Xianglan was greatly alarmed. In her desperation, she could only grab the hot water bottle and smash it. The man had not expected Xianglan to fight back, and took a solid blow to the head. Enraged, he slapped her hard. Xianglan felt her head spin with a roaring sensation, stars dancing before her eyes.
The man cursed through gritted teeth: "You bitch... ah!"
Before he could finish his curse, Lin Jinlou—who had been lying on the ground—suddenly sprang up. He grabbed the tall, thin man from behind, a dagger clearly in his hand, and plunged it straight into the man’s neck. Without waiting for a counterattack, he swiftly retreated, pulled Xianglan up, and drew her into his embrace. He stumbled backward several steps before he could go no further, leaning against a tree trunk, gasping for breath and coughing incessantly.
The tall, thin man clutched his neck, struggling as he glared at the two of them, his face filled with terror, resentment, and despair. He let out a furious cry and charged forward, but halfway there, his steps faltered. He collapsed into the snow, twitched a few times, and then lay still.
Lin Jinlou slid to the ground. Xianglan hurriedly searched for the porcelain bottle and fed him the pills. After resting for a while, Lin Jinlou said weakly, "Go pull out the dagger. The sheath is in my left boot—put it back in."
Xianglan had no choice but to obey. Steeling herself, she approached, pulled out the dagger, wiped the blood off on the man’s clothes, sheathed it, and tucked it back into Lin Jinlou’s boot. She touched his face and found it icy cold. Gritting her teeth, she stripped the thick fur coat from the corpse, returned to Lin Jinlou, removed his black cloak, dressed him in the fur coat, and then fastened the cloak back on. Lin Jinlou’s voice was faint as he said, "Go take some thick clothes from the dead. The winter night is so cold—we might not survive otherwise." With that, he closed his eyes again.
Xianglan was deeply worried, but there was no time to dwell on it. She found a fur-lined jacket to wear, then stripped two more heavy fur coats and cloaks from the corpses, wrapped them in a thin blanket, and carried them on her back. Suddenly, she noticed a large food box shattered beside the carriage, with pastries and fruits scattered all over the ground. She quickly untied the Brocade Pouch from her waist, stuffed the pastries inside, and panted from exhaustion.
With the added layers and her efforts, she felt much warmer. She warmed her icy hands against her neck and, seeing that there were still horses nearby, decided to fetch one for Lin Jinlou to ride. As she approached, she suddenly heard a low moan and caught a glimpse of a dark shadow writhing on the ground. Startled, she cautiously approached with the knife in hand, only to discover that the squirming figure was Zhao Yuechan! Disheveled and lying bound in the snow, Zhao Yuechan looked up at Xianglan with surprise and then despair, struggling even more fiercely, her eyes pleading intensely.
Xianglan halted. She could barely take care of herself—why trouble herself with this vicious woman? So, she took the horse and prepared to leave. But after a few steps, she stopped again. On such a stormy, snowy night, even without any villains around, lying on the frozen snow would surely lead to death from cold. Her conscience uneasy, she gritted her teeth and turned back. Using the knife, she sawed through the ropes binding Zhao Yuechan, then without another glance, led the horse back to Lin Jinlou and shook him awake.Lin Jinlou surveyed their surroundings and shook his head. "No need for horses. There's a river very close by downhill, with dense reed marshes along its banks. Since daybreak is approaching, let's take shelter in the reeds first."
Xianglan nodded. Exhausted, hungry, and weary, she mustered her strength to support Lin Jinlou, found a tree branch for him to use as a crutch, and staggered downhill with him. After a while, they could go no further and stopped to rest. When Xianglan glanced back, she was startled to see a figure stumbling toward them. Her scalp prickled with dread. Looking closer, she realized it was Zhao Yuechan! Disheveled and cloaked, she moved unsteadily until she noticed Xianglan watching, then halted.
The reed marshes were now within reach. Ignoring Zhao Yuechan, Xianglan helped Lin Jinlou up again, and they finally reached the reeds, settling in a wind-sheltered thicket. Lin Jinlou collapsed, unable to stand any longer. Xianglan hastily spread two fur garments on the ground, pleading, "Eldest Master, please hold on a little longer." As she spoke, she dragged him onto the furs and covered him with two more. Wrapping the thin blanket around herself, she sat hugging her knees beside him. The moment she relaxed, her body felt as if it would fall apart from exhaustion, yet her heart remained filled with terror. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down—with Lin Jinlou so frail, she was their only hope now.
Xianglan touched Lin Jinlou’s neck; it was only faintly warm. Fearful that he might not survive, she rubbed his hands and face, whispering softly in his ear. But she was too tired to continue for long, and there was nothing else she could do. Her feelings toward him had always been a muddle of gratitude, resentment, and other indescribable emotions. Seeing him lying motionless now—unlike his usual domineering, arrogant self—he seemed like an eagle with broken wings, utterly powerless and vulnerable. The scene reminded her painfully of her past life, holding Xiao Hang’s corpse during exile, weeping in vain for her deceased husband. The heart-wrenching memory overwhelmed her, and she buried her face against Lin Jinlou’s neck, sobbing, "Eldest Master, Eldest Master... if you’re awake, say something to me, please say something..."
She gazed up to see the moon sinking gradually, the vast mountains silent in the dim light. Beyond the peaks, more mountains stretched into the distance, but several slopes were brightly lit with flames—clear signs of ongoing battles. Xianglan strained to listen but heard no war cries, only the howling northwest wind whipping the reeds askew.
Having fled here with Lin Jinlou to escape rebel pursuit, she wondered if they would be rescued. With him severely wounded, she agonized over whether he would live. Frantic yet helpless, she felt infinitesimally small in the vast world, the two of them utterly alone and vulnerable.Lin Jinlou felt as though his entire body was immersed in ice-cold water, drifting in a daze through a dense fog. The pain and misery coursing through him were beyond description. Someone was continuously rubbing his hands and face, while another voice persistently murmured in his ear. Exhausted by the agony, he mustered all his strength to focus on that calling voice. Just moments ago, he had been freezing, but now someone had covered him with something, bringing some relief. Then, a pill was slipped into his mouth, which he slowly held there. As he was about to slip into a dream, he suddenly heard a woman’s weeping. Straining to identify it, he thought it sounded like Xianglan—that silly girl was always so prone to tears. A couple of shouts from him in the past would make her eyes well up, though lately she had cried much less. Truth be told, her crying unsettled him deep down. He wanted to say, "Stop crying, you’re giving me a headache," but he couldn’t open his mouth or make a sound.
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