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墨書 Inktalez
“Zhong Xue, what should I do with you?” she murmured, holding him even tighter.
It was unclear whether the herbs she had gathered were effective or if his fever had reached a critical point and caused a reaction, but after a while, his body temperature gradually decreased, eventually becoming so cold that it felt as if he were not alive.
San Chun was filled with dread, her hand lightly touching his nose, where there was no breath. Had he died?
Was it because she had misremembered the medicine? This Duckweed didn’t reduce fevers; instead, it was for treating athlete's foot?
She had caused his death. A wave of sorrow surged within her; when he was alive, she hadn’t thought much of him, but now that he was gone, she suddenly realized how important he truly was.
After crying over his lifeless body for a while, she knelt on the ground and prayed for him: “A and B wood in the east, Bing and Ding fire in the south, exit the east gate, cross the big bridge, walk out the door facing forward, back facing backward, take one step forward, take one step back, it’s as if you haven’t moved at all. Your uncle, your second uncle, they are all your uncles. All gods and spirits, bless the deceased to reach paradise quickly. In the next life, please don’t be born as a person…”
At that moment, the seemingly motionless corpse suddenly stirred. Zhong Xue opened his eyes and sighed slightly, “With this kind of incantation of yours, even a dead person would be angered back to life.”
This set of words was from Qing Academy. Previously when he hunted in the mountains, he would recite it every time he caught prey. She had asked him why these words and not others; he said it was taught by his master, and he learned it word for word.
She was astonished at what kind of soul-deficient master could come up with such a thing. But despite being soul-deficient, it sounded quite interesting; in the end, she learned it too and took pride in it, reciting it whenever she had the chance. Eventually, even Qing got annoyed by her recitations and exclaimed, “Whether it's your uncle or your second uncle, if you want an uncle so badly, I’ll give you one.”
“Okay.” She surprisingly nodded and then saw Qing’s expression of despair.
Now seeing him come back to life made her happy inside, but she said aloud: “It’s even better that you’re alive again. If I had this ability, I could open a living person museum in the future and wouldn’t have to worry about food.”
Zhong Xue sighed; getting her to say something nice about him would probably be harder than climbing a mountain.
It seemed he had harmed her too much in the past; even though she had lost her memory, she still remembered he wasn’t a good person.
He hadn’t actually died earlier; he had just lost strength from the fever and didn’t want to move. But now that he felt better, he needed to plan how to escape this cursed place.
He said, “You go out first and see where this is.”
San Chun looked outside the cave; at this moment, the heavy rain had stopped. A mist rose from the canyon, enveloping the cave entrance in a dreamlike haze.
Through the damp air, she seemed to faintly smell a fragrance—something like orchid but not quite; something like musk but not quite; and not exactly like plum blossom either—making it hard to discern what could emit such a scent in this Winter Day. Perhaps it was her nose playing tricks on her; after the fragrance came an awful stench that resembled something emitted from an animal's abdomen when overheated. If one accidentally burped from their stomach at that moment, it would produce this kind of smell.
She covered her nose and asked, “What is that terrible smell? Did you fart?”
Zhong Xue frowned, even if it was a fart, it shouldn't smell like this.
"Go look for any living creatures around here."
San Chun also felt the same. As she stood up, she suddenly felt something cool on her head, as if something was dripping down. She reached up to touch it and found a sticky, foul-smelling substance on her hand.
"What is this?"
When she looked up abruptly, she saw a snake as thick as a baby's arm coiled on the ceiling of the cave, dripping what seemed to be saliva onto her.
Overwhelmed with shock, she stepped back and bumped into Zhong Xue. Zhong Xue, already weak, stumbled backward against the cave wall. As he touched the wall with his hands, he felt something soft and squishy. Turning his head, he immediately saw countless snakes lying against the cave wall; not only on the wall but also in the hay, there were many as well. A quick glance revealed there were at least a hundred of them, each as thick as a finger and varying in length.
San Chun looked around in fear and noticed many broken shells in the grass. It dawned on her that this was actually a Snake Den, and the hay was prepared for the snakes to hatch. They had inadvertently caused these snakes to break out of their shells by lighting a fire here.
But what kind of strange snakes were these? Typically, snakes lay eggs in spring, and there was still over a month until the beginning of spring; it was quite rare for them to hatch so early. Especially since they were already this large upon hatching—what kind of astonishing mother must they have?
Thinking this made her scalp tingle with fear, and she hurriedly pulled Zhong Xue up from the ground.
Zhong Xue stumbled unsteadily to his feet and fell into her arms, just managing to pass her the Iron Sword he had been tightly gripping.
There were many snakes on the ground, crawling all over without even a place to step. With one hand holding the sword and the other supporting him, they fought their way through the snakes, surrounded by a stench of blood. Fortunately, these snakes had just hatched and were still weak; killing some of them wasn't too difficult.
They were eager to escape and didn't want to cause more killing than necessary, quickly slashing through some before running out.
Zhong Xue's injuries were still severe; he couldn't walk far at all. Just outside the cave, his legs gave way and he collapsed onto the ground. San Chun gritted her teeth and carried him on her back. Staying here even a moment longer meant more danger; if their mother snake returned and saw many of her young dead at their hands, she would surely come after them in rage.
She wanted to run further away, but Zhong Xue was too heavy. Injured herself, she lacked the strength to move quickly. After gritting her teeth and walking for about a hundred meters, she felt she could no longer continue.
Seeing her struggle, Zhong Xue sighed and said, "Just leave me behind and escape on your own."
"Shut up."
San Chun snapped back at him, feeling quite pleased that she could finally show off in front of him. But pride didn't equate to strength; after gritting her teeth and forcing herself a few more steps, she finally collapsed onto the ground.
He felt a pang of sympathy. "You should rest for a moment; perhaps the mothers of those snakes won't arrive so quickly."
"Shut up," she snapped again.
Zhong Xue sighed softly, knowing she would not abandon him. If she were truly capable of that, she wouldn't be Yan Dan.
The Yan Dan of those days had a strong sense of chivalry. She treated A Cat and A Dog exceptionally well; how could she possibly leave him, a living person, behind? Yet he genuinely wished she could be heartless and disregard him. He was no longer able to protect her and was merely a burden to her. Only by abandoning her would his chances of survival increase.
He chuckled lightly, deliberately provoking her. "You risk your life to save me; when this Lord returns, I will surely reward you handsomely. How about serving this Lord and marrying him instead?"
Normally, she would have been furious and scolded him for his shamelessness, but today, strangely, she merely lowered her head without any reaction.
"What’s wrong? Are you shy now?"
San Chun observed him feigning nonchalance while his body trembled like leaves in a wild wind, unable to hide his weakness. She couldn't help but sigh softly. "If you can still talk, save some energy and rest up; otherwise, who knows if you'll even have the chance to marry."
Zhong Xue felt a surge of joy. If he didn't know her character so well, he might have doubted whether she suddenly wanted to marry him.
He pretended to be sorrowful. "If I die, you can go find Ji Xun."
Many people knew he and Ji Xun were at odds. San Chun had long wondered what grievances lay between them, but now was not the time for questions. She simply said again, "Shut up."
Zhong Xue truly fell silent but smiled as he looked at her, his eyes filled with hidden affection. Being with her, even death seemed acceptable.
San Chun lowered her head slightly, unsure if it was out of embarrassment. She hoisted him onto her back again and swayed as she moved forward.
It was unclear how long they had walked or if they hadn't gone far at all; perhaps it was just Zhong Xue's subconscious wishing they had traveled far. Suddenly, lifting her gaze, she saw a scene resembling a fairyland.
It was a cluster of tranquil Lilacs; the flowers had yet to bloom and were bathed in moonlight. Perhaps due to the recent rain, all the flowers seemed damp and distinct from one another. At this moment, the bright moon hung high in the sky, blending light and shadow with the purple blossoms into a wonderfully strange beauty.
The fragrance of Lilacs was exceptionally strong; perhaps this was the scent she had caught in the cave. It was strange that there would be Lilacs in this season.
However, upon seeing the misty surface of water hidden behind the clusters of flowers, that question became irrelevant.
This should be the hot spring mentioned in the legends.
The spring water is boiling and clear, with flowing currents and gentle ripples swaying lightly in the wind, reflecting a faint shimmer under the moonlight.
I didn't expect there to be such a wonderful place in the mountains. The winding paths lead to secluded spots, and the melodious calls of beautiful birds can be heard everywhere, making it an excellent place for relaxation and enjoyment.
Qing has long yearned for this kind of hot spring. It contains various minerals that can beautify the skin and strengthen the body. If herbs like Angelica, Bone-penetrating Grass, Dandelion, and Atractylodes are added, it also has effects of dispelling wind and dampness, promoting blood circulation, and nourishing the kidneys and boosting energy.
Although this hot spring may not have many medicinal herbs added to it, surrounded by wild herbs in the mountains, the seeds and flowers of those herbs have long since fallen into the water, creating a natural herbal bath.
Zhong Xue was also delighted to see the hot spring and immediately wanted to soak in it.
San Chun looked around and saw many healing Bai Ji and Side White Leaf by the shore. Assuming that the water had healing properties, she picked him up and walked into the pool.
The water reached only their waists, with pebbles at the bottom that felt a bit uncomfortable underfoot. She tossed him into the water and found a comfortable spot to sit. The hot spring was completely natural, with a salty taste mixed with a hint of sulfur; it was purely clear. Sitting in it felt like soaking away all her fatigue; her mind became refreshed, and her whole body felt delicate like a lover's kiss. She closed her eyes and fully enjoyed the comforting and intimate feeling it brought.
Sitting in the pool, she gazed at the vast starry sky. The water felt like a warm sun, as if leading her into a realm of comfort. Soaking in the hot spring amidst the rising mist felt dreamlike and ethereal, intoxicating yet divine—indescribably wonderful, giving a sense of "after bathing, it feels as if one's skin and bones have been renewed."
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