37 The extra baggage

'Little Jae, what to do...'

Zhi spoke to him through her mind.

'My legs feel numb, I can't move...'

She had fallen from such a steep side after all, then rolled all the way down the thick foliage.

No to mention she did receive a huge gift before falling. If not for Little Jae's last minute intervention by putting up a shield, the sword the lady impaled would have pierced her chest. Currently, even without looking, Zhi could guess that she was bleeding as the clothing felt damp from behind.

Little Jae also did something like enveloping her body with an invisible cushion during her fall. The cushion had absorbed the full impact of her fall damage - limiting more loss of blood, and somehow kept the dirt off her white clothing. Otherwise, Little Jae was afraid that they both had to be logged off forcefully from this world, an event he definitely not looking forward to.

"I've warned you. She was a bad person!"

A mass of heavy air tapped Zhi on the head. This naive girl deserved a reality check - not everyone with a 'kind' face was a good person. Hadn't she heard about a goody two faced?! Or a wolf under a sheep's clothing?!

Zhi timidly apologized to Little Jae. "I'll listen to you next time, okay?" Don't hit me with an air hammer.

"Hmph! Hopefully there will be no next time. Haven't I said that if your host body dies, it's game over?!"

"... Yes sir.."

Perhaps, Zhi had unconsciously thought that the blue unfeeling pill had granted her body immortality. Just because she couldn't feel the pain, didn't mean that she wasn't sustaining injury. Just like the stab from behind, she just eerily felt something cold penetrated her skin. That was it. She had no idea if the injury was fatal or not.

Pain existed not to just make people suffered by it. It signaled that the part of the body which was in pain was hurting - so people could withdraw from things that were damaging them.

It was one thing that made human beings human...

Talking about pain, Zhi hoped that Meng Xun hadn't despaired too much.

Meng Xun had come back for Zhi. But the immediate scene she saw was the gruesome picture of Zhi being stabbed by a sword and falling off.

Zhi was sorry Meng Xun had to see her like that. If only she could send a message to her, Zhi would tell Meng Xun that she was alright - she still lived, her body in one piece. She would try her best to find ways to go back up there, without meeting her end here. Please don't be too sad.

"You are a really irresponsible husband!"

An angry voice startled Zhi and Little Jae. Zhi leaned in closer to a big tree trunk.

When Zhi peeked in carefully, she saw a couple. One was in tatters and the other one seemed to be still in good condition.

As they were still far away, Zhi couldn't make out their faces. But what were the couple doing here? Why was the woman's clothes torn here and there but the man's rather neat?

"Hoho, I didn't expect the man had such taste" Little Jae nonchalantly said.

"What do you mean?"

"Little girl like you shouldn't know about those things. Let's not get involve with them and shoo shoo."

Zhi blankly stared at both of them longer than intended. The girl was so resentful that it made her voice husky. But the guy paid her no heed.

This strange situation puzzled Zhi out that Little Jae had to hammer her again to make her snap out of there. "Let's go! We're going the opposite direction from them."

Zhi held her head that had just suffered another blow. Realizing she was touching her bare head, she quickly did her raven outfit. "I already ask you nicely not to hit-"

Zhi had stepped a step forward to be greeted by a sharp sword on her neck. The sword glinted with a dangerous light.

Her knees had already failed her as she was kneeling down and leaning backwards against the tree trunk. Zhi felt disoriented. She looked up but wasn't able to properly focus on the person's face.

A moment later, she blackout.

***

Her feet and hands were dangling in the air, her head was heavy as if all her blood gathered at her brain.

Zhi found it weighty to open her eyes. But the surroundings were quite noisy; a conversation was happening between a male and a female voice. It sounded very much like a one-sided talk instead of a proper conversation.

She couldn't make clear of what they were talking about though as the voices sounded like a conversation coming from a closed room. So, Zhi couldn't care less to open her eyes.

Moreover, a mild scent lingered around her nose... It wasn't the smell of sweet flowers or tangy fruity that was generally favored by ladies. How would Zhi explain it?

It was the bittersweet scent of woods, fresh as greens and biting like an astringent. The odor was not overwhelming but gently embracing Zhi's sense of smell. Its deeper base notes were of something sweet but light - it's there but it came and went like a spring breeze.

Unconsciously, someone's pair of arms were folded and her hands grabbed hold of the cloth that held the scent.

Zhi snuggled her face and buried deeper into the cloth until her cheeks felt something flat and hard.

She was totally feeling at ease, ignoring the fact that her body was being transported.

...And someone was being electrified with her touch on his lower back.