Ghost Marriage Horror Part 2
The forest returned to silence. The birds circled several times, and after confirming that the danger had passed, they all returned to the branches, chirping softly.
The cold touch of the metal instantly spread throughout her body, and Wang Pan'er's pupils suddenly contracted.
Having grown up in peacetime, she had never faced the threat of death. At this moment, her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest, her throat felt like it was being tightly choked by an invisible hand, and even her breathing was suffocating.
The bundle made from her wedding dress rolled to the ground, scattering the neatly arranged fresh herbs. A few withered leaves were swept up by the air currents as the bundle fell and landed at her feet.
The person behind her was panting heavily. The muscles binding Wang Pan'er's arms were like iron chains, pressing hard against her collarbone, causing her to gasp in pain.
There is currently no possibility of resistance.
She used her remaining rationality to suppress the urge to scream, and shakily raised her hands in surrender.
The man gritted his teeth and threatened in her ear, "If you don't want to die, listen to me."
A hoarse voice, mixed with the smell of blood, sprayed behind her ear, making her hair stand on end.
Wang Pan'er nodded frantically, making muffled noises through her covered mouth, and desperately tried to communicate with the man.
"Quiet! Stop causing trouble!!" The man tightened his grip, and a sharp pain shot through Wang Pan'er's teeth as he was being pinched. Tears welled up in Wang Pan'er's eyes.
Holy crap, I've never been hurt like this before in my entire life!
Wang Pan'er cursed inwardly, but in order to survive, she had to keep quiet, like a weak and obedient little quail.
Seeing that she had calmed down, the man moved the arm that was binding her up, successfully locking her neck, and with his other hand removed the sword.
Before Wang Pan'er could even breathe a sigh of relief, the man pulled out a small pill from somewhere, lifted her chin with lightning speed, pried open her mouth, and pushed the pill down her throat.
She instinctively wanted to vomit, but her jaw was held tightly, and the fishy, bitter taste spread in her mouth.
The man shook her neck from side to side, and by the time she reacted, she had already swallowed the pill.
Grass, it really is a plant!
She decided to give up and bit the hand that was supporting her chin.
"Ouch!" The man winced in pain, remembering that he had already fed the little dumpling as a threat, and simply released Wang Pan'er.
Wang Pan'er leaped a meter away and frantically choked on her throat.
Unfortunately, her stomach was completely empty from vomiting, and she couldn't get anything out. She glared fiercely at this unreasonable thing and asked through gritted teeth, "What did you feed me?!"
"Hmph, you know perfectly well what I'm asking." The man sneered.
He staggered, unable to support himself any longer, and the sword clattered into the earth. The man, supporting himself on the sword, knelt heavily on one knee, the hilt leaving deep red welts in his palm, yet he still held his back straight, refusing to show weakness: "Only I have the antidote. If I die, you will not survive."
The man ignored the teeth marks on his hand that had broken the skin and began to give orders: "Find a secluded spot, get a basin of clean water, and prepare some gauze."
Knowing the force of her bite, and seeing the man's unusually clear voice, Wang Pan'er mustered her courage and began to examine his face.
Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and palpation, examining the face and facial features to assess a person's health. The saying "appearance reflects the heart" is precisely because it is determined by the state of the internal organs and the mind.
He covered the lower half of his face, and although his eyes were fierce and cold, they were not malicious. His features were clear and upright, and he did not seem to be nearing the end of his life.
She probably won't go back on her word and refuse to give him the antidote. At worst, she can make a pill, feed it to this bastard, and then trick him into giving her the antidote.
Wang Pan'er looked at the man, then at the herbs scattered all over the ground, and couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
How could his life be ending like this? The herbs I painstakingly gathered for most of the night seemed to have been prepared specifically for him.
She went over to check the man's injuries. There were holes in the front and back of his clothes on his left shoulder, as if he had been stabbed through. No wonder he smelled so strongly of blood. She was really glad that there were no wild beasts in this forest.
"Stop the bleeding first, then find a place to treat the wound."
The man dodged her hand that was reaching for his wound: "Let's not cause any more trouble, just hide it first."
"You've been stabbed through, and you're still not stopping the bleeding? By the time we find the puncture site, you'll probably be dead!"
"If they catch up, neither of us will survive."
"Ha, even if you die, I still won't get the antidote. What's the difference?"
wrong!
Wang Pan'er's mind raced once more before she discovered the crux of the matter: "What you just said is that if people come after us, we'll all die, so no one will come after us, only you will die."
"..."
Wang Pan'er laughed loudly three times, "Let's cheat each other!" (smiling emoji)
"The poison is fake, and you're still pretending to be fierce!" Wang Pan'er's tense body relaxed, and the situation between the two of them completely reversed. "Now, if you want to live, you have to listen to me!"
The man's fierce gaze was replaced by astonishment. He had indeed been careless; he hadn't expected the woman before him to react so swiftly. Now, she had been caught out of her predicament, had lost her bargaining chips, and was severely injured, barely able to hold on: "Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you. But if I receive your help today, I will repay you tenfold."
Wang Pan'er looked the man up and down and made up her mind: "You're dressed in fine clothes, so you must be a well-traveled and wealthy person. I can't stay here. I don't know the way out. Once you're healed, take me to a town, any town will do, just let me see the world and broaden my horizons."
"My surname is Mu, and my given name is Yichuan. I will certainly not disappoint you, young lady."
"Okay." Wang Pan'er walked behind Mu Chuan and pressed hard on the bleeding wound in a retaliatory manner. "Stop the bleeding first."
"Ugh..." Mu Chuan was caught off guard and cried out in pain from Wang Pan'er's heavy blow. He then felt ashamed of his lack of manly manners and clenched his jaw.
This woman must have done it on purpose!
Mu Chuan looked up and saw Wang Pan'er looking at him with disdain, her eyes gleaming with undisguised smugness.
Having vented her anger, Wang Pan'er's gloomy mood, which had come from the book, vanished completely.
It takes fifteen minutes to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Wang Pan'er counted nine hundred times. When she released her hand, only a few drops of blood could be seen seeping from the wound.
She stuffed the scattered herbs on the ground into her bundle, slung it over her shoulder, walked over to Mu Chuan, patted her shoulder, and gestured for him to put his arm around her: "Alright, now go find a place to hide. Be careful not to aggravate your wound."
"Thank you, I never imagined that you were knowledgeable in medicine."
"You're far from being an expert; you only have a superficial understanding. If we're being honest, you're still my first patient."
"..."
Mu Chuan opened his mouth, but found himself speechless. He didn't know whether to call this luck good or bad.
The two of them helped each other to the funeral parlor, and by the time they arrived, it was already dawn.
Wang Pan'er pushed open the crooked door, and with a creaking sound, the small room of about ten square meters came into view.
A bed, a platform made of mud bricks against the wall, a tinderbox, a brazier, and half a candle.
This is where they managed to survive.
There was a straw mat on the wooden bed, covered with a thick layer of dust. Judging from Mu Chuan's attire, one could hardly guess the purpose of this room.
She then took off the outermost layer of her shawl, its long sleeves facing upwards, and spread it on the bed.
He then unwrapped the cloak that had been rolled up and gave it to Mu Chuan, the wounded soldier, to use as a blanket.
While outdoors, Wang Pan'er was unaware of the situation, but once inside, she discovered that Mu Chuan's outer robe was covered in mud and grime, and his inner garment was soaked with sweat and blood from the fighting. The hygiene was appalling, and the garment also emitted an unpleasant odor.
Wang Pan'er pinched her nose: "Your clothes are filthy, you need to wash them properly to prevent your wound from getting infected and inflamed. Take off your clothes, I'll wash them clean in the sun. It's warm during the day, and you won't get cold under the cloak. I'll warm them for you, and they'll be dry before nightfall."
Mu Chuan remained unmoved. It was not a gentleman's thing for a man and a woman to undress together in a room.
Wang Pan'er: "?"
Mu Chuan: "Please turn your back, young lady."
"Tsk, how meticulous. I'll go get some water. You can carefully let your wound heal slowly."
Seeing Wang Pan'er turn and leave, Mu Chuan then laboriously began to undo his belt with one hand.
Unexpectedly, Wang Pan'er launched a surprise attack, and Mu Chuan quickly covered his clothes.
Wang Pan'er leaned against the door: "Also, can you not speak so pedantically? I'm a vulgar person, and it bothers me."
Mu Chuan gritted his teeth: "There is a difference between men and women. Please, young lady, do not overstep your bounds."
"You're so old-fashioned! When you apply the medicine later, I'll see you naked anyway."
Wang Pan'er was too lazy to indulge him, so she carried the brazier and walked to the stream where she had found the taro yesterday.
She followed the stream upstream. Water was taken upstream for cooking, and downstream for washing clothes—a custom known to everyone in the village, young and old.
She cleaned the taro, which was covered in ash and mud, from the brazier, then picked out a stone to chase away the herbs and gathered a lot of dry branches to use as firewood.
Once a fire is lit, there will be smoke. To avoid being discovered, Wang Pan'er can only set up a small fire and add wooden forks one by one when the fire is about to go out.
The open flame drove away the lingering chill of the night. She placed a basin of water she had fetched on the fire, sat down on the ground, and took the stone she had picked up to crush the plantain.
After grinding the herbs, it was time to treat Mu Chuan's wounds.
She pushed the door open again and saw Mu Chuan wrapped in her bright red cloak, looking awkwardly as if he were about to be defiled. He had already removed the cloak himself, revealing a face that was so exquisitely handsome that even his disheveled hair couldn't hide his charm.
Her nose was high but not wide, with a slightly upturned tip; her lips were full, and although they appeared pale from blood loss, they couldn't hide their delicate beauty; her eyebrows and eyes were particularly lively, with the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, adding a touch of aloofness to her otherwise unsharp face.
Amazing! No wonder it's a two-dimensional character, it looks so impressive!
Wang Pan'er, blinded by lust, instantly forgot all about the mess Mu Chuan had made the night before.
What did Da Piao Liang do wrong? Da Piao Liang wasn't really trying to kill her. Da Piao Liang just wanted to live. It would be such a pity if such a beautiful face died!
She wouldn't allow that to happen!
Wang Pan'er, holding the herbal juice, half-squatted in front of the bed, hooked a corner of the cloak with her fingertips, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Young Master Mu, would you like to do it yourself, or should I help you tear it open?"
Mu Chuan slapped her hand: "Young lady, you really don't know the proper boundaries between men and women."
Wang Pan'er pressed down on his good hand: "What are you talking about? Doctors don't distinguish between men and women. If you don't apply medicine or cleanse yourself, the wound will fester, and you'll develop a high fever that won't go down. In the end, you'll just die. You can go to the underworld and complain about the prevention."
Mu Chuan glanced at her, his expression saying, "I don't believe you."
Wang Pan'er continued, "You're fighting so fiercely with someone, you must have enemies. Do you dare go to the town clinic now? If you dare, you can lead the way and we'll set off right now. If you don't dare, then obediently let me cleanse my body and apply the medicine. I'm counting on you to take me out."
Mu Chuan lowered his hand; he really couldn't expose himself.
Wang Pan'er saw him pout, then change to a look of resignation.
It's both funny and cute.
She found a clean area inside her cotton skirt, tore off a piece of fabric to use as a towel, and threw it into boiling water to disinfect it.
Wring out the towel and carefully clean the dirt around the wound and the bits of cloth stuck in the bloodstains. Then, carefully apply the crushed herbs to the wound. Even the small abrasions at the joints are well taken care of.
Mu Chuan stiffened as Wang Pan'er wiped him all over. Fortunately, Wang Pan'er wasn't completely indecent and asked him to take off his underpants as well.
The herbal medicine was applied, and the cool liquid soaked into the wound, significantly reducing the sharp pain. Having cleaned himself, he felt much lighter and more comfortable. Mu Chuan finally had a genuine sense of liberation from the brink of death.
Finally, Wang Pan'er pressed her fingertip three inches below his ribs: "Do you feel any swelling or pain here?"
Mu Chuan shook her head, then slid towards her dantian: "What about here?"
Mu Chuan then shook his head.
After this happened two or three times, Mu Chuan finally realized that the woman in front of him was taking advantage of him under the guise of a physical examination, and she was quite self-righteous about it.
He was so ashamed that his face turned bright red, and he glared angrily, his cheeks puffed out as if he were about to burst into flames, but he dared not utter a word of anger.
Wang Pan'er was charmed and in a great mood. Looking at his delicate yet frustrated appearance, she couldn't help but tease him and whistled a rascal: "I helped you save your life, so it's not too much to charge some interest, is it?"
Mu Chuan no longer wanted to talk to her and turned his face away.
He was exhausted. As soon as his head hit the pillow, his willpower vanished, and he fell into a deep sleep.
When Wang Pan'er returned from washing the clothes, Mu Chuan was already fast asleep, occasionally letting out a soft snore.
She woke up in the middle of the night and is now wide awake, not sleepy at all. Her biggest feeling is that her stomach is empty and she is extremely hungry.
A little bit of taro couldn't satisfy her craving at all; when she thought about food, the image of rabbit meat kept popping into her mind.
The rabbit whose burrow she couldn't find yesterday has become a real thorn in her side; not being able to eat it has left her feeling restless and itchy.
Mu Chuan was no longer in mortal danger. The mountains were rich in resources, and she wanted to treat herself. So she took the sword that Mu Chuan had held to her neck yesterday and went up the mountain to forage for food.
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