I don't know how much time had passed. The thick fog gradually dispersed, and large snowflakes began to flutter down from the sky again.
Yun Xi kept looking back in the direction they had come from. The image of Qi Rong lying in a pool of blood flashed through her mind. She desperately pulled on the reins and shouted at the horse to stop, but it was all in vain.
Seeing the distance between her and Qi Rong growing larger, Yun Xi made up her mind. She took out the hairpin from her head and stabbed it directly into the horse's back.
The horse neighed and reared up, throwing Yun Xi off its back. Yun Xi endured the sharp pain in her body and quickly got up, just managing to avoid being trampled by the horse's hooves.
Yun Xi didn't stop. She limped in Qi Rong's direction.
The fog grew thinner. The pure white snow illuminated the night, making it bright. Even without the moonlight, Yun Xi could still vaguely tell the direction of the road.
As she walked, she constantly saw corpses lying on the ground, and her heart tightened with each one.
At this moment, the sound of fighting had long since disappeared. It seemed as if she was the only one alive between heaven and earth, and everything was deathly silent.
"Qi Rong! Where are you?"
Yun Xi repeatedly checked the corpses on the ground. Her eyes filled with tears. She shouted Qi Rong's name while gasping for breath.
Just thinking that Qi Rong might be dead, her heart felt as if it was splitting open. The fear in her heart made her body sway unsteadily.
"I'm here."
Qi Rong, who had been exhausted and fallen into a deep sleep, managed to muster up the last bit of strength and woke up from the darkness after hearing Yun Xi's cries.
Although those people were all highly skilled in martial arts, they were no match for him.
However, he had been poisoned earlier, so he gradually lost the upper hand. Fortunately, he finally managed to kill them before fainting, thus sparing Yun Xi from danger!
On normal days, Yun Xi would have been most afraid of hearing Qi Rong's voice, but at this moment, tears of joy streamed down her face!
Following the sound, she immediately lifted her skirt and ran over. Seeing Qi Rong, who was leaning against a corpse and on the verge of death, she instantly covered her mouth, and her throat tightened.
"How did you get such serious injuries?"
The snow on the ground had been dyed red with blood. It was hard to tell whether it was from others or Qi Rong.
Yun Xi walked forward and carefully placed Qi Rong's arm on her shoulder, trying to help him up. But Qi Rong helplessly twitched the corner of his mouth, grabbed her hand, and said:
"Didn't I tell you not to come back? Why are you so disobedient?"
"I was afraid something would happen to you." Yun Xi hung her head, and tears kept falling.
Qi Rong sighed, reached out his hand to wipe away her tears, and pressed Yun Xi's head against his chest.
"Where's the horse?"
"It ran away by itself." Yun Xi wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and mumbled.
"Why are you so stupid? Aren't you afraid of seeing such a scene?"
Qi Rong grabbed her bleeding ankle and frowned slightly as he scolded.
Looking at the corpses all over the place, he suddenly remembered the time in the hunting forest when Yun Xi couldn't help but vomit and trembled at the sight of the corpses.
Every time he thought of that, he would even feel a bit regretful. Even though he wanted her to understand the evil in the world, he shouldn't have forced her like that.
Yun Xi shook her head and said firmly:
"As long as it's not you who's dead, I'm not afraid!"
Yun Xi's answer took Qi Rong by surprise. A warm feeling welled up in his heart, and he immediately hugged her even tighter.
Seeing that the snow was falling harder and harder, Qi Rong put his arm around her with one hand and inserted his sword into the ground with the other to support his body as he stood up.
"Let's go. Let's find a place to take shelter from the wind and snow first."
Now, looking around, there was not a single glimmer of light in sight. They didn't know where they were. They could only avoid the blizzard tonight and find another way out when it was dawn.
The two walked for a long time and finally found a cave. There was thick straw spread inside the cave, and there was also a pile of dry branches beside it. It seemed that someone had lived there before.
Qi Rong took out a fire starter, used the straw to start a fire, and skillfully lit the dry branches. The cave instantly became much warmer.
The firelight flickered, illuminating Yun Xi's exhausted little face. Because she had cried so hard before, her eyelids were slightly swollen and her nose was red.
By the light, her small hand groped around Qi Rong's body. Seeing that some of the wounds on his body were still oozing blood, her eyes welled up with tears again.
She lifted her skirt, bit it with her teeth, and tore it into several strips. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she bandaged Qi Rong's wounds, and her vision was blurred by tears.
"Okay, stop bandaging. These wounds won't kill me."
Qi Rong held Yun Xi's hand to stop her movements.
Although he enjoyed the feeling of being cared for by Yun Xi, seeing her pitiful appearance, he couldn't bear to let her be frightened and worried.
"No, I must bandage your wounds as soon as possible!"
Yun Xi sniffled and insisted stubbornly. She was afraid that if Qi Rong's blood dried up, even if they found help tomorrow, it would be too late!
Qi Rong sighed and let her do as she wished. He originally wanted to lean against the stone wall and take a short rest, but unexpectedly, he fell into a deep sleep.
"Qi Rong? Qi Rong!"
After Yun Xi finished bandaging the wounds, she was afraid that Qi Rong would be uncomfortable sitting like this, so she wanted to wake him up and let him lie down on the straw mat. But after calling him twice, Qi Rong didn't respond at all.
Touching his burning forehead, Yun Xi was instantly terrified!
Qi Rong also seemed to have fallen into a nightmare. His brows were tightly knitted, and his face was full of pain. No matter how much Yun Xi called him, he couldn't wake up.
"What should I do?"
Looking at the howling wind and snow outside the cave, Yun Xi was extremely anxious.
She first moved the firewood in the cave to a safe place to make sure it wouldn't cause a fire. Then she took off her black cloak and put it on Qi Rong.
After doing everything, she gritted her teeth and rushed directly into the wind and snow.
Qi Rong's life was hanging by a thread. If he didn't receive treatment soon, he might not even make it through the night!
Against the strong cold wind, Yun Xi tried hard to remember the direction of the cave. But not long after she walked out, she suddenly heard a wolf howl, which made her hair stand on end. She stood still on the spot.
Thinking of Qi Rong, who was alone and unconscious in the cave, she immediately turned around and ran back!
Yun Xi was out of breath from running. She finally let out a sigh of relief when she saw Qi Rong still sleeping in the cave.
After this, Yun Xi dared not leave Qi Rong alone even more.
She walked to Qi Rong's side and touched his forehead. It seemed even hotter than before!
She knew that she mustn't just sit there and wait for death in the cave!
Yun Xi put Qi Rong's arm on her shoulder, gritted her teeth, and tried several times. She also fell down several times. Finally, with her thin and weak body, she managed to support Qi Rong.
The snow was flying, and the north wind was howling. Yun Xi staggered forward in the snow, taking deep and shallow steps. Every time she fell, she would quickly get up again.
She felt as if all the bones in her body were about to shift, but she still gritted her teeth and persevered. Even if she had to kneel or crawl, she never gave up.
Finally, God rewarded her for her perseverance. Just before she was about to faint, she found the door of a hunter's house.
It was the hunter and his wife who came to open the door. After walking in the snow for so long, Yun Xi was exhausted and almost frozen into a snowman. Her teeth were chattering, and she managed to say four words with all her strength:
"Save us..."
Then, her body tilted, and she instantly lost consciousness.