A journey through ancient times, a journey of exquisite divine skills

Chapter 317 Temporarily Taking Refuge in a Thatched Hut and Providing Care

Afu only gave a soft "hmm" and then fell silent again, presumably having fallen into a semi-conscious state once more.

Princess Qiulan's heart tightened, and she dared not delay, urging her horse to gallop along the dirt road beside the field.

Sure enough, a thatched hut appeared ahead after running for a short while.

The thatched hut wasn't small, and it was surrounded by a bamboo fence.

However, the fence had long since rotted away, and many parts of it had collapsed.

The place where the fence gate should have been is now empty, and even the door frame is nowhere to be seen.

The main door of the house was ajar, with only one side half-open, giving it a desolate feel of having been uninhabited for a long time.

Princess Qiulan reined in her horse and dismounted with utmost gentleness.

She was afraid that touching Afu's wound would make it worse.

She carefully picked him up and carried him unsteadily toward the thatched hut.

Although Afu's body wasn't heavy, she was already exhausted, and every step she took was extremely difficult.

Is anyone home? Is anyone inside?

She called out twice, her voice echoing through the silent morning mist, but only eliciting the distant chirping of insects before receiving no further response.

She kicked open the half-closed door and went inside.

It was still dark inside the house, before dawn.

The two rooms were only vaguely discernible by the moonlight.

The air inside was thick with dust and dampness.

Princess Qiulan gently placed Afu on the ground and let him lie down against the wall.

Then he groped around the room, looking for anything.

The stove was covered with a thick layer of ash, the water tank was empty, and cobwebs were growing in the corner.

It is clear that the owner of this place has been gone for a long time.

She reached for the window and pushed open the creaking wooden window.

Moonlight streamed in through the window lattice, illuminating the furnishings inside.

There was a dilapidated wooden table, a long bench, and an earthen bed covered with dry grass in the inner room.

Although simple, it can provide temporary shelter from the wind and rain.

Princess Qiulan breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and returned to Afu's side, feeling his forehead; the burning temperature had not subsided.

She frowned and called softly, "Zichao, let's rest here for a while. I'll go get you some water."

Afu still didn't respond, but his brows furrowed even more, as if he were enduring great pain.

Princess Qiulan felt a pang of sorrow as she looked at his pale face flushed with a hint of red.

She turned around, picked up a broken pottery jar from the corner of the wall, and quickly walked out of the thatched hut.

Princess Qiulan quickly returned with a pottery jar filled with clear water drawn from a nearby stream.

She crouched down and gently lifted Afu's head.

Then she brought the earthenware pot to his lips and fed him little by little.

Perhaps he was fed a little too quickly, because most of the water spilled out from the corners of Afu's mouth, soaking his shirt.

He swallowed only a small amount of water.

Upon seeing this, Princess Qiulan quickly put down the pottery jar and hurriedly used her sleeve to wipe Afu's mouth.

Imagine being born a princess of the Si Dynasty, pampered and cherished since childhood.

She has always been waited on hand and foot; when has it ever been her turn to serve others like this?

It was already quite remarkable that she managed to find water and personally feed it to Afu.

It's really tough on her to take care of Afu like this now.

Looking at Afu's bloodless face, she suddenly felt a strange sensation.

She picked up the pottery jar again, this time moving much more slowly than before.

Her eyes were fixed on Afu's mouth, and only when she saw him move it slightly did she dare to pour a little more water.

After Afu finished drinking the water, she gently put Afu's head back in its place, stood up, and walked out of the hut to check her surroundings.

Although the courtyard is not large, it is not too small either.

In addition to their main house, there are two low-ceilinged side rooms on either side.

It was completely empty inside, with only some rotten wood and scattered straw remaining.

She walked around and quickly memorized the terrain.

Then he turned around, went to the corner of the yard, picked up a pile of firewood, and came back.

Then, from who knows where, a tinderbox appeared. With a "hiss," the tinderbox ignited, and sparks landed on the dry firewood, quickly igniting into a small flame with a crackling sound.

The main hall was instantly brightened, with the firelight flickering and reflecting on the mottled walls, illuminating the furnishings inside.

Apart from a pile of weeds on the right side of the gate, there were no other decent items, not even a bed board to lie on.

Princess Qiulan looked around, then glanced at Afu, who was lying unconscious on the ground, and frowned slightly.

She walked to the corner of the wall, casually tied up a handful of weeds, and swept a space on the ground near the corner.

Then she picked out some relatively clean and soft grass from the pile of weeds and laid it on the corner of the wall she had just swept clean.

After the bed was laid out, they went to Afu's side and helped him lie down.

She finally breathed a long sigh of relief after doing all this.

She sat down next to Afu, looking at his pale face, and softly called, "Zichao, Zichao, can you hear me? Zichao..."

This time, Afu was more conscious than before.

This time, he could hear someone calling his name.

Afu struggled to open his eyelids, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

When it first came into view, his vision was blurry.

It was only then that it slowly became clear from the blur.

Princess Qiulan's slightly messy hair and her large, watery double eyelids came into his view.

"Princess Qiu Lan...where are we?"

Although he had just drunk water, his voice was still hoarse and dry.

Princess Qiulan's eyes lit up when she saw that he had regained consciousness.

She quickly replied, "Zichao, we are currently in an empty house and are safe. You don't need to worry."

She paused, then leaned closer and asked softly, "Zichao, how are you feeling now? Is it still in pain?"

When Afu heard her ask that, he wanted to laugh but coughed a few times instead.

Princess Qiulan asked worriedly when she saw him coughing, "Zichao, how are you!"

A weak smile appeared on Afu's lips: "Don't worry, for now... I'm not... I won't die."

"Don't say such things!" Princess Qiulan immediately interrupted him, her tone carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible meaning.

"What do you mean by 'die'? You must live well, do you hear me?"

Afu smiled at her appearance but did not respond.

Princess Qiulan is a few years older than Afu.

Seeing how concerned she was about him, Afu assumed it was because he had helped her and saved her that she said those things.

He couldn't understand the gratitude Princess Qiulan was showing him at all.

"Could you... help... help me up?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Qiulan quickly reached out her hands, one hand behind his back and the other supporting his arm, gently helping him to sit up.

She deliberately had him lean against the wall so that it would save him some effort.

They also placed a bundle of clean, dry grass behind his back to make him as comfortable as possible.

Is this better?

She released his hand and asked softly, her gaze remaining fixed on him, as if afraid that he might feel the slightest discomfort.

Ah Fu leaned against the wall and took a breath; the tightness in his chest did indeed lessen somewhat.