Disaster
After Shi Jun ran far away, the three villains did not intend to chase after her. They were so amazed by Jing Wan's beautiful face in the rain that they almost drooled.
"Such a beautiful young lady, after we've had our fun, we'll sell her to a brothel and make a fortune."
"I think she comes from a wealthy family. Let's kidnap her first, then ask her family for a ransom!"
After the thugs finished their discussion, one of them squatted down, pinched Jingwan's face hard, and seeing that her feet were caught in the animal trap, he figured there was no need to worry about her running away. He picked her up and left.
Shi Jun did not see anyone chasing her, but she dared not stop. Just as she ran out of the dense forest and fell on the mountain path, she looked up and saw someone riding a horse towards her.
Rain blurred her vision, and she could only see that it was her cousin Lu Chang when she got closer.
Like divine intervention, they came to the rescue of the distressed girl. Shi Jun burst into tears, overwhelmed by fear, terror, and grievance. She could only sit on the ground, letting the mud and water stain her skirt, and cried out, "Cousin, save me!"
Lu Chang didn't even know how he got off his horse. He rushed to Shi Jun and shouted, "Where's Jing Wan? Where is Jing Wan?"
Shi Jun was used to her cousin's nonchalant attitude, but this was the first time she had seen him lose his composure like this. All his emotions were so openly displayed in front of others. It turned out that he could also feel fear, and he could also be afraid.
She glanced at Lin Zi and choked up, saying, "She injured her foot and couldn't escape. Now, she must have been caught by those thugs."
Lu Chang couldn't wait a second longer and ordered Shi Jun to ride down the mountain road, where someone would meet them below.
Having narrowly escaped death, Shi Jun dared not go on alone, and was even more unwilling to let Lu Chang go to his death alone. She grabbed his clothes tightly and cried out, "Cousin, they outnumber you and you can't fight them. Why don't you go down the mountain first and wait for us to gather enough men to rescue Jing Wan!"
Lu Chang didn't even have time to say a word. Ignoring Shi Jun's attempts to stop him, he headed into the mountains, leaving Shi Jun kneeling on the ground, calling out to him, "Cousin!"
Fortunately, the rain was light, and even when it fell into the dense forest, it couldn't cover up the traces of people running on the ground. Lu Chang used his lightness skill to follow the traces and finally found the villain's whereabouts.
Jingwan sobbed, her foot was in so much pain that she wished she could cut it off immediately.
The thugs following behind her thought she was crying too loudly, so they slapped her across the face. The hooked earring grazed her face, leaving a long bloody mark.
The moment the slap landed, something suddenly pierced through the bandit's palm, causing him to scream in pain. Upon closer inspection, he saw that a silver hairpin had pierced through his palm.
The three were startled and turned to look. Lu Chang threw a punch and knocked them all to the ground in no time.
Lu Chang reached out and caught Jing Wan, who was about to fall to the ground. He saw that the little girl in his arms had a pale face, which made the bloodstain on her right cheek stand out.
"Cousin, my feet hurt so much!"
Lu Chang looked down at her foot caught in the animal trap, and a sudden pang of pain shot through his heart. He gently placed her against a giant tree not far away and said in the gentlest of ways, "Be good, listen to your cousin, cover your ears and close your eyes."
Jingwan didn't know what he was going to do, but she obediently did as he said. After a while, she felt someone hugging her. She opened her eyes and saw that Lu Chang had returned.
Jingwan smelled the strong stench of blood on him, and she lowered her head without saying a word.
The two were soaked to the bone, and it wouldn't be good for them to rush into the city and be seen by others.
Lu Chang thought for a moment, then carried her down the mountain path for a hundred meters before turning right, where there was a farmhouse.
It's not really a farmhouse; it's more like a simple hut built by a wandering hermit.
The lay Buddhist was not at home, so Lu Chang had no choice but to barge in. After placing Jingwan on the small bed made of straw, he squatted down and lifted her injured little foot to look at it.
Jingwan hissed in pain and instinctively tried to pull her foot back, but Lu Chang grabbed it.
It's just a superficial injury now, but if the trap continues to hold it in, it could cause serious injury. If things go wrong, even walking could become a problem later.
There are animal traps like this in Fengming Mountain, and some people in the mountains have been caught in them by accident. He knows how to remove them, but the process is so painful that even soldiers who have been fighting for many years will faint from the pain.
Jingwan was a little scared and said timidly, "Cousin, let's go down the mountain and find a doctor!"
Lu Chang also felt sorry for her, but even if the doctor came, she would still have to go through this pain.
“Ah Wan, if you don’t take it off now, I’m afraid…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but Jing Wan could see the sadness on his face.
Jingwan didn't speak again, but turned her head to one side, tacitly agreeing that Lu Chang had made a move.
If it were an ordinary man in front of him, Lu Chang wouldn't be so afraid. In fact, he hesitated. He wasn't as decisive as he thought. He could never be decisive when facing Jing Wan.
He placed his hand on the animal trap, but did not move.
Jingwan cried, "Cousin, I want to ride a horse in the future, I... I want to run on the grassland, please take it off quickly!"
Lu Chang wanted to hold her in his arms and comfort her, but he knew that if he hesitated any longer, she would only be in more pain. So he took a hairpin from Jingwan's head and drilled it through the hole.
When the sensation of the clamp on his foot disappeared, there was no pain as he had imagined. Even Lu Chang breathed a long sigh of relief. Looking at the clamp in his hand, he was repeatedly thankful that his muscles and tendons had not been injured.
Jingwan was resting in bed when Lu Chang tore off his own clothes to bandage her wounds before going to start a fire.
Both of their clothes were wet and clung tightly to their bodies, making them shiver with cold.
Lu Chang was doing relatively well, but Jing Wan was in a terrible state. Her hair was completely soaked and dripping wet. She sat on the bed for a while, and the floor where she was sitting also got wet.
Even with the fire burning, the chill couldn't be dispelled.
The only good thing was that the rain stopped.
While Lu Chang was still considering whether to take her down the mountain first, Dongfang Wuxia appeared.
The tall girl stood in front of the low door, instantly blocking out the light and shadow inside the room. Jingwan exclaimed in surprise, "Dongxia, what brings you here?"
Wuxia glanced at her mistress, then at Jingwan, before entering the room. She was very thoughtful; she had even brought two sets of clothes, which was a lifesaver in this emergency.
Actually, she had arrived long ago. After returning home, she found that Jingwan had not returned. On her way up the mountain, she encountered the Gao family's carriage arriving in a disheveled state, and she guessed that something was wrong. In the dense forest, she saw her master carrying Jingwan down the mountain. Wuxia decided not to appear in front of the two of them. After thinking for a moment, she went down the mountain again to buy two sets of clothes.
Wu Xia explained, "On my way here, I met my family's coachman. He said the carriage had fallen over and it's raining today, so I figured the young lady must be having some trouble. That's why I bought some clothes at the street corner."
Lu Chang left the small house first, and Wu Xia helped Jing Wan change her clothes before coming in. Wu Xia sat on the edge of the bed, gently twisted the little foot, and after confirming that there were no broken bones, she took out a small medicine jar, squatted down and sprinkled the medicine powder on Jing Wan's injured foot.
Seeing Lu Chang enter, Jingwan patted Wuxia's shoulder and said somewhat apologetically, "Dongxia, help me out so my cousin can change his clothes too."
Wuxia glanced at Lu Chang, then picked up Jingwan and carried her out of the small house.
Meanwhile, back at the Duke's mansion, the coachman hurriedly led the Duchess and her entourage down the mountain. Madam Wang held Gao Yun tightly, the mother and daughter trembling together.
Only the Duchess cried so hard that she wanted the carriage to stop, as she wanted to go back to find her daughter.
Wang yelled at her, "Stop the car now! Are you trying to kill us?!" Then she yelled at the driver, "Don't stop! Keep going!"
Only when they descended the mountain and there were more people on the road did the coachman dare to stop the carriage.
The Duchess quickly got off the carriage, but because she was so frightened, her legs went weak and she fell to the ground.
No longer caring about her appearance, she lifted her skirt and ran up the mountain. After running a few steps, she saw Shijun riding down on horseback.
The mother and daughter hugged each other and cried, attracting the attention of passersby.
Only after confirming that Shi Jun was alright did the Duchess ask through teary eyes, "Where is Jing Wan? Where is she?"
Shi Jun wiped away her tears, and thinking of Lu Chang's urgent rescue, she felt saddened: "My cousin went to save her, and I don't know how she is now."
The place was crowded and noisy, so the Duchess quickly helped her daughter up and got her into the carriage.
Looking at the disheveled state of the mother and daughter, Madam Wang pursed her lips and said, "Let's go back to the manor first. After we inform the master, he can take the servants to the mountain to look for them. If we rashly report to the authorities, it won't be good for the girls' reputation."
The Duchess remained silent, glaring at her fiercely, but ultimately acquiesced to Wang's statement, and they returned to the mansion together.
Gao Jia was just going up the mountain to look for someone when he saw Lu Chang and his group coming down the mountain. Wu Xia was carrying Jing Wan on her back, and Lu Chang was walking beside her. There was nothing wrong with that.
After returning home, the doctor examined Jingwan's foot and said it was nothing serious, giving her ointment to apply regularly.
It was quite a scare, but both girls returned safely. However, due to their reputations, Gao Yun did not want outsiders to know about the incident and did not report it to the authorities. He only said that in the future, he would send more guards to accompany them when they went out.
Perhaps frightened during the day and caught in the rain, Jingwan developed a high fever that night. Wuxia stayed up all night, fetching cool well water to apply as a compress, but it didn't seem to help. Looking at Jingwan's flushed face, she thought for a moment and went to find Lu Chang.
Before dawn, Wuxia brought the medicine. Lu Chang helped Jingwan up, letting her lean against his chest. He took the medicine bowl, tested the temperature, and then scooped it into her mouth with a small spoon.
Although she felt dizzy and not very clear-headed, Jingwan still kept her eyes closed and obediently took the medicine after swallowing a little bit of bitter medicine and then tasting a little bit of sweet honey.
Someone spoke in her ear, seemingly praising her for being well-behaved. She smiled slightly, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
Lu Chang didn't stay at the government office for dinner today either. He rushed home to see Jing Wan as soon as he finished his work. He had no time to prepare medicine. When he saw him come in abruptly, he didn't dare to say anything and led him into the house. Jing Wan's fever hadn't subsided and she was still sleeping. Not only that, but her foot wound hadn't healed, and there was even a ulcer about the size of a toenail. He was startled and said, "Go to my place and get the tissue-regenerating powder!"
Wuxia nodded and left Hefeng Courtyard, just in time to miss the poet who came to see Jingwan.
Since returning, Shi Jun has been feeling uneasy, fearing that Jing Wan would tell everyone about the day she abandoned her, so she wanted to come over and apologize to her first.
Unexpectedly, upon seeing the scene inside the window, Shi Jun seemed to lose all sense of sound. She stood there, stunned, watching Lu Chang embrace Jing Wan. And that wasn't all; Lu Chang lowered his head and gently kissed Jing Wan's forehead...
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