Chapter 101
Xie Suian swam forward desperately. He could hold his breath for half an incense stick's time, so he held his breath and swam towards a huge rock at the bottom of the water.
Before falling into the water, he had roughly determined the direction; he was swimming towards the mountainside.
Generally speaking, the upper part of such large rocks on the mountainside will protrude above the water. At that time, he only needs to climb up the large rocks, leap into the forest, and take advantage of the cover of the trees and thickets to have a much greater chance of escaping.
But with his back injured, his strength was gradually fading. He felt his hands and feet were sore and weak. When he turned around slightly, the person chasing him was still keeping about the same distance from him.
Damn it, they're risking their lives just to gain merit!
Before he ran out of breath, he finally swam to the big rock, then felt his way around to his back, and used the rock to pull himself up to the surface.
As expected, the large rock was indeed a protrusion from the mountainside, with some thick roots wrapped around its edge. These roots supported a crooked tree, barely blocking a narrow path that could only allow one person to pass at a time.
Once out of the water, Xie Sui'an felt numbness and pain in his back. Without the buoyancy of the water, his legs felt like they were tied to large stones, and he could barely lift them.
But he still bent down and picked up a few pebbles in his palm, panting heavily as he glanced at the surface of the water that had just emerged from the water.
Here it comes, a dark shadow on the water.
He held his breath. The man had just shown his head when he was hit by stone after stone, his head bleeding profusely, and one stone even managed to penetrate his forehead!
Finally, silently, the other person chasing him also sank into the water.
The cold mountain wind blew against his wet body, and Xie Sui'an shivered violently, his head spinning, and he almost lost his balance.
He peeled away the branches and leaves of the crooked tree and jumped into the path.
The path was deep, damp, and covered with moss; upon closer inspection, one could see very faint footprints on it.
The footprints are from the inside out, so there's a path inside, but we don't know where it leads.
Xie Suian took a deep breath and forced himself to walk forward, supporting himself against the stone wall. Strangely, the further he went in, the narrower the stone wall became. Finally, at the end, there was a solid stone wall.
He pushed hard, but couldn't budge it. His hands were covered in moss from the stone wall, clearly indicating that no one ever came here.
A dead end?
Wait, who left those footprints on the ground? It couldn't have been someone who accidentally wandered in like him, could it?
He was exhausted, so he leaned against the stone wall and slowly sat down on the ground.
The throwing knife on his back was still there, thankfully stopping the massive bleeding. After getting ashore, he felt his back was almost numb. The long swim to escape had also exhausted him. He looked up, peering at the sky through a narrow gap, then slumped his head against his arm.
With ears strained to the limit, if you hear even the slightest sound, you'd quickly escape up the cliff face. The only problem is the smooth rock face; it might be a bit difficult.
But that's all we can do.
The mountain breeze was cool, and all I could hear was my own heavy breathing. Worse still, my consciousness was starting to fade.
I hope I'm not going to die here.
He thought with a chill, "This is tragic. There wasn't a single sign. Apart from Qin Sang, no one knew he came to this island. If he really dies here, won't his body be left to rot in the wilderness, unburied?"
He thought desolately, where do people go after they die? Without a grave to be buried, does it mean they will soon become wandering ghosts?
That's really... too tragic...
His eyelids were incredibly heavy. He figured he'd take a nap first, then find a house with people, hold a knife to their neck, threaten them, and force them to find him medicine. He figured if any girl saw his charming demeanor, she might even take pity on him…
Thinking this, I gradually lost consciousness.
I had a dream that I, my grandfather, and my fourth uncle Xie Xiao were fishing by the river outside the villa. A big fish took the bait and started to pull away. I stood up and struggled to pull it back, shouting, "Help! It's a huge fish!"
But no one came to help after he shouted for a long time. The fish was big and strong, pulling him towards the shore. He anxiously looked at Xie Zhongxu, but Xie Zhongxu was sitting calmly to the side, smiling at him.
Suddenly, he was shoved hard on the back. The sharp pain made his legs go weak, and he could no longer hold onto the pole. He was dragged into the water along with the pole.
He struggled in the water, feeling hot and cold, gripping the fishing rod tightly, being dragged along by a large fish, not knowing where he would be pulled.
***
When I woke up again, it was already dark, with only a very faint, dim light seeping in through the gaps in my heavy eyelids.
Is the moon out?
Just as I was pondering this, a familiar, warm, and sweet fragrance wafted to my nose, and a hand covered my forehead; it was a little cool and a little soft.
He shrank back slightly, and heard the other person's voice: "Finally awake."
Qin Sang?
As if struck by lightning, all the drowsiness vanished like fog being dispelled by sunlight. He opened his eyes and saw the person in front of him, and for a moment he thought he was dreaming.
Qin Sang waved her hand in front of his eyes: "Can you see? If you didn't hurt your back, how come you're blind... Hey?..."
Xie Sui'an grabbed her hand: "Are you alright?"
Qin Sang: "Hey, be careful of your wound, don't use so much force... I'm fine, it's you who's not so lucky, you were stabbed by someone, but don't worry, the knife has been pulled out and medicine has been applied, there's no more bleeding."
Xie Xiao still had some humanity; after throwing the man in, he even remembered to throw in a packet of medicine for treating injuries. If it weren't for the anesthetic, the man wouldn't have just groaned a few times when the knife was pulled out.
Xie Suian's thoughts gradually cleared. He looked up and around and saw the magnificent tent roof. Outside the tent door, all he could see was darkness. It took him a while to realize that this was... a cave?
He was bewildered. What was this soft bed he was lying on? Which immortal's residence had he stumbled into?
"Where is this?" he asked, his voice hoarse and low, making it difficult for him to speak.
Qin Sang was finally able to pull her hand back and pour him tea: "Grandma Jiang's secret base."
"What?"
Xie Sui'an wasn't that he didn't hear clearly; he was just too surprised. He asked again, "Are we still on the island? How did I get here?"
Qin Sang brought the warm tea to his lips, practically pouring it down his throat. Xie Sui'an drank the tea from the cup, licked his dry lips, and his bright black eyes were filled with a layer of glistening mist due to his illness.
Qin Sang put down her teacup and said irritably, "We're still on Worry-Free Island. We guessed right. The island lord of Worry-Free Island is your good fourth uncle. He locked me up here, and you were thrown in by him."
Seeing Xie Suian looking around, she added, "All the exits here are blocked. I've looked, but I can't find the switch."
Xie Sui'an nodded, having at least understood one thing: he had been saved by his fourth uncle.
He had just been chased by the Crown Prince's men, and was so cold and tired that he almost fell asleep. Xie Xiao threw him into this cave and asked Qin Sang to take care of him and treat his injuries.
So the conclusion is that Uncle Si might be a little bad, but not that bad; he must have some unspeakable difficulties.
He propped himself up to sit up, his body dry and comfortable, the wound on his back well-bandaged. Suddenly blushing, he asked Qin Sang, "Did you help me change my clothes?"
Qin Sang reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair aside, her expression calm: "Otherwise what?"
Xie Sui'an: "Then doesn't that mean I've been seen naked?" He lifted the blanket, glanced at it, and his face turned even redder.
The pants have been changed too!
Qin Sang got up and touched the clothes he had taken off on the screen shelf. They were still wet because the cave was very damp.
“A true man doesn’t concern himself with trifles. In the face of life and death, don’t worry about such details. Don’t forget, I’m a doctor!” As if she had found a solid reason, she turned around confidently. “Doctor, it’s normal to undress patients when treating injuries. There’s nothing wrong with it. Don’t be shy.”
"..." Xie Sui'an was stunned for a moment, feeling ashamed of the thought that had just flashed through his mind—wanting the other party to take responsibility.
He swallowed. "I'd like to have another glass of water."
Qin Sang came back and poured him some more drinks. He drank two more cups and his strength gradually returned.
When a person has energy, they want to cause trouble. He suddenly threw off the covers, but Qin Sang stopped him with her hand: "Hey, what are you doing?"
Xie Sui'an: "...I'm trying to find an exit."
"I've already looked..." Before he could finish, he lowered his hand and sighed, "Fine, go ahead and look. If you can find it, then you're good at it."
Xie Sui'an slowly got up, walked out of the tent, and looked up. The cave was high and wide, and the top of the cave was dark, with only a vague outline of unevenness visible.
Although the cave walls were rough, the cave was fully equipped with all the necessary utensils, exquisite and thoughtful, from the large tent that people could live in, to the hot spring in front of them that was shrouded in mist, to the small candlesticks, the gold utensils for holding fruit, the small charcoal stove for boiling water... and, directly in front of them, on a high platform, the exquisitely carved throne inlaid with precious stones.
"This should be the throne of the Night Owl Kingdom."
Qin Sang walked to Xie Suian's side, looking at the exquisite yet somewhat rugged throne above, imagining how spirited, bold, and imposing the person who once sat on it must have been.
She said softly, "Your fourth uncle has the blood of the Night Owl Kingdom's royal family flowing in his veins. He wants to go back and rebuild the Night Owl Kingdom. Moreover, he must be surrounded by many people who want to restore the kingdom, lurking in the capital of the Southern Kingdom, acting in secret."
Xie Suian's throat moved, and he looked at Qin Sang in surprise.
Fourth Uncle, Night Owl Kingdom, restoration of the kingdom... He had never thought about these words.
After a long pause, he asked only the question that mattered most: "Is he related to Grandpa's death?"
Qin Sang shook her head: "I don't know either. He told me many stories, about the fall of Night Owl Kingdom, about Aunt Jiang being seduced and then abandoned, about her being treated as a pawn and accused of murder..."
She paused, then sighed softly: "He said that Aunt Jiang was a pawn that the Emperor placed beside the Prime Minister. When the time came, the Emperor and the Prime Minister became estranged, so Aunt Jiang was made to take the blame for this huge mess."
Xie Sui'an turned to look at her: "These were all said by Fourth Uncle himself?"
Qin Sang nodded: "Mm."
For a moment, neither of them knew what to say.
Are the ruler and his ministers at odds?
Was the Emperor the mastermind behind the attack, and was the seemingly weak Aunt Jiang the one who carried it out?
It seems reasonable, but something seems off.
Xie Zhongxu ruled two dynasties and supported two emperors. He rose from a tenant farmer and slave to the capital of a country. He had a unique vision and was good at planning. Why did he trust Aunt Jiang so much?
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