Chapter 231 Fever
At the same time of year, Xijiang is already colder than the capital of Daxia, and the nights in the mountains are even colder.
Even with a fire lit in the cave, Qiu Heng still felt a chill.
Xue Han was still unconscious, and the firelight illuminated his face, revealing his pale complexion.
Although Qiu Heng was sleepy and tired, she dared not sleep and would touch Xue Han's forehead from time to time.
Xue Han didn't suffer any fatal injuries; he'll recover with time. The only concern is a fever.
"Xue Han, are you cold?" Qiu Heng asked softly, knowing that Xue Han could not respond.
"I wonder where Princess Rongning and the others are."
"The capital should have received news of Xi Jiang's breach of contract by now, right?"
...
Her eyelids gradually closed, and her head suddenly nodded. Qiu Heng opened her eyes with a start and pinched herself.
I almost fell asleep.
She reached out and touched Xue Han's forehead again, sighing, "Xue Han, get well soon, I'm very worried."
The fire gradually died down, so Qiu Heng added some more firewood and sat down next to Xue Han.
The once desolate cave was warmed by the fire. Although Qiu Heng had a strong will, she was exhausted after several days of fleeing and fighting, and she fell asleep without realizing it.
I slept until dawn.
The morning light peeked in through the cracks in the cave entrance, falling on the girl's blood-stained face.
Sensing the light, Qiu Heng suddenly opened her eyes, her first reaction being to look at Xue Han, only to meet a pair of eyes that were quietly watching her.
"Xue Han, you're awake!" The sudden surprise made her already rapid heartbeat even faster.
Xue Han blinked slowly, then smiled at Qiu Heng: "You're awake."
While he was unconscious, he wasn't completely unaware. In the midst of the chaos, he would occasionally hear Aheng calling him, pulling him back from his steps into the deeper parts of the coma.
He knew that was the path to utter slumber, the place where life would vanish.
But he can't die.
In fact, during the years he was a beggar and the years he was adopted by Xue Quan, he wanted to live a good life, but he was not very afraid of death.
Everyone has to die eventually, so there's no need to be so attached to things.
But now Ah Heng has become his obsession, and he can't bear to die.
We must strive to live on, and stay with Ah Heng forever.
"How are you feeling?" Qiu Heng asked, reaching out to touch Xue Han's forehead, feeling extremely relieved.
Perhaps it was the timely treatment of the wound and the effectiveness of the wound medicine, or perhaps it was Xue Han's youth and strength and good physical condition. Whatever the reason, as long as he didn't have a fever, it was as if he had been pulled back from the brink of death.
Xue Han looked at Qiu Heng, his voice hoarse: "My whole body aches, I want to drink water."
Qiu Heng took the water bag that was placed aside and fed Xue Han some water.
Are you hungry?
"I'm not hungry, I just want to drink water."
"Even if you're not hungry, you should eat something to recover faster. There's a stream outside; I'll go see if there are any fish."
Although the beef jerky he found at Prince Chiyan's place could fill his stomach, it was not as suitable as fish soup for Xue Han's current condition.
"Xue Han, wait a moment, I'll be right back."
Xue Han nodded, watched Qiu Heng walk out of the cave, and then turned his head slightly to look around.
The cave was quite large, narrow on the outside and wide on the inside. Next to the burnt-out fire was a leather bag, which Xue Han recognized as belonging to Prince Chi Yan.
Xue Han had almost no recollection of how he descended to the bottom of the cliff the day before. His response to Aheng was merely instinctive, and his mind was actually hazy.
But he knew how difficult it would be to carry a grown man like him down the mountain.
A light shone at the cave entrance; Qiu Heng had returned.
"There really are fish in the stream, we're lucky."
Qiu Heng not only brought back two fish, but also found a flat stone with a dent.
The stones had been washed clean with the stream water, and the fish had been gutted and prepared. Once the fire was lit again and the stone pot was placed on top to slowly simmer the fish soup, there was plenty of time to chat.
"Would you like to sleep a little longer?"
"No need, I feel pretty good." Xue Han wasn't just trying to comfort Qiu Heng; after sleeping all night, he really did feel much better.
"Do you remember me killing Princess Doya?"
"I heard you."
At that time, he was too weak to open his eyes, but his hearing was exceptionally sharp.
"I also found Prince Chiyan's body at the bottom of the cliff and took the leather bag he always carried..." Qiu Heng recounted the events of Xue Han's unconsciousness in a relaxed tone.
Xue Han looked tenderly at the injured girl and said softly, "Aheng, I've dragged you down."
Qiu Heng glanced at him and said, "Don't be so formal. The fish soup is ready, drink more of it so you can help me apply the medicine when you have the strength."
The fish soup wasn't salted, but Qiu Heng added two pieces of dried beef, which gave it a slightly salty taste. The two shared the fish soup, and Xue Han, due to excessive blood loss, quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing that he was doing well, Qiu Heng finally felt relieved and fell asleep due to exhaustion.
The two slept until the sun was setting and the cave was dark.
"Aheng, you're awake."
Qiu Heng opened her eyes and found Xue Han starting a fire.
"When did you wake up? How did you sit up? Be careful not to aggravate your wound."
Xue Han had two serious injuries: a knife wound to his shoulder and an arrow wound to his back. Coincidentally, both were on his right side, so he used his left hand to pok at the fire with a wooden stick.
"I'll be fine if I'm careful."
"Then don't be stubborn, I'll get you something to eat."
After filling her stomach and taking some herbs to clear heat and detoxify, Qiu Heng felt a bit stuffy in the cave.
Once she was a little further away from the fire, she handed the mashed medicine to Xue Han: "My back is a bit stiff, could you help me apply the medicine?"
Xue Han paused as he took the bamboo tube containing the medicine, only daring to nod but not daring to say "okay".
Qiu Heng turned around and slowly took off her outer garment, revealing a white inner garment.
It was described as a white undergarment, but the color was no longer discernible, and dried bloodstains stung Xue Han's eyes.
"Xue Han, I'm afraid I might not be able to clean the wound on your back properly. I'd appreciate it if you could help me." Qiu Heng lifted up her inner garment.
Xue Han's first reaction was to look away, but he quickly looked back.
This is not the time for being pedantic and bound by etiquette.
"The shallower scratches have scabbed over, but some of the deeper ones might hurt more. Ah Heng, just bear with it." Xue Han tried to move as gently as possible, and didn't hear Qiu Heng cry out in pain at all, only occasionally increasing her breathing.
Xue Han's lips were tightly pressed together, her heart aching terribly.
Qiu Heng straightened her clothes and turned around. Seeing Xue Han's pale face, she smiled at him and said, "It doesn't hurt much anymore."
"Get some rest. An elder doctor of mine once said that more sleep is better than any medicine."
Qiu Heng was indeed sleepy, and smiled when she heard this: "Then go to sleep, you go to sleep too."
Soon, the sound of even breathing could be heard, clearly audible in the cave.
Xue Han gazed at Qiu Heng for a while, then slowly lay down beside her and soon fell asleep.
Perhaps because he had slept too much during the day, Xue Han did not sleep well that night. He had one dream after another, all of them fragmented pieces, and he was in a state of half sleep and half wakefulness.
Suddenly he opened his eyes, feeling a strange pang of fear. His first instinct was to look at the person sleeping beside him.
The fire went out, plunging the cave into darkness. Xue Han couldn't see Qiu Heng's face clearly, but he could hear her heavy breathing.
An ominous premonition welled up in Xue Han's heart. He reached out and touched Qiu Heng's forehead, then sat up in surprise.
Ah Heng has a fever!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
