Overcome by the uncomfortable heat, Muxi opened her eyes slightly and glanced dazedly at Tang Yi, then at Fesili, not understanding what was happening. Muxi muttered some unintelligible words, tilted her head, and drifted back into unconsciousness.
Fesili tucked in the blanket, making sure nothing that shouldn't be exposed was showing, before turning to bark an order at Tang Yi, who was still standing there like a dazed statue.
"What are you standing there like an idiot for? Come over and take a look at her."
"Ah! Oh! Right!"
Tang Yi quickly collected himself, pushing down the turbulent waves in his heart.
Walking to the bedside with stiff, matching strides, he began to examine Muxi.
"The fever still hasn't broken completely. I'll prescribe her some more medicine. The environment on this barren planet is harsh, so she won't recover quite so quickly. She needs plenty of rest and shouldn't be allowed out in the wind again."
As he spoke, Tang Yi took a few packets of medicinal powder from his medical kit and handed them to Fesili.
Fesili looked at the medicine in his hand, then down at the sleeping Muxi, and prepared the mixture according to Tang Yi's instructions.
Lifting Muxi up, he coaxed her in a low voice, "Muxi, wake up, drink your medicine first."
Muxi seemed to hear his voice; her brows furrowed slightly, but she didn't open her eyes, merely parting her lips a little.
Seeing this, Fesili carefully fed the medicine into her mouth.
After taking the medicine, Muxi finally settled down a bit. Her tightly furrowed brows gradually smoothed out, and her cheeks, previously flushed with fever, looked much better.
After a while, Muxi's breathing grew steadier and more even, and the tense expression on Fesili's face eased somewhat.
He reached out to brush away the sweat-dampened strands of hair clinging to Muxi's forehead, looking at her uneasy sleeping face with a complex mix of emotions.
I do not know how much longer passed before Muxi's eyelashes fluttered gently and she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze still somewhat dazed.
"Awake?"
Muxi stared blankly at Fesili by the bedside, not understanding the current situation.
"Does anything still hurt?"
Hearing his voice again, she finally snapped back to reality.
With a weak murmur, she said, "Commander, thank you."
"This is the first time anyone has stayed with me like this when I've been sick..."
A flash of tenderness crossed Fesili's eyes. Muxi's life with the Mu Family had not been easy; whenever she fell ill in the past, she must have simply gritted her teeth and endured it alone.
After another moment, having gathered a little strength, Muxi propped herself up to sit against the head of the bed.
Looking somewhat embarrassed, she said, "I feel better now. You should go back; don't let me delay your rest."
Watching her put on such a brave front, Fesili felt a pang of heartache, but knowing he shouldn't stay long, he offered a few words of caution and stood up to leave.
After Fesili left, Muxi sat alone against the head of the bed, staring at the empty doorway as a sudden sense of loss welled up in her heart.
She hadn't lied—whenever she used to get sick, she always had to tough it out entirely on her own. With so many anti-fans, just going to the hospital was a harrowing ordeal, so eventually she simply stopped going altogether.
Though she had told Fesili to go back and rest, the moment he was actually gone, she found the room oppressively quiet.
Muxi let out a soft sigh, inwardly mocking herself for when she had become so sentimental.
The man had merely taken care of her out of the goodness of his heart; why was she suddenly so reluctant to see him go?
She slowly lay back down and pulled the cover over herself, trying to fall back asleep, but toss and turn as she might, she couldn't find rest.
Fesili's figure kept flashing through her mind, along with the rare gentleness that had surfaced in his habitually emotionless eyes when he looked at her.
The more she thought about it, the foggier her head felt. After a little while, feeling thirsty, Muxi got up to pour herself a glass of water.
The moment she stepped out of bed, her legs still felt weak, and she nearly stumbled and fell to the floor.
Regaining her balance with difficulty, she slowly shuffled over to the table, poured herself a cup of water, and after taking a few sips, felt her mind clear up a bit.
She raised a hand to touch her forehead; the fever had indeed dropped significantly, and her head no longer felt as heavy and agonizingly painful as before.
Since her legs were still a bit weak, she simply sat down on the floor, pulled her knees tightly to her chest, and curled up slightly, lost in thoughts of her own future.
***
Over the next two days, Muxi was not even allowed to step outside the starship; she was strictly confined to activities within the vessel.
It was not until the third day that the people sent by the base to pick her up arrived at the barren planet.
A group of seven, all standing tall and straight in uniform attire, walked toward the starship with steady, synchronized strides.
At their head was a man named Randall, while his six soldiers halted and stood at attention not far behind him.
Randall stepped forward first. Catching sight of Muxi, a flash of stunned admiration crossed his eyes, but he quickly recovered and snapped a crisp, textbook military salute.
In a tone of utmost respect, he said, "Miss Muxi, it is an honor to finally meet you. I am Randall, Deputy Commander of the Ninth Legion at Zhonghua Base. I have been sent by the Marshal to escort you back."
Muxi instantly tensed up. Her hands unconsciously twisted the hem of her shirt, and her body instinctively shrank back until she was hiding behind Fesili.
Peeking her little head out from behind him, she eyed the newcomer with wary, defensive eyes.
"I'm not going back," she said, before pulling her head back out of sight.
"Muxi, come out. They mean no harm." Fesili's voice had returned to its customary coldness.
Muxi looked at him with a pitiful expression, her voice trembling on the verge of tears:
"You agreed to let me stay earlier. You can't go back on your word."
Seeing Muxi's heartbreakingly pitiful look, Fesili felt a sharp tug at his heartstrings as well.
He turned to Randall and said in a calm tone:
"Her health hasn't fully recovered yet. She will return with us a few days later."
Hearing this, Randall looked troubled and hastily explained, "Commander, please don't make things difficult for us. These are the regulations; we are only following orders."
Hearing this, Muxi panicked even more. She gripped Fesili's sleeve tightly, her voice shaking:
"I don't want to go back! I'm doing just fine here. I don't want any imperial protection—I just want to stay with you..." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any second.
Fesili wanted nothing more than to let her stay, but looking at her still sickly complexion, he steeled his heart and insisted she return.
"Muxi, be a good girl. I'll be back at the base in a month at the latest." Fesili tried to keep his voice steady and gentle, but the internal conflict and reluctance he felt were impossible to hide, and his eyes betrayed a trace of helplessness and heartache.
Muxi stubbornly shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes were red like those of a frightened little rabbit, and she clung tightly to Fesili's arm, refusing to let go. "I won't."
Fesili let out a soft sigh, raised a hand to wipe the tears from Muxi's face, but the tears simply refused to stop, continually welling up from her eyes.
"Muxi, be a good girl and return to the base. You'll receive better care there. The environment here is harsh, and your body is already showing signs of rejection; you cannot stay here any longer."
The group who had come to fetch Muxi stood off to the side. Watching this scene, even they were somewhat moved, but duty bound, Randall steeled himself and stepped forward.
"Miss Muxi, it's getting late. We really must depart. Please cooperate with us!"
At those words, Muxi's body stiffened abruptly, and her face turned even paler.
Fesili frowned slightly, took a step forward, and raised his hand to wipe away the tears on Muxi's cheeks.