CH 93

You’re just a walking piece of pig’s trotter

If you were to ask Song Shuqing what she has consumed the most in her lifetime or even two lifetimes?

It’s not plain water, not tea, and definitely not Coca-Cola.

She would probably roll her eyes dramatically and then answer.

It’s river water.

(Did you think Senior Sister would answer, 『Zi Yan’s saliva』? Hey! What are you naughty people thinking!)

After jumping off the ship, Song Shu Qing held onto Cao Yun’s neck and tilted her head back, kicking her legs against the waves.

Even when submerged in water, she persisted underneath, pushing the man’s nose and mouth upward. The icy river water flooded her lungs, making her feel uncomfortable, desperately wanting to cough but forcibly restraining herself to prevent inhaling more.

It was pitch black all around, and Song Shu Qing couldn’t see anything, not even the sound of the river lapping against the boat, which gradually faded away, leaving only the moon hanging high above.

Her body temperature was mercilessly taken away, and her movements gradually stiffened. But even in such a situation, her mind couldn’t suppress the chaotic thoughts racing through her head.

How infuriating! If only a piece of driftwood could float over at this moment, we could reenact the Titanic (referring to the romantic disaster film released in 1997).

But I definitely won’t be as foolish as Jack. I won’t throw Cao Yun up and stay in the water, dying. That piece of wood in the movie was clearly big enough for two people to lie on!

With limbs exhausted, dragging Cao Yun, Song Shu Qing felt despair, but she still didn’t let go, though her inner thoughts were a mess of complaints.

Heavens, I’m still single, and you’re heartless enough to take away my life like this?

Not even a wife for me, so stingy!

And Cao Yun talks so little. It’s only when the two of us are waiting in line to drink Meng Po’s soup that I feel bored, you know.

Sob… By the way, Cao Yun is also single…

Look at yourself, dear heavens, is this how you treat us?!

If it weren’t for her mouth and nose being submerged in water, Song Shu Qing really wanted to curse at the heavens. Just as the two of them were about to sink into the depths of the river, the woman caught sight of a faint flicker of fire in the distance.

It’s land!

Seeing hope, but after struggling and fighting against the rolling river water for so long, Song Shu Qing had already exhausted all her strength.

Her calves twitched uncontrollably, barely able to withstand the crashing waves. Gritting her teeth, the woman felt a strange taste of rust filling her mouth, but she stubbornly continued pushing Cao Yun towards the distant shore.

Damn it!

If I manage to survive this time, Heavens, you better have some sense and give me a wife!

With a mind in turmoil, Song Shu Qing forced herself to ignore the weakness in her limbs, constantly muttering to herself in her heart.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, she felt the muddy ground beneath her feet. Her body was no longer floating, and with great effort, Song Shu Qing dragged the man to the edge of the shore, gasping for breath.

The sense of urgency pushed her forward, not allowing her to rest, especially when she felt Cao Yun’s body still hot and trembling from just leaving the river. Song Shu Qing quickly carried her senior brother on her back and ventured into the forest, seeking a secluded and dry spot.

Under the moonlight, the tinderbox in her arms was completely soaked. Relying on the faint moonlight to discern the direction, she stumbled forward, doing her best to protect the person behind her despite the bumps and stumbles.

In a pit with dense branches overhead, she gently placed Cao Yun down and looked at their damp clothes continuously robbing their bodies of warmth. Song Shu Qing murmured, “Ah Yun, when you wake up, don’t accuse me of molesting you, okay?” She deftly took off the man’s clothes.

Cao Yun’s left arm was still bleeding profusely, with torn flesh and mingled dirt at the wound. Without needing to look, Song Shu Qing knew how bad the situation was.

Frowning, she took out a flint and tried to start a fire on the dry twigs she had gathered. However, her icy and stiff fingertips were not dexterous enough, and the stone fell several times, leaving sharp scratches on her palm. But Song Shu Qing persisted, tilting her head to prevent the water droplets from falling onto her trailing hair.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the small spark ignited the twigs. The woman blew carefully, even as tears streamed down her face from the smoke, determined not to let the precious warmth slip away.

Finding Cao Yun’s personal dagger among his discarded clothes, Song Shu Qing heated it in the small fire. She turned back and used the last of the clean water from a leather bag to clean his wounds. Then, she stuffed loosely torn strips of cloth into his mouth.

After a while, looking at the glowing red blade in her hand, Song Shu Qing whispered apologetically to her unconscious senior brother, “It will hurt a lot, I’m sorry.” She straddled his chest, took a deep breath, and decisively pressed the still-hot metal against Cao Yun’s severed arm before it had a chance to cool.

In the silent forest, the sound of searing flesh and Cao Yun’s agonized cries could be heard. The previously drowsy man was now stimulated by the sudden pain. With his mouth filled and no space to vocalize, he could only emit muffled groans of agony from deep within his throat, writhing like a struggling beast, trying to break free from his restraints.

“Ah Yun, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

But Song Shu Qing remained unmoving, forcefully keeping the man pinned to the ground. The smell of cooked flesh filled her nostrils as she whispered, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. When you wake up, you can settle the score however you want, but you have to survive first…”

Cao Yun, heavily injured, was easily subdued by Song Shu Qing until she saw the wound close and stop bleeding. Only then did she release her tightly clenched hand around the dagger.

The man, who had been groaning continuously, fell silent, leaving only his labored breaths before slipping back into unconsciousness.

Summoning her strength, Song Shu Qing wrung out their clothes, hanging them on a nearby tree branch she picked up. She hugged her knees, struggling to keep her weary eyelids open, occasionally stirring the small fire as she kept watch through the night.

However, she was simply too exhausted. In less than half an hour, after experiencing a life-and-death battle and struggling in the river, she couldn’t resist any longer and closed her eyes, succumbing to sleep.

When Song Shu Qing woke up, it was already daylight. She shook her head and saw Cao Yun looking at her with open eyes.

She didn’t feel embarrassed about being undressed. Instead, she raised an eyebrow and teasingly said to her senior brother, “So, what do you think? Are you smitten? My figure is pretty good, right?”

Cao Yun, his face pale, remained silent. Though struggling, he managed to express a slight disagreement with his feeble, pursed lips.

“Hey! What’s that expression on your face? I’m at least a C cup, you know!” Nonchalantly draping the nearby dried clothes on herself, Song Shu Qing approached to examine the man’s wounds.

“You… flesh…” Cao Yun’s lips trembled as he weakly tried to speak, struggling to find his voice.

“Hmm? What do you want to say?” Song Shu Qing bent down, bringing her ear closer and asked.

“To me… you’re just a walking piece of pig’s trotter…” Cao Yun’s gaze was sincere as he spoke these words that left Song Shu Qing utterly speechless, like a family member.

“…If you can’t speak properly, then don’t speak at all… You’re just blabbering nonsense.” She rolled her eyes. “Talking about pork, you’re the pig! A wild boar who can’t appreciate the finer things.” Despite her gruff tone, Song Shu Qing’s bandaging movements remained gentle.

After a while, the woman struggled to carry her senior brother on her back, using her feet to cover up the traces of their campsite. Once she confirmed their coordinates, they ventured deeper into the forest.

Even though she usually acted delicate and would fuss around at the slightest task, Song Shu Qing remained silent throughout the long journey with Cao Yun on her back. Despite the beads of sweat forming on her forehead and her legs trembling from exhaustion, she never uttered a single complaint.

“You shouldn’t have bothered about me…” Cao Yun, who was lying on the woman’s back, looked at his determined junior sister and suddenly spoke, “Back then, you should have jumped off the boat yourself. It was too dangerous to carry me with a severed arm across the river.”

“Ah Yun, you’re so annoying.” She gasped for breath and patted her senior brother’s back before saying, “You’re silent most of the time, and now that you’re injured, you won’t stop talking. Such a man won’t be popular with girls, you know.”

“In the end, why did you take that blow for me?” Stepping over a thick tree root on the ground, Song Shu Qing rolled her eyes. “You’re really crazy. How are you going to wield dual blades after this…” Her voice choked up slightly in the latter half of the sentence.

“…My body moved on its own.” Even though his voice was weak, the woman could still hear the man’s words whispered in her ear. Cao Yun continued, “If it were you, you would have done the same.”

“…I wouldn’t! You’re overthinking. I would have escaped far away at the first opportunity.” Song Shu Qing snorted, her tone cold, but she had a different expression hidden from the man’s view. “I’m not like Qin Qin. If I’m in pain, I would definitely throw you away first.”

Upon hearing those words, Cao Yun didn’t feel the slightest annoyance. Instead, a rare smile formed deep within his heart.

If his junior sister were truly as unfeeling as she claimed, she wouldn’t have willingly accompanied him to divert the pursuers of the Crown Prince. She wouldn’t have dragged him across the turbulent river, and she wouldn’t have persevered in carrying him on her back despite the pouring sweat.

“Junior Sister Song…” Looking at the slender figure beneath him, the man spoke, “Thank you.”

“…What are you thanking me for? It’s ridiculous.” Song Shu Qing whispered, her voice tinged with a sourness at the thought of her senior brother’s arm being severed because of her. “I should be the one thanking you and apologizing… for your arm.” Guilt surged within her, difficult to suppress.

“For a shadow guard, exchanging one arm for the chance for both of us to survive is an exceedingly rare opportunity.” His tone light, as if he would have shrugged nonchalantly if not for the pain in his wound. “To retire alive is already quite good.”

“Well…,” taking a deep breath, the woman blinked her eyes to dispel the gloomy emotions and forced herself to cheerfully say, “They say that after surviving great adversity, good fortune will follow. Ah Yun, I can guarantee you that our good fortune is already on its way.”

“After all, the heavens wouldn’t be so unfair as to deny us even a wife, would they!?”