Chapter 18: Saving Your Life

Wan'er heard the noise and opened the door. What greeted her eyes were another three or five stray arrows flying towards them like they were after someone's life. They passed through the collapsed earthen wall and rushed into the area of the Lotus Altar Pavilion. Wan'er was so frightened that she let out a scream. Pan Yueqing immediately covered Wan'er's mouth and, taking advantage of the situation, pulled Gu Pan to retreat to the thickest part of the outer wall of the Lotus Altar Pavilion courtyard, which happened to be a blind spot in the line of sight. She peeked out slightly from behind the water tank, her eyes filled with a calmness that was deeply ingrained in her being.

"What's going on?" Gu Pan came to her senses, realized the situation, and asked Pan Yueqing in a low voice.

"It's a vendetta killing," Pan Yueqing didn't take her eyes away. She keenly sensed that there were at least more than twenty people lying in ambush with crossbows around the Lotus Altar Pavilion. She had never expected that she had chosen to stay in the temple to avoid the arson incident at the market, yet she still got caught in a crisis. What on earth were these people here for? And how could she save herself?

"Bang!" From the collapsed wall beside them, a young man in black martial attire tumbled in among the remaining wooden, stone, and tile debris. His face was covered in blood, and he fell beside the pickled vegetable jar without moving, which answered the questions that had been puzzling Pan Yueqing.

For some unknown reason, the people lying in ambush outside didn't seem to have the intention of entering Cibei Temple.

Only when Pan Yueqing heard that there was no more noise outside did she dare to approach the young man boldly. She stretched out her finger and gently nudged the young man's shoulder. Her finger touched something wet, and she could smell the strong scent of blood. Was the wound on his back? Pan Yueqing instantly froze. She wiped the young man's face gently with her sleeve. After seeing his features clearly, Pan Yueqing couldn't help but sit down on the ground in shock. This was Qi Si'an, the third imperial son who had been conferred the title of Prince of Xiangyang at the age of twelve!

"Xiangyang" was the title that each emperor used before crowning the crown prince. The Prince of Xiangyang would be crowned as the crown prince when he reached the age of twenty. Qi Si'an was a young genius, but his talent was envied by fate. He was assassinated at the age of fifteen and lost his legs, thus having no chance of ascending the throne of the Eastern Palace. At the age of seventeen, he suffered from a serious illness that took his life. Qi Si'an's passing triggered the power struggle among the princes such as Qi Sicheng.

Qi Si'an had to be saved.

Many thoughts flashed through Pan Yueqing's mind. She didn't know what kind of person Qi Si'an was, but she knew that if Qi Si'an didn't die, there would be no ten-year power turmoil in the Qi Kingdom. As long as Qi Si'an was alive, Qi Sicheng would have no part in the struggle for the throne!

"Carry him in," Pan Yueqing took hold of Qi Si'an's arm with one hand, but she overestimated her own strength. If it hadn't been for Gu Pan and Wan'er's quick reactions to support them, she would have fallen to the ground together with Qi Si'an. However, the other person was so severely injured that even such a tug couldn't make him feel the slightest bit.

Wan'er's eyes showed some hesitation. Just now, they had been on the verge of death, and she didn't intend to accept this dangerous person. Looking at Pan Yueqing with a frown, she said, "Miss, the people outside are here to hunt him down!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Pan Yueqing raised her eyes and looked at Wan'er, her gaze as calm as a still pond. "You're here to assist me, not to make me explain everything I do to you!"

Seeing Wan'er stunned for a moment, she furrowed her brows and replied with red eyes. In the end, feeling a bit guilty, she softened her tone, "They've chased him all the way here. Do you think we'll be safe if we don't save him?"

As she spoke, a trail of blood slowly trickled down from the wound on her face that had been scratched by the whirling stray arrow. Pan Yueqing looked into the distance at the back mountain of Cibei Temple, which was known as the "Place That Even Ghosts Dread". Under the moonlight, the sharp peaks stood tall like a series of sharp blades, reflecting the atmosphere of an impending storm. She let out a long sigh, "Maybe if we save him, we'll still be able to survive."

The future crown prince whom the Emperor valued the most. If he were to die in the courtyard where she was staying, no matter what, the lives of the three of them, as insignificant as floating duckweeds, would surely be sacrificed.

"Do you know him, Miss?" Gu Pan leaned in. Seeing that Pan Yueqing wasn't afraid of the blood and dirt at all as she supported the young man on her shoulder, she gritted her teeth and didn't say anything more. She walked around Pan Yueqing and took hold of the young man's other arm.

Pan Yueqing was quite satisfied with Gu Pan's actions. However, she didn't want to reveal Qi Si'an's identity to others. She said casually, "No, I don't." Then she gave an order to Wan'er, "Go and boil a pot of hot water."

After giving the order, Pan Yueqing gently placed Qi Si'an on her bed. Without a care, she leaned against the ground, picked up the scissors for doing needlework on the table, and carefully cut open the stitches on the fabric of Qi Si'an's shoulder bit by bit. She slightly parted her two fingers, and a bloody hole that had pierced through the shoulder was clearly visible. It was an arrow wound.

Only with a mysterious iron arrowhead, a bow that required a pulling force of ten units, and a close-range hit could it directly pierce through like this. She gritted her teeth. Even though she had been mentally prepared, she never expected such a wound that went straight through. She immediately said to Wan'er, "Wan'er, go and ask the abbot if there's any master in the temple who understands medical principles. Say that I'm not feeling well and ask him to come and take a look. Remember, don't make a fuss about it."

Wan'er nodded. She didn't dare to say anything more and just responded with an "Yes" and was about to go out.

The young man on the bed moved his lips slightly, almost imperceptibly. His voice was extremely weak, and Pan Yueqing had to lean in close to make out what he was saying, "Don't call a doctor... Strong liquor... Wound medicine..."

Cleanse with strong liquor and then apply the wound medicine... Pan Yueqing squinted her eyes and couldn't help but examine this young man. According to their ages, Qi Si'an should be around the same age as Pan Yueqing at this time, probably around fifteen or sixteen years old. At such a delicate age, he actually wanted to use strong liquor for disinfection and cleansing. He was really tough on himself.

"Think it through. It's going to hurt a lot," Pan Yueqing leaned over and whispered in Qi Si'an's ear. She didn't mean to scare Qi Si'an. She was telling the truth. Cleaning with strong liquor wasn't something that ordinary people could endure. Back then, when they were in the bitterly cold land outside the Great Wall with no food or supply, this method had also been used on Qi Sicheng. Qi Sicheng, who was nearly thirty years old, had been crying out in pain.

"What... nonsense..." Qi Si'an couldn't muster up the strength to speak, let alone refute. After a while, he managed to gather enough strength to give an order, "Just do as I say... Even if..." Pan Yueqing focused her mind and said, "You chose this yourself. If you die from the pain, I'm not going to take care of you." She raised her eyes and called out to stop Wan'er, "There's no need to go. Father brought several jars of good wine when he came. Go and get them directly."

Wan'er stopped and looked at Pan Yueqing with tearful eyes. She pursed her lips as if she had swallowed all her words, "Yes."

"Wait a moment," Gu Pan raised her head from where she was boiling water. She had already changed into a clean set of clothes. She took Wan'er's hand and smiled, "It usually takes some effort to bring several jars of good wine. Miss, Wan'er and I will go together. The water is still boiling on the stove. Please keep an eye on it, Miss. We'll be back soon." Then she bowed slightly to Pan Yueqing and pulled Wan'er out before Wan'er could say anything.

Pan Yueqing didn't stop them. She knew that she had been a bit harsh just now. After all, Wan'er had been doing it for her own good. Now Wan'er was feeling wronged. Well, let her go with Gu Pan. Maybe the two of them could talk about some private matters.

On the stove in the corner of the room that served as a heater, the iron pot was whistling and emitting steam. Pan Yueqing got up and poured some water into her washbasin. Then she went outside and mixed in some cold water. She wrung out a white cloth and gently wiped the blood off Qi Si'an's face.