Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 259

Chapter 259: Return

On Fengpo Mountain.

Zhao Kuangyi was still laughing loudly.

The soldiers knelt on the ground, silently kowtowing to the heavens, tears streaming down their faces. The more desperate they had been in the past few hours, the more grateful they were now.

A moment later, Zhao Kuangyi regained his senses. He strode towards Jiang Mi, and standing behind her, he said happily, “Sister, we are finally safe!”

Hearing him call her “sister,” Jiang Mi smiled joyfully. She turned to look at Zhao Kuangyi and nodded vigorously, “Yes, we are finally safe.”

Fengpo Mountain was extremely deep and vast, filled with countless trails trodden by hunters. If the Shu people’s attempt to burn the mountain failed, they could escape to safety in two or three days before the Shu army reached them.

At this moment, Jiang Mi was truly happy, her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling, and she was radiantly beautiful. Zhao Kuangyi’s heart skipped a beat, but he quickly suppressed it and regained his composure. Grinning, Zhao Kuangyi stepped forward and took Jiang Mi’s hand, saying, “Let’s go; while the Shu people are still in disarray, let’s get out of here quickly.” His gesture was very natural, and given the opportune moment, Jiang Mi didn’t notice anything amiss, letting him hold her hand.

As soon as Zhao Kuangyi took her hand, his brow furrowed slightly. He turned to Jiang Mi and asked anxiously, “Why is your hand a little hot?” He immediately remembered the recent downpour and became serious. “It must be because you got soaked. Someone, someone, quickly put a pot on the stove and boil water.”

Jiang Mi smiled shyly at his concern.

Boiling water was easy at this time, as there were still embers everywhere. In no time, the water boiled. The soldiers ate some dry rations with hot water, while Jiang Mi took a hot bath.

Seeing that it was still early and the embers by the roadside had mostly died down, the group discussed their options and set off.

Zhao Kuangyi walked behind Jiang Mi. The mountain path was difficult, and he frequently helped her. After walking a few hundred meters, Zhao Kuangyi remembered something and asked, “You haven’t eaten, have you?” He handed her a steamed bun and said gently, “Eat something quickly, so you have the strength to keep going.”

Jiang Mi readily agreed. She took the bun and began to eat, but after only two bites and swallowing, she suddenly rushed forward, leaned against a tree, and began to vomit violently.

Zhao Kuangyi quickly caught up with her. Under his worried gaze, Jiang Mi smiled sheepishly. “It’s probably just a stomachache. Don’t worry, I’m not sick.”

At this moment, not only Zhao Kuangyi but also all the soldiers looked worried. They looked at Jiang Mi with concern, and finally, Zhao Kuangyi decisively said, “Everyone, speed up!”

“Yes, sir.”

The rest of the journey went smoothly. Although the mountain paths were difficult to find due to the fire, this situation improved considerably after Zhao Kuangyi secretly captured a local hunter to guide them.

Two days later, the group finally emerged from Fengpo Mountain and arrived on the Official Road.

As planned, as soon as they left Fengpo Mountain, Zhao Kuangyi ordered the soldiers to split into smaller groups and head towards Later Zhou’s army encampment.

Jiang Mi and Zhao Kuangyi were together, and for safety’s sake, Zhao Kuangyi suggested they pretend to be a couple, while the dozen or so soldiers accompanying them would act as guards.

Gazing at the long Official Road ahead, Jiang Mi touched her forehead. She hadn’t been able to eat much for the past two days, and her head was spinning; she was probably really sick.

However, to avoid bothering others, Jiang Mi had been forcing herself to stay awake. Now, sitting in the carriage Zhao Kuangyi had somehow acquired, perhaps due to the sudden relaxation, she felt utterly exhausted. Looking at the seemingly endless official road ahead, she felt dizzy, irritable, and on the verge of tears.

Just then, the carriage curtain swayed, and Zhao Kuangyi leaped into the carriage. He saw Jiang Mi resting her chin on her hands, her eyes slightly red as she gazed into the distance. He lowered his gaze. After a moment, Zhao Kuangyi sat beside her, reached out, and touched Jiang Mi’s forehead. He whispered gently, “There’s a city a hundred miles ahead. When we get there, we’ll find a physician to examine you.”

Jiang Mi wanted to thank him, but she was too lazy to speak, so she simply murmured a soft “Mmm.”

Her frail appearance only softened Zhao Kuangyi’s heart. He took her hand and whispered, “Don’t be afraid. No matter what, your brother Zhao will protect you.”

Jiang Mi slowly turned her head, her face flushed, her eyes hazy as she smiled at Zhao Kuangyi and whispered, “Thank you.”

Zhao Kuangyi sighed softly and said gently, “I’m practically your sworn brother. You don’t need to say ‘thank you’ in front of me.” This time, Jiang Mi didn’t respond. She slowly closed her eyes, leaning weakly against the carriage wall, occasionally sticking her head out the window to vomit. She seemed utterly exhausted.

After gagging a couple of times, Jiang Mi touched her increasingly feverish forehead and thought groggily: I couldn’t be sick. I couldn’t be sick now.

That’s what she thought, but there were so many things in this world that leave us powerless. She felt increasingly helpless, her mind growing more and more muddled. Sometimes, she even dreamed that Cui Zi Xuan was still by her side, because she would occasionally be drawn into a warm, strong male embrace, being gently comforted.

In a daze, Jiang Mi lost track of time. One day, she felt herself being lifted up. Zhao Kuangyi’s anxious voice came from afar, “Physician, physician, please check on my wife!”

Then, a strange, aged voice said, “Your wife… oh, is she pregnant?”

In her dazed state, Jiang Mi felt the arms holding her suddenly tighten, so tightly it hurt. Before she could even groan, the aged voice continued, “After the exertion of pregnancy and being caught in the rain, your wife now has a persistent high fever. She needs to take medicine for a few days, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Next, Jiang Mi felt as if the group had entered an inn, and her mouth was being forcibly filled with extremely bitter medicine.

On the third day of taking the medicine, Jiang Mi’s consciousness gradually returned. Although she was still weak,

Zhao Kuangyi was overjoyed and ordered several more doses of medicine to be collected for their journey.

…

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these days, Jiang Mi, thanks to her consistent medication, had become somewhat more lucid, though still very weak.

One day, after passing another city, the soldiers couldn’t contain their excitement and let out small cheers. It turned out that after so many days of arduous travel, they were finally about to leave the Shu State territory.

Good news always came in waves. At noon, Zhao Kuangyi, who had gone to report the news, returned. He wasn’t alone; he was accompanied by someone Jiang Mi knew very well and was very close to.

Seeing the caravan ahead, Jiang Mi, with tears in her eyes, excitedly called out, “Brother! Brother, I’m here!” It turned out that the person who had come was Wang Yi.

Hearing Jiang Mi’s call, Wang Yi was overjoyed. He spurred his horse over and looked her up and down for a moment. His eyes reddened, and he said, “Sister, you’ve become so thin.”

Afraid he was too excited, Jiang Mi smiled shyly and looked at Zhao Kuangyi, who had followed her, asking, “Brother, what are you doing here? How did you two run into each other?”

Wang Yi laughed heartily and said to Jiang Mi, “During the Zhou Shu war, there were so many business opportunities for merchants like me. I just delivered a batch of grain to Later Zhou and was on my way back when I ran into your group.” He turned and gave Zhao Kuangyi a deep bow, saying gratefully, “Thank you so much, Brother Zhao, for protecting my sister along the way.” He quickly returned the greeting, about to say it was his duty, when Wang Yi added, “I see Brother Zhao must be very busy with military affairs. If it isn’t too difficult, perhaps I could escort my sworn sister?”

Upon hearing this, both Jiang Mi and Zhao Kuangyi were taken aback. Wang Yi turned to Jiang Mi and said gently, “Sister, you’re currently in a condition where you can only rest. Don’t burden Brother Zhao, lest you jeopardize his important mission.”

Upon hearing Wang Yi’s words, Jiang Mi immediately thought, “Yes, this was a rare opportunity.” Zhao Kuangyi surely still wants to earn merit in the Zhou Shu war.

She nodded and said apologetically to Zhao Kuangyi, “Second Brother Zhao, thank you for your help along the way.”

Zhao Kuangyi, a decisive man, thought for a moment and then said gently to Jiang Mi, “Alright, you’ll be better taken care of by following Brother Wang.” Then, turning to Wang Yi, he clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and said solemnly, “Brother Wang, I’m entrusting the rest to you.” With that, Zhao Kuangyi gave a whistle and led his dozen or so soldiers on horseback, galloping away.

Watching Zhao Kuangyi depart, Jiang Mi turned her gaze away. She smiled at Wang Yi and said in a hoarse voice, “Brother, I’m feeling a little unwell.”

“Zhao Kuangyi told me about your illness,” Wang Yi said, gesturing to a maid to bring over a bowl of medicine. He personally handed it to Jiang Mi, saying gently, “Don’t worry about anything else. I’ll take care of everything.”

In this world, besides Cui Zi Xuan, the only person Jiang Mi could truly trust was Wang Yi. She took the medicine and drank it all in one gulp, smiling sweetly, “I know.” Then, Jiang Mi drew the carriage curtain and began to drift off to sleep.

Whether it was due to a relaxed mood or the second stage of the medication, Jiang Mi slept more and woke less. Although she felt more relaxed when she was awake, she was also experiencing frequent drowsiness.

Jiang Mi was about to protest when Wang Yi told her that, because she had been too stressed recently, his medication included calming and sleep-inducing drugs. He said he would take care of everything, and Jiang Mi only needed to focus on recovering.

Helpless, Jiang Mi followed Wang Yi’s instructions. Another half month passed in this drowsy state. When Jiang Mi heard the bustling voices on the street again, she was shocked to find that the people were speaking the Zhou dialect; she had returned to Later Zhou.