Cao Peizhi had awakened the next day, feeling a soreness in his chest as he attempted to force himself up. “Do not get up so soon.” Yi Changpu had him lie back down as he went along with it. “You took that arrow for me.” He preferred not to see him doing the same thing again when he already lost an arm.

“It is my duty to protect you. Besides, my mother would have wanted me to take care of you. Similar to how my mother took care of your mother.” Cao Peizhi had brought up, thinking back to the past when his mother was still by his side.

“You are lucky that Miss Lin delivered her best physician here. If not, then I assume you would be dead now.” Yi Changpu told him. Cao Peizhi was not aware that Lin Ning sent her people there.

“Did she come along?!” He asked, worriedly looking at Yi Changpu. He felt that Cao Peizhi would be concerned about Lin Ning.

“Miss Lin was on her way here, but… they were chased down by assassins and got separated along the way. She sent her physician here to save you, and now we are still searching for her.” Yi Changpu knew it would make Cao Peizhi become worried as he attempted to get up once more.

“I have to find her.” Forcing himself up this time, he tried to get up as he stumbled instead.

“You won’t be able to if you do not rest.” Hearing a woman’s voice, Hun Cuifen had entered the tent with Qin Yun following behind her. “Your wound will reopen if you become too rash. You are lucky that the arrow missed you by a centimeter. If it had gotten any closer, than you would have no hope of being with my young miss.” Hun Cuifen was truthful about what she said, in which she could see that Cao Peizhi wanted to hurry and locate Lin Ning after what she said.

“I need to get her.” Cao Peizhi did not want to wait. Leaving Lin Ning alone to defend for herself made his heart unsettled. Without even realizing, Cao Peizhi had been smacked behind the neck as he fell unconscious. Yi Changpu looked at his unconscious friend, seeing how miserable he was at this moment.

“We need to find her soon. If we do not, then it will only make him more stubborn to leave and have his wound open again.” Yi Changpu knew that Cao Peizhi would not stay put now that Lin Ning was nowhere in sight for him.

***

“Young miss! Young miss!” Hearing Xia Ling, she flinched to feel her body that was weak and sore.

“Ling…” Lin Ning groaned, pushing her upper body up as Xia Ling helped her upper half stay up as they stayed sitting down.

“Young miss, I managed to find a cave for us to shelter in.” Xia Ling had been looking around the entire place once she had gained consciousness. The river had pushed them elsewhere with Xia Ling taking them both into a cave where they both had been for about a day.

“A cave.” Lin Ning opened her eyes, taking a look around to see that it had a light blue color that started to float all around. ‘This is new.’ She thought. Sensing that it was indicating the cold air around them, she did not know that she would be able to see things like this now. “How long have we been here?” Lin Ning did not know how long they had both been unconscious for.

“We’ve been here for most of the day. It seems as though it may be reaching night soon from outside.” Xia Ling had been looking through the cave while Lin Ning was still unconscious.

“We will leave once morning comes. It would be safer to travel in the daytime.” Lin Ning knew that taking the chance of going out in the night was more dangerous than the day. Leaning against the rock walls, Lin Ning was still exhausted with her blindfold that remained soaked in front of her eyes. Removing her blindfold, she laid out the blindfold that was all soaked in water that needed to be dried.

“Young miss, I’ll be sure to get a fire started.” Xia Ling went out to find dry wood for them to use for the time being. While she was outside, she had managed to hunt little critters while she was at it.

Lin Ning leaned the back of her head against the rock wall that was behind her. ‘I hope you are safe, Peizhi.’ Hoping that Hun Cuifen had managed to save him on time. 'In the novel the physician did not know if he could pull the arrow out, but the one who would be able to do so would be Cuifen but Cuifen would be elsewhere if I did not send her. Cao Peizhi did not die, but his lungs would have been internally damaged which would surely affect him in the future. I do not want him to suffer more than he already is.’ Thinking back to the novel, she had hoped that she could change his fate as best as she could. With her eyes shut, she heard the sound of leaves rustling along the soil ground which she knew that it was not Xia Ling. “Who is there?” She asked.

*Growl*

Hearing that growl, she did not think that an animal would come into the cave. “Young miss!!!” Xia Ling had hurried over to get in between the wolf and Lin Ning.

“Ling, what is that?” Lin Ning asked, knowing that she could not see anything or know what animal it was but it was clear that it was a carnivore.

“It looks to be an injured wolf that has been kicked out from its pack.” Xia Ling replied. The wolf looked as though its eye had been badly injured which left her knowing that it was blind on one eye. Not only that, but the wolf looked injured by one of its limbs.

Opening her eyes just slightly, Lin Ning looked to see that the wolf was only growling to protect itself which she knew that it had no intentions of hurting them unless it had to. “Leave it be. I do not think that it means any harm.”

Xia Ling looked from Lin Ning to the wolf that sat further from the both of them while keeping an eye on them if they tried anything against it.