T/N: Thanks so much to Cinnabonn for the Kofi donation! Here’s a double update for you!
Chu Jiubian stared speechlessly at Qin Xiao inside the silent carriage,
Qin Xiao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, then took a palm-sized pouch from his robes and handed it to Chu Jiubian.
“What is it?” Chu Jiubian accepted the pouch, and when he opened it and saw what was inside, he froze in surprise.
“I promised you before that I would get you grapes to eat after conquering the Western Regions.” Qin Xiao subtly steadied his breathing, then continued, “Unfortunately, there are no fresh ones during this season, only dried. Once they grow and ripen next year, you’ll be able to eat fresh ones.”
Chu Jiubian was at somewhat of a loss.
He had just spoken casually at the time, and hadn’t been serious at all.
Until Qin Xiao brought it up now, he had even forgotten that he had ever said such a thing.
“Give them a try,” said Qin Xiao.
Chu Jiubian took out two grapes and placed them in his mouth, then looked up at the other party.
Qin Xiao asked with a smile: “Are they sweet?”
Chu Jiubian offered him the pouch and said: “Want some?”
Qin Xiao shook his head. His gaze lingered on Chu Jiubian’s face as he said: “Give me a piece of candy.”
Chu Jiubian took out a candy and gave it to him. It was grape-flavored.
Qin Xiao put it in his mouth and said: “It’s sweet.”
Chu Jiubian looked at the pouch in his hand. Then, after a long pause, he closed it and put it in his pocket.
“Do you know what I thought about every day while I was gone?” Qin Xiao’s voice was very soft.
Chu Jiubian looked up to find the man leaning against the carriage wall, smiling rather brazenly.
“Every day, I thought about you,” he said.
The carriage arrived at the palace gates. Without waiting for or expecting a response from Chu Jiubian, Qin Xiao immediately climbed out.
Chu Jiubian touched the slight bulge of the pouch in his pocket, then got out of the carriage.
Ahead of them were Bai Lihong and Qin Chaoyang, who had been waiting a while, as well as Eunuch Hong Fu, who had arrived with a sedan chair to greet them.
Dispensing with any pleasantries, they proceeded directly to Yangxin Hall.
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao walked side by side, crunching over the snow and leaving footprints in their wake.
The second they entered Yangxin Hall, Bai Lihong spun around and hugged his uncle’s legs.
But Qin Xiao, who always stood as tall and straight as a pine tree, stumbled slightly. Chu Jiubian reflexively reached out to steady him by the arm.
Qin Xiao turned his face away and covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief. He coughed a few times, and the muffled sound faintly resembled someone choking on water.
A few moments later, he recovered his composure and concealed the handkerchief in his palm.
However, Bai Lihong’s sharp eyes spotted the bright red stain marring the handkerchief, and tears immediately welled up in them: “Jiujiu, you’re hurt?!”
Hong Fu and Qin Chaoyang had naturally noticed this as well, and traces of worry appeared on their faces.
Qin Xiao crouched down and gently stroked the child’s hair, his expression holding a previously unseen tenderness.
“Be good,” he said. “You must listen to your Xiansheng.”
Sensing that something was wrong, Bai Lihong wanted to throw himself into his uncle’s arms. But since he didn’t know where he was injured and didn’t want to hurt him, he could only hug his uncle’s arm with a trembling lower lip, tears pooling in his eyes.
The child didn’t know what was going on, but he could vaguely sense the uneasy atmosphere.
Qin Xiao hugged him tightly and gently rubbed his back, just as he had done many times before.
After a long while, he finally loosened his embrace and said: “Jiujiu is going to take a rest. You can go read your book first.”
Bai Lihong grabbed his hand. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered: “Xiansheng said we would all go to Fukang Pavilion to see the plum blossoms when Jiujiu returned.”
Qin Xiao just smiled and said: “Alright, we’ll go see them when there’s time.”
The child let go of his hand at last, saying: “Then Jiujiu can rest now.”
Qin Xiao gave a hum and stood up, then headed toward the western courtyard.
Bai Lihong stood rooted to the spot. He watched that figure walk farther and farther away, and when he could no longer see him, tears began to roll down his cheeks.
Eunuch Hong watched from the side, his eyes welling up with sympathetic tears. “Your Majesty, the heavens smile upon a good man like your uncle. He will be alright,” he said in a gentle tone, attempting to reassure him.
Bai Lihong nodded. His voice was choked with emotion as he said: “And Xiansheng is here.”
The child knew that his uncle had just said goodbye to him. Jiujiu felt that he didn’t have long to live, but Bai Lihong trusted Xiansheng and believed that with him around, everything would be okay.
Chu Jiubian trailed Qin Xiao to the western courtyard.
From beginning to end, Qin Xiao didn’t speak a word. Upon entering the courtyard, he beelined straight for the bedroom, pushed open the door, and went inside.
“Qin Xiao,” Chu Jiubian called out.
Qin Xiao paused in his steps, but didn’t turn around. His tall, upright figure was hidden by the shadows in the doorway.
“I’m a little tired,” he said softly.
Chu Jiubian stared intently at his retreating figure until the double doors shut completely.
His ears were ringing. He felt as if he couldn’t catch his breath.
Suddenly, Qin Chaoyang, who had been following a ways behind, rushed to the bedroom door at an incredible speed and slammed it open.
Chu Jiubian’s heart sank like a stone.
As the ringing in his ears subsided, he heard a man’s muffled coughing.
He stepped forward unthinkingly and entered the bedroom to find Qin Chaoyang helping Qin Xiao to lie down in bed. There was blood all over Qin Xiao’s face and body, and even on the floor.
“Call the Imperial Physicians!” Qin Chaoyang shouted toward the door.
But before he could even finish shouting, secret guards had already sped off to summon them.
Chu Jiubian composed himself and paced to the bedside, only to find that Qin Xiao had lost consciousness entirely. His breathing was shallow and irregular, his face as pale as paper.
The Imperial Physicians rushed over as quickly as they could, but after taking Qin Xiao’s pulse, their brows furrowed and their faces turned even paler than their patient’s.
They all retreated a short distance away to whisper among themselves, but were unable to come to a conclusion.
The head of the Imperial Medical Academy was advanced in age and had been stricken with a cold for several days, confined to his home due to illness.
The person currently in charge was Zhang Ziliang, the physician who had gone with Chu Jiubian to provide disaster relief in Hexi Prefecture. Upon meeting him, Chu Jiubian had noticed that although the man was somewhat self-serving, he was exceptionally capable and genuinely dedicated to serving the common people, so he had given him a copy of Compendium of Materia Medica.
Physician Zhang carefully took Qin Xiao’s pulse, after which he stood up and looked at Chu Jiubian.
“How is he?” Chu Jiubian asked.
If the Imperial Physicians could cure him, then he wouldn’t intervene, since Qin Xiao had survived in the original story anyway.
But Physician Zhang shook his head and said: “The arrow was shot with great force, and the placement was very precise. It’s a miracle that His Lordship survived, but now, I fear…..”
Chu Jiubian’s brow furrowed: “Is there really no one who can cure him?”
Physician Zhang wanted to say, Aren’t you the miracle doctor?
But he swallowed those words back and said in a low voice: “This humble servant is incompetent. Perhaps it would be best to wait until the head physician has examined the patient before making a definitive conclusion.”
“The head physician is unable to get out of bed.” Qin Chaoyang’s voice seemed to tremble slightly.
His eyes were bloodshot when he looked at Chu Jiubian, and he seemed to hesitate on the brink of saying something.
Chu Jiubian’s eyes scanned over everyone, and he ordered the Imperial Physicians to leave.
Once they left, Qin Chaoyang couldn’t hold himself back any longer and knelt before Chu Jiubian with a thud.
“Young Master,” he said, clasping his hands together. He looked up at Chu Jiubian and said in a trembling voice, “Before he left, His Lordship instructed his subordinates to follow your orders in everything. If he…..if he truly doesn’t make it, then I and all of the former members of the Qin Family Army will be at the Young Master’s command.”
Chu Jiubian’s heart skipped a beat. Those eyes stared up at him lifelessly, and he couldn’t detect any hint of hesitation or evasiveness in them.
His mind went completely blank.
It was true. Qin Chaoyang wasn’t lying.
Qin Xiao really intended to entrust him with everything.
But…..why?
Why would Qin Xiao trust him? Why would he……
The sweetness of the dried grapes on his lips became increasingly pronounced, and Chu Jiubian could almost see the man smiling lazily at him once more, saying, “Every day, I thought about you.”
Unlike the uncontrolled kiss under the umbrella that night, this time, Qin Xiao had seemed to be indulging himself for the last time.
“His Lordship once said that you should never be pressured to do anything, and this subordinate agreed.” Qin Chaoyang, a man who rarely showed his emotions, said with reddened eyes and a slightly choked voice, “This is the only time in this subordinate’s life that he has ever broken his word. I’m begging you, Young Master, please save His Lordship!”
“No matter the outcome, this subordinate is willing to go through fire and water for you, Young Master!”
After saying this, he slammed his forehead against the floor with a loud thud.
At the same time, a dozen or so secret guards appeared from seemingly nowhere. They all knelt behind Qin Chaoyang and bowed their heads in unison, saying: “These subordinates are also willing to serve you with utmost loyalty and dedication!”
Chu Jiubian stared at them, and a certain string in his mind seemed to snap.
At this moment, all of his self-deception and self-righteousness crumbled.
At last, he came to the clear realization that Qin Xiao was not some one-dimensional character, nor a so-called villain.
This world was real, and Qin Xiao was a living, breathing person who could talk and laugh, think independently, and one day…..die.
Chu Jiubian could no longer use the excuse of Qin Xiao’s inevitable corruption to deceive himself. He had convinced himself that Qin Xiao was the same kind of person as him, then used that as an excuse to associate with him with no reservations.
He now understood with absolute clarity that he and Qin Xiao were completely different individuals, with fundamentally opposite core values.
He was born into the world with no ties, with no one to care about him.
He supported himself through school, frantically acquiring all sorts of knowledge and skills, and presented himself as tenacious and self-reliant in the eyes of the public.
Even his entry into the entertainment industry had been driven by a craving for the fleeting affection of fans, as well as the sense of detachment that came with playing different roles.
What he called “method acting” was simply a way for him to escape reality – and himself.
Because he knew that if his true self were to be revealed to others, nobody would like him. Everyone would avoid him and whisper behind his back, saying, “He’s just like his parents. All of them are crazy.”
He was the anomaly, the problematic “villain.”
But Qin Xiao…..
He was strong and resilient, capable of protecting everyone from harm, and was also attentive and gentle in his care for everything and everyone around him.
He had a family. He had things he wanted to protect. And he had so many loyal subordinates and friends who were devoted to him.
He even had a biological brother who was still living, and a nephew who needed his care and support.
Chu Jiubian suddenly felt very ridiculous.
He had actually believed that he and Qin Xiao were alike, both of them in possession of a dark side that was unknown to others. He had even shamelessly declared, “We’re the same,” thinking that Qin Xiao would understand his abnormal behavior.
But in the end, Chu Jiubian was the only one bogged down in the mud.
If Qin Xiao knew that he wasn’t actually a lofty, all-powerful deity, and didn’t even possess the basic ability to love another person…..
Would he still care about him?
Would he still have left all of this power, all of these resources in his hands?
Would…..he still have traveled such a long distance to bring him the grapes he had casually mentioned once?
This kind of trust and care was a heavy burden to carry, but Chu Jiubian didn’t want to think about what would happen if it were all taken away.
In this case, since he knew that Qin Xiao would eventually discover his true nature, it would be better for him to die while he still had the best impression of him.
A lingering darkness seemed to surface in Chu Jiubian’s light-hued eyes.
He regarded Qin Chaoyang emotionlessly, and voiced neither a denial nor agreement.
He simply asked in a soft voice: “How did he get injured?”
On his way back to the palace, Qin Chaoyang had already inquired with the accompanying guards and learned that Qin Xiao hadn’t had many trustworthy soldiers at his disposal. All of his secret guards had been dispatched to areas of the Western Regions to investigate the local situations there.
Therefore, when the assassination attempt occurred, none of his secret guards were present.
However, they learned about the situation after the fact and relayed that information to Qin Chaoyang.
Since Chu Jiubian had asked, Qin Chaoyang held nothing back: “Deputy General Cheng Shuo wounded him with a repeating crossbow.”
Chu Jiubian abruptly clenched his hands.
“A repeating crossbow?” His voice held a tension that even he was unaware of.
“Yes,” said Qin Chaoyang. “His Lordship obtained it from a martial arts master. It was originally intended to be used for self-defense, but unexpectedly, it was used against him.”
So that’s how it was.
He understood now.
Even if it happened by chance, or through a series of unfortunate events, Qin Xiao’s original fate wouldn’t change.
He was always going to be injured. Even worse, it was done by a trusted subordinate who used the repeating crossbow Qin Chuan had delivered to him.
Chu Jiubian closed his eyes. It was getting hard to breathe.
He had never imagined that Qin Xiao’s injury would come about this way.
If he had known earlier, he…..
Chu Jiubian pulled himself together and looked toward the bed.
The man’s eyes were shut, and his breathing was intermittent, his brow tightly furrowed.
Blood in the chest cavity could lead to shortness of breath and suffocation. Combined with the unhealed wound in his chest, it was easy to imagine how much pain Qin Xiao must be in at this moment.
But even burdened by such suffering, he still didn’t wake.
There was no time to waste.
Others might feel self-reproach in this situation, or dwell on all kinds of eventualities, but Chu Jiubian simply felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
He had no more need for hesitation.
Qin Xiao had been injured by Chu Jiubian’s repeating crossbow. Chu Jiubian also still needed him in order to deal with the various forces in Great Ning, so for both practical and moral reasons, he absolutely must save Qin Xiao.
Chu Jiubian didn’t turn his head, and his voice came steady and low: “For the next five days, no one is to approach this courtyard without my permission, including the guards.”
Qin Chaoyang readily agreed. As he rose to his feet, the group of secret guards behind him vanished from the spot like a gust of wind.
He quickly left the residence with all of the palace servants in tow, leaving only a team of soldiers and Imperial Guards to stand watch outside the courtyard.
And he himself still had many matters to deal with.
Now that Ning-wang had returned to the capital, the other six vassal kings – aside from Anhuai-wang – should all be arriving one after another in the next day or two.
Five days later would be the 27th day of the twelfth month, leaving only three days until the New Year.
And during these five days, neither of the two people in charge at the palace would make an appearance. With only the three-year-old Emperor Bai Lihong at the helm, Qin Chaoyang and Hong Fu would be shouldering even greater responsibilities.
Fortunately, this was the time of year the court officials were taking annual leave, so not having morning court to attend would save a lot of trouble.
As for the banquets and exchanging pleasantries with the vassal kings, Minister of Works Jian Hongzhuo and Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan, who were now clearly aligned with the Emperor, would also be able to help with those matters.
Given Qin Xiao’s current state, Qin Chaoyang was unsure how to approach the Emperor.
That small child, who had been eagerly awaiting his uncle’s return, must be so anxious and distressed over this happening before they even had a chance to talk properly.
With a frown on his face, Qin Chaoyang went to the main courtyard of Yangxin Hall and found Hong Fu seated there with the young emperor.
When he saw him enter, Bai Lihong immediately rushed forward and asked with tear-reddened eyes: “How is Jiujiu?”
“Answering Your Majesty, the Young Master said he needs five days.” He kept his words vague, not mentioning the condition of Qin Xiao’s health or whether Chu Jiubian would be able to heal him. Due to the fact that Qin Xiao’s injury was so severe and that Chu Jiubian had made no promises, Qin Chaoyang didn’t dare to get his hopes up.
Despite his youth, Bai Lihong gleaned the hidden meaning in his words.
But he was more optimistic than Qin Chaoyang. After hearing this, he sniffled and said with a strong nasal tone: “Then we’ll wait five days. Xiansheng will definitely cure Jiujiu.”
The child’s expression was resolute. In some ways, he had even taken on some of Qin Xiao’s usual demeanor.
Hong Fu was extremely unsettled, and couldn’t help but cast a glance toward the western courtyard.
Qin Xiao was the last remaining direct descendent of the Qin family. He prayed that the Grand Tutor would be able to pull off another miracle.
The western courtyard was completely empty and exceptionally quiet.
Chu Jiubian paced to the bedside and took a seat, gazing down at the man’s face.
“System, prepare for surgery,” he said internally.
[Host, bringing a non-believer into the Divine Realm will cost 500 points. Are you sure you want to proceed?]
“Just shut up.”
Deep down, Chu Jiubian was actually conflicted.
He hadn’t even been able to draw Qin Xiao’s card earlier. What if he wasn’t able to bring him in now?
Or even if he managed to bring him into the Divine Realm, what if he still couldn’t save him?
He had never performed a surgery before.
Even if he thoroughly understood the theoretical knowledge, that didn’t mean he would be able to perform the operation successfully.
“Do you have any book recommendations?” Chu Jiubian asked.
[Yes, Host. Based on your current situation, this System recommends that you purchase the following thirty-seven medical texts from the interstellar era.]
“I’ll buy them.”
[Okay. Purchase successful. A surgical unit has been set up inside the Divine Realm. Please make physical contact with the patient to establish a connection. This System will deduct 500 points and transport you and the patient’s physical body to the Divine Realm.]
Chu Jiubian’s fingertips trembled slightly, his gaze falling to Qin Xiao’s hand resting by his side.
Without hesitation, he reached out and grasped it.
In the next moment, a strong sense of weightlessness came over him.
Immediately afterward, the clear, crisp cry of a phoenix rang out and the weightless sensation vanished.
As his vision cleared, Chu Jiubian saw Qin Xiao lying beside him, as well as the golden phoenix under them, soaring high with a flap of its wings.
Likely affected by the movement, Qin Xiao’s breath stuck in his chest for several seconds before he could exhale. When he finally did, it was accompanied by a painful, choking cough, and bright red blood splattered from his mouth onto both himself and Chu Jiubian.
“Qin Xiao.” Chu Jiubian clenched his hand tightly, unable to utter anything but his name.
The golden phoenix descended, dissolving into wisps of mist and scattering away as Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao landed firmly on solid ground.
Qin Xiao was lying on a surgical bed, surrounded by various instruments suspended in the air. There were even several spherical objects that resembled surveillance cameras, which emitted a faint blue light as they scanned Qin Xiao from head to toe.
Chu Jiubian quickly looked around and realized that this was not the place he normally met with his Believers. It was a newly-partitioned space.
He recognized many of the instruments at a glance, but he wasn’t familiar with all of them, and only had a vague idea of how to perform the surgery. Clearly, the knowledge from those thirty-odd books had not been fully absorbed yet.
“System, can you speed things up?”
[Host, the volume of knowledge you just absorbed is enormous. If you receive all of the information in a short period of time, your brain will experience intense nerve pain, but will return to normal once the knowledge transfer is complete. Are you sure you wish to proceed with the rapid transfer?”
“How long does it normally take? And how long with the rapid transfer?”
[Under normal circumstances, absorbing this amount of knowledge would take about three hours. For the rapid transfer, three minutes.]
[Friendly reminder: Activating the rapid transfer requires 5 points. Furthermore, nerve pain differs from other kinds of pain, and the suffering may continue for some time even after the initial pain has stopped. The duration varies from several days to several months, but will not affect daily life or Host’s ability to perform the surgery. However, there will be pain later and occasional bouts of unconsciousness. Are you certain you wish to activate rapid transfer mode?]
This was like using reward points to buy suffering for himself, but Chu Jiubian was the best at enduring pain.
“I’m sure,” he said.
[Okay. Rapid transfer mode has been activated for Host.]
The second it finished speaking, Chu Jiubian felt as if an electric current was shooting into his brain. He let out a stifled groan and immediately fell to one knee.
He lay his face down on the edge of the bed, his hands covering his head.
He’d forgotten that he had been holding Qin Xiao’s hand this entire time, until his forehead brushed against the man’s slightly cool hand.
Qin Xiao’s hands were always warm, Chu Jiubian thought abruptly.
After that, all thoughts fled. The intense pain made it seem as if his skull was breaking apart, and he began to shake uncontrollably. Cold sweat instantly drenched his back, and his damp forehead even left a wet mark on Qin Xiao’s hand.
Three minutes was both very long, and very short.
As soon as the time was up, a lightness suffused Chu Jiubian’s body even as his head continued to throb.
But as Chu Jiubian had acknowledged before, he was the best at enduring pain.
He hadn’t uttered a sound during the agony of those three minutes, and the lingering pain was nothing compared to that. It wasn’t even as painful as when he habitually tore off his fingernails.
The vast amount of knowledge in his mind coalesced into something coherent. Thanks to the System’s organization process, the thirty-seven books covered everything from basic medical principles to advanced techniques, and even to the actual surgical procedure. It was more than enough for Chu Jiubian to perform the operation successfully.
The Divine Realm was a completely sterile environment. Chu Jiubian didn’t even need to wear gloves.
He stood up and brushed aside his damp hair, then looked down at Qin Xiao.
The man’s face was as pale as paper. His breathing was irregular, but the pain on his face had vanished.
Surgical procedures in the interstellar ear were vastly different from those of modern times. One person could perform the entire surgery himself, as processes such as administering anesthesia and monitoring vitals were all done by machines.
The anesthesia machine had automatically injected the serum into Qin Xiao the moment they appeared, and it should be taking effect by now.
The anesthesia process only took five minutes in the interstellar era. Chu Jiubian took that time to inspect the surgical instruments he would be using, and then looked back at Qin Xiao.
His gaze slid from the man’s face to his chest. He tried to withdraw his hand to open Qin Xiao’s shirt, but the other party gripped it even tighter in response.
Startled, Chu Jiubian looked up to find that his eyes were still closed.
After a pause, Chu Jiubian said softly: “Don’t worry.”
Whether Qin Xiao heard his voice or the anesthetic had taken effect, Chu Jiubian’s hand was released.
He reached out and undid Qin Xiao’s outer garments.
On the remaining dark undergarment, faint, sticky bloodstains were visible.
Chu Jiubian continued until the man’s muscular upper body was completely revealed.
The contours of his muscles were well-proportioned and attractive, including the swell of his pecs.
Chu Jiubian, however, paid no attention to this as he fixed his gaze on the left side of the man’s chest. Untying the somewhat loose bandages, he revealed a gruesome arrow wound.
Perhaps because Qin Xiao had taken penicillin, the wound had not become infected. But because he was constantly on the move, it hadn’t had a chance to heal.
Of course, this wound was insignificant compared to his internal injuries.
Five minutes later, the anesthesia machine determined that the process was complete. The other machines were also ready. The ventilator was supplying oxygen, and the monitoring machine indicated that Qin Xiao’s vital signs were relatively normal.
Chu Jiubian reached out and selected a scalpel from the rolling table beside him. Then, he gave Qin Xiao a long, hard look before beginning the operation.
It was his first time performing a surgery, so even though he had a thorough understanding of what to do, he inevitably felt a bit awkward when making the first incision. As a result, Chu Jiubian performed every cut and every step with extreme caution and meticulousness.
A surgery that would have taken mere tens of minutes in the interstellar era took Chu Jiubian a full four hours to complete.
When the last sutures were completed and bandages were applied, he tilted his head back, and his aching neck made a few crackling sounds.
Letting out a long breath, he looked at Qin Xiao’s face again.
The man’s face was pale, but his breathing was steadier.
As the only true god of the Divine Realm, Chu Jiubian could accomplish anything with a mere thought. Everything around him had already been cleaned up, and even the blood on the two of them had vanished, leaving them clean and refreshed.
He conjured up an armchair, placed it beside the bed, and finally sat down to relieve his aching back.
His temples throbbed, and the nerve pain returned for almost a minute before it stopped.
Chu Jiubian stared blankly at the person on the bed, and suddenly recalled the bet they had made before he left.
Qin Xiao had bet on whether would survive and return, and whether Chu Jiubian would save him if he was grievously wounded.
The two of them had made bets several times, with Chu Jiubian always emerging as the victor.
This time, it seemed that Qin Xiao had won.
Chu Jiubian smiled silently.
He seemed to have understood the concept of causality.
Qin Xiao would have still been injured without him, though less severely, and the Imperial Physicians would have been able to heal him.
But Chu Jiubian had appeared and bestowed a repeating crossbow upon Qin Chuan, which was then given to Qin Xiao, becoming the very weapon that would wound him.
The penicillin Chu Jiubian provided had prevented Qin Xiao’s wound from becoming infected or inflamed.
And now, he had pulled him back from the brink of death.
The cause was Qin Xiao being attacked and injured, and the outcome was his successful recovery.
The process may have changed, but the cause and effect remained the same.
But without Chu Jiubian’s intervention, Qin Xiao would have indeed perished, and the outcome would be entirely different.
He had managed to alter the cause and effect.
Chu Jiubian didn’t know what the System meant by “correcting causality,” but it certainly couldn’t mean that he should just stand by and watch Qin Xiao die to his own crossbow bolt.
He remembered the first thing the System had told him – to follow his heart.
So in his heart, did he secretly wish for Qin Xiao to live?
Chu Jiubian stared at Qin Xiao’s face for a long time, his mind completely blank.
In the interstellar era, anesthesia lasted for two days in order to get the patient through the most painful period after surgery.
And because Chu Jiubian was using only the best materials, even the antiseptic solution and ointment used for post-operative wound dressing were cutting-edge technological products. Combined with Qin Xiao’s naturally superior physical condition, his recovery speed was exceptionally fast.
By the third day, the patient’s bodily functions had returned almost to normal, and he was able to safely leave the sterile environment.
And once the effects of the anesthetic wore off, he would wake up soon after.
Chu Jiubian went to the bedside and looked down at the person laying there.
The man had grown stubble, but it didn’t make him look unkempt; instead, it added a certain indefinable air of refinement to his appearance.
Chu Jiubian observed him for a long time before finally reaching out to grasp his hand, which had become warm again.
He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he and Qin Xiao were back in the bedroom.
Nothing had changed, other than the fact that there was a pot of tea and several plates of still-warm lunch outside the room.
Chu Jiubian had been in the Divine Realm for the past two days. Time flowed differently there, and basic bodily needs ceased to exist.
But now that he was out, the faint aroma of food actually made him a little hungry.
He went and opened the door, then brought the food inside.
At the sound of the door opening, the eyelids of the person lying on the bed twitched.
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Neon Dragonfly Translations 