herself at least three or four times. That meant Bai Li Xian had gotten an eyeful of her three or four times for free.

Wuwuwu, how was she supposed to face people after this? Thinking of that, Liu Ling'er hurriedly pulled the quilt tighter around herself. Though she was bold, that did not mean she was shameless. Then another question struck her all at once: who had taken off her clothes?