Chapter 3: There are Fish Flying

The man's arm and shoulder wounds had stopped bleeding, and the blood stains on his sleeves were nearly dry, except for a deeper wound on his abdomen that was still oozing blood. If he didn't get help to stop the bleeding soon, he might die from excessive blood loss.

Qin Xiaoruo picked up her basket and the herbs that had fallen to the ground and rummaged through them. She pulled out a few Swamp Healing Grass stalks. This herb had the effect of stopping bleeding, relieving pain, and reducing inflammation. In this era of scant resources and primitive medical facilities, even if she were to take the man to a clinic right now, his chance of survival wasn't guaranteed. She had no choice but to attempt a makeshift treatment.

Unable to procure water to clean his wounds on the mountain, Qin Xiaoruo loosened his clothes and dripped the juice of the Swamp Healing Grass directly on his wounds. It was unclear whether it was the efficacy of the juice or because he was nearly bled out, but not long after she applied the juice, the bleeding stopped.

To prevent the wound from reopening, Qin Xiaoruo tore off a piece of the man's hem and used it to bandage the deeper wound on his abdomen.

After she had treated his wounds, Qin Xiaoruo belatedly realized that the man's injuries were no simple matter; they seemed to be inflicted by some kind of sharp blade... She couldn't help but recall the stabs she suffered before her own death, and her heart started pounding violently.

Reason told her to leave immediately, and indeed, that's what she did.

"You and I are strangers. Stopping your bleeding is the extent of my duty. Whether you live or die is now up to your fate."

Qin Xiaoruo knew it was quite unprofessional and detrimental to her sweet and kind image just to walk away, but she had already died once; her life was now her priority.

As Qin Xiaoruo was muttering to herself in an attempt to soothe her conscience, the man on the ground suddenly opened his eyes.

Caught off guard by that fierce gaze filled with killing intent, Qin Xiaoruo jumped back, but she quickly straightened up and said with feigned bravado, "I... I'm the person who saved your life!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than the ferocity in the man's eyes faded, and he passed out again.

Qin Xiaoruo wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and, thinking of the death she suffered in her past life, couldn't help but feel gloomy, "I hope I haven't saved the wrong person again."

Suddenly, the sound of a breaking tree branch came from ahead, and Qin Xiaoruo's pupils contracted.

Could this "Bloodied Man" actually have enemies after him?

If she had stopped the bleeding for him, would those pursuers mistake her as an accomplice of this "Bloodied Man"?

With that thought, Qin Xiaoruo was so scared that she turned and ran. Because she was running so hastily, she ran headfirst into a tree, seeing stars and nearly having an out-of-body experience.

When she had recovered her strength, the sound of footsteps seemed to have receded.

Qin Xiaoruo patted her chest, still unsettled from the close call... Wait, something wasn't right!

Staring in disbelief at the vast expanse of verdant bamboo forest before her, Qin Xiaoruo realized this wasn't the same place as before.

She turned her stiff neck, surveying the broad, uncultivated farmland in the distance, and her heartbeat quickened even more.

Then she glanced at the crystal-clear stream no more than three meters away from her feet...

Ah—

What did she see?!

Qin Xiaoruo raised her hand to rub her eyes, took a second look, and rubbed them again.

There were fish flying!

It must be an illusion!

It was definitely an illusion!

Compelled beyond her control, Qin Xiaoruo reached out to catch the "Flying Fish," but as if sensing her intention, they plopped back into the river with a splash, blending in with the colorful school of fish on the riverbed, making it impossible to distinguish which were the ones that had just been flying.

Qin Xiaoruo looked around several times, confirming no one else was there to validate whether what she saw was fantasy or reality. She couldn't pinch her leg because it would hurt; she couldn't slap her face because it would swell, so she instead removed her shoes and socks to dip her feet in the river water.

So refreshing~~

So... everything she was seeing was real?