The hand covering her face was slightly cool from the night, dry, strong, and incredibly steady, without the slightest tremor of fear or discomfort.
This scene was like a contest where whoever showed the most fear would lose.
Wen Ninghan’s pair of round, cat-like eyes seemed to glow even brighter in the darkness.
Qi Yunchi could see very clearly. In those eyes, there was surprise, curiosity, and more than a little helplessness, but not the slightest bit of fear or retreat. They glanced down lightly and landed softly on Qi Yunchi’s hand, in a very subtle way, almost like rolling her eyes at him.
Qi Yunchi couldn’t help but chuckle. Although he was wearing a mask so his expression couldn’t be seen, the eyes hidden behind the mask, under the flickering candlelight, reflected twinkling stars.
Confirming that the little girl before him hadn't shown any signs of stress, Qi Yunchi smiled and let go of her hand, his voice hoarse. "You're really not scared at all?"
Wen Ninghan didn't respond. She reached out from under the covers, and the glint of a silver needle was quite obvious in the candlelight.
Naturally, she had been prepared. When she sensed something was amiss in the room, she had already gripped the silver needle between her fingers. However, when she detected that somewhat familiar aura, she paused. Otherwise, the person before her would already be knocked unconscious on the floor.
As for the disparity in their martial arts skills, Wen Ninghan hadn't considered it. She believed that even if Qi Yunchi was very skilled, without knowing the extent of her abilities, his vigilance towards her wouldn't extend to anticipating that she could still retaliate under these circumstances.
Of course, this tactic might not work the next time.
Seeing that he had released her, he very casually retreated to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and sat down. He acted so naturally, as if he were in his own home, that Wen Ninghan didn't know how to evaluate the situation.
Furthermore, regarding this behavior, she had always had a question: "Since you're wearing a mask, how do you drink water or eat anything?"
And yet he still had to pour a cup of tea and pretend?
If it were the kind of mask that only covered the upper half of the face, that would be fine. Leaving the mouth exposed would at least allow for some function. But this kind that covers the entire face, besides showing that it's a person, what else can it do?
Qi Yunchi must have known that masks covering only half of the face were deceptive and utterly useless.
Qi Yunchi looked at the little girl before him, his eyes full of amusement. He raised his hand and placed it on the mask.
Wen Ninghan's movement was even faster, one hand pressing down on Qi Yunchi's wrist. The force wasn't strong, but the meaning was very clear.
Their gazes clashed for a moment. Qi Yunchi was defeated. Perhaps it was because the other person's eyes were too clear. Qi Yunchi, who had never experienced defeat, couldn't help but shift his gaze, and then he was startled: Why did he avoid her eyes?
"I thought you already knew who I am."
During the day at the Princess's manor, when he chose to speak up for Wen Ninghan, he had already prepared himself mentally for this. In his opinion, Wen Ninghan was intelligent and perceptive enough to have already discovered his identity. Even if she hadn't discovered it, she should at least have her suspicions.
So, when their eyes met just now, Qi Yunchi suddenly felt that he didn't mind taking off his mask in front of her.
But Wen Ninghan disagreed, "No, I don't know."
Although she said she didn't know, her eyes conveyed a different meaning.
"Sometimes, knowing too much isn't a good thing." When necessary, she could pretend she knew nothing. "So, Your Excellency, why are you here in the middle of the night?"
Was it just to scare her in the dead of night, or was it just to take off his mask and let her see who he was?
Qi Yunchi glanced at the fair wrist on his own, finding it somewhat cold. Only then did he realize that this young lady was actually standing barefoot in front of him. Even though there was a thick rug on the floor, in this cool autumn night, the young lady's hands were still icy.
Qi Yunchi frowned, and before he realized what he was doing, he had tucked the young lady back into her bed.
Wen Ninghan: "..."
"Yes, coming late at night, I do indeed have a matter to ask of Miss Wen."
Wen Ninghan looked at Qi Yunchi with suspicion. What kind of earth-shattering matter would make someone sneak into her boudoir in the middle of the night?
"Miss Wen's medical skills, are they inherited from the divine physician Yu Changsheng?"
Wen Ninghan: Oh.
Although she originally planned to display her medical skills in front of Qi Yunchi and then find an opportunity to treat the Crown Prince, it seemed that Qi Yunchi believed it a little too quickly.
"Miss Wen hasn't publicly displayed these abilities. Even when she saved Hu'er today, it was her maid who acted. It seems Miss Wen doesn't want people to know, which is why I've taken the liberty of coming here under the cover of night."
The reason was quite sufficient, but—
"You'd better get straight to the point and stop beating around the bush. Don't waste my time."
Qi Yunchi was startled. He had forgotten this young lady's temper. "Yes, Hu'er has a high fever that won't go down, and the imperial physicians are at a loss. They've predicted that he probably won't make it through the night."
Of course, the imperial physicians wouldn't say that so bluntly to the princess. They only tactfully expressed that Hu'er was young, and if he could get through the night and his fever broke, there wouldn't be any major issues. But if the fever continued, even if he survived, his mind might be damaged.
Qi Yunchi didn't want to leave Hu'er's health to the imperial physicians' fatalistic predictions. He immediately thought of Wen Ninghan and recalled how she had used acupuncture to suppress the poison in him at the inn. Without a second thought, he had come here under the cover of night.
As for whether it's impolite to sneak into a young lady's room in the middle of the night, he had quite elegantly ignored that point.
Well, it wasn't the first time.
Speaking of which, Qi Yunchi once again raised his hand and removed the mask from his face, revealing an exquisite face that was so striking, even in the dim night, that Wen Ninghan couldn't help but be amazed.
To be honest, seeing Qi Yunchi's stunning appearance directly, compared to the frail image of him huddled in a wheelchair during the day, was like looking at two different people. Although it was the same set of features, they exuded completely different and astonishing colors.
Wen Ninghan pursed her lips as she looked at Qi Yunchi. By removing his mask and revealing his identity, this man was clearly determined to drag her into this.
Although this was also her original intention, the current situation felt a bit too rushed, like being forced to jump into a cold pool. She wasn't exactly pleased about it.
However, since Qi Yunchi had already come to her, it meant that Du Xinghu's condition was very serious. Now that she had been rescued from the brink of death, she couldn't let the child fall back into that abyss.
Wen Ninghan pointed at the door, "I have no objections, but shouldn't you give me a chance to change my clothes?"
Qi Yunchi rubbed his nose, silently turned around while clutching his cold mask.
Wen Ninghan thought, 'So the young master is so obedient?'
While changing her clothes, Wen Ninghan pondered, 'This way of interacting is quite strange. It's as if, even without saying much, we already understand what the other person is thinking. And there's this oddly inexplicable trust.'
It felt strange.
Wen Ninghan quickly changed into a plain and practical dress and wrapped herself in a dark cloak.
"I'm ready."
Qi Yunchi turned his head and saw the young girl wrapped up tightly. He almost laughed out loud, "I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Wen."
The moment Qi Yunchi raised his hand, Wen Ninghan took a step back to create distance, "It's not the first time you've been impolite."
If this continued, she would get used to it.
"Wait a moment. I can't just leave like this."
Sensing Wen Ninghan's intentions, he quickly retreated into the shadows of the room.
Wen Ninghan rang a bell, and Zhixin came in. Seeing Wen Ninghan standing in the room, dressed neatly and properly, Zhixin was surprised but quickly calmed down. "Miss, it's so late. Are you going out?"
"Yes, I need to go out. You and Qingtuan should discuss how to cover for me."
"Aren't you taking me and Qingtuan sister with you, Miss?"
Zhixin was puzzled. Of all the people left in the Duke's manor, only she and Qingtuan were considered "her own people" by the Miss. The Miss's order to "cover for her" naturally meant covering it up so that the other people in Huaguang Courtyard wouldn't know.
But these words also implied that Wen Ninghan didn't plan to take her and Qingtuan with her.
Wen Ninghan nodded, "Be good, go and tell Qingtuan."
Zhixin pouted and agreed, thinking to herself, "If I go to Qingtuan sister now, Miss won't listen to me, but if Qingtuan sister says it, even if Miss doesn't listen, at least she'll take Qingtuan sister with her when she goes out."
But when Zhixin and Qingtuan rushed back, Wen Ninghan was no longer in the room.
Zhixin covered her mouth tightly, screaming silently: "What should I do! Miss is missing! Even though Miss said in advance, Miss is still missing!"
Qingtuan had a slight guess but couldn't be sure. The only thing she could do was to bite her lip and tell herself to believe in the Miss.
Meanwhile, the young miss she trusted so much was being held in Qi Yunchi’s arms in a rather intimate manner, as they soared through the streets at breakneck speed, occasionally leaping over high walls and courtyards, flitting through the shadows like ghosts.
Their thoughts were quite different.
Wen Ninghan was questioning the city's security. Although there wasn’t a strict curfew, there were still city guards patrolling the streets at night. And in this area, every high wall and courtyard belonged to a high-ranking official, with their own private guards. How could someone so openly fly around like this?
‘So what if he can fly?’ she thought.
Well, it was true that being able to fly was pretty impressive. Comparing him to her seventh brother, Wen Ninghan realized that her brother's martial arts skills were probably overrated, and not just by her family but also by herself.
Qi Yunchi, on the other hand, was thinking that while he knew she was bold, he hadn’t expected her to be this bold. And that cloak too, had she prepared it beforehand?
Seeing the young girl nestled in his arms, looking completely natural and not the least bit shy, Qi Yunchi felt a strange sensation. Perhaps because of the speed, the cold wind was whipping at them, and the girl had buried most of her face in the fluffy collar of the cloak, looking quite warm.
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