Chapter 53 The spacetime tunnel was restored, but it led to somewhere else?
Lian Qingbai's eyes were already blurry with tears. If it weren't for protecting him last night, how could His Majesty have been injured like this!
“Your Majesty…you…please bear with it,” Lian Qingbai said, his eyes brimming with tears, as he tried his best to steady his hands. “I will help you take off your clothes.”
Xiao Qidi took a deep breath and said, "Alright, go ahead and do it."
Lian Qingbai focused intently and slowly cut open Xiao Qidi's tactical uniform with a small knife.
Despite his best efforts, he inevitably pulled on the sticky skin when gently lifting the fabric.
Xiao Qidi didn't say anything, but he shuddered.
"Your Majesty..." Lian Qingbai was so frightened that he dared not move.
Xiao Qidi laughed and said, "This burn hurts even more than being whipped. It's alright, go ahead and do it."
As he spoke, he pulled the cell phone that Ning Jinli had given him from his pants pocket.
After unlocking, the screen displayed the photo of the two of them that she had taken.
Xiao Qidi stared at the photo, gradually becoming engrossed.
He didn't know why, but ever since he came here from Xitun Pass, no matter how busy he was or how life or death was at stake, her image would uncontrollably appear in his mind.
Only now that he could finally catch his breath was he able to take out his phone and look at the photos.
Seeing Ning Jinli leaning her head against his shoulder with a bright and innocent smile on her face, he seemed to no longer feel the pain in his back.
However, just as Lian Qingbai was about to remove the last piece of tactical clothing fabric.
My phone is out of battery.
The screen went dark.
Xiao Qidi snapped out of his daze and instantly felt a sharp, excruciating pain, as if his skin was being peeled off, seep into every bone in his body.
Extreme exhaustion and excruciating pain finally broke him.
He groaned and passed out.
The situation was more serious than Lian Qingbai had anticipated, so he had no choice but to summon several Xuanjia Army generals.
When the generals saw the injuries on Xiao Qidi's back, they were all extremely shocked.
"How did Your Majesty get so badly injured?"
"This...this is completely ruined!"
"Your Majesty is fighting with such serious injuries?"
When questioned by the generals, Lian Qingbai quickly recounted the events of the previous night.
It turns out that when Ba Meng realized he couldn't beat Xiao Qidi, he used the broken axe handle to sneak attack Lian Qingbai.
Taking advantage of Xiao Qidi rushing over to block the axe handle, he immediately grabbed the bronze cauldron and smashed it over.
Xiao Qidi didn't have time to get Lian Qingbai out of the way, so he could only turn his back and use his sword to block the impact of the bronze cauldron.
However, the scalding hot broth in the bronze cauldron splashed out and drenched his back.
As a result, his back, waist, and hips suffered severe burns.
Moreover, the bronze cauldron, along with the meat broth, weighed nearly a thousand pounds. Enduring that blow caused him considerable internal injuries.
If Xiao Qidi hadn't possessed a physical strength far exceeding that of ordinary people, he probably would have been dead by then.
Several men were instantly moved to tears, and knelt on the ground, begging Lian Qingbai to save the emperor.
Lian Qingbai was in tears. "Please rise, everyone. His Majesty was injured while saving me. I will do everything in my power to heal him, even at the cost of my own life."
"I have stabilized His Majesty's heart pulse with silver needles, but... medicine is needed to cure him."
"But the medicinal herbs in Medicine King Valley have been completely looted and destroyed by the barbarian soldiers and the local Sha Yue people. If no suitable medicine is found within an hour, Your Majesty may..."
The generals were getting anxious.
Some wanted to chase after the barbarian army to retrieve the herbs, while others wanted to lead the Xuanjia Army to snatch the herbs back from the Yue people of this land.
But the barbarian army had already gone far away, while the Sha Yue people near Medicine King Valley were elusive and unpredictable.
It's simply impossible to get the medicinal herbs in just one hour!
"That's right!" one of the generals exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "Didn't we bring a first-aid kit given to us by a fairy? It contains emergency medicine!"
He hurriedly ran out and quickly returned carrying a square box. After opening it, he asked, "Chief Lian, do you think there's anything useful in here?"
The other generals gave Lian Qingbai a brief introduction, all of them talking at once.
When the fairy gave them the medicine, she told them how to use it.
Lian Qingbai was greatly surprised.
He had never seen this medicine box before, and the tools and medicines inside were completely unheard of.
Moreover, he couldn't recognize a single word on the medicine packaging.
"You said this thing called penicillin can prevent wounds from getting worse?" Lian Qingbai asked, taking out a small bottle of injection solution.
The generals nodded repeatedly.
This indicates that the fairy said so, and that wounded soldiers had used it before at Xitun Pass with excellent results.
However, the fairy also said that there is a certain chance of allergic reaction to this medicine, and it needs to be tested before it can be used.
Before Lian Qingbai could ask who the fairy they were talking about was, he followed the instructions of the generals and used a syringe from the medicine box to give Xiao Qidi a small injection of penicillin in his arm.
While waiting for the drug trial results, he continued to clean Xiao Qidi's wounds using other tools, as instructed by the generals.
Finally, after confirming that Xiao Qidi had no abnormal reaction to penicillin, Lian Qingbai officially administered the injection.
After all that work, Xiao Qidi's pulse was much more stable than before.
Only then was Lian Qingbai able to inquire about Fairy Jinli's situation.
"Judging from the healing tools and medicines provided by this fairy, it has truly broadened my horizons. Could she be a divine healer from another world?"
"Could you introduce me to her? I'd like to learn from her."
Lian Qingbai is not only the patriarch of the Lian clan, but also revered as the divine physician of Medicine King Valley, possessing the medical heritage of Shennong. However, after this eye-opening experience, he felt that there was still so much for him to learn.
With a humble desire to learn, he made the request.
One of the generals scratched his head and said, "Fairy Jinli is a true immortal. She only comes out of the Immortal Cave in Linxian Village. We are afraid we cannot introduce her to you."
Then, the others recounted how the fairy had suddenly descended, bestowed upon them divine items, and provided assistance.
Lian Qingbai's eyes widened. "I was presumptuous. I thought you called her 'Fairy' as an honorific title. I never imagined... she really is a goddess!"
"Chief Lian, although we cannot introduce you, if you have the opportunity, you can go to Linxian Village. Perhaps a fairy will appear and give you some pointers."
"Really? Then I'll have to go there sometime! If I could receive instruction from the fairy, I would die without regrets!"
"Chief Lian, with these medicines from the fairy, will His Majesty be able to recover?" The generals were still worried about His Majesty's condition, so they changed the subject back.
Lian Qingbai's expression turned somewhat solemn. "In my opinion, these medicines are indeed very effective for external injuries, but His Majesty's injuries cover a large area, so I'm afraid they won't be enough. Furthermore, in addition to the external injuries, His Majesty also has rather serious internal injuries..."
He sighed heavily, indicating that the rare herbs in Medicine King Valley were still there, and with the divine medicine given by the fairy, the emperor's internal and external injuries could be healed in a short time.
But now, he's unsure how long the treatment will take.
After discussing it, the generals decided to bring Xiao Qidi back to Xitun Pass immediately.
They remembered that the last time their lord was seriously injured, he went to the fairy for treatment and recovered in no time.
"No, no!" Lian Qingbai hurriedly stopped him. "His Majesty's back, waist, and hips are severely burned. He must not be touched carelessly. The slightest carelessness could cause ulceration. Moreover, his internal injuries cannot withstand any jolting!"
Then he offered his suggestion, “Well then, based on my observation, His Majesty will not be in any serious danger in the short term. You should take some men to search for the Sha Yue people nearby and retrieve the herbs they stole from Medicine King Valley while the barbarian soldiers were causing trouble!”
Upon hearing this, the generals immediately took action without hesitation.
Lian Qingbai also called his clansmen to continue searching in Medicine King Valley to see if they could find any herbs that had managed to escape the barbarian soldiers and the Sha Yue people.
"Ning... Miss Ning..." Xiao Qidi mumbled in his sleep as he lay unconscious on the bed.
Lian Qingbai, holding the novel medicine box, carefully examined it and did not notice the emperor's unusual behavior.
Xiao Qidi was now trapped in a nightmare.
In his dream, he returned to the time when he was a hostage.
Now a child, he was locked in a closet by several children his own age.
The surroundings were cold and dark, and the sinister faces of those who bullied him every day kept flashing in his mind.
He tried calling out to his mother for help.
But in the darkness, he saw his mother having fun with some men, ignoring his cries.
Despair and loneliness constantly engulfed him.
He couldn't break free, and he couldn't find anyone who could help him anymore.
At that moment, a glimmer of light seemed to appear in his mind.
The faint light coalesced into Ning Jinli's likeness, and he could almost hear her laughing and calling him "little brother"...
"Miss Ning... save me... save me..."
...
Right now.
Fluorescent vortexes began to appear faintly at the back door of the factory's small warehouse.
Ning Jinli was sitting on the ground by the back door, leaning against the door frame, fast asleep.
The bright morning sunlight shone through the fluorescent vortex at the back door and fell on her face, like golden ripples spreading across her skin.
As the fluorescent vortex grew larger and larger, it filled the entire back door of the small warehouse again, and the fluorescence finally shot out into the sky as before, like a huge fountain, casting a curtain of light and covering a larger area.
The chirping of birds could be heard outside the warehouse.
Ning Jinli was woken up, but she was still too sleepy to open her eyes. She subconsciously tried to turn over and adjust her sleeping position.
But he forgot that he had fallen asleep sitting on the floor with his back against the door frame.
Suddenly, his body swayed and he rolled out the back door.
"ah!"
She gasped and woke up instantly.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself rolled into a cave.
After a two-second pause, she jumped to her feet. "The time-space portal has been restored? I can come to Linxian Village again?"
She quickly looked around, but realized something was wrong.
This cave is very similar to the cave in Linxian Village, but you can see the differences if you look closely.
Moreover, there were no cave guards in sight.
Ning Jinli glanced back and saw that the time-space passage was still there, so she carefully walked to the entrance of the cave.
When she saw the environment outside, which was completely different from that of Linxian Village, she realized that this was another place.
Although the area outside the cave seemed to be in a mess, it was at least not as severely drought-stricken as Linxian Village, and some flowers, plants, and trees could be seen.
"Where...where did this come from?" Ning Jinli asked in astonishment. "A time-space portal can lead to other places? Is this considered an upgrade...?"
Confused, she looked around as she walked out of the cave.
To get a better look at her surroundings, she climbed up from the side of the cave.
Looking out from a high vantage point, one can see that there appears to be a valley in the distance.
There are many signs of vandalism, but no one was seen.
All you could hear was the sound of the wind whistling through the valley, and the occasional chirping of insects and birds from all directions.
For her own safety, she intended to return to the warehouse.
But when she thought of Xiao Qidi, she decided to risk investigating anyway.
There must be a reason why the time-space portal suddenly connected here.
What if Xiao Qidi is here?
As she pondered, she continued climbing higher up behind the cave.
There are signs of vandalism in front of the cave, so it's best to avoid it.
First, observe secretly. If you encounter someone who seems relatively safe, then reveal yourself and inquire about the situation.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from nearby.
Ning Jinli immediately hid in a patch of grass, crouched down, and tiptoed to pry open a small gap in the grass.
A little while later, she saw a girl carrying a bamboo basket on her back.
Judging from his build, he should be only a teenager, even younger than her.
However, he had dark skin, wore simple clothes made of a mixture of animal hides and coarse cloth, and his hair was messy and casually draped over his shoulders.
Both their appearance and clothing were different from the Xuan people she had met in Linxian Village; they seemed more primitive overall.
Ning Jinli was somewhat puzzled. Could it be that this was an era earlier than the time when the Xuan Kingdom existed?
She remained quiet and observed for a while longer.
She relaxed when she realized that the girl seemed to be picking wild vegetables or something similar, and that she was holding a baby in her arms.
From this perspective, the other party poses no threat.
If she encountered a man in such a place, even an older man or a fierce adult woman, she would not let her guard down.
So she slowly stood up, waved, and said, "Hello."
The girl was startled, hugged the baby in her arms tightly, and looked at Ning Jinli with extreme vigilance.
Ning Jinli smiled and slowly walked over, politely asking, "Can you understand me?"
"Who are you?" the girl asked.
Ning Jinli said, "I'm lost here. Excuse me, where is this?"
The girl stared intently at her. "Are you from Xuan Kingdom?"
Ning Jinli looked surprised. She thought she had traveled to another era, but it turned out she was still in this period. That made sense.
“Ah…yes, I’m from Xuan Kingdom, aren’t you?” Ning Jinli said with a smile.
A fierce glint suddenly appeared in the girl's eyes, and she let out a strange cry.
Ning Jinli immediately realized something was wrong, turned around and ran away.
However, a man who looked and dressed similarly to the girl suddenly appeared from the side, carrying a wooden stick, and walked briskly through the rugged mountain forest overgrown with weeds and vines.
Ning Jinli was caught up with by the man before she could turn back.
The man swung the wooden stick in his hand and smashed it hard on the back of her head.
Thud—
A muffled thud.
Ning Jinli's vision went completely black, and she lost consciousness...
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