Chapter 13: Picking Up People

The next morning, the village chief’s eldest son, Li Defa, and Li Aunt’s second son, Li Xiangan, went to the town’s Ji Ren Tang to pick up the medicinal herb seeds. The owner of Ji Ren Tang was quite generous, directly giving them two large bags full of herb seeds, which made the village chief extremely happy.

Soon, each family had cleared an acre of wasteland on the mountain.

Xia Qingfeng led everyone in planting the herbs and also transplanted the herb seedlings she had discovered on the mountain.

This time, Xia Qingfeng didn’t participate in the land clearing. Instead, she kept a portion of each herb seed and stored them in the space.

Neighboring Li Aunt heard about it and wanted her son to help clear an acre of land for her family as well, but Xia Qingfeng refused. She didn’t hide the truth and told her that her parents had been separated from her during the famine, but she had recently received news that they had reached Youzhou, and she planned to go find them.

Li Aunt, although reluctant, understood Xia Qingfeng’s urgent desire to find her parents. Soon, the villagers also learned from Li Aunt that Xia Qingfeng was planning to leave soon.

When the village chief found out, he personally came to inquire. “Girl, I heard you’re leaving?”

“Yes, Village Chief Uncle. I’ve found out where my family is, and I’m going to find them.”

“That’s good news. When are you planning to leave?” The village chief, though reluctant, knew he couldn’t keep her.

“Before autumn. I need to make some preparations, and by then, some of the herbs will be ready for harvest, so I can leave without worry.”

“That’s good. If you need any help from the village, just let me know. I’ll do everything I can.”

“Thank you, Village Chief Uncle. If I really need help, I won’t be polite.”

The days passed quietly like this. One day, Xia Qingfeng was about to head up the mountain to check on the herbs’ growth when the space spirit suddenly spoke up, “Feng’er, let’s go up the mountain today. Let Xia Yingjun take you.”

Xia Qingfeng was puzzled. The space spirit had never asked her to do anything before.

“Did you sense something precious on the mountain? Are you asking Yingjun to take us to dig up some treasure?” Xiao Xiaoxiao, hearing this, also got excited and started shouting that she wanted to go up the mountain.

The space spirit fell silent for a moment before saying, “Well… I guess it could be considered a treasure. Let Yingjun take you and have a look.”

Xia Qingfeng didn’t suspect anything, so she strapped on her basket, took Xiao Xiaoxiao, and followed Xia Yingjun up the mountain.

This time, Xia Yingjun didn’t take them deep into the mountains, but instead, they walked along the foot of the mountain. When they came upon a small river, Xia Qingfeng noticed a person lying by the riverbank.

“Why is there someone lying here? Is it a dead body?” Xia Qingfeng was startled.

She asked Xiao Xiaoxiao to wait in place and told Xia Yingjun to stay with her while she cautiously approached. As a doctor, her instinct was to check on the situation.

Crouching down, Xia Qingfeng flipped the person over and saw that their face was covered in blood, mixed with messy hair, making it impossible to recognize their features. She carefully checked the carotid artery and found a pulse — the person was still alive. After a quick examination, she discovered multiple stab wounds on the person’s body, with one particularly gruesome wound on their chest.

Seeing that the person was in a deep coma and would be difficult to move, Xia Qingfeng quickly brought the man, along with Xiao Xiaoxiao and Xia Yingjun, into the space.

Once in the space, Xia Qingfeng hurriedly removed the man’s clothes and examined him closely. She found many wounds of varying severity, some of which had become infected and were festering. Xia Qingfeng couldn’t help but marvel at the man’s resilience — with so many injuries, how was he still alive?

But no matter what, saving him was the priority. She quickly cleaned the wounds, using a scalpel to remove the dead tissue and pus from the infected areas, then sutured and bandaged the wounds. She also administered a tetanus shot and IV fluids. By the time she finished, the man’s body was almost completely wrapped in bandages, resembling a mummy.

Xiao Xiaoxiao wasn’t idle either. She was using a towel to wipe the man’s face. “Mom, this man is so handsome!”

Xia Qingfeng looked over and swore that she had never seen such a handsome man in both of her lifetimes. Even with his eyes closed, he radiated an aura of breathtaking beauty that was almost divine. His thick, dark eyebrows seemed meticulously drawn, his nose was straight and sharp, and his facial features were flawless. The only thing she couldn’t tell was how his eyes looked.

“Wow, such a handsome guy. Where should I put him?” Suddenly, she remembered something and shouted, “Space Spirit, this isn’t the treasure you wanted us to find, is it?”

“Uh… keeping him might bring us some benefits.”

“Are you sure this is a blessing and not a curse? Did you not see how he was bleeding everywhere just now? He could’ve died from that! What kind of grudge could he have?!” Xia Qingfeng was not buying the Space Spirit’s explanation.

“Space Uncle, you know who he is, right?” Xiao Xiaoxiao asked, though her tone was more certain than inquiring.

“Yes, his name is Cang Qiyuan, hailed as the God of War of the Great Yu Kingdom. He holds the position of Grand Marshal, commanding the military of the empire, second only to the emperor.” The Space Spirit spoke in a calm, factual tone.

“Such a powerful person… How did he end up like this?”

“…He was ambushed while returning from a border inspection. The emperor is old, and many of the princes are restless. Cang Qiyuan only supports the legitimate heir, and because he holds military power, the princes naturally see him as a threat. If they can’t use him, they will eliminate him.”

“But… I’m just a common widow, how can I keep him? In this time and place, even a spit could drown me in gossip.”

“He’s currently in a coma, just leave him in the space for now. If anything happens, I’ll call you,” the Space Spirit said.

“Well, it can’t be helped. With such serious injuries, if we don’t do something, he’ll surely die,” Xia Qingfeng sighed and, with Xiao Xiaoxiao and Xia Yingjun, stepped out of the space.

“Mom, I feel like Space Uncle has some ulterior motive,” Xiao Xiaoxiao said as they walked.

“What are you thinking? It’s just about saving someone! Sigh! I thought we’d find a treasure, but we ended up picking up a person,” Xia Qingfeng replied, shaking her head.

“Mom, do you think Space Uncle is trying to find me a stepdad?”

Xia Qingfeng almost tripped at the comment. She turned around and said, “You unlucky child, what are you talking about? I’m this old, and you want me to find a stepdad? Besides, he’s the Grand Marshal, the Grand Marshal! Do you think someone like him would be interested in me, a widow? Even if he were interested, this is ancient times. At his age, he’d have three or four wives and a bunch of kids! Are you asking me to be his concubine?”

*Choke* “Actually, this Grand Marshal is only twenty-four years old, unmarried, and his personal life is quite clean—no concubines or other women,” the Space Spirit’s voice drifted through.

“How do you know that? You seem to know him well. Tell me, what exactly are you up to?” Xia Qingfeng started to feel suspicious of the Space Spirit.

“You’re overthinking it. The journey to Youzhou is long and dangerous, and as an orphaned mother and child, you’re not safe. I can use him to give you some protection.”

“Really? You’re not lying to me, are you?”

“How could I lie to you? You’ll find out in a couple of days.” The Space Spirit’s voice was firm.