Chapter 14 Fragrance
◎The girl’s scent caused the man to fall into paralysis faster.◎
Honghua Mountain resembled a field of red flowers in autumn and winter, but at night it was muddy, slippery, and easy to get lost in.
“Mi…Miss, we just passed here.”
Shan Cha felt her legs tremble. She remembered slipping at that spot; the marks were still there.
Miss Mu, panting heavily, breathed rapidly and her face was flushed. She asked, breathlessly, “Really? How did we come back here?”
Her male attire was soaked, and her boots were stained with mud, their original color unrecognizable.
Shan Cha was even more disheveled. She almost slipped several times and lost her shoes twice.
Both mistress and maid were worried, but neither spoke, only clinging to each other as they searched for the way down the mountain.
When Zhan Qiyu arrived at the foot of the mountain, seeing no lights on the mountain, he suspected something.
“They might be lost.”
“Master, why don’t you wait here? If they come back, you’ll see them immediately.”
His master never did heavy work. Many parts of the mountain were muddy and impassable.
But at that moment, the rain suddenly intensified, showing no signs of stopping. It would be more troublesome if they didn’t find them soon.
If he had already achieved success, he could bring many people to search the mountain, but he couldn’t now.
Zhan Qiyu didn’t agree; he tucked the bottom of his white robe and started climbing. “Finding them is most important.”
He went up the mountain to search.
A Liu called Shan Cha’s name as he searched. The rain intensified, making it difficult to move in the mountains. Fortunately, Honghua Mountain was small; searching the entire mountain wouldn’t be too difficult.
Under a tree sat two lost girls. Shan Cha found a large leaf to use as an umbrella for Mu Jiaojiao, but the rain continued to fall heavily, causing both girls to feel genuinely afraid.
“Shan Cha, I’ve gotten you into trouble.”
Her eyelashes were so heavy from the wind and rain that she couldn’t open them. Her long eyelashes swayed like the leaves in the mountains.
Shan Cha’s situation was worse. She tried her best to protect her young mistress from the wind and rain, without a single complaint. “Miss, I ate two large chicken legs before we came. When the rain subsides, I’ll carry you out.”
Her legs had been scratched by branches and thorns several times, and were slightly bleeding, but she didn’t let her young mistress see.
She sensed that her young mistress was different; previously, her young mistress was willful, but now she felt she was doing something important.
Therefore, even if it meant going through fire and water, she would follow.
It was just bad luck that it rained today. It was the heavens’ fault.
Because of the rain, the stars and moonlight were obscured by dark clouds. Zhan Qiyu and A Liu struggled to find them. A Liu’s voice was hoarse, but they still hadn’t seen anyone.
Fortunately, human eyes can gradually adapt to the darkness. Zhan Qiyu finally spotted two figures under a tree halfway up the mountain, and his heart finally settled.
As if the heavens were playing tricks, at that moment, a corner of the moon emerged, casting a faint moonlight. Zhan Qiyu also saw a coiled snake on a tree, poised to strike.
The snake was green and hissed at the two girls below.
A Liu, overjoyed, was about to call out, but his master stopped him. He noticed that A Liu hadn’t noticed the snake, so he didn’t tell him.
The two slowly approached, but the small green snake seemed to sense their presence and hissed again, preparing to attack.
At that moment, Zhan Qiyu lunged forward, his arms supporting Mu Jiaojiao. The snake quickly bit his back and fled.
Only then did A Liu see the green snake dart away, “Snake! Be careful!”
But it was too late; Zhan Qiyu had been bitten.
The delicate beauty, suddenly knocked down, froze. Her eyes were wide with fright, as if she might cry at any moment. Looking at the man’s face so close, she momentarily forgot how to breathe.
Only when she heard the word “snake” did she gasp and exclaimed in surprise, “Brother Zhan, are you alright!”
She saw his lips turn pale, as if he was enduring pain.
Using his arms to maintain a safe distance, he tried not to fall on her, but the numbness in his muscles made his lips pale and his face ashen.
“I’m fine, A Liu, help me up.”
His voice was magnetic, with a slight tremor. A Liu hurriedly helped him up.
Shan Cha also saw the dangerous scene. When she saw the snake flying towards her young mistress, she was so frightened that she couldn’t scream or move. A man rushed forward and blocked the snake.
“Master Zhan, you…you’ve been bitten…”
The words were like stones thrown into a puddle, splashing countless ripples. Mu Jiaojiao finally burst into tears, “Brother Zhan, what’s wrong? Let’s go find a doctor.”
Just as things were looking up, he was injured saving her again. She felt guilty and self-reproachful. Her beautiful, pitiful eyes began to weep, drop by drop, falling on Zhan Qiyu’s heart.
“I’m fine. Let’s go down the mountain.”
He felt weak and was supported by A Liu down the mountain. Shan Cha supported the tearful young mistress, and the four descended.
Upon seeing the carriage, A Liu helped his master inside, then waited for Miss Mu and Shan Cha to get in before driving to find a doctor.
But Mu Jiaojiao, upon entering the carriage, found Zhan Qiyu unconscious, lying in the carriage, about to fall to the ground.
She gritted her teeth. He had saved her again. She sat beside him, letting Shan Cha rest his head on her lap to prevent him from falling and getting hurt.
Shan Cha didn’t know if this was appropriate, but Master Zhan had risked his life to protect his young mistress. Without hesitation, she helped. Miss held his head, and she held his shoes to prevent him from falling.
Although she had been climbing the mountain in men’s clothing for most of the day, the girl’s delicate fragrance awoke Zhan Qiyu slightly. He lay on her lap; the girl’s soft thighs were extremely supple, and his ears felt hot.
Even with his eyes closed, his eyelashes trembled nervously. He even thought that if he could get close to her this way, he could keep snakes at home.
Just resting his head on her lap, Zhan Qiyu’s heart felt as if it was being tightly squeezed. The unconscious girl, in this way, could completely take his life.
His breathing was heavy, brushing against her lower abdomen. Although several layers of clothing separated them, it was an extreme stimulation for a young man in the prime of his life.
Because the blood in his veins became more exuberant, the venom spread faster, and the numbness gradually ascended to his senses. Zhan Qiyu fainted again.
Before losing consciousness, he tried his best to imprint the girl’s fragrance in his memory, never to forget.
A Liu drove the carriage and knocked on the door of Huichuntang. The doctor on duty was used to such late-night visits and quickly helped carry him inside.
In the carriage, no one paid attention to where he was lying, only anxious to save him.
After the doctor heard A Liu’s description of the snake, he breathed a sigh of relief. The snake’s venom wasn’t fatal, only causing paralysis and unconsciousness, but he needed to drink medicine quickly.
Mu Jiaojiao hurried to help collect the medicine. At this moment, A Liu pulled the doctor aside to examine Shan Cha’s legs. He had noticed her injuries.
But Shan Cha refused, saying she was fine.
A Liu couldn’t force her but asked the doctor for some anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medicine for Shan Cha.
Perhaps because of their similar ages, despite disliking some of her actions, her devotion to her young mistress won his admiration. He would do anything for his master.
A Liu knew she did this to avoid worrying her young mistress, and he understood her better than anyone.
Finally, after Zhan Qiyu drank the medicine, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, to avoid worrying Madam Zhan, Mu Jiaojiao and Shan Cha returned to report the news. They also had to return to the Mu family. If Madam Mu knew what happened today, it would implicate the Zhan family.
But Mu Jiaojiao also felt unwell, her body shivering hot and cold, but she gritted her teeth and didn’t make a sound, taking her maid back.
She knocked on the Zhan family’s door. Madam Zhan quickly opened it, seeing the disheveled Mu Jiaojiao and Shan Cha, quickly letting them in, as the rain continued to fall.
“Madam Zhan, Brother Zhan and A Liu are at Huichuntang. Don’t worry, they’re fine. I came back to tell you.”
Her voice trembled.
Madam Zhan didn’t doubt her words; she held her hand and prepared ginger tea for her before she left.
Chen Lishi, seeing this young woman dressed as a man, understood. It seemed that the Zhan family favored this young lady as their daughter-in-law.
She was about to speak sarcastically, but Madam Zhan, willing to endure hardship herself but not her future daughter-in-law, directly confronted her, “Sister, you should go back. I have something to do and can’t keep you.”
Her tone was completely different from before; she was clearly dismissing her.
This made Chen Lishi even more unhappy. She pointed at Mu Jiaojiao and was about to speak rudely, but the young woman dressed as a man spoke first.
“You are Chen Xing’er’s mother, right? You should also go home. Brother Zhan is out of danger. Please give my best regards to Sister Xing’er.”
Chen Lishi raised her eyebrows: A provocation?