Chapter 52: Helpless
"The daughter of the Duke's family has fallen into this state. It's better for us brothers to live happily so that you can die more peacefully."
Du Huaizhi suddenly lunged forward, and Duan Yun, with his remaining strength, struck directly at his throat. The man in black hurriedly raised his sword to block, but at the moment of the weapons' collision, he realized that Du Huaizhi's strength was like a candle in the wind.
"Is that all you can do?" The man in black raised his hand and the blade grazed Du Huaizhi's shoulder, and black blood gushed out of the new wound.
Han Qingli grabbed a rock and threw it at him, but another whip entangled her wrist. She stumbled towards the edge of the cliff, her skirt lifted by the mountain wind, and she was hanging precariously over the abyss.
Du Huaizhi's pupils suddenly constricted, and she swung her sword again, but she spat out a mouthful of black blood because she turned too sharply. She felt her consciousness rapidly fading, and the scene before her began to double, but she still used her last bit of willpower to speak, "Let her go."
Du Huaizhi struggled to stand up, but as she took a step, her vision went dark. At the critical moment, Han Qingli suddenly grabbed her hand, and the two of them fell towards the cliff together.
The man in black was stunned. He walked over quickly and looked towards the bottom of the cliff. "No? How much money did you take from the Duke's Mansion? Why are you risking your life like this?"
"ah--"
The whistling sound of the wind and Han Qingli's terrified screams filled his ears. Du Huaizhi opened his eyes in the weightlessness and saw Han Qingli closing her eyes in fear. He held her tightly in his arms.
Du Huaizhi gritted her teeth and used her last bit of strength to turn over, using her back to withstand the impending impact. Before darkness swallowed her consciousness, she heard the sound of running water.
The cold pool at the bottom of the cliff was filled with water that was several feet high. The current swept the two of them down rapidly. Han Qingli grabbed Du Huaizhi's clothes tightly in the water.
“Crash—”
The moment he broke through the water, Han Qingli gasped for breath and swam towards the shore with great effort, dragging the unconscious Du Huaizhi.
"Wake up... wake up!" Han Qingli dragged Du Huaizhi ashore and patted her cheek with trembling hands. Du Huaizhi did not react. The human skin mask on her face was washed away by the water, revealing her original face.
Under the moonlight, Han Qingli looked at the unfamiliar face, a little dazed. After making sure that she had not pulled the wrong person, she continued to push her body, trying to wake her up.
Du Huaizhi's lips were purplish blue, and his chest was barely rising or falling. Han Qingli remembered the first aid her mother had taught her, and she placed her hands on Du Huaizhi's chest, pressing hard.
"You can't die. What will happen to me if you die? How can I get out of this wilderness?" Her voice was filled with tears and her hands kept moving.
Water overflowed from Du Huaizhi's mouth, but she still showed no signs of waking up. Han Qingli bit her lip, leaned over, pinched Du Huaizhi's nose, and was about to blow air into her lips.
"Cough... cough cough..." Du Huaizhi suddenly started coughing violently, spit out a few mouthfuls of water, and slowly opened his eyes.
Han Qingli's tears finally burst out, and she hugged Du Huaizhi, "You finally woke up, you really scared me to death just now."
Du Huaizhi weakly raised his hand and patted her back gently, "Let...let go." His voice was weak.
Han Qingli quickly let go of her and supported her shoulders. "How do you feel now?"
"I won't die for now. First... help me up." Du Huaizhi struggled to stand up and looked around. This was a hidden valley surrounded by steep cliffs. The only way out was the cliff top above.
Her clothes were soaked with water and hung down on her body, as if they weighed a thousand pounds. Du Huaizhi took steps with difficulty, "First... find... a place..." Before she could finish her words, her legs went weak and she almost fell down again.
Han Qingli quickly hugged her, "I'll carry you." Han Qingli put Du Huaizhi's arm on her shoulders without saying a word.
Du Huaizhi wanted to refuse, but he didn't even have the strength to speak.
The two struggled along the stream and finally found a cave behind a rock wall. Han Qingli carefully placed Du Huaizhi in a dry place, looking at the half-dead Du Huaizhi, at a loss.
"What should we do now?"
Du Huaizhi lifted his heavy eyelids and glanced around, "Mr. is angry."
"Okay." Han Qingli subconsciously touched his waist and suddenly remembered that he had thrown away his fire starter when it was on it.
Han Qingli stared at the empty waist, spinning in circles anxiously. Dusk deepened outside the cave, and the chill seeped through the wet fabric of her clothes and into her bones. Du Huaizhi's lips were pale, and her whole body was trembling. If she continued to delay, she might not survive the night.
Han Qingli bit her lower lip and glanced at the dead branches piled at the cave entrance. She tore off a strip of cloth from the hem of her skirt, rolled the dry mugwort into a ball, and found a flat, dry pebble by the stream.
Du Huaizhi leaned against the rock wall, watching the girl clumsily spin the stick against the stone surface. Sparks flew and then died, and Han Qingli's palm gradually seeped blood, but she still stubbornly repeated the action.
This was completely different from the unruly young lady she had met a few days ago. Du Huaizhi's heart was inevitably touched. Just when she was about to persuade Han Qingli not to waste her energy, a wisp of green smoke suddenly rose, and the wormwood ball "puffed" and ignited flames.
"It's done...it's done!" Han Qingli's eyes lit up. She was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly gathered the dead branches into a pile. The flickering firelight illuminated the cave, dispelling the chill.
Han Qingli ignored the burning pain in her palms and quickly knelt down beside Du Huaizhi to take off her wet coat.
Du Huaizhi did not resist. His misty eyes watched a blurry figure busy and dazed before his eyes.
Han Qingli set up a simple rack next to the fire and placed Du Huaizhi's coat and her own coat on the rack, which was just enough to block the cold wind that blew in from the cave from time to time.
After finishing all this, Han Qingli came to Du Huaizhi again, put his hands close to the fire, and when they were hot, he turned around and held Du Huaizhi's hand.
Her hand was icy cold and stiff as if lifeless. Han Qingli shuddered when she first grasped it. But she persisted and did not give up, repeating the action again and again.
Du Huaizhi opened his eyes slightly and saw Han Qingli rubbing her hands attentively. In the light of the fire, the girl's profile looked particularly soft.
However, the gentle girl frowned, "Why is it useless? Why is it useless?" She murmured, her eyes red with helplessness.
No matter how hard she tried, Du Huaizhi's hands were still so cold, with no sign of warming up.
"Don't waste your energy." Du Huaizhi said, her eyes dull and lifeless. She felt a fishy and sweet taste rising in her throat. She suddenly tilted her head and sprayed a mouthful of black blood on the wall of the cave.
Han Qingli was so startled by this sudden situation that she jumped up, and then hurriedly supported her body. The blood was black, and no matter how stupid she was, she knew that this was a sign of Du Huaizhi being poisoned.
"What should I do? What should I do?" Han Qingli cried helplessly. She did everything she could.
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