Not far away, the sounds of pounding hooves and clashing blades intertwined, punctuated every so often by terrified screams.
Qin Qiwu was worried sick, but seeing how calm Ji Zhaoxi remained beside her, she quietly reassured herself.
“Bang—”
Another violent collision rang out. Qin Qiwu sprang to her feet, her eyes red as she looked at Ji Zhaoxi and whispered, “Miss Ji, why is Young Master Xu all right?”
“Because he’s the protagonist,” Ji Zhaoxi replied instinctively.
The protagonist couldn’t die.
Seeing the confusion in Qin Qiwu’s eyes, Ji Zhaoxi coughed and added, “Because Young Master Xu’s martial arts are so advanced that these little thugs can’t hurt him.”
Qin Qiwu looked even more bewildered. She imitated Ji Zhaoxi and crouched behind the tree.
If she rashly rushed over, Miss Ji and Young Master Xu would both have to protect her. She would only drag them down.
Only after the sounds of fighting in the forest had stopped did the two of them enter.
Xu Ancheng did not pursue the attackers. He hurriedly rode back on horseback. In the tall grass lay more than a dozen injured commoners, all of them groaning in pain, wounds covering their bodies.
Qin Qiwu quickly took out some medicine and helped bandage their injuries. Xu Ancheng stared at the blood covering the ground, his expression grim.
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Thank you, my lords…”
Under a withered tree, a man was clutching his abdomen tightly. His face was deathly pale, and his lips trembled uncontrollably as fresh blood kept seeping between his fingers.
Xu Ancheng frowned deeply. He tore off part of his inner garment and pressed it against the man’s wound. “Miss Ji, please help me carry him to the carriage.”
How had he been injured so badly?
The other commoners had only suffered minor wounds, but this man’s injuries were exceptionally severe.
The three of them spent the entire night bandaging the injured commoners, and Ji Zhaoxi was nearly exhausted.
Seeing that Ji Zhaoxi looked ready to collapse from fatigue, Qin Qiwu quickly brought her some food and urged her to sit down and rest nearby.
Ji Zhaoxi nibbled on her food while watching the other two treat the injured man.
There was so much blood. How was he still bleeding after losing so much already…?
Xu Ancheng and Qin Qiwu were diligently treating the man when Ji Zhaoxi, watching from nearby, finally got a clear look at his face. She shot to her feet in alarm.
That face…
Could he have come to tear Xu Ancheng and Qin Qiwu apart?
It was obvious that this man looked different from the others. His features were exceptionally distinct.
“You’ve been poisoned, Young Master. It may be rather painful in a moment.” Xu Ancheng’s brow had yet to relax.
Qin Qiwu’s expression was equally solemn. How could this poison be so overbearing?
And despite being poisoned, this young man was still alive…
Hearing this, Ji Zhaoxi stood up with equal seriousness and stared at the weak-looking man.
He had suddenly appeared in the middle of the night, saved by a beauty, was suffering from a deadly poison, and had that face on top of it all.
Every detail was in place!
The man’s breathing grew weaker and weaker. He clenched his teeth, his forehead covered in cold sweat and bulging veins.
Just as his consciousness began to blur, he suddenly heard a polite voice.
“He looks like he’s about to die. Why don’t we just leave him here?”
Qin Qiwu and Xu Ancheng looked down at the man, hesitation showing on their faces.
They had already done everything they could. They needed to investigate the whereabouts of the official silver, and time was of the essence. Besides, this poison was beyond their ability to cure.
Xu Ancheng was considering whether they should leave him at some medical clinic when the man suddenly let out a muffled groan.
Xu Ancheng and Qin Qiwu’s eyes lit up. They looked at Ji Zhaoxi. “Miss Ji, he can still be saved.”
Ji Zhaoxi nodded stiffly.
Oh no.
The night grew deeper. The carriage rolled over the stones, producing a dull rumble in the silent darkness.
Inside the carriage, the wind lantern swayed gently with its motion. The man’s face was indistinct in the shifting light and shadow. He lay weakly on the seat, his breathing heavy.
“Thank you, all of you…” His voice was terribly hoarse.
Qin Qiwu discreetly asked about the man’s identity. He lowered his eyes and answered in a quiet voice, while Xu Ancheng remained silent outside the carriage.
Listening to what the man said and seeing his reddened eyes, Qin Qiwu sighed. “Those people truly went too far.”
Under the very nose of the Son of Heaven, they had actually dared to act so recklessly.
The man gave a weak response, his expression bitter.
He was just about to continue when he lifted his eyes and met Ji Zhaoxi’s calm gaze.
Fu Xianyan: …
He clutched his chest and coughed until his face grew even paler. “Why have you been staring at me, Miss?”
Qin Qiwu also turned to look at Ji Zhaoxi.
Ji Zhaoxi answered with complete seriousness, “Because you’re handsome.”
Qin Qiwu covered her mouth in astonishment. The carriage suddenly jolted, and the man silently stared at the half-eaten pastries on the table without saying a word.
The atmosphere inside the carriage suddenly became rather peculiar.
The man accidentally tugged at one of his wounds, making his face even paler. He said weakly, “You must be joking, Miss…”
“I’m serious,” Ji Zhaoxi said solemnly.
One look at that face told her he had come to ruin her mission. She had to think of a way to throw him off the carriage.
Qin Qiwu covered her mouth in astonishment again. The carriage jolted once more, and the man fell silent again.
Ji Zhaoxi shouted, “Young Master Xu, if you don’t know how to drive, let me do it!”
All the food she had eaten that night was about to come back up.
Xu Ancheng’s apologetic voice came from outside the carriage. “I’m sorry, Miss Ji.”
He had simply been a little surprised.
Qin Qiwu was also extremely surprised. Her gaze kept drifting toward Ji Zhaoxi’s face, and then she realized that Ji Zhaoxi had been staring fixedly at Fu Xianyan.
Qin Qiwu tactfully lowered her head and shifted farther to the side.
Fu Xianyan ignored that burning stare. His face pale, he closed his eyes.
This was the voice he had heard while his consciousness was fading.
He kept his eyes closed for a while, then opened them again.
He’d better keep his eyes open. What if she used the excuse to throw him off the carriage?
Sure enough, the moment Fu Xianyan opened his eyes, he saw the disappointment in Ji Zhaoxi’s gaze.
Fu Xianyan: …
Before long, the carriage came to a stop, and everyone sat down in an empty clearing to rest.
Xu Ancheng and Qin Qiwu chatted with Fu Xianyan, quickly finding out everything about his background.
But Ji Zhaoxi simply refused to believe it. Based on her years of experience, this man had definitely come to tear Qin Qiwu and Xu Ancheng apart.
Fu Xianyan had gone from feeling uncomfortable at first to being able to keep a perfectly impassive expression under Ji Zhaoxi’s stare.
The other two felt the heat of Ji Zhaoxi’s gaze as well. Their faces flushed, and they tactfully stopped speaking to Fu Xianyan.
Qin Qiwu coughed.
It seemed Miss Ji really liked this young man. She had been staring at him without blinking.
Xu Ancheng was equally perceptive and went off to start a fire. Miss Ji had helped him so much in the past; he couldn’t get in her way now.
Ji Zhaoxi tossed a leaf into the fire and let out a deep sigh.
Qin Qiwu rose awkwardly to her feet.
“I’ll go see if I can catch any fish…”
With that, she quickly gathered up her skirt and left.
By the light of the fire, Fu Xianyan looked at the deep, inscrutable expression on Ji Zhaoxi’s face across from him.
As far as he could remember, he hadn’t offended her.
He had been unconscious at the time—how could he possibly have offended her…?
