Li Nuan directed people to add water to the wooden tub, then personally tested the water temperature with solicitous care.
"The temperature is just right," Li Nuan said with a smile.
Qin Lang glanced at her. "You'll serve me personally."
Li Nuan pouted. "I'm a pampered young lady from an official family. Such tasks are usually handled by dedicated servants. How would I know how to serve someone? How about this: I'll call a maid in to serve you, and I'll just watch from the side. Is that acceptable?"
Qin Lang saw her delicate demeanor and felt that with her by his side, there wouldn't be any mishaps, so he nodded.
Li Nuan quickly beckoned a maid. Having witnessed another maid turn into a pool of blood earlier, this maid's face was pale, and her hands trembled slightly.
"Serve him well, and nothing will happen to you. If you fail to serve him properly, I can't help you," Li Nuan cautioned.
"This servant obeys," the maid replied, her voice trembling slightly.
Li Nuan truly stood to the side, occasionally scooping water and splashing it onto Qin Lang. Her eyes flickered, exuding a captivating charm.
Qin Lang considered himself indifferent to women. Over the years, apart from his thoughts of Yun Lan, and a few regular companions for his needs, there had been no one who could catch his eye. Yet, looking at this young wife from the Qian family, he felt a stir within him. It wasn't just that this young wife's frankness appealed to him; her appearance was also of a type he didn't dislike. Qin Lang subtly glanced at Li Nuan's belly. Unfortunately, with a precious life growing within, there could be no risks.
"Why do you always wear a mask?" Li Nuan asked, feigning casualness.
"My face is ugly, and I fear it will frighten people, which is why I wear a mask," Qin Lang said slowly. "Why, do you like handsome people?"
Li Nuan tilted her head. "Handsome things, whether people or objects, are generally well-liked. However, I don't really care much. Handsome people will eventually become withered bones. Those who are not handsome will also become so. It's merely a skin, and after looking at it for a long time, any kind will seem the same."
Qin Lang felt a touch of emotion. He had disfigured himself back then, transforming from a graceful gentleman into someone like a ferocious ghost. For a long time, he himself felt disgusted by his own appearance.
He had grown accustomed to it over the years and no longer paid it much mind.
He hadn't expected that this young wife from the Qian family would see things so clearly.
As if stirred by Li Nuan's words, Qin Lang's gaze gradually became distant, eventually turning vacant, his eyeballs ceasing to move.
Li Nuan continued to chatter, seemingly oblivious to Qin Lang's unusual state. She dared not test Qin Lang's condition, fearing he might have seen through her intentions and was merely pretending.
After speaking for about fifteen minutes, Qin Lang remained in the same state. Li Nuan looked perplexed and softly called out, "What's wrong?"
Qin Lang did not respond. Li Nuan nudged him, and he slumped against the side of the wooden tub.
Li Nuan breathed a sigh of relief, took another pellet from her pouch, and placed it into Qin Lang's mouth, then had the maid pour water for him to swallow.
This man was covered in insects, and it was possible he might have some resistance to the incense she used. Therefore, even though Qin Lang had inhaled a considerable amount of the fragrance and the bathwater had been mixed with incense pellets, Li Nuan, to be cautious, fed him another pellet. This incense pellet was the same type Li Nuan had given Qian Yuanbao; two of them had incapacitated most of Qin Lang's subordinates.
Directing the maid to help him out of the tub, Li Nuan retrieved a roll of rope from her private stores. This was no ordinary rope; it was Qian Yuanbao's prized possession, incredibly resilient and impervious to blades and spears. After binding Qin Lang tightly with this rope, the strain Li Nuan had been under finally released, and her entire body went limp. Had it not been for the maid supporting her, she would have collapsed to the ground.