As Ling Xiao spoke, a blush rose on his usually stoic face, which had remained unchanged for a thousand years.

Yet, Lin He paid little mind to why Ling Xiao was blushing; the words "Young Master can't wait any longer" echoed ceaselessly in her ears. Instantly, she felt as though she had plunged into an ice cellar, nearly losing her footing. Thankfully, Zi Qing and Zi Yu, standing beside her, gave her a steadying hand.

Lin He strained to suppress the fear rising in her heart and managed to say, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry back."

Ling Xiao looked at Lin He’s expression, seeming about to say something more, but ultimately held back, offering only a nod. Lin He’s mind was blank; she couldn't think of anything else, only rushing forward in urgency. Fortunately, Zi Qing behind her remained composed and spoke up, "Young Mistress, you go back with Zi Yu first. I will remain here. If the Master and the others come asking, I can answer them here, otherwise, they will worry."

Lin He nodded, then left with Zi Yu, following Ling Xiao out the door. In the carriage, Lin He was like a wandering spirit—her gaze vacant, her entire body icy cold, her eyes fixed intensely on one spot within the carriage.

Lin He’s state terrified Zi Yu. Zi Yu, equally flustered, didn't know how to comfort her mistress, only repeatedly urging the driver, Ling Xiao, to hurry. If this continued, she feared it wouldn't be the Young Master who couldn't wait, but the Young Mistress.

The short journey felt endless to Lin He and Zi Yu. Finally, just as Lin He was about to break, Ling Xiao called from outside, "Young Mistress, we’ve arrived."

Zi Yu quickly lifted the carriage curtain, and Lin He immediately leaped down. Zi Yu followed her out. Upon reaching their courtyard, Lin He felt a sudden strangeness: the area was utterly silent, not a sound to be heard, not even a shadow of a person in sight. What on earth was happening?

Lin He paid it no mind and hurried towards the main house. However, after only a couple of steps, Ling Xiao blocked her path, stating, "Young Mistress, the Young Master is not in the main house. He is waiting for you in the separate pavilion."

Lin He didn't overthink it, turned, and quickened her pace toward the pavilion. Zi Yu immediately tried to follow, but Ling Xiao suddenly seized Zi Yu’s arm. Unable to advance, Zi Yu glared at Ling Xiao and retorted fiercely, "You blockhead, why are you holding me? I need to follow the Young Mistress to serve the Young Master. Wasn't he injured? Shouldn't you be watching over him instead of holding me back?"

"The Young Master is not injured. Besides the Young Mistress, he requires no one else’s service," Ling Xiao kept hold of Zi Yu without releasing her.

"Ah? Not injured? But you just said the Young Master couldn't wait? Did you lie to the Young Mistress?" Zi Yu asked, eyes wide.

"No, the Young Master isn't injured, but he indeed needs the Young Mistress right now," Ling Xiao replied, still expressionless.

"Then what exactly is going on? Can't you just say it clearly at once?" Zi Yu felt a slight easing of her anxiety upon hearing this, yet her confusion deepened.

Ling Xiao glanced at Zi Yu and offered no further words, maintaining his grip on her arm as they stood in the courtyard.

Zi Yu looked at the hand on her arm and slapped it away. "Let go of me! If you won't tell me, I’ll go see what’s wrong with the Young Master myself. The Young Mistress is waiting for me to serve him."

Ling Xiao immediately let go, sparing Zi Yu a sidelong glance. "If you are not afraid of being punished by the Young Master, then go ahead. If you are punished this time, even the Young Mistress pleading for you won't help."

Zi Yu’s steps, which had been poised to leave, froze at Ling Xiao’s words. She then looked at Ling Xiao with unconcealed mischief. "Either you tell me clearly what’s happening with the Young Master, or I swear I will find out today. When the Young Master punishes me, I will tell him you sent me, and he can punish both of us together."

Ling Xiao watched Zi Yu’s obstinate demeanor, his mouth twitching. After a brief pause, he said coldly, "The Young Master was drugged. He requires intimate union with a woman to counteract it."

Upon hearing this, Zi Yu’s face flushed crimson, reaching the roots of her neck. Unable to press further, she twisted her body, intending to flee. Ling Xiao also showed a few faint blushes, though the dim light concealed them somewhat. Seeing Zi Yu about to bolt, he quickly grabbed her and said, "There are matters in the courtyard tonight; you are not to wander. Return to your own room and sleep now. The Young Master and Young Mistress will not require service tonight."

Zi Yu was too mortified by Ling Xiao’s words to argue back. Instead, she nodded obediently and walked toward her own quarters.

Ling Xiao watched Zi Yu enter her room, then shifted his gaze towards the direction of the guest room. The warmth that had briefly flickered in his eyes instantly turned glacial.

Meanwhile, Lin He practically ran from the courtyard toward the pavilion. On the way upstairs, a sudden fear gripped her. She recalled how Wen Ningxuan looked when he was injured in Qinghe County last time, the image of him having an arrow pulled out flashing relentlessly before her eyes. She worried that Wen Ningxuan might be even more seriously hurt this time.

Still, Lin He suppressed the terror in her heart, her steps heavy as she ascended one by one. Upon reaching the upper floor, she was surprised. Only a single small candle flickered on a table in the room; the space was silent, as if deserted. This didn't resemble a scene where Wen Ningxuan was gravely wounded. Shouldn't a physician be treating him if he were hurt? Ling Xiao and Zi Yu hadn't followed her up either. What was truly going on?

Thinking this, Lin He quickened her pace, moving deeper into the room. Before she could take in the surroundings, she was enveloped by a familiar aura, and her body was lifted into strong arms.

Instinctively, Lin He hooked her arms around the neck of the person holding her. When she opened her eyes, Wen Ningxuan’s face appeared before her. Lin He quickly exclaimed, "Ningxuan, what’s wrong? Ling Xiao said something happened to you. What is it? Where are you hurt? Please put me down quickly so I can look at your wounds."

Before Lin He could finish speaking, Wen Ningxuan gently placed her onto the bed, then immediately pressed himself over her. His kiss began at her lips and slowly trailed downward, Wen Ningxuan’s breath growing heavier.

Before she understood what was happening, Lin He pushed against Wen Ningxuan, trying to rise from beneath him. But when she touched his body, she realized his garments were damp, and the heat radiating from him was terrifyingly high.

As Lin He wondered what was happening, Wen Ningxuan lifted his head. His face was slick with sweat, his eyes slightly dazed. With great difficulty, he forced a few words from his throat: "He'er, don't be afraid. I was just poisoned."

Only then did Lin He finally grasp what Ling Xiao meant by "can't wait any longer"—it was this kind of 'can't wait.' A faint blush rose on Lin He’s face.

Wen Ningxuan looked at the woman beneath him, whose expression had turned exquisitely charming. Feeling as if his body might explode, he let out a low growl, his lips locking onto hers with a possessive, frantic intensity. The moment they met her soft, pink lips, the desire Wen Ningxuan had fiercely restrained finally surged forth like a broken dam, pouring out without restraint—RS

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