"Cough cough cough..."
Chang Lili scrambled to her feet, coughing up the snow that had gotten into her lungs. She hurriedly looked around and saw nothing but white snow and icicles overhead. It seemed she was in a cave.
What about Meng Yuxiu?
Chang Lili leaned against the wall and moved towards the cave entrance. His legs felt weak, but he gritted his teeth and persevered, bumping into someone who had entered the cave.
"Meng Yuxiu!" Chang Lili grabbed his collar tightly and shouted anxiously, "Where did you go? I couldn't find you when I woke up. Do you know how scared I was?"
When she fell, Meng Yuxiu shielded her from most of the impact. Overwhelmed with fear, Chang Lili choked back tears, "Are you stupid? Why did you jump down to save me..."
Looking at Chang Lili's nose, which was red from the cold, Meng Yuxiu sighed, "There's only one silly A-Li in the world. If I don't save you, who will replace me with one just like you?"
Chang Lili's eyes were red.
"Let's stop bickering. I was scouting ahead." Meng Yuxiu carried the person back to the snow cave. "This is a valley, surrounded by mountains."
Chang Lili took a breath: "Then how do we get up there? Or should we wait for the guards?"
“We have no food, it’s freezing cold, and we won’t last through the night. It looks like the wind is about to pick up, and it might even snow. They might not be able to find where we fell, and the marks we left behind could easily be covered up.”
"What should we do?" Chang Lili shook her fur coat uncomfortably. Snow must have gotten inside the coat. The snowflakes had melted into water, and the lining was stiff and felt like ice when she wore it, which was extremely uncomfortable.
"Let's rest in the cave for a while, and then find our way again and leave new marks after the snowstorm passes." Meng Yuxiu held Chang Lili's hand in his palm and breathed warm air on it.
Chang Lili nodded, aimlessly looking around the cave. She noticed a few grasses growing in the corner, with flat, thin leaves and a small white flower. In this freezing cold place, they looked particularly amazing.
In particular, there wasn't a single snowflake around the grass, revealing the hard rocks underneath.
“Meng Yuxiu, isn’t this herb strange?” Chang Lili pulled Meng Yuxiu along. “I read in a book that there’s a medicinal herb in the snow called ‘Chuan Gu’. It has seven leaves and one flower. The leaves are thin and long, and the flowers are small and fragrant. It can be taken directly and has a warming effect. Doesn’t it look like it?”
Meng Yuxiu had heard of it before and nodded, saying, "It does look very similar."
"You'll know once you try." Chang Lili stepped forward, plucked two herbs, and after confirming they were non-toxic, handed one to Meng Yuxiu. The herb had a slightly sweet taste, not the expected bitterness.
"It seems...not bad."
A warm flame rose from my abdomen, slowly climbing upwards and permeating my entire body. In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, my body warmed up.
But gradually, the fire grew stronger and stronger. Chang Lili's body felt weak, her heart itched unbearably, a light sweat appeared on her forehead, and she unconsciously opened her lips and exhaled a breath of hot air.
"This medicine isn't working, I...I feel so hot."
Meng Yuxiu was no different; his passion was concentrated below his abdomen, and he couldn't control his reaction. Looking at Chang Lili's flushed cheeks, his eyes darkened, and he lifted her chin with two fingers and kissed her.
Chang Lili was in a daze and subconsciously moved closer to the heat source.
The man held her tightly in his arms. She slowly woke up, staring blankly at Meng Yuxiu's chest, blinking her eyes in confusion, as images gradually surfaced in her mind.
The herbs have aphrodisiac effects, and they're actually here...
The bruises on her body told the whole story; everything that was supposed to happen had happened. Chang Lili buried her face in shame against Meng Yuxiu's chest, their fur coats draped over their bodies or used as cushions.
Are you feeling unwell?
Meng Yuxiu had just woken up. His voice was deep, husky, and magnetic, which made Chang Lili blush and softly hum in response.
It's so sticky down there, how could it be comfortable?
Meng Yuxiu looked around but couldn't find anything suitable, so he had to give up: "Bear with it for now, and take a good shower when we get back. Of course, I hope you can accept it and have a child with me."
"Meng Yuxiu!"
Chang Lili trembled with embarrassment, angrily punched his chest, put on her fur coat, and shrank to one side. As Meng Yuxiu had said, her body couldn't process it; with every step, she could feel the heat.
After taking the herbal medicine, he felt much better. Meng Yuxiu wrapped his robe around himself and said, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. We've been here for almost five hours, and the snowstorm has passed."
"No wonder I'm so hungry." Chang Lili muttered, curling herself into a ball. "This cave is quite big. Since there's no way out, let's go inside and take a look. Maybe there's a way out."
"That's also an option."
The two walked deeper into the area. After a while, Meng Yuxiu reached out and pressed his hand against the wall. The ice block easily came off. Meng Yuxiu then told Chang Lili to look at the other side.
Chang Lili explored inch by inch, only to find that the stone in front of her was easy to push. With a push, the ice wall opened up a path, which turned out to be a dark path.
"There's a road here! Someone actually carved a road out of the snow." Chang Lili exclaimed in amazement. "It looks like it was built a long time ago, and it's all frozen over."
Meng Yuxiu stared at the dark, bottomless road, lost in thought.
“Meng Yuxiu, if someone is clearing a path here, it means there’s a way out. If you follow this path, you can get out!”
Chang Lili was overjoyed and carefully pulled Meng Yuxiu forward. She didn't know how long they walked, but they heard the sound of hammers hitting the ice ahead, and people talking.
"No slacking off, everyone hurry up and get to work!"
There was someone there! Completely unexpected, Chang Lili's face lit up with joy. She wanted to go out and ask for help, but Meng Yuxiu quickly covered her mouth, and the two hid in the shadows.
Meng Yuxiu said solemnly, “The villagers don’t have that much money. Who would bother to open a road in the snow-capped mountains? This is too unusual. Let’s wait and see.”
Chang Lili was so eager to get out of her predicament that she overlooked this problem.
Li Er hadn't mentioned anyone widening the ski slope, and the villagers all thought the snow path was dangerous. Who exactly was this person? Chang Lili held her breath, pulled Meng Yuxiu's hand down, and cautiously peered forward.
There were about a dozen people working, using iron awls to knock down the ice, and people pushing carts to unload the ice and dump it in one place, each with a clear division of labor.
"Judging by the time, he's already received the news and is coming to the snow mountain. Why aren't you all hurrying up? Are you trying to ruin all my plans?!"
The man who spoke was very angry, which could be sensed from a distance. Because of this, Chang Lili recognized the man with a grim expression—Hu Cheng!
The guard groaned inwardly: "The ice is fragile and connected to the snow on top. If we are not careful, it could easily cause an avalanche."
"What I want is an avalanche." Hu Cheng's face was grim, his brows furrowed with murderous intent. "I want them to perish in the snow-covered mountains!"
While in the capital, he heard that the emperor had ordered Meng Yuxiu to go to the snowy mountains to collect thousand-year-old ginseng, and this plan came to mind. He traveled at breakneck speed, spending a lot of money to hire capable workers, and entered the mountains at night, just to avoid leaving any evidence against him.
How could he possibly be content if Meng Yuxiu and his group were allowed to descend the mountain safely?
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