Zhao Liangcai steadied his breath and was about to open the window to leave when a commotion from outside reached him.
"You."
"Shh."
Qin Junyao was about to ask Zhao Liangcai about an arrangement when he raised his index finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.
The noise outside grew louder, and then the inn's main door was battered with loud bangs.
"Where are you going?" Qin Junyao grabbed Zhao Liangcai, who was about to open the door.
She could hear not only the knocking but also the voices of people demanding the innkeeper open the door to apprehend a court fugitive.
Zhao Liangcai heard it too, which was precisely why he wanted to leave the room.
"Let go of me. They have dogs, and they're tracking the scent of blood. I'll go out and lead them away."
"Wait, I have blood on me too. Find a place to hide," Qin Junyao instinctively believed Zhao Liangcai was not a court fugitive.
Zhao Liangcai's expression turned tense, and he asked Qin Junyao with concern, "You're injured too? How..."
"Stop asking, just hide quickly. They're coming upstairs," Qin Junyao pushed Zhao Liangcai, urging him to hide. At such a moment, he was still asking questions.
Listening to the sounds outside, Qin Junyao quickly took off her padded coat and trousers, tossing them onto a stool. She untied her hair, letting it become messy and disheveled, and took off her shoes, kicking one towards the door and the other towards the bed.
Zhao Liangcai's eyes followed Qin Junyao, who was now in her underclothes, as she moved, and his face instantly turned crimson, even his ears and neck flushed red, when he saw a certain part.
He re-tied the mask around his neck, lest Qin Junyao see his bright red face.
"Why are you still standing there? Hide!" Qin Junyao was anxiously hopping.
She scanned the room, looking for a place where a person could hide and not be easily discovered. She saw Zhao Liangcai crawl under the bed.
"Hey," Qin Junyao walked over and knelt on the ground, looking under the bed. "Why are you hiding here? It's too easy to be found."
Zhao Liangcai took a breath and said to Qin Junyao, "As long as you don't keep staring at me, you won't be discovered. Even if they do, I'll ensure your safety."
"Get on the bed and sit. The floor is cold."
Qin Junyao rolled her eyes, put down the bedsheet she was holding, and sat on the bed. She decided to let fate take its course; she was being too nosy.
Since Qin Junyao and Grandma Qin's room was at the innermost part, it would take time for the intruders to reach their room.
Moreover, not everyone upstairs was an ordinary citizen, and the search wouldn't be so easy.
Bang bang bang.
The continuous knocking echoed, accompanied by curses, sounds of resistance, and the innkeeper's voice trying to explain.
"Knock, knock, knock! Is someone dead at your place, coming to announce a death? Why aren't you all kneeling and kowtowing to this old woman..." Su Dan Novel Network.
Hearing the voice and the content of the speech, Qin Junyao stood up to open the door. It was Grandma Qin.
Qin Junyao didn't care about the sudden surge of her period; she didn't know who was outside, but she worried Grandma Qin might get into a fight.
The moment she opened the door, a black dog lunged at her, making Qin Junyao retreat several steps in fright.
"You're courting death! What kind of soldiers are you? I'm going to report you. You dare to barge into my granddaughter's room! There's no justice, no law!" Grandma Qin angrily pounded the soldier from the Northwest Camp who was holding the dog.
"Old woman, mind your tongue. We are the law. There's a scent of blood in this room. If you harbor a court fugitive, your entire clan will be executed."
"Execution of the entire clan? Who are you trying to scare? Bloodstains? How could there be bloodstains in my granddaughter's room?"
"Grandma," Qin Junyao bypassed the black dog and crossed the threshold, grabbing Grandma Qin's hand. "I... I've started my period. That's why there's a bloodstain."
As she moved, the black dog followed Qin Junyao with its head, proving that the scent of blood was coming from her.
The moment the word "period" was uttered, many men present turned their faces away, and some muttered about bad luck and retreated into their rooms.
A kind lady living next to Grandma Qin's room noticed the faint bloodstains on Qin Junyao's pants and took off her cloak to wrap around Qin Junyao.
"Oh dear, you ran out without even wearing your shoes! Come in quickly. You soldiers, if there were really any criminals in this young lady's room, could she have come out unharmed?"
Another auntie watching the commotion said, "Exactly. Before you came, there was nothing unusual around here. If there was an escaped prisoner, there would have been sounds, wouldn't there? Why are you bothering this young lady?"
Grandma Qin also realized what was happening and stepped in front of Qin Junyao, but Qin Junyao squeezed her hand, stopping her from speaking.
It was better not to provoke these soldiers; what if they decided to search the room?
The soldiers from the Northwest Camp, after searching other rooms, walked over and exchanged a few words while looking down.
They stood at the doorway and glanced at the disheveled clothes in Qin Junyao's room, the travelogue on the bedside table, and the shoes scattered about.
After instructing the residents and the innkeeper to be cautious of criminals, they led their dogs downstairs and left.
Qin Junyao was escorted back into her room by the kind neighbor, who reminded her about the stains on her pants before taking her clothes back to her own room. Seeing that Qin Junyao was safe, Grandma Qin also returned to sleep.
"Don't come out yet," Qin Junyao said to Zhao Liangcai under the bed after the commotion outside had subsided.
She lowered the bed curtains, ensuring there were no gaps, and changed her dirty pants and other clothes for new ones on the bed. Fortunately, she had bought several sets and stored them in her spatial storage.
Once Qin Junyao was dressed, she knocked on the bed frame. "You can come out now."
Zhao Liangcai emerged and first went to the window to check. There were still soldiers patrolling the street, so he couldn't leave yet.
"Are you injured?" Qin Junyao sat on the bed, looking down at the bloodstains on the floor, which were not drips but smears.
"A minor injury to my back," Zhao Liangcai paused and then added, "Not so minor, I was cut by a sword."
"You've bled a lot. Do you have any medicine?"
Qin Junyao nodded. She had bought wound medicine that day and stored it in her spatial storage. She got up and pretended to search her bundle for medicine. When she turned back, Zhao Liangcai had already taken off his outer clothes and was lying on the bed.
"???"
"I can't apply medicine to my back myself, and there are soldiers patrolling outside, so I can't leave," Zhao Liangcai said, his expression looking aggrieved.
If the burly Zhao Liangcai had made such an expression, Qin Junyao would have been utterly disgusted.
But now, Qin Junyao actually felt a pang of sympathy.
She reminded herself internally, "Calm down, be calm. It's just a handsome face, nothing more."
"Junyao~~"
"Don't call my name. I'll apply medicine for you."
Qin Junyao never imagined that hearing her name being called would make her heart flutter.
This wasn't her usual self; she must have inhaled too much wine vapor at noon.
Zhao Liangcai's inner garment was stuck to the bloodstains on his back. Qin Junyao cut open the inner garment with scissors and with a forceful tug, tore the fabric away. The two-inch-long wound instantly began to bleed.
She quickly sprinkled on the hemostatic powder and then left it to air dry without bandaging Zhao Liangcai's wound.
The doctor at the pharmacy had said it was best to sprinkle the medicine, wait for the bleeding to stop, and let the wound air dry before bandaging it.
One lay on the bed with his back exposed, while the other sat on a stool, wrapped in a cloak. They faced each other in silence.