Chapter 75: Arrow Wound Part 2

“Yes, yes! I’ve scouted this area; there’s a spring nearby. I’ll take you there.” Yun Shen jumped up excitedly, ordered her men to secure the horses and pack the gear, and led them over.

Deep in the mountains, mist shrouded everything, blocking the scorching sun outside. Green vines twined around the branches, carrying a faint, ethereal fragrance.

Xun Changqing seemed half-awake, half-unconscious. She felt the heat leave her body mostly, and the sound of trickling water reached her ears. She cracked her eyes open to see Wei Lingci’s usual cold features. She reached out, wanting to smooth her furrowed brow, but any movement sent stabbing pain from her shoulder. After a few tries, she gave up.

She just stared at her with open eyes. “Are… we heading back to Ji Province?”

Hearing her voice, Wei Lingci looked up in delight, the coldness in her eyes unable to suppress the thick joy. She gazed deeply for a long moment. “No rush to go back. We’ll stay here for a bit. Now that you’re awake, we can remove the arrowhead and then continue.”

Xun Changqing blinked and shifted slightly against the rock, eyeing the campfire a few steps away. “Oh, will Bai Yan find this place?”

“Probably not. But if Ana Yanran really wants to kill us, she’ll track us here. Can’t worry about that now—remove the arrow first.” Wei Lingci called Yun Shen over and gently undid her outer robe, her eyes flashing with restrained heartache. She added, “It’ll hurt a bit. Just endure for a moment.”

Yun Shen squinted repeatedly. She often removed arrows for soldiers, but they were all rough men. Now facing a delicate flower like this, she hesitated. “Miss Wei, I’m not very skilled. Why don’t you do it? I’m afraid I’ll hurt the little princess.”

Wei Lingci glanced at her, her eyes flickering indeterminately. “Hurting her is good too—let it be a lesson so she’s not so reckless next time. The arrow was just a bit lower from her heart. She got lucky.”

Yun Shen paused, unsure how the little princess had been injured. But observing Wei Lingci, she sensed guilt—perhaps half because the princess had blocked an arrow for her. But her words didn’t seem to match…

“You’re like Sun Wukong, popping out of a stone—body made of rock, heart too,” Xun Changqing mustered her energy to joke with her, leaving Yun Shen, the bystander, bemused.

No alcohol for disinfection, so they heated the dagger over the fire until the blade glowed red before using it. Yun Shen repeatedly said, “Little princess, if it hurts, tell me. I… I’ll be gentle.”

Her martyr-like demeanor exceeded even the patient’s. Xun Changqing looked at her and curved her lips. “If your hand shakes any more, you won’t hold the dagger steady. I’m no soldier, but I’ve endured pains others can’t. Don’t be nervous—forget I’m a princess.”

Yun Shen didn’t grasp the latter half, but as royalty raised in luxury, her tolerance should be low. With no other choice, she steeled herself to proceed.

Wei Lingci’s expression had calmed somewhat. She gently pulled her into her embrace, brushed aside the sweat-dampened hair from her shoulder, exposing the wound. Her eyes reddened, but she still asked, “How did you know there was an arrow coming from behind us?”

Xun Changqing’s head rested on her shoulder, so she couldn’t see Yun Shen’s tension. She felt drowsy, but Wei Lingci’s cool grip on her wrist brought relief amid the burning discomfort. She smiled. “Intuition… I told you before, I sensed someone following us, so I stayed alert.”

“That means you and Ana Yanran are truly in sync,” Wei Lingci’s voice was soft, close to her ear, as she signaled the still Yun Shen to hurry.

Xun Changqing closed her eyes briefly. “In sync… have you lost your mind? How could she and I… hiss.” She tensed instinctively. Open-eyed or closed, the pain was unbearable. She gritted her teeth, the scorching heat from the dagger scorching her mind.

She endured for a long time, her jaws aching. Her tilted head was close enough to see the pulse jumping at Wei Lingci’s neck. The sharp pain made her grind her teeth, her words trembling. “I want to bite you… so badly… hiss… it hurts, Yun Shen…”

The named Yun Shen seemed to press harder, muttering, “Sorry… sorry…”

She had been startled by the princess’s words, causing the dagger to slip half an inch deeper. Why would such a composed girl act like a baby wanting to bite? Her mind wandered, but her hands didn’t err again. After extracting the bloody arrowhead, she dashed to the spring to splash her face and steady herself. So the rumors that night were true—there was affection between the little princess and her master.

But with the master-disciple bond still there, how would others see it?

Wei Lingci watched Yun Shen flee in panic and slightly hooked her lips. “Changqing, you seem to have scared off your doctor.”

With Yun Shen gone, Li Xiang took over, handing Wei Lingci the gauze she carried and whispering, “Yun Shen is timid. Forgive her, little princess.”

Xun Changqing said nothing, merely narrowing her eyes as tears slid from the corners. She let Wei Lingci dress her, gazing at the setting sun. Her eyes shifted slightly to meet Wei Lingci’s reddened sockets, and she grinned. “Why are you crying too? Weren’t you just saying I wasn’t hurting enough? You’re always so contrary. Saying something honest won’t shorten your life, you know?”

“Talk less. Close your eyes and rest. We’ll leave soon.” Wei Lingci’s indifferent gaze flicked over her; there was even a hint of schadenfreude in her words. She wiped the sweat of pain from her forehead.

Xun Changqing blinked, her long lashes wet. The pain in her shoulder burned like fire, as if splitting open. Leaning against the tree, a blaze stirred in her heart too. Wei Lingci draped her long robe over her and cautioned, “If it hurts, say so. You’ll definitely fever tonight—no fever medicine here, so don’t hold back if you’re uncomfortable.”

She nodded and slowly closed her eyes. She seemed to hear Yun Shen’s voice: “Miss Wei, rest another half hour, then we climb to the mountainside. There’s a cave there for the night. It’s too dangerous here…”

Wei Lingci’s face was expressionless as she took the steamed bun from Yun Shen. The latter grinned sheepishly. “We carry dry rations for emergencies in the army. I know you’re not used to it, but there’s nothing else in the mountains. Make do for now.”

“It’s fine. Having food now is good enough.”

Yun Shen glanced at the sleeping Xun Changqing and twitched her lips. “I thought she was a delicate princess, but she didn’t even cry out earlier. She’s tougher than I thought. Someone like her should be home enjoying luxury, not in this borderland. Ana Yanran clearly doesn’t care about mother-daughter ties. Lord Yuan’s plan must have backfired.”

“Yuan Man has no other options—buying time, waiting for the court to send troops,” Wei Lingci said, nibbling a piece of bun, slightly lost in thought. But her eyes and brows held extra ice, her gaze misty.

“Miss Wei, after visiting the enemy camp today, do you think Ji Province can hold?”

At this, Wei Lingci frowned deeply. Be it troop numbers, soldier morale, or coordination, Ji Province’s forces couldn’t compare. She slowly shook her head, shattering Yun Shen’s hope. “Ji Province probably can’t hold.”