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Vanilla lightly lifted one hand, pulling out a sharp little knife from her sleeve and handing it over, wondering if this delicate young lady could endure the pain.
Yun Kong took the knife and quietly said to Mei Shuang, "Bear with it." With a swift motion, he made a small cross incision at Mei Shuang's wound, causing her vision to darken as she nearly fainted.
Usually squeamish at the sight of needles, Mei Shuang found herself undergoing surgery without any anesthesia. Despite her best efforts to grit her teeth, she trembled in pain. If she hadn't instinctively bitten down on Yun Kong's shoulder, she would have surely cried out.
The red and black patterned venomous snake clearly had potent poison, likely paralyzing the nerves and leading to death.
In just a moment, her arm began to feel numb, and her body felt somewhat stiff.
Was it worth risking her life to save Yun Kong?
This was the dilemma that plagued Mei Shuang before she lost consciousness.
After the group had vented their anger and left, Vanilla's legs had long since gone numb. She quickly stepped out of the tree hollow to stretch her limbs and immediately helped Yun Kong carry the unconscious Mei Shuang to a dry spot.
In reality, despite the severity of the snake venom, Mei Shuang's pulse indicated that she was not in serious trouble.
Yun Kong frowned as he observed Mei Shuang for a while. He took out a silver needle from a small vial and instructed Vanilla to help prop Mei Shuang up. He then needled a pressure point on her back for a while before gently pricking another point on her chest with just the right amount of force.
Before long, it seemed as if someone had given Mei Shuang a strong pat from behind; she suddenly leaned forward and coughed up a mouthful of dark blood before slowly opening her eyes.
"I can't believe... I'm okay? I thought I would never see you again..."
Although Mei Shuang's first words upon waking were weak, they were so touching that Yun Kong couldn't help but feel relieved and smile softly as he replied, "How could that be?"
Vanilla chimed in, "You have no idea how worried he was just now..."
Mei Shuang thought to herself, I ended up in this situation because I was trying to save your young master? It almost turned me into poison myself.
Even though the snake venom had been neutralized, Mei Shuang felt utterly drained from the back-and-forth between being poisoned and then cured. Her body was weak and fatigued.
Wherever there are venomous snakes, there must be herbs to counteract their poison.
Xiang Cao carefully searched the area where the snake had appeared for medicinal herbs to give to Mei Shuang, allowing her to regain her senses.
As they descended the mountain, Xiang Cao led the way while Yun Kong insisted on carrying Mei Shuang on his back. Grateful for the relief, Mei Shuang lay on Yun Kong's back and fell into a deep sleep.
...
"Young Master, this Miss Mei Shuang is truly righteous. In such a dangerous moment, she thought of you first... Oh, I can't even imagine what I would do if that snake had bitten you instead!"
Recalling the peril they had faced in the hollow of the tree, Xiang Cao felt deeply moved by Mei Shuang's selfless act, yet she still shuddered at the memory. "Young Master, does your shoulder still hurt? If that young lady had bitten down any harder, she might have taken a chunk out of you..."
Yun Kong shook his head. At that critical moment, Mei Shuang had bitten him hard on the shoulder but managed to remain silent; it was quite resilient of her.
Seeing Yun Kong focused solely on carrying Mei Shuang without saying a word, Xiang Cao sighed and continued, "Young Master, I don't think this Miss Mei Shuang is as unbearable as Miss Ru described... Leaving aside her noble birth, Miss Ru always said she relied on her status as a legitimate daughter to bully others and was arrogant beyond measure... But these days, I've found that Miss Mei Shuang is not only beautiful but also kind-hearted, knowledgeable, and has excellent penmanship. She doesn't act haughty at all! Such an Empress being deposed... Sigh, Young Master, do you think she became this way because of being the Deposed Empress Mei Shuang?"
Yun Kong shot a glance at the chattering Xiang Cao and replied coolly, "It's easy to change a kingdom but hard to change one's nature. Try turning a bad person into a good one."
Xiang Cao stuck out her tongue; indeed, she understood such a simple truth.
The two took another path down the mountain, stopping occasionally along the way. By the time they reached the bottom, daylight had fully broken.
Mei Shuang, who had been dozing on Yun Kong's back for half the day, finally woke up. Seeing that Yun Kong was already sweating from exertion, she insisted on walking by herself.
Xiang Cao hurried forward to support her while inquiring about her well-being.
Although they had arrived at the Mountain Base, all that could be seen were barren grasslands and forests stretching endlessly.
"Where are we going?" Mei Shuang asked.
Yun Kong, walking ahead, replied, "We have already left the jurisdiction of Qizhou. If we walk a few more miles, there will be a small village where we can stay for a few days..."
"Stay for a few days?" Mei Shuang was instantly speechless.
Having finally escaped the palace, she thought that even if her life wouldn't be perfect, at least she could roam freely.
She never expected to become a wanted criminal with the entire city on high alert. Now it felt like she had returned to her previous life, living on the edge, constantly anxious and terrified. To put it bluntly, it was worse than being a rat in the street; it was a life where one was secretly watched and felt like they couldn't be seen by others.
Thinking about this made Mei Shuang feel weak in the legs, and she simply sat down on the ground, refusing to move.
"Hey, miss, what's wrong?"
Mei Shuang's sudden sit-down caused Xiang Cao to stumble as well, prompting her to rush over to help.
Yun Kong also stopped.
Mei Shuang refused to get up, staring blankly at Yun Kong. She recalled the moment she had escaped from Lin Yuan's warm embrace and nearly fell under a horse's hooves before Yun Kong saved her. With a deep sigh towards the sky, she lamented, "This is fate, damn it."
Once out of the capital, if it hadn't rained continuously, she wouldn't have stayed in that shabby inn; if she hadn't stayed there, she wouldn't have met Lin Yuan. If Lin Yuan hadn't accidentally touched her forbidden area, she wouldn't have impulsively slapped him. If she hadn't slapped him, she wouldn't have been taken by Lin Tian'er to be a servant. Yet she had enjoyed that life. If only she had been more cautious and found an excuse to leave Lin Residence earlier for Jiangnan, she wouldn't have been entangled with Lin Yuan who had seen through her identity. She wouldn't have nearly lost her life under horse hooves nor been saved by her enemy Yun Kong. All of this happened because of those events!
If—she emphasized if—none of this had happened, wouldn’t she be enjoying herself in Jiangnan right now?
At this thought, Mei Shuang felt an overwhelming regret. It was all her fault for indulging in comfort at Lin Residence for too long that led her to live in such a state now—neither human nor ghost.
Yun Kong felt inexplicably bewildered as Mei Shuang stared at him intently. He looked himself over, finding nothing amiss.
Xiang Cao was also taken aback by Mei Shuang's nonsensical words, staring at her blank expression. She turned to Yun Kong and asked, "Young Master, could it be that Miss is... dazed?"
At that moment, Yun Kong could somewhat empathize with Mei Shuang's feelings.
Living in such times was like walking on the edge of a knife, a life of turmoil that not just anyone could endure, especially someone born into privilege like her. They had grown accustomed to this way of life, but the delicate daughter of the Left Chancellor seemed to be showing signs of a mental breakdown.
After pondering for a moment, he could only comfort Mei Shuang. "I know that the current situation is quite difficult for you..."
These days, Mei Shuang had been living in constant fear, and they had never discussed the hardships they faced. Perhaps his words suddenly struck a chord with her, as she went from being dazed to visibly shaken, her emotions spiraling out of control. Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.
In all their time together, this was the first time Yun Kong had seen Mei Shuang cry, and it was a silent weeping. Her shoulders shook as tears streamed down like pearls from a broken string, showing no signs of stopping.
At that moment, silence spoke louder than words. Mei Shuang's tears made Xiang Cao feel extremely uncomfortable; she looked at Yun Kong in distress, unsure how to console her. For Yun Kong, it felt as if any words would be meaningless; no matter what comforting phrases were exchanged, they still had to face the reality ahead. The road before them was fraught with uncertainty.
Though he felt a scratching sensation in his heart, he could only offer her a handkerchief.
With tear-filled eyes, Mei Shuang was surprised to see the clean handkerchief before her. She took it and wiped her face haphazardly before standing up. "Let's go."
Her tears came quickly and left just as fast.
By the time she spoke again, aside from her reddened eyes, her face was already calm and composed.
As the three resumed their journey, even Xiang Cao, who had been chattering away moments ago, fell silent.
Miss Mei Shuang had likely been crying over her own misfortunes, but who could say that Xiang Cao and Yun Kong were faring any better? In just a few days' time, this noble lady from a wealthy family could hardly bear it anymore. As for Xiang Cao and Yun Kong, their struggles in the outside world were far too complex to articulate. Ultimately, they were all just people adrift in the same stormy sea.
In fact, the fate of this Young Lady is relatively better; after all, it is just her personal matter, and there must be an end to it, right? But what about the Jiu Rang Family? With so many people, when will it ever come to an end?
Thinking of this, Vanilla couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness wash over her, and she began to sob.
Yun Kong and Mei Shuang stopped and looked at Vanilla crying, not understanding why.
After a while, Vanilla approached Mei Shuang and sniffled, "I want to ask you, are you really the savior of our Jiu Rang Family?"
Mei Shuang was taken aback.
Yun Kong remained silent; clearly, although Vanilla's question was abrupt, he also wanted to hear Mei Shuang's answer.
Mei Shuang took a deep breath and spoke solemnly, "Vanilla, I have never been any savior. I have no connection with the Eastern Kingdom and know nothing about it... However, if we are talking about a savior, I suppose Queen Meiru of the Great Qin Empire, who allied with the Eastern Kingdom, could be considered one..."
Yun Kong gazed intently at Mei Shuang, a hint of complex emotions flickering in his dark eyes.
She was bothered by the fact that the Eastern Kingdom had allied with Mei Ru and jointly forced her to lift the curse for the Eastern Kingdom.
Vanilla had a simple mind; she pondered over Mei Shuang's words and said in confusion and frustration, "To save you, the young master went to see Miss Ru to ask for the antidote, but now he has severed ties with her. If that's the case, it would be too late to go back and find her now..."
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