When Ji En next woke, it was deep night.
The door eased open. A slim figure slipped inside—Ling Yue.
She looked thinner, her eyes rimmed red, hair in disarray. Yet her gaze was full of care and guilt.
"You're awake," she whispered, voice trembling. "I thought I'd lost you."
"I… I'm fine," Ji En croaked, though every word burned his chest.
"Don't speak. Your injuries are too grave." She raised a spoon of water to his lips.
But a knock interrupted.
"Who is it?" Ling Yue asked sharply.
"Junior Sister—it's me," came a middle-aged man's voice: Tian Tongzi.
Ling Yue frowned. "Second Brother, what do you want?"
"Has the boy awakened?"
"What business is it of yours?"
"Junior Sister, Uncle Lü Yan wishes to see you."
"I refuse!" Ling Yue snapped.
Tian Tongzi sighed. "I understand your anger. But this matter is grave. Feng Tianyu lies gravely wounded, and there must be an accounting."
Ling Yue stormed to the door, yanking it open. "An accounting? Ji En saved my life, yet you hound him like a criminal! If no justice is done for him, then I'll demand it myself! Feng Tianyu was cut by my sword. Will you arrest me instead?"
Her voice rang sharp and furious.
"Junior Sister, please calm yourself…" Tian Tongzi floundered. "Your father sent me. It is improper for an unmarried girl to sit alone with a strange man. Let Aunt San tend him."
"Improper?" Ling Yue's eyes blazed. "Feng Tianyu crushed his chest, shattered his bones, nearly killed him! And you call that 'improper'? If you dare touch him again, I'll cut you down myself!"
The door slammed in Tian Tongzi's face.
Ling Yue turned back. Seeing Ji En pale with pain, her anger melted into guilt.
"I'm sorry… I dragged you into this," she murmured, eyes glistening.
Ji En looked at her, heart conflicted. To think—she had raised her sword against Feng Tianyu for his sake. His bitterness over her abandonment began to dissolve.