Assistance

Xi Cui's brow twitched. Without a second thought, she rushed forward and grabbed Wu Huaifei's wrist, barking: "Hold on tight!"

Though she was strong, pulling a person up was still quite exhausting.

A burning pain spread across her body; her skin had likely been scraped by the gravel on the ground.

Xi Cui dared not let go, only able to grit her teeth and hold on.

Wu Huaifei also tried her best to cooperate with her movements.

It took immense effort to finally pull Wu Huaifei up.

Her entire body was limp, trembling uncontrollably. Xi Cui helped her sit down and asked, "Where are you hurt?"

Wu Huaifei lowered her head and said, "My palms."

By now, Xi Cui's eyes had adapted to the darkness.

She looked down; Wu Huaifei's palms had likely been cut open by the sharp rocks.

They felt warm to the touch, with quite a bit of blood flowing.

Xi Cui frowned, untied the belt from her waist, lifted her hand, and wrapped it around several times.

She had just changed into these clothes today, so they were quite clean, and since there were no bandages around to bind the wound, she had to make do.

If she did not wrap it, she was slightly worried that the scent of blood might attract wild beasts.

Wu Huaifei seemed slightly uncomfortable, her fingers tightening slightly as she wanted to pull back, her heart pounding and her face burning hot.

It was just that Xi Cui did not notice.

Wu Huaifei had taken a nasty fall. With this painful lesson, Xi Cui dared not wander around to scout anymore.

She had seen earlier that they could not find the way out, so it was best to honestly stay put.

Two people waited in silence for a moment, when Wu Huaifei suddenly asked, "Gao Qian, are you cold?"

"You wear it, I am not cold."

The young maiden beside her seemed to think of something. She hesitantly touched Xi Cui, pulling half of the outer robe over her.

Xi Cui looked over in surprise.

Wu Huaifei lowered her eyelashes, obediently staring at her own feet, focusing on them as if there were something beautiful there.

The two of them sat in the darkness, sharing a single robe, quietly waiting for a long time.

Finally, faint candlelight appeared in the forest.

Branches and bushes were pushed aside, and someone carrying a lantern, stepping on dry branches and fallen leaves, finally found them.

"So you were here, we've been searching for a long time." The leading monk breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing them.

Wu Huaifei returned the clothes to Xi Cui, wanting to stand up.

But her leg injury had worsened, and she suddenly could not stand firmly. Xi Cui was about to support her, but someone beat her to it.

It was Wei Dansheng.

He carried a lantern, having joined the search party.

After returning from Zen Master Shan's place and finding no sign of Xi Cui and Wu Huaifei, he had gathered several people with lanterns to search along the mountain path.

Wei Dansheng stared unblinkingly at Wu Huaifei, his expression unreadable.

The candlelight from the lantern illuminated the young maiden; her figure was delicate, she could not stand firmly, and her face was pale from the cold.

Xi Cui: "Young Monk Wei."

Wei Dansheng seemed not to see her, passing right by her to walk straight to Wu Huaifei.

He extended a hand toward Wu Huaifei: "Lady Wu?"

Supported by Wei Dansheng, Wu Huaifei stood up, feeling an inexplicable discomfort.

Sensing her resistance, the elegant monk let go of his hand.

"Can you stand firmly?" Wei Dansheng asked.

"I am fine."

The moment Wei Dansheng let her go, Wu Huaifei breathed a sigh of relief.

She could tell that the young monk had feelings for her. It was just that he was a monk, and she had no other thoughts about him.

It wasn't that no one had expressed affection for her before. During her years of practicing medicine, she had met many people and had been admired by many young men. It was just that none of them were like this Young Monk Wei.

This Young Monk Wei acted with such propriety that one could not find fault with him.

It made it impossible for her to reject him outright, yet subtle hints did not work either.

She could not accept his feelings, only feeling troubled by them.

Hui Ru patted his chest and laughed: "You scared me to death. There are many wild wolves on this mountain. Benefactor Gao and Doctor Wu, please do not wander so far next time!"

"Speaking of which, why did you come here today, Benefactor?"

Xi Cui said vaguely, "I just saw that the scenery was beautiful, and walked with Lady Wu, losing track of time, so we ventured deeper and deeper."

Hearing Xi Cui praise the scenery of Kongshan Temple, the young novice Hui Ru felt a bit proud and smiled: "You can view it anytime, but next time you want to, remember to choose the morning."

Having finally found the two, the group retraced their steps.

However, Wu Huaifei was injured and seemed unable to walk.

To everyone's surprise, Wei Dansheng squatted down and directly scooped her into his arms.

Before Wu Huaifei could react, she was already held in his embrace.

"Young Monk!"

"Martial Uncle!"

She and Hui Ru cried out in surprise simultaneously.

Wu Huaifei's face flushed with embarrassment, and she quickly glanced at Xi Cui before lowering her eyes: "Young Monk Wei, please put me down. My leg is fine, I can still walk..."

Wei Dansheng's expression remained unchanged, his voice gentle: "I was the one who invited you here, and today you were injured because of my poor hospitality. It is my fault. Let me act as your beast of burden to alleviate some of my transgressions."

Wu Huaifei: "But... this... is improper after all."

Wei Dansheng remained as gentle as ever, his steps not slowing or hesitating in the slightest: "I am a monk, what is there for you to fear?"

"Young Monk, your leg..."

"I have been used to it for many years, it is fine."

Hui Ru widened his eyes: "Martial Uncle, what Lady Wu says is not without reason."

Wei Dansheng cast a faint glance at him: "Hui Ru, you are attached."

At this glance, the young monk Hui Ru shivered, quickly lowering his eyes and chanting the Buddha's name.