CHAPTER 334: CHAPTER 331: BONDS

Song Xian could still hear Xie Liangchen’s voice at first, but then it gradually became blurry.

"Song Xian, Song Xian."

Song Xian wanted to hold Xie Liangchen’s hand tight and give her some comfort, but he couldn’t muster any strength until he completely fell into darkness.

Xie Liangchen lifted the robe on Song Xian and looked at the wound on his abdomen. The wound was long, still oozing blood. The edges had turned outward because it had been soaked in water, looking quite terrifying.

Xie Liangchen tore off her clothes and pressed them against the wound. It must be very painful to touch the wound like this, but Song Xian still lay there without any reaction.

Xie Liangchen had also swallowed some water, and with all her busyness, her breathing was heavy and rapid. In comparison, Song Xian seemed silent.

Xie Liangchen moved Song Xian’s upper body to her lap, closed her reddened eyes, and tried to calm herself down. Then she lowered her head to Song Xian’s nose to carefully feel his breath.

His breath brushed against her face, and she couldn’t help but feel a lump in her throat. She tightened her arms: "Song Xian, everything will be fine. Song Xian, trust me, everything will be fine."

Tears flowed down her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if she was saying this for Song Xian to hear or for herself.

It wasn’t until this moment that Xie Liangchen realized how far away their past life was.

She couldn’t judge everything about Song Xian in this life based on their past life. She had never thought before that he might not reach the pinnacle of power because he had changed; he was no longer the Song Xian from before.

Even though they knew many things in advance, they faced unforeseen dangers due to their different choices. Who knows when they might accidentally...

Xie Liangchen held Song Xian’s arm tighter. The rapid beating of her anxious heart was echoing in her ears, urging her. She kept talking to Song Xian, not even knowing what she was saying in the end.

"Miss, Miss, please give Master to us. We’ll take him back to the village first; there are herbs in the village."

Xie Liangchen lifted her head in a daze and saw Chang An and Chang Yue, with many others running towards them.

Xie Liangchen said to Chang An, "Take me with you. I must follow. I need to... treat his injuries."

Chang An carried Song Xian on his back, and Chang Yue carried Xie Liangchen. The two of them quickened their pace towards the village.

Xie Liangchen didn’t know when they both got cloaks on them, but even so, she could still feel the cold, as if it came from her bones, encircling her whole body.

Finally, they reached the village.

Chang Yue whispered, "Miss, I’ll put you down now."

Xie Liangchen responded.

Although she was prepared, the moment her foot stepped on the ground, Xie Liangchen realized that after being hit, submerged, and rushing around, her leg had long since become stiff and numb. The pain came from the soles of her feet as she suddenly supported the weight of her body.

But she couldn’t afford to adapt; she immediately instructed: "Change the master’s wet clothes... boil a pot of water, then bring my medicine box, find two medical workers to help."

Chang Yue responded.

As Chang An changed Song Xian’s clothes, Xie Liangchen didn’t leave the room. She temporarily averted her gaze, only hearing Chang An say, "Done."

Then Xie Liangchen went over to check Song Xian’s condition.

Although his breathing was weak, it was fortunately stable. The abdominal wound was the most serious and needed careful cleaning.

Besides that, Song Xian also had wounds on his arms, shoulders, and back. The shoulder wound had not received timely care, and during battles, it must have been broken several times, showing signs of festering.

So many wounds.

Xie Liangchen took a deep breath, thinking about the murky river water just now, could it lead to seven-day fever?

Xie Liangchen forced herself not to dwell on these thoughts.

The medical workers arrived with the medicine box.

Xie Liangchen looked at her still trembling hands, and glanced at the medical workers beside her.

The medical worker understood: "Miss, it’s inconvenient for you now; just instruct me to do it."

Xie Liangchen nodded, waiting for the wounds to be handled correctly. Her hands would be steady by then, and she would give Song Xian the injection personally.

The room was very quiet, and Song Xian still hadn’t regained consciousness.

Xie Liangchen looked at Song Xian’s pale face, the scenes in the water constantly flashing in her mind.

"Ah Chen."

After an unknown duration, Xie Liangchen suddenly heard her father’s voice and lifted her head to indeed see Xie Shao Yuan.

"Dad, when did you arrive?" Xie Liangchen held Song Xian’s left hand and didn’t move. She wanted to hold onto the edge of the bed with her right hand to stand up but was restrained by Xie Shao Yuan.

Xie Shao Yuan didn’t look at the tightly held hands of Xie Liangchen and Song Xian but softly said, "Be obedient, go change your clothes. For now, let Chang An take care of everything here. If you fall ill, there’s no good doctor nearby to treat General Song."

"Alright." Xie Liangchen responded, yet paused for a while before releasing Song Xian’s hand, letting Xie Shao Yuan help her out of the room.

Clothes were prepared, and the village women even brought hot water. Xie Liangchen absentmindedly changed her clothes and drank medicine to dispel the cold.

Reopening the door, Xie Liangchen invited Xie Shao Yuan into the room.

Father and daughter sat down. Xie Liangchen looked at Xie Shao Yuan: "Father, when I fell into the water, I remembered past events and recalled how I was separated from you and mother."

Xie Liangchen didn’t mention the scene she witnessed of her mother’s murder; saying it would only cause father more sorrow.

After rescuing Song Xian back then, the family boarded a boat to leave, not expecting to encounter Liao people. One of the Liao people, under Xiao Xingzong’s orders, had investigated father. Father preemptively acted, killing the Liao man before he spoke of his identity. Father’s identity wasn’t exposed, but a conflict arose, and the outcome was as expected.

Xie Shao Yuan said, "It was all my fault. I didn’t realize there were other Liao ships nearby besides them. Ultimately, we were outnumbered... I acted first, fearing exposure and more so fearing your mother’s identity would be known by the Liao. In hindsight, maybe it would have been better if they knew early; perhaps then... they wouldn’t have easily killed your mother."

Xie Liangchen shook her head: "Who could predict what happened afterward? Moreover, even if father hadn’t acted, the Liao wouldn’t have spared us; the result would be the same."

Xie Liangchen pursed her lips: "As for mother’s identity, father shouldn’t blame himself. If it were me, I’d rather die than let the Liao know and be captured and used by them."

They were in a hurry to leave back then, so Song Xian didn’t find their location nearby. By the time others were sent to search farther away, the family had long encountered the Liao.

She was saved by Mr. Li; mother severely injured, sank into the sea. Father narrowly escaped, but it took years of recovery to walk again. Later, fearing involvement, father didn’t see her, constantly thinking of avenging Xiao Xingzong.

If only they could have trusted Song Xian to stay back then...

Of course, there is no if. They were mere strangers with a debt of life-saving, knowing nothing of each other’s history.

In the past life, they separated like this, leaving only the Jade Pendant hung around her neck, which when she was about to die, brought Song Xian back twelve years ago.

This could be considered the karma and connection between her and Song Xian, right? If so, Song Xian will surely recover and get through the current predicament.

Xie Liangchen suddenly stopped talking, and Xie Shao Yuan probably knew what his daughter was pondering. He didn’t mention it, knowing it wasn’t the best time to talk about it during her turbulent emotions.

"Miss," Chang An’s voice echoed in the courtyard, "Master seems to be waking up."