nucmednet Chapter 495 Protecting Each Other at the Death
Chapter 495 Protecting Each Other at the Death
The temple door was kicked open, and several rebels walked in, led by the same squad leader who had fought Shi Wanxia before.
He glanced at the dilapidated temple, then finally fixed his gaze on Wang Ying: "Was it you who ran away from Doctor Li's house just now?"
Wang Ying gripped the knife tighter, her voice trembling, "Sir, I... I haven't been to Doctor Li's house, I've been here the whole time..."
"Still lying!" The squad leader stepped forward and grabbed Wang Ying's arm. "If you didn't take the herbs from Doctor Li's house, who did? Tell me! Were you switching medicine for someone?"
Wang Ying was in excruciating pain from his grip, but she gritted her teeth and cried out, "No! I didn't!"
The squad leader's eyes hardened, and he raised his hand to slap Wang Ying.
Wang Ying's face swelled up instantly, and her lip was also cut.
She didn't cry; instead, she glared at the squad leader and said, "Don't push your luck!"
"Too much bullying?"
The squad leader laughed, "In this Chuzhou City, I can bully people however I want!"
As he spoke, he walked towards the woodshed, saying, "I want to see if there's anyone hiding in this dilapidated temple of yours!"
In a panic, Wang Ying rushed forward and hugged the squad leader's leg: "Don't go! There's no one there! There really is no one there!"
"Go away!"
The squad leader kicked Wang Ying away, and Wang Ying fell heavily to the ground, landing right next to the pile of firewood where Shi Wanxia was lying.
Shi Wanxia seemed to be startled; her eyelids twitched, but she didn't open her eyes.
The squad leader had already reached the door of the woodshed and was about to lift the curtain.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves and shouts came from outside: "Something's wrong! There's movement at the north gate! It looks like reinforcements have arrived!"
The squad leader hesitated for a moment, then cursed, "Damn it! Let's go! To the North Gate!"
He glanced at Wang Ying again, his eyes full of threat, "If I see you again, I'll skin you alive!"
The rebels left quickly. Wang Ying lay on the ground, looking at Shi Wanxia, and finally couldn't hold back her tears.
She reached out and touched Shi Wanxia's face; it was still so cold.
Ya Ya ran out of the woodshed and hugged her neck: "Auntie, have the bad guys left? Why isn't Sister Shi awake yet?"
"They're gone...the bad guys are gone..."
Wang Ying held Ya Ya in her arms, her voice filled with despair.
Reinforcements have arrived, but will Shi Wanxia be able to hold out until then?
She looked at the medicine bowl in her arms; the medicine had gone cold, just like Shi Wanxia's body temperature, gradually cooling down.
Cui Zhihao and Lin Yiyu also heard the sound of horses' hooves. They helped each other to their feet, walked to the temple gate, and looked towards the north gate.
In the distance, there seemed to be flashes of fire in the sky. Was that a signal for reinforcements?
But they couldn't feel happy at all—Shi Wanxia hadn't woken up yet, and Wang Ying was injured. Even if reinforcements arrived, could they wait for them safely?
The wind picked up again, carrying the smells of blood and gunpowder.
Inside the dilapidated temple, Shi Wanxia's breathing was still shallow, and she would occasionally furrow her brow, as if she were having a nightmare.
Wang Ying reheated the cooled medicine and tried to feed it to her again. This time, Shi Wanxia finally swallowed a few mouthfuls, but as soon as she swallowed, she started coughing again, and blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
"Miss Shi, just hang in there... just hang in there a little longer..."
Wang Ying repeated this over and over, as if she were comforting Shi Wanxia, and also as if she were comforting herself.
At the City God Temple, Shen Yanchu had already led his light cavalry to the secret passage at the North Gate.
He gripped his sword, his mind filled with only one thought—faster, faster, he had to find Shi Wanxia and protect the people.
But he didn't know that the people in the dilapidated temple were facing new dangers.
When the rebels left, they accidentally knocked over the oil lamp on the stove, and sparks landed on the pile of firewood, slowly spreading...
Thick smoke, carrying the smell of burning, filled her nostrils. When Shi Wanxia suddenly opened her eyes, her throat felt like it was stuffed with a lump of burning coal, dry and painful.
Just as she was about to sit up, a tearing pain suddenly shot through her ribs, causing her to gasp and instantly soak her coarse cloth clothes with cold sweat.
The places where the rebels had kicked before now felt like they were being pricked by countless needles, and even breathing had to be done with extreme care.
Before she could catch her breath, she caught a glimpse of the firelight by the stove out of the corner of her eye.
The haystack was ablaze with sparks, and orange flames were climbing up the dry grass, just a few steps from where she was lying.
The smoke grew thicker, choking her and causing her to cough incessantly. With each cough, it felt as if her chest wound was being squeezed tightly, the pain making her vision blur.
"Sister Wang... Ya Ya..."
She called out in a hoarse voice, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. The dilapidated temple was empty, with only the crackling sound of the flames licking the firewood.
Her heart tightened, and ignoring the pain, she braced herself with her hands on the ground and slowly moved to the side—she couldn't let the fire start again; if this dilapidated temple was gone, they wouldn't even have a place to hide.
After taking only two steps, the rough ground abrade the wound on my arm, causing blood to seep out and stain the ground with dust.
She gritted her teeth and crawled to the edge of the water vat, grabbing the rim with both hands, trying to scoop out the water.
But her hands were still trembling. The fingertips that had been chafed from gripping the knife and blocking the door hadn't healed yet, and any exertion caused excruciating pain. She managed to scoop up half a ladle of water, but as soon as she turned around, her legs gave way, and she fell to the ground, spilling all the water on herself.
The icy water soaked through her clothes, making her shiver, but it also sobered her up a bit.
She struggled to her feet, scooped up another ladle of water, and this time she walked very slowly, inching her way to the pile of firewood, and poured the water onto the flames.
With a "sizzle," the white smoke grew thicker. She continued to scoop water, going back and forth five or six times, until the flames were completely extinguished, leaving only black ash emitting bluish smoke. Only then did she collapse to the ground, as if all her strength had been drained away.
The pain in her chest grew more and more intense. She clutched her chest and couldn't help coughing. As she coughed, a mouthful of bloody, sweet taste welled up inside her. She quickly covered her mouth with her sleeve, but the bright red blood still seeped through the coarse cloth, spreading a glaring red stain on her dusty sleeve.
"Sister Shi!"
Just as her vision began to blur, the temple door was suddenly pushed open, and Ya Ya's voice, choked with sobs, came in.
Shi Wanxia struggled to lift her head and saw Wang Ying running in carrying Ya Ya. Wang Ying's hair was a mess, her face was covered in dust and bloodstains, and a tattered cloth was wrapped around her arm with blood seeping through it—she had obviously been injured while looking for food.
Ya Ya wriggled out of Wang Ying's arms, her short legs running as fast as she could, and rushed to Shi Wanxia's side, hugging her leg tightly: "Sister, you're awake! You're finally awake! Ya Ya was so worried about you!"
The child's hands were tiny, yet she used a great deal of strength to hug her leg. Shi Wanxia wanted to reach out and touch her head, but her arm gave out halfway before she lost her strength. She could only manage a weak smile: "Yaya... don't be afraid, I'm alright..."