Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 161: Consider it a Debt I Owe You

Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Consider it a Debt I Owe You

"You didn’t really hit the ground, did you?" Three days later, after Qi Yu was able to get out of bed, the first thing she did was to run to Shen Xihe’s room to check on him.

It was said that the sight of Shen Xihe that day had the whole village taking notice.

The palm strike from Shi Fuyou was comparable to the legendary Nine Yin White Bone Claw, and with one hit, Shen Xihe spat out blood and fainted to the ground, ultimately needing to be carried back.

When Qi Yu first heard the news, she was flabbergasted, never having expected that the seemingly delicate Mr. Shen would have such a feat in him.

Shen Xihe lay on the bed with a pallid expression, and when he saw her, he turned his head to the other side, rebutting in a feeble tone, "It was just an accident."

He had been fed a few Medicine Pills by Shi Zhou and was now much better, but still could only lie in bed.

Qi Yu, biting on an apple, teased him, "Definitely an accident, you nearly lost your life."

Shen Xihe struggled to sit up, turned his head, and gave her a resentful glare, "Are you here today just to make fun of me?"

After finishing speaking, his gaze shifted to Li Mingjue beside him. "You too?"

Qi Yu pushed him back down with one hand, "Stay down, or you can say goodbye to this little body of yours."

She tossed the half-eaten apple to Li Mingjue, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and then took Shen Xihe’s pulse.

After checking the pulse, she touched her chin and said, "That woman treated you rather well, even using a thousand-year ginseng. You’ll be back to normal after a few more days of rest."

Hearing her say this, Shen Xihe too felt relieved.

That day, he had taken that palm strike for someone else without much thought.

Thinking back on it now, he figured he must have taken leave of his senses.

Fortunately, Shi Fuyou had held back a bit. Otherwise, he might have been dead on the spot.

Once Qi Yu confirmed he was alright, the bit of worry in her heart completely vanished, and she began joking again, "Tell me, you haven’t fallen for her, have you?"

"Shut up!" Shen Xihe was so irritated he didn’t want to deal with her.

Qi Yu wasn’t upset. She winked at Li Mingjue, signaling him to look towards the door.

Shi Zhou, Shi Fuyou, and Zhou Ruhai were standing outside the door, all wearing varied expressions as they looked at them.

Li Mingjue stood up and invited the three of them in.

Shi Fuyou’s face was somewhat awkward as he coughed twice, "Is Mr. Shen alright?"

Qi Yu smiled, "Village Chief Shi, don’t worry, he’s fine. In a couple of days, he’ll be jumping around again."

Shen Xihe had been ready to play dead, but on hearing that, he got so angry that he struggled to sit up again and glared at her fiercely.

"Don’t mind her words, Chief, I am perfectly fine!"

Qi Yu, amused, helped him to sit up so that he wouldn’t look too wretched.

She knew all too well that Mr. Shen cared about face, but she hadn’t expected that, even in great pain, he was still desperate to maintain it.

Shi Zhou stood aside, watching the interaction between Qi Yu and Shen Xihe, and pursed his lips.

Seeing that Shen Xihe looked a bit pale but wasn’t seriously harmed, Shi Fuyou also relaxed somewhat.

After striking Shen Xihe that day, he had been worried non-stop.

In his anger, fueled by Shi Zhou, he had used a bit more force than intended and had made Shen Xihe vomit blood with one palm strike.

This matter was, no matter how you looked at it, his fault.

Shi Fuyou sighed softly, his attitude toward them had warmed up considerably compared to a few days prior.

Not only did he tacitly approve of Shi Zhou’s actions, but he also allowed them to stay in the village.

However, since their identities were special, he still couldn’t bring himself to trust them fully.

Li Mingjue could see his concerns at a glance and when Shi Fuyou deliberately probed for their identities, he didn’t use the fake ones they had agreed on beforehand, but instead revealed their true background.

As Shi Fuyou was suspicious by nature, and Tuyun Village was inherently opposed to the court,

being open turned out to be better, for otherwise Shi Fuyou certainly wouldn’t have let them leave the mountain easily.

They chatted briefly, and then Shi Fuyou and Zhou Ruhai left.

With outsiders present, Shi Zhou didn’t deem it appropriate to inquire about Shen Xihe’s injuries but was also unwilling to leave.

Seeing the situation, Qi Yu couldn’t have been clearer.

Master Shen, it seemed, had caught someone’s eye.

Qi Yu raised an eyebrow, finding it interesting, especially since it was a female bandit who was smitten.

She got up, pulled Li Mingjue along, and left.

Before leaving, she also thanked Shi Zhou.

Shi Zhou replied coldly and stiffly, "No need for thanks."

Qi Yu didn’t mind. Shi Zhou’s temperament was more straightforward than those young ladies in the capital city, and much easier to get along with.

Shen Xihe, his hair loose, was dressed in a thin white garment. Seeing the worry in Shi Zhou’s brow, he chuckled and said, "Miss Shi, don’t worry about it. Consider it a repayment of your kindness."

He still remembered the day she provided the antidote out of goodwill.

His words were polite, but to Shi Zhou, they sounded somewhat grating.

Today, she wore a light pink dress she seldom put on and did not carry the ever-present Qiyun Sword, making her look much more girlish and radiant.

Her beauty was as stunning as a blooming peach blossom.

Even Shen Xihe, who had seen many beauties, was genuinely taken aback by her appearance.

Realizing what he was thinking, he coughed lightly, tilted his head slightly, and averted his gaze.

Gawking at an unmarried girl like he was seemed like behavior only a profligate son would exhibit.

Shi Zhou, with cold eyes and silent, walked up to him, placed her hand on his forehead to check, and said matter-of-factly, "You don’t have a fever."

That day, Shen Xihe’s wounds were so severe that he quickly developed a high fever, scorching like he was nearly cooked, the temperature stubbornly high.

Shi Zhou, by grabbing the doctor’s collar demanding he save the man, made the doctor busy himself for an entire night due to her fierce command, eventually reducing Shen Xihe’s fever.

For the past few days, Shi Zhou made it a point to check on him daily, sometimes even staying by his side until midnight.

All of this, Shen Xihe was unaware.

Shi Zhou didn’t plan to tell him either; she had always been stubborn since childhood and disliked playing the victim.

She wanted to keep him there but knew that merely relying on this favor, it was simply impossible.

Last night, Shi Fuyou had told her the identities of these people.

Shen Xihe, the second son of Duke Shen and the Assistant Minister of Rites of the court.

Shi Zhou didn’t understand court affairs and didn’t know if the position of Assistant Minister of Rites was significant or minor.

But one thing she did know, historically, officials and bandits were irreconcilable enemies.

What stood between them wasn’t merely a matter of social status.

Seeing the girl in front of him as calm as still water, head bowed contemplating who knows what, Shen Xihe felt the earlier embarrassment fade away as he smiled, "My injuries have almost completely healed."

Shi Zhou lifted her head to glance at him, her eyes startlingly bright as she said with finality, "This time, I owe you one."

Shen Xihe paused, about to respond, but she turned and left without looking back.

He could only keep the words "No need" in his heart, sat for a while, then lay back down on the bed to rest and heal.

Zhou Hong had already headed to Jiangnan ahead, and he would stay here a few more days.

Shen Xihe hadn’t expected such a simple act would bring so much trouble, but since it already happened, regretting it would only be too sentimental.

He sighed deeply and buried his face in the soft pillow, his mood melancholy.

It seemed he was beginning to not understand his own heart.