At that time, he was too badly injured to have any strength, and she was exhausted and unable to swim up again. The two of them couldn't both die in the water.
He felt that her chances of survival were higher.
He hadn't expected her...
She was actually willing to live and die with him.
Xu Hengyan felt a dull pain, and then a sour, numb sensation spread to the tip of his heart. He ignored the pain in his left arm and held her tightly.
"How dare you not wake up! If you don't wake up, I, I..."
She tilted her head and glared at him fiercely, looking incredibly ferocious, but Xu Hengyan's heart was filled with tenderness.
"Young Master Xie went through so much difficulty to pull me out of the water, treat my injuries, and find a cave for me to shelter in. How could I dare not wake up?"
Xu Hengyan spoke slowly, word by word, trying his best to keep his breathing even and slow, making his voice sound normal.
"It's good that you know. I carried you for a very, very long time before I found this cave. It was so dark, I couldn't see anything, and you were so heavy. I stumbled all the way while carrying you, and my legs were almost broken..."
He stopped abruptly at this point, perhaps not wanting him to know, and immediately changed the subject.
"I don't know whose den this cave was originally. I just used a stick to bang around, and several shadows ran past my feet. There were also snakes crawling over my head..."
Xie Jiang looked at him, feeling more and more wronged as she spoke, her mouth pouting slightly. "If you don't wake up again, I'll leave you here and let the jackals eat you!"
Xie Jiang admired herself. She was sleepy and tired, and every part of her body ached, yet she could still act.
Judging by Xu Hengyan's reaction, her acting skills were quite superb.
Xu Hengyan stroked her head. "You couldn't see anything, were you very scared?"
Xie Jiang said stubbornly, "I'm not scared at all!"
How could she not be scared? The world was pitch black, and they were in the deep mountains.
Who knew how many unknown dangers lurked in the darkness? He, her only companion, was severely injured and unconscious. He could imagine her bewilderment and unease at that time.
Xie Jiang reached out and touched his forehead, immediately frowning. "Why are you still so hot? How do you feel? Are you uncomfortable?"
"I'm fine. How can the fever go down so quickly? Last time you had a fever, didn't it last for several days?"
Xu Hengyan was uncomfortable everywhere, but he felt he could endure it. She had stayed by his side all night. Now that he had finally woken up, it was the greatest comfort to her. How could he let her worry again?
Xie Jiang didn't believe him. She grabbed his arm to check his pulse. Fortunately, the situation wasn't too bad. "Let me see your wound."
As she spoke, she reached to unbutton his clothes.
Xu Hengyan immediately grabbed her hand.
Xie Jiang: "What are you doing?"
Xu Hengyan's reaction was subconscious. He was surprised by his own reaction. "Didn't we just treat the wound?"
"I need to see if it's inflamed, especially since you were soaked in water for so long, the wound was bumped multiple times, and you were rained on after coming ashore."
It was natural for a patient to be undressed in front of a doctor. Xu Hengyan couldn't understand why he felt uncomfortable.
"I'll do it myself."
"Huh?"
"Mhm."
"Don't you usually have people serve you? Didn't Guang Bai and the others help you wash and dress? Besides, I undressed you last night."
"..."
Xie Jiang looked at his expression and smiled mischievously. "Not only did I undress you, but I also dressed you again. Otherwise, how do you think I got the arrow out?"
Didn't Xu Hengyan know she was a woman? What was there to be embarrassed about between men?
"Otherwise, how do you think I treated your wound? How could I see the injury through two layers of clothes?"
Xu Hengyan released her wrist, feeling a little strange. Why were her wrists so slender?
She was too thin, yet this frail little body carried him through the mountains.
Hearing her words made him a little uncomfortable. Of course, Guang Bai and the others had helped him wash and dress, but Guang Bai and the others were different from her.
He couldn't quite explain the difference, but he just felt...
"I'll do it myself."
Ignoring the pain in his arm, Xu Hengyan unbuttoned his clothes and took them off. When her gaze fell upon him, Xu Hengyan felt...
"I didn't expect Yan Yan to look so thin, but to be so well-built..." He looked so appetizing, Xie Jiang really wanted to take a bite.
It would be better to wait until he recovered. There would be plenty of time later. Otherwise, if he struggled, blood would flow everywhere.
Wasn't fighting in a bloody battle a bit too exciting?
Xu Hengyan's whole body felt hot under her gaze. What kind of look was that? Was she starving after not eating for so long?
Xu Hengyan coughed lightly, reminding her not to look around randomly. They were supposed to be looking at the wound.
Xie Jiang gave him a big eye roll. What was there to be shy about for a grown man, even when facing a woman?
Was his skin so thin?
The thinner his skin, the more she wanted to tease him. Who didn't like seeing a handsome guy blush?
However, seeing how weak he was, she decided to be a good person for now.
Xu Hengyan's eyes urged her. If she didn't look at the wound, he would put his clothes back on.
Xie Jiang did not untie the bandage. She looked through the temporary bandage. "There's still a little bleeding, but it's normal. Just be careful not to touch it."
"You applied medicine to me? Where did you get the medicine?" Xu Hengyan suddenly thought of this and was a little confused.
"I brought it. I have so many enemies, how could I go out without bringing life-saving medicine?"
"You know you have many enemies?"
"I know."
As Xie Jiang spoke, she took out an oil-paper package from her inner pocket and put the remaining two pills into Xu Hengyan's mouth.
Xu Hengyan swallowed them with her help, and at the same time, he saw the injuries on her hands, pulling both of them towards him.
Her hands, which were originally fair, beautiful, and even flawless, were now covered in scars.
There were abrasions, contusions, and cuts, and several places where the skin was scraped off. There was even blood under her fingernails.
Xu Hengyan dared not use much force. He cupped her hands and brought them to his lips, gently blowing on them.
"Does it hurt?"
As soon as he asked, he felt it was a foolish question. How could it not hurt with such injuries.
"It hurts."
Xie Jiang was a little stunned. What was Xu Hengyan doing? Was she a three-year-old child? Would blowing on it make it stop hurting?
This was such a stupid, melodramatic scene.
But it didn't seem entirely useless. At least she felt quite pleased in her heart.
"Don't you have medicine? Why aren't you applying it?"
She knew she had many enemies and didn't forget to bring life-saving medicine with her when she went out. Why didn't she know to restrain herself and make fewer enemies?
"These are all superficial wounds. I don't have much medicine left, so don't waste it. I don't know where we are or when we'll find a way out, so we should save it."
Xie Jiang re-wrapped the remaining medicine in the oil-paper package. It hadn't been long since the last application. She would change it for him again in two hours.
Xu Hengyan wanted to stop her actions, wanting her to apply some medicine to him. He knew she was saving the medicine for him.
Xie Jiang slapped his hand away. "Don't move around. Your wound doesn't hurt anymore, right?"
Xu Hengyan insisted, "Your hand is bleeding."
Xie Jiang said, "Just a little."
Was it just a little? "My injuries are not serious. You should first..."
"Or why don't you blow on it again? It won't hurt after you blow on it."