Luzhou Moon - Chapter 83
Not far away, the road leading to Chaohu Lake could be seen. Lian Junchu struggled and crawled on her knees, using all her strength to drag Yue Ruzheng to the edge of the forest.
However, the road was wide and quiet, empty, without a single pedestrian.
The sunlight gradually dimmed, and the clouds grew thicker. Lian Junchu stared blankly into the distance. He could feel Yue Ruzheng, who was lying on his back, move slightly, but he couldn't turn around to look at her.
"It hurts..." she murmured unconsciously in a daze, her voice faint and trembling. Lian Junchu was still biting her sleeve. He couldn't respond with words, so he could only bend over more deeply, clench his teeth, and stare intently at the ground.
The gravel road stretched into the distant countryside. He took a deep breath and once again began to drag Yue Ruzheng forward on her knees in his own way.
His knees were already aching terribly from being worn down, and he had no time to stop and rest, so he could only keep moving. But the sky was vast and the road was long, and in this desolate wilderness, apart from the occasional bird flying by, there was not a sound.
Ziwei Mountain gradually receded into the distance, but Chaohu Lake remained out of sight. Although it was the dead of winter, Lian Junchu's inner shirt was already soaked with sweat. The road ahead gradually sloped upwards, and he used the strength of his shoulder to forcefully pull Yue Ruzheng up a little, but he could no longer bear the excruciating pain in his knees and collapsed to the ground.
Yue Ruzheng collapsed beside him. He rolled over and knelt in front of her, looking at her tightly closed eyes. Suddenly, he lunged at her like a madman, desperately biting at her clothes on her shoulders, trying to pull her up. He bit his lip until it bled, and Yue Ruzheng's clothes were torn, but he still couldn't carry her any further.
He pressed his cheek against Yue Ruzheng, as if only in this way could he give her some warmth and comfort.
Yue Ruzheng's lips were pale, making the bloodstains around them even more shocking. She seemed to sense his presence and tried to open her eyes, but only moved slightly.
"Don't die...don't die..." Lian Junchu was trembling all over, burying her face in her shoulder, her tears silently seeping into her light green clothes.
A cold wind swept away a carpet of yellow leaves, and the sound of footsteps drew closer.
Lian Junchu remained kneeling beside Yue Ruzheng, oblivious to the commotion around him. Only when the person stood before him, motionless, did he raise his head in a daze.
The woman before me was dressed in a simple coarse cloth dress, with a well-proportioned figure and a faint sorrow between her brows.
"Big sister?!... "
Lian Junchu was startled and stared at her, speechless for a moment.
Lian Junqiu said nothing, bent down and picked up the dying Yue Ruzheng, then looked back at Lian Junchu, who was still kneeling on the ground.
"Get up." Her voice was a little hoarse, but it still carried her usual unquestionable decisiveness.
Lian Junchu stood up as if waking from a dream, his body swaying slightly, his clothes disheveled. Lian Junqiu pursed her lips, glanced at him, then strode forward with Yue Ruzheng in her arms.
The two walked one after the other on the quiet road, neither of them speaking.
Chapter Fifty-Seven: Reunion in Another Day, Each Having Experienced Many Changes
The road to Chaohu forked midway, and Lian Junqiu chose one of the narrow and difficult paths. This mountain path was overgrown with weeds and thorns on both sides, and it was unclear where it led. There were no fields or houses around, and Lian Junchu followed her for a long time before finally seeing a thatched hut standing alone in the wilderness in the distance.
Lian Junqiu walked in that direction, and Lian Junchu followed behind her. Seeing that she was living in seclusion in such a place, he felt heavy-hearted.
The thatched hut was a single room. Lian Junqiu entered the room, gently placed Yue Ruzheng on the bed, and turned back to say, "Close the door."
Lian Junchu lifted her foot and closed the rickety wooden door. The room was very dark, with only a faint ray of light shining in through the dilapidated wooden window.
Lian Junqiu sat on the edge of the bed, pressing her hand on Yue Ruzheng's pulse. After a moment, she asked in a deep voice, "Who injured her?"
Lian Junchu stood by the door, her voice very low: "I don't know."
She looked up at him, then turned and took a cloth bag from under a low wooden table in front of the bed. Inside were rows of silver needles. Lian Junqiu looked at Yue Ruzheng, bent down to support her lower back, and pulled her into his arms. Then, he slowly undressed her.
Lian Junchu paused, turned her back, and faced the window. Unexpectedly, Lian Junqiu's voice called from behind, "Come here."
"What are you doing?" He subconsciously turned around, only to see that Lian Junqiu had already taken off Yue Ruzheng's top, leaving her only in a silk bra, with her back exposed.
Lian Junchu quickly looked away, her face flushing. Lian Junqiu frowned, supporting Yue Ruzheng's shoulder, and turned to say, "What's there to be shy about? How can I heal her if you don't let her sit properly?"
Lian Junchu walked over with her eyes lowered and sat down in front of Yue Ruzheng. Lian Junqiu held her shoulders, wanting her to lean on Lian Junchu's shoulder. But he snapped out of his reverie, leaned back slightly, then turned his back and lowered his head, saying, "Don't let her lean on my shoulder."
Lian Junqiu was taken aback, wondering why he would do this. She assumed he didn't want to face Yue Ruzheng, so she didn't insist that he turn around. He simply stood with his back to Yue Ruzheng, letting her lean against his back. Lian Junqiu sat cross-legged behind Yue Ruzheng and used silver needles to insert into her vital acupoints to dissolve the blood stasis in her body.
The dimly lit room was quiet, with only Yue Ruzheng's heavy breathing echoing in Lian Junchu's ears. He never turned around, supporting her with his back, looking down at his own feet.
After a long while, he heard Lian Junqiu softly say, "That's enough."
He slowly turned around, and Lian Junqiu had already helped Yue Ruzheng lie back on the bed and covered her with the quilt.
He glanced at Yue Ruzheng, who was still unconscious, and turned his head to ask, "How is she?"
Lian Junqiu stood up, put the silver needles back into her cloth bag, and said in a very low voice, "She was injured by a strange internal force and did not meditate to regulate her breathing in time. I have only cleared some of the blood stasis for her now. If you want to save her, I'm afraid you will need someone with extremely high internal strength to heal her."
Lian Junchu's face was somewhat pale. He sat silently on the edge of the bed, staring straight at the ground, but his gaze was scattered and blank.
After packing her things, Lian Junqiu leaned against the wooden table, silently watching Lian Junchu. After a long while, she walked up to him and looked down at the hem of his clothes, which were almost worn out.
"Let me see how badly you're hurt," she said, squatting down in front of him and reaching out to roll up his trousers.
"No need." Lian Junchu quickly moved her legs away, her body remaining tense and not relaxing at all.
Her hand froze in mid-air, a bitter smile appearing on her face: "What else could I possibly do to you if it was just a glance?"
He lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Lian Junqiu tentatively reached out and placed her hand on his knee. A hint of pain inadvertently appeared between Lian Junchu's brows, and his legs trembled slightly.
"Little brother..." Lian Junqiu raised her head, called out to him softly, and slowly rolled up his trouser leg.
Her hands trembled slightly as she looked at the bloodstains on Lian Junchu's legs, especially around her knees, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Seeing her tears, Lian Junchu bent down, frowning as she said, "Don't worry, it's just an external injury."
"Let me stop the bleeding for you..." Lian Junqiu forced back her tears, took a plain cloth from the table, and carefully placed it on his knees. His breathing quickened, as if he was also enduring the pain, but he didn't make a sound.
After bandaging his wound with her head down, Lian Junqiu suddenly asked, "How did you end up with her?"