The sky is faintly bright, and the morning mist is thick and low.

  Yuan Wulang tightly hugged Cui Ying, riding on the sorrel horse, galloping all the way, without caring about his left arm wound bursting open and bleeding at this moment.

  Deep red blood dripped from his wet sleeves and fell onto the pristine snow, blooming into a bewitchingly beautiful plum blossom.

  He occasionally glanced at his wife who had fallen asleep in his arms with a heart of pity.

  Her face was as pale as paper, her lips had lost their former vibrant color, like a delicate and fragile crystal doll.

  Beautiful, yet utterly lifeless.

  Snowflakes fell on her long and curly eyelashes, turned into water, and slowly slid down from the corners of her eyes, like tears.

  Just like Yuan Wulang's anxious and fearful mood at this moment.

  The northwest is a land of bitter cold, compared with the prosperous and bustling Shengjing City, it is like a desert compared to a greenhouse.

  In his heart, his wife Cui Ying was a small flower that had been raised in a greenhouse since she was young, delicate and lovely, but very fragile.

  She was able to come all the way from Shengjing City to the northwest without fear, which is already a miracle.

  But what she experienced was not a safe and sound journey, but a real hijacking.

  Just a little bit more, just a little bit more, and Ji Du would have succeeded!

  Yuan Wulang gazed at this beautiful yet fragile, and yet unusually strong little face, his expression momentarily dazed.

  He did not expect his wife to be so clever and brave.

  If it weren't for her seeking help in every way and fiercely resisting, the soldiers guarding the city might have been deceived by the fake water truck and let it pass easily, not to mention losing all news of her.

  But her efforts were in vain and she was unable to save herself in time.

  But left him with precious clues.

  He came all the way looking for her, relying on the traces of horse urine on the ground and the marks left by the wheels of the carriage.

  Yuan Wulang thought, if it were another woman who encountered such a dangerous and frightening situation, what would she do?

  Those fashionable ladies in Shengjing City were already frightened out of their wits early on.

  His sisters-in-law were strong and decisive women, but they too were at a loss.

  After much thought, it seems that only a young grandmother would have had enough courage and guts to deal with the bandits, think of ways to outsmart them, fight bravely, and try her best to escape.

  His wife, however, not only made efforts to leave him clues but also personally stopped the horse-drawn carriage and escaped smoothly from the trap.

  He was surprised, but felt more heartache.

  Yuan Wulang softly called out, "Rong'er, Rong'er. Just hold on a little longer, we'll be home soon!"

  Although he is riding alone up the mountain, Huai Shu and the two troops brought from Linyuan's mansion should be following closely behind.

  Just walk a little further and I should be able to see them.

  With this conviction, he can ignore the pain that pierces his heart and bone as the wound on his left arm splits open. He can also overlook his increasingly tired body and heavy head.

  But also don't know what mistake, after a long time, two people on horseback still turning in the deep mountains and old forests, and have not met Huai Shu and others who came to meet them.

  Yuan Wulang felt that he was somewhat exhausted. If he didn't stop to rest, he feared that even he would collapse in this vast forest.

  He raised his eyes and saw a stone cave not far away, thought for a moment, then stopped the horse.

  This sorrel horse was his mount, named Fu Su, and had been with him for five years. He usually took good care of it, and they were quite close to each other.

  He leaned over to Fusu's ear and said softly, "Fusu, both I and Ling'er are somewhat exhausted, and we can probably only rest here. You've always been the cleverest; should we try again this time?"

  The floating Su hummed softly in response to his question.

  Yuan Wulang gently stroked its mane with his uninjured right hand, "Fusu, then I'll ask you to go down the mountain and help me bring Huai Shu here. I trust that you can do it!"

  His eyes were filled with hope and prayer, "You can do it, Fusu, right?"

  Floated up and rubbed against Wu Lang's face, circled around him twice, hummed softly, then turned around and ran down the mountain in a flash.

  Yuan Wulang let out a sigh of relief.

  He actually didn't have full confidence in his heart that Fu Su could bring the reinforcements, and there were still many uncertain factors during this period.

  But he and Fusu had been together for many years, cherishing each other's company, and there had been similar situations in the past where Fusu had excelled in his tasks, so this time, he still chose to trust him.

  Yuan Wulang held Cui Ying and walked into the stone cave as Fu Su's figure disappeared from view.

  The weather is too cold and they are physically uncomfortable, so they need a relatively warm place to maintain their body temperature and accumulate energy.

  Yuan Wulang looked around and found that this stone cave was much larger than he had thought, and very deep.

  This should be where the hunter takes a temporary rest.

  Because the ground was covered with thick straw, there were some rusty traps in the corner, a steel knife with a missing angle, and the fangs of a wild beast.

  His eyes lit up and suddenly felt filled with hope.

  The hunters who went up the mountain to hunt rested overnight at this place, so there might still be warming firestones here.

  He gently laid Cui Rong on the straw, letting her lean against the mountain wall, and then he felt around everywhere.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, in a dark corner, he found a lighter and a pile of firewood.

  Although there aren't many, they should be enough for temporary warmth.

  Yuan Wulang hastily lit a fire, then held Cui Rong in his arms, leaning against the warmth of the flames. He felt the body temperature of his wife gradually rising, and even her pale face, like a piece of paper, was no longer so pale.

  Maybe it was too tired, or maybe it was because the firewood was too warm.

  Yuan Wulang felt his vision gradually becoming blurry and soon fell into a deep sleep.

  It was unknown how long had passed when Cui Ying slowly came to.

  She found herself being tightly held in a stranger's embrace, surrounded by the man's masculine breath.

  It smells of sweat, with a strong bloody smell, and even a hint of earthy flavor, not very pleasant, but strangely, it seems to have a reassuring power.

  Her head was still dizzy and her mind wasn't very clear.

  Dazed and confused, he turned his head to see a pale and haggard face. It was a rough and majestic man.

  He was dressed in a black robe, with a full beard, and from up close, you could see that he had a handsome face.

  This is not a bandit, nor a man with a rat's head and mouse eyes. It was the mustachioed man who saved her.

  Cui Ling felt a sense of security overflowing, just wanting to lean into this warm embrace and continue sleeping, suddenly remembering that she was already married, her husband was the effeminate Yuan Wulang, not this rich man with a masculine air.

  She was like being drenched with a basin of icy water, and suddenly woke up.

  My goodness, how can she casually hug another man like that? And they're even holding each other so tightly!

  This is Sheng Chao, not the enlightened era of the previous life.

  No matter what the situation is, if a woman has physical contact with a man who is not her husband, it is considered a loss of chastity.

  If she is a young unmarried girl, then unless she marries this man, she will be sent to the nunnery to become a nun for life.

  For a newlywed woman like her, if she encounters such a situation, others might put a label of adultery on her, and it won't be as simple as being a widow. She might even end up being thrown into a pig cage and drowned in the river.

  Cui Ling thought of this, and suddenly all her strength seemed to return to her body.

  She swiftly pushed away the mustachioed man and retreated from his side with a speed akin to flight, then shrunk into a corner by the wall. "Although I'm grateful you saved my life, you can't take advantage of me like this."

  She chattered on, saying, "I'm already a married woman, and my husband is your superior officer. If he finds out you're being so rude to me, do you think he'll chop off your hand?"

  The mustachioed man remained silent and still, maintaining his previous posture in front of the firewood, without moving at all.

  Chui Ying ignored him and continued, "But fortunately, I'm not the kind of person who clings to old ways. You only touched me because you were trying to save me, so I'll let it go this time. However..."

  "She continued, 'It's not just me who doesn't care about this, there are many despicable people in this world who can't be seen by others. Those people, they're the most gossipy, afraid that nothing will spread, if some unpleasant rumors get out, don't even mention me, just you, you'll have to bear the consequences too.'"

  The mustachioed man's body trembled slightly, and after a while, he stuttered out a sentence, "So noisy..."

  Cui Ling furrowed her brow and stepped forward, lightly bumping into him. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

  She saw that the other party had no reaction, and poked him twice again. "Hey, hey! My intention is that we two should think carefully about what to say when we get out of here and return to Suzhou City. In short, you must not reveal even a little bit of the meaning that you once put your hand on me, otherwise..."

  Before he could finish speaking, the bearded man suddenly fell sideways and collapsed in her direction.

  Cui Ying's calf was pressed down by the heavy body of the bearded man, and she shouted in protest, "Hey! Hey! You're hurting me!"

  The bearded man's face was flushed, his forehead sweating, but his eyes were tightly closed and he didn't say a word.

  Cui Ling finally sensed that something was wrong. She reached out to touch the whiskered man's forehead, but as soon as she made contact, she jerked her hand back violently.

  "He's burning up with fever!"

  By the light of the firewood, her gaze shifted to his wet and dripping left arm.

  She carefully tore open the piece of clothing, and as far as her eyes could see, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Good heavens, this wound is so deep!"

  On the sturdy left arm of the mustachioed man, two shocking scars stood out.

  One was an arrow wound, deep enough to see bone. It had already scabbed over, but the recent fight seemed to have torn it open again, revealing a dark and frightening wound with new flesh, making one's hair stand on end just by looking at it.

  Another one was a knife wound, a new injury, a long gash that almost spanned his entire arm. Because it hadn't been treated in time, fresh blood flowed freely, and the new bloodstains on his sleeve were all from this.

  Choi Yeong's hand checking the wound began to tremble uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, don't die!"

  ps：

  Although I'm very tired, I still did it as promised, Pink 60 plus more, written with great difficulty, are you all moved? I've tried my best! So tired, going to sleep now, bye-bye~