Chapter 2: A Chance Encounter of People from Afar

  You were shocked, opening your mouth to shout, but the sound was cut off before it left your throat. A hand clamped over your mouth, making you feel sick and causing pain. You struggled with all your might, seeing from the chaotic reflection in the water a big man with a thick beard holding you captive.

  In her panic, she used all her strength to elbow him in the back, and as the big fellow loosened his grip in pain, she made a desperate struggle and managed to push him back several steps.

  She only then saw clearly the ferocious and sinister appearance of that man, with yellowish teeth stained with tobacco in his whiskers, making people feel a wave of nausea. She stared at him for a moment, suddenly woke up with a start, shouted "Save me", turned her head and ran away.

  A voice came from behind: "Little girls, want to run?" The big man pulled his legs and chased after them.

  By the river, the rocks were rugged and uneven. You stumbled several times, almost falling down. Hearing footsteps getting closer and closer behind you, you quickly picked up a stone from the ground and threw it back.

  As she turned her head, she was horrified to find that not only one person was chasing after her, but two others, along with the big man from before, were sneering and closing in on her from three sides, treating her as if she were their prey.

  She was shocked in her heart, and without paying attention, she stepped on the thick moss on the rock and fell into the water.

  She let out a cry and struggled without falling over, the water wasn't deep, only reaching halfway up her waist, but the disgusting face on the shore was getting closer and closer, with dirty hands reaching out to grab her.

  Rather be shattered jade than intact tile, she gritted her teeth and plunged into the deep water with a resolute turn, even though she couldn't swim.

  Water rushed up from the waist to the chest, white clothes were blown up by waves like blooming clouds floating, black hair was drifting like a thread, the water was very cold, and everything in front of me became blurry.

  At this moment, a strong gust of wind suddenly sounded beside her, and two loud noises mixed with a painful cry came from the shore. A clear and low voice said in her ear, "Stretch out your hand!"

  She numbly raised her hand, and a hand almost as icy as the river water pulled her strongly from the water to the rocky shore, with a pair of calm eyes flashing before her.

  She didn't even see the man's appearance, but first discovered two wolf-toothed arrows nailed to the shore in front of the feet of two big men who were chasing closely, one more and one less, the arrow entered the riverbank straight into the feathers, it can be seen that the force is extraordinary.

  The man who rushed into the water was shot in the arm by an arrow, let out a mournful cry of pain, and rolled and crawled towards the shore, immediately dragging out a trail of deep red blood in the river.

  "A few of you bullying a weak woman, shameless and thick-skinned! Get out of here quickly!" A young man with a slender build, wearing a narrow-sleeved tunic and grasping a golden bow, stood tall like a pine tree and shouted in a deep voice.

  You finally saw clearly that the one who shot the arrow and saved her was not the same person. The one who pulled her ashore leaned against a rock, his tall figure wrapped in a long black cloak, with a copper-colored mask covering half of his face.

  Because of the mask, she couldn't see his exact appearance, only a pair of deep and solemn eyes behind the mask, dark and endless, without any emotion, a thin and firm lip exposed outside, and a pair of cold and clear eyes that matched well.

  The archer saw several scoundrels fleeing in a hurry and did not chase them. He just turned his head and said, "Fourth brother, how are you?"

  The man known as "Fourth Brother" didn't say a word, only slightly shaking his head. The archer's gaze shifted to Qingchen, and he suddenly froze, hastily turning away his face.

  You lowered your head, and this thin white dress got wet in the water, clinging tightly to your body with a beautiful curve, almost transparent. You were stunned for a moment, and your mind was racing, you raised your hand and swung your long hair over your shoulder and waist to the front of your body, subconsciously taking two steps back, and your originally pale face suddenly turned bright red.

  Surrounded by desolate mountains and wild ridges, it was really unthinkable. Just as she was in a difficult situation, a large cloak came flying over from the opposite side and landed on her shoulders.

  She pulled her cloak tighter, lifted her head and met the calm eyes behind the mask. Those eyes had been looking at her all along without ever turning away, yet seemed to have seen nothing, still as cold as before. She shifted her gaze down a few inches, and was startled in her heart.

  The man had a short arrow stuck in his chest, which was previously wrapped in a cloak and couldn't be seen. Now that the cloak was thrown open, it revealed a deep black tight-fitting shirt that had been stained with blood, half of which showed a thick color. The cloak she held also had a lot of bloodstains on it.

  No wonder he's been leaning against the rock, it seems that this injury is not light. Possibly due to the exertion just now, there is fresh blood flowing out of the wound again, and his tightly pursed thin lips are pale to the point of having no color at all.

  "You hear him say in a low voice: 'Eleventh brother, pull out this arrow.'"

  The man known as "Eleventh Brother" had no time to pay attention to the dust, and went forward to support the person sitting on the stone edge, hesitantly looking at the wound.

  He took out a token-like thing from his bosom and handed it over to him: "You see the opportunity, take action."

  Eleven sword eyebrows tightly frowned, fiercely grasped the command token, "Fourth brother, hold on a bit." Raised his hand to grasp the arrow tail exposed outside his body.

  "Wait!" Qing Chen reacted from his shock and hastily stopped him: "Pulling it out like that will be fatal!"

  His chest rose and fell slightly, blood from the wound gushing out with each breath, his gaze silently sweeping towards Qing Chen.

  Eleven lives were lost, and some people anxiously said: "It's a matter of life and death."

  You crouched down beside him in the dust, "It's not that it can't be pulled out, but if you pull out the arrow like this, he won't die from the pain, but he will bleed to death."

  "What's good about that?" asked Eleven.

  You carefully examined the arrow wound's location and condition, estimating that it hadn't hit any vital organs like the heart or lungs. Otherwise, she feared that the person wouldn't have made it this far. She asked Eleven: "Is there a knife? A small one."

  He himself took out a small knife about three inches long from his waist, the scabbard was simple but exquisite, and at a glance it was not an ordinary product. He said, "What's up?"

  "Young Dust Road said: 'I know some medical skills, if you believe me, let me try.'"

  He turned his head to look at that person, and that person exchanged a brief glance with Qing Chen. In his eyes, Qing Chen did not capture any emotional fluctuations, and heard him say in such a weak and indifferent voice: "Good."

  You took over the small knife handed to you by Eleven, and it felt quite heavy in your hand. The blade was narrow and thin, very sharp, although not comparable to a surgical scalpel, but still usable.

  She said to Eleven: "Lift him gently and lay him flat, with the wound above his heart. Then look for something like liquor; if there isn't any, think of a way to start a fire."

  Eleventh: "Wine has a little fire." He took out a flat silver-inlaid small jug from his pocket: "Top-grade Huadiao".

  "You're not here to taste wine and appreciate the moon." She quickly used a small knife to cut off a large piece of fabric from the inside of her cloak, which was relatively clean, and divided it into several pieces. After washing her hands with the clear water beside her, she took the wine jug handed over by Eleven, dipped some wine on the knife to wipe it clean, and carefully cut open the clothes around the wound, exposing the entire wound before her eyes.

  She bent down to take a closer look, and the blood from the wound flowed out with each breath, dark red in color. It was likely that no major artery had been hit, so when the arrow was pulled out, the bleeding shouldn't be too severe. She turned her head to glance at the man again, finding him lying there quietly watching her every move, his eyes deep and inscrutable, impossible to tell if he trusted her or not, or if he felt suspicious or fearful.

  She smiled at him, heated the knife over the flames that had just been lit by Eleven, and handed it to Eleven. She then wiped her hands with wine, took a cloth dipped in wine and simply treated the area around the wound, took the knife and said: "It's going to hurt, bear with it."

  The man didn't say anything, he just slightly nodded his head.

  She carefully considered the distribution of veins around the wound, and since the arrow had a reverse barb, it couldn't be pulled out directly. She pressed her hand on the vein, and with a swift and precise motion, she cut open the muscle beside the wound with the small knife in her hand. As the man let out a muffled groan, she grasped the arrow tail and applied some force, and the broken arrow came out smoothly, followed by a gush of fresh blood; however, due to the correct pressure, there wasn't a massive spray of blood.

  Qing Chen threw the broken arrow aside and said to the eleventh: "Spread out."

  Eleventh passed over the cloth that had just been folded and handed it to her. She layered it on top of the wound, asking: "Fourth brother, how does it feel?"

  His lips were deathly pale, but despite such intense pain, he still managed to remain conscious. After a while, he slowly said, "I'm fine."

  "Let me show you where the vein is. You press here with your hand, I'll go take a look and see if I can find some herbs to stop the bleeding. Remember not to let go or use too much force."

  Eleventh, according to the words, took over, not long after, Qing dust brought back some green mountain grass, washed and crushed it, applied it to the wound, replaced a clean cloth and re-bandaged it, and the bleeding gradually stopped.

  The sky gradually darkens, the mountains are shrouded in purple, and a day has already entered dusk. The horizon is ablaze with clouds flying high, and through the warm glow of the sunset, the atmosphere is continuous. Flocks of birds fly over from the colorful clouds, returning to their nests, and all is quiet.

  You sat on a nearby rock and let out a long sigh, raising his head: "It's getting dark, can't just stay here."

  "Is there anyone's home nearby?"

  "You may follow me if you don't mind... there's a thatched cottage... it's my home."

  Since the man did not object, he said: "In that case, I have been presumptuous, but I haven't asked for your name yet, miss?"

  "Feng Qincheng thought for a moment and said: 'I'm called... Feng Qincheng, what about you?'"

  Listening to her ask, Shiyi hesitated for a moment, clasped his fists and said: "Miss, we met by chance and you lent us a helping hand, so we should have told you our names truthfully. However, my brother and I have another bitter circumstance, if we fabricate and deceive, it's not what a gentleman would do, I don't know if Miss can forgive?"

  "You don't want to say, I won't ask, you saved me first, we're even."

  He thought for a moment and said, "In our family, I am the eleventh in line. You might as well call me Eleven."

  "Alright, eleven." Qing Chen nodded and looked at the person who had been meditating with his eyes closed.

  He opened his eyes, with a hint of fatigue in his calm tone, and said softly, "Thank you."

  "You don't have to thank me," he said with a faint smile. "Since he calls you Fourth Brother, that means you must be the fourth in line."

  "Fourth Brother is older than me by a few years. Looking at you, our ages seem similar. If Miss Qing doesn't mind, it's fine to call him Fourth Brother as well."

  "You nod and stand up: 'I'll take you to the bamboo house.'"

  Three people went upstream together. Although you had memories in your heart, it didn't mean that you could find the way smoothly. Moreover, the sky was already dark, and it really took some twists and turns.

  That man followed them for a long time, although someone helped him along the way. Unfortunately, his wound couldn't withstand the jolts and fresh blood gushed out again. He must have been in great pain. However, he remained silent throughout, with his lips tightly pursed and his eyes shrouded in darkness, concealing all emotions, including pain.

  Arrived at the bamboo house, the sky had completely darkened. Qingchen pushed open the bamboo fence and entered, borrowing the faint starlight above to see that there were many plants in this small courtyard, and a faint fragrance wafted through the night breeze.

  In the room, I fumbled for a candle and lit it. The light was not very bright, but the bamboo house was clean and tidy. The tables and chairs were all made of green bamboo, arranged in a scattered yet harmonious manner. Under the candlelight, a soft layer of color seemed to have fallen on everything, shining faintly.

  You raised the bamboo curtain, inside is a bedroom, in the middle of the low bed is tied with a green silk gauze canopy, on one side is placed a small table, next to it hangs a copper mirror, and beside the mirror are placed jade hairpins and wooden combs, indicating that this is a woman's boudoir. Near the window, there is a simple ancient zither.

  You first calm down and let that person lie down well. To the eleventh one: "There is water on the table, give him a little to drink, I will go find medicine."

  She lifted the curtain and went out, in another room there were all sorts of jars and bottles on one side, as well as a lot of dried herbs, while the other side was filled with various books, she flipped through them casually, eight or nine out of ten were medical books.

  She picked up the medicine bottles one by one, and soon selected two small porcelain bottles from them, and also found some clean bandages. Then she looked at another room, which turned out to be a kitchen.

  It seems that everything is in order, quiet and carefree. The previous owner must have been a refined and elegant person. She stood in the house in a daze, feeling as if everything before her eyes was alternating between reality and illusion, making her head ache vaguely. Her heart felt empty, she didn't know how long she had been standing there until Eleven came out and asked: "Is there medicine?"

  She suddenly came back to her senses, looking at Eleven with a slightly dazed expression in her eyes. Eleven saw that she was pale and asked, "What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?"

  "She hastily shook her head: 'Nothing. There's medicine here, I'll change his dressing and bandage him up. That side is the kitchen, you go think of a way to get some food over here.'"

  Eleven nodded: "Kitchen? Okay, I'll take a look." The change in subject made him overlook the unusual expression in Qingchen's eyes and he didn't ask further.

  You dusted off a basin of water and returned to the bedroom, placing the medicine and bandages in front of the bed: "Those herbs are just temporary measures, not very effective, need to change medicine, can you sit up?"

  The candlelight cast a soft, warm glow on the pale yellow walls. The man's face, exposed outside of his mask, was as white as snow, but his eyes were still bright and clear. He struggled slightly to prop himself up with his hands, and Qingchen helped him lean back against the pillows behind him, then unhesitatingly reached out to help him undo his clothes, not noticing the flicker of surprise that crossed the man's normally calm eyes.

  The wound indeed cracked open, she poured out some clear liquid from a blue and white porcelain bottle, carefully cleaned the bloodstain, then took out a milky white ointment, gently applied it to the wound, and re-bandaged with clean gauze.

  That person remained silent, his hands clenched into fists by his side. With each breath, the pain from his injuries would throb and pierce him repeatedly, almost draining his strength. Only the gentle movements of Qing's fingers brought him some slight relief.

  Your fingers touched his skin, and there was always a sense of steady strength in the place where your hands met, injury and bleeding did not make him relax, as if he was always on guard, but it was hard to notice.

  Her eyes sparkled slightly as she gave him a quiet smile, the smile landed at the bottom of his dark pupils and was sucked in with a turn.

  After changing his medicine and helping him lie down properly, Qing Chen put the things away. The man closed his eyes wearily, but suddenly opened them again: "...Feng young lady."

  "Huh?" Qing Chen raised his head, and at the same time, he impatiently shook off the sleeve that was always in the way.

  "Eleventh brother, you're also covered in colors." Clearly showing concern for others, his voice didn't carry any emotion, calm and collected, without a ripple.

  "You've just seen that there's an injury on his shoulder, but it's not too serious. In the chaos, I didn't pay attention to it for the time being. Now I remember: 'Alright, I'll go take a look, you rest.' He gently lifted the corner of the quilt and went out."

  As soon as he stepped out of the house, a thick smoke came rushing towards him. He saw that the kitchen was constantly emitting smoke and hurried over to take a look. Just then, Eleven rushed out of the house and collided with him, embracing him tightly.

  Eleven reached out and grabbed her, wiping his face and said: "What's going on? The stove won't light."

  You were watching him with a smudge of cigarette ash on his face, looking like a clown, and couldn't help but burst out laughing, pointing at him "hahaha" . Eleven Sword's eyebrows shot up: "You...laughing at me? Or are you going to try it yourself?"

  You think it's easy, don't you? It's just starting a fire. Who can't light wood on fire? Rolling up his sleeves, "Watch me." With full confidence, he stepped into the kitchen, and Eleven followed closely behind him, determined to learn humbly.

  The half-brewed tea's effort, two people sat back in the outer room, the kitchen was a mess.

  Eleven looked at Qing Chen with a hint of smile, three parts teasing and three parts helplessness in his eyes. Qing Chen stood with her lips pursed, not willing to concede. She had never thought that starting a fire would be so difficult, and what was even more infuriating was Eleven's mocking expression in front of her. Seeing him struggling to hold back his laughter, she said irritably: "If you want to laugh, just laugh, why make such a weird face? You're not much better than me, laughing at others' misfortune."

  Eleven looked at her small face with black and white streaks, endured for a moment, but finally burst out laughing, his bright and handsome appearance made him look majestic and elegant, and the sun shone brightly in the clear sky.

  "You can't even start a fire, let alone brew medicine. We'll all just go hungry then, and see who gets anxious first." With that, she raised an eyebrow, slightly lifted the corner of her eyes, made a threatening expression, and turned to leave with a flick of her hand.

  No matter how helpless she looked on the outside, she entered the house to prepare medicine. The numerous types of herbs were some that she had recognized before, and some that she knew from the memories she received. That feeling was fragmented and disorderly, piercing her heart, as if something in her mind belonged to her yet didn't belong to her, existing yet seemingly non-existent, suddenly emerging when needed, without time to clarify, complex and chaotic.

  She carefully selected the medicine ingredients, not daring to be careless. Coldly, she lifted the curtain and said: "Ah, it's done."

  "Did it become?" Qing Chen followed him out, somewhat suspicious: "Didn't it get extinguished?"

  "It's perfectly cooked." The eleventh god had a hint of pride in his expression: "Such trivial matters can't stump me... young master."

  "You don't think so, do you?" she raised an eyebrow. "Well, cooking shouldn't be a problem for you either, there's rice and vegetables, I'm counting on you." She took advantage of Eleven's momentary distraction to slap him hard on the shoulder, intentionally hitting his wound, and as he cried out in pain, she smiled sweetly and said, "Let me take a look at your injury first."

  Eleven auras converged, but he faced her with a smiling face and couldn't do anything about it, so he could only admit to being unlucky. His shoulder and left arm were lightly injured, his left arm had a slightly heavier wound that bled quite a bit, and when Qingchen looked closely, it seemed like a knife wound. The words reached the tip of her tongue but she stopped herself from asking, instead carefully observing him. She saw that he wore simple black clothes made of high-quality materials, with subtle cloud patterns, well-tailored, and the longbow lying beside him had a grip wrapped in gold thread, with two intricately carved flying dragons coiled on either side, and the sword at his waist was plain yet elegant, its sharp intent visible through the scabbard.

  The wound was properly treated, and Eleven smiled and said, "Thank you."

  "You're welcome," said Dusty Dao, "just bring over some cooked rice when it's done, and consider it payment for the medicine."

  Eleven shook his head: "Glib and quick-witted, he doesn't take a single loss."

  You picked up the medicine on the table: "Let's put it this way, we're even. Would you mind starting a fire to decoct the medicine?"

  "Easy to say." The eleventh trick was repeated, and a jar of wine was lifted out from the house and poured into the medicine stove prepared by Qingdun. Wood chips were added, and the fire starter ignited with a single touch.

  You dusted off and went forward to take a look at the wine, "Wow! This is indeed a high-quality medicinal wine infused with many types of herbs!"

  "Oh?" Eleven heard this and poured out a small cup of wine to take a sip. After a while, he said: "Good wine!"

  You raised your curiosity, reached out to dip into the wine jar, and tasted it with the tip of your tongue. Just one drop, the clear bitter medicinal fragrance mixed with the pure and refreshing wine lingered for a long time, and the aftertaste made people feel comfortable and refreshed.

  She nodded and said, "It's okay." Then she stretched out her hand to the jar again, but suddenly let out a cry of "ah" and withdrew her hand. The dark thing at the bottom of the jar turned out to be a snake.

  Eleven looked carefully and suddenly laughed: "Isn't this wine brewed by you? How did you catch the snake back then?"

  You hesitated for a moment, then glanced at him with a slanted gaze: "I have my own way, no need to worry. This wine is worth drinking!" She avoided the unanswerable question.

  With a loud laugh, he poured two cups of wine with one hand: "Nice to meet you."

  You dust took the wine cup in hand, lips slightly raised: "Fated to meet."

  The two men raised their cups, and after draining them, they clinked them together in a toast. The strong liquor went down their throats smoothly, leaving a refreshing aftertaste. They both felt exhilarated, and bursts of unbridled laughter erupted within the room.