Chapter 41: Secrets.
The scent of crushed herbs still clung faintly to Lian’er’s sleeves as they approached the guest wing of the Phoenix Soul Pavilion.
Soft light spilled from the tall, paper-screened windows, casting gentle shadows over the stone path.
The courtyard was quiet, deliberately so.
Fang Yuan had instructed the servants to avoid this section of the residence until further notice.
Felicia waited at the door, hands folded in front of her. She bowed immediately upon seeing them.
"Master Fang Yuan. Doctor Mu. The girl is inside, resting. Her condition stabilized somewhat after the elixir you gave, but her fever hasn’t dropped."
Doctor Mu nodded without pause, already stepping inside with the sure-footedness of a man who had walked through too many thresholds between life and death.
The room within was warm, quiet and dimly lit. A single lantern glowed on the table beside the bed where the girl lay.
She had been changed into clean robes, her wounds hastily bandaged, her face still pale beneath the linen.
Lian’er stepped forward without a word, gently placing her satchel on the side table and beginning to unpack gauze, tinctures, and salves.
Doctor Mu moved to the bed, examining her with firm, professional detachment.