Childhood Friend or Destined Encounter? - Chapter 2

Half a month ago.

Summer arrived exceptionally early this year. By early June, the very earth seemed to simmer, and a quick dip in the river revealed water that was already thick with heat. In the mountains, the branches grew in wild profusion, yet even their dense canopy failed to ward off the blistering sun. Midday light dappled through the thickets, falling upon a slender figure moving through the forest.

Ye Zi carried a small bamboo basket that reached half her height. With one hand, she used a sickle to clear away the overgrowth, while the other held a pair of tweezers to pluck familiar medicinal herbs, tossing them into her basket. The mountains were a tangle of flora, and dry twigs or stray leaves frequently brushed against her delicate skin, yet she seemed not to care, her thin frame weaving nimbly through the mountain terrain.

The midday sun was at its most merciless. After walking for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, Ye Zi felt her back grow damp with sweat. She leaned lightly against a thick tree trunk, the basket between her and the bark, as she panted softly. Beads of sweat on the tip of her nose shimmered like crystals, jumping with every breath she took. Her long, thin bangs were matted with sweat, clinging obediently to her forehead. Those slender hands still gripped the iron sickle and tweezers. Her hands were elegantly formed, yet they possessed an unhealthy pallor, the fierce sunlight making the veins beneath her thin skin appear nearly transparent. If not for the light calluses on her palms, she might have been mistaken for a pampered young lady raised in a secluded courtyard.

However, those same hands had gathered enough herbs to fill an entire room and had performed needlework on her own body thousands of times. They were, for all intents and purposes, the hands of a skilled physician.

The mountain was rich with medicinal herbs. Though they weren’t rare or precious, they were sufficient for personal use. Ye Zi’s life had been relatively peaceful these last few years, a blessing she attributed largely to this bountiful land.

After resting for a moment, Ye Zi stood up and weighed the basket, which was already nearly half-full. She thought to herself, This is a good harvest. If I’m lucky enough to stumble upon that old mountain ginseng, I won’t have to return to the mountains for months.

Humming a cheerful tune, she ventured deeper into the thickets. The terrain gradually opened up, revealing an old ginseng plant with long roots clinging to the slope of a mixed coniferous forest.

The root was thick and clearly branched, looking very much like a human head and limbs at first glance. It appeared to be of considerable age.

She put away her tweezers and sickle, took the bamboo basket off her back, and pulled out a thick hemp rope. After weighing it in her hand, she looped one end around a tree trunk at the top of the slope and tied a careful knot. She gave it a couple of firm tugs to ensure it wouldn’t budge, then gripped the rope, cautiously reaching for the ginseng in the middle of the slope.

The position of this ginseng was rather peculiar, which likely explained why it hadn’t been harvested all these years.

Ye Zi dangled in the air for quite a while. Several times, she was a hair’s breadth away from reaching it, only to swing back. It was agonizingly close, yet always just out of reach.

After several attempts, Ye Zi grew impatient. Standing back on solid ground, she pulled the rope back as far as possible until it was taut. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly charged forward with a sharp cry and leaped off the ground.

She held the rope with only one hand now, her other arm extended wide like a white crane spreading its wings, as she hurtled toward the old ginseng.

She was almost there. Ye Zi reached out with her free hand, hooked the thickest root of the ginseng, and yanked downward with all her might, pulling it out by the roots.

In her excitement, she neglected the grip of her other hand. For a moment, she lost her hold on her support and tumbled onto the dead leaves covering the slope.

The accident was entirely unexpected. Holding the ginseng in one hand and protecting her head with the other, Ye Zi curled herself into a tight ball to minimize contact with the ground, rolling down like a sphere.

Before she could even count how many times she had spun, her body slammed into a tree trunk and came to a stop.

It was fortunate that the path was covered in years of fallen leaves and that her reactions were quick. Had it been anyone else, they might have lost their life.

Even so, Ye Zi was in pain, her body covered in bruises and swelling. She sat against the tree, gasping for air for a long time before gritting her teeth and slowly raising her arms. It hurt, but she could still move freely.

After all this commotion, the sun was beginning to set. She had to leave before dark, otherwise, when night fell and the fierce wild animals emerged in packs, she would find it difficult to protect herself unarmed.

She didn’t plan on going back for her basket. The priority was to figure out her current location and find the quickest way out.

In the past, Ye Zi would always map out her route before entering the mountains, and the places she visited were familiar. This fall, however, had sent her into an area she had never visited before. These woods were vast, and many parts remained unexplored by her.

Fortunately, she had studied the arts of divination and mechanics since childhood, giving her a strong sense of spatial geography. Navigating her way out based on the sun and the terrain was not an impossible task.

Ye Zi tucked the ginseng into her robe, picked up a thick branch to use as a makeshift crutch, and stood up unsteadily. She hadn’t gone two steps before her foot caught on an obstacle, nearly making her fall again.

Ye Zi crouched down and brushed away the dead leaves, revealing a person covered in blood.

The person’s face was so stained with blood and grime that their features were unrecognizable. Their eyes were tightly shut, and one hand gripped a long sword with a death grip. They looked like someone from the jianghu (martial arts world).

The fabric of their clothes looked expensive, though the bloodstains made it impossible to see the original color. Several wounds had begun to turn black, and some were even festering—a gruesome sight that suggested the person’s chances of survival were slim.

Ye Zi had stayed far away from the flashing blades of the martial world for years, but she had still encountered a few of its denizens.

She pursed her lips as she looked at the figure. Another martial artist pursued by enemies, meeting a silent end in the middle of nowhere.

“I need to get out of the mountains before dark. I won’t have time to give you a proper burial, I’m sorry.” Ye Zi sighed and began to cover the person with dead leaves again. As she rose to leave, a hand suddenly grabbed her pant leg.

Ye Zi looked down. The person’s mouth moved, and though no sound came out, it was clearly a plea for help.

“Still alive? Fine, perhaps it’s fate.” Ye Zi crouched down again, draped the person’s arm over her shoulder, and, amidst the person’s muffled groans of pain, hooked a leg to hoist her onto her back.

Even under normal circumstances, carrying an adult woman who was slightly taller than herself would be difficult for Ye Zi. Now, injured as she was, she managed to forge ahead, leaning on her crutch with one hand and supporting the woman with the other.

Human potential really is immense, Ye Zi thought to herself.

Because another life now rested on her shoulders, Ye Zi ignored her own superficial injuries. Her steps were stumbling and hurried, but she managed to make it out of the forest just as darkness fell.

Once out of the woods, she didn’t linger. She headed straight for the nearest courier station, gave her silver to the groom, and rented a horse to head straight for Yuanhe Town. The groom knew Ye Zi and didn’t ask for a deposit.

By the time she reached Yuanhe Town, the sky was pitch black and every household had closed their doors. Ye Zi navigated the familiar path to her home, settled the woman on her bed, fed the horse some grass, and untied its reins, letting it wander off.

The pharmacies and clinics had long since closed. Fortunately, Ye Zi’s medical skills were decent and she kept a stock of various herbs at home. she planned to clean and dress the wounds herself and wait for dawn to make further plans.

Ye Zi moved the brazier into the room. While boiling water, she held a pair of long scissors over the fire to sterilize them.

The blood seeping from the woman’s wounds had caused her clothes to dry and stick to her skin. If Ye Zi tried to undress her forcefully, she would likely tear off a layer of skin.

Ye Zi mixed the boiling water with cold water in a basin and used the hot scissors to cut through the woman’s clothing, starting from the edges.

Noticing the beads of sweat constantly forming on the woman’s forehead, Ye Zi gently squeezed her trembling hand and spoke to comfort her. “My name is Ye Zi. I live here in Yuanhe Town and know a bit of medicine. Your injuries look frightening, but since I’ve picked you up, I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll take you to see a doctor first thing in the morning. Tonight, I’ll just clean your wounds to prevent infection. Don’t worry, we are both women, so even if I see your body, your reputation will remain intact.”

As she spoke, Ye Zi’s other hand removed the woman’s outer layers, leaving only a thin chemise to protect her privacy. The wounds of varying depths on her fair skin were now fully exposed, looking like a white curtain torn to shreds by a fanged demon.

“How much hatred is there?” Ye Zi inhaled sharply, dipped a towel into the warm water, and began to wipe the blood from the woman’s body.

Although Ye Zi’s movements were as gentle as possible, the sweat on the woman’s brow showed she was struggling to endure the pain.

“Cry out if it hurts,” Ye Zi said, trying to keep a conversation going while she worked. “I was mischievous when I was little and always covered in scrapes. My master would scold me, but then he’d use a secret medicinal ointment to rub on them. Any external wound would vanish without a scar after a few days. I still have some left. I’ll apply it to you in a moment, and I guarantee your skin will be as good as new once you heal.”

Ye Zi prattled on throughout the entire process, but the woman remained silent. Such endurance earned her a measure of respect from Ye Zi.

Once the blood was cleaned, Ye Zi squeezed out the poisoned blood from the wounds, took a medicine jar from the side, and carefully applied the ointment.

The cool sensation relieved the burning heat of the injuries, and the sweat on the woman’s forehead stopped increasing. Once all the necessary spots were treated, Ye Zi covered her with a clean, thin quilt.

“The external injuries are stabilized for now. Tomorrow I’ll find a physician to look at the poison in your system.” Ye Zi clapped her hands together, poured out the blood-red water, and brought in a fresh basin to clean the grime from the woman’s face.

As the dirt was wiped away, a handsome and elegant face was revealed to Ye Zi. Her movements paused for a brief second. She had never seen someone so beautiful or rather, this was the first time she had truly felt someone was beautiful.

Ye Zi had struggled to make a living on her own for years and had met many people, some kind and some malicious, but she had never cared about their looks. To her, everyone’s physical appearance was more or less the same. Even though many in town praised her own beauty and young men often tried to win her favor, she felt nothing regarding her own appearance.

Ye Zi studied the sleeping woman. Her eyebrows were naturally dark without the need for charcoal, and her lips were red without rouge. Her skin was as fine and white as jade, creating a striking visual contrast with the ink-black hair spread across the pillow. Every feature of her face was perfectly placed, like a meticulously crafted painting. Even with her eyes closed, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

“You really are beautiful,” Ye Zi praised sincerely. She didn’t care if the person on the bed heard her. She turned to tidy the room and stepped out.

When Ye Zi returned to the room later, everything seemed the same, except for the person on the bed who was now breathing shallowly.

Ye Zi’s gaze fell on the blood-stained clothes she had cut off. After a moment of hesitation, she folded the ruined fabric and placed it on the cabinet by the bed.

Having finally looked after her patient, Ye Zi remembered her own injuries. They had hurt a lot initially, but aside from the bruises, there was nothing seriously wrong.

Ye Zi applied some ointment to herself haphazardly, laid a straw mat on the floor of the main hall, and settled down for the night.

Outside, the night was as dark as ink. A boundless silence enveloped the small house and the sleeping figures within. To Ye Zi, this had been a very ordinary day, but it marked the beginning of her extraordinary new life.

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