Bai Zheng stared intently at the small wooden jar in front of her, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.
The small wooden jar, which hardly seemed to weigh anything, now felt as heavy as a boulder in her hands.
It was so heavy that Bai Zheng could hardly breathe.
Uncle Zhu didn't move, just quietly waited for Bai Zheng's reply.
"Alright. Then I'll wait for the Marquis to wake up and ask for his opinion," Bai Zheng said with difficulty.
"Thank you, Miss Bai," Uncle Zhu said. Then, without further delay, he slung his small medicine chest over his back and slowly walked out.
But his back was no longer full of his usual vigor. It was as if he had aged a dozen years all at once. He hunched over and shuffled away.
After a long time, Bai Zheng turned around and sat down beside Feng Linyuan, quietly looking at him.
Song Yiqing watched the scene in front of him. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't know how to start, so he also retreated.
For a moment, only Bai Zheng and Feng Linyuan were left in the room.
Counting it up, it had only been a short three days since she had known Feng Linyuan, but the man in front of her had gone through so much with her. Even moments like this, on the verge of life and death, weren't the first time.
This gentle and handsome man had once risked his life to save her from danger, and with just a few words, he had turned the situation around for her. Now, just when they had made a promise for this lifetime, he was on the verge of death, barely holding on.
He was so young. He was only twenty-two years old!
Bai Zheng's heart ached so much that she could hardly breathe.
The heavens were unjust. The Dingyuan Marquis Mansion had generations of loyal and upright people who had dedicated their lives to the country and the people, but the only remaining heir couldn't even live in peace.
Did all the loyal blood and the spirits of the ancestors over the centuries mean nothing compared to the selfish interests of the villains? Couldn't they even ensure the survival of the last bit of their bloodline?
Feng Linyuan should have had a bright future. He should have continued to be as brilliant and carefree as he was in his youth, enjoying the peace of the prosperous era!
Instead...
Instead, he was now lingering on the verge of death.
Tears welled up in Bai Zheng's eyes unconsciously. She tilted her head back, forcing herself not to let the tears fall.
Her vision was completely blurred.
"Hehe... Hahaha..." She suddenly burst into laughter.
But the tears in her eyes kept flowing.
Why blame the heavens for being unjust? Didn't she have any part in Feng Linyuan's current state?
If she hadn't been so willful and risked her own life, Feng Linyuan wouldn't have dragged his seriously ill body to come and save her.
She had forgotten that in her previous life, she had lived for almost thirty years, and most of the time, she had been alone. She had gotten used to solving all her problems by herself and had never thought that anyone would care about her or worry about her.
But this man, even though he had only known her for a few days, had already risked his life to save her many times.
It was her who hadn't cherished this feeling properly.
After an unknown amount of time, Feng Linyuan slowly woke up. Opening his eyes, he saw the young girl sitting in front of him, staring blankly ahead.
"Zheng'er," Feng Linyuan called out, his voice full of pain.
Bai Zheng lowered her head and met Feng Linyuan's bloodshot eyes. After a while, she looked at him and said, "You coughed up blood again just now."
"Yeah," Feng Linyuan said sheepishly, "I made you worry."
Bai Zheng looked at him. For a moment, she didn't know what to say and lowered her eyes.
"Zheng'er," Feng Linyuan said after a long time, "You heard what Uncle Zhu said just now. I only have a month left."
Hearing this, Bai Zheng's heart twitched involuntarily. She said numbly, "I know."
"This marriage was my impulsive decision. I'm a person with a short life anyway. Why drag you into this? Don't worry. I'll ask Feng Linche to annul our engagement, and you won't..."
"Feng Linyuan!" Bai Zheng was stunned. Then, a surge of anger rushed from the bottom of her heart to her head. "What do you mean? Do you want to abandon me? You're the husband I personally chose, the person I want to spend my whole life with. How can you just abandon me like this?"
Hearing Bai Zheng's words, the light in Feng Linyuan's eyes brightened, but then he seemed to think of something, and it instantly dimmed. He sighed softly and said, "You're still young. Why waste your time on a short-lived person like me? Besides, I still have a lot of things to do in this remaining month. You know that. It's better for you to stay away from me for those things."
"Feng Linyuan, there's no time left... There's no time left..." Bai Zheng suddenly burst into tears. All her anger turned into heartache.
She knew what this guy meant. He didn't want to implicate her.
But the more he did this, the more heartache she felt.
"Zheng'er, don't cry," Feng Linyuan reached out and wiped the tears from her face. "I know there's no time left. It was me. I shouldn't have provoked you... I'm sorry."
"No, Feng Linyuan. You may not have enough time to avenge your family in this month. You'll be in a coma most of the time and rarely awake. There's hardly any time left..." Bai Zheng's voice became hoarser and hoarser.
"What?" Feng Linyuan was completely stunned, but he didn't seem too surprised. How could he not know his own body?
He had just been hoping against hope, but he didn't expect that the reality would be far more cruel than he had imagined.
Bai Zheng sniffed and tried to calm herself down. She couldn't let her emotions run wild anymore. She didn't know how long Feng Linyuan would be awake, so it was better to say that thing earlier.
Thinking of this, she quickly took out the small wooden jar that Uncle Zhu had given her and handed it to Feng Linyuan.
"This is the medicine left by Uncle Zhu's senior brother, the divine doctor Zhou Yuanning. Your body's internal balance has been disrupted because of the purple capsule fruit. This medicine may be able to help suppress it," she said.
Hearing this, Feng Linyuan didn't say a word. He opened the wooden jar, poured out a black pill, and was about to swallow it.
Bai Zheng quickly stopped him and said, "Don't..."
Feng Linyuan stopped what he was doing and quietly waited for Bai Zheng to continue.
Bai Zheng's hand trembled slightly. She forced a smile and said, "Aren't you afraid it's a poison? You don't even check and just want to eat it so quickly."
Feng Linyuan smiled slightly and said, "I'm not afraid. Zheng'er won't hurt me."
"But I'm afraid," Bai Zheng looked at Feng Linyuan. "Uncle Zhu said that all medicines have some toxicity, especially your body. It's completely impossible to determine what kind of impact the medicine you take will have on you. Although the bone-penetrating herb is not a big problem, he can't guarantee this one. Maybe it will really make you... make you..." Bai Zheng couldn't go on.
"Make me die?" Feng Linyuan smiled calmly. "But even if I don't take it, what's the difference between these remaining days and being dead?"
But Bai Zheng still firmly stopped him.
"Zheng'er, I won't die before I avenge my family. I've waited for so long and endured for so long. How could I let all my efforts go to waste?"
Feng Linyuan's gaze was as gentle as washed water. He said softly, word by word.
"Trust me."