Chapter 442: The Wound

“So much blood, and you still say it’s nothing?”

Huang Xinyu forcibly pressed Lin Xiao down onto the sofa, squatted down, and began unbuttoning his shirt while scolding him.

“Even if you don’t care about your own body, you should think about Caixing and Little Yu!”

Crystal-clear tears rolled down from Yuan Yu’s eyes. She looked at the blood-drenched wounds on Lin Xiao’s back, sniffled, and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “Auntie, let me help you.”

“Good. Little Yu, go to the kitchen and bring a basin of warm water, not cold. And get a clean towel from the bathroom, the pink one.”

Huang Xinyu didn’t even lift her head as she spoke.

“I’ll go right now.” Yuan Yu gave Lin Xiao a worried look, then ran out of the living room.

Huang Caixing stood behind Huang Xinyu, her tender little hands gripping the hem of her clothes, her face full of anxiety. She paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan, her eyes fixed on Lin Xiao.

Suddenly, she stopped and asked urgently, “Mom, what about me? What should I do?”

Upon discovering Lin Xiao’s injury, Huang Caixing no longer had the heart to joke with Huang Xinyu. She had reverted from calling her “Comrade Xinyu” back to “Mom.”

“Go to my bedroom and bring out the first-aid kit. It’s under the nightstand.” Huang Xinyu didn’t notice the change. Her heart was heavy, filled with worry for Lin Xiao. “Check if anything’s missing. If it is, we’ll need to make a run to the pharmacy.”

“Okay, got it!” Huang Caixing nodded vigorously and ran quickly into the bedroom.

“Auntie Xinyu, don’t be so nervous. Really, it’s nothing. It’ll be fine in a few days,” Lin Xiao said calmly. “Let me take off my own shirt.”

As he spoke, he raised his hands to undo the buttons on his chest.

“Sit still and don’t move.” Huang Xinyu grabbed his hands and firmly pressed them down. She looked up and met his eyes with a stern expression. “Do you think I can’t tell if it’s serious or not? Would a minor wound bleed this much? If you really don’t want us to worry, then don’t get hurt again.”

Lin Xiao was left speechless.

After a few more scolding words, Huang Xinyu lowered her head again and carefully continued unbuttoning his shirt. Her movements were gentle and deliberate.

“I know you were injured protecting us… but you… you must take better care of your body, okay? Every time you get hurt, Caixing and Little Yu are upset for a long time, and I… I worry, too.”

“I understand, Auntie Xinyu.”

Warmth flooded Lin Xiao’s chest. From the seemingly scolding words, he felt her deep care and concern.

He placed both hands on his thighs, sat upright, unmoving, and let Huang Xinyu do her work.

Soon, Huang Xinyu undid his shirt, revealing his well-defined, muscular chest. Despite the serious circumstances, she couldn’t help the blush that rose to her cheeks.

“Xiao Xiao, I’m going to clean your wound. If it hurts, let me know.”

Standing in front of him, she began to treat his injury. They were so close that the light fragrance from Huang Xinyu’s body filled Lin Xiao’s nose. It was sweet and pleasant, but not overpowering.

Even worse, every time she bent over, her hair would gently brush against his face.

“Don’t move.”

Lin Xiao tried to lean back, but instead of creating distance, it brought Huang Xinyu even closer.

The shirt on Lin Xiao’s back was already completely stuck to the blood on his skin. Huang Xinyu moved with extreme caution, afraid of causing him pain.

At that moment, Yuan Yu and Huang Caixing returned to the living room, placing the warm water, towel, and first-aid kit on the coffee table. They stood to the side, holding their breath, quietly watching.

It took Huang Xinyu several minutes, with sweat forming on her forehead, to finally remove the blood-soaked shirt.

A horrific gunshot wound was revealed before their eyes.

Even though they had mentally prepared for how bad it might be, the moment they saw it, all three instinctively covered their mouths, and their eyes reddened.

The wound on Lin Xiao’s back had been caused by a sniper rifle round.

For an ordinary person, getting hit by a sniper bullet—no matter where—would mean certain death. But with Lin Xiao’s level of cultivation, this sort of injury truly wasn’t serious. At most, it was a surface wound and would heal within a couple of days.

However, Yuan Yu, Huang Caixing, and Huang Xinyu didn’t know that.

Seeing the purplish-red, heavily swollen tissue around the blood hole, they were terrified.

Huang Xinyu was somewhat composed. She had seen a lot in her life and didn’t lose her cool. But Caixing and Yuan Yu weren’t as strong. They stared blankly at the wound, eyes quickly brimming with tears, and began crying.

“Big Brother Lin… y-you still said it was nothing…” Huang Caixing wiped away tears while choking with sobs. “You’re clearly so badly hurt. Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

Yuan Yu bit down hard on her lip and hugged one of Lin Xiao’s arms tightly, as if afraid he’d fly away. Tears streamed endlessly down her pale cheeks, dripping onto the back of Lin Xiao’s hand.

“Stop crying, both of you.” Huang Xinyu turned her head aside, wiped her own tears, and took a deep breath. Her expression hardened with resolve. “We’re taking Xiao Xiao to the hospital.”

“Auntie Xinyu, I’m really fine. This kind of injury is nothing to me. I would never joke about my health,” Lin Xiao said seriously.

“But I don’t know how to treat this sort of wound…”

“It’s fine, it doesn’t need to be bandaged.”

“No. It must be!”

Then, the three of them—Huang Xinyu, Yuan Yu, and Huang Caixing—searched online for how to treat and dress a gunshot wound. Huang Xinyu even called the hospital’s emergency department to ask the doctors directly.

Finally understanding what needed to be done, Huang Xinyu picked up the towel, soaked it in warm water, wrung it out, and knelt on the sofa.

“Caixing, Little Yu, come help me,” she said.