"Am I right no matter what I say?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Ashu is a puppy."
"......"
Seeing Li Shuchen's stunned expression, Qi Huan burst into laughter, her bright eyes curving like crescent moons, a mischievous glint dancing in them.
She couldn't resist teasing him further: "Am I right or not?"
"......"
Left speechless, Li Shuchen leaned in and captured her soft lips, gently nibbling and teasing.
A short while later.
Qi Huan, slightly breathless, tried to push him away, but feared hurting his wound. In her urgency, she could only lightly pinch his arm.
"You've gone back on your word! You promised not to get handsy until you've healed."
"I used my mouth, not my hands."
"......Your mouth isn't allowed either!"
Hearing this, Li Shuchen immediately closed his mouth, but suddenly coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
He quickly covered his lips, turning away to hide it from Qi Huan.
However, it was too late.
Qi Huan moved closer, her eyes filled with worry: "Ashu, what's wrong?"
"Are you hurt somewhere else?"
As she spoke, she quickly pulled open Li Shuchen's clothes.
Her gaze traveled from his muscular chest to his strong arms, examining him thoroughly.
Apart from the wound on his waist, there was only an old scar on the back of his hand.
Having ruled out external injuries and noticing the black blood on his lips, Qi Huan had a sudden realization.
"Have you been poisoned?"
Li Shuchen never lied to her, and he finally nodded slightly.
In the cockpit, warm air blew from the vents, but despite the cozy temperature, Qi Huan suddenly felt cold.
In a panic, she asked her system for help: "Search for all antidotes."
"Host, I don't need to search to know there aren't any. Think rationally, who would buy such things online?"
"By the time the delivery arrives, the person would already be dead."
"......"
As reason gradually returned, Qi Huan turned to Li Shuchen: "We'll go down the mountain at dawn."
Although assassins were still lying in wait outside, she couldn't wait any longer. She wanted to get Li Shuchen back to the city as soon as possible.
Her gaze fell on Li Shuchen's disheveled, blood-stained clothes, and she addressed her system again: "Search for men's loungewear."
"Certainly, Host."
Whoosh——
A package materialized out of thin air.
She tore open the packaging and handed Li Shuchen the blue silk pajamas, gesturing for him to change.
She then purchased a cotton quilt, and they slept under it without any funny business.
The next morning.
Her ears were assaulted by the system's noisy mechanical voice.
"Beep beep, Host, wake up."
"Beep beep, Host, wake up."
"Beep beep, lazy pig Host, wake up."
"...Mute."
Qi Huan opened her eyes and turned to see Li Shuchen's peaceful sleeping face, her gaze tracing his delicate features.
She didn't have the heart to wake him.
Quietly bending down in front of him, she crouched and gently changed his dressing.
When Li Shuchen woke up, he looked down to see her small head crouched by his legs, causing his breath to catch.
His gaze, as if scalded, quickly moved away.
However, Qi Huan's soft, gentle breathing tickled him like a feather, making his blood rush from his heart to his limbs, burning hot.
Li Shuchen spoke with a husky voice: "Qi Huan, get up."
"Just a moment, let me finish wrapping the bandage."
Qi Huan held the edge of the bandage, reaching around to his lower back, circling it a few times before tying a pretty bow.
She had been crouching for a while, and her legs were slightly numb. As she stood up, she stumbled, falling straight towards Li Shuchen.
Li Shuchen grunted, catching her and pulling her onto his lap, his gaze deep as he looked at her, as if he wanted to devour her.
"Your injury is on your waist, we can't."
"Ice cold for a thousand years, all things still; the heart should be calm, I hope to focus solely on you; heart and spirit as one, energy should follow; like me, unperturbed by ten thousand changes; no folly, no anger, no desire, no seeking; no abandoning, no rejecting, no action, no self......"
Qi Huan recited the Heart-Calming Mantra for him.
She had unknowingly memorized it after hearing Li Shuchen recite it so many times before.
After reciting it 108 times, she left the space.
Dawn was breaking.
Inside the mountain cave, the three in the tent were still asleep.
She took out a stove and made a pot of porridge.
She woke Yan Qinghe with the aroma of the porridge.
Yan Qinghe rubbed his messy hair and after washing up, squatted beside her with a bowl.
Noticing the small plum blossom mark on her neck, Yan Qinghe curiously asked: "Are there mosquitoes in the Heavenly Court too?"
She avoided the question: "...The porridge is ready, let's eat."
Yan Qinghe happily took the bowl of porridge and didn't ask any more questions.
After silencing him, Qi Huan took another bowl of porridge into the space.
"Big mosquito, breakfast time."
"......"
After Li Shuchen finished eating, Qi Huan took the empty bowl out of the space and called out to Yan Qinghe:
"You stay here to take care of the seriously injured Yanwu and the big guy. I'll take Ashu down the mountain to see a doctor first."
Thinking of the dangers in the forest, Yan Qinghe disagreed: "There are many assassins outside. Let me go instead. I'll fight my way out with Ashu, then bring people back to get you."
Qi Huan shook her head: "Two fists can't fight four hands. It's hard enough for you alone to fight your way out, let alone with an injured Ashu."
"If I could safely get here, I can surely return the same way."
"If you agree, I'll say goodbye and leave."
"If you don't agree, I'll knock you out and then leave."
Hearing this, Yan Qinghe laughed: "If you can knock me out, I'll take your surname."
Qi Huan turned her bracelet, shooting out a numbing needle: "I'm sorry, Qi~ Qinghe."
"Ashu can't wait."
She purchased enough medicine, food, and water, piling them by the rock wall. Before leaving, she still felt uneasy and woke Yan Qinghe up.
"As usual, destroy anything you can't take with you. Also, don't wander off. When I get back, I'll tell the secret guards the location so they can come to assist you."
With that, Qi Huan put on a ghillie suit over her clothes. Before Yan Qinghe could come to his senses, she walked out of the cave.
Her eyes were determined, her steps stealthy as she weaved through the underbrush.
The cold wind of early November whistled through the forest, chilling Qi Huan's cheeks.
She held a compass, walking carefully, but didn't come across any of the heart-shaped marks she had made before.
After walking for a very long time, she stopped to rest, leaning against a tree trunk and nibbling on a biscuit. Suddenly, she realized the reason.
On the way here, she had been hidden in the space, following the assassins. The assassins had exceptional lightness skills and moved very quickly.
Thus, she could reach the place where Ashu was located that very night.
Now, she could only rely on her own two legs to walk, naturally slowing her pace.
By dusk, she hadn't even reached halfway up the mountain.
In the winter forest, darkness fell quickly. She ceased her advance and began searching for an inconspicuous place to hide the necklace.
It felt as if blisters had formed on the soles of her feet, each step piercing with pain.
Qi Huan furrowed her brows and sighed to the heavens:
"If only there were an assassin coming down the mountain..."
"How I wish someone could give me a ride!"
