However, this guy's vitality is exceptionally strong, so he probably won't die so easily.

And now, there might still be Empress Xiao's pursuers around, and the situation is unclear, so Gu Jingchun doesn't plan to explain to them that he and Mo Junxing are not husband and wife.

So Gu Jingchun nodded, took off the only hairpin in her hair, and handed it to the doctor.

"Doctor, thank you for your help. Consider this your payment."

The doctor was a veterinarian who had been treating patients in the village for years, and he had never seen such an exquisite item before. Naturally, he refused to accept it, but Gu Jingchun insisted and put the hairpin in the woman's hair.

"This young lady is at the prime of her life, and she looks exceptionally beautiful in this hairpin. Doctor, please accept it."

The old doctor turned around and realized that his daughter really liked it, so he gratefully cupped his hands to Gu Jingchun and accepted it.

As the two left, Gu Jingchun's gaze couldn't help but fall on the hairpin, taking another look at it.

Hopefully, this hairpin will be seen by her people and they will find this place as soon as possible.

The couple they stayed with were also good people.

When the old woman saw that Gu Jingchun's clothes were filthy, she took out another set of clothes for Gu Jingchun.

"Girl, I see your clothes are dirty. Wear this for now and change out. I'll wash them for you."

As she spoke, she quickly explained, fearing that Gu Jingchun might find it offensive.

"This dress is my daughter's old dress. Although it's a bit worn and not as good as yours, it's clean. You can wear it without worry and don't mind."

Gu Jingchun shook his head.

"Grandma, you're too kind. We're already so grateful that you took us in. We're overjoyed, how could we possibly look down on you?"

Gu Jingchun quickly explained and took the clothes from him.

She thought for a moment, then walked over to Mo Junxing, took off the dark green thumb ring from his hand, and handed it to the old woman.

"Mother-in-law, he is injured now and may need to trouble you for a few more days."

Consider this a token of my gratitude. If anyone asks, please do not reveal our whereabouts.

The woman nodded quickly, but kept refusing to accept the thumb ring.

Gu Jingchun patted Mo Junxing again, but didn't find any money, so he handed over the thumb ring.

“Mother-in-law, we still need some food and medicine. This little bit is probably not enough, so please don’t refuse anymore.”

Since they were all from the countryside and not wealthy, the old woman stopped refusing and accepted the money after hearing this.

When Gu Jingchun changed into this outfit, she transformed from a glamorous noblewoman into a simple country beauty, fresh and refined, charming and lively, so beautiful that it was hard to look away.

When the old woman saw Gu Jingchun come out, she couldn't help but look him over.

"You're so beautiful, young lady. When my daughter was young, she wasn't even half as pretty as you."

At this moment, Mo Junxing, who was lying on the bed, slowly opened his eyes.

He happened to hear the last sentence and subconsciously looked at Gu Jingchun, who was dressed in plain clothes.

And after that first glance, he couldn't bear to look away.

But he was seriously injured and had little energy. He soon closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, losing consciousness.

******

Shen Hechuan lay in the carriage, his illness worsening from the long journey.

Normally, a few doses of medicine would have been enough to cure it.

However, Shen Hechuan didn't even have enough time to eat along the way, let alone take medicine.

So, after another day of traveling, Shen Hechuan fell into a deep sleep.

When I woke up, I found myself lying in a clinic.

Tianji was anxiously watching him, and when he realized that he had woken up, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Master, you're awake! You scared me to death!"

“You fainted, but we didn’t have any extra medicine on us, so we brought you to this clinic.”

Shen Hechuan frowned slightly, and was about to speak when a tickling sensation came from his throat, followed by a violent cough.

The doctor snorted upon seeing this.

"Let him cough!"

"If you've put your body through this much trouble, you should let it suffer a bit so it will learn to protect itself."

After the doctor finished speaking, Shen Hechuan stood up and bowed to the doctor to express his gratitude.

Seeing that Shen Hechuan was humble and polite, the doctor's temper softened.

He prescribed several more doses of medicine for Shen Hechuan and repeatedly instructed him to take good care of himself.

Shen Hechuan nodded in agreement, but then turned around and abandoned the carriage, preparing to ride a horse instead.

Heavenly Secrets and Earthly Branches naturally wouldn't allow it.

But Shen Hechuan knew that he didn't have much time left, and he had to catch up with them as quickly as possible.

Just as the three were arguing, a carriage drove past them.

Shen Hechuan looked up and saw the carriage curtain being blown open by the wind.

A familiar face then appeared.

Upon seeing this, Shen Hechuan disregarded everything and immediately chased after the carriage.

Tianji and Dizhi also hurriedly followed.

"Master, what's wrong? Master?"

Shen Hechuan, however, was filled with urgency.

"Jing Chun, that's Jing Chun!"

Upon hearing this, the two men did not hesitate, mounted their horses, and immediately chased after the carriage.

However, the alleys here are intricate and complicated, and when the group chased after it, they could no longer find the carriage.

Enraged, Shen Hechuan punched the wall and roared:

"check!"

"Go check it out immediately!"

Tianji and his men acted swiftly. They quickly learned through questioning that the carriage that had just passed by belonged to the Chu family, the son of the local magistrate.

"That Chu residence is no ordinary place; you must be from out of town!"

The three nodded.

The woman selling vegetables immediately said:

"That's understandable. You don't know this, but the son of Magistrate Chu is named Chu Mingming. He is a notorious bully in this area, who is fond of drinking, gambling, whoring, and committing all sorts of evil deeds."

"He especially likes young girls. As long as a pretty girl catches his eye, he will eventually kidnap her."

"I heard that a beautiful young girl recently came to the county."

The little girl was in a disheveled state, seemingly having escaped from somewhere, but unfortunately, she ran into Chu Mingming.

"Why!"

She sighed as she spoke.

"As a result, the girl was immediately kidnapped by Chu Mingming."

At the time, the girl kept shouting things like "merchant" and "empress".

However, Chu Mingming completely ignored it.

I heard the person has already been carried to the mansion, but I wonder what their condition is now.

Upon hearing this, Shen Hechuan immediately confirmed that the person was Gu Jingchun.