Before she could react, the peach in Zhou Yiniang's hand was snatched away by a half-grown child.
"You little bastard, give me back my peach!" She jumped three feet high in anger, screaming at the top of her lungs.
The child ran like the wind, not even giving her a chance to chase after him.
Shen Wan had guessed correctly—being too conspicuous at such times was definitely not a good thing.
Hearing Zhou Yiniang's furious voice, the corners of her lips curled slightly, and a sweet smile spread across her dark little face.
Seeing her gloating expression, Xie Mubai couldn't help but feel speechless.
By evening, the group finally dragged their exhausted bodies to the courier station.
The station was dilapidated, and the room provided for the prisoners was disgustingly filthy.
Inside, there was only one large communal bed, haphazardly piled with a few greasy, tattered quilts. Even more frustrating was the fist-sized hole in the roof!
"I don't want to sleep here!" Xie Murong cried out anxiously at the sight.
She was a young lady of noble birth—how could she possibly squeeze onto a bed with others?
Seeing her delicate, almost dewy face, Scarface leered and sneered, "If you think this place is dirty, why not come upstairs with me?"
He looked utterly repulsive, with a scar like an earthworm winding from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth.
When he spoke, the "earthworm" seemed to writhe, making him appear even more sinister and terrifying.
Xie Murong was so frightened that her face turned pale. She stumbled and hid behind Xie Mubai.
Since childhood, she had grown accustomed to her fifth brother's protection.
Though Xie Mubai didn't move, his gaze sharpened noticeably.
"How much does it cost to go upstairs?" Sun Shi quickly asked upon hearing this.
Scarface glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and snapped, "No amount of money will get you a spot!"
"Stay put, all of you! If anyone dares to scheme, I'll break their damn legs!"
Hearing this, Sun Shi was so furious she nearly spat blood.
She couldn't understand—how could she, the legitimate daughter of the Sun family, be inferior to that lowly Xie Murong, a mere concubine-born daughter?
That Scarface was truly blind, mistaking a fish eye for a pearl!
Night fell once again, uninvited.
After a long and exhausting day, everyone was both frightened and weary.
Even though the bed was hard and the quilts filthy, they all drifted into a heavy sleep.
But Xie Mubai remained awake.
The cold moonlight streamed through the hole in the roof, illuminating his pale face and making him look even more haggard.
Too much had happened in just one day—first, the inexplicable bride swap, then his father's death in battle, and now, even his home was gone.
The relentless blows had left him physically and mentally drained. How could he possibly sleep peacefully?
"Let's begin," Shen Wan whispered, tiptoeing to his side once everyone had fallen asleep.
No sooner had she spoken than her dark little hand reached for his trousers.
"What are you doing?" Xie Mubai's gaze sharpened as he swiftly grabbed her wrist.
Meeting his sharp, penetrating eyes, Shen Wan felt a sudden urge to tease the big villain.
"How can I assess your injury without taking them off?" she deliberately leaned closer, her warm breath brushing against his face. "But what exactly are you thinking?"
"Don't tell me you think I have such peculiar tastes that I'd harass an immobile patient?"
Xie Mubai didn't dare move, lying rigidly in place, yet the unique fragrance from the young woman faintly lingered around his nostrils.
His face flushed crimson as he tremblingly released his grip.
Seeing the great villain in such an awkward state, Shen Wan smiled triumphantly before carefully removing his trousers.
With each movement, Xie Mubai's tall body would tremble slightly.
He bit through his lip, beads of sweat the size of peas rolling down his pale cheeks.
Finally, the trousers were removed.
His legs were a bloody mess, with glimpses of white bone faintly visible.
Without having taken any painkillers, it was remarkable how this sickly beauty hadn't made a sound throughout the journey.
A bewitching blush spread across Xie Mubai's pale face, his breathing growing increasingly rapid.
Yet his gaze didn't waver, calmly watching as the plain-looking woman injected some unknown liquid into his body with a needle-like object.
What was that?
Xie Mubai didn't know.
Just as he was about to ask, he felt his head grow heavy and drifted off to sleep.
Taking advantage of the great villain's slumber, Shen Wan gave him an anti-inflammatory injection.
The weather was too hot these days, and the sanitary conditions along the way were terrible – if the wound got infected, it would be troublesome.
For her, this was just a minor procedure, and she soon finished treating the wound.
After completing everything, Shen Wan entered her Space to take a quick shower, then took out a pastry to eat.
The Space was rich in spiritual energy – no matter what was placed inside, even after eight or ten years, it wouldn't spoil.
Even after a day, the pastry remained almost as fresh as when it first came out of the oven.
It had to be said, the officers in charge of the escort were truly ruthless, not even providing dinner.
Those like Sun Shi who had some money could manage, buying something to stave off hunger.
But those prisoners without money could only go hungry.
The mosquitoes at the post station were particularly vicious. After eating her fill, Shen Wan randomly sprayed some floral water on herself and the great villain before lying down close to Xie Mubai.
There was no other choice – the kang bed was only so large.
Xie Mubai slept at the foot of the kang, with Shen Wan positioned between him and the Xie family's female members.
Perhaps from exhaustion, as soon as her head touched the hard earthen kang, she quickly fell asleep.
In her drowsy state, she suddenly heard a "thud," as if something heavy had fallen.
Shen Wan jolted awake.
Driven by her military medic instincts, she sprang up like a carp leaping from water.
In the pale moonlight, she clearly saw Xie Mubai lying on the damp ground, struggling to crawl toward the door.
"What are you doing?" Shen Wan quickly got off the kang and reached out to help him up.
But Xie Mubai pushed her away, his smooth forehead now covered with dense beads of sweat.
"Don't do anything rash!" Shen Wan held him tightly, pleading earnestly, "I know you're feeling down now, but where there's life, there's hope."
"Don't you want to avenge Guo Gong Ye? Don't you want to restore Zhen Guo Gong Fu?"
"A grown man wanting to commit suicide – if you're not ashamed, I am!"
Though she didn't have much fondness for this great villain, she couldn't just stand by and watch him seek death!
Xie Mubai was already anxious, and being held like this only made him feel more constrained.
His face flushed red, his hoarse voice trembling slightly with his body: "I'm not being rash, I just…"
Just what?
Shen Wan looked at him, completely bewildered.
Seeing her dazed expression, Xie Mubai broke into a nervous sweat and could only brace himself to say, "I just… need to relieve myself."
Hearing this, Shen Wan finally snapped back to reality.
No wonder this man had been avoiding water the whole journey—he was afraid of this!
"Really, why didn't you just call me? I thought you were trying to kill yourself!"
Shen Wan scooped him up in a princess carry and strode directly toward the door.
Witnessing this, Xie Mubai grew even more flustered: "No… I can manage on my own…"
The princess carry alone was already deeply humiliating for him, and now, with the last shred of his dignity about to be stripped away, he truly couldn't accept it.
"Don't worry, I'll close my eyes in a moment!" Shen Wan said dismissively. "If you dare go by yourself again in the future and end up crippling your legs, I won't take responsibility."
Xie Mubai was thin-skinned, but with no other options left, he steeled his heart.
Fine, he'd just treat her as air!
Shen Wan kept her word—she truly didn't look.
"What's wrong?" she asked, puzzled by the lack of sound.
Xie Mubai's face flushed so deeply it seemed about to drip blood.
He was too embarrassed to speak, yet had no choice: "I… I can't go, but it's urgent…"
Understanding his meaning, Shen Wan began to whistle.
Hearing the whistle, Xie Mubai felt as if he'd been gravely insulted.
But strangely, this crude trick actually worked…
After he finished, Shen Wan carried him back to the kang.
It had to be said, the Xie family slept remarkably soundly.
Despite all the commotion, they hadn't heard a thing!
"I… I'll take responsibility for you," Xie Mubai mustered his courage and stammered.
Men and women should maintain proper boundaries.
But now that his pants had been removed, how was this any different from intimate contact?
He had to take responsibility for her, even without love.
After a brief moment of shock, Shen Wan burst into laughter: "No need. Just remember what you promised me."
The book had described this major antagonist as indifferent to women, devoted only to the female lead.
Making him take responsibility would be like sentencing herself to a living widowhood—a "good deal" she firmly refused.
Xie Mubai's gaze darkened.
After a long pause, a mocking smile finally touched his sensual lips.
He had overthought it. Anyone would likely hesitate to waste their youth on a cripple.
"I still have a fruit here. Eat it and get some sleep soon." Noticing he hadn't eaten that evening, Shen Wan pulled out another fruit. "Keep quiet—don't let the others hear."
She did have pastries, but explaining their origin now would be impossible, so fruit would have to do.
Xie Mubai didn't refuse.
He took the fruit and gave her a complicated look.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Shen Wan felt somewhat guilty under his gaze and teased deliberately, "Have you been captivated by my peerless beauty and fallen for me?"
Xie Mubai's face darkened.
Fallen for her?
He preferred refined, cultured ladies like Shen Yan—how could he possibly be interested in a woman whose face was thicker than a city wall?
Even if her medical skills were exceptional, he wouldn't develop the slightest affection for her because of it.
Not having to take responsibility was just fine—it made things easier for him.