Chapter 110 - Better Odds

The Emperor looked down to see her eyes closed again and felt a little panic, "Xing er'?"

Lei Xing opened her eyes and looked up at him and then closed them again. The Emperor relaxed just kept stroking her head resting on his shoulder, thinking she must be really tired but was very relieved to see her eyes open. 

Lei Xing let out a breath, feeling fed up with feeling like this and so made up her mind.

{...What's the cure?...}

{...*We have a deal then! That's good...I told you I was useful and brilliant too! I'm great! Do you want to reconsider becoming my student now? I ca -...}

Lei Xing frowned in irritation.

{...What's the cure?!...}

{...*Fine, so touchy... It's medicinal bath therapy! So simple...}

{...-_-)...The ingredients?...}

{...*They already made it!... Just sit in it for about one hour or so a day to detoxify...It's great for your skin too, you'll look even more beautiful after! ^_^)...}

{...Seriously?...Are you sure? ...}

{...Definitely! I told you they had the right idea...}

Lei Xing felt cheated, it just gave her recycled information. Those idiotic doctors should have been able to figure that out...eventually. Anyway, consideration was simply consideration, nothing more.

{...Hey, there's no going back on the deal! There must be good reason for your choice! Otherwise, I'll -... Nevermind, I'm sure you will be reasonable hehe~...}

An Imperial doctor finally arrived to check on Lei Xing. As he checked her pulse, she looked at him and tiredly ordered, "Prepare a medicinal bath for me with the medicine from last time."

"Ah?" The Imperial doctor looked up at her with knit his brows, "Your highness, that will not be a good idea. The head phys-"

"Just do it!" Lei Xing barked, which made her cough lightly.

The Emperor pat her back, then asked with a frown, "Xing er', why do you want that?" Before, she fervently refused to drink it, and look what happened after she did, So her wanting to bathe in it made no sense. The Emperor's frown deepened.

{...She wouldn't try to kill herself, right?...}

Lei Xing knit her brows in thought, "Um...I remember I once read in a book that medicinal baths are the key method in treating skin illnesses...to detoxify..." 

The Emperor knit his brows, "Are you certain?" 

Lei Xing nodded, "...Not all things should be digested... It is a sure method."  She frowned, starting to feel annoyed, "Anyway I know what I'm talking about. I wouldn't play with my own life...Um, so -"

"Okay then." The Emperor said with his suicide thought dismissed. He then turned to the Imperial doctor, "Go see to it, quickly."

"But - " The Imperial doctor tried to protest again but stopped when the Emperor glared at him. He quickly left to do as they asked, hoping that they will remember they made him to if and when things go wrong.

Lei Xing sighed and closed her eyes, then mumbled, "Wake me up when it's ready."

The Emperor looked at her for a bit and then laid her down, he wanted to keep holding her but thought she would be uncomfortable. Then, he went back to his memorials on the side and went to finish off his work. He had been so distracted with her illness over the last two days that he had not gotten much done. 

The head physician later arrived to check on the sleeping Lei Xing and the Emperor asked his opinion on the medicinal bath. The head physician assured that it was a great idea and that he had also been considering that method. The Emperor then calmly said, "You should hope so."

The head physician gulped and gave his assurance again and quickly left to oversee the medicinal bath. When it was ready, Lei Xing was woken up and the Emperor carried her to the bathroom. He frowned at the bathtub of herbs with orange flowers in the mix that had been set on the side. After a while of that, Lei Xing irritatedly pat his arm, he looked up to see her frowning at him, "Put me down."

"Are you sure abo-?"

"It's fine. Just put me down." Lei Xing irritatedly cut him off, she was really not in the mood to be interrogated. The Emperor knit his brows, then sighed and put her down on the lounge chair and left her to Ah Jin and Xiao Ruo's care.

After Lei Xing settled into the bath, she let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. The heat was great for her aching body and the steam was easing her headache. She was truly feeling a bit better.

{...*See, it's working already...}

{...Thank you...}

{...*You're welcome...I'm still in a bad mood...}

{...-_-)'...}

{...*I said I'm in a BAD MOOD!...}

Lei Xing rolled her eyes and sighed.

{...Fine, what's wrong?...}

{...*sigh* I have been feeling awful lately...}

{...Too bad...Life will get better once you leave here...}

{...-_-)...Let me ask you something, do you believe in fate?...}

{...Yes and no...}

{...*Meaning?...}

{...Nothing is set in stone until it actually happens...The moment an event comes to be, it becomes fate...For example, you can say I was fated to die on that cruise and come here...But before that moment of happenstance, I had different options that could have come to be my fate for that moment...I could have chosen to go climb Everest instead of that cruise -...}

{...*Hahahaha your lazy self would never do that hahaha!...}

{...-_-)...It's an example, and I could!... My point is if I did not go on that cruise then I wouldn't have ended up here...}

{...*Hmmmm...What if you would have still died then no matter whether you were on the ship or not?...}

{...Well perhaps, there are more than a million ways to die...But not everyone who dies transmigrates, now do they?... Do they? O_O)...}

{...*No...But what if you would have still ended up here?...}

Lei Xing frowned, feeling a bit irritated. A mental workout was not what she wanted to do right now, but considering it helped her feel better, she indulged it. 

{...Unlikely, how many portal holes are there in the universe?...}

{...*Portal hole?...}

{...That's what that old quack said, something about me falling into an accidental hole or something like that at the perfect time to inhabit this body or something like that...It's quite complicated and I'm tired...}

{...*...Old quack?...}

{...Doctor Lou...*sigh* I wonder where that wacky old man ran off to...Probably sleeping in a ditch somewhere, after causing trouble and leaving me to de-...}

{...*YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!...}

{...OW!...Don't shout, I'm sick! >_

{...*He gave you his precious gemstone and you're insulting him like this!...How ungrateful! Hmph! You should return it! Brat!...}

Lei Xing sighed in annoyance.

{...-_-)...This is why the mind is a private space...It's not like I'll ever call him that out loud...Have I?...}

{...*You don't even know?! You ungrateful brat! I don't want to talk to you anymore!...}

{...What the hell is your problem? You're really a great busybody -_-)...}

{...*I just don't like ungrateful brats like you! So many ungrateful brats!... Anyway, leave me alone! Better not renege on your promise or I'll...I'll haunt you! ...}

{...Big deal, you're already haunting me -_-)...} 

The bracelet stopped responding and Lei Xing was grateful for it. She relaxed and ended up staying in the bath for almost two hours. The medicinal bathtub had compartments at the bottom on the sides to put in hot coal to keep the water warm.

She got out feeling refreshed and more clear-headed with her headache gone. Her body still ached and she was still feeling weak and was still spotted but she was actually feeling better. She walked out with Ah Jin's help to find the Emperor in front of the door. When the doors opened he came up to her with a smile and asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes." Lei Xing flatly responded, feeling a bit apprehensive.

{...Why is he still here? -_-)...}

"You look better." The Emperor said and then picked her up to Lei Xing's surprise. She immediately went rigid and said, "I can walk."

"That's good." The Emperor responded and started walking back to her room.

Lei Xing frowned, "I mean put me down I can walk."

"This is fine." The Emperor dismissively said and kept walking on.

Lei Xing let out a breath and remained quiet. When they arrived back in the room he put down on her on the bed. Lei Xing did not want to lie down anymore and so he stacked the pillows behind her for her to lean on and covered her legs with the blanket, then sat in front of her. 

"Dinner will be here soon. Since you're feeling better, you should try to eat something."

Lei Xing frowned and then said, "Why are you being so nice? It's odd."

The Emperor raised his eyebrows, "Odd?"

Lei Xing blinked and quickly corrected, "I'm sorry, wrong choice of words...It's nothing. I'm still muddled headed, ignore it." She finished and frowned down at her hands.

The Emperor shifted closer to her and she flinched back and her frown deepened. He took one of her hands and gently stroked it then quietly said, "I too think it's odd."

Lei Xing glanced up at him. He smiled at her and she immediately looked off to the side, knitting her brows. 

The Emperor then asked, "Do you want a book to read?" Lei Xing simply shook her head, still not looking his way.

The Emperor looked at her for a while, then he sighed and left her to go back to his work. 

Lei Xing glanced at him as he walked off. Then looked away with a frown, feeling annoyed but not exactly sure why. Then she absentmindedly started plucking at her fingernails.

{...I don't like this feeling...}