The young man's name was Yue Qin, he was fifteen years old. The Battle of Qiujiang was the first war he participated in after joining the army. Unexpectedly, he was captured out of nowhere.
Nanyue is a remote and small subsidiary country in the southwest of Great Yan. It advocates the art of witchcraft. However, due to the barren land, dense forests and swamps, and rampant poisonous insects when it was at its strongest, the people could only have enough food and clothing, but it was far from being strong. Even if Da Yan (Great Yan) incorporated such a place into its territory, it wouldn't be of much benefit, so it actually lived and worked in peace and contentment for many years. However, unexpectedly, their generation gave birth to a "beautiful" holy son who could not only command insects, snakes and beasts, but also control the wind and rain. Emperor Yan wanted to recruit him to the capital but failed. The emperor was furious and laid down millions of corpses, bleeding for thousands of miles. Since then, Nanyue has never had a peaceful day.
"He is the third prince of the Yan Kingdom." Mei Lin pointed at Murong Jinghe on Yue Qin's back. When she saw a long mark left behind them, she couldn't help but feel irritable.
"Oh, really?" Yue Qin didn't show any sign of surprise or hatred. He was panting and carrying the person on his back, gritting his teeth and moving forward step by step, sweat dripping into his eyes.
Mei Lin couldn't stand it anymore and wished she could leave the two of them alone. She didn't understand why this child was so stubborn in trying to save the son of an enemy who had ruined his family. But she couldn't bear to see the aggrieved look in his eyes, otherwise otherwise she would have run away when she found out that his speed was not much better than a turtle
"Okay, okay, put him down." She really couldn't stand it anymore.
"Sister..." Just when the young man was about to show his puppy-like pleading eyes again, Mei Lin quickly stretched out her palm to block the eye contact between the two.
"Stop talking, hurry up, don't make me suffer with you." Her voice was a little stern, and she was a little impatient, and she had a strong tendency to leave if you don't do it.
Hearing her words, Yue Qin had to swallow the words that rose up in his throat, and slowly placed Murong Jinghe on a dry, soft leaf. They were in a forest of red pine trees. The red pine trees were tall and towering into the clouds. There were also tree species such as purple lindens and firs. Under the trees, old vines swayed, moss and withered ferns, and pheasants lurked. Because the branches and leaves of the tree canopy are connected and block out the sky and sun, the bottom of the tree is not soaked by rain, but is only slightly damp.
"You go find something to fill your stomach." Mei Lin said, and at the same time she stepped forward and began to carefully examine Murong Jinghe. No matter what kind of injury he suffered, he should have woken up after all this trouble. The strange thing was that he showed no signs of waking up at all.
Yue Qin was already dizzy with hunger. Seeing that Mei Lin was not leaving Murong Jinghe behind, he immediately relaxed and started looking for food nearby. There are wild mushrooms and fungus in the forest, wild grapes and dates on the vines, and fallen pine nuts on the ground. It is not difficult to have a full meal. The taste is better than raw snake meat.
Except for some scratches, Murong Jinghe did not have any serious injuries on his body, but his face was frighteningly ugly. Mei Lin felt a strange feeling in her heart and pressed her finger on his pulse.
"You saved him, but maybe one day he will destroy your home." She said to the boy who was picking mountain grapes.
Yue Qin carried the bunches of grapes he picked in his clothes. Although he was very hungry, he did not eat them while picking them. Hearing this, he couldn't help but stop what he was doing and said with a smile, "Sister, if you leave him, he will definitely die."
That sounds totally wrong, Mei Lin turned her head and ignored him. However, she had to admit that the boy's words touched a certain chord in her heart, making her involuntarily face up to boy's attitude of attaching great importance to human life. Maybe she could disagree, but she definitely couldn't despise it.
Murong Jinghe's pulse was chaotic but not weak. It was unknown whether it was due to internal injury or some other reason. Mei Lin didn't understand medical knowledge, so she could only confirm that there was something wrong with his body, but there was nothing else she could do. She retracted her hand, thought for a moment, stretched out her thumb and pinched the other person's philtrum for a long time, until she pinched the bloody mark but he did not wake up.
"What a big trouble..." She muttered, pulled his open undershirt, then pulled out the dagger and stood up to cut the vine.
"Sister, eat some grapes." Yue Qin ran over happily carrying a bag of black grapes in his pocket. "These mountain grapes are delicious. When I was at home, I used to follow Mu Tou and the others into the mountains to pick them."
Mei Lin glanced at his pure black eyes that were not stained by the war and said nothing, she picked up a bunch of grapes and started to eat them casually. Seeing her eating, the young man seemed very happy, he sat down and started eating as well.
"If we leave him here, those Great Yan people will naturally find him. If we take him with us, both of us will be implicated." After eating two bunches of grapes and suppressing the fishy smell that had been lingering in her mouth, Mei Lin stopped eating and continued to cut the long vines.
"But maybe he died before they found him." Yue Qin said seriously while devouring grapes. He was telling the truth. Putting aside other dangers, the rainy late autumn mountain forest was as cold as winter. For an unconscious man to lie here like this, he was afraid that he would die of cold soon.
Knowing that what he said was true, Mei Lin curled her lips and said no more. A lot of flexible vines had been cut on the ground. She glanced around for a few times, then walked to a red pine tree that was as thick as an adult's arm and more than ten feet tall, squatted down and began to peel off its roots. Although she was not strong enough, fortunately the dagger was sharp and it didn't take long to chop down the tree.
"Sister, let me help you." Yue Qin didn't know what she was doing. He took care of the grapes in two or three times, then ran over and helped her pick the branches and leaves from the tree.
Mei Lin was injured and was a little exhausted after all this action, so she simply threw the dagger to Yue Qin and asked him to do as she instructed.
Probably used to doing rough work, Yue Qin's hands and feet were flexible and he was able to make a simple frame out of tree trunks and vines in a short time. Mei Lin then asked him to cut off four three-inch-thick logs from the extra trunk, peel off the skin, dig round holes in the middle, and string them on the rattan under the shelf.
Before he finished, Yue Qin already knew Mei Lin's intention, and he was even more energetic at work.
After tying Murong Jinghe to the rack with rattan and pulling for a while, not only he was satisfied, but also Mei Lin was satisfied.The difference is that he is satisfied that this not only saves a lot of energy, but also speeds up, while Mei Lin is satisfied that even if Murong Jinghe who are tied up like this wake up suddenly, it will not cause much harm to them. No matter what it is, the outcome is always happy.
They dug a hole and buried the remaining scraps from the scaffolding, covered them with larch needles, covered the remaining soil on the chopped wooden stakes, cleared away all traces of their stay, and the two of them set out on the road.
"Sister, come up too. I can pull you two." After walking for a while, Yue Qin called to Mei Lin who was lagging behind. His eyes were filled with the excitement of a child getting a new toy.
Mei Lin waved her hand, signaling him to continue moving forward, while she carefully removed or covered up their traces. From time to time, she would walk for a while in another direction and then go back by following the same footsteps.
Because she was walking slowly, she picked some edible things along the way, and then put them in the pocket of Murong Jinghe's wet clothes. When she was almost done, she tied them tightly with her clothes belt and put them on the pergola for Yue Qin to drag away.
After walking like this for more than an hour, no one really caught up with them, so the two of them were more or less relieved.
The rain stopped at noon, but the wind still carried moisture, making it feel chilly. The two stopped by a stream to rest and eat.
Mei Lin walked aside, away from Yue Qin's sight and cleaned her wounds by the water. She applied the herbs she found along the way and re-bandaged them with a clean cloth. She drank two more sips of water and inadvertently looked up at the sky, her face changed suddenly.
"Boy, hide." As she spoke, she hurriedly retreated into the dense forest next to her.
Yue Qin didn't understand what happened, but he had become accustomed to obeying Mei Lin's words all the way, so he dragged Murong Jinghe and hid in the forest like her without even thinking about it.
Mei Lin moved to their side being careful not to disturb the surrounding shrubs, and looked up at the sky through the gaps between the branches and leaves.
"Sister, what's wrong?" Yue Qin also looked up.
A black dot hovered under the lead-grey clouds, and suddenly it swooped down and shot towards their hiding place like lightning. Just as Yue Qin screamed in surprise, it suddenly settled on the top of the forest several feet high, revealing its agile and beautiful blue-gray figure, the golden eyes shining with sharp and cold light staring at them, but it was Murong Xuanlie's eagle. Then without waiting for the two of them to react, they flew high into the sky again, drawing circles around the dense forest where they were.
Mei Lin cursed in a low voice and said with an ugly face; "We've been discovered, let's get out of here quickly."
Yue Qin tightened his grip on the horizontal stick on the pergola, arched his body and burrowed into the forest like a frightened calf. Mei Lin followed closely, no longer caring about covering up the traces. However, no matter how fast they increased their speed, the fierce eagle kept hovering above their heads, indicating their whereabouts to its owner in the distance.
Mei Lin had an injury on her leg, and the running was already too much, so she hurriedly stopped the young man who was dragging Murong Jinghe in front of her and was panting from exhaustion.
"This won't work. Someone will catch up soon." She said, then walked forward and untied the vine rope slung across the boy's chest.
Yue Qin's somewhat pale lips moved, but she raised her hand to stop him, "We don't have much time, listen to me."
"You go forward from here and follow the direction of the stream for a while, be careful." She said. As she spoke, she used a dagger to cut off the softer branches of the shrubs beside her, and quickly wove a round hat covered with green leaves and put it on the boy's head, "Then go out of the forest and sneak under the stream. Try to stay on the side with more cover..."
Yue Qin nodded and opened his lips to speak, but Mei Lin did not give him a chance. "Then you just go along the stream. As long as no one is catching up, don't change direction." As she said that, she straightened the boy's clothes that were barely covering his body and blocked the exposed skin that was blown by the cold wind, and tied it tightly with a rattan rope. "Don't rush after you get ashore, follow the method I used before to deal with the road you have walked, don't leave any traces, you know?"
Yue Qin shook his head, his mouth still closed tightly, the circles under his eyes were already red.
"Come on, you will drag me down if you stay here." Mei Lin frowned and pushed him downstream, seeming very angry.
Unexpectedly, the young man burst into tears and did not leave, but he did not dare to approach her.
Mei Lin couldn't bear to see people crying, so she stopped for a moment and sighed, walked over, put her arms around Yue Qin's neck, and let his forehead rest on her uninjured shoulder. He was a small man, so his posture didn't look weird.
"Okay, sister doesn't dislike you." This was the first time she admitted this title. When Yue Qin heard it, he couldn't help crying louder, and even her shoulders began to twitch.
Mei Lin didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she felt inexplicably sad, mixed with another unknown emotion, which made her soften her tone.
"Are you a girl? You cry so much."
This sentence had an effect. Yue Qin stopped talking for a while, but he would twitch once or twice from time to time, which made him look even more pitiful.
Mei Lin sighed, knowing that there was no way to convince him to leave first without sufficient reasons.
"Yue Qin we must separate, otherwise we will be stared at by that flat-haired beast above, and none of us can leave. You go first, and I will come later."
"Sister you go first, I still have to drag this big man." Before she could finish speaking, Yue Qin had already raised his head, took off the hat made of leaves and put it on her head.
Mei Lin took a step back and said unhappily, "Are you so stupid? Wait until they kill you before you come after me?"
An aggrieved expression appeared on the boy's face again.
Mei Lin laughed, "If I'm alone, there are ways to avoid being discovered. Besides, I'm not from Nanyue, so they won't do anything to me."
Probably remembering the young man's concern for Murong Jinghe, he added, "Don't worry, sister won't leave this Yan person, I will watch those people take him back and leave, and then I will come to find you."
Before Yue Qin could think about the inconsistency, she quickly continued; "When you go out, wait for me in the big city closest to Zhaojing. Let's see who can get there first." As she said this, she grabbed the rope on the pergola and dragged it towards the stream outside the forest.
Yue Qin stared at her back blankly, wanting to step forward to help, but knew that doing so would definitely make her angry. Just when he was hesitating, Mei Lin shouted again without looking back; "Leave now! What are you waiting for?"
Yue Qin's body shook violently, he whimpered, put on his straw hat, turned around and ran away. After a while, he finally regained his composure, and walked as far as possible to the dense forest, letting the branches and leaves hide his figure. He just ran and cried, his vision was blurry, he tripped and fell several times, he was extremely embarrassed.
Because the two were separated, the eagle didn't know which way to follow. It was really busy in the sky for a while, and finally gave up tracking because Yue Qin's figure disappeared from sight, and only kept a close eye on the two people parked by the stream.
Mei Lin sat there, took out a few pieces of snake meat from her arms, and then rinsed her mouth with water. She picked a few pieces of herbs nearby and put them into her mouth to chew. She felt that she could almost hear the sound of clothes breaking in the wind coming this way, but she also knew that it was just an illusion. With her current ability, her hearing could not be that sensitive.
She don't know whether it was because of the cold or other reasons, but Murong Jinghe's face looked worse than in the morning, with more blue and less white, which made people doubt that he would be out of breath in the next moment.
Mei Lin thought for a while, then stepped forward to untie the rope that tied him tightly to the shelf, thinking that if he woke up, he would not die innocently because he could not move. She didn't like him and had no intention of saving him, but she didn't hate him enough to want him dead.
It's true that she didn't intend to really wait until someone found him before leaving as she promised Yue Qin. She didn't want to die.
Thinking of the resentment in Muye Luomei's eyes, she couldn't help but shudder. She felt that Yue Qin had almost dived into the stream, so she got up and ran in the opposite direction.
But before she even lifted her foot, her ankle tightened and someone grabbed her, causing her to almost fall.
"Take me with you." The hoarse voice, the tone that could not be refused.
Mei Lin was shocked, she lowered her head, and met the eyes of Murong Jinghe.
There was no confusion when he woke up, nor was there the usual drunkenness and lust. It is very clear and deep, like a clear pool hidden in the mountains. Many years later, when Mei Lin recalled it, she wondered whether it was his eyes that gave her the illusion of tranquility, or whether the birds really stopped chirping at that moment, and even the wind disappeared.
But it was only a moment, she soon came to her senses and asked coldly, "When did you wake up?" She would never believe that he woke up by such a coincidence. Just when she decided to abandon him.
"Last night." Murong Jinghe said simply.
Mei Lin's face froze. Thinking of the three people huddled together last night, plus all the troubles during the day, a rare look of anger appeared on her eyebrows. She wanted to reprimand him, but she immediately thought that now was not the time, so she could only endured her anger and said with a smile; "Since the prince has woken up, the eldest prince and others will be arriving soon, so why bother me?" She no longer calls herself a slave, just because there is no need to be humble at this time. .
Murong Jinghe's eyebrows twitched imperceptibly when she heard the word "eldest prince". She didn't try to say more, but didn't let go of her hand and repeated lightly; "Take me away."
Mei Lin couldn't hold back the smile on her face. Staring hard at his calm but stubborn eyes, "Have you forgotten that you wanted to take my life yesterday? Why do you want to make such a request today?" Muye Luomei proposed that she go into the forest like those prisoners of war and become their target, and he agreed without hesitation. Even when she begged hard, he only focused on pleasing Muye Luomei without giving her a spare glance. Now, he dared to order her around. Did he really think that the prince could take over the world?
Murong Jinghe lowered his eyes and said "I don't want your life." Just as Mei Lin's heart moved, she added another sentence that made her almost vomit blood. "What does it have to do with me whether you live or die?" His words was obvious. She was nothing to him, so he wouldn't care about her life or death.
After he explained this, Mei Lin immediately understood that he took her into his account, abandoned her in the mountains, and used her to please his beloved woman, not because he had any prejudice against her, but because she happened to be the one who was convenient for him. As for her as a person, he had never taken her seriously. To him, she was more like an object than a living person. And how could an object be considered dead or alive?
Mei Lin didn't think she had any expectations of him, but she was still hurt by these words. Just because she has been treated like an object since she was in the dark factory. She thought... when he caressed the mole on the corner of her eyebrow with obsession, and when he hugged her from behind to sleep, she was at least still a human being in his eyes. It turns out...it turns out...
She chuckled softly, trying to calm her sadness and anger. She raised her feet to shake his hand away, but was stopped by his next words.
"If you don't take me with you, you won't be able to escape." A clear threat.
Mei Lin no longer had the slightest pity for him. Hearing this, she smiled coldly, pulled out the dagger from her waist, squatted down and pointed it directly at his fragile throat, "I can't escape. But believe it or not, I will kill you first and then chop you. Fuck your hands."
Murong Jinghe's expression remained unchanged and he didn't even blink, "I believe it." After a pause, he saw the dagger in her hand retreating slightly, and then smiled, "Believe it or not, if you kill me, you and that child will never see the sun tomorrow morning again."
There was a sharp sound from the sky. The eagle roared, Mei Lin pursed her lips, and silently retracted the dagger, knowing in her heart that what he said was the truth. No matter what, he is a prince, and whether he is favored by the emperor or not, this cannot be erased. If a prince dies here without any explanation, she's afraid many people will suffer.
"Can you walk?" She made a decision decisively, knowing that if she delayed it any longer, she really wouldn't have to leave anymore.
Murong Jinghe smiled and did not answer. The fact is obvious, if he can walk, why bother pretending to be unconscious all the time.
Mei Lin had no choice but to bend down and try to help him up. However, with this effort, the wound on her left shoulder that had not been re-bandaged oozed blood again, and her right leg suffered a severe pain. She fell to her knees and fell to the ground. Murong Jinghe, who had just stood up halfway, also fell back again.
"Even if you want to take revenge on me, there is no need to rush at this moment." Murong Jinghe's face flashed with pain, but his words were filled with sarcasm in a nonchalant manner.
Mei Lin lowered her head, waiting for the pain to subside, then raised her eyes to look at him, and said coldly; "The arrow wounds I have now are all due to your woman."
Hearing her mention Muye Luomei, Murong Jinghe's face darkened and his tone instantly became much colder, "She has a strong character and can't tolerate even a grain of sand in her eyes. It's your good fortune that she didn't take your life. What else are you dissatisfied with?"
Mei Lin laughed out loud, thinking about how Muye Luomei let her go. She couldn't help but sarcastically said, "Do I have to be grateful to her?" After saying that, seeing the anger on Murong Jinghe's face, she changed the subject before he could say anything more unpleasant, "The problem now is, don't say I can't move you, even if I can, I will be caught up soon."
She told the truth, but couldn't help but add gloomily, "I think your woman will look for you, she will naturally take you back safely, why do you have to hold me back?"
"I like it." Murong Jinghe realized the current situation and stopped dwelling on Muye Luomei's affairs. He pondered and said, "It's already too late..."
Murong Xuanlie's personal guards were exploring the way ahead. When they were about to reach the place indicated by the eagle, they saw a figure standing in the gap between vines not far away. The figure was wearing Murong Jinghe's clothes. Without thinking, he raised his hand and shot two arrows.
When Murong Xuanlie and Muye Luomei arrived, the guard with a bad look on his face was standing respectfully by the side, and the person they had been searching for all night, Murong Jinghe was lying lazily on a smooth rock by the stream with his head resting on the beauty's arms.
A thin shirt was placed on the stone, and the two people half lying on it were only wearing white undershirt, one with half-open collar and one with messy hair. It was easy to guess what was going on here before they came. Around the bluestone, the stream was gurgling and wild chrysanthemums were blooming, which made the beauty in the white undershirt with blood stains look sad and enchanting.
Muye Luomei's face darkened.
"Brother why are you here?" Murong Jinghe didn't even stand up when he saw them, and said without enthusiasm.
Murong Xuanlie glanced at the guard next to him who looked uneasy and strange. He was puzzled and couldn't help but carefully look at Murong Jinghe, who had a displeased look on his face, trying to find something out of him.
"Jinghe, you are really fooling around. You know how hard it was for us to find you." He frowned slightly, with dissatisfaction on his face, like an older brother teaching his younger brother.
"Why are you looking for me?" Murong Jinghe was surprised when he heard this. As he spoke, he turned his head slightly and looked at Mei Lin.
She immediately understood and bent her head to kiss his face, then lingered on his neck.
He slightly raised his head, his expression indulgent and loving, but he was talking to Murong Xuanlie; "My beloved concubine and I are here to enjoy the autumn scenery. We will naturally go back when we have enjoyed enough. Could it be that my royal brother thinks that Jing has been away from the army for five years and is so useless that he can't even protect himself?" At this point, he suddenly smiled, his eyes swept towards the guard like lightning, and said coldly, "That you want the guard to shoot two arrows to test your brother's skills?"
Murong Xuanlie's expression suddenly changed. He glared at the guard fiercely and said angrily, "How dare you!"
The guard knelt down with a plop and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. The wind was blowing at that time and I thought it was just a beast passing by. I had no intention of offending Prince Jingbei." His tone was calm, without any panic.
Without waiting for Murong Xuanlie to respond, Murong Jinghe said with a smile, "If he can't even tell the difference between humans and beasts, it's really worrying for my brother's safety if he keeps such a guard by his side."
As soon as he said this, the guard who had been so confident before suddenly turned pale, his kneeling body began to tremble unnoticeable, and he kowtowed repeatedly, "I admit my guilt, I admit my guilt..."
A hint of coldness flashed across Murong Xuanlie's handsome face, but it was soon replaced by a smile. "Since this blind servant has offended my third brother, I will not let him off easily." After a pause, he continued, "The autumn rain has just stopped in the mountains, and the cold and dampness penetrate our bodies. It is really not suitable to stay for long. Let's go back quickly."
Murong Jinghe seemed to be comfortable being served by the beauty in his arms. He half-closed his eyes and after a while he lazily sat up with the help of the beauty. However, he still leaned on her like a boneless person and glanced frivolously at Murong Xuanlie who was about to lose his smile.
"Brother, you should go back first. Jing and this beauty haven't had enough fun yet. Actually..."
"That's enough! Murong Jinghe, what else do you want to do?" Muye Luomei, who had been silent all this time, finally couldn't help it and shouted angrily, her eyes were filled with anger and impatience.
It seemed that only at this moment did Murong Jinghe notice the existence of Muye Luomei. His lustful eyes slowly turned to her and stared at her for a moment. His expression became colder and colder. "Who are you? How dare you speak to me like this?"
As soon as these words came out, not only Muye Luomei and Murong Xuanlie, but also Mei Lin could not help but be stunned. Then he continued, "You hurt my beloved concubine, and I have not yet settled the score with you. Why are you so arrogant here?"
"Murong Jinghe, you, you..." Muye Luomei has always been pampered and loved by Murong Jinghe. His attitude suddenly changed, making her angry, furious and unbelievable. She didn't know how to react for a moment.
"Do you have the right to call me by my name?" Murong Jinghe interrupted her, a look of disgust in his eyes, "Women like you are boring and arrogant. I am just having fun with you because I am in the mood. Do you really take yourself seriously? How dare you hurt my woman..."
Muye Luomei was so angry that her face turned blue. She said "okay" a few times, then turned around and left.
Murong Xuanlie shouted several times from behind. Seeing that the person was far away, he couldn't help but turn around and scold him, "Jinghe, you really went too far this time!" After that, he turned around and left.
After walking a few steps, he stopped again and ordered another guard who was following behind him, "You stay here to protect Prince Jinghe. If there is any mistake, you will be beheaded."
Seeing him disappear into the woods, Mei Lin felt Murong Jinghe, who had been holding her tightly, slowly loosen his hand. She felt a sharp pain coming from her palm, which made her frown in confusion. If it was so painful, why did he say that? Wouldn't it be better to let Muye Luomei know the truth?
Without allowing her to think too much, Murong Jinghe turned his head, his lips just touching her neck. To outsiders, it looked like the two of them were getting intimate again. The guard who stayed behind remembered the lessons of his previous companions and hurriedly turned his back and walked further away.
"Get rid of him as soon as possible." Murong Jinghe said in a murmuring tone, with undisguised cruelty in his eyes.
Mei Lin nodded. She knew that this guard was left by Murong Xuanlie to monitor them. If they were not careful, they would be pierced with several holes just like Murong Jinghe and the clothes. Thinking of this, she could not help but look at the clothes hanging on a small tree. Two feather arrows were firmly stuck on it. The wind blew and it did not even shake. It can be seen how strong the person who shot the arrows was.
Thinking of this, she gently put Murong Jinghe back on the stone, carefully changed into a comfortable and leisurely posture, then stood up and walked in the direction of the guard.