Chapter 114: Sharing Weal and Woe

PS: Thanks to 羽化飞仙1984 for the kind reminder to update, and thank you to all the subscribers, there will be another update this afternoon :)

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Xiao Mingzheng was startled by Zhong Min's sudden reaction. It was almost completely dark at this time, and wild beasts were roaming the mountains. If he really encountered something ferocious now, it would be difficult for him to deal with it with his current physical strength.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he followed Zhong Min's gaze. Although the light was dim and he couldn't see clearly, there seemed to be something different over there.

"Let's get out of this forest!" Zhong Min almost cheered. She had just clearly seen a much emptier mountain not far ahead, which was obviously different from the vegetation here.

Xiao Mingzheng was immediately excited, carrying Zhong Min on his back and walking quickly forward: "Let's go, let's get out!"

After a while, the two of them finally made it through the complex forest. Now, with fewer branches and leaves obscuring their view, even the moonlight seemed much brighter. Xiao Mingzheng carried Zhong Min to a patch of grass near the stream and sat her down against a small rock. He then sat down himself, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and rest for a while.

"Are you okay?" Zhong Min saw Xiao Mingzheng sweating profusely and felt very sorry. She subconsciously reached out and used her sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"It's okay, just take a rest." Xiao Mingzheng smiled, and suddenly remembered the disgusted expression on his face when Zhong Min used her sleeve to wipe the ink off his hands in the Moyuan study. Now, seeing her actively wiping the sweat off his hands with her sleeve, he not only did not feel any disgust, but felt very happy.

Seeing this, Zhong Min stopped talking and told him to get some rest. A gust of wind blew, and she shivered. It was very cold in the mountains at night. More importantly, her wounds were hurting more and more, and her head was starting to feel dizzy and heavy, making her feel very uncomfortable.

However, she didn't say anything, but endured it. Xiao Mingzheng was already exhausted, so naturally he had to rest. Besides, she was not such a weak little girl, so she could naturally bear such a little discomfort.

After resting for a while, Xiao Mingzheng gradually recovered his strength. He stood up and said to Zhong Min, "Stay here for a while. I'll get you some water."

Zhong Min nodded. She had been thirsty since early morning, and the sound of the stream made her even thirstier. Xiao Mingzheng had fed her most of the water in his water bag along the way, but she was still thirsty.

Xiao Mingzheng came back soon, and the water bag was refilled and handed to Zhong Min. After Zhong Min drank a lot in one breath, he finally felt a little better.

"Wait a moment, I'll go collect some firewood and see if I can find something to eat." Xiao Mingzheng took off his coat and covered Zhong Min with it. "It's a cold wind, just bear with it for now."

"You have to be careful!" Zhong Min hurriedly warned, not knowing whether he was worried about him or afraid that he would be left alone in this dark place.

"Don't worry, I'm nearby and won't go far. If anything happens, just call me, okay?" Xiao Mingzheng instructed again, then took out a dagger from his pocket and placed it in Zhong Min's hand: "Take this, I'll be back soon!"

"You should keep the dagger. Anyway, I..." Seeing that Xiao Mingzheng actually gave her his only weapon for self-defense, Zhong Min naturally refused. It would be of no use for her to keep it here. On the contrary, it would be of greater use to Xiao, who was running back and forth in the mountains late at night.

"Be obedient!" Xiao Mingzheng interrupted Zhong Min forcefully, his eyes filled with undeniable certainty. He smoothed down Zhong Min's hair briefly before getting up and going about his business nearby.

Zhong Min had no choice but to let him go. Gradually, her throat began to feel uncomfortable and she became increasingly confused. She sat there waiting, covered with Xiao Mingzheng's clothes but still freezing. Slowly, her consciousness began to become a little hazy.

After an unknown amount of time, she fell into a drowsy sleep. She didn't know whether she was dreaming or not, but she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar and was extremely uncomfortable.

"It's so cold..." She closed her eyes and muttered from time to time. Her face was extremely pale and very scary.

When Xiao Mingzheng came back and saw this scene, he was shocked. He quickly reached out and touched Zhong Min's forehead, only to find that it was terribly cold.

"Min'er, Min'er!" He hurriedly hugged her and tried to wake her up, but the person in his arms was still in a coma.

Xiao Mingzheng had been on the battlefield for years, so he was no stranger to these things. He knew that Zhong Min's current condition was definitely related to the infection of her wound, which was why she fell into a coma. Her body was cold now, but it might be terribly hot in a moment. If the wound was not treated quickly, she might even lose her life.

"Don't be afraid, Min'er, just hold on a little longer!" Xiao Mingzheng said as he first put Zhong Min down flat on her back, and then quickly got busy.

After lighting the fire, he carried Zhong Min closer to the fire so that her cold body could be warmed up. After a while, the person in his arms seemed to feel some warmth and gradually moved, and her body began to warm up a little.

"Min'er, Min'er, wake up." Xiao Mingzheng gently patted Zhong Min's cheek. He had to wake her up now because if her wound was not treated, there would be bigger problems.

Zhong Min finally opened her eyes and found herself being hugged by Xiao Mingzheng. There was a big fire burning beside her. No wonder she felt a lot warmer. "You're back."

"Min'er, your wound may have become inflamed. It needs to be treated again." Xiao Mingzheng looked into Zhong Min's eyes, paused, and then continued, "I still have some gold wound medicine on me, but..."

"But there's no one else here who can help you clean your wound and change the dressing, so..." Xiao Mingzheng didn't have his own thoughts in mind, but after all, there are differences between men and women, and it concerns Zhong Min's reputation, so he still has to ask her opinion first. He didn't want her to think that he had any frivolous intentions towards her.

When Zhong Min heard this, he smiled weakly and said, "Thank you for your help."

She knew what Xiao Mingzheng was hesitating about. She wasn't some genuine ancient woman, and even if she'd been born and raised in a place like this, she wouldn't have to worry about so many taboos in a life-or-death situation. Besides, they'd already hugged, carried each other on their backs, and held hands. Beyond the intimate moments, all those ridiculous barriers between men and women had already been broken. So what was there to be particular about when it came to saving someone's life?

Hearing Zhong Min's words, Xiao Mingzheng no longer hesitated. He quickly laid Zhong Min flat on his legs and then began to treat her wounds.

After peeling off the clothes at his left shoulder, Xiao Mingzheng couldn't help but gasp. At this moment, the gauze bandaging the wound had already been stained red with blood. He could tell at a glance that the wound had already split open. It had bled and stopped, and then bled again and stopped again, and he didn't know how many times it had been repeated. For a moment, he didn't know how to move. The bloody mess made his heart feel indescribably uncomfortable.

But Zhong Min didn't even make a sound along the way, and just held on. If she hadn't really been unable to pretend anymore, she probably wouldn't have told him a word even if she was in pain.

"You should have told me earlier. The wound has become like this!" He scolded her, but his tone was full of indescribable heartache.

Zhong Min shook his head and said with a strong face, "It's okay. It's not too late to deal with it now. Go ahead, I can bear it."

"The conditions are limited, so I can only deal with it briefly first and then deal with it again after returning to the palace." Xiao Mingzheng said no more. He was afraid that if he continued like this, he would not be able to take action.

He stopped talking, frowned, and began to treat Zhong Min's wound. He cruelly removed the gauze that had long been stuck to the flesh and blood, then quickly washed it, poured half a bottle of golden medicine on it, and finally tore off a few pieces of cloth from his clothes to re-bandage her wound.

He didn't dare look at Zhong Min's face the entire time. Although he didn't hear her groan, he could imagine the pain she was enduring. He was afraid that seeing her expression of unbearable pain and her forced endurance would make him unable to continue. At that moment, he even thought that if the wound was on his body, it would be better.

After completing the last step, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. After gently tidying her clothes, he looked at her face which had already become extremely pale.

"It's okay!" He gently wiped the cold sweat off her face, held her in his arms again, and coaxed her like a child: "It doesn't hurt anymore, it's okay."

"Finally healed?" Zhong Min gasped upon hearing this, "It hurts so much! I want to cry!"

As he spoke, tears actually fell uncontrollably, and he kept humming in grievance while crying: "It hurts so much, it hurts so much..."

Xiao Mingzheng was shocked by Zhong Min's behavior. He didn't even hear her hum just now. How could it be like this after it was fixed? Could it be that there was something wrong with his medicine?

"Min'er, what's wrong with you? Is there something wrong with the medicine, or..." He hurriedly touched her cheek and asked, feeling a little panicked for a moment.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Zhong Min shook his head and said with a bitter face, "I was afraid that it would affect your healing of the wound, so I kept holding it in. Now that it's done, I just want to make a few more sounds to make it feel better. It really hurts!"

"Silly girl!" Xiao Mingzheng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but he felt even more distressed: "You shouldn't have held back your tears just now. Just cry if you want to!"

"Okay, I feel much better now. I've almost let out some of my anger. It's just that I suddenly feel very hot." She pulled the clothes covering her body with great effort, and suddenly felt as if her body was being roasted by fire.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Mingzheng quickly felt her forehead and found that it had indeed become extremely hot. He quickly took off the clothes covering her and then warmed her handkerchief and applied it to her forehead to cool her down. The hot and cold sensations had indeed returned, and for a moment, he couldn't help but feel even more worried.