The forest at dusk was dim and silent. The faint sunlight was blocked by the crisscrossing tree trunks, allowing only a few dim rays to filter through. The cold wind rustled the leaves with a soft whisper.
Fear was amplified infinitely under the silence, and gradually, the sound of crying came from behind the stone wall.
"……"
She hadn't said anything much. She just wanted to verify the identities of the two people and check if they were dangerous—and that scared them into tears!
The little girl noticed it too. She looked up at Gu Xiao and whispered, "Sister, it sounds like someone behind the wall is crying."
Gu Xiao nodded helplessly. Though she didn't want to admit it, it seemed she really had scared someone into tears.
Anyone who could be scared to tears by her probably wasn't truly vicious. She quietly led the little girl around the stone wall.
Behind the stone wall, Guan Yu, who was crying, heard the footsteps growing closer. Her heart pounded like thunder, and she felt overwhelming despair.
Were she and her brother really going to die here?
Her hands trembling, she gripped her sword, held her breath, and swung it down.
Gu Wan, who had just rounded the stone wall, screamed "Holy crap!" and hastily dodged. She had thought the person was timid, but it turned out to be a trap. She really had underestimated them.
The moment she dodged, she kicked the person to the ground. Because of the awkward angle, she nearly lost her balance while holding the little girl after the kick.
Once she steadied herself, Gu Xiao heard a startled cry of "Benefactor!"
After seeing who it was, she could only think, "Heaven and earth are full of kindness; mountains and waters always reunite."
It was actually that handsome pair of siblings from Qingpingzhen. But the man who had swung his sword that day was now lying on the ground, his clothes in tatters and covered in knife wounds, soaked through with blood. His face was pale, his lips bloodless—clearly unconscious.
The woman was also stained with blood, looking utterly disheveled.
What kind of deep grudge could drive someone to beat them like this? It definitely wasn't over food. She looked around but couldn't see anything worth robbing on them. That left only one possibility—it was because of who they were.
When Guan Yu saw Gu Xiao, it was like witnessing a deity descend from heaven. Ignoring the pain from the kick, she immediately knelt and said hoarsely, "Benefactor, I had no choice just now. Please, I beg you to save my brother. Please, I'll kowtow to you!"
Only now did she truly understand what it meant to live like an ant.
Gu Xiao was her only lifeline now. She stayed kneeling, knocking her head like a chick pecking at rice, each thud resounding clearly as her forehead gradually swelled red.
They had met before, after all, and Gu Xiao knew she was a woman with no combat ability whatsoever.
The choice she made in this situation reminded Gu Xiao of herself when the Moshi first broke out. Despite being weak and powerless, she had never given up on wanting to live. She had seen too many people choose to end their own lives. But she had held on until now because of a single belief—that she wanted to survive the Moshi.
"Get up first. Stop kowtowing," Gu Xiao said, quickly helping her to her feet.
She had Gu Wan turn around before lifting the man's clothes to examine his wounds. After years in the Moshi, though she wasn't a doctor, prolonged experience had made her something of an expert in external injuries.
The wounds were all superficial. The more troublesome one was the shoulder injury—a re-torn old wound that looked rather alarming. His unconsciousness was due to excessive blood loss. Saving him wouldn't be difficult, but it would take some time.
Gu Xiao turned to Guan Yu, who was watching with concern, and said, "I can save him, but I need to know who you are. I don't want to bring trouble upon myself."
She had expected Guan Yu to be reluctant to reveal her identity and had planned to first rule out her own potential problems one by one.
Unexpectedly, Guan Yu immediately said, "My name is Guan Yu, and my brother is Guan Su. To be honest, we… we're being hunted by enemies. But I swear to heaven, Benefactor, we are not bad people. My father and mother were martyrs who fought against the Manyi. We are truly good people…"
Guan Yu spoke with such sincerity that Gu Xiao chose to believe her for now. If the two were indeed descendants of martyrs, then they had to be saved. Though she didn't feel a deep sense of belonging to this country, she had great respect for heroes who defended their homeland.
As for their enemies, she didn't want to know. As long as she wasn't saving a villain, that was enough.
"Alright, I believe you. Turn around too—I don't like people watching when I treat patients."
Guan Yu couldn't explain it, but she felt a natural sense of trust toward Gu Xiao. Without a hint of doubt, she turned around.
Gu Wan, meanwhile, looked astonished. When did her sister learn to treat people? Did she ask Mother to come help…
Though she desperately wanted to see Mother again, her sister had said that doing so would bring punishment upon Mother. So she could only suppress her restless heart.
Sister and Mother worked so hard just to take care of her. She couldn't cause them any more trouble.
Gu Xiao retrieved a full medical kit from her Kongjian. She first cleaned the wound with hydrogen peroxide, then rinsed his abdomen with water.
Judging by his build, he was someone trained in martial arts—chest muscles, abs, and biceps all present. He just had too little courage…
Gu Xiao suddenly recalled the day the two had crossed blades. She had originally thought he was trembling because he was cowardly, but now it seemed it was because his wounds had torn open again, causing him to shake from the pain.
After cleaning the wounds, Gu Xiao injected him with a potent anesthetic, then took out the tools needed for suturing, carefully sterilizing them.
Once she confirmed the anesthetic had taken effect, she picked up the suturing tools and stitched the two large wounds on his shoulder and abdomen. For the smaller wounds, Gu Xiao sprayed hemostatic spray and wrapped them in bandages.
After treating the wounds, a thin layer of sweat formed on Gu Xiao's forehead. Before she could rest, she heard Liu Feng's voice.
"Xiao'er, Wan'er."
"Ah, cousin, we're over here…" She quickly packed up her things and responded.
Seeing Gu Xiao speak, Guan Yu hurriedly asked if she could turn around now. After receiving confirmation, she immediately pounced toward Guan Su.
"Brother, brother…"
"Hey, hey… he won't wake up yet." Gu Xiao took a small porcelain bottle scavenged from Qingpingzhen, added Qiangshen Yaoji to it, and handed it to Guan Yu: "Give this to him to drink, it'll help him recover faster. He'll need to rest quietly for the next few days. If nothing unexpected happens, he should wake up tomorrow. You'll need to find a cave or something…"
"I know where there's a cave. Will you come with us, benefactor?" Guan Yu looked at Gu Xiao with red, swollen eyes full of hope.
Her brother was gravely wounded now, and she was afraid to go to the cave alone. If the benefactor could come along, it would be much safer.
Gu Xiao naturally understood her thoughts. But since there was a cave available, who would want to live out in the open? She smiled and said, "Alright, wait here for a moment. I'll go ask my family."
As for taking them in, she was also an outsider here now, so it would have to be up to the Village Chief of Liujia Village to decide.
With that, she took the little girl's hand and walked around to the stone wall. The people of Liujia Village, upon hearing there was a spring here, had moved the entire village to this spot and were now queuing up to fetch water.
"Sister, will that person survive?" Gu Wan asked with some worry.
That person had said that his parents were dead too, leaving only him and his sister depending on each other, just like her and her sister. If his brother died, then he'd be all alone. How pitiful.
"He will. Why, does Wan'er like that brother?" Gu Xiao hadn't expected such a young child to be so shallow—liking handsome brothers.