The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

Huangfu Song's gaze first fell on Guo Jia, his admiration overflowing: "Excellent! Excellent, Guo Fengxiao! At such a young age, you already possess unfathomable wisdom; one day you will surely be a pillar of our great Han Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia merely smiled slightly and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "General, you flatter me. These are nothing but petty tricks, not to be taken seriously."

Huangfu Song laughed heartily, even more impressed by Guo Jia's calm and composed attitude. Then, his gaze shifted to Xun Hao beside Guo Jia.

The boy in front of me was so thin that he looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind, and his face was so pale that it was completely bloodless. Only his eyes were strikingly black.

He stood there quietly, exuding an aloof and fragile air about him.

"This...this must be Young Master Xun Hao?" Huangfu Song's voice carried a hint of regret.

Xun Shuang sighed and nodded, saying, "It is indeed my young nephew, Xun Hao. He has been frail and sickly since childhood, alas..."

That evening, a grand victory celebration banquet was held in Yangdi City.

The city of Yingchuan was filled with prominent figures and gentry, and Xun Hao and Guo Jia, as the meritorious officials in defending the city, were naturally treated as honored guests.

At the banquet, toasts were exchanged and everyone's face was filled with joy. Guo Jia was surrounded by a group of people offering him drinks, which he accepted without hesitation, chatting and laughing amiably, displaying the refined elegance of a scholar.

Xun Hao sat quietly in the corner. He was already weak and had used the [Legacy Plan], so he was now at his limit.

Faced with the constant toasts from aristocratic elites, he would only take a small sip before declining, citing feeling unwell.

Even so, the atmosphere of the banquet still made him feel dizzy.

In the end, he had no choice but to rudely take his leave and return to his room.

Xun Hao lay on the soft bed, his brows furrowed. Even in his unconscious state, his body trembled uncontrollably from the extreme cold.

"Guo Fengxiao, Guo Fengxiao, if you don't come soon, I'm going to freeze to death!"

Guo Jia, who was being talked about, noticed his unusual behavior and excused himself before the celebration banquet was over, citing his low alcohol tolerance.

He passed by Xun Hao's house and found it pitch black inside. After thinking for a moment, he pushed the door open and entered, only to find that Xun Hao's face had an abnormal flush.

Doctors came and went, and the prescriptions they left behind were changed again and again, but they could never bring down the terrifying high fever.

Guo Jia stayed by the bedside, never leaving for a moment.

His brocade robe was already crumpled beyond recognition, and stubble had sprouted on his chin. His peach blossom eyes were bloodshot, and his former dashing and unrestrained demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

He refused any maids or servants arranged by the Xun family, insisting on taking care of her himself.

He repeatedly wiped Xun Hao's forehead, neck, and palms with a cloth soaked in cold water, his movements clumsy but extremely careful.

He discovered that as long as his palm touched Xun Hao's skin, the scalding temperature would drop slightly, though only slightly, which gave him a kind of redemptive comfort.

So he simply lay on his side on the edge of the bed, held Xun Hao's cold hand in his own palm, and placed his other hand on Xun Hao's forehead, using his own body heat to neutralize the burning sensation.

Xun Shuang repeatedly urged him to rest, but he refused each time.

"Fengxiao, you haven't slept for two days. Even an iron body can't take it. We'll take care of things here. You go ahead..." Xun Shuang's voice was full of worry.

"No need." Guo Jia's reply was brief and hoarse, his gaze never leaving Xun Hao's face. "I promised Wenruo that I would take good care of him, but after days of traveling, entering the city through the underground canal, and experiencing the siege, he was thinking too much, and I didn't even notice."

Xun Shuang looked at him, then at his nephew lying unconscious on the bed, and finally could only let out a long sigh before quietly leaving.

It was late at night, and only a dim oil lamp was lit in the room.

Guo Jia looked at Xun Hao's pale sleeping face under the lamplight. Why hadn't he noticed sooner? Why had he let him overexert himself to this extent?

"Ah Hao..." He unconsciously tightened his grip on Xun Hao's hand, burying his face in the cold back of his hand, his voice barely audible, "You have to hold on..."

Perhaps it was this persistent protection that worked, or perhaps the "electricity" that was continuously supplied finally accumulated to a sufficient amount.

On the morning of the third day, as the first rays of dawn shone through the window into the room, Xun Hao's eyelashes fluttered slightly.

The body's sensations precede the return of consciousness.

He instinctively moved closer to the source of warmth, a familiar, crisp scent mingled with a faint aroma of wine and sunshine lingering around his nose.

With great effort, he opened his heavy eyelids, and his vision gradually cleared. The first thing he saw was Guo Jia's face, which was very close to his.

That handsome face, which always carried a hint of playful smile, was now etched with exhaustion.

With his dark circles under his eyes, he seemed to have sensed Xun Hao's movement. His previously unfocused gaze instantly sharpened, staring straight into Xun Hao's eyes.

Their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still for a moment.

"You're awake?" Guo Jia's voice was terribly hoarse. He seemed to want to sit up, but his body was stiff from maintaining one position for too long, and his movements were somewhat slow.

Xun Hao opened his mouth, but his throat was so dry that he couldn't make a sound.

Guo Jia immediately understood, carefully helped him up, placed two soft pillows behind his back, then turned around to pour a cup of warm water and fetch some medicine.

He held the bowl in one hand and used a spoon to scoop up a spoonful of medicine with the other, blew on it before bringing it to Xun Hao's lips.

It's so bitter, can't I just drink it all at once?

After he finished drinking the medicine, Guo Jia wiped the corner of his mouth for him.

"How many days have I been asleep?" Xun Hao finally regained his voice.

"Sleep what? You're in a coma, you've been unconscious for three years!" Guo Jia said irritably.

She still has the energy to trick him into playing.

It seems I'm alright. Xun Hao thought to himself, but outwardly feigned surprise: "Three years? Then Fengxiao must have reached adulthood by now?"

Guo Jia was amused by his appearance, and the gloom of the past few days dissipated considerably. He reached out and flicked his forehead lightly: "Dream on. Just three days. Three days have already worn me out. If it were three years, I would lose my life."

As he spoke, he grabbed Xun Hao's hand again and tucked it back into the warm blankets, muttering, "You're already being cheeky as soon as you wake up. Don't you even know your own behavior? Your hands are still so cold. Stay put and don't go anywhere."

These familiar actions and tone warmed Xun Hao's heart. He could feel that the emptiness in his body had been mostly restored under Guo Jia's "care".

"I need to let my father and brother know I'm safe." Xun Hao knew they must be very worried.

Guo Jia tucked the blanket around him, saying, "Don't think about anything right now, just focus on getting better."