Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

Chapter 127 The Bright and Elegant Fake Gold 4

"The wound needs to be cleaned first, otherwise it will get infected."

She bit her lip, poured mineral water onto her clean handkerchief, and pinched a corner of the handkerchief with her fingertips to wipe away the blood and dirt around the wound little by little.

With each deep scratch she made, her heart clenched.

When he rolled down the slope, he used his battered back to protect her from any harm.

After finishing the treatment, Liu Yunshu was covered in sweat again. Looking at Wen Zhimiao, who was pale, she asked, "Xiao Ba, are there any herbs nearby to treat wounds?"

"Why doesn't the boss just exchange them for medicine?"

"Wen Zhimiao is a meticulous person. Unless his life is at stake, the appearance of medicine out of nowhere will only arouse his suspicion."

Liu Yunshu ran her fingertips along the edge of the handkerchief, her gaze sweeping over the vegetation outside the cave. "Let's find some herbs to tide us over, so we can have something to say when he wakes up."

"Master, there is a Sanqi (a type of medicinal herb) ten steps to the left of the cave, which can treat external bleeding."

Liu Yunshu immediately clutched her handkerchief and rushed out of the cave, searching for a moment in the grass on the left.

Sure enough, I saw several Panax notoginseng plants with palmate leaves and purplish-red rhizomes.

She carefully dug up the entire herb, scooped up the soil along with the roots into a cloth, and quickly returned to the cave.

"Xiao Ba, how do we use this Panax notoginseng?" She squatted down next to Wen Zhimiao, pinching the herb between her fingers, her eyes full of urgency.

"Dad, wash the root and stem, chew it up, and apply it to the wound. Boil the leaves in water and drink the water to stop the bleeding, but we don't have a fire right now, so just apply it externally for emergency relief."

Liu Yunshu immediately rinsed the Panax notoginseng root with mineral water, ignoring the bitterness, and chewed it carefully.

Apply the chewed medicine paste evenly to the deepest wounds, then gently wrap it with clean strips of cloth torn into pieces.

Having just finished treating her shoulder wound, Wen Zhimiao's eyelashes suddenly trembled, and a low, hoarse groan escaped her throat.

Liu Yunshu immediately held her breath and reached out to touch his forehead. Her fingertips touched something burning hot; he had developed a fever.

"Xiao Ba, what should we do if he has a fever?"

"Dad, we can only try physical cooling methods first. We soak a towel in cool water and apply it to his forehead, then wipe his limbs to dissipate heat."

As she spoke, Liu Yunshu produced another bottle of mineral water. "You smuggled in another one?"

"No, I used my points to get it~" Xiao Ba's shy voice echoed in my mind.

Xiao Ba: I just stole a bottle from Xiao Lü. If I steal it again, it will chase me and beat me up!

Little Green: Get lost...(｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡) ...

"Okay, Little Ba, when we get back to the system space, what do you want to buy? I'll pack it all for you!"

Liu Yunshu immediately unscrewed a new bottle of mineral water, soaked the handkerchief thoroughly, carefully wrung out the excess water, and gently applied it to Wen Zhimiao's forehead.

"This won't do; we need to start a fire."

Liu Yunshu's gaze swept across the corner of the cave, where she spotted a few dry branches and pine needles. She immediately got up to pick them up.

He touched Wen Zhimiao's body again, then took the tinderbox from his pocket. "The TV dramas really weren't lying!"

Just as Liu Yunshu lit the fire, a few drops of rain drifted in from outside the cave.

"Oh no! It's going to rain!" Liu Yunshu quickly ran out and picked up some dry branches.

As soon as we entered the cave, large raindrops began to fall, and a strong wind whipped the rain into the cave entrance.

The flames in the hearth flickered violently, almost going out.

Liu Yunshu immediately found a medium-sized bluestone to block the cave entrance, and added a few handfuls of dry pine needles and withered branches to the fire. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the flames rise again.

She turned to look at Wen Zhimiao and saw that the handkerchief on his forehead was half dry. She reached out and touched it, and found that the fever had not subsided but had actually increased.

He was muttering something, and Liu Yunshu leaned closer to listen. She heard him mutter intermittently, "Water..."

Liu Yunshu immediately unscrewed the mineral water bottle, carefully lifted Wen Zhimiao's chin with her fingertips, and brought the bottle opening to his lips.

But at that moment, he clenched his teeth tightly.

She freed one hand and gently stroked his jawline, her voice soft and gentle: "Wen Zhimiao, open your mouth and drink some water, otherwise your fever won't go down."

But he seemed not to hear, his jaw clenched even tighter, and soft gasps escaped his throat, cold sweat soaking his forehead and the stray hairs on his forehead.

Seeing his state, Liu Yunshu rolled her eyes and looked at him meaningfully.

"Don't say I'm taking advantage of you; it's your own fault for not cooperating."

She held the mineral water in her mouth, leaned slightly closer to his lips, and struggled for a long time before finally prying open his teeth.

Warm water flowed slowly through her teeth, and Wen Zhimiao's Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously before she instinctively swallowed.

His hot tongue swirled in her mouth for a long time before their lips parted.

Liu Yunshu touched her slightly swollen lips and chuckled softly, "You're really passionate!"

She gently lifted his head, fed him half a bottle of water, and then carefully laid him down.

As darkness fell, Liu Yunshu sat in front of the fire, warming herself while eating the pastries that Xiao Ba had fed her.

"The rain outside is getting heavier and heavier. I wonder when they will find this place."

At this moment, Wen Zhimiao let out a muffled groan, her whole body began to tremble, and she murmured "cold."

Liu Yunshu quickly took off the only clothes she had left and covered him with them, leaving herself only in her undergarments.

She added a few more dry branches to the fire, and the crackling flames cast a long shadow of her slender figure against the cave wall.

The autumn night was already chilly, and the wind that leaked in through the cave entrance, carrying raindrops, made Liu Yunshu shiver.

Seeing Wen Zhimiao still shivering, Liu Yunshu's eyes flickered. Afraid that he might become delirious from the fever, she exchanged some fever-reducing medicine and fed it to him.

She carefully lay down next to him and pulled him into her arms.

The moment their skin touched, Wen Zhimiao unconsciously reached out and hugged her tightly, encircling her entirely in his arms.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the hillside, Wen Lin and his guards finally killed the group of men in black, but Wen Zhimiao and Liu Yunshu were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are the young master and young lady?"

Wen Lin kicked aside the black-clad corpse at his feet, crimson blood splattering on his silver-white wristband. His voice trembled with rapid breathing:

"Search! Search thoroughly! Find the young master and young lady!"

The guards immediately dispersed, their longswords parting the waist-high weeds. Rainwater mixed with mud obscured their vision, but no one dared to slow down.

Biyan was also searching anxiously, but the rain had already washed away the traces.

She stared at the chaotic scene of the fight, her fingers clenched so tightly they turned white, and a lump formed in her throat: "Miss, where are you...?"

"Master, the rain is too heavy. We can't keep searching like this. Let's go back to the manor and inform the master and mistress!"

One of the guards made a suggestion.

Wen Lin frowned, turned to him and said, "You immediately ride back to the manor with Bi Yan and report back. We will continue the search."

The guard gripped the reins tightly, glanced at Biyan, who was soaking wet, and gritted his teeth as he replied, "Yes!"

Biyan suddenly grabbed the reins, rain streaming down her hair, her voice trembling with tears yet unusually firm: "I won't go back! Miss is still in the mountains, I'll wait for her here!"

Wen Lin's face darkened, and he wiped the rain from his face: "Nonsense! We're going back to the manor to report the news so we can mobilize more manpower. Staying here will only cause trouble!"

Without a word, he pushed Biyan onto the horse's back, saying, "Hold on tight!"

Before the words were even finished, the whip lashed the horse's rump hard, and the horse neighed and galloped away along the muddy mountain road.

Wen Lin watched Bi Yan's departing figure, raindrops sliding down his tense jawline.

"Everyone split into three groups and search down the hillside!"

The guards responded in unison, raising their swords to cut through the thorns blocking their path. Their boots sank deep into the mud, splashing up murky water with every step.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Wen Mansion.

Madam Wen sat on a pearwood chair in the main hall, glanced at the sky, and looked at Granny Lin with a puzzled expression.

"That's strange. Zhi Miao usually returns by this time, so why is she nowhere to be seen today?"

Lin Mama stepped forward with a smile, "Perhaps Miss was so captivated by the beautiful maple leaves at Huguo Temple that she lingered a little longer."

Madam Wen smiled upon hearing this, "This girl, I must have been too strict with her the other day."

Just then, Lord Wen walked in, still wearing his official robes. "Zhi Miao and Shu'er haven't returned yet?"

"Yes, we should have a good talk with that girl Shu'er when we get back."

The words had barely left his mouth when a heavy rain began to fall outside.

Mrs. Wen looked outside with a worried expression. "Why is it raining? I wonder if they brought rain gear!"

"It's raining so hard, the mountain roads are slippery, let's hope nothing goes wrong."

Lord Wen put down his official hat, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, and was about to order his servants to prepare horses to meet him.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the courtyard, accompanied by the hoarse shouts of a guard: "Master! Madam! Something terrible has happened!"

Madam Wen suddenly stood up, a secret unease welling up inside her.

He immediately got up and hurried out to greet them, only to see the guard, covered in mud, tumble off his horse, rainwater mixed with blood spreading on the blue bricks.

"What happened? Where are Zhimiao and Shu'er?" Her voice trembled, and even her hand holding the door frame was shaking.

The guard knelt on the ground, his head bowed low: "Madam, on our way back we were ambushed by men in black. Young Master and Miss are missing, and their whereabouts are currently unknown!"

"What!" Madam Wen felt a sudden darkness before her eyes.

With quick reflexes, Granny Lin caught the swaying Madam Wen and called out repeatedly, "Madam! Madam!"

Madam Wen seemed not to hear, her fingertips digging into the door frame until her knuckles turned white, and broken breaths came from her throat.

"Missing... How could they be missing... They were fine when I left this morning..."