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墨書 Inktalez
Just as she said, there are many fierce beasts in Mountain Valley, and among them, the most formidable are this pack of wolves. They begin to hunt as soon as night falls, and the smell of blood on him wafts through the night wind, enticing the appetite of other beasts. He had barely stepped out when this group of gluttonous predators set their sights on him.
San Chun also knew that he had no special preferences, which is why he so resolutely thought of feeding the wolves with his own body. She glanced at the Iron Sword on the ground, just as Zhong Xue was also looking at it. The two exchanged a knowing glance.
At that moment, San Chun suddenly jumped up and thrust a dagger toward the Wolf King's eye. The Wolf King howled and summoned a few general wolves to protect him. As they moved, the guards around Zhong Xue relaxed. Seizing this opportunity, he drew his Wooden Stick across the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, and quickly picked up the Iron Sword while the wolves closed their eyes to avoid it.
With a sword in hand, he immediately felt invigorated. He swung the sword forcefully toward the wolf pack, watching as they scattered before turning to rescue San Chun.
San Chun kept waving her dagger, feeling her teeth chatter. She had already injured her pelvis and was not agile in her movements; she could hardly withstand the fierce pounce of the Wolf King.
Its claws swiped like a gust of strange wind, and its mouth opened slightly, revealing several menacing fangs. Her heart raced and her hands trembled; coupled with her unsuitable weapon, she nearly had her neck bitten off several times.
Zhong Xue arrived just in time to save her, striking at the Wolf King's head with his sword.
Since ancient times, capturing the leader first has been a strategy against thieves, and it applies to wolves as well. However, the Wolf King usually stayed high up to command the pack and rarely foolishly charged into battle. This particular Wolf King was strangely at the forefront, but this gave him an opportunity. He thrust his sword forward and tore through a large patch of fur. The Wolf King howled madly, attempting to command the pack to attack, but only a few large wolves obeyed and lunged forward; the rest merely circled around them without any intention to charge.
Behind them stood a large gray-brown wolf that kept turning in circles as if observing from the sidelines.
Zhong Xue found it odd and exchanged glances with San Chun; both attacked the Wolf King simultaneously. His sword danced like lightning, frequently stabbing at its head while San Chun aimed for its eyes. Although fierce, the Wolf King seemed old and was not as agile; caught between their attacks, it struggled to defend itself. Zhong Xue's sword struck true at its head; his weapon was an Ancient Legendary Sword that left a significant wound with just a light thrust. The Wolf King howled in pain and staggered as if about to fall but disregarded its injury and lunged again.
Zhong Xue quickly dodged aside just as another wolf pounced on him, its massive claws raking across his back and leaving a deep gash. He grunted in pain and turned to see that the Wolf King had lunged at San Chun, its large paw aimed at her face. If it hit her, she would either die or be disfigured.
Zhong Xue felt frantic; half of his shoulder was incapacitated from pain. Gritting his teeth against it, he switched his sword to his left hand and thrust upward with all his strength, striking one of the Wolf King's left eyes. The Wolf King let out a terrible scream and fled with its tail between its legs.
With their leader injured, the wolf pack scattered in all directions. Not far away, many wolves turned back again—not to surround them but to gather around the Wolf King and several other large wolves.
Have you ever seen dogs bite each other? Wolves fighting are the same; one wolf has its mouth full of fur, blood everywhere, and you can still hear the mournful howls from a distance.
San Chun watched in astonishment. Were these wolves raised on ginseng? Each one was so clever. If she guessed correctly, this tactic seemed to be called "the clam and the fisherman both benefit."
She exclaimed, "I didn't expect wolves to have internal power struggles too?"
Zhong Xue glared at her. "With that kind of talk, we should hurry and run." Once these wolves kill the Wolf King, they would be next.
San Chun knew it was not safe to stay there any longer, so she helped him up and they stumbled away. His original injuries weren't too severe, but this time the wound on his back was deep enough to see bone. After just a few steps, his back was already soaked in blood, and even his pants were stained red, making him look like he had just been pulled out of a pool of blood.
At that moment, there was no time to apply medicine; both of them gritted their teeth and endured the pain as they ran forward.
Suddenly, thunder rumbled and a torrential downpour began. The rain fell harder and harder, and the Ginseng Elder Tree stood like a silent specter. The road beneath them was instantly soaked by the rain like pebbles, turning into a muddy mess. A fierce wind blew past their ears, causing the raindrops to slant and hit them, mixed with fine snowflakes and ice pellets that seeped into their skin and chilled them to the bone.
Zhong Xue's wounds worsened as the rain soaked him; his face turned pale as paper, and it seemed that with every step he took, his legs trembled.
San Chun supported him, but in the rain, she couldn't tell which way was south or north. They ran aimlessly until he became so exhausted that he could hardly move. With no other choice, San Chun had to carry him on her back.
After walking for a while, Zhong Xue seemed to lose consciousness. She called out his name several times but couldn't wake him up. She felt a mix of emotions; they were not on the same path to begin with. It would have been fine if he had just left her behind, but now they were being chased by wolves and caught in such heavy rain. She didn't know if it was his just deserts or if it was her fate. Fortunately, because of the rain, those wolves did not catch up.
Reluctant to leave him behind alone, she realized that if they kept running in the rain like this, her body wouldn't hold up either. The priority now was to find a place to take shelter from the rain.
After walking for a while, the rain gradually lessened. With the moonlight as her guide, she could see a vague shadow in the distance among the mountains. The mountains loomed like a giant beast before her, wet and gaping wide like a massive wolf's mouth. Or perhaps it was large enough that she found a cave within it.
She was overjoyed and hurriedly pulled him closer as she walked toward the cave.
It was pouring rain outside, but the inside of the cave was quite dry. Exhausted, she stumbled and fell to the ground as soon as she entered, dragging Zhong Xue down with her. This fall startled him awake; he opened his eyes and saw San Chun gasping for breath on the ground. He couldn't help but sigh softly, "Why didn't you escape on your own?"
She turned her head and glared at him, "If you want me to leave, then I will! Carrying you is like carrying a pig; do you know how heavy you are?"
Zhong Xue forced a bitter smile; he truly didn't know how to respond to that. However, selfishly, he didn't want her to leave. In the vast mountains, it would be nearly impossible for him to survive alone. Yet, he also hoped she would go, or at least abandon him as a burden; she might have a better chance of getting out safely on her own.
San Chun was completely drained of energy and felt her body going limp. She was too tired to argue with him and closed her eyes for a moment to rest. After a while, when she suddenly realized she hadn't heard his voice anymore, she found it strange. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that he had already fallen unconscious.
She was startled and quickly crawled over to touch him; he felt incredibly hot. Having sustained serious injuries and being caught in the rain, it was no wonder he had a fever.
She rummaged through his belongings and found a medicine pouch in his arms. The large pouch had gotten wet in the rain, and when she grabbed it, it turned into a liquid mess.
Still, something was better than nothing. She picked out some thicker ointment and applied it to his wounds, finally managing to stop the bleeding. However, due to excessive blood loss, his face remained pale as a ghost, and combined with the high fever, if this continued, he could very well end up delirious.
She patted his face in an attempt to wake him up, but his cheeks were flushed red with fever, showing no signs of consciousness. Normally, if she dared to touch him even slightly, he would retaliate tenfold; now his quietness felt unsettling.
The most important thing now was to find a way to save him. She searched around and discovered that there were plenty of dry grass and firewood inside the cave. She gathered some into a pile and struck a match to start a fire for warmth.
His clothes were soaked through; wearing them would only worsen his condition. She reached out to remove his garments until he was left with only his underpants, then propped his clothes on branches above the fire to dry.
Adding more wood made the fire burn brighter and hotter. The flames illuminated his bare chest, casting a bright red glow across his skin.
She sat quietly beside him, waiting, but after a while, he still did not wake up. She touched his forehead and felt that the temperature there seemed to be even higher.
When she had entered the cave earlier, she noticed that there was quite a bit of Duckweed not far outside. This herb is very effective for reducing fever. Having followed Qing for two years, she had learned a thing or two and knew that this herb is also called Orchid Grass or Bamboo Leaf Grass. It can be used for fevers, clearing heat and detoxifying, and has antipyretic effects. It can also be used for sore throats, ulcers, and snake bites.
However, such herbs are generally found only in autumn; it was indeed strange to see them in the depths of winter.
After making sure he was comfortable, she went out to gather some, chewed it up, and stuffed it into his mouth. He couldn't swallow it, so she found a Wooden Stick to poke down his throat and forced it down. There was still some left; part of it was crushed and applied to his wound, while the rest she tucked away for future use.
She did not want him to die, especially not in front of her. She couldn't bear to think about what that would feel like or how lonely and desolate it would leave her. Perhaps it was something else entirely. In any case, she just wanted him to live.
She held him close, using her body heat to warm him up. This was not the first time she had touched his body; the last time at the Horse Riding Slope, she had taken the opportunity to feel him up a bit and even pulled his leg to dunk him into the water. Thinking back on that moment felt as if it had happened just yesterday, but their feelings were vastly different now. Back then, he was just a stranger; taking advantage of him didn’t seem wrong. But now they were entangled in too much; even if they got out of this Mountain Valley, it wouldn’t be easy to untangle themselves.
She sighed, suddenly feeling an indescribable emotion in her heart.
Since being chased by enemies, he had always protected her, risking his life twice to save her and refusing to abandon her in critical moments. She was not unmoved by this kindness; in fact, she felt a subtle concern and affection for him.
This slowly permeating love was even more captivating than a passionate romance. Perhaps from the very beginning, she had cared about him; she just didn’t want to admit it. Given his identity, she wanted nothing to do with him. But now, holding his body and gently tracing her fingers over his somewhat firm muscles, she realized that she had already fallen deeply for him.
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