Chapter 66: Vaulting the Window to Stealthily Visit Ma Wencai at Night

I grew increasingly worried about Ma Wencai's injuries. Shanbo had merely been kicked by that gang and yet suffered such severe wounds. But Ma Wencai had been genuinely stabbed with a sword, and he remained unconscious to this moment.

I had left Yezi in Shanbo's room so she could lend a hand if he needed anything.

I made my way alone toward the infirmary. The main gates were tightly shut. By now, Wang Lan and Wang Hui must have already fallen asleep. I hesitated, wondering whether I should knock and go inside.

I only wanted to steal a glance at him, to make sure he was safe so I could set my mind at ease. But knocking now would inevitably disturb Wang Lan's rest. I did not want others to know I had come to see him.

I scanned my surroundings. The doors and windows were firmly closed, and every one I pushed was bolted from within.

I tried the surrounding windows one after another. The infirmary was quite spacious, so there were plenty of windows; surely at least one would be left unlocked for me.

Damn. Did the heavens take pity on me? There really was an unlocked window. Exactly one. And it happened to be the one closest to the wall, in the most secluded spot. Pushing it open, I found a pitch-black expanse inside where nothing was visible at all. Yet I knew this window was located quite far from the bed.

I struck a flint and steel, shining the light inside. This area was where Wang Lan ground his medicinal herbs. Right beneath the window stood a table, which happened to be just the right height for me to climb in.

Ancient anti-theft measures were truly abysmal, allowing me to climb in with such ease. If I remembered correctly, the infirmary bed should be by the window in the front right corner. I struck the flint again, groping my way forward until I finally found a candlestick. Lighting a candle wouldn't get me caught, right?

I placed the candlestick by the head of Ma Wencai's bed. Whenever he fell ill, he always slept with great restlessness. Yet this time, he slept deeply and quietly. Could it be that he was too weak to even muster the strength to dream?

Beneath the dim candlelight, Ma Wencai's complexion was pale, his eyes tightly shut. Seeing him like this, I suddenly recalled that throughout the past year at the academy, Ma Wencai had seemed to fall ill frequently—especially after we returned from our fall off the cliff. He was always getting better only to fall sick again. When had the once haughty and untamed Ma Wencai become so fragile?

Before Xia Yunuo left, she had entrusted me with his care. But I had failed to do so. Not only had I not taken care of him, but I had even caused him to be injured on my account.

I took Ma Wencai's left hand in mine, only to discover that his fingers were ice-cold, devoid of the slightest trace of warmth. Subconsciously, my nerves tightened. Wasn't it only dead people whose bodies turned cold?

With trembling fingers, I reached toward Ma Wencai's nose and mouth. Thank goodness, he was still breathing; he was not dead. He would not die. Wang Hui had said Ma Wencai was stabbed in the right shoulder and lost too much blood, which was why he remained unconscious.

He had been willing to risk his life to save me. Did he really care for this fake Liu Qing that much? For a man to be willing to give up his life for a woman—could this be love?

Could ancient love exist independently of marriage? To love one person yet marry another—as long as the heart remained unbetrayed, could everything else truly not matter?

Or perhaps, could a man love several women at the same time? But could that still be considered love? How could the realm of love ever accommodate a third person?

I held Ma Wencai's left hand, resting my chin in my other hand as I leaned over the head of the bed, lost in thought: What on earth is love?

Someone like me, who had no qualification to fall in love, probably could not comprehend what love actually felt like. In the modern world, I constantly had to prepare for time travel. I had no right to love anyone, nor did I have the qualification to expect someone to foolishly wait for my return. Because I was like an unpredictable shooting star; perhaps tomorrow I would vanish from that world. Upon arriving in the ancient era, I had to use my remaining five years to accomplish what I came here to do. Love was far too distant and vague for me. I could not offer someone hope only to disappear from this space-time continuum. In the end, I would not be the only one left hurt.

Leaving and arriving without any attachments was the best choice for Fang Xiaoyu. I was already twenty-six. By the time I returned to the modern era, I would be an older, leftover woman of thirty. In this lifetime, I probably would never have the chance to experience love.

Unbeknownst to me, as night deepened, I had actually fallen asleep leaning against Ma Wencai's bedside. When I woke up, the day was already bright. The moment I raised my head, I saw a crowd of people walking back and forth before me.

"Young Master Liu, you're awake." Seeing me lift my head, Wang Lan walked over and greeted me.

Subconsciously, I nodded. What on earth was going on? How had I fallen asleep right here? Oh, heavens.

Zhu Yingtai carried a bowl of porridge over from the table, walking in my direction. "Qing, come drink some porridge. I can take care of Wencai."

Turning my head, I saw Ma Wencai lying on the bed with his eyes half-open, staring straight at me. He was awake! When had he woken up? Why hadn't I felt a thing? I nodded awkwardly at Zhu Yingtai and sat down at the table, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.

I had wanted to keep others from finding out, and yet now everyone had seen me.

"Young Master Liu, why on earth did you climb through the window last night?" Wang Hui asked. "If you wanted to see Ma Wencai, you could have just knocked on the door."

The half-mouthful of porridge I had just swallowed instantly spewed back out. How did they know I had climbed through the window? Could it be they had watched me climb in? Oh dear, I had made a complete fool of myself.

"I... wasn't I just afraid of disturbing your sleep? Lady Hui, how did you know I climbed in through the window?"

Xun Jubo patted my shoulder and pointed toward the window yonder. "We all knew you climbed in through the window. The door was locked, and the window was open. How else could you have gotten in?"

"Oh... haha..." I laughed speechlessly. Wonderful. Now everyone knew. Liu Qing climbs through a window for a nocturnal rendezvous with Ma Wencai. What Ma Wencai thought, I had no idea, but everyone else would surely resurrect the rumors of my homoerotic ties with him.

Ma Wencai seemed completely unable to sit up on his own. Zhu Yingtai placed an extra pillow beneath the back of his head, and only then was she barely able to feed him the porridge.

Yet he started coughing after only a few spoonfuls. Back and forth it went; very little porridge actually entered his mouth, and most of it spilled down his front.

Ancient medical equipment was truly wretched—they didn't even have an adjustable bed. I hurried back to my room and fetched several throw pillows that Yezi had sewn, bringing them to the infirmary. "Yingtai, use these to prop him up. It will be much more comfortable."

"This pillow is shaped so strangely, and it's so soft. Here, Wencai, let me prop you up." Zhu Yingtai took my pillow and squeezed it for a long while before finally placing it behind Ma Wencai.

Actually, I found it baffling. What were ancient people's necks made of? Why did they prefer sleeping on such rock-hard brick pillows? They were simply asking for their own suffering.

From the moment I woke up until now, Ma Wencai had not uttered a single word. When Zhu Yingtai spoke to him, he did little more than nod or shake his head. Seeing that his state of mind was less than ideal, I decided not to stay and disturb his rest, so Xun Jubo and I went off to Shanbo's room.

Jubo's injuries were the lightest; now he only needed to visit the infirmary daily for Wang Lan to change his dressings. Shanbo's wounds required quiet recuperation and no strenuous movement, so he was excused from attending classes for the next few days.

As for Ma Wencai, his health had improved considerably. I visited him in the infirmary every day; after all, he was injured while saving me, and it was my obligation to check on him frequently. I had originally intended to help out, but with Zhu Yingtai and Gu Xinlian taking turns caring for him, he was living in absolute comfort and had no need for my assistance.

Yesterday, Ma Wencai had finally moved back to his own room. Though not fully recovered, he was at least able to get out of bed and walk around a little.

Because Ma Wencai was recovering from his injuries in quiet, Liu Xiangdong had resumed his tyrannical ways around the academy, constantly pestering Gu Xinlian. No matter how many warnings we gave him, he treated them like wind blowing past his ears.

Spring had arrived long ago, and the weather was growing slightly warm. Yet Wang Lantian still had not returned to the academy. This was a significant delay compared to his parting promise to return right after the New Year. Still, given his physical condition, spending a bit more time recovering at home was only natural.

That evening, after I had washed up and prepared to climb into bed for the night, Mating suddenly knocked on my door, saying that Young Master Ma wished to see me.

I was quite puzzled. Whenever I visited Ma Wencai in the infirmary, he had never paid me much mind. Why on earth would he send for me today?

Yet I didn't dwell on it too much. I wasn't sleepy yet anyway, so I followed Mating along. Besides, it was a good opportunity to properly thank Ma Wencai for saving my life.

Ma Wencai was leaning against the head of his bed, eyes closed in rest. Hearing me push the door open, he made no sound.

"Hey. You called for me? What's going on?" Since he was the one who had summoned me, yet remained silent, what kind of atmosphere was this?

Ma Wencai slowly opened his eyes and pointed to the empty space beside the bed. "Sit down and talk."

Good grief. What matter was so solemn that we needed to sit down to discuss it? Uncomfortably, I looked at him and perched on the very edge of the bed.

"We slept in this bed together for an entire year. Is there any need for you to act so like a stranger?" Ma Wencai asked, lowering his gaze with a placid expression.

"I... when did I?"

In an instant, silence reclaimed the entire room. What was the meaning of this? He called me over and then refused to speak. The task of breaking the silence fell entirely upon me. "Brother Wencai, thank you truly for saving my life this time. If not for you, the person lying here right now might have been me—or perhaps I wouldn't even have had the chance to lie here at all."

"What nonsense are you uttering?" Ma Wencai suddenly spoke up, giving me a fright. Clutching his right shoulder, he said, "As long as I draw breath, I will never let any harm come to you."

Seeing him suddenly sit up and now wince in agonizing pain, I immediately reached out to steady his body. "Are you alright? Here, let me help you lie back down."

I straightened the throw pillows behind him and gently supported his shoulders, guiding him backward. To my surprise, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and refused to let go, causing me to tumble gracefully against his chest. Though the force was not heavy, any forceful struggle on my part would surely reopen his wounds.

"Brother Wencai, don't do this. Let go of me first—you'll tear your wounds open." I stiffened my entire body, trying my utmost not to press against his injuries.

"Don't move. I want you to answer a few questions for me while you are as close to me as possible." Ma Wencai still held me tightly, pressing my head against his chest.

Good lord. What questions could possibly be this serious? To avoid hurting him, I had no choice but to remain leaning against his chest. "What questions?"