As Chu Lian shivered from the cold, hugging her arms to herself, she began to realise how silly her decision to rush out to look for food was.
The mountain forest in the midst of winter was a desolate place. Piercing cold winds battered her body as they raced through the gaps between the trees, as if nature was trying to steal the last vestiges of warmth away from her. From time to time, the black crows perching on the branches above would caw mockingly in her general direction, sending chills down her spine.
This area was close to the northern border where there was already a lack of natural resources. It was even harder to find food in the winter.
Although Chu Lian knew a little about survival in the wilderness, she had never experienced a terrible environment like this before.
Chu Lian looked into the bleak forest and smiled bitterly to herself. She had really stuck her foot into her mouth. If she had known it would be like this earlier, she wouldn’t have tried to boast about her ability.
However, since she had come out of the cave, she had to give it her best shot. If she was lucky, she might find some pine cones on the ground.
As it turned out, she really wasn’t all that lucky after all, especially when she was around He Sanlang.
He Changdi had been too worried to let Chu Lian go out alone, so he had gone looking for her by following her tracks. However, before he had even found her, he first heard a familiar scream.
He Changdi’s pupils shrunk. He sprinted towards the direction the scream had come from without care for the current state of his body.
When he finally found that troublemaking woman lying helplessly on a pile of fallen leaves not too far away, He Sanlang’s high-strung nerves slowly relaxed again.
However, when he caught sight of the pitiful expression on Chu Lian’s face- like she was trying to stay strong as she struggled with a great amount of pain- a mysterious burst of anger flared up within him.
He clenched his fists and took in a deep breath before he managed to get his rage under control. However, this action made his features look even more chilly.
His long legs carried him over to Chu Lian’s side in a few strides. In an icy voice, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
When Chu Lian heard the sound of footsteps behind her, she turned around in surprise. Her shock at seeing her bearded savior was so great that she nearly forgot her pain as she stuttered, “W-Why did you come out?”
He Sanlang didn’t want to answer her question at all. He lowered his gaze and looked at the right leg she was holding.
Chu Lian was already feeling a little guilty. When he refused to give her a reply and his expression turned even uglier, she followed his line of sight and found out what he was looking at. Chu Lian immediately pulled the hem of her skirt down and tried to give some sort of excuse. “It’s nothing, just an accidental sprain.”
When there was still no hint of a reply from the beardy, Chu Lian couldn’t hold still. She looked up and glanced at him- with that one look, she was scared stiff by the hair-raising frostiness in his eyes. The hand holding her skirt hem down subconsciously loosened.
He Sanlang looked down on her from above. His sharp eyes noticed the flash of red on her leg that had previously been hidden by her light green skirt.
He Changdi’s eyes narrowed and he quickly squatted down. He pulled aside her hands and lifted up the hem. When he saw that her slender right leg had been caught in the jaws of a menacing steel bear trap, the intensity of his gaze could almost light a fire.
“So this is a mere sprain? Well done!” Although his voice was usually magnetic and soothing, it was now coated in icicles, making Chu Lian shiver in fright.
Chu Lian hadn’t expected him to move so quickly. He had also ignored the customary distance between opposite genders and flipped up her skirt just like that!
How could this beardy be so… so horrid!
