76 Han County Magistrate Falls Sick

◎ She really is a girl◎

The cold moon was in the sky, and the trees and shrubs in the mountains were illuminated with a bright light. A cold wind suddenly blew, and the low-hanging shadows of the trees swayed. From time to time, strange sounds could be heard from the depths.

County Magistrate Han kept looking back, perhaps because he was frightened by what had just happened, or for some other reason, but his steps became fast and disorderly, and he stumbled down the mountain through the woods.

But the mountain stronghold was quite far away from Lingnan County, and the road seemed to have no end. It was not until I was completely exhausted that I finally reached Dongxiang.

He gradually slowed down his pace and looked down in the moonlight. He was shocked to find that his hands were covered in blood and even his clothes were covered with red marks.

County Magistrate Han looked at the house not far from him, then quickly turned around and walked up the mountain along the Maolin River in Dongxiang.

Dongxiang has a unique terrain, high in the east and low in the west. The source of the Maolin River is a mountain spring. Due to the large amount of water and the wide river channel, more and more tributaries were carved out under the leadership of local officials.

It is this turbulent river that nourishes the numerous paddy fields in Dongxiang, providing the people of Dongxiang with plenty of food to eat.

County Magistrate Han did not dare to wash his hands in the river where the Dongxiang people often washed their hands. He could only walk upstream along the river. After walking for about half an incense stick of time, he found a suitable stone and bent down to wash his hands.

The clear moonlight reflected on the river surface, calm and bright as a mirror. He bent down and his own appearance was clearly reflected in the water.

The sticky blood on his face was half dried, and some of it turned into blood along with sweat, dripping into the clear river water with "plop" and "plop". The cold wind blew, and ripples appeared on the water surface. He was like a ghost walking out of the darkness.

County Magistrate Han was so frightened that his scalp went numb and his back felt cold. His feet felt weak and he suddenly stood up and tried to take a few steps back, but his vision went dark and with a loud thud, he fell into the river.

The Maolin River was very deep, and he struggled instinctively. It seemed as if countless water ghosts emerged from the invisible riverbed and rushed towards him.

He kicked his legs hard and swam towards the river in panic. The huge rocks on the river bank were already covered with moss after years of soaking. He grabbed the rocks with all his strength, wishing he could stick his whole hands into them.

Despite this, it only prevented him from sinking to the bottom of the water. The river water choked his mouth and slid into his limbs and bones. His whole body was freezing cold, and the feeling of impending death made him burst out with a strong survival instinct.

He looked at a stout tree beside a boulder, its roots half exposed, its winding, sprawling roots soaked in water. County Magistrate Han swam hard, clinging to several roots, and, stepping on the now-fragile boulder, he tumbled and scrambled to shore.

The cold wind chilled him to the bone, his face pale as he shivered as he walked towards the county government office. Little did he know that half an hour later, the half-man-high boulder would break free from the riverbank and, with a loud "plop," fall to the bottom of the river while the Dongxiang people slept.

It was already 1:30 am when he arrived at the county government office. He collapsed powerlessly on the bed. Soon, his whole body was burning with fever.

*

The next morning, Liu the yamen runner came to Yuezhou City alone. After asking for a long time, he found out where Cuihua and her group had gone. Because County Magistrate Han was seriously ill, he called them back to Lingnan County.

At that time, Madam Cuihua was reluctant to leave. She was worried about Ye Yunzhao who was in prison, but Li Xianjiang advised her to take care of herself.

Chen Jingshan, who had always disliked him, agreed for the first time: "Sister Cuihua, you have a child now, you need to take good care of yourself. Don't worry about Yun Zhao's affairs. In a few days, I will send her back to Lingnan County safely."

Madam Cuihua gently stroked her belly, tears welling in her eyes: "Are you serious? Brother Jingshan, you must rescue County Magistrate Ye!"

Chen Jingshan nodded: "I will do what I say."

After sending everyone away, he called Butler Zhang in: "Can the medicine be delivered to her? How is her injury?"

Before the housekeeper could speak, an "uninvited guest" suddenly flashed in from outside the door. Chen Yuechuan sat down on the round chair with a majestic look, raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Who are you delivering the medicine to?"

Seeing that the two people in front of him were silent, his interest even increased: "Could it be someone I know? Tell me quickly."

Steward Zhang looked at his expectant eyes, cast a cautious glance at Chen Jingshan, whose expression was heavy, and said quickly, "Don't worry, Boss. Everything is fine now."

After he finished speaking, seeing that Chen Yuechuan wanted to raise his hand to stop him, he threw down a sentence "I'll take my leave" and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

If Chen Yuechuan couldn't see the strange expression on Chen Jingshan's face, he would be unworthy of being his brother.

He suddenly stepped forward and guessed, "Could it be a girl?"

After hearing these words, Chen Jingshan swallowed his saliva very unnaturally.

"She really is a girl! Whose lady is she? Is she the one you met when I was in the army a few years ago? You like her, but does she like you? I usually see you so taciturn, I never thought you would..."

"Alright!" Chen Jingshan's ears turned red as he forced himself to remain calm and stopped her, "I haven't seen you for a few years. Why are you so noisy now?"

Chen Yuechuan glanced at him and said slowly: "I'm noisy? Fine... then I'll go talk to my mother now-"

Chen Jingshan immediately followed: "You dare!"