Chapter 730: True Friendship in Times of Adversity (I)

A sudden, chaotic fight in which one's life was at stake was like a dream with no beginning or end and that was so real that it was indistinguishable from reality.

From the beginning to the end, Zhao Xin couldn't believe that everything she experienced was a real life-and-death struggle, and she couldn't believe that she had been in desperate situations countless times, and had survived countless times. As for how she crawled out of the pile of dead bodies and how she escaped from the bloody blade, her mind was blank and she had no memory of it.

Until her sweet dream was disturbed by the chirping of orioles and swallows in the forest, she slowly opened her heavy and tired eyes, looked blankly at the green pines and cypresses, the exotic flowers and plants around her, and smelled the faint fragrance of soil and flowers, then she gradually realized that she had escaped from the nightmare of Yunya Town and was now in the mountains.

Although it is a wilderness, it is exceptionally peaceful.

Zhao Xin lay quietly on a large bluestone, covered with Liu Xunyi's single piece of clothing that was tattered by the fire. A bonfire not far away was dying, but she could still feel the warmth emanating from the burnt firewood.

Within reach is a broken earthenware jar filled with clear, sweet mountain spring water.

When Zhao Xin gradually woke up from the chaos and slowly recalled the scenes of her experience last night, her face changed and a hint of deep fear flashed in her eyes.

She struggled to get up, and was shocked to find that her body was extremely sore and weak.

Under the scorching sun, Zhao Xin gritted her teeth and insisted on standing up, trying hard to suppress the dizziness in her head. She looked around, but saw the clear blue sky and smiling spring mountains. She tried hard to determine her direction, but everything was unfamiliar, and she couldn't tell the directions for a long time.

As the saying goes, "You cannot see the true face of Mount Lu because you are inside it." At this time, Zhao Xin only felt that the jungle was lush all around, and everything around him looked the same, so he hesitated and did not dare to take the risk.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound coming from deep in the forest, like the sound of a waterfall or a mountain spring, but it was vague and seemed very far away. Zhao Xin, who was dizzy, was startled and became curious.

Looking at the tattered clothes on her body, Zhao Xin, who was full of confusion, suddenly had an idea and subconsciously exclaimed: "It's Xun Yi..."

With this in mind, Zhao Xin looked around hurriedly. When she saw the bonfire that was about to go out and the crystal clear spring water, she couldn't help but realize something. She was so happy that she no longer cared about her weak body and staggered towards the direction where the sound of water came from.

It turned out that the waterfall was not far from where Zhao Xin was sleeping, but there was a hillside in between, which blocked the sound of the water.

The road is winding and winding. When Zhao Xin walked along the rugged and bumpy path to the spring, she saw the wounded Liu Xunyi sitting by the water with his upper body naked, washing the blood off his body with water and healing himself with the herbs he had just collected.

Not to mention the knife and sword scars left by the fight with many black-clad men last night, the fire in the North Street store alone left many horrible burns on Liu Xunyi's body. His sturdy body was covered with blood, red and even purple and black, which was shocking and unbearable to look at.

Liu Xunyi's most serious injuries were his feet. The boots placed aside were already stained with blood, and his feet exposed to the sun were even more bloody. The blood blisters caused by burns had long been worn out, and his skin and flesh had been mixed together during the dozens of miles of running. The dark red wounds continued to overflow with black dirty blood, and in some places the white bones could be vaguely seen through the fusion of blood and flesh.

At the moment, apart from the shape, it is almost difficult to recognize that they are a pair of human feet.

At this moment, every movement of Liu Xunyi affected the scars all over his body. The severe pain made his movements slow and stiff, and sometimes he even trembled all over.

Because Liu Xunyi had his back to Zhao Xin, Zhao Xin could not see his facial features, but she guessed that he must have looked very ferocious.

Standing far behind Liu Xunyi, silently watching his every move, Zhao Xin burst into tears and sobbed.

"hiss!"

When Liu Xunyi reached out to touch his injured foot, an indescribable piercing pain instantly spread throughout his body, causing his heart to tremble violently and his body to stiffen. Sweat gushed out from every pore of his body at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, his entire body was soaked and sweat was pouring down like rain.

Liu Xunyi clenched his teeth, his body motionless like a clay sculpture, silently enduring the excruciating pain that was comparable to the torture of hell. Not until the pain gradually subsided did he let out a breath of foul air as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his mouth.

"Click..."

Suddenly, there was a slight noise behind Liu Xunyi, which startled him. He quickly pulled out the Wuji sword that was inserted in the water, and then turned around without thinking and pointed. Zhao Xin, whose face was full of tears, was immediately frightened and she staggered and almost fell to the ground.

"Xin'er?"

After recognizing Zhao Xin, Liu Xunyi hurriedly restrained his elbow and put away his sword, a trace of guilt appearing on his sweaty face.

"Xin'er, are you awake?" Liu Xunyi hurriedly calmed down and smiled casually, "How is it? You've been unconscious for a few hours. Do you feel better now?"

However, Zhao Xin ignored Liu Xunyi's concern. She looked at Liu Xunyi with tears in her eyes and finally cast her trembling eyes on his feet.

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi's face changed immediately. He no longer cared about the pain in his body. He quickly picked up his boots and put his feet into the boots carelessly, trying to cover up the horrific injuries as soon as possible so as not to scare Zhao Xin.

"do not move!"

Suddenly, Zhao Xin shouted, which made Liu Xunyi startled. Under her surprised gaze, Zhao Xin took the boots away, and then sat on the ground without caring about the dignity and dignity of a princess, and reached out to touch Liu Xunyi's feet with worried eyes.

"No!" Liu Xunyi was horrified and waved his hand to stop her, "Xin'er, you are worth a lot of money..."

"You saved my precious body with your own life." Zhao Xin suppressed her inner grief and, regardless of Liu Xunyi's repeated attempts to stop her, she stubbornly held his feet on her legs and ignored the blood that stained her dress.

"Xin'er, you absolutely cannot..."

"The wound has become festered. If you don't clean it, you won't be able to save your feet." Zhao Xin carefully checked Liu Xunyi's foot injury and said worriedly, "There is no good doctor or medicine here. How can I help you clean the wound?"

"Xin'er..."

"You're still moving?" Zhao Xin seemed to be completely enraged by Liu Xunyi's repeated evasions. She glared at Liu Xunyi with tearful eyes and said sternly, "If you don't let me heal your wounds, I will cut off my own legs as a way of repaying your kindness."

"This……"

"Stop moving!"

After that, Zhao Xin no longer paid attention to the uneasy Liu Xunyi, and concentrated on checking his wound. Suddenly, Zhao Xin's frowning eyes condensed, as if she had made some kind of determination, and resolutely leaned over Liu Xunyi's wound, wanting to suck out the pus and blood with her mouth.

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi could no longer suppress his inner fear, and hurriedly retracted his feet, saying firmly: "No! Absolutely not! I, Liu Xunyi, would rather not have these feet than let you do it for me... In short, I absolutely cannot accept using this method to heal my wounds."

"When life and death are at stake, how can we care about these red tape?" Zhao Xin said anxiously, "Besides, compared to your selfless sacrifice to save me, what are these things I do for you?"

"That won't work either!" This time, Liu Xunyi did not compromise with Zhao Xin and was uncharacteristically stubborn. "If you insist on doing this, I would rather cut my own throat with a sword."

"you……"

"I have another way!" Before Zhao Xin could argue, Liu Xunyi's eyes suddenly lit up, and he handed the Wuji Sword in his hand to her, smiling gently, "Use the sword to help me cut out the festering area."

"Use a sword?" Zhao Xin was horrified, "But..."

"This method was taught to me by Miss Pan. She is the apprentice of Granny Taohua, the 'world's best doctor', and her medical skills are very impressive." Liu Xunyi said confidently, "She also used this method to heal me back then. Xin'er, it's not convenient for me to do it myself, can you help me?"

"Of course I'm willing to help you, but..."

"Then come on!"

Liu Xunyi didn't give Zhao Xin a chance to hesitate. He picked up a branch and put it in his mouth, then gave Zhao Xin a firm and encouraging look.

After hesitating for a long time, Zhao Xin finally made up her mind, tremblingly picked up the Wuji Sword, and choked up, "Xun Yi, then you just have to bear with it..."

After receiving Liu Xunyi's firm response, Zhao Xin no longer hesitated and slowly cut the sharp sword blade into the festering skin on her foot.

"hiss!"

At the slightest touch, Liu Xunyi's body stiffened instantly, and the branch in his mouth was bitten into pieces in an instant.

"Xun Yi, does it hurt?"

"No! Leave me alone, just keep digging!"

Zhao Xin wanted to retract her hands, but fortunately Liu Xunyi reminded her in time, allowing her reason to overcome her emotions. Even though her tears could not help falling, she had to harden her heart and continue with her actions.

"laugh!"

Because the flesh and bones on the feet were tightly attached to each other, when Zhao Xin turned the sword, it was inevitable that it would scrape Liu Xunyi's foot bones, making a series of heart-pounding and piercing sounds that were chilling.

“No…it’s okay…” Liu Xunyi was sweating profusely from the pain. He spat out the wood chips in his mouth and gave Zhao Xin an unnatural smile. “It’s just that I wasn’t used to it at first, but slowly…I got used to it…”

Having said that, Zhao Xin could still feel Liu Xunyi's pain through his intermittent words and trembling voice.

"Xun Yi, hold on a little longer..."

"It's okay..." Liu Xunyi smiled weakly, "It's worth it no matter how painful it is to be able to look at you and talk to you so closely. Xin'er, do you know how long I have been waiting for this moment?"

Just these words made Zhao Xin pause slightly, but she did not respond to Liu Xunyi's tenderness, but kept doing what she was supposed to do.

Seeing that Zhao Xin refused to answer, although Liu Xunyi was a little upset, he did not ask any more questions. He just stared at her quietly with a pair of tender eyes, as if he wanted to imprint her every frown, smile, and every move in his heart.

I don't know how much time has passed? Zhao Xin cleaned the wound on Liu Xunyi's feet, carefully applied herbs, and then tore out two pieces of silk cloth from under her skirt and robe, and bandaged Liu Xunyi's feet tightly.

"All right."

I don’t know if it was because Liu Xunyi’s words just now reminded Zhao Xin of her sad memories, but at this moment she became a little indifferent. At least her attitude towards Liu Xunyi was not as friendly and natural as just now.

"and many more!"

When Zhao Xin washed her hands and was about to stand up slowly, Liu Xunyi suddenly grabbed her wrist, causing her to scream in surprise and her expression immediately became a little conflicted.

"Xun Yi, what are you doing?"

"Xin'er, I was already heartbroken, but fate played a trick on us. God gave us a great opportunity on the way to the bride. Maybe... this will be our last chance. Therefore, I must speak my mind no matter what, so as not to regret it for the rest of my life."

"What... opportunity? What are you really thinking?" Zhao Xin seemed to be aware of Liu Xunyi's passionate feelings. She became more and more nervous. Her face flushed slightly and even her breathing became a little rapid.

"Xin'er!" Liu Xunyi held Zhao Xin's hands in his palms, and said affectionately, "After going through so many things, I have completely figured it out. For me, fame, wealth, and leaving a name in history... I don't care about any of them, and I don't want any of them. I just want to be with you, forever, until the end of time. Even if I have to wander around the world, even if I am doomed to eternity, even if I am criticized by thousands of people... I don't care!"

Liu Xunyi's words made Zhao Xin's heart flutter. She was overwhelmed with emotions and she didn't even dare to face Liu Xunyi's gentle eyes full of desire.

Xunyi, you..."

"Xin'er, come with me!" Liu Xunyi's expression was firm, and every word was sonorous. "Let's go far away, find a place where no one knows us, live in anonymity, and stay together for the rest of our lives."

……

　Happy New Year! I wish you all good luck and success in the new year!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)