Before the crack of dawn, Xinyi has departed for the spiritual abyss. Her companions remained at the inn to wait for her return within a month's time. She had been traveling the whole day already, stopping at intervals for the horse to get some rest and when she needed some time for herself. Although it was quite taxing for her, she still finds it a bit enjoyable as her first time traveling alone in her second lifetime. Not to mention riding a horse and not some fancy sports car.
She took in her surroundings and found the red-orange tinged horizon breathtaking. No skyscrapers, no cars, but a stretch of landscape with full bloom flowers, a flowing river stream, a breath of fresh air, and a peaceful surrounding.
A few yards away from her, an unconscious young man around her age was lying by the riverside. His robes were filthy and had been tinge red with blood.
Her eyes narrowed at the river, trying to clearly see the figure from afar. When the clear view of the man lying by the riverside finally registered on her sense of sight, her eyes widened instantly. By the next second, she had already urged her horse to head towards its direction.
Xinyi dismounted her horse and dragged the half-submerged young man to the side. Her index and middle finger found their way to his neck to check his pulse by his carotid artery. Fortunately, she felt his pulse although it was quite weak due to blood loss. 'He must be experiencing a shock.' She thought to herself while checking his wounded back from a stab. Lucky for him, the dagger didn't pierce any vital organs. Although Xinyi wasn't someone from the medical field, but somehow, from her past life experiences, she learned a handful of first aid knowledge for herself in times she has no one to tend for her. She had lived a tough life back then and had a lot of first-hand experiences from life-threatening scenarios.
In a swift, she retrieved some bandages, ointment, and appropriate medicinal pills to tend for his injuries. Aside from the stabbed wound on his back, he also had quite a few scratches where she had applied some ointment. Xinyi also grabbed her gourd from her saddlebag and helped him take the pills.
'I suppose it's not bad to camp here for the night, and it's not like I can just leave him be by himself, not unless I'd let him get towed by some random animal.' Xinyi thought to herself. She wasn't someone who would just help out of impulse but the first thing she had thought in mind earlier when she saw the young man was that this might be the first step in redeeming herself- to help someone in need, hence she reacted accordingly.
'Hmm... I think I should start some fire first.' Xinyi gathered up the things she needed to start a fire. As a person who lived a modern life and never had the chance to start a fire from scratch, Xinyi had a hard time starting a fire. After a few countless failed attempts, she finally built up a fire, enough to warm both of them up all throughout the night.
'Ah! How I miss the luxury of using a lighter. Even matches should be considered a luxury.' Xinyi complained, finally able to sit comfortably on the ground with her blanket that she retrieved from her spatial ring.
The young man she treated earlier laid still beside her. She was physically drained and tired but wasn't sleepy yet, she also did not intend to sleep with a stranger around her. He was an arm away from her, making Xinyi unconsciously observe him openly which she hasn't had the chance to do so earlier.
The young man had long ash brown hair with the upper half tied in a high ponytail. His countenance was easy on the eyes and good looking. Thick eyebrows and lashes that every modern woman dreamt of having. Sharp nose and small lips. 'Not bad, he can totally pull off a high-end brand endorsement with that face.' She thought. Her eyes then traveled down to his half-naked body wrapped in bandages, his well-toned body peeking from behind. Upon realizing that she was ogling too much at him, she immediately got rid of the image on her mind and diverted her gaze somewhere else.
'I am much older than him in my previous life, there's no way I'm into young men!' Xinyi declared to herself, convinced that she prefers men a few years older than her than young ones.
She was lost in thought and was staring from afar when she got woken up in reality after hearing a painful groan beside her. Her head instinctively looked at him as she saw his eyes flutter open, revealing a pair of light brown orbs. 'Even his eyes looked dashing.' She commented.
"You're awake." She muttered, enough for him to hear, making him jerk his head towards her direction upon hearing someone talk all of a sudden.
"Who are you?" The young man asked, confused about who was the blue-eyed young woman sitting near him.
"You mean, who are you?" Jiu Xinyi retorted back, throwing his question right back at him the next second he asked it. She had a solemn expression painted on her face making her look attractive despite being a stranger in the young man's eyes.