Yu Wenqian thought for a moment and said, "This thing, like the veils they wear, can prevent you from inhaling the toxic miasma."

"Oh?"

Shang Ruyi looked at it with confusion and pointed at the cotton strings on both sides: "What are these used for?"

Yu Wenqian replied, "These can be hung over the ears, making it less likely to fall off."

"Really?"

Seeing Shang Ruyi still hesitating, Yu Wenqian smiled lightly, "Let me teach you."

After speaking, he picked up the cotton cloth and brought it towards Shang Ruyi’s face. Shang Ruyi instinctively stepped back, but he had already hooked the crescent-shaped strings behind her ears, gently rubbing her earlobes with his palm before letting go.

Indeed, the cloth fitted perfectly on her face, much more convenient than those veils tied at the back of the head.

"...!"

Shang Ruyi looked in astonishment, surprised both by the thing and by Yu Wenqian’s action.

How could he—

Fortunately, most people in the yard were standing behind him and didn’t see his previous action, only those inside the house like Mu Xian frowned and stood frozen.

Yu Wenqian lowered his head and looked at Shang Ruyi with her round staring eyes, smiling slightly.

He seemed calm and unruffled, as if he had simply taught her how to put on the fabric without any other thoughts or intentions. If she said something, it would look as though her own mind was wandering.

After a brief silence, Shang Ruyi lowered her eyelids and softly said, "Thank you, elder brother."

Yu Wenqian said, "Go inside and see him."

Without saying more, Shang Ruyi turned and walked into the room. Though it was a new room, it quickly filled with the smell of medicine and a faint burnt scent due to moving the patient, obviously from those who had rushed into the fire to save him, carrying the remnants of charred ashes, yet to be cleaned.

Shang Ruyi paid no mind to these things, striding quickly into the inner chamber, reaching the bedside.

At this moment, Yu Wenye lay quietly on the bed. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

His face showed an ashen hue, lips pale as chalk. Even standing so close, she couldn’t hear his breathing or see his chest move with breath. Several acupoints on his body were stuck with needles as thin as cow hair, all of which vibrated endlessly, evidently trembling with his body’s slight movements.

Two doctors were clearing his meridians.

"Feng Chen..."

Remembering him being invincible and brave on the battlefield, but now lying here, barely clinging to life, relying on two doctors to pierce him with needles to aid his breathing, Shang Ruyi felt a heartbreaking ache, instinctively stepping forward.

At this moment, Mu Xian blocked her: "Young Madam."

Shang Ruyi glanced at him with reddened eyes, her face covered with the cotton cloth given by Yu Wenqian, only her tear-stained eyes exposed, making her discomfort and pain more apparent.

Mu Xian’s breath also deepened.

He could only say, "Let the doctors finish the needles first. Just now—the Second Young Master almost couldn’t hold on."

"..."

Shang Ruyi bit her lip, heartache making her unable to speak.

Just then, as one doctor gently withdrew a needle from Yu Wenye’s Divine Storage Acupoint, his pale lips trembled and he softly exhaled.

Finally, his tense chest showed slight signs of movement.

The doctor raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then turned back, quietly speaking to Shang Ruyi: "General’s wife, my respects."

Shang Ruyi replied, "Don’t bother with formalities. How is my husband now?"

At that moment, another doctor also withdrew the needle stuck in Yu Wenye’s Yu Fu Acupoint, and this time, one could hear his breathing more clearly, seeming to finally catch a breath. The two doctors approached cautiously, saying, "Earlier, the Great General’s passages were blocked by stagnant energy, nearly causing insurmountable issues. We used silver needles to open the acupoints and clear his meridians. For now, he is stable."

Everyone around sighed with relief.

But Shang Ruyi’s brow furrowed even more.

She heard clearly that the two doctors came to treat Yu Wenye only for the symptoms from inhaling smoke at the fire scene, and "temporarily" stable, but what truly burdened him was his illness!

Shang Ruyi asked, "What about his illness?"

The faces of the two doctors immediately turned pale, glancing at each other, stammering without response.

Seeing their nervous appearance, Shang Ruyi thought for a while, turned her face to those behind her and said, "You all, please leave."

Mu Xian and others hesitated, but understanding her intention, they glanced at Yu Wenye still asleep on the bed, reluctantly leaving the room. Once everyone left, Shang Ruyi turned back to the two doctors, her expression darker, saying, "Speak directly."

"..."

"You were brought here urgently; the General’s sickness is not your fault. But if it’s delayed, I won’t let it pass lightly!"

Upon hearing the General’s wife’s words, the two doctors were so frightened they knelt with a thud.

One quickly spoke, "Please forgive us, Madam. The Great General’s illness truly—We are powerless."

The other also said, "Mr. He is Fufeng’s most renowned doctor. Earlier, he awoke briefly and instructed us. Indeed, without the right medicine, the Great General’s illness might not hold out."

Hold out...

These three words pierced Shang Ruyi’s heart like a knife.

She looked at Yu Wenye on the bed, clenched her fists tightly, and asked in a deep voice, "How long can he ’hold’?"

The two glanced at each other.

One cautiously replied, "At most, three days."

Shang Ruyi’s breath caught.

At this moment, in the room quieted to only Yu Wenye’s faint breathing, a series of footsteps echoed again. Kneeling on the ground, the two doctors dared not raise their heads, only hearing a gentle voice from above: "You two, leave first."

The two raised their heads cautiously, seeing the poised Heir of the Duke had somehow entered, standing behind the General’s wife.

Not daring to speak more, they made their farewell and hurriedly left.

Shang Ruyi still stood by the bed, frowning, breathing hurriedly while staring at Yu Wenye’s almost lifeless face, but Yu Wenqian’s voice sounded again in her ear: "Now, do you believe me?"

"..."

She took a deep breath, slowly turning around.

Standing behind her, Yu Wenqian also wore the same cotton cloth he’d given her earlier. Though it covered his handsome face, his bright, beautiful eyes seemed even more prominent.

He looked at Shang Ruyi and softly said, "Are you still unwilling to take him away?"