TSWPF -Chapter 377 Heartbroken

At this moment, Nianxia rushed in with a grave expression and said that His Lordship had returned.

When the words “His Lordship has returned” reached Li Qingling’s ears, she suddenly stood up. Grabbing Nianxia’s hands, she asked anxiously if it was true.

“Yes…”

Before Nianxia could finish, Li Qingling had already hurried outside.

Nianxia looked at Li Qingling’s retreating figure, moved her lips, and silently sighed.

He had indeed returned… but he was injured.

“What happened to His Lordship?” Xichun asked softly. From Nianxia’s expression, she already knew something had gone wrong.

Thinking of how Liu Zhimou had come back covered in blood, Nianxia’s face turned pale. In a low voice, she said that his condition was not good.

Xichun’s heart skipped a beat. “Is it serious?”

Nianxia nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Xichun quickly followed Li Qingling, secretly preparing herself—if Li Qingling couldn’t withstand the shock and fainted, she would be ready to catch her.

“Zhimou…”

When Li Qingling saw Ling Yi carrying Liu Zhimou on his back, she rushed forward. But when she saw his condition, she couldn’t help but gasp. How… how could he be so badly injured?

“What happened to Zhimou?”

She didn’t dare step closer to examine him. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to endure it.

“Madam, His Lordship lost too much blood and fainted,” Ling Yi said.

Thank goodness…

Li Qingling patted her chest and finally relaxed a little. She walked to Liu Zhimou’s side, held his hand, and followed Ling Yi back to the room.

She asked Ling Yi and the others to go out first so she could help him change his clothes.

His clothes were soaked in blood and looked terrifying. They had to be changed.

After everyone left, Li Qingling gently kissed his lips and carefully helped him undress.

When she saw the wounds on his body, tears rolled down her cheeks. With Liu Shi protecting him, how could something like this still happen?

“Madam, is it ready? The doctor is here,” Xichun called.

Hearing this, Li Qingling hurriedly wiped her tears, carefully helped Liu Zhimou put on clean clothes, and then let them in.

The old doctor checked his pulse and examined his wounds. Frowning, he quickly wrote a prescription and asked someone to fetch the medicine.

“The other injuries aren’t serious. The main problem is this wound on his thigh. He won’t be able to get out of bed for at least three months.”

As he spoke, he removed the cloth covering the wound, revealing a gruesome bloody hole.

Li Qingling covered her mouth tightly, tears streaming down. Such a big wound—how much pain must he have endured?

No wonder he had lost so much blood…

The doctor applied hemostatic medicine and rebandaged the wound, wondering what kind of trouble the county magistrate had encountered to be injured so badly.

“Doctor, will there be any aftereffects once it heals?” Li Qingling asked.

“There will be a scar.”

As long as there were no other complications, a scar was acceptable.

After finishing the treatment and giving some instructions, the doctor left.

Mr. Luo sighed and gently patted Li Qingling’s shoulder, telling her not to cry anymore. It was already a blessing that Liu Zhimou had returned safely.

At least he hadn’t lost his life.

Li Qingling wiped her tears and replied softly with a nasal “Mm.”

Nothing was more important than his safe return.

“Sister, I’ll stay with you,” Li Qingning said softly, tugging at her sleeve.

“Sister-in-law, I’ll stay too,” Liu Zhirou added, wanting her to know she wasn’t alone.

Li Qingling touched their heads and forced a smile, telling them to go eat and not to stay with her. She wanted some quiet time alone.

Mr. Luo stopped them and led them away.

Li Qingling held Liu Zhimou’s hand, pressed it against her cheek, and quietly looked at him.

Seeing him safe made the heavy stone in her heart finally fall.

“Thank goodness you came back and didn’t leave our family behind,” she whispered, kissing his palm. “What happened on Wutong Mountain? How did you get hurt?”

She would only know once he woke up.

After this incident, she resolved to increase his guards.

Only then did she think of Liu Shi.

When Xichun brought her food, she asked about him.

To her shock, she learned that Liu Shi was missing.

“Still no news?” she asked.

“No…”

Li Qingling frowned, unable to eat. She asked Xichun to call Ling Yi.

Ling Yi said they had found Liu Zhimou unconscious in a hidden cave, but there was no sign of Liu Shi.

They had searched thoroughly and were lucky not to give up.

Otherwise, Liu Zhimou might not have survived.

Liu Shi was highly skilled. Anyone who could harm him must also be formidable—he was likely in grave danger.

“Keep searching. You must find him,” Li Qingling ordered.

“Yes,” Ling Yi replied solemnly.

Under Xichun’s urging, Li Qingling forced herself to eat a few bites but couldn’t continue.

Feeling nauseous, she asked for preserved plums. After eating several, she finally felt better.

That night, she sat by the bed, gazing at Liu Zhimou.

When would he wake up?

In the middle of the night, Liu Zhimou slowly opened his eyes.

He stared at the canopy for a while before realizing he was home.

Turning his head, he saw Li Qingling curled beside him. He reached out and touched her head.

“Qingling…”

His voice was terribly hoarse.

“Zhimou?”

She woke in a daze. “You’re awake?”

He nodded gently and caressed her cheek. “Sorry for making you worry.”

She burst into tears and gripped his hand. “It’s enough that you came back safely.”

“Don’t cry…” He tried to move, but pain shot through him.

“Don’t move!” she scolded. “You’re seriously injured!”

He obediently lay still and smiled at her.

“How can you say you’re fine? Your thigh has such a huge wound. If it were any later…”

She closed her eyes, suppressing her tears. “Lie still. I’ll get Xichun to bring you some food.”

After returning, she held his hand and whispered, “You really scared me.”

He held her hand back. “It was an accident. There won’t be a next time.”

She asked anxiously, “What happened? Liu Shi is still missing.”

Liu Zhimou fell silent before sighing heavily.

They had encountered assassins on Wutong Mountain. Liu Shi had lured them away to protect him.

He didn’t know if Liu Shi had survived.

“Assassins?”

Li Qingling widened her eyes. “Who wants your life? Could it be those four families?”

“You need more guards. I don’t want this to happen again.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you,” he agreed.

He then asked her to call Ling Yi.

After reminding him not to move, she went out.

Ling Yi arrived quickly. Li Qingling gave them privacy.

About forty-five minutes later, Ling Yi hurriedly left.