Chapter 3: Heavily Wounded, Healing

"Father, Brother, how is Brother?" Er Bao looked at the dying Da Bao, crying so hard her whole body trembled.

Xiao Jin could only prop himself up and pull her into his arms to comfort her. "It's alright. Brother will be fine."

When Su Ying emerged from behind the big tree, she had a bundle in her hands. She walked up to Da Bao, opened the small bundle, and inside were all medicines for treating external injuries.

Xiao Jin looked at the medicines, his dark eyes deepening. His cold, scrutinizing gaze locked tightly onto Su Ying.

Su Ying was the Prime Minister's daughter, raised spoiled by her stepmother since childhood—a standard noble lady. Let alone killing anyone, she wouldn't even dare handle a live chicken. Yet her demeanor just now was completely different from the past.

Xiao Jin's cold eyes dimmed slightly. She hid it deep enough.

How would Su Ying know what Xiao Jin was thinking? She used disinfectant to flush the wounds on the child's body to prevent infection, which would make treatment even more troublesome later.

The disinfectant stung the wounds terribly, but Da Bao didn't react at all. This couldn't help but worry Su Ying; the child had completely lost consciousness.

After quickly treating the wounds, she took out anti-inflammatory medicine and fed it to him. An IV drip would have been faster in this situation, but conditions didn't allow it, so pills would have to do for now.

The constables had been beaten badly. They were originally supposed to continue on the road, but now they weren't leaving. Tonight, everyone would rest right there.

Su Ying fed Da Bao some nutrient supplements to ensure his body's energy supply.

After doing all this, Su Ying was also a bit tired. This body was too weak. She had only managed to take down those constables earlier by borrowing the power of the Boundless Wristband from her space.

Those little trash—if it were before, she could have crushed them with a single finger. Why would she need assistive tools?

Su Ying blinked and met Xiao Jin's cold, scrutinizing gaze. She raised an eyebrow; she had almost forgotten about him.

She took Xiao Jin's medicine out again and placed it in front of him. "This is your medicine. If you don't want to die, obediently swallow it."

Xiao Jin's dark eyes narrowed. He looked at the black pills on the ground but didn't move.

"What? Afraid I'll poison you? If I wanted your life, why would I go to the trouble of treating your two crippled legs? You can refuse the medicine, but if you die, the disposal of your two children will be entirely up to me."

A cold, gloomy light flashed in the depths of Xiao Jin's eyes.

At that moment, a pair of tender little hands reached out, took the medicine, and brought it to Xiao Jin's mouth.

"Father, be good and take your medicine. You'll get better once you take it."

Xiao Jin snapped back to reality. Looking at his daughter's red, swollen eyes from crying, he cast a cold glance at Su Ying, then opened his mouth and swallowed the medicine.

He was unwilling to refuse his daughter, unwilling to see her disappointed look.

Xiao Jin's injuries were too severe, after all. After taking the medicine, a wave of drowsiness hit him, and he fell into a deep sleep in the blink of an eye.

"Father, Father, what's wrong with you?" Seeing Xiao Jin go still, Er Bao was scared stupid.

Su Ying went over to check. "Your father is just too weak and fell asleep. Let him sleep more; he'll recover faster if he sleeps well."

Er Bao looked at Xiao Jin, then looked up at Su Ying. Meeting Su Ying's eyes, she shrank back toward Xiao Jin in fear.

Su Ying took out some compressed dry rations from her person and held them out to her. "Hungry, right? Eat something first."

Er Bao's eyelashes, still wet with tears, trembled. She stared longingly at the dry rations in Su Ying's hand. She hadn't eaten a thing since yesterday, and was starving.

But she didn't dare eat Su Ying's food. "I'm not hungry!"

"Not hungry? Then why did you and your brother go steal dry rations?"

Er Bao opened her red, big eyes and said in a milky voice: "Brother said Father would get better if he ate his fill, but me... we don't have any dry rations..."

Su Ying's heart stirred. "So you ran to the constables, wanting to get some dry rations for your father to eat?"

Er Bao nodded dejectedly. They were clumsy; they were discovered by the constables when trying to get the rations. Now they hadn't gotten the rations, and Brother was injured too.

Su Ying reached out, pulled her into her embrace, and placed the dry rations into her small hands.

"Rest assured, your father will definitely get better. Guess who I met when I fainted just now?"

Er Bao, suddenly hugged by her, froze instantly, not daring to move. Her big, watery eyes looked utterly pitiful.

Su Ying continued with a straight face: "Do you know the King of Hell? He said I did many bad things and was supposed to be dragged to the Underworld. But you two are too young; if I left, no one would take care of you. So he let me go back to take good care of you, and warned me not to do bad things anymore, or he'd come take me away."

Er Bao listened in a daze. "If you do bad things, the King of Hell will take you away?"

Su Ying nodded firmly. "Exactly. So you don't have to be afraid I'll sell you off. Just eat these rations with peace of mind."

Er Bao felt the King of Hell's words were believable, so she refused Su Ying no longer. Her little hands cupped the rations, and she started eating in small bites like a little hamster.

Afraid she might choke, Su Ying took out a water bag from her space and let her drink water.

After eating and drinking her fill, Er Bao also got sleepy. She curled her body into a tiny ball, leaned against Xiao Jin, and closed her eyes.

Su Ying was also very sleepy, but the surroundings were full of fierce, tiger-like evil ghosts. She couldn't sleep, especially since she had just taught the constables a lesson; these people definitely wouldn't let it go.

It was currently autumn. As night fell, a chill permeated the air.

Su Ying took out heating patches from her space and stuck them on the three of them. These were far-infrared heating patches, only the size of a fingernail, completely unnoticeable unless one looked closely.

Once applied, the patches could keep the human body at a comfortable temperature for over a dozen hours.

After applying the patches, Su Ying instantly felt much warmer.

When it was time for the rations distribution, the constables' side remained strangely quiet.

The starving prisoners surged toward the constables' direction one after another.

"None, none! No rations today! If you want to eat, go ask that woman! She's so capable, she definitely has rations to give you!"

The constables had been taught a lesson by Su Ying today. If they didn't find a way to save face, these prisoners might just revolt.

So they decided not to distribute rations tonight, letting the prisoners go make trouble for Su Ying, letting her know the consequences of offending them.

A black shadow blocked the glow in front of Su Ying. She looked up to see three big men standing before her.

"It's all because of you, you dog of a woman! We have no rations because of you! Hand over those two little bastards, or we'll make you regret it!"

The big man was covered in filth. Beneath his messy brows were a pair of copper-bell-sized ox eyes, currently glaring at her furiously.

Su Ying remembered; this was the man who wanted to pay silver to buy the two children.

"No rations? Go find the constables. Why are you looking for me?" Su Ying's brows and eyes were cold, her gaze devoid of any warmth.

"Pah! Cheap woman! Since Old Man has no food, I'll eat you!"

A fierce light flashed across the three men's faces. Like starving hyenas, they lunged at Su Ying.

(End of Chapter)