Chapter 82: Saving People
Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Saving People
After the meal, the convoy didn’t linger and continued westward. Zhang Fang, who had lost face in the inn, seemed even more silent than usual.
With a strong push, another afternoon passed. When it got dark and they missed an inn, the group ate dinner by the roadside and continued on their journey until they finally saw a small village at midnight.
Qu Wei, who had been lagging behind, suddenly spurred his horse to catch up.
“Guard Zhang, shouldn’t we consider Doctor Qi’s situation?” he asked.
Only then did Zhang Fang lift his head from the journey, and realizing that Qi Yue was a woman who might not endure such a long trek, he directed the convoy into the village to find a place to stay.
Qi Yue felt it was too troublesome to disturb the villagers in the dead of night. Besides, the houses in the village were too small; how many families would they have to impose on to accommodate all fifty of them?
She looked around and noticed a dilapidated temple not far away. “Guard Zhang, let’s rest there for a while before continuing on,” she suggested.
Zhang Fang had obviously considered this too and nodded with an “Mmm,” leading the way to the temple at a gallop.
The sound of dozens of people and horses was thunderous.
Arriving at the temple quickly, someone had already gone in to scout and reported that it was well-preserved enough for them to rest.
Zhang Fang assigned a few people to keep watch through the night, and the rest of the group entered the temple to sit down and rest.
However, Qi Yue walked straight to the back of the temple; she planned to find a quiet spot, enter her space, take a bath, and sleep there.
“Doctor Qi, let me accompany you,” someone offered.
It was Qu Wei again.
He was tactful, never calling her Miss Qi in front of Zhang Fang and the others.
Qi Yue hummed in response.
“Thank you for your kindness, but I can manage on my own,” she said.
But Qu Wei efficiently lit a torch and headed to the back on his own, continuously babbling as he went.
“As a girl, you don’t need to be so stubborn. After all, my life is depending on you,” he quipped.
Qi Yue frowned, about to speak, when a faint smell of blood reached her nostrils.
She hastily called out, “Wait.”
Qu Wei must have also sensed something was amiss and promptly stopped, nodding slightly at her.
They crept quietly into the backyard ruins and soon came across a man.
The man was slumped in the corner of the furthest wall, breathing in more than out.
Perhaps due to a doctor’s innate professional sensitivity, Qi Yue didn’t think twice before feeding the man two Qi Boosting Pills.
When the torch came closer, she noticed that the man’s appearance was somewhat familiar.
Bare-armed, dressed roughly and carelessly, his face was covered with a thick beard that obscured his features.
Qu Wei seemed to notice this too and yanked at the man’s beard.
“Real beard,” he grunted. “This guy is probably a wanted criminal; what normal person keeps such a beard?”
Qi Yue knew he was making sense and didn’t say anything, quickly checking the man’s wound.
He had been stabbed in the abdomen; the problem was more the blood loss than the severity of the wound.
She quickly laid him flat on the ground, sprinkled some powder on his wound, and as it was a small cut, she used a patch rather than stitches to close it up.
Qu Wei held the torch to light her work and was amazed to see the wound stick together immediately. “What is that?” he exclaimed.
“A wound patch.”
“Do you have more?”
“You want one?”
“Mmm.”
Qi Yue thought Qu Wei was really odd, coveting even wound patches as if they were candy.
She hummed and drew the Firewood Chopping Knife from her bosom.
“Here’s a knife for you, and a send-off to match.”
Qu Wei hastily stepped back, shaking his hands in refusal.
“No, thank you, I’d rather not.”
At that moment, Zhang Fang heard the commotion and came to the back as well, staring at the injured person for a long while before finally speaking.
“This person is with the group from the inn.”
Qi Yue agreed with his assertion, as from both clothing and temperament, this person seemed little different from the rough men at the inn.
He looked around with a torch in his hand and analyzed, “This person was hidden here by his companions, but why haven’t the ones who hid him come? ”
“Maybe they will come first thing tomorrow morning?” Qu Wei casually added.
“Do you know who those people are?” Zhang Fang turned to Qu Wei and suddenly asked.
“How would I know?” Qu Wei looked somewhat unnaturally as he inserted the torch into a crevice in the wall and glanced around.
Zhang Fang let out a meaningful laugh all of a sudden.
“One can only hope.”
Qi Yue frowned listening to the quarrel between the two, feeling an inexplicable sensation in her heart.
This Qu Wei might not be just the Supervisor from Longnan County’s penal transport department.
But that was irrelevant to her.
She stopped paying attention to the two men and walked straight into another dilapidated room further down. Seeing that it was mostly sheltered, she quickly sat down to rest.
After riding a horse for more than a dozen hours, even someone with Innate Divine Strength would feel exhausted.
With eyes closed, she listened to the movements outside. Hearing Qu Wei enter another broken room next door and soon there was no sound, she then flashed into her space.
She quickly took a bath, estimated the approximate time of dawn outside, and set an alarm clock.
She had to get out after three and a half hours of sleep, otherwise that fox Qu Wei would surely notice her sudden disappearance.
A few hours later, Qi Yue emerged from her space feeling refreshed, while it was still dark outside.
Just as she left the dilapidated room, she heard Qu Wei stirring next door.
She ignored him and went to check on the injured person on the far west side, feeding him another dose of anti-inflammatory medicine.
Returning to the temple in front, Zhang Fang tossed her a bag of dry food. Although she had already eaten bread and drunk milk in her space, she still took out half a biscuit and pretended to nibble on it.
No matter what, her space was her utmost secret, one that could not be revealed.
Then it was back on the road.
The group of more than fifty people had been sleeping in the open and enduring hard travels for seven or eight more days, and everyone was utterly exhausted when fortunately the weather took a turn, showering them with a substantial spring rain.
Qu Wei once again suggested they rest for a day, and as they happened to pass by the prosperous Northern province of Yongzhou, Zhang Fang agreed as well.
Thus, the group dispersed and stayed at various inns in Yongzhou.
Qi Yue intended to find her own place to stay, but Zhang Fang mentioned that the Hu County Government had ordered to ensure her safety, so she was forced to stay in the same inn as him.
This time, Qu Wei did not follow eagerly. Upon reaching Yongzhou, he disappeared with his two attendants.
They had planned to stay in Yongzhou for one night, but unexpectedly the rain grew heavier the next day. Traveling in the rain was difficult, even the military horses couldn’t bear it, so they were delayed for another day.
That day, as dusk approached and the rain lessened, Zhang Fang informed everyone that they would set out early the next morning.
Once they set off, there would be no more leisurely time like this, so after dinner, Qi Yue decided to sleep early.
Suddenly, the city erupted with gongs and drums, as many people shouted about catching a thief, the noise spreading from the east to the west.
Before long, it seemed that thieves had entered their street as well, and the Shopkeeper nervously called for increased vigilance.
Zhang Fang, who was staying next door, also came to knock on her door to inquire.
“Dr. Qi, are you all right?”