They all want to change my future.

Chapter 75 Applying Medicine

Such silence was almost tantamount to acquiescence. Li Zhi shook his head: "Miss Lin, you still don't quite understand my personality."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yueyin realized something was wrong.

As expected, Li Zhi's next words were: "I choose to save her, not kill her."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yueyin had no objection. The Cheng Ying sword in her hand vanished silently, as if it had never existed.

However, she did not untie Qu Hongxiao.

Li Zhi frowned as he looked at Qu Hongxiao, who was lying on the ground, barely breathing and covered in blood. "What should we do with her like this?"

Qu Hongxiao, who had just escaped with her life, was breathing in the fresh air and had no one to interrupt her.

"If you don't kill, you must treat," Lin Yueyin said matter-of-factly, taking a step back to indicate that it wasn't her responsibility. "It's up to you to decide."

"Oh? I'll do it." Li Zhi became interested and asked Qu Hongxiao directly.

"I think it should be up to her to decide."

"Miss Lin is really ruthless. I see these wounds need cleaning and bandaging, which will inevitably require removing the torn clothes."

With a playful smile, Li Zhi continued, "So, Master Qu, would you like me, a man, to come, or would you like Phoenix to come?"

Qu Hongxiao's choice is quite interesting no matter what.

Let the phoenix you despise, or the man you look down upon, touch you.

Upon hearing this, Qu Hongxiao felt for the first time how utterly detestable Li Zhi was.

Qu Hongxiao didn't think about this choice for long before giving her answer directly.

"Li Zhi, come here."

These words were practically uttered through gritted teeth.

Upon hearing this request, Li Zhi squatted down without hesitation, looked at the deep wound on her shoulder, and commented as he examined it:

"I never expected you to hate Ji Baizhi so much."

Ji Baizhi remained silent, letting Li Zhi do as he pleased.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Qu Hongxiao closed her eyes briefly, took a deep breath, which aggravated her wounds, causing her to grimace again, but her tone became firm.

"Hurry up! Anyway, you...you don't want to kill me, you can't just...watch me bleed to death here, can you?"

Knowing that her life was not in immediate danger, she relaxed slightly, and the arrogance that belonged to the owner of the Star Gazing Pavilion reappeared.

Unfortunately, she still didn't quite understand Li Zhi's character.

"Oh, you're really not being polite." Li Zhi laughed. "Then I'll get started."

As he spoke, Li Zhi picked up Qu Hongxiao and patted her bottom as if he were disciplining a child.

It's very moisturizing and feels very comfortable.

Deprived of her freedom, Qu Hongxiao dared not utter any harsh words, but she thought to herself that she would remember this grudge.

But seeing this unwillingness to admit defeat, Li Zhi patted him again.

This time, Qu Hongxiao turned her face to one side, revealing her beautiful neck and pale profile, looking like she had given up and was ready to throw everything away.

They surrendered so quickly.

Li Zhi lost interest and didn't linger. He picked up the person and carried her into his room, with Lin Yueyin following behind as her protector.

Ji Baizhi silently brought out clean water, a clean cloth, and ointment for external injuries, placed them aside, glanced at Li Zhi with a complicated expression, and moved her lips as if she wanted to say something.

"Young master,"

Ji Baizhi finally spoke, her voice soft, "How about I do it? Look at the look in her eyes..."

Her gaze swept over Qu Hongxiao's eyes, which, even in her weakness, still held a sharp edge. "I'm afraid she wants to skin you alive."

"Just give me the medicine." Li Zhi stretched out his hand, his tone casual.

Ji Baizhi sighed softly and placed the medicine bottle in his palm: "Hmph, take it."

Her tone carried a rare hint of petulance, almost a sullen emotion that she herself was unaware of.

"You two have quite a 'good' relationship, huh?" Qu Hongxiao lay on the makeshift bed with clean bedding, her face turned to the side, and chuckled sarcastically.

"Looks like I'm just a clown on stage tonight, putting on this show of deep affection for you all?"

"It is indeed quite clownish, but I won't hold back."

As soon as Li Zhi finished speaking, he almost directly tore open Qu Hongxiao's tattered clothes.

This extremely harsh action made Qu Hongxiao hiss.

Only then did Li Zhi realize how unusual Qu Hongxiao's injuries were. Lin Yueyin, on the other hand, had shown mercy, as the wounds were not in any unusual locations.

Although I knew Qu Hongxiao was well-endowed, I didn't expect her to have such a great figure.

Her dilapidated state only added to her charm.

Therefore, Li Zhi chose to begin applying the medicine.

"hiss--!"

The moment the ointment touched the wound, a cool sensation was followed by a sharp, piercing pain, as if countless tiny needles were pricking her. Qu Hongxiao shuddered violently, gasped again, and beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.

"You...you...you really have no sense of proportion! It hurts so much!"

"It's nothing, I actually feel quite comfortable."

Li Zhi continued working, evenly applying the ointment to the thin but deep sword marks.

The cool, stinging ointment, mixed with the warmth and slightly rough texture of a man's palm, roamed over the skin of sensitive areas such as the back and abdomen.

Qu Hongxiao had never experienced anything like this before—being so "intimately" touched on almost her entire body by a man she didn't know well, and who could even be said to have mutual scheming.

An intense sense of shame and awkwardness almost overwhelmed her, causing her skin to involuntarily tighten and develop a layer of fine bumps.

She silently vowed to herself: It's okay, I will kill him, I will definitely kill him, I will kill him sooner or later...

It was as if this could offset the embarrassment of the moment.

Perhaps sensing her murderous intent, Li Zhi seemed to apply more pressure when applying the ointment, his fingertips tracing the edge of a deeper wound.

"Hiss—ha!" Qu Hongxiao winced in pain, letting out a short, suppressed cry, just like a cat with its fur standing on end and its breath ruffled.

Li Zhi paused for a moment, and the corners of his mouth seemed to curve slightly, but he didn't say anything and continued with his work.

From head to toe, from the back to the waist, and then to the arms and legs, there were several shallower wounds...

It could be said that they explored almost every part of Qu Hongxiao's body except for her most private areas.

After the cooling and stinging effect of the ointment wore off, the lingering sensation remained unusually clear.

After applying the medicine, Li Zhizhi stood up and looked at Lin Yueyin, who had been watching from the sidelines: "Now that you've saved her, what are your next plans?"

"I already said I'll do as you say."

This is no longer about trust; it's about passing the buck.

However, Li Zhi became somewhat interested and asked directly:

"Is there some secret method that can make Qu Hongxiao obey my every word, serve me like a slave, and be my beast of burden for the rest of her life?"

"You wish!" Before Lin Yueyin could answer, Qu Hongxiao couldn't help but spit out a curse, an unnatural blush rising on her pale face from anger.

Lin Yueyin thought about it seriously for a moment, then shook her head calmly: "Indeed, no."

Is this game really that complete?

Li Zhi inwardly complained, but then he thought of another method. He looked Qu Hongxiao up and down.

"Now, Qu Dajia, we're giving you a chance. Find a way to prove that you're useful to us while you're alive, and that you won't turn around and try to kill us."

"Hmph, what can I do?" Qu Hongxiao sneered. "Swear an oath? Make a contract? What use are those things to you or to me?"

In any case, Qu Hongxiao had made up her mind that if she didn't die, she would make the three of them taste her pain and humiliation when she returned.

"Looks like you still haven't learned your lesson."

Li Zhi shrugged, moved closer to Qu Hongxiao, lowered his voice, and his tone became ambiguous.

"Since I've already gotten such a huge advantage, do you think I should strike while the iron is hot and do something else, at least make it worthwhile? After all, you were planning to kill me, weren't you?"

"You... bastard!"

Qu Hongxiao trembled violently, her face turning even paler in an instant, not from her injury, but from shock, anger, and a hint of indescribable panic.

She instinctively curled up, trying to pull her long, bare legs together, which were exposed outside the thin blanket. She also gripped the corner of the blanket tightly with her arms to cover the glimpse of her chest.

This action made her appear less sharp than usual, and more vulnerable and wary, befitting a woman.

Only then did she belatedly realize that she was almost naked, covered only by a thin blanket, and that there were three strangers standing in front of her, one of whom was the man who had just "touched" her all over.

"We've already been completely honest with each other to this point."

Li Zhi straightened up, crossed his arms, looked at her, raised his eyebrows again, and said with a hint of mischievous teasing in his tone, "You still care about this?"