Meng Jun thought for a moment, assuming he was awed by Li Ruantang’s previous reputation, and happily curled his lips, “A’Ning, have you also heard of her battle achievements?”

“…Yes.”

Hu Youning responded softly. He had previously speculated about Li Ruantang’s possible identity, but he never imagined that she would be that legendary “merciless killer, bloodthirsty” female general.

With this realization, he finally understood why Jiu Jiu had said that Lady Li had changed a lot after being injured. He also understood why Jiu Jiu would not favor the ideal wife-master in front of him, but instead risk ruining his reputation to keep Elder Sister Wei in his heart.

The young man’s comforting voice was still in his ears.

Hu Youning didn’t hear anything, his heart was already in turmoil, and he secretly cursed fate for toying with him. If he had known Li Ruantang’s identity earlier, he probably wouldn’t have resorted to this risky trick of feigning injury.

Even if Lady Li was much gentler now, a leopard can’t change its spots. If she were to go wild in the future…

Hu Youning couldn’t help but shudder, thinking back to how she had beaten Fu Lanxian that day, he felt even more regretful.

After all, the best way to subdue a ruffian is to be more vicious, more fierce, and more ruthless than them.

The pill in his palm rolled into the deeper cracks between the rocks. Hu Youning took several deep breaths and looked quite sympathetically at the young man who was still tapping and knocking around the big rock, trying to find a way out.

“Jiu Jiu, let me help you.” Hu Youning stood up, supporting himself against the cave wall, but before he could get close.

Meng Jun urgently waved his hand at him, “A’Ning, you just rest. I’m just looking around casually.”

“I’m much better.” Hu Youning moved his body and smiled at the worried-looking Jiu Jiu, “Look, nothing’s wrong with me now, right?”

“Besides, I grew up in these mountains since I was little, so my body is quite a bit stronger than the average young man.” Hu Youning stood with Meng Jun, and they worked together to push the rock blocking their way. Despite their faces turning red with effort, the rock still didn’t budge.

“This is too heavy!” The exhausted young man sat down on the ground, looking a bit dejected.

Wuu, if he couldn’t get out, who would detoxify Li Ruantang in the future?

And also—

Meng Jun paused for a moment, then quietly asked Hu Youning who was also resting, “A’Ning, have you ever read in novels about some women accidentally getting poisoned?”

“Poisoned?” Hu Youning was stunned, and after a while, he suddenly realized, “You mean the kind that needs a young man to detoxify?”

The young man nodded shyly.

“I have read about it.”

“Then…” Meng Jun pondered for a moment, then asked seriously, “Can this kind of poison only be detoxified by one young man?”

“One?”

Hu Youning didn’t quite understand why Jiu Jiu suddenly brought up the topic of poisoning at a time like this, and such a sensual plot at that.

He answered, feeling a bit confused, “I’m not too sure about the specifics, but I’ve seen some novels write that this kind of poison can be detoxified by different young men.”

“Jiu Jiu, you—”

The unfinished words stopped abruptly when he saw the young man’s lowered head. Hu Youning fell silent awkwardly.

Meng Jun had thought about this issue before, but he always felt that this method of detoxification shouldn’t involve other people.

But now, if this rock couldn’t be moved. If he couldn’t get out, there was no reason to let Li Ruantang wait outside being tormented by the strange poison.

Just thinking about other young men being intimate with her, the young man’s heart felt as if it had been soaked in a large vat of aged vinegar, unbearably sour.

No way!

He couldn’t continue to stay here. If he tried hard enough, he might be able to find another way out.

Meng Jun clenched his fists silently. The young man who had just been dejected was suddenly full of fighting spirit again. He got up and started tapping and knocking on the cave walls around them. As he was busy with this, a series of hurried footsteps came from far to near.

A familiar voice, also urgent, called out to the people trapped inside: “Jiu Jiu?!”

“Eh? Wife-master!”

The young man’s face immediately broke into a smile. He took a few quick steps closer to the rock and tilted his head to wave at Li Ruantang outside, “Wife-master, I’m here! A’Ning is here too!”

Seeing that Jiu Jiu was unharmed, Li Ruantang’s anxious heart finally relaxed a bit.

She carefully inquired about the situation inside, and having an idea in mind, she softened her voice and said, “Jiu Jiu, in a moment, you and Young Master Hu just stand far away. This rock isn’t completely blocking the way. Although it will take some effort, we’ll definitely be able to rescue all of you.”

“Don’t be afraid.”

“Mm.”

The young man nodded vigorously, afraid that Li Ruantang couldn’t see clearly.

There was clearly still a smile on his face, but when he heard Li Ruantang say “Don’t be afraid”, his eyes inexplicably started to sting, and even his clear voice began to choke up, “Wuu, but wife-master, why did you take so long to come?”

The young man was extremely aggrieved, tears falling like unstrung pearls, dropping continuously.

Li Ruantang’s heart tightened, and she was about to gently comfort her young husband again. Behind her, the footsteps of Wei Dan and others gradually approached.

“Young Miss.”

Upon hearing this address, Meng Jun, who had just been heartbroken, suddenly became much more alert. He hurriedly hid behind the rock, feeling uneasy.

Oh no, when did Wei Dan arrive?

Had Li Ruantang regained her memory? The young man’s mind was filled with various speculations, which he then quickly dismissed one by one.

Wife-master was still very gentle just now, not fierce at all.

Meng Jun’s expression alternated between serious and melancholic, especially as he still occasionally let out a sob or two.

This scene made Hu Youning’s expression grow increasingly grave. Although he hadn’t heard clearly what they had just said, from what he knew, Jiu Jiu was definitely not a crybaby, it must be that Lady Li had shown her true colors and been fierce to Jiu Jiu.

He became even more determined to stay away from this notoriously fierce female general, silently adjusting his clothes from head to toe, even tightening his collar so that not a hint of extra skin could be seen.

By the time he finished doing this, the footsteps in the pit were getting more numerous. Soon, a long vine was passed through the crevice.

Li Ruantang patiently instructed Jiu Jiu inside to pass the vine through different positions. When she had come down earlier, she had already preliminarily surveyed the terrain here. Although this rock was blocking the innermost part, this was the highest and narrowest part of the entire pit. If the pulling could be done properly, the rescue would not be a problem.

Wei Dan directed the other women in black to pull the vine.

Li Ruantang signaled Jiu Jiu and Hu Youning to hide as far away as possible. She looked up towards the top of the pit. The mountain here had shifted severely, and if they delayed any longer, there might be endless troubles.

Fortunately, while the two young men couldn’t move the rock much, it wasn’t difficult for several women working together. Plus, the terrain was advantageous. With a rumbling sound, the rock smashed hard into the cave wall where Meng Jun and the other had fallen, actually becoming a natural stepping stone.

Although the two young men inside were frightened, they could still walk and move.

Li Ruantang signaled Wei Dan to lead the way in front, while she brought up the rear. Just as the group had climbed out of the pit, there was another rumbling sound. A strong smell of earth spread from deep in the pit. Hu Sanniang and others standing on the ground could see the ground collapsing not far away.

Everyone felt a lingering fear. Especially Zhou Fulang, who was now holding Hu Youning’s hand and glancing at the frost-colored outer garment that covered him particularly tightly, feeling somewhat confused.

“Sanniang, we shouldn’t stay here long.”

After quickly checking the young man’s hands and feet, Li Ruantang took the cloak handed over by Wei Dan and carefully fastened it for Jiu Jiu. She turned her head and instructed, “I’m afraid we won’t be able to get out of Long Gully today. In a while, you all follow Sanniang to find a safe place ahead, light a fire, and look for some wild game.”

She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but Li Ruantang felt that ever since Jiu Jiu had come out of the pit, he had been hanging his head, so quiet that even his breathing seemed weaker.

“Yes.” Wei Dan was loyal. If Li Ruantang was good to someone, she would naturally serve them even more attentively and meticulously.

But at the moment, she didn’t know how to address Meng Jun. If she followed the usual practice and directly addressed him as ‘Young Master’, it wouldn’t be difficult, but Meng Jun’s repeated calls of “wife-master” clearly showed that he had a close relationship with her Young Miss.

If she directly addressed him as ‘Young Lord’, it would involve Meng Jun’s reputation.

Wei Dan’s mind was in a knot as she thought about it, but fortunately, Meng Jun never opened his mouth to instruct anything, so she breathed a sigh of relief. She raised her toes and followed Li Ruantang’s instructions to go with Hu Sanniang to make arrangements.

Along the way, she left her marks.

Li Ruantang led the group of young men. Although their pace was slower, there were no more mishaps.

Now the sunset was fading, and the chill in the mountains was rising sharply.

Three bonfires, neither too far nor too close.

After everyone had settled down, Zhou Fulang finally found a moment to secretly ask Hu Youning about what happened in the pit.

“Father, I’ve thought it all through. Actually, she and I—”

As he spoke, those naturally smiling eyes slightly stiffened, lowering as if in relief, “Perhaps I only saw her current appearance. Her past, I can’t bear it, nor do I dare to think too much about it. She and I, it was just an illusion.”

“An illusion?!” Zhou Fulang frowned slightly, “Well, since you’ve come to your senses, let’s put an end to this matter.”

In any case, Li Ruantang hadn’t investigated the recent accident in detail. Zhou Fulang and Hu Sanniang, who had returned after distributing food, silently exchanged glances and fell into a knowing silence.

The night was windy, and even with the bonfire for warmth, Hu Youning had trouble sleeping.

Wei Dan and the others by the other bonfire had long since leaned against tree trunks to rest with their eyes closed. He quietly got up, curiously peering towards the nearby place where there was still some noise.

Over there, the leaping flames of the fire were still dancing merrily in the wind.

The young man nestled in Li Ruantang’s arms was pitifully extending his wrist, “Wife-master, look, here, it’s all red from the fall.”

Long fingers pointed one by one at the reddened wrist, and Li Ruantang felt more guilt. She paused, gently blowing on it.

The young woman in front of him had her brows drawn and a solemn expression, her lowered eyelashes like little fans, making Meng Jun’s heart itch.

Although they had been intimate during the day, strictly speaking, it was just a touch of the lips, far short of the time needed for detoxification.

Those beautiful phoenix eyes blinked slightly, glancing at the jade plate hanging in the sky.

It’s already night so quickly!

The tips of the young man’s ears quietly turned red, and his heart rejoiced a bit more. Before setting out today, he had specially put the handkerchief that Li Ruantang always carried into his own small bundle.

This way, he should be able to directly be intimate with her to detoxify.

But there were still others around, and although there were trees blocking the view, the young man still felt a bit uncomfortable.

He awkwardly reached out to point at his own lips, finding an excuse, “Wife-master, I… it hurts here too, can you blow on it for me?”

“…Just once is fine.”

As long as she came close, the young man secretly curled his fingers and made up his mind, he would immediately embrace her and take the opportunity to clear all the remaining poison!

The wood thrown into the bonfire crackled loudly as it burned.

Li Ruantang was startled by his words, her apricot eyes falling very complexly on the handsome face before her, which was obviously extremely nervous.

The young man’s thin lips were soft and warm, tasting even sweeter and more delicious. Li Ruantang knew this very clearly. She pretended to be serious and lowered her brows to look at Jiu Jiu, who indeed became even more flustered.

But even so, the young man didn’t pull his head back, still staring up at her blankly.

Li Ruantang held back a laugh, “Here?”

“Mm-hmm.”

The young man kneeling in front of Li Ruantang nodded repeatedly, and fearing that Li Ruantang wouldn’t believe him, he hurriedly explained in a fluster, “This, this also got hurt in the fall!”