Su Shuilian woke up to the loud sound of rough fighting.
Fighting sounds? Realising this, Su Shuilian suddenly sat up.
Since there were sounds of people fighting, then she must not be far from the end of this forest. But looking up at the still dark sky, who could these people be?
Su Shuilian silently got up and glanced at the two wolf pups sleeping on the tiger skin before she walked towards the origin of the sound. Careful not to make any noise, she quickly peeked out from the large rock she was hiding behind.
Looking in front of her, she saw a group of darkly dressed men fighting… No, it was seven to eight men ganging up against another darkly dressed, weaponless man.
One man from the group could be seen putting his blade against the surrounded man’s neck. He coldly said: “Even with the body numbing powder and the red dove powder, you are still able to actively resist… Lord was right, leaving you alive will do more harm than good.”
After speaking, the man made a gesture with his hands. With that, all the surrounding men aimed their weapons and at the same time, pierced at the silent man in the middle.
Witnessing such a brutal scene, Su Shuilian almost fainted. She quickly covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming.
The man’s body then quickly fell onto the ground and laid there motionless.
The same man who had just spoken before was the last to pull his sword out. He coldly added: “Si Ling, you only have yourself to blame. You shined and excelled at your job, but as assassins, we are to remain in the shadows.” Then he turned, waved his hand, and the eight people instantly disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Su Shuilian who had witnessed the whole scene was left speechless. She cannot believe that in just a few minutes, she had watched the act of a brutal murder. Yesterday, she and the 2 pups were just playing there, but now… Some things were really unpredictable ah!
Not until a small whimper was heard did she come back from her dazed state. Looking down, she saw that the two puppies had awoken and were by her feet. Su Shuilian squatted down and patted their heads. She also wiped her forehead and dried her cold sweat. Taking a deep breath, she decided to approach the man.
Hopefully, he isn’t dead… But looking at the multiple deep wounds on his body, death was not a surprising outcome. Guess she had to dig a hole to bury him in. Looking at the tall man in front her, Su Shuilian couldn’t help but already feel her hands numbing… To dig a hole for this man, how deep would she have to dig ah?
She walked closer to man to size him up. Looking at his bloody body she could not help but wrinkle her brow. She took a closer look at his face: he was frowning, his face pale white, as if drained of blood.
Frowning? Su Shuilian crouched down and tried to endure her urge to grimace. She then put her finger under the man’s nose. After a while, she let out a blooming smile. Good, he was alive! However, his breathing was faint and most people would think he was dead.
“Xiǎo Chún, be good and help bring my bag to me.” Su Shuilian patted the wolf cub’s head and pointed at their previous resting location behind the bushes. The little wolf wagged its tail, indicating that it understood her. It quickly ran to get her bag, bringing the tiger skin as well.
Su Shuilian opened the baggage and took out the crystal gourd containing the green liquid. She also took out a wooden spoon and carefully poured the liquid into the man’s mouth. She closed his mouth, not letting the liquid go to waste, and pinched his nose to let him swallow.
This amount should be able to save his life. Previously, she had used a tiny amount on her cut skin and it healed, so ingesting this should help prevent blood loss. Shuilian felt relieved when she saw the man’s face gradually gaining color.
At the same time, Shuilian swept her gaze onto the man’s bloody attire. His body was full of wounds, especially on his chest and abdomen. If let untreated, she feared that it would get badly infected.
Without a second thought, Shuilian used her dagger to cut apart his clothing to take a closer look at his wounds. Looking at his body, she forced down her urge to vomit and started to gently apply the liquid onto his body with her hands.
Only until all the blood seemed to have clotted did she stop applying. From her bag, she took out her only cotton clothing and with her dagger, she cut it into long strips of cloth and bandaged his wounds. When she camped with her cousin, she had picked up first-aid from the way he had treated her. It wasn’t until the foul smell of blood was gone did she stop bandaging his body.
Washing her hands at the nearby creek, Shuilian soaked the rest of the cloth in water and brought it to the man to wipe his face of sweat. It was a hot summer day, thus just by doing these few actions caused her to perspire a lot ah. However, looking at the man who was now cleaned up without any visible signs of blood, it was much more pleasing to her eyes.
This was much better. Putting her hands together, Shuilian then walked 2 laps around the motionless man. Propping her chin with her fingers, she thought and said outloud while sighing: “To leave him like this after exhausting the green liquid and my only change of clothing would not be a good idea. If we were to leave and he were to be eaten by a wild beast, that would put all my hard work to naught…”
Waving her hands, not minding if the two pups understood her words, Shuilian added: “Xiǎo Chún, Xiǎo Xuě, it seems we have to delay our trip out of the forest for now… But I can’t carry this grown man by myself, we have to think of another method…”
Su Shuilian, with the two little wolf cubs, started to gather many tree branches and vines. She had prepared to use a weaving method to make a board large enough to place the man onto and dragged him back into the cave.
After making up her mind, Shuilian and the little wolf pups decided to first eat. After drinking some water, Shuilian used the cotton cloth to patiently drop some water into the man’s mouth.
She then checked his breathing. It seemed to be much more stable now.
After finishing her meal, Shuilian sat not too far from the man and started to weave the branches.
Shuilian couldn’t help but sigh… Her long awaited plan to leave the forest had been postponed because she could not bear to leave the helpless… After this man wakes up, she would have him help her by leading the way out, or her hard work would be in vain… But then again, he might repay her good deed by killing her…
Realising her thoughts, Shuilian could not help but shiver… He wouldn’t do such a thing, right? But then again, she was not afraid of him. After all, she still had the two juvenile wolves with her. Moreover, this forest was very familiar to her and she could use her home as an advantage to escape. After reassuring herself, Shuilian stopped thinking and concentrated on her weaving…
—–
Before dusk, Shuilian had finally brought the man into the cave.
First, she laid the tiger fur onto the ground. She then laid the man on top of the skin. After properly placing the man, she fell to the ground due to exhaustion.
“Woo woo”, two little pups sounded, indicating that they were hungry.
“…Okay, I will prepare some food. You two can rest first. After all, Xiǎo Chún Xiǎo Xuě, you both had done a lot today as well.” Su Shui massaged her numbed legs and struggled to get up to make a fire in preparation to making some stew.
It seems that the next time she prepares to leave, she would have to leave early dawn so that she can maybe get out of the forest before nightfall. Either that, or she would have to bring a torch.
But then again, thinking of the group of men who quickly dispersed, it seemed that they were proficient in martial arts. But she was not, so making it out of the forest in a day was not a possibility. Moreover, would she be able to find a village to stay in as soon as she gets out of the forest?
Forget it, let’s wait until that man wakes up to inquire about it.
—
After finishing the soup, Shuilian filled up two bowls and passed it to the wolves. She then cut 2 pieces off the previously hunted pheasant and gave it to them. Finally, she gave herself some soup and some wild berries.
After she finished, Shuilian walked to the black clothed man and leaned over to check his temperature by feeling his forehead. He was not hot, so he should be alright, but too bad he remained unconscious. Fortunately, the green liquid replenishes qi on top of healing the body. The man had drank a mouthful, so even if he did not eat for a few days, it should be alright.
—
After the sun had risen, Shuilian got up. She carved another line on the cave walls; it had already been 5 days since she had brought the man back. Looking back at the man, she sighed. Although his breathing was stable, he was still unconscious.
Combing her hair and repositioning her clothing, Shuilian got up to go to the nearby creek to wash her face.
After Shuilian had left the cave, the man slowly opened his eyes. His eyes flashed with a cold chill.