Chapter 27 Accidentally Entering the Deep Mountains and Encountering a Handsome Man
After a night of terror and healing food, the autumn hunt in Xishan Hunting Grounds officially began the next morning.
Because of the assassination attempt last night, security at the entire camp was much tighter. As the regent, Shen Jin naturally had to handle the follow-up investigation, and he left his tent early in the morning with a cold expression.
Before leaving, he specifically instructed Jiang Mianmian: "Stay in the camp and don't wander around. If you get bored, just take a walk around the neighborhood, but don't go into the deep forest."
Jiang Mianmian nodded obediently: "Your Highness, rest assured, I value my life the most and will never cause you any trouble."
Don't worry, I definitely won't wander off. I just want to find a secluded spot to catch up on some sleep, or... maybe check the edge of the woods for wild mushrooms? If we'd added some wild mushrooms to last night's rabbit hotpot, the flavor would have been absolutely divine!
No sooner had Shen Jin left than Jiang Mianmian, carrying a small basket, sneaked out of everyone's sight, like a cat escaping its cage, and stealthily made her way to the edge of the campsite.
In the autumn woods, the air is fresh and the fallen leaves are thick.
Jiang Mianmian initially only intended to pick some mushrooms along the edge, but these wild mushrooms seemed to have come to life, becoming more and more abundant and plumper the further in she went. As she picked, she unknowingly strayed from her original route.
When she straightened up, looked at her basket full of spoils, and prepared to head home, she discovered that the scenery around her had changed.
The camp flags that were once faintly visible were gone, and the area was surrounded by towering trees that blocked most of the sunlight, making it look gloomy.
"It's over."
Jiang Mianmian calmly took a bite of the wild fruit she had just picked.
I'm lost.
[As someone with absolutely no sense of direction, how could I dare to venture into the mountains without GPS? I seriously overestimated my sense of direction.]
What do we do now? Shout for help? That's too embarrassing. Wait for Shen Jin to come looking for us? We'll probably get yelled at. Or... should we roll the dice to decide which way to go?
Just as she was about to casually toss a twig to ask for directions, her nose suddenly twitched.
A strong smell of blood drifted over on the wind.
This smell is different from the one on the assassin last night; it carries an old, decaying odor, mixed with some strange herbal scent.
Driven by her survival instincts in the apocalypse, Jiang Mianmian immediately became alert, crouching low and stealthily following the direction of the scent.
Passing through a thicket of bushes, at the entrance of a hidden cave, she saw a blob... no, a person.
The man, dressed in tattered exotic clothing, leaned against the stone wall, covered in blood, his eyes closed, his face ashen, and appeared to be barely breathing.
Even in such a disheveled state, his stunning beauty could not be concealed.
With a high nose, deep-set eyes, and striking features, her long, slightly wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders. Even with her face covered in blood, she exuded a bewitching yet fragile beauty.
Jiang Mianmian squatted in the grass, resting her chin on her hand, and began a fierce internal struggle.
[Wow! What an incredibly handsome man! With looks like that, he'd be a top idol in modern times, the kind who goes for a melancholic and sickly charm.]
However… judging from this attire, they don’t look like people from the Great Gan region. They seem more like… people from an enemy country?
To save or not to save?
[Should I save him? What if he's a troublemaker? Maybe he's a spy from the enemy country, who'll turn around and stab me in the back after I save him. If I don't save him... it's such a waste to see such a handsome face die here. And what if I have nightmares if he really dies in front of me?]
Most importantly...
Jiang Mianmian glanced at the ground next to that person, where several extremely rare "Paris polyphylla" plants were scattered.
That's a holy antidote! It's worth a lot of money! And it's perfect for making medicinal wine for Shen Jin!
Alright, for the sake of the herbs, I'll pick up the corpse.
Jiang Mianmian sighed, emerged from the bushes, and walked to the person's side.
"Hey, wake up. Are you still alive?"
She reached out her finger and poked the man's face.
No response.
Jiang Mianmian quickly checked his injuries. Good heavens, he was covered in knife wounds, the most serious being his left leg, where the bones were dislocated and it was swollen like a big radish.
[Tsk tsk tsk, if this leg isn't reattached soon, he'll be a handsome cripple.]
Consider yourself lucky to have encountered a barefoot doctor with a "brutal aesthetic." While I may not be able to embroider, I'm a professional at rough work like bone setting.
Jiang Mianmian took a deep breath and rolled up her sleeves.
She showed no mercy and grabbed the man's dislocated ankle.
"Bear with it, it might hurt a little."
She kept talking, but her hands didn't stop.
[This bone is badly sprained; it'll take a lot of force. Looks like I'll have to use some superpowers.]
Three, two, one! Let's go!
"Crack—!!!"
A sharp, teeth-grinding crack echoed through the silent mountain forest.
"ah--!!!"
The handsome man, who had been unconscious, was abruptly awakened by the excruciating pain. He opened his eyes abruptly, letting out a piercing scream, and cold sweat instantly soaked his entire body.
He vaguely saw a woman with an exquisite appearance, like a mountain fairy, squatting in front of him, holding his foot in her hand.
The woman had a single, glistening tear hanging from the corner of her eye, and she was looking at him with a pitying expression.
"Stop calling, it's connected."
Jiang Mianmian wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, let go of his hand, and said, "I'm exhausted. These bones are so hard. Do you know how hard it was for me to get this herb?"
However, in the eyes of the other party, this scene was filtered through a thick layer of filters.
Xiao Yi woke up in excruciating pain, and this was the first thing he saw.
A beautiful woman, exhausted from trying to save him, even shed tears of heartache.
Although her movements were rough, her eyes were so...clear and sincere.
"you……"
Xiao Yi spoke weakly, his voice hoarse, "It was you... who saved me?"
Jiang Mianmian was stuffing the herbs next to him into the basket when she heard this. Without turning her head, she said, "What else could it be? Did a ghost save him?"
Enough talk, herbs in hand, time to retreat!
Looking at her back, which was "unassuming" and even somewhat indifferent, Xiao Yi felt a warm current that he had never felt before.
He had been a hostage in Dagan for many years, enduring cold looks and bullying, with no one ever offering him a helping hand. Today, he was ambushed and fled into the deep mountains, thinking he was surely going to die, but unexpectedly he encountered such a divine woman.
She saved him without asking for anything in return, and didn't even leave her name.
"girl……"
Xiao Yi struggled to sit up, his eyes fixed on Jiang Mianmian with infatuation. "I will never forget your great kindness. May I ask your name, young lady? I will certainly..."
"Don't!"
Jiang Mianmian interrupted him, turning back to look at him warily, "Don't ask my name, and don't think about repaying my kindness. We've just met by chance, and even if we don't make a deal, we'll still be on good terms... no, it's like we're helping each other out when we see injustice."
[Just kidding, telling you my name? So you can bring the enemy army to fight me later? Or maybe some melodramatic "offering yourself in return" scenario? I'm a married woman! Even though my husband is a cold-blooded devil, I have professional ethics, okay?!]
[Why is this person's gaze so strange? It's sticky, like they're looking at...a savior?]
[Oh no, is this guy imagining some kind of "damsel in distress saves the hero" scenario? I just wanted the herbs, bro!]
Jiang Mianmian got goosebumps from his gaze and picked up her basket, wanting to run away.
"Well, now that your leg is set, find a stick to use as a crutch and crawl out. I have something to do, so I'm leaving now!"
After saying that, she turned and ran away as fast as a rabbit.
"Girl! Don't go!"
Xiao Yi panicked and wanted to give chase, but he couldn't move because of his leg injury. He could only watch helplessly as the beautiful figure disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.
He clutched tightly the handkerchief that Jiang Mianmian had accidentally dropped earlier, embroidered with a crooked... lotus flower?
No, it looks more like a steamed bun.
"I will definitely find you."
Xiao Yi pressed the handkerchief to his chest, his eyes gleaming with a determined light. "You are the only person in this world who has ever given me warmth... No matter who you are, you will be mine."
...
On the other side.
Jiang Mianmian, carrying a basket, wandered aimlessly through the woods like a headless fly.
[Oh no, I ran too fast and I'm completely lost.]
[Now I'm really going to have to survive in the wilderness. Why hasn't that bastard Shen Jin come looking for me yet? I've been missing for so long, isn't he worried I've been carried off by wolves?]
[Sigh, I should have known better than to be greedy for those few herbs. My braised pork, my soft couch, my silk pajamas… Am I going to die here?]
Just as she was desperately preparing to find a tree to climb and spend the night—
"Jiang, Mian, Mian!"
A voice, suppressing boundless rage yet trembling noticeably, suddenly boomed from not far away.
Jiang Mianmian was startled and turned around abruptly.
Shen Jin, dressed in black, burst out of the bushes like a demon.
His usually meticulously styled hair was somewhat disheveled, and his clothes were covered with grass clippings and dirt. His usually calm and deep phoenix eyes were now bloodshot, filled with anxiety and...fear.
Upon seeing Jiang Mianmian standing there unharmed, Shen Jin felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and he staggered.
[Calm and cautious?]
Jiang Mianmian was stunned.
What happened to him? He seems... he seems really anxious?
Before she could react, Shen Jin had already rushed in front of her.
There was no scolding, no questioning.
He stretched out his arms and pulled her tightly into his embrace.
The force was so great that it seemed as if it wanted to knead her into its very bones.
"Hmm..."
Jiang Mianmian was nearly suffocated by the choking. "It hurts... Your Highness, let go... let go..."
"Shut up!"
His deep, hoarse voice was terrifying as he growled in her ear, "Where have you been? Didn't I tell you not to wander off? Do you know how long I've been looking for you?!"
His body was trembling violently.
His mind-reading ability told him that she was just lost and simply playing around.
But the moment he couldn't find her, countless terrible thoughts ran rampant in his mind.
Was she captured by an assassin? Did she encounter a wild beast? Or... did she finally lose patience with him and really, as she suspected, take the money and "wander the world"?
The fear of losing her was more suffocating to him than when he was poisoned.
Jiang Mianmian was frightened by his appearance.
She had never seen such composure before. Vulnerable, irritable, and plagued by anxieties.
[Is he... worried that something might happen to me?]
[That jerk... he actually cares about me this much?]
Jiang Mianmian's inner complaints gradually subsided. She stopped struggling and slowly raised her hand to gently pat Chen Jin's stiff back.
"I'm fine... I just got lost..."
She said softly, her tone unusually gentle, "I didn't run away, and I wasn't carried off by wolves. I need to stay alive to spend your money."
Upon hearing the word "spend money," his tense nerves finally relaxed.
He took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, slowly released her, and instead cupped her face in his hands, examining her carefully from head to toe.
"Are you injured?"
"without……"
Jiang Mianmian guiltily hid her hand, which had just been set, behind her back. "I just... I just picked some mushrooms and herbs."
Shen Jin glanced at the basket at her feet, then at the faintly visible direction behind her—that was deep in the mountains, the most dangerous place.
Moreover, his nose twitched.
Besides the smell of herbs, she also carried a faint... unfamiliar smell of blood.
His calm and collected gaze instantly darkened.
There is someone.
She just encountered someone. And... she even saved someone?
Who is that person?
But he didn't ask. Now was not the time.
"go back."
Shen Jin grabbed her hand and held it tightly, as if to lock the two of them together. "From now on, you are not allowed to leave my sight for even a moment. Even if you go to the outhouse, I will stand guard at the door."
Jiang Mianmian: 【…That's perverted!】
However… seeing how worried you are about me, I'll forgive your controlling nature this time.
"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say." Jiang Mianmian obediently squeezed his hand back. "Um... I'm hungry. I want to eat the wild mushroom stewed chicken that we just picked."
Looking at her carefree attitude, Shen Jin couldn't vent his anger, and could only let out a helpless sigh.
"eat."
He bent down and picked her up on his back. "I'll stew you when we get back. I'll stew you until you're fat, then let's see if you can still run."
Jiang Mianmian lay on his broad back, swinging her legs, laughing like a cat that had stolen some cream:
[Hehe, with someone to carry me and some motivational quotes, getting lost like this... wasn't a bad deal!]
Little did she know that deep in the dense forest behind her, a pair of eyes were fixed on their departing figures.
The hostage prince from the enemy country, whom she had "violently set in his bones," clutched the handkerchief embroidered with buns in his hand, his eyes filled with a sinister and crazed look:
"So... you're a reserved woman."
"It's okay. It's more interesting when you snatch it."
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