Rong Zhi turned back abruptly, her hand tightening around the dagger.
All around, only the grass and trees rustled, and moonlight dappled the ground. Yet, there was no second sound, as if it had just been the wind.
Rong Zhi let out a breath of relief, confirmed everything was in order, and leaped back to the haunted house.
Upon her return, Xia Yunting stood in the center of the courtyard. Seeing Rong Zhi, his tone grew serious.
"You fought someone? Why the smell of blood?"
"No, didn't Uncle Yu say someone died at the foot of the mountain? I switched your wedding clothes with his. If those assassins find the body, they shouldn't continue their search."
Rong Zhi explained casually, then sniffed herself. There was indeed a faint scent of blood.
She wanted to change clothes, but there was nothing to change into. She had no choice but to endure.
She sighed and noticed Xia Yunting was still standing there.
"Why are you out here? I told you to hide. The assassins might not have left yet, it's still not safe outside."
Rong Zhi pushed Xia Yunting towards the house as she spoke, "Rest up quickly. Tomorrow we'll go to the apothecary to buy Cloud Dew Flowers. Once we gather all the medicinal ingredients, I can treat your illness."
"Alright."
After pushing Xia Yunting into the inner room, Rong Zhi urged him to get into bed and sleep.
Xia Yunting sat on the bed and looked at Rong Zhi, "Aren't you sleeping?"
Rong Zhi glanced at the narrow, cramped bed and coughed lightly, "You sleep first. I'm not sleepy yet."
Although she had experience sharing a bed with patients before, it was only in the same room. Sharing a bed was entirely new.
Despite having gone through the wedding ceremony with Xia Yunting, they were not truly husband and wife. Sharing a bed felt rather strange.
More importantly, as a martial artist, Xia Yunting's vigilance would be extremely high. If she accidentally rolled over in her sleep and he mistook her for an assassin, she would be wrongly accused.
"Besides, we don't know when the assassins might return. I'll stand guard here. If you truly feel bad, you can take over in the latter half of the night..."
Mid-sentence, Rong Zhi heard faint snoring.
She swallowed the rest of her words and went to the window. She saw that Xia Yunting's breathing was steady, and he seemed to be fast asleep.
"Xia Yunting?"
She waved her hand in front of him. No reaction. She then gently nudged his arm. Still no reaction. Finally, she pinched his cheek.
Still... no reaction!
Where was the high vigilance of a martial artist they spoke of?
However, it was good that he was asleep.
Rong Zhi relaxed and began to unbuckle her belt.
She had been on the run all night, carried Xia Yunting for a long stretch, and then found that decoy. The smell of blood and sweat had mixed together, making her feel utterly uncomfortable.
Since Xia Yunting was asleep, it was the perfect time to take off her clothes and let them air out.
A cool breeze blew in from outside the window, quite refreshing.
Rong Zhi took off her outer garments, leaving only a thin white shirt. She placed the clothes by the window to air and sat by the window herself, closing her eyes to rest.
Although her earlier suggestion of taking turns on watch was a joke, the danger outside was real. She was a light sleeper, and it was best to remain cautious until she was certain they were completely safe.
When Xia Yunting opened his eyes, he saw Rong Zhi bathed in moonlight.
How could someone experienced in battle fall asleep so easily? Especially with someone he had only known for two days by his side.
As he looked, his heart suddenly began to pound violently.
Her shirt was thin, revealing her slender back. Her skin, as white as snow, seemed even fairer under the moonlight.
She was completely unguarded around him.
Xia Yunting suddenly felt a pang of unease, more so than if he had infiltrated enemy territory at midnight and fallen into an ambush.
She was so small, her breathing so soft and light, yet it felt as if she was attacking him.
And yet, he didn't know how to retaliate.
He adjusted his breathing, forcing himself to close his eyes.
Perhaps, he should learn how to interact with women.
The next day, as Rong Zhi opened her eyes, she heard a click and her face contorted. She reached up and clutched her neck.
"Stiff neck..."
She turned her head and saw her outer clothes hanging on the windowsill. She had apparently slept in the bed!
Rong Zhi was startled. She looked around, but the room was empty.
Where was Xia Yunting?
Had he run away? Was he lost? Captured? Or... dead?
As she was wondering, a commotion erupted outside.
"Search thoroughly!"
"This house looks suspicious, go inside and check!"
"If you encounter suspicious individuals, kill them without mercy!"
Damn it! It was the assassins!
She hadn't expected them to return so quickly!
It seemed Xia Yunting was temporarily safe.
Rong Zhi's heart eased slightly. She quickly got out of bed, grabbed her clothes from the windowsill, and put them on.
With a bang, the door was kicked open.
Several people frowned as they scanned the room, finding it empty.
They tightened their grip on their weapons and slowly entered, not missing a single corner.
Two specks of dust fell from the roof beam, landing on one of the men's faces. He rubbed his face and was about to look up when someone suddenly entered from outside.
"Hall Master Zhu, Xia Yunting's body has been found at the foot of the mountain."
"Really?"
"Yes. The clothing, height, and build are all the same. However, the face has been disfigured, making it impossible to see clearly."
The man called Hall Master Zhu pondered for a moment, then waved his hand at everyone.
"Withdraw!"
The group quickly retreated.
The courtyard fell silent again. Rong Zhi jumped down from the roof beam, watching the departing figures, her heart filled with apprehension.
Yesterday's plan was merely a temporary measure. If the other party was easily fooled, it would be fine. But if they were difficult to deceive, she might still expose herself.
A sound of footsteps approached. Rong Zhi thought they had returned and quickly hid behind the door, only to find it was Xia Yunting.
He was still wearing Uncle Yu's roughspun clothes, his wrists and calves exposed. Yet, as he walked, he exuded an air of grace, as if he were a wealthy young master going on an outing.
Rong Zhi felt a surge of anger. She strode out and demanded coldly, "Where did you go?"
After all her worry and fear, he had gone out without even telling her.
Let alone as husband and wife, even as ordinary friends or mere acquaintances, one shouldn't act this way in a time of crisis!
Xia Yunting extended his hand and produced several flatbreads wrapped in cloth.
"You must be hungry. Uncle Yu sent these."
His tone was as usual, as if he had done nothing wrong.
Rong Zhi remained silent, glaring at him.
Suddenly, a rumbling sound echoed from her stomach. A hint of embarrassment appeared on Rong Zhi's face, followed by a blush.
"Ahem, from now on, whatever you do, you must tell me first. You are not allowed to wander off without my permission!"
"Understood."
Xia Yunting agreed obediently and offered the bread to her. "You eat first."
That was more like it.
Rong Zhi didn't stand on ceremony. She picked up a flatbread and began to eat.
She was indeed hungry and didn't care about her image. Soon, her mouth was stuffed with bread, like a sulking squirrel.
Xia Yunting curved his lips slightly and tore off a piece of bread to eat.
"Didn't you see the assassins earlier?" Rong Zhi asked.
"I did. I hid."
Xia Yunting said it so lightly that Rong Zhi didn't bother to ask where he had hidden.
"Uncle Yu said those assassins inquired about us. He just said he didn't know anything, and they left."
Rong Zhi nodded.
After breakfast, Rong Zhi prepared to go to the county town to buy medicine.
Given Xia Yunting's current physical condition, he should have stayed and rested. However, Rong Zhi was too worried to leave him alone. If something were to happen, there would be no one to attend to him. So, she decided to bring Xia Yunting along.
Before leaving, Rong Zhi looked at Xia Yunting's face thoughtfully.
"Your face is too conspicuous. I need to disguise you."
Xia Yunting looked confused. "How do we disguise it?"
A moment later, Xia Yunting looked at Rong Zhi, who was earnestly smearing things on his face, and felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"This is your 'disguise'?"
She was just smearing dirt and charcoal all over his face?
"Don't talk!"
Rong Zhi adjusted Xia Yunting's face and noticed that some of his sharp features had been softened, and the angles of his face were less pronounced, turning him into an ordinary, common-looking person.
This way, it was much safer.
"Don't underestimate these things. They are the simplest tools for disguise."
Rong Zhi patted the dust off her hands. "Let's go."
Xia Yunting reached up and rubbed his face, getting a hand full of dirt. He was curious to see what he looked like now, but unfortunately, there was no mirror.
By the time the two arrived at the town, it was already noon. Cicadas chirped noisily outside, and the shop assistant was dozing behind the counter.
"Shop assistant, I need to get some medicine."
Rong Zhi tapped the counter and handed the assistant a prescription.
The shop assistant suddenly woke up and quickly took it with a smile, browsing through it.
This prescription was written by Rong Zhi in advance, and it was not the formula for treating the Seven-Day Evil Poison. However, it did contain Cloud Dew Flowers.
The shop assistant frowned after reading it. "The other herbs are fine, but Cloud Dew Flowers... we don't have any."
As he spoke, Rong Zhi scanned the room and noticed that Cloud Dew Flowers were not listed on the medicine cabinet.
It was strange for such a common medicinal ingredient to be unavailable in an apothecary.
Rong Zhi asked, "When will you have it?"
The shop assistant sized up Rong Zhi and gave a peculiar smile. "You must be from out of town, right? Cloud Dew Flowers have been extinct here for a long time. If your illness absolutely requires Cloud Dew Flowers, then we can't treat it."
Can't treat it...
As a doctor, the three words "can't treat it" were the hardest for Rong Zhi to hear!
"Are there none anywhere else?"
The shop assistant thought for a moment and pointed south. "There's a mass grave to the south. If you can't get it treated, you can go there!"
"Are you cursing us to die?"
Rong Zhi's eyes turned cold, as if she were emitting a chill.
"No, no, no, I didn't mean that..." The shop assistant quickly explained, terrified.
"You must have just arrived and don't know. Our county has a divine doctor, who is extremely skilled. No matter how difficult the illness, going to him guarantees a cure! However, this divine doctor has a peculiar personality and likes to wander near the mass grave. It's said he wants to find recently deceased people without families to test his medicine. If any of our neighbors have an incurable illness, they go to the mass grave to wait for that divine doctor. That's why I suggested you go there just now."
So that's how it was.
Rong Zhi's expression softened slightly.
"What does that divine doctor look like? What is his name?"
The shop assistant glanced around and then leaned in mysteriously.
"Speaking of which, there's quite a story. Do you know Medicine King Valley? This divine doctor is the eldest disciple of the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, the senior disciple of the 'Yu' generation, Chu Yuheng!"