How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 225 Rescue

On the vast river, perhaps it was the potential that was unleashed in the critical moment of life, and the small boat quickly and steadily sailed a long distance.

Only when the reeds where he had just taken shelter from the rain were no longer visible did the man feel relieved. However, he hadn't put away his gun yet, and it was still aimed at Qingru.

Qingru felt a bitter taste in her mouth, an overwhelming smell of blood in her nose, and a warm, moist liquid on her skin. Her mind raced, "Hero, you're injured. Perhaps you should get bandaged up first, otherwise you might bleed to death before we even reach shore."

The man laughed heartily, his hot breath hitting Qingru's ear, making every word clear.

"You're quite observant, aren't you? Do you know who I am?"

Qingru had no idea, but since they had asked, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply, "You're a member of the Eighth Route Army, right? The people I saw chasing you earlier seemed to be government troops?"

The man asked in surprise, "You know about the Eighth Route Army?"

Qingru smiled bitterly, "How could I not know? They were all doing it for the people. The Eighth Route Army soldiers are all admirable heroes. If the hero were one of them, I would risk my life to save him."

The man chuckled softly, "You do have some guts, what are you doing here?"

Qingru looked at Jiang Shen and Guo Zixing and made up a lie, "We are servants of a wealthy family. Please don't ask any questions. Please give us a way to live. We don't care where the heroes came from or where they went. You don't need to know who we are either. We've known each other for a while, so let's help each other."

The man burst into laughter, startling several birds into flight. "You're quite amusing, young lady. Fine, let's make a bet."

The man holstered his gun, tossed a copper coin into the air, and it landed heads up in his palm. "Oh, heads, that means good luck? I'll trust you for now. Girl, do you know how to heal wounds?"

Qingru dared not say she didn't know how, "I haven't studied medicine, but I've treated my brother quite a few times. Look at him, he's injured too, and I'm the one who changes his medicine."

The man glanced at it casually, then leaned back. His head practically stuck out of the small cabin. "Fine, stop the bleeding."

He glanced at Jiang Shen and Guo Zixing, whose eyes were fixed on the gun, and they had no intention of helping this big man whose name he didn't know.

Qingru gently shook her head. It's better to avoid trouble. If a corpse were to float up here, it would inevitably arouse suspicion. Even if they had already run away by then, they might still be found out.

Guo Zixing insisted, but Jiang Shen understood Qingru's meaning. Upon reflection, it made sense, and he couldn't help but hold Guo Zixing's hand.

Seeing this, Qingru turned around and gently treated the man's wounds.

The wound on his chest had already bled profusely, staining the area red. His linen undershirt was soaked through, and Qingru, disregarding her shame, simply unbuttoned it.

"Ah!" Qingru couldn't help but exclaim. She saw a bullet embedded in the man's chest. Fortunately, it was in the collarbone, not a fatal spot, but the bullet was so deep that only a small part of its tip could be seen sticking out.

Seeing Qingru's troubled expression, the man didn't seem to care. He pulled a dagger from his leg bindings and said, "Here, just dig it out."

Qingru dared not move; this thing had dug into an artery, and the man was doomed.

Seeing her hesitate, the man chuckled, "Girl, don't be afraid. If you die, it's on me. Your vengeful spirit won't come looking for you. I'll just fan you in the summer and shelter you from the rain in the winter."

Qingru couldn't help but roll her eyes. What kind of occasion is this, to be making such sarcastic remarks?

Trying to bolster her own courage, Qingru said, "You really won't blame me if I die?"

"No wonder."

Having received the man's confident answer, Qingru mustered her courage. There were no sterilization facilities at the moment, so she just needed to dig out the bullet. However, just as she was about to start, she noticed that the bleeding from the wound had decreased.

The man grew impatient as the man hesitated to act. "Are you even capable of this?"

Qingru said, "Brother, I just realized we have nothing on the boat. I can't even find some wood ash to stop your bleeding. Why don't you wait a bit? We can already see the shore. We can at least find something to stop the bleeding. It's not worth risking your life."

The man paused, and sure enough, he saw rolling mountains in the distance. "Are we almost at Sifang City?"

Qingru and the others were secretly delighted. "You know the way?"

The man asked in surprise, "You don't know each other?"

...

After a moment of silence, the man agreed with Qingru's statement, "We're in this together now. If you abandon me or kill me, I'll definitely drag you down with me."

Qingru and the others exchanged glances. This guy is going to be a handful, isn't he?

Jiang Shen made the final decision, "Okay, from now on we'll keep to ourselves."

They immediately discussed going ashore first, bandaging their wounds, and then heading towards Sifang City.

They moored the small boat at the shore, and the group helped each other off. The man clung to Guo Zixing, and when he said he would take the gamble, he meant it. He not only put away his gun but also spoke without any restraint.

The rain had subsided by now, and the fine raindrops falling on them were barely noticeable. The man looked up and exclaimed, "Jingzhen?"

Qingru's expression changed as well; the town seemed increasingly familiar. Guo Zixing, oblivious, had no recollection of ever coming here to find Qingru.

"Brother, there have been human traffickers here before. Let's go somewhere else."

The man didn't care at all. "What's there to be afraid of? There are several grown men like us. Do you think we're afraid of a human trafficker?"

The man spoke with great bravado, but his breath was weak. Although his face was not clearly visible, his lips were pale, indicating that he was seriously injured.

After some deliberation, they decided to head to Jingzhen. To avoid revealing the man's injuries, Qingru removed her headscarf and used it to bandage his bleeding wounds.

As they got closer to the town, some deep-seated memories became clearer. Back then, when Qingru was captured by Niu Da and Niu Er, she was coaxed into spending the night in a house in this town.

She couldn't help but shiver; Qingru dared not think any further.

Upon arriving in town, the group rented a room. They had no choice; they only had the small amount of money Xu Wensheng had given them, and they needed to make it back to Sifang City. Fortunately, this place wasn't far, so they could leave after bandaging the man, lest something unexpected happen.

Jiang Shen went out and bought some medicine for his injuries. He already had wounds on his body, so they were not noticeable.

Upon returning, Jiang Shen said strangely, "I feel like some people are watching us, but I'm not sure, there's no concrete evidence."

Qingru was also uneasy. Ever since she arrived in town, she had become increasingly anxious. "Let's go back to the city after we get bandaged up. I don't dare to stay here."

Jiang Shen nodded. Indeed, with some injured and others ill, things were really difficult for them.

After washing the newly bought knife with strong liquor and heating it over a fire, Qingru gritted her teeth and removed the bullet from the man's collarbone.

"Ugh," he couldn't help but cry out in pain, even though he had bitten cork in his mouth beforehand.

Qingru didn't dare delay and quickly poured a bottle of hemostatic medicine on it, only stopping when the wound was completely covered. The man was in so much pain he almost fainted, and it took him a long time to regain his strength and sit up.

Jiang Shen wrung out a towel and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then wrapped the gauze tightly and handed the medicine to the waiter to brew.

Jiang Shen frowned. "Good man, after you drink this dose of medicine, we will have to part ways."

The man leaned against the headboard, panting, "Where are you going?"

Jiang Shen said, "We also have urgent business in Sifang City. By the time you finish your medicine, it will have already been delayed."

The man didn't seem to care much. "It won't make a difference if you wait a little longer. If you can wait, I'll take you there."

Jiang Shen shook his head, "No need, you should recover from your injuries first."

Seeing that Jiang Shen refused, the man said nothing more. Qingru leaned against the window in a daze, and soon fell asleep.