After Lu Chen left, Chu Yuqin hurried into Chu Qingli's room and closed the door behind her.
As soon as she entered the room, she smelled a strong, strange scent, one she had encountered many times before, especially in Lu Chen's study, but she still did not understand what it was.
Chu Yuqin did not dwell on it, her gaze instead falling on Chu Qingli, who was lying on the bed under the covers, looking rosy-cheeked and as though nothing was amiss.
Chu Qingli turned her head to look at Chu Yuqin and said, "Sister, I'm all right now."
Chu Yuqin then sat down beside the bed, straightened out Chu Qingli's messy hair on her forehead, and said while doing so, "Qingli, I know you're somewhat dissatisfied with Chen'er and don't want him to treat you, but you're currently the Guard Commander of the inner court in the Prince's Mansion. If you're injured, how will you protect the North Prince Mansion?"
"If you lose all your skill and can't serve as the Guard Commander of the Prince's Mansion, what value would you have if you stayed in the North Prince Mansion? You wouldn't want to be driven out by the Prince, would you?"
Feeling weak, Chu Qingli said, "Sister, I understand. You don't need to say any more. It's my mistake this time."
Chu Qingli rushed to concede, hoping to have Chu Yuqin finish her lecture and leave her room. If Chu Yuqin continued to stay, she might discover something.
Hearing Chu Qingli's dismissive words, Chu Yuqin sighed and continued, "Qingli, Chen'er probably only healed the injuries on your body. Your meridians may not have been completely cleared. Let sister check for you again."
Chu Qingli quickly said, "Sister, no need. I'm really fine."
Chu Yuqin, however, did not heed Chu Qingli's protests; she lifted the blanket, causing Chu Qingli's face to turn deathly pale instantly.
Upon lifting the blanket, Chu Yuqin noticed that Chu Qingli's bedsheets were wet and carried a very strange scent.
Without giving it much thought, Chu Yuqin said, "Qingli, you've expelled a lot of impurities from your body. You should change the sheets and take a bath before resting."
Chu Yuqin thought that everything on Chu Qingli's bedsheets was the impurities expelled from her body during her training.
Seeing that Chu Yuqin seemed completely clueless, Chu Qingli breathed a sigh of relief.
At the same time, an idea dawned on Chu Qingli.
If sister doesn't know even this, could it be that she and Lu Chen have not done that deed?
Encouraged by this thought, Chu Qingli was somewhat happy, guessing that at most Lu Chen had only hugged and embraced her sister, and probably they hadn't gone through with the act between a man and a woman. Otherwise, how could her sister not recognize that smell?
Chu Qingli said, "I understand. I'll get up and take a bath immediately."
Just as Chu Qingli was about to get up, Chu Yuqin suddenly said, "Wait."
Hearing this, Chu Qingli's heart skipped a beat, and she felt her heart pound uncontrollably.
That shouldn't be possible, right?
Didn't her sister just believe these were impurities expelled from training?
Chu Qingli cautiously asked, "Sister, what's wrong?"
Chu Yuqin, eyeing the red scars on Chu Qingli's pale neck, heaved a sigh and said, "The backlash from your training last night was too severe, leaving scars all over your body."
Chu Qingli's pale neck bore many red scars, which led Chu Yuqin to believe that they were the result of the dangerous training practice Chu Qingli underwent the previous night.
Stunned by her words, Chu Qingli paused.
Chu Yuqin then said, "Qingli, take off your clothes so that sister can see how many such scars you have. Later, I'll speak to Chen'er and see if his medical techniques can remove the scars."
Chu Qingli quickly replied, "Sister, there's no need."
Chu Qingli heaved another sigh of relief internally, thinking Chu Yuqin had found nothing substantial when, in fact, Chu Yuqin had only noticed the red marks on her neck.
Chu Yuqin said, "Qingli, don't think these scars are nothing. You are not yet married, so having these scars isn't an issue now, but what will your future darling think when he sees them? These scars must be removed."
Saying this, Chu Yuqin took matters into her own hands and started to peel off Chu Qingli's outer garments from her shoulders.
After hearing Chu Yuqin's words, Chu Qingli felt a swell of emotions, not towards her sister, but directed at a certain bad man, feeling resentful towards him.
The scars had all been left by him, marking her body with so many, yet he hadn't used his Immortal Technique to heal her. It's incomprehensible what that bad man was thinking.
Lu Chen could heal the wounds on her body, not letting her feel any pain, so it was impossible that he couldn't deal with such small scars. He was clearly doing it on purpose, intentionally leaving the scars.
When Chu Yuqin peeled back some of Chu Qingli's clothes, she saw the multitude of red scars that adorned her pale, delicate body almost entirely.
Frowning, Chu Yuqin remarked, "Qingli, you cannot withstand the backlash of your training anymore. Look at all these scars on you."
Chu Qingli responded, "Sister, these scars will fade away on their own. It's fine."
Chu Yuqin sighed again, "I will still tell Chen'er afterward, so that he can help you remove all these scars."