Snow began to fall.
There was no sign of anyone else on the road.
The weather was cold, and it would be New Year's Eve in half a month's time. More than half of the escort caravans were gone.
Cui Yun walked closer. Even though he had not entered the battlefield before, he still practiced martial arts, so his eyes and ears were naturally several times better than ordinary people's.
The woman's weak breathing was almost non-existent.
It was indeed a little strange to see this in the wilderness.
However, Cui Yun's expression did not change. His gaze lingered on the clumsy fat ferret for a moment before he calmly retracted it.
In the carriage, Ji He widened her eyes.
Cui Yun bent down slightly and stretched out his well-defined hand.
Ji He was shocked!
When he was an inch away from Shen Hua, Cui Yun moved straight down. He accurately picked out the gap between the rocks, taking out a mushroom the size of a fingernail that was covered in snow.
Ji He, who had been watching, "???"
'No way, no way. You got off the carriage to pick mushrooms?'
Cui Yun took out a thin handkerchief and kept it properly.
Last time, Prince Gong was poisoned by this. He flipped through the Compendium of Materia Medica, but there was no record of it.
Since he coincidentally found it, he naturally had to keep it.
As for this half-dead woman…
Dizzily, Shen Hua struggled to raise her hand and touched a corner of his shirt. It was smooth and shiny, and it was obvious that the silk was of high quality. She grabbed it without hesitation.
Cui Yun lowered her eyes and suddenly tensed up. Her face was covered in frost as waves flashed across her calm eyes.
However, right at this moment...
Shen Hua raised her other arm and tugged at her scarf, revealing a pair of clear eyes. She caught the thick gloominess in Cui Yun's eyes.
She could not help but feel her heart skip a beat. She was so frightened by Cui Yun's gaze that she shrank back. Even the hand that was holding onto his clothes quickly retracted.
The back of the woman's hand was pale, and her veins were abnormally visible. She looked like her life was coming to an end, and she looked fragile and pitiful.
She was terrified. Where did this ghost come from?
Zheng Qianyu, who had returned, was in a mess. She suppressed the surprise in her eyes.
The man in front of her was wearing a fox fur coat. His face was handsome and elegant, and he exuded a scholarly aura. His attitude was neither hot nor cold, and it was just right. He seemed distant but that did not offend her.
Zheng Qianyu said, "I've found water for you."
Shen Hua was so thirsty that she could not care less about Cui Yun. She slowly got up and sat upright. She untied her thick scarf and the wind blew in. She could not help but shiver.
Only then did she go and take the water bag Zheng Qianyu handed her.
She leaned forward and took a sip. The bone-chilling spring water slid into her mouth, and her lips and teeth were frozen to the point where they could not feel anything. Her willowy eyebrows knitted together in pain.
"It's so… cold."
Zheng Qianyu watched as Cui Yun coldly walked away step by step. Hearing this, she said angrily, "It's good enough that you have something to drink. Don't cause so many problems."
As she spoke, she realized that something was wrong. Shen Hua's face was burning red and she was drenched in cold sweat. She was definitely not covered properly.
Shen Hua's health had always been poor. When it got serious, it could be fatal. Zheng Qianyu's heart skipped a beat, and she raised her hand to touch the woman's forehead.
It was burning hot.
She had only left for a moment, but Shen Hua was on the verge of death!
There was a sudden bang beside her. Shen Hua, who had been sitting and drinking water, collapsed without warning.
Zheng Qianyu hurriedly pulled the unconscious Shen Hua.
"Hey! Don't scare me!"
A panicked and shrill cry came from behind him, and Cui Yun paused as he was getting into the carriage.
The Cui family had to be kind.
All these years, he had hidden his strength and bided his time, right?
Cui Yun concealed the emotions in his eyes.
"Ji Qing, invite them in."
"Yes."
…
Perhaps out of consideration for Shen Hua, the carriage sped up.
There were four people sitting in the carriage, but it was not cramped.
The decorations were extravagant, which showed that the owner's identity was not normal. This was why Zheng Qianyu did not dare to look around.
Dressed in a purple robe, she said conversationally, "It's cold outside. Why are the two of you running around? Aren't you afraid that something will happen? If it weren't for Mr. Cui's cold-resistant pill, she probably wouldn't have been able to survive before getting treatment."
The cold-resistant pill was specially developed by the imperial physician and was a secret medicine in the palace. Ordinary people could not afford to use it.
One of the herbs was a tribute from a vassal country. It was extremely difficult to grow and had a low survival rate.
Every year, the imperial physicians could only make a dozen pills. The heavens sent them all to the Yangling Marquis Mansion to save the young princess's life.
The young princess had lost her father when she was young and was plagued by an illness. Thus, she loved to pester her second uncle, Cui Yun. He had a cold-resistant pill with him just in case.
Ji He had never eaten one before and did not expect Shen Hua to be using it.
However, Zheng Qianyu did not know the depth of the matter. Seeing that the fever on Shen Hua's body had subsided a little, she could not help but heave a sigh of relief and hurriedly thanked the two of them.
Cui Yun replied warmly, "It's not a big deal."
Ji He snorted. "If you lie outside, I'm afraid Sister Rong will look for you again."
At the mention of her, the smile in Cui Wei's eyes became more genuine.
His father and brother had died in battle, and the Cui Family only had him and Cui Rong left. He was the only man, so he should support the entire Yangling Mansion. As for Cui Rong, under his protection, she could live a carefree life.
Cui Yun's lips curled into a silent smile. "Young lady, you're so delicate. I'll be able to treat you when we get back."
She was indeed delicate!
He had never seen such a weak girl.
Previously, he had sent cherry meat to Cui Rong at the door of the Yangling Mansion.
Cui Rong raised his head and said in a childish voice, "No."
"Don't you like it?"
She held her face in her hands. "It's because you're wearing green clothes. I'm afraid it will inauspicious."
"Don't tell me your second uncle doesn't have a green robe?"
"But Second Uncle is more handsome than you."
He was furious, but he could not argue with the child. He turned around and changed.
Cui Rong smiled sweetly at him and said, "No."
"What now?"
"I'm still thinking about how you look in green. I'm sorry. Second Uncle said that you can't poke people's hearts."
Since she was already sorry, he could not blame her.
Only Cui Yun, who acted as a parent, went along with everything Cui Rong asked for.
Cui Yun knew how to dote on people. One could imagine that he would be a good father in the future.
However, he did not know that the unconscious person in the carriage was exactly the same as Cui Rong, and sometimes even more so.
Zheng Qianyu said, "You two young masters don't look like you're from Fengzhou."
"That's right. It's said that Fengzhou's beauties are gentle. Brother Cui and I are here because we heard of them."
His words were not impetuous, and his gaze was clean. There was no impurity from prostitution. He was not being a lecher.
"In terms of looks, it's me, you, and last is Zhou Zhizhi."
This sentence suddenly echoed in Zheng Qianyu's ears.
She straightened her body and was very pleased with herself.
"Young Master, did you notice that one of the best-looking girls in Fengzhou City is sitting in front of you?"
Ji He choked. "??? Are you serious?"
Cui Yun suddenly paused.