6 No Matter What, Don't Let Her Leave!

The door did not open and close. The window coverings did not stir. Yet, a figure appeared at the side of the prince, donned in robes darker than the darkest shadow, holding a medical box. The figure, sporting emerald flecked eyes, began to work silently as he understood without being asked what his master needed.

Indicating for his master to remove the light blue cloth held firmly over the wound, Lu Se Ying examined the damaged area with a deep frown. He gingerly touched the puckered flesh as he tried to determine what made the wound in the first place.

He hesitated a moment before he used his spirit energy to get a better understanding of the injured area. Master did not like them to do so in the presence of outsiders, however, this young woman was not conscious to witness as a green type of energy flowed from his hand to her wound. By doing this, he was able to get a deeper read of her pulse, a deeper understanding of how much blood was lost, and a deeper look at the structure of the wound.

Brow scrunching in thought, Lu Se Ying murmured. "It appears that a piece of mixed metals had been lodged into her shoulder." It was his first time seeing such a wound and such a material. If he had to hazard a guess at the origin, he could say with certainty that both the object and culprit were not of this town. In order to embed something into the skin in such a way, the person would need to be a high-level expert, which was someone this town currently lacked.

Another concerning notice was that the young lady had traces of the Shang Youhun river upon and within her body. It wasn't a small amount either. From the clues on her person, it was easy for him to conclude that after being confronted with the one who injured her, she had unluckily fallen into the river.

It was a place the locals avoided at all costs, for fear of spiritual poisoning.

Pulling out a pill, he forced it down the young woman's throat, by messaging her neck, to replenish her blood from such heavy loss. Lu Se Ying then kneeled and bowed low before his master. He reported his findings and then said, with heavy regret, "I've unfortunately brought only the bare minimum with me. The rest was left for the treatment of the fallen Gate Guards. So I don't have anesthetics or anything to treat Spirit Poisoning."

The prince took in the words but said nothing.

Gliding across the floor from where he stood, Li Yu Rong sat at the edge of his bed. He lifted the young woman into his arms to rest her between his legs and then along his chest. He propped her in such a way that her shoulder was completely visible to Lu Se Ying, for him to operate. Pinning her legs with his own, he wrapped one arm around her upper body to prevent any wild movements due to pain. His other hand had been shoved in her mouth to prevent her from biting off her tongue in the throes of agony.

Satisfied with all that he had done, he nodded for Lu Se Ying to begin.

Pulling a knife from the medical box and disinfecting it beneath a flame, Lu Se Ying brought out a small flask of alcohol. Pouring it over the wound, he caped it and placed the flask away, after which he then poised the disinfected knife to cut.

As soon as the first incision was made, her body jolted and her muffled cries filled the room. Li Yu Rong held her in place, allowing for little movement. He rubbed his cheek against her head for comfort and murmured sweet words as he had done while pressing her wound.

"Shhh... it will be all right. The pain will soon pass." He would then say, like a great vow, "after this you won't have to suffer again. I'll see to it." He made such promises in varying words.

Teeth sunk into his flesh, hard, but his words didn't even pause or tremor. Tears began to flow from her eyes, sliding down his hand causing his heart to ache. He continued to rub his cheek against her soft hair, brushing his lips against her temple, as he spoke to soothe her pain. "Don't cry, pet, it'll be over soon."

Lu Se Ying focused on his task, not even batting an eye at his master's completely uncharacteristic actions. Treating them as if they were an everyday occurrence to be ignored. Whether his ruthless master had soft parts to his rock hard heart was not a matter for his concern. He was merely to be there when needed and turn scarce when his presence became unnecessary.

Digging the metal piece out with the tip of the knife, he placed it and wrapped it in a silk cloth to have the alchemists take a peek at later. Retrieving the Spirit Spider Silk Thread from his medical box and threading it through a needle, he went to the task of expertly stitching the wound.

The use of this special thread for sliced skin only a cun in length would have even the most divine doctor's crying out at the injustice. Such a good thing that could promote the flesh to reconnect at a supernatural rate was wasted on a wound where a normal thread would have suited just as well. However such extravagance was an everyday occurrence for his master that clutched the Spirit Realm in his palm.

While Lu Se Ying placed a couple different salves on to the wound -one for scarring and one to prevent infection- Hui Se Ying materialized at the center of the room. He knelt on one knee while cupping his fist.

"Master," he murmured, "the demon Paoxiao is causing a ruckus again. He's brought along some lower spirit beasts to storm the eastern gate."

Li Yu Rong frowned but said nothing. He watched as the odd girl's shoulder was wrapped neatly. Once his subordinate gave a nod to signal he was done, the prince reluctantly eased himself out from underneath the girl. Laying her as comfortably as he could, he pulled the blankets over her prone form and then wiped away the tears of pain that still fell from her tightly closed eyes.

"Give her something for the pain." He turned to leave but then paused. "No matter what, don't let her leave the estate." It would be a difficult task to accomplish as she could not understand their language, however, his people were good at carrying out his will. He felt assured that she would still be here, in his chambers, when he returned.

"As you command, master."

Considering yesterday's unfortunate event there should be only one gate guard available to press back Paoxiao's advance. Li Yu Rong's aura shifted and dropped sharply in degree, becoming a frigid existence that could overwhelm the fires of hell.

Such a good Paoxiao to come and interrupt his important matters. Dragging him away from the warmth of the body in his embrace. Feeling that he had been too easy on the rambunctious demon their last confrontation, he felt perhaps now was the time to impress upon him a stronger lesson.