In the middle of the night, Zheng Yong suddenly developed a fever. Nan Yi was worried about his injury, so she didn't dare to close her eyes.

After changing his dressing, she fed him warm water every now and then. By dawn, his fever had miraculously subsided, and his pulse had become much more stable. He should be fine now. Nan Yi breathed a sigh of relief, added some dry firewood to the fire, and leaned against the cave wall to rest.

She was so sleepy that she fell asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes.

Nan Yi didn't know how long she had slept, but she was woken up by hunger in her dream. She had to force herself to open her eyes while rubbing her stomach.

The fire was still burning. She threw in a few pieces of firewood, wanting to check on Zheng Yong. When she turned around, she found that he was awake.

"You're awake. Does your wound hurt a lot? Just bear with it, it'll be fine in a few days. I'll go outside and find us something to eat," she said with a smile. Then she reached out and touched his forehead to check his temperature, and Zheng Yong flinched.

Nan Yi didn't take it seriously, and placed the back of his hand over it. "Hmm, normal."

She yawned, stepped out of the small cave, and snowflakes began to fall again, covering the sky and the earth. No wonder it was so cold.

Outside the cave was a forest. Nan Yi was quite skilled at catching small animals, having lived in the mountains in her previous life, so she had no shortage of experience in this area.

The snow in the forest was thick and the path was slippery. She wandered around in the forest for half an hour and caught a gray rabbit that came out to forage for food.

Nan Yi built a fire outside and roasted the rabbit. When he returned to the cave, Zheng Yong leaned against the cave wall, looking around anxiously.

He visibly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her.

"Are you hungry? I caught a rabbit, and it smells delicious." Nan Yi held up the roasted rabbit in her hand. "Come on, let's go inside. I'll help you."

Zheng Yong was a little reserved and said embarrassedly, "Master Tong, it's all my fault for dragging you down."

"Pfft~ I haven't even thanked you for saving my life yet, and you're already calling me a burden. Are you out of your mind, or have you been brainwashed? We've been through thick and thin together twice, we're practically brothers in arms. Don't call yourself a slave in front of me," Nan Yixiao said with a smile.

She paused, helped Zheng Yong sit down carefully, and then said, "If you're my friend, call me Nan Yi."

She tore the rabbit in half and handed one half to Zheng Yong. "Eat up, you didn't eat yesterday. Aren't you hungry? I've been dreaming about food." Nan Yi said playfully.

Zheng Yong chuckled and took the roasted rabbit. "I was hungry too." He took a bite of the rabbit, his eyes lighting up. "Hmm, it tastes good."

Nan blinked. "Aren't you curious?"

"Master... um... Nan Yi escaped with seasonings?" Zheng Yong rarely joked.

They were soaked and had snacks on them, so they were quite well prepared.

“Running away? That sounds so harsh. I’m doing it for freedom.” Nan Yi curled her lip, saw Zheng Yong’s puzzled look, and waved her hand. “Sigh, you wouldn’t understand. Never mind.”

How could a man raised in feudal society understand the stance and pursuits of a modern woman? She's not out of her mind.

As long as I don't stay in that courtyard, even if I live in a small cave here, no matter how simple my food and clothing are, I will be happy.

The two finished off the whole roasted rabbit. Nan Yi poured a bowl of warm water from the earthenware pot and handed it to Zheng Yong. "You should rest for a while. When we were catching the rabbit, I found a village at the foot of the mountain. You're injured, so you need to take good care of yourself. I'll try to find a way to get some things. Once you can walk normally again, we'll move to another place. My intuition tells me that Yuan Qingyi won't let me off easily."

"Won't going out expose your whereabouts?" Zheng Yong was not very agreeable. Yuan Qingyi was highly skilled in martial arts and had brought helpers. He was injured now, and if Yuan Qingyi came looking for him, Nan Yi would be in danger.

In his haste, he tried to get up, but hissed as he almost tore his wound open. Zheng Yong clutched his chest and gasped for breath.

"You're overthinking it. I'll be right back, no more than fifteen minutes. Just make sure the fire doesn't go out." Nan Yi helped him lie down.

There was only dry grass in the cave, and even a fire couldn't keep out the cold. Zheng Yong couldn't walk, so he would have to stay in this small cave for at least three days.

She wanted to get two quilts so that she could at least sleep more comfortably at night.

The saying "looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death" is absolutely true. The houses at the foot of the mountain may look close, but they are actually quite far away.

It took her almost an hour to go there and back, even though she was fast on her feet. She used her lightness skill to go down the mountain, but she had to climb slowly to go up.

Nan Yi traded two quilts, some food, and bowls and chopsticks from the village. After returning, fearing that his whereabouts would be exposed, he concealed himself at the entrance of the cave.

With blankets and food, Zheng Yong was able to walk again after three days, and the snow stopped. Nan Yi and Zheng Yong discussed leaving the place.

After spending three days together and getting to know each other, they discovered that they were compatible in temperament and could talk about many things.

Of course, the truth is that although Zheng Yong was a young eunuch, he was very knowledgeable and had a cold exterior but a warm heart.

He served Emperor Kangxi on official business for many years, traveling all over the country. The stories he told were quite interesting.

Regardless of their social status, they share a strangely similar view on many things, and are inherently rebellious and unconventional.

It's probably only someone like him who could accept an oddball like Nan Yi as a friend.

Therefore, their friendship deepened significantly over those three days.

"Where are we?" Zheng Yong asked.

Nan shrugged and said in a bachelor's tone, "I was so busy running away that I had no idea what kind of place this was. I've always had a terrible sense of direction."

As if remembering something, Nan Yi glared at him warily, "Hey, let me tell you, don't even think about taking me back. I haven't avenged Yuan Qingyi yet. He's like a ticking time bomb. I've been caught by him twice in a row, and I still want to get my revenge."

"Nan Yi is overthinking it. Without the Emperor's order, I won't take you back." Zheng Yong didn't want to meddle in other people's business.

That time was completely accidental.

"Will you tell the Emperor?" Nan asked, glancing at him.

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