Panicked, Xiang Lan desperately swung the warming pot. The man, caught off guard by her sudden attack, took a solid hit to the head. Enraged, he slapped her hard, making her head ring and her vision filled with stars.
The man cursed angrily, “You damned woman… Ah!”
Mid-curse, Lin Jinlou suddenly sprang up from the ground, grabbing the tall, thin man’s head from behind with a dagger in hand. He plunged it straight into the man’s neck and quickly retreated before any counterattack, pulling Xiang Lan into his arms. He staggered back several steps before collapsing against a tree trunk, gasping and coughing heavily.
The tall, thin man clutched his neck, struggling and staring at them with a face full of terror, hatred, and despair. He charged forward screaming but stumbled halfway, falling face-first into the snow. After a few convulsions, he lay still.
Lin Jinlou slid to the ground. Xiang Lan quickly retrieved the porcelain bottle and gave him medicine. After resting a moment, Lin Jinlou said weakly, “Get the dagger back. The sheath is in my left boot. Put it in there.”
Xiang Lan complied, gathering her courage to approach the corpse. She pulled out the dagger, wiped the blood off on the man’s clothes, returned it to its sheath, and placed it back in Lin Jinlou’s boot. Touching his face, she found it ice-cold. She gritted her teeth, stripped the thick fur coat from the corpse, removed Lin Jinlou’s dark cloak, helped him into the fur coat, and then secured the cloak over it. Lin Jinlou spoke faintly, “Take some thick clothes from the dead to wear. You won’t survive this cold winter night otherwise.” Then he closed his eyes.
Though deeply worried, Xiang Lan had no time to dwell on it. She found a fur coat to wear, stripped two more thick fur garments and cloaks from the corpses, and wrapped them in a thin blanket to carry. Spotting a shattered food box near the carriage with pastries and fruits scattered about, she untied her silk pouch and hurriedly filled it with food, panting from exertion.
With the additional clothing, she felt warmer. She warmed her frozen hands against her neck. Seeing horses nearby, she moved to get one for Lin Jinlou. Suddenly, she heard moaning and caught sight of a dark shape writhing on the ground. Startled, she cautiously approached with the sword and discovered it was Zhao Yuechan! She lay bound and disheveled in the snow. Seeing Xiang Lan, her eyes showed surprise then despair, and she struggled more intensely, her gaze pleading.
Xiang Lan stopped. With their survival uncertain, why help this venomous woman? She turned to leave with the horse. After a few steps, she halted. On such a snowy night, even without bandits, lying in the freezing snow meant certain death. Her conscience troubled, she grudgingly returned and cut Zhao Yuechan’s bonds. Without another glance, she led the horse back to Lin Jinlou and roused him.
Lin Jinlou looked around and shook his head, saying, “No need for the horse. There’s a river very close by, with dense reeds along its banks. Dawn is breaking – let’s hide in the reed marsh for now.”
Xiang Lan nodded, exhausted, hungry, and weary. She helped Lin Jinlou up and found a branch for him to use as a crutch, and they stumbled downhill. When they could walk no further, they stopped to rest. Looking back, Xiang Lan was shocked to see a figure staggering after them – it was Zhao Yuechan! Her hair was disheveled, and wrapped in a cloak, she stopped when Xiang Lan noticed her.
The reed marsh was now in sight. Ignoring Zhao Yuechan, Xiang Lan helped Lin Jinlou up, and they made their way into the reeds, finding shelter in a windbreak. When Lin Jinlou collapsed, Xiang Lan quickly laid out two fur coats, pleading, “Master, please hold on a bit longer.” She helped him onto the furs and covered him with two more. Wrapping herself in the thin blanket, she sat hugging her knees nearby. Utterly exhausted, her body ached, and her mind remained full of fear and panic. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to stay calm – with Lin Jinlou so weak, she was their only hope.
Feeling Lin Jinlou’s neck, she found it barely warm. Fearful for his life, she continuously rubbed his hands and face, calling to him softly. But she was too exhausted to continue rubbing, yet had no other options. Her feelings for Lin Jinlou were already complex – gratitude, resentment, and other indefinable emotions. Now, seeing him lie there motionless, so different from his usual domineering self, he seemed like a broken-winged eagle – powerless, weak, and helpless. The scene reminded her of holding Xiao Hang’s corpse during her exile in her previous life, crying futilely for her dead husband. The heart-wrenching pain overwhelmed her, and she buried her face against Lin Jinlou’s neck, choking out, “Master, master… if you’re awake, please… please say something to me…”
She stared up at the setting moon. The mountains loomed silent, endless ranges stretching beyond sight, with spots of bright flames on some slopes indicating ongoing battles. Straining to listen, she heard no fighting, only the howling northwest wind bending the reeds.
They had fled here from the rebel army’s pursuit, uncertain of rescue, with Lin Jinlou gravely wounded and his survival in doubt. She was desperately worried but helpless, feeling tiny in this vast world, the two of them so alone and vulnerable.
Lin Jinlou felt as if submerged in ice water, drifting hazily in fog, his body wracked with indescribable pain. Someone kept rubbing his hands and face, speaking near his ear. Exhausted from pain, he struggled to focus on the voice. Earlier he had been freezing, but now someone had covered him, making him feel somewhat better.
Someone had put medicine in his mouth, which he slowly dissolved. As he was drifting off to sleep, he heard a woman crying. Listening carefully, it seemed to be Xiang Lan. That silly girl was always crying – he could make her tear up just by raising his voice, though lately, she had cried less. Her crying bothered him. He wanted to tell her to stop, that her crying was giving him a headache, but he couldn’t open his mouth or make a sound.