"Ah—!"A startled cry rang out, sending the birds in the trees fluttering away in all directions.
The woman sitting on a rock glanced over lazily, as if this kind of thing was nothing new.Chewing on a roasted chicken leg, she asked in a laid-back tone, "What happened now?"
"Miss—" Bai Zhi ran over in panic.
"Call me Young Master," Gu Yan corrected her.
"Y-Young Master, there's a ghost over there!"
"A ghost?" Gu Yan's interest was instantly piqued. Could there really be ghosts in this world?
"Come on, take me to see it."Gu Yan tossed aside the leftover chicken bones and wiped her hands with a leaf.
"I…" Bai Zhi hesitated, then finally summoned the courage to say those three words. "I'm not going!"
Gu Yan shot her a sideways glance. "That ghost has already seen you. Who knows, it might crawl over here along the moonlight in a moment…"
Her gloomy tone made Bai Zhi break out in goosebumps.
"Don't worry, your Young Master will protect you!"Gu Yan put an arm around her shoulders and dragged her toward the riverside grass.
By the light of the moon, they pushed aside the tall grass with branches, and sure enough, a human figure lay hidden inside.
Gu Yan stepped forward and kicked the person with her foot. There was no response.
The man was soaked through, as if he had drifted down the river from upstream.
She crouched down to take a closer look. "Tsk!"
His thin lips were lightly pressed together, his sword-like brows swept into his temples, and his sharply defined features looked as if they had been carved by a blade. Even the mud on his face could not hide his noble aura.
What a handsome man!
Gu Yan reached out to check his breathing."He's still alive. Bai Zhi, let's carry him to the cave over there!"
"Young Master, didn't you say we shouldn't save people so casually?"
"I've always been kind-hearted!" Gu Yan felt both amused and annoyed. Such a rare beauty, and this girl had no sense of cherishing him at all!
Bai Zhi muttered, "Yes, yes, you're always right, Young Master."
In this freezing winter, if he were left by the river all night, he would probably be stiff by morning.
The two of them struggled to lift the man onto the horse and slowly transported him to the cave.
The cave was not wide, but it was long and narrow. From the entrance, you couldn't see the space inside at all—it was very well hidden.
Gu Yan laid the man flat on the ground and carefully checked his pulse. Her brows knitted together.
After a moment, she instructed, "Go keep watch."
At that, Bai Zhi quickly scanned the surroundings and then took up position at the cave entrance.
After years of wandering the martial world together, they had already formed a tacit understanding—this clearly meant that the Young Master was about to use acupuncture.
Gu Yan stripped off the man's damp clothes and tossed them by the fire.
Let this count as a good deed for the day, she thought to herself.
She took out her silver needles, sterilized them over the fire, and swiftly and accurately inserted them into his acupoints. Soon, his chest was covered with needles.
Next, she hesitated. The poison needed to be guided downward, so she also had to needle his legs.
But that would mean removing his trousers.
She was a young woman, after all. Even though she often dressed as a man, she wasn't really one.
After only a brief pause, she pulled down his trousers. A doctor's duty was to save lives.
But when she saw his male anatomy, her face flushed red at once.
She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and calmly inserted the needles into the proper points.
When she was done, she stood up and called out to Bai Zhi, "Get some sleep. We still have to travel tomorrow. I'll keep watch tonight."
Bai Zhi was already exhausted. Hearing this, she lay down on some dry grass and soon fell into a deep, steady sleep.
Bai Zhi was on the outer side of the cave and couldn't see what was happening deeper inside. She assumed the Young Master had finished the treatment.
When the time came, Gu Yan removed the silver needles. Even though she tried to avoid it, she still ended up seeing the man's naked body in full.
Blushing, she covered him with a layer of dry grass. His clothes weren't dry yet, so he would have to stay bare for a while longer. In any case, no one else was around to see.
Besides, she was a doctor—she didn't count as "someone else."
As she lowered her head, she didn't notice that the man's eyes opened slightly for a moment, then quickly closed again in weakness.
While covering him, Gu Yan saw his well-defined abs. Unable to resist, she reached out and touched them.
She was a doctor, after all. Touching a patient's body was perfectly normal—it helped with treatment!
Thinking that, she gave them a few more squeezes before stopping.
By the firelight, Gu Yan noticed something on the man's clothes.
She went closer and saw that it was a jade pendant of excellent quality.
She played with it in her hand. It felt warm and smooth—clearly something valuable.
She had gone to so much trouble to save him. Was she not allowed to take a bit of consultation fee?
With that thought, she tucked the jade pendant into her clothes.
In the firelight, the man looked truly handsome. She couldn't help but reach out and touch his face.
Not only was he good-looking, his figure was excellent too, and his abs felt quite nice.
It was just a mystery why such a handsome man had been poisoned.
The poison was extremely rare. Even she had never seen it before. All she had done was relieve it for now—completely removing it would surely take a long time.
Gu Yan didn't want to think about it any further. She was far too tired.
Besides, this man had nothing to do with her. She had simply saved a life out of kindness.
Leaning against the stone wall, she soon closed her eyes.
Gu Yan felt as if she were lying on a soft bed, sleeping comfortably.
She suddenly opened her eyes—somehow, she was now lying beside the man.
And he was still naked.
Oh no! Her innocence!
Gu Yan jumped up at once, but the sudden movement woke the man.
He opened his eyes, looking over with a dazed gaze. In the space of a single breath, clarity returned to them.
He moved with lightning speed, grabbing Gu Yan by the throat.
He was incredibly strong, clearly a trained fighter, and Gu Yan had no chance to resist.
With a flick of her hand, powder flew into his mouth and nose.
With a dull thud, his arm dropped, and his whole body collapsed back onto the dry grass.
"I saved you, and you still try to kill me. You really don't know a good thing when you see one!" Gu Yan scolded.
"Bai Zhi, let's go! Sure enough, men's faces can't be trusted!"
"Don't be fooled by his good looks—he's actually terrible! I even wasted my time saving him!"
"Quick, Bai Zhi, let's go! He'll wake up soon—we have to leave right now!"
Bai Zhi sprang up and was dragged out of the cave by her Young Master.
After they had ridden for half an hour in one go, Gu Yan finally allowed them to stop.
"He was poisoned and also hit with my sleeping powder. He shouldn't be able to catch up."
"I told you, Young Master, we shouldn't have saved him," Bai Zhi said, panting for breath.
"Alright, alright, next time I'll listen to you," Gu Yan said, sticking out her tongue.
"You say that every time, but whenever you see a handsome face, you can't even walk!"Bai Zhi only dared mutter this quietly—she would never let her Young Master hear it.
"That's Wan Yi City up ahead, right?" Gu Yan gazed at the distant city walls, her eyes slightly unfocused.
"Yes!" Bai Zhi took out a map and checked it carefully before answering with certainty.
"Once we enter that city, there will be no freedom left…" A trace of sadness appeared on Gu Yan's face.
After a moment, she urged her horse forward, slowly riding toward the city.