RPAGF Chapter 423 The Little Doctor Girl Knows How to Pamper and Flirt (Part 18)
Chapter 423 The Little Doctor Girl Knows How to Pamper and Flirt (Part 18)
Ji Xiaosong reined in his horse and stopped in front of an abandoned post station.
After days of travel, she looked travel-worn, and her lips were chapped and peeling.
She licked her cracked lips and tasted a hint of blood.
The wind from the North cuts like a knife across my face, carrying the rough feel of sand and gravel.
The dilapidated wooden door of the post station creaked in the wind, as if it might fall off the frame at any moment.
A broken lantern hung under the eaves, with the words "official post station" faintly visible on it.
"Would you like a meal or a room in the inn, sir?" The innkeeper leaned lazily against the door frame, sizing up the lone woman.
He was around fifty years old, his face etched with wrinkles from years of hardship, but his eyes were remarkably bright.
Ji Xiaosong did not answer immediately, but instead looked around warily.
A faded flag hung limply on the flagpole in front of the post station, and the surroundings were unusually quiet.
Her fingers unconsciously touched the "Po Jun" sword at her waist; the leather wrapped around the hilt was already soaked with her sweat.
"Change horses and prepare three days' worth of rations."
She finally spoke, her voice hoarse and unlike her own.
At the same time, he took out the bronze token from his bosom; the Taotie pattern on the token gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
Upon seeing the token, the postmaster's cloudy eyes widened suddenly, and his lazy expression vanished instantly.
He practically stumbled and bounced off the doorframe, his back bent so low it almost touched the ground.
"Please forgive me, sir! I was blind to your greatness! I'll take care of it right away!"
Ji Xiaosong nodded slightly, but her eyes still scanned her surroundings warily.
The postmaster hurriedly ran to the backyard, while she slowly walked towards the well behind the post station.
The moss on the well platform was slippery, so she carefully squatted down and scooped up a handful of water.
The cool water droplets slid down her cheeks, taking away some of her fatigue and clearing her muddled mind.
Her haggard face was reflected in the water: dark circles under her eyes, chapped lips, and a small bloodstain on her right cheek, a cut she had made while walking through the bushes the night before.
She stared at her reflection in the water, her thoughts drifting away.
In fact, she didn't actually need to look for wild wheat.
The spiritual fields within the space have already cultivated better drought-resistant varieties.
Those wheat seeds grew rapidly in the spirit field, with plump grains and drought resistance far exceeding that of the wild wheat of the North.
However, if grain seeds were to appear out of thin air, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
The trip to the North was just a pretext.
"My lord, everything is ready!" The postmaster's voice brought her back to reality.
He led over a chestnut horse with a glossy coat and well-defined muscles; it was clearly a fine warhorse.
A bulging bag of dry rations hung on the saddle. "This is a special kind of dried meat from the North, it keeps well and keeps you full. There's also a water pouch, the small one is already filled with spring water."
Ji Xiaosong thanked them and was about to mount his horse when a commotion suddenly broke out outside the post station.
The sounds of horses' hooves, shouts, and clashing weapons mingled together, approaching from afar.
"Quick! Seize that girl! The Prime Minister has ordered that we must see her alive or dead!"
Ji Xiaosong's pupils suddenly contracted.
They're Liu Xiang's men!
Her fingers gripped the sword hilt tightly, her knuckles turning white.
how come?
Her whereabouts have always been very secretive, how could Liu Xiang's people have found this place?
"My lord, leave quickly!"
The postmaster shoved her away abruptly, but nearly got shot in the shoulder by an arrow. He groaned and fell to his knees. "I'll hold them off!"
Ji Xiaosong didn't have time to think, and mounted her horse.
The chestnut horse seemed to sense the tense atmosphere and pawed its front hooves restlessly.
With a flick of her whip, the horse shot off like an arrow.
Arrows came hurtling through the air behind her. She leaned close to the horse's back, the scabbard of her "Po Jun" sword at her waist scraping against the arrowheads with a piercing sound.
"Chase! Don't let her run away!"
The black-clad assassin's roar echoed behind them.
Ji Xiaosong spurred her horse into a poplar forest, the withered yellow leaves rustling in the wind as if guiding her.
She was familiar with this terrain; the original owner of this body had come to the Northern Border with her father three years ago.
Beyond the poplar forest lies a rugged mountain path, and beyond that...
Her thoughts were interrupted by an arrow that grazed her ear.
The assassins were getting closer and closer; there were at least a hundred riders, flanking them in a fan shape.
Ji Xiaosong gritted his teeth, suddenly reined in his horse, turned around, and galloped towards the steep cliff!
"Are you crazy? There's a cliff ahead!"
The assassin's cry of alarm came from behind.
The wind whistled in my ears, and the cliff drew ever closer.
Ji Xiaosong could sense the horse's fear; its muscles trembled beneath her legs, yet it remained loyal in carrying out her commands.
Just as the horse was about to plunge off the cliff, she suddenly drew her sword and cut the saddle rope, using the momentum to leap onto a protruding rock on the cliff face!
"Ah..." came the assassin's scream from behind.
She dared not turn around, only hearing the muffled thud of a heavy object falling off the cliff and the neighing of horses.
Her fingers gripped the crevice in the rock so tightly that the rough stone surface rubbed her fingertips until they bled.
A bead of sweat slid down his forehead and plunged into the bottomless abyss.
Ji Xiaosong struggled to climb to the top of the cliff, her legs giving way as she knelt on the ground, panting.
In the distance, the endless desert shimmered with heat under the scorching sun.
She counted the men in black who had fallen off the cliff; there were twelve. She had only dealt with a portion of them.
While the remaining people were still searching for her, she took out a highly toxic powder from her spatial storage and, using a handheld fan within the storage space, blew it directly at the remaining people.
The rest of the pursuers did not survive, and Ji Xiaosong finally felt relieved.
"It's time to 'find' the seeds."
She muttered to herself, wiped the blood off her hands, and took out a large bag of carefully prepared "Northern Wild Wheat" from her spatial storage.
The bag was still stained with mud and blood that she had deliberately smeared on it, making it look like a precious item that she had gone through great hardships to find.
The seven-day agreement is approaching; it's time to go back.
Ji Xiaosong stood up and patted his dusty robes.
The chestnut horse was nowhere to be found, so she decided to continue on foot.
The scorching sun baked the desert, and every step felt like walking on a red-hot iron plate.
Her lips were cracked and bleeding, her throat felt like it was on fire, and her steps grew heavier and heavier.
In a daze, I seemed to hear the sound of horses' hooves in the distance.
She forced her eyes open and looked up. Amidst the swirling yellow sand, a familiar figure rode towards her on horseback, his dark cloak fluttering in the wind.
Even from this distance, she could recognize his upright figure and unique riding style.
"Emperor Si..."
She called out weakly, her voice barely audible.
Her legs finally gave way, and she fell forward.
The expected pain did not come; instead, a warm and firm embrace arrived.
The familiar cool and mellow aura emanating from Si Di enveloped her, finally allowing her tense nerves, which had been taut for many days, to relax.
She could feel the muscles in his arms tense, and her heartbeat came through his chest, fast and heavy.
"I've found the seed..."
She struggled to lift the blood-stained cloth bag, then everything went black as she fell into a coma.
In her last moments of consciousness, she felt Si Di's arms tighten even more, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.
His voice rang in her ears, trembling like she had never heard it before: "Who gave you permission to risk your life?"
Darkness swallowed her consciousness, but that warmth remained with her, like an oasis in the desert.