Hua Zhiyun immediately pulled the food box closer to herself as if afraid someone would snatch it away.
If she weren’t worried about exposing her spatial storage, she would have already tossed it inside.
She wanted to head back and find out whether ancient roasted chicken actually tasted good, so she sped up changing Chu Linzhang’s bandages.
With practiced movements, she removed the gauze, revealing wounds that were already healing well.
The surgery had been a complete success.
His wounds were closing nicely.
She soaked cotton with Spirit Spring water and gently cleaned the injuries on his limbs. The cool sensation made Chu Linzhang unconsciously twitch his fingers.
Someone who hadn’t been able to move his fingers for so long suddenly froze in disbelief.
His pupils contracted.
He stared at his right hand.
His finger moved.
Then moved again.
His deep eyes erupted with ecstatic joy.
“My… my hand can move!”
Exactly as expected.
Hua Zhiyun remained calm and simply replied flatly,
“Congratulations.”
“It’s all thanks to you!”
Chu Linzhang was overjoyed.
Hua Zhiyun merely nodded.
It was true.
Without her, the medicine of this era would never be capable of reconnecting severed tendons.
Only she possessed healing abilities.
Combined with her medical knowledge, as long as someone hadn’t completely transformed into a zombie, they could almost always be saved.
Chu Linzhang had once believed he would remain crippled for the rest of his life.
For a man who had once dominated battlefields and could hit a target from a hundred paces…
Becoming crippled was a devastating blow.
That was exactly why Xiao Lian had personally crippled him.
He wanted him to live a fate worse than death.
He could have simply executed him.
Instead, he shattered his hands and feet, exiled him, forced him to endure the suffering of banishment, and even made him watch his own princess consort be violated by condemned prisoners.
Watching the original Hua Zhiyun being humiliated…
Chu Linzhang had wished it were himself instead.
He hated it.
He despised his own helplessness.
If he had still been the man he once was, those death-row prisoners wouldn’t even have been enough for him to kill.
Reduced to a cripple…
He couldn’t even save a single woman.
Hearing her desperate cries for help…
It was the first time in his life he’d wanted to die.
Fortunately…
She wasn’t destined to die.
Neither was he.
Then Hua Zhiyun arrived.
Though they shared the same name…
They were completely different people.
Watching her snap those prisoners’ necks one after another…
To be honest…
That was the moment he began to admire her.
She was unbelievably cool.
“Is there something on my face?”
Hua Zhiyun suddenly looked up.
“You’ve been staring at me so intently that I’m starting to wonder…”
She deliberately pressed a little harder on his wound.
“…whether you’ve fallen for me.”
“Just so we’re clear—I have zero interest in ugly men.”
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
Chu Linzhang nearly choked.
“My apologies… I overstepped.”
“It’s fine.”
Hua Zhiyun spoke like an experienced teacher giving life advice.
“I know I’m beautiful, cool, and can fight. It’s only natural for someone to like me.”
“But don’t think too much.”
“Just because you like me doesn’t mean I’ll like you.”
“Secretly loving someone is painful.”
“Don’t make yourself suffer for nothing.”
Chu Linzhang’s ears instantly turned bright red.
His gaze darted away awkwardly.
He had no idea how to respond to this woman who looked so utterly convinced of her own lecture.
She kept talking about “liking” people without the slightest embarrassment.
Did she have no sense of modesty?
He really wasn’t interested in her that way.
He only regarded her as his benefactor.
He knew she wasn’t the woman he had actually married.
He would never develop those kinds of feelings for her.
…
Later on…
The two of them would both have their words come back to haunt them.
But that was a story for another time.
The wounds on his face were more serious, so Hua Zhiyun used a little extra Spirit Spring water to clean them.
A cool, refreshing sensation spread across his skin.
The tightness he’d been feeling disappeared.
Whatever medicine she used…
It seemed far more effective than traditional wound ointments.
After finishing the treatment, Hua Zhiyun washed her hands, packed up her medical supplies, left behind today’s antibiotics, and prepared to leave.
Chu Linzhang stopped her.
“Could I trouble you to take a look at my third brother?”
“I think he’s injured his foot.”
Hua Zhiyun considered it for a moment before nodding.
If it had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have bothered.
But Chu Lin’an wasn’t bad.
The boy had a good head on his shoulders.
He could distinguish right from wrong instead of blindly flattering the powerful.
He was worth helping.
Carrying the food box, Hua Zhiyun returned to her carriage.
Making sure no one was watching, she slipped it into her storage space.
Otherwise, by the time she’d finished treating Chu Lin’an, the roasted chicken would have gone cold.
Cold roast chicken just wasn’t as delicious.
Chu Lin’an was resting beneath the shade of a tree near the prison cart.
At noon, the heat was unbearable.
Whenever they stopped to rest, everyone searched for whatever shade they could find.
After only two or three days of exile, everyone already looked utterly miserable.
Their faces were pale and sickly.
Their eyes had become numb.
They sprawled all over the ground without a trace of the pampered elegance they once possessed.
No one wanted to continue toward the southern wastelands.
Unfortunately…
Whether they wanted to or not didn’t matter.
The guards’ whips would teach them obedience.
A few lashes quickly made everyone behave.
Those who became ill could buy medicine if they still had money.
Those without money…
Could only wait to die.
When they died, the guards simply dug a shallow pit beside the road and buried them.
The guards even pointed to the countless unmarked mounds nearby.
“Those are from the last batch of exiles.”
“In some places, wild dogs and scavenging beasts even dug up the bones.”
The terrifying warning ensured no one dared pretend to be dead.
No one wanted to be buried only to have their corpse dug up and eaten by wild dogs.
This…
…was why exile was considered such a dreadful punishment.
Hua Zhiyun found Chu Lin’an.
As soon as he saw her, he immediately broke off more than half of the sticky corn he was eating and offered it to her.
“Sister-in-law, have you eaten?”
“Here.”
“This sweet sticky corn is delicious.”
Since this was a fictional world, the author could include whatever crops they wanted.
Corn.
Potatoes.
Cucumbers.
Eggplants.
Even watermelons, tomatoes, or coffee.
Historical accuracy didn’t matter in an alternate universe.
And surprisingly…
This was glutinous corn.
Hua Zhiyun liked that kind.
Some people preferred sweet corn as a snack.
But it wasn’t filling.
Sticky corn was different.
One ear could stave off hunger for quite a while.
Even though he only had one ear…
He split it in half.
And gave her the larger portion.
On the road to exile, besides the endless walking…
Food and shelter were the hardest parts.
To prevent prisoners from escaping, the guards only fed them until they were half-full.
Anyone who disobeyed might receive no food at all.
Without strength…
They couldn’t run.
If they couldn’t run far…
They couldn’t escape.
Of course, anyone with money could buy more food.
As long as they could afford it.
Fifth Madam Chu still had some private savings.
Unless absolutely necessary…
She wasn’t willing to spend them.
Watching Chu Lin’an hand over most of his corn…
As his mother, of course her heart ached.
But she said nothing.
It was her son’s own decision.
She couldn’t interfere.
Hua Zhiyun saw right through Fifth Madam Chu’s thoughts.
Smiling, she waved her hand.
“I’ve already eaten.”
“You keep it.”
“Your eldest brother asked me to check your foot.”
Chu Lin’an was deeply touched.
“I’m fine.”
“My foot’s perfectly okay.”
“Sister-in-law, go back and rest.”
“We’ll be setting off again soon.”
“I can rest in the carriage.”
She didn’t have to walk anyway.
She had a carriage.
She could lie down comfortably.
That sentence stabbed Chu Lin’an right in the heart.
He’d worried for nothing.
All along the journey…
Countless people envied her carriage.
Some people wanted to ride it themselves but were too embarrassed to say so directly.
Instead, they encouraged Chu Lin’an to ask if his mother and younger brother could ride.
If Hua Zhiyun agreed…
Everyone else would surely object.
“Why should they get to ride?”
“There are elders suffering even more who are still walking!”
One moral argument after another.
Their goal was obvious.
Force Hua Zhiyun out of her carriage.
Chu Lin’an couldn’t bring himself to do that.
He didn’t want to trouble his sister-in-law.
Even though his foot hurt…
He chose to grit his teeth and keep walking.
He hadn’t expected…
His eldest brother had still noticed.
His eyes reddened.
Wiping away his tears, he sat down and let Hua Zhiyun examine him.
Only then did everyone discover…
The soles of his shoes had worn completely through.
The skin on the bottoms of his feet had peeled away.
Tiny stones were embedded in the flesh.
No wonder he’d been limping.
The boy was unbelievably tough.
Even after injuring himself…
He’d still carried his little brother on his back the entire journey because he pitied his mother.
Fifth Madam Chu’s eyes immediately filled with tears.
“Why didn’t you tell Mother?”
Chu Lin’an comforted her with a smile.
“It’s okay, Mother.”
“It doesn’t hurt…”
“Hiss—!”
Hua Zhiyun expressionlessly pulled a tiny stone out of his foot.
The pain made Chu Lin’an’s face instantly turn green.
Apparently…
His mouth wasn’t nearly as tough as he claimed.