As a doctor with a sacred duty, Lin Huijin immediately left her meal and ran towards the commotion. The drowned soldier had been rescued, but he had ingested a lot of water and was unconscious, his stomach distended.
After one soldier checked the drowned man's breathing and declared him dead, Lin Huijin pushed her way through the crowd. She knelt down next to the unconscious man and, after clearing his airways, began to compress his distended belly to expel the water.
Seeing no response, Lin Huijin started cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Her actions confused the surrounding soldiers, who felt she was disrespecting the 'dead' body.
"What are you doing? The man is already dead!" protested a soldier who was close to the drowned one. He tried to stop her, but Lin Huijin, against the ticking clock, harshly ordered him away.
With her relentless compression, water and vomit began to flow out from the soldier's mouth and nose. After hundreds of compressions without response, Lin Huijin proceeded to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, causing a shock among the soldiers. A woman was kissing a man in front of everyone!
Lin Huijin's efforts finally paid off as the soldier coughed out water and began breathing. The surrounding soldiers looked at her as if she was a living Hua Tuo, a miracle worker who could bring back the dead.
Feeling relieved, Lin Huijin collapsed on the grass, wiping her sweaty forehead with her sore hands, ignoring the stares of shock and disbelief from the soldiers. She walked back to her unfinished meal, feeling an intense gaze on her.
Looking back, she saw nothing but dim moonlight. Perhaps it was just her imagination. She continued to eat, the breeze teasing a strand of hair, sticking it to her beautiful face.
The night continued until a figure in a golden embroidered robe suddenly appeared in front of Lin Huijin, making her gasp, "Your Highness!"
Nangong Lei, seeing her surprise, said, "Did I startle you?"
Of course, he did. Her chicken leg even fell off the bowl! She asked him why he suddenly appeared behind her without her noticing.
Looking at Lin Huijin who had just kissed another man without any concern, Nangong Lei asked, "Who taught you all of that?"
Lin Huijin thought, so it wasn't a hallucination earlier. "I...I don't know. The idea just popped into my head."
Nangong Lei stepped closer, engulfing her in a feeling she couldn't explain, "Why did you kiss him? Do you know the impact it could have on you? You are my betrothed!"
His words carried a hint of danger.
"It wasn't a kiss, I was giving him air! Besides, the situation was urgent. He's just a teenager, if he had died, his family would have been devastated!" Lin Huijin explained. Then she added, tentatively, "If you think this damaged your reputation, we could call off our engagement."
"Yes, it would be best to call it off!"
Nangong Lei narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep and quiet, focusing on Lin Huijin. Could amnesia change a person's nature? The previous Lin Huijin wouldn't care about the life of such an insignificant person. She certainly wouldn't have spoken such words!
"You're right," he said in a low, bewitching voice. "You saved one of my soldiers. How could I mind that you kissed him? I should reward you properly." The words fell from his thin lips, and it was still impossible to discern his mood.
"Reward?" Lin Huijin asked, looking up. The moonlight spilled into her sparkling black eyes, making them seem as though they held the entire starry sea.
"Yes," Nangong Lei responded calmly, a faint smile touching his lips. It appeared like a smile, yet there was a trace of wickedness. "You mentioned wanting to learn to ride a horse yesterday. How about I teach you?"
It wasn't that she wanted to ride a horse. It was just that in this ancient era, horses were the only form of transportation. If she couldn't ride, how could she escape? By running away on foot?
Seeing Nangong Lei not joking, Lin Huijin nodded, "Okay, you can send someone to teach me horse-riding tomorrow then?"
No sooner had the words left her mouth than Nangong Lei called to someone behind him. "Bu Li, bring a horse over."
"Your Highness, we're going to ride now?" Lin Huijin asked, looking at the dark night sky. Wasn't it a bit dangerous to ride at this late hour?
"Yes," Nangong Lei responded succinctly.
Soon enough, Bu Li led over a tall, pitch-black horse.
Lin Huijin curiously reached out to touch it, but the horse seemed to disdain her touch, huffed at her, and turned its head away.
"Get on," Nangong Lei ordered, standing with his back to the light.
Bu Li also extended a hand to help Lin Huijin onto the horse.