The road ahead was far less easy to travel than what had come before — mostly mountain paths — with groups of assassins lurking every now and then.
With Jian Yi in tow, Feng Jiu’er found every step a struggle.
Two days passed, and they had covered less than half the distance.
After many twists and turns, Jian Yi’s injury worsened, and Feng Jiu’er had no choice but to stop and administer the second treatment.
“Jiu’er, go on without me.” Jian Yi looked at the girl before him, whose complexion was little better than his own, his heart aching with concern.
“Keep that breath to warm your belly, will you?” Feng Jiu’er rolled her eyes at Jian Yi and began channeling her energy to treat his injuries.
The fact that Jian Yi had held on until now was already no small feat. Feng Jiu’er understood clearly that if surgery wasn’t performed soon, even if his life could be preserved, he would be nothing but a cripple for the rest of his days.
A perfectly fine assassin — handsome, without a malicious bone in his body — actually becoming a cripple. How great a waste that would be?
She absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen. So no matter how dire the circumstances became, the thought of giving up had never once crossed Feng Jiu’er’s mind.
In the pitch-black night, the cave held only a faint flicker of firelight, just enough for one to dimly make out what lay before them.
A man and a woman sat facing each other in meditation. The man’s complexion gradually recovered a trace of color, but the woman’s face grew paler and paler.
Over the course of seven or eight days, the hours of rest Feng Jiu’er had managed to get could be counted on one hand.
More critically, Jian Yi had been relying entirely on her vital energy to sustain him throughout.
Not only did Feng Jiu’er have to fend off assassins, she also had to be ready at all times to channel her vital energy into Jian Yi to keep him alive and to carry out his treatments.
During this stretch of time, she was truly exhausted in both body and spirit.
After one more hour, it was not Jian Yi who collapsed — it was Feng Jiu’er.
Jian Yi held the young woman in his arms. In the faint glow of the firelight, the faintest trace of tears welled in the depths of his eyes.
This foolish girl — the two of them were nothing more than chance acquaintances, yet she had saved him once, and then again.
Feng Jiu’er truly felt herself giving out. Exhaustion wrapped itself tightly around her, making it somewhat difficult to breathe.
In the end, she could not hold on any longer, and sank into unconsciousness.
Drifting in and out, Feng Jiu’er had no idea where she was.
There were still so many matters weighing on her heart that she could not let go. She desperately wanted to wake up, yet for reasons she could not understand, she simply could not open her eyes.
She did not know how much time had passed when she suddenly jolted awake and sat up.
“Jian Yi.”
She looked around — and to her surprise found herself lying on a low cot inside a tent.
She did not even stop to put on her shoes. She pulled her clothing tightly around her and rushed out.
Outside the tent, two female guards stood watch, one on each side.
“Miss Jiu’er, you’ve finally woken up.” One of the female guards said.
The other female guard looked at Feng Jiu’er with a nod, then turned and headed toward another tent.
“Jian Yi — where is Jian Yi?” Feng Jiu’er was frantic with worry, her voice carrying a faint tremor.
How could she have slept so soundly? How could she have slept so soundly?
She recalled what had happened when she had gone to the Feng clan — the experience of falling unconscious for several days without reason — and she snapped her eyes wide open and stared at the female guard.
“How long have I been sleeping? Tell me — how long have I been sleeping?”
“Yesterday morning, when we found the two of you, you were surrounded and under attack by assassins. It was your personal guard who saved you.” The female guard replied.
“But he—”
“How is he?” Feng Jiu’er grabbed the female guard’s arm in agitation. “Jian Yi — my personal guard — how is he? Where is he?”
“His condition is not very good. The physicians have been working to save him for a full day and night. For now—”
“Where is he?” Feng Jiu’er cut the female guard off. “Where is he? Quickly — take me to him.”
“Yes, Miss Jiu’er.” The female guard gave a quick nod.
She turned toward another tent on the far side and had barely raised her hand when the person beside her had already vanished.
“Miss Jiu’er, please be careful! Your boots aren’t on yet, and your clothing— The physician said your own condition isn’t good either. Please take care!”
The female guard turned back into the tent, grabbed Feng Jiu’er’s outer robe and long boots, and hurried after her.
Arriving at the tent the female guard had indicated, Feng Jiu’er yanked the tent flap aside — only to hear the words she had absolutely dreaded hearing.
“General Huo, we truly did our best.”
“That’s impossible! It absolutely cannot be!” Feng Jiu’er shoved the curtain aside with force and practically lunged forward.
At the sight of Jian Yi — his face as white as paper, his breathing imperceptible — she collapsed to her knees at his side.
“Jian Yi, I will not let anything happen to you. You have to hold on. Jian Yi.”
Feng Jiu’er picked up Jian Yi’s large hand, her slender fingers resting on his pulse.
“It’s no use. Even his pulse is gone. He has a wound to the heart, and he has lost too much blood.”
“Silence!” Before the physician had finished speaking, Feng Jiu’er cut him off with a cold voice.
“Get out. All of you, get out! Jian Yi will be fine. I absolutely will not let anything happen to him.”
The three physicians shook their heads helplessly and looked toward the woman dressed in general’s attire who stood to one side.
The woman raised her hand in a faint gesture, and the three physicians turned and left.
With no pulse to be found anywhere on Jian Yi, Feng Jiu’er was as frantic as an ant on a hot iron pan.
She stood up, pressed her fingers hard into Jian Yi’s philtrum, her own body trembling ceaselessly.
In the midst of the panic, Feng Jiu’er pulled out her needle case, grabbed a few silver needles without care, and drove them hard into her own arm.
The pain snapped her back to clarity. She let out a low cry, and at last steadied her mind.
“Jian Yi, it’s all right! I said I would heal you, and I will never go back on that word. Trust me — everything will be all right!”
She drew a deep breath, knelt before Jian Yi, parted his lips, lowered her head, and pressed her own lips against his.
Performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Feng Jiu’er at the same time freed one hand, took up the silver needles, and drove them into several of Jian Yi’s critical acupoints.
She glanced up at the woman who had remained in the tent, drew a long breath, and said, “Please help me hold this point. Quickly!”
The woman said nothing and stepped forward, extending her long fingers to press on the place Feng Jiu’er had indicated.
“You can press a little harder. Yes — exactly that amount of pressure.”
With those words cast aside, Feng Jiu’er placed a few more needles in Jian Yi and continued giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Faced with this unfamiliar method of saving a life, the woman dressed in general’s attire remained perfectly composed.
Once, twice, three times — Feng Jiu’er kept working to breathe for Jian Yi, shifting the position of the silver needles several times over.
Every action repeated itself again and again, yet there was not the slightest sign that Feng Jiu’er intended to give up.
At last, the figure lying on the cot gave a faint cough and began to breathe again.
“There — he’s come back. Jian Yi, thank heaven and earth. You did not give up on yourself.” Feng Jiu’er pushed the woman’s hand aside with a surge of emotion.
A quick “thank you” later, Feng Jiu’er pulled out a small vial, tipped out three medicinal pills, and placed them into Jian Yi’s mouth.
She paused not even for a moment, pressed her lips to Jian Yi’s, and blew hard.
Seeing Jian Yi’s throat move in a swallow, Feng Jiu’er let out a deep, trembling breath of relief.
“Jian Yi, don’t be afraid! You will recover. You definitely will.”