MY PRINCE HUSBAND HAS SEVEN WIVES AND I AM HIS FAVOURITE!
Chapter 40: I am not asleep!

Chapter 40: I am not asleep!

Summoning the last reserves of her strength, Hua Jing trudged toward it.

The snow crunched loudly beneath her boots, the sound the only thing breaking the oppressive silence of the wilderness.

When she finally reached the entrance, she let out a relieved sigh.

The cave was small but deep enough to shield them from the wind and snow.

It was far from ideal, but it would have to do.

---

Carefully, Hua Jing knelt and lowered Zhao Yan onto a flat patch of ground inside the cave.

She arranged a few stones in a rough circle, creating a makeshift barrier to keep him off the icy floor.

His weight off her shoulders, she finally allowed herself a moment to breathe.

Her muscles screamed in protest, and her arms felt like jelly.

She rubbed them briskly, trying to bring warmth back to her numb fingers.

---

The cave was pitch dark, and Hua Jing’s unease grew.

If she didn’t find a way to make fire soon, Zhao Yan’s condition would only worsen.

She stood and glanced at the entrance, snow still falling heavily outside.

Finding dry sticks in this weather would be nearly impossible, but she didn’t have a choice.

---

"Alright," she muttered, brushing off her wet dress.

"Stay put, Your Highness. I’ll be back soon."

She stepped out into the snow, her eyes scanning the area for anything she could use.

Despite the biting cold, she forced herself to focus.

Her survival instincts kicked in, memories of filming harsh wilderness scenes in her past life coming to mind.

---

She walked further into the forest, where the canopy of trees provided some respite from the snow.

The ground here was less wet, and she spotted a few sticks scattered among the roots.

Kneeling down, she picked them up one by one, testing their dryness.

They weren’t ideal, but they’d have to do.

---

As she gathered the sticks, her gaze landed on a small patch of green poking through the snow.

Her heart leaped in recognition.

Wintermint!

It was one of the medicinal herbs she had learned about in her original life.

Since she was an actress, they would sometimes film in literal jungles. If they got hurt, wintermint was used to do first aid.

It was quite effective and she knew it would work very fast on the prince!

Its leaves had numbing properties and could help disinfect wounds.

She quickly plucked the plant, careful not to damage the roots.

"Gotcha," she whispered, tucking it into the folds of her dress for safekeeping.

Her luck held as she found a few more patches nearby, adding them to her growing collection.

The wind picked up, and Hua Jing shivered violently as she made her way back to the cave.

When she stepped inside, the relative warmth was a welcome relief.

She knelt beside Zhao Yan, who was still unconscious, his breathing labored.

His mask had shifted slightly, revealing a sliver of his pale skin.

Her heart ached at the sight.

"Alright, Your Highness," she murmured, placing the sticks in the stone circle she had created earlier.

"Let’s get you warmed up."

She fished out a small flintstone from her pocket—a habit she’d picked up after reading survival manuals in her previous life.

With practiced movements, she struck the stone against a piece of metal.

Sparks flew, catching on the driest stick she’d placed in the center.

She blew on it gently, coaxing the flames to grow.

Within minutes, a small fire crackled to life, casting flickering shadows on the cave walls.

The warmth was immediate, and Hua Jing sighed in relief.

She turned her attention to Zhao Yan, carefully removing his outer robe to inspect the wound on his arm.

The gash was deep, the blood now crusted over and staining his sleeve.

She winced as she tore the fabric away, exposing the injury.

"This is going to hurt," she muttered, more to herself than to him.

She crushed the Wintermint leaves between her fingers, releasing their potent scent.

Using some melted snow, she created a paste and applied it gently to the wound.

Zhao Yan stirred slightly, his face contorting in pain even in his unconscious state.

"Sorry, sorry," Hua Jing whispered, her hands trembling as she worked.

Her thoughts raced as she tried to recall every survival tip she’d ever read or seen in her past life.

This wasn’t a costume drama anymore—this was real.

And Zhao Yan’s life depended on her.

Once the paste was applied, she tore another strip from her already ruined dress and wrapped it tightly around his arm.

The bleeding had slowed, but she knew this was only a temporary solution.

They needed to get him to a proper healer as soon as possible.

Hua Jing sat back, her hands covered in blood and herb paste.

She wiped them on the remaining fabric of her dress, staring at Zhao Yan’s peaceful face.

"You owe me for this, Your Highness," she said softly, a small smile tugging at her lips.

The fire crackled beside them, casting a warm glow that contrasted starkly with the icy wilderness outside.

Hua Jing leaned against the cave wall, exhaustion washing over her.

She glanced at Zhao Yan again, his chest rising and falling steadily now.

Her relief was palpable, but the weight of their situation still loomed heavily over her.

The snow outside continued to fall, the wind howling softly as the night deepened.

Hua Jing wrapped her arms around herself, determined to stay awake and keep watch.

She wouldn’t let anything else happen—not tonight.

Not while she was still breathing.

...

Hua Jing wanted to keep watcyh the whole night but she was very tired from all the fighting as well so she could not stop the fatigue that was creeping in.

The warmth from the fire made her lethargic and the more she stared at it the dizzier she became.

She tried to open her eyes but they were very heavy,

"I...am...not asleep! I am not....Zzzzzz!"

Before she even finished her sentence, she was already long gone into deep slumber!