nucmednet Chapter 490 Risking Life
Chapter 490 Risking Life
Deep down, she was uncertain—the rebels had been searching more and more thoroughly these past few days, going door-to-door, claiming they were looking for "spies for the imperial court." If she were caught, not only would she be unable to save Cui Zhihao and Lin Yiyu, but even Yaya would be left without anyone to protect her. But seeing the two of them barely alive on the haystack, she couldn't wait, she couldn't afford to wait.
She stood up, leaning against the wall. The wound on her back reopened from bending over, causing her to wince in pain. She secretly touched her lower back—where Zhang Li had given her half a coarse bread, her only food for the past two days, which she hadn't been able to bear eating yet.
Pushing open the temple door, the night was as dark as ink, and the cold wind made her shiver, making the wound on her back hurt even more.
She didn't dare take the main road, but instead chose to go through narrow alleys. The stones under her feet hurt painfully, and she had to look back after every step, afraid that the rebels were following behind her.
She wanted to borrow medicine from someone further away; the farther away from the City God Temple, the less likely she would implicate Ya Ya and the others.
After walking for about half an hour, she finally saw a courtyard with lights on ahead. The lights in the courtyard were dim, and it looked like an ordinary family's home.
Just as she was about to walk over, she heard a woman crying and a man cursing from the yard, mixed with vulgarities such as "Don't struggle" and "Behave yourself."
Shi Wanxia's brows furrowed instantly, her steps faltered, and she quietly pulled out a short knife from her bosom—it was a knife she had picked up from the rebels, the blade still a little rusty, but sharp enough.
She moved slowly along the wall to the courtyard gate and peered through the crack in the door—
The woodshed in the courtyard was lit up. A man dressed in rebel clothing was pressing a woman down on a pile of firewood. The woman's clothes were torn to shreds, and there were several scratch marks on her exposed arms. She was clenching her teeth, tears streaming down her cheeks, and her hands were still desperately pushing against the man's chest.
"Let her go!"
Shi Wanxia felt a rush of blood to her head. The image of Zhang Li and his wife's tragic deaths flashed through her mind. Without thinking, she pushed open the door and stabbed the man in the back with the short knife in her hand.
The rebel soldier was busy tearing at the woman's clothes and was unaware that someone was behind him. He cried out after being stabbed, turned around sharply, and smiled lewdly. When he saw Shi Wanxia, his eyes instantly turned fierce: "Where did this brat come from, daring to interfere in my business!"
He shoved the woman aside and reached out to grab Shi Wanxia's arm. Shi Wanxia dodged to the side, the injury on her back being pulled painfully.
She gritted her teeth and, taking advantage of the rebels' unsteady stance, thrust her knife forward again—this time aiming for the man's neck. The moment the blade pierced his neck, blood gushed out, splattering all over her.
The rebel's eyes widened, his hands clutched his neck, he tried to say something but couldn't make a sound, he fell straight to the ground, twitched twice and then lay still.
The woman on the pile of firewood trembled with fear, clutching her clothes and huddled in a corner, her face as pale as paper. Her eyes were filled with fear and gratitude as she looked at Shi Wanxia.
Shi Wanxia was panting heavily, her hands trembling slightly—this was the first time she had killed someone, but seeing the rebels on the ground, she felt no regret, only relief.
"Are you...are you okay?"
Shi Wanxia walked over, took off her outer garment, and handed it to the woman, her voice a little hoarse.
"Put your clothes on quickly."
The woman took the outer garment, her hands trembling as she put it on. Tears streamed down her face as she kowtowed to Shi Wanxia, saying, "Thank you so much for saving me, young lady... Thank you so much... If it weren't for you, I... I wouldn't be alive..."
"Stop kowtowing, get up quickly."
Shi Wanxia helped her up, her gaze sweeping over the woodshed, and she thought of Cui Zhihao and Lin Yiyu again.
"Sister, I want to ask you something... Do you have any wound medicine at home? Wound medicine or hemostatic herbs will do. I have two friends who are seriously injured and are waiting for medicine to save their lives..."
The woman paused for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Yes! Yes! My husband injured his leg while gathering herbs, and the doctor prescribed some wound medicine. There's still half a bottle left, I'll get it for you!"
As she spoke, she ran out of the woodshed, but after taking two steps, she turned back.
"Girl, wait for me, I'll be back soon!"
Shi Wanxia stood in the woodshed, looking at the rebel corpses on the ground, her heart sinking. This place wasn't close to the City God Temple, but if the corpses were left here, they would be discovered by other rebels sooner or later, which might implicate her sister.
She gritted her teeth, dragged the rebel's body to the woodpile behind the woodshed, covered it with dry grass, and wiped away the bloodstains on the ground with mud, trying her best not to leave any traces.
Just as she finished tidying up, the woman ran back with a small porcelain bottle and two cornbread buns: "Girl, here's the medicine. Take it. And take these cornbread buns with you too. You don't look well; you must not have eaten anything."
Shi Wanxia took the medicine bottle and the steamed bun, feeling a warm current in her heart, her eyes a little red: "Sister, thank you... I will remember this medicine, and I will definitely return it to you after the rebels are driven away."
"What do you mean, 'give back'!"
The woman waved her hand, her eyes filled with hatred. "These rebels are inhuman. They rob grain and other things, and they even bully women. You killed him, young lady, to rid the people of a scourge! You should leave quickly, or other rebels might come if you stay too long."
Shi Wanxia nodded, then gave the woman a few more instructions, telling her to lock the courtyard gate and not to come out again, before turning and running towards the City God Temple.
She gripped the medicine bottle tightly in her hand, as if she were holding the lives of Cui Zhihao and Lin Yiyu in her hands.
The night wind grew colder, whipping her hair wildly. The wound on her back began to bleed again, causing her so much pain that she could barely run. But when she thought of the three people waiting for her on the haystack, she gritted her teeth and charged forward—Brother Cui still had a fever, Lin Yiyu's wound was still festering, and Ya Ya was still waiting for her to return. She couldn't give up.
But she didn't see that not long after she left, two people dressed in rebel uniforms quietly stood outside the courtyard wall of that house, holding torches and staring fiercely at the gate—they had still heard the commotion.
Shi Wanxia clutched the medicine bottle and ran towards the City God Temple. The wound on her back was being pulled painfully, but as she ran, she felt uneasy, as if being scratched by a cat. The fear in the woman's eyes was too deep, and there were still rebel corpses hidden in the courtyard. If more bandits came looking for her, how could that woman hold on by herself?
"No, I have to go back and check." She gritted her teeth, abruptly stopped, and turned to run back. The cornbread in her hand was digging into her palm, the medicine bottle was burning hot from being gripped so tightly, and the night wind was blowing against her face, but it couldn't dispel the panic in her heart—she already owed Zhang Li and his wife a life, and she couldn't let anything happen to this woman.
Even from several dozen steps away from the courtyard, one could hear a man's lewd laughter coming from inside the house, mixed with a woman's desperate cries: "Let me go! Help!"
Shi Wanxia felt her blood rush to her head, her palms were sweaty, and she could barely grip the knife handle.
She endured the pain in her back, moved with utmost care, and quietly circled around to the courtyard gate. Peeking through the crack in the door, she saw that the room was lit, and two rebel soldiers were pinning the woman down on the kang (a heated brick bed). One was pulling on her arm, while the other reached out to tear at her clothes. The woman's hair was a mess, and her face was streaked with tears.
"damn thing!"
Shi Wanxia gritted her teeth, glanced at the mound of earth in the corner of the yard, bent down, grabbed two handfuls of dry soil, held them in her hands, then pushed open the door and staggered inside.
The rebels inside were startled. Turning around and seeing that Shi Wanxia was the only girl, they grinned lewdly. "Oh, another one delivered to our doorstep? Perfect, let's have some fun together!"