Rong Zhi examined Xia Yunting's head carefully. Strangely, she found no obvious external injuries.
Rong Zhi glanced at him suspiciously.
"Xia Yunting."
Xia Yunting looked at her, his eyes devoid of emotion, as if he hadn't heard his own name.
Instinctive reactions never lied. Xia Yunting's reaction had only two explanations: either his acting skills were superb, or he had genuinely lost his memory, to the point of not knowing his own name.
Rong Zhi felt… this situation was rather peculiar.
She took a deep breath and explained, "Xia Yunting is your name. You are a general of the Imperial City and have just returned from the border. However, you were pursued by enemies and poisoned. Therefore, we cannot return to the Imperial City for now, and you must not show yourself in public. I will cure you as soon as possible. You owe me a favor; remember that, you must repay it!"
Otherwise, I'll castrate you!
"What condition?"
"Medicine King Valley, I want to return to Medicine King Valley!"
Rong Zhi emphasized it twice, though she didn't expect Xia Yunting to remember.
Xia Yunting pondered for a moment and asked doubtfully, "We are husband and wife. Isn't it your duty to save me? Why do I have to repay a favor?"
"..."
"I was indeed forced into marriage by you."
"..."
Rong Zhi felt that talking to Xia Yunting any further would kill her.
She borrowed the kitchen from Yu Cheng and took out the herbs she had collected on the mountain.
The kitchen was somewhat cramped. After simply washing the medicinal pot, Rong Zhi began to boil the medicine.
While Rong Zhi was boiling medicine in the kitchen, Yu Cheng was weaving a basket in the courtyard.
Yu Cheng was a widower who had lost his only son in middle age. His son had gone to the border to fight and had never returned, presumably dead on the battlefield.
Yu Cheng had not remarried. Besides tending to a few acres of land, he did some handicraft work at home.
Rong Zhi inquired.
"Uncle Yu, did anyone come to the village yesterday?"
Yu Cheng immediately understood her meaning, his hands not stopping as he replied,
"A group of people came, riding horses, carrying bows, dressed all in black. They asked if we had seen two people. Miss, you have quite a few enemies."
Rong Zhi smiled apologetically, "You don't need to worry, Uncle Yu. You have taken us in and shown us great kindness. I will definitely ensure your safety."
Yu Cheng grinned honestly, "I'm not worried about that. I'm just an honest farmer. Your grievances won't involve me. However, Miss, you and your husband are just two people. Can you fight against so many? Shall I send a message for you? I don't have any other skills, but I can run errands for you."
Rong Zhi paused, her hand holding the straw fan stopping.
"No need, Uncle Yu. Sending a message now would be more dangerous."
Firstly, she didn't know who to send the message to. Secondly, even if she managed to send a letter to the General's mansion, it might be intercepted before it even reached them, thus exposing their whereabouts.
The immediate priority was to quickly cure Xia Yunting's poison.
The medicine was soon ready. As Rong Zhi was about to take it away, Yu Cheng suddenly handed her a set of clothes.
"Miss, your husband's clothes are all torn. These are mine. They might be a bit small, but they'll do. Let him change into them first."
"Thank you, Uncle Yu."
Rong Zhi was immensely grateful.
When she returned, Xia Yunting had already sat up and was trying to stand and walk.
In fact, the Seven-Day Fiend Poison shouldn't have acted this quickly. It was all Xia Yunting's bad luck.
This poison grew stronger with resistance. If a person with profound internal energy used martial arts after being poisoned, it would accelerate the spread of the toxins throughout their body.
If Xia Yunting hadn't been continuously riding and escaping while simultaneously fending off assassins after being poisoned, the toxicity would have been somewhat mitigated.
Rong Zhi couldn't help but wonder what kind of deep-seated grudge those assassins held against Xia Yunting.
"Xia Yunting, drink your medicine."
Rong Zhi said, but before handing the medicine to Xia Yunting, she tasted it herself.
"It's not hot anymore."
Xia Yunting took the medicine bowl and looked at the rim that Rong Zhi had touched. He felt a peculiar sensation, as if brushed by a feather.
"What, is it dirty?"
"No."
Xia Yunting tilted his head back and drank the decoction in one gulp.
The medicinal soup was extremely bitter, but Xia Yunting didn't even furrow his brow.
After a while, Xia Yunting indeed felt much lighter. The agonizing pain, as if his internal organs were being pulled and twisted, also eased somewhat.
Seeing his complexion improve, Rong Zhi's mood also relaxed considerably.
"These are clothes from Uncle Yu Cheng. Change into them."
"Thank you."
Xia Yunting took the clothes but noticed Rong Zhi was still standing in the room. His expression darkened slightly.
"Aren't you going out?"
Rong Zhi smiled faintly,
"What's there to be shy about? We've seen everything between us."
Rong Zhi deliberately spoke ambiguously.
Xia Yunting's expression remained unchanged, but his ears turned red. He pursed his lips and changed his clothes with his back to Rong Zhi.
However, Rong Zhi didn't get to see much, as Xia Yunting was still wearing a thin undershirt.
Except for a glimpse of his well-defined waist, long legs, broad back, and the faint outline of scars hinting at a life of combat... she saw nothing else.
*Cough cough*, Rong Zhi suddenly felt a warmth on her face.
Yu Cheng's clothes were indeed a bit short. After Xia Yunting changed, a section of his arms and calves was exposed, but even in simple cloth garments, his handsome demeanor couldn't be concealed.
Rong Zhi couldn't help but sigh, saying that being good-looking was advantageous; even wearing a sack would make one look handsome.
The pursuers had left for now, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't double back.
After much thought, this was not a place to linger.
"Uncle Yu, staying here will eventually implicate you. Are there any empty houses in the village, preferably secluded and unused?"
Yu Cheng thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes, there's a house at the very end of the village. Someone built it, a rather grand brick and tile house, and it's always been empty. But..."
Yu Cheng paused, hesitating.
"But what?"
"That house is haunted," Yu Cheng said, his brow furrowed as if recalling something terrifying. "From three years ago until now, several people have stayed there, but once they moved in, they never came out. Within a few days, bodies would be found. A few days later, even the bodies would disappear. It's eerie, extremely eerie!"
Rong Zhi shivered. Ghosts!
There were few things in this world that could make Rong Zhi afraid, and coincidentally, ghosts were one of them.
Rong Zhi's smile became a little stiff.
"Uncle Yu, is there any other place?"
"That's the only one. Thank you, Uncle Yu."
Before Yu Cheng could reply, Xia Yunting had already clasped his hands in thanks.
Rong Zhi wanted to say something more, but Xia Yunting raised his eyebrows at her.
"Scared?"
Rong Zhi blinked. A sense of pride suddenly swelled within her.
"Who's scared!"
Xia Yunting curled his lips slightly.
With too many eyes around during the day, they could only wait until nightfall to move.
Before leaving, Rong Zhi inquired about Xiao Hei's origins.
"Oh, that horse? I found it on the mountain. Someone had died at the foot of the mountain, and I thought the horse was quite good, so I brought it back."
Someone had died? Could it be an assassin?
Rong Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Yu, this horse belongs to my husband and is named Xiao Hei. We can't keep it right now. Could you please look after it for us for a while? When I return home and get some money, I will definitely thank you properly."
"It's nothing. No need for thanks. You two hurry along now."
The two then bade farewell to Yu Cheng and headed towards the legendary "haunted house."
The house before them was enveloped in darkness. Its two vermilion doors stood imposingly, slightly ajar, revealing a glimpse of the main house within.
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. The moonlight, like a thin veil, covered the courtyard ahead, making it hazy and shadowy. Occasionally, the wind would blow, emitting a low whimper.
"Xia Yunting... if you're scared, then... then stay close to me."
Rong Zhi rubbed her arms, a cold sweat breaking out on her back uncontrollably.
She tried to get Xia Yunting to move closer, but he showed no sign of tenderness.
"I'm not afraid."
Rong Zhi: "..."
Was he doing it on purpose?
"Since you're not afraid, why don't you go in first?"
Rong Zhi stepped back in pique.
A glint flashed in Xia Yunting's eyes. He suddenly clutched his chest and let out a muffled groan.
"Oof!"
"What's wrong?"
Rong Zhi anxiously stepped forward to check.
"My chest hurts."
Rong Zhi frowned, turning his wrist to take his pulse. She found his meridians to be relatively smooth, with no signs of the poison acting up.
She touched his forehead; there was no abnormality.
She looked up and saw a pair of phoenix eyes filled with innocence, with a hint of pitiableness.
Rong Zhi suddenly had a guess.
Could it be that... he was also afraid of ghosts?
"Forget it, I'll go in first then."
After all, the other person was a patient. As a doctor, she had to have the most basic patience for a patient.
Rong Zhi approached the door, closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and then pushed the door open.
The heavy wooden door creaked with a "creak." As it opened, a gust of wind blew in, carrying a chill.
Rong Zhi's heart pounded. She slowly opened her eyes and surveyed the layout inside.
Directly ahead was a main room, with side rooms on either side. The courtyard was empty with no furnishings. Accompanied by the faint night wind, the entire courtyard seemed to whisper tales of "desolation."
Fortunately, there were no "ghosts" in sight.
"Come in. There's nothing unusual inside."
The person behind her didn't move. Rong Zhi turned back in surprise and saw Xia Yunting also examining the house, his brow furrowed as if lost in thought.
"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and come in."
Rong Zhi waved her hand in front of him.
"Oh."
The two entered the main room. Fearing assassins might track them down, they didn't light a candle, relying solely on the moonlight to find the bedroom. There was only one bed inside.
Rong Zhi said, "You wait here. I'll go and check the other rooms."
Xia Yunting agreed and cautioned her, "Be careful." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Rong Zhi then quickly scouted the entire courtyard.
As she passed the side room on the left, a strong, pungent smell hit her, likely the smell of blood mixed with some kind of chemical.
If Rong Zhi hadn't guessed wrong, it was probably corpse dissolving liquid.
Rong Zhi's expression became grim.
Yu Cheng had said that several people had died in this house. If there was corpse dissolving liquid, then those people must have met with foul play.
The cave was unsafe, and this place was not a foolproof sanctuary.
She could only hope they wouldn't find them so quickly.
Rong Zhi returned to the main room and found Xia Yunting sitting on the bed. Their gazes met, as if he had anticipated her return.
"Uncle Yu was right. There's no one else in this house. Go to sleep first, and tomorrow we'll go get medicine."
After speaking, Rong Zhi suddenly remembered something and picked up the tattered wedding clothes Xia Yunting had been wearing earlier.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find a scapegoat for you. If anyone comes, find a place to hide and don't engage them head-on."
Rong Zhi didn't explain further and left.
In the night wind, her speed was astonishing. Her figure was like a light, fluttering butterfly, landing silently.
She went to the foot of the mountain where she had previously hidden.
If her guess was correct, the corpse should still be there.
She searched for about three quarters of an hour and stepped on something soft.
Turning her head, she was startled. A black-clothed assassin lay on the ground, his head with a large hole, his blood dried up. Rong Zhi was standing on his belly.
"You're the one I was looking for."
After the initial shock, Rong Zhi propped up the man and quickly stripped off his clothes.
She put Xia Yunting's wedding clothes on him. Taking out a dagger from her waist, she intended to slash his face. However, upon touching the wound on his face, she changed her mind. She picked up a large stone from nearby and, with a fierce resolve, brought it down.
As long as the face was disfigured, she could muddy the waters.
Although she didn't know why this assassin was alone or how he died here, since he was already dead, he might as well serve a final purpose!
Having done all this, Rong Zhi was about to head back when she heard a snap behind her.
"Who's there?"