Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 34 Saving People

Chapter 34: Chapter 34 Saving People

Zheng Nianru nervously clutched Xing Yu’s sleeve, stepping back.

"Xing Yu, shall we go back?" Zheng Nianru did not want to take risks, not feeling at all dishonored by her inconsistency. She did not expect to rescue anyone from this place and thought it very likely that she herself might end up in danger.

Xing Yu nodded as well, and the two of them slowly retreated. Suddenly, there was another noise from inside the cave, which made Zheng Nianru’s legs give out, and she slipped. Xing Yu hurriedly reached out to help her.

"Commandery Princess, are you all right?" Xing Yu checked Zheng Nianru’s ankle. Nanny Yun had just brought back a handful of firewood when she saw Zheng Nianru fall and hurried over, about to scold someone, but Xing Yu quickly covered Nanny Yun’s mouth and pointed to the cave.

"How can there be someone? Go and take a look, Xing Yu." The Commandery Princess had sneaked out; it would be troublesome if they were discovered.

Xing Yu looked at Zheng Nianru, who also nodded. Since the matter was already in front of them, there was no longer reason to be afraid.

Xing Yu crept back once more, parting the grass at the entrance of the cave. The shadow inside was still motionless, its breath extremely faint.

"Is it dead?"

Zheng Nianru nodded in agreement. The three of them, taking bigger steps and gaining courage, approached the cave entrance. Seeing that their loud noises did not prompt the figure on the ground to lift its head, Zheng Nianru became even less afraid.

"Xing Yu, go and take a closer look," said Zheng Nianru. As they pushed aside the grass at the entrance, light shone into the cave, and Zheng Nianru saw a vague figure lying prone, not in royal garments. Could it be a villager from the mountains?

That seemed unlikely, for the mountains near the Traveling Palace were within the Royal Family’s hunting grounds, heavily guarded. Outsiders couldn’t easily trespass. The shadowy figure was very tall and extremely thin.

"Commandery Princess, he’s alive," Xing Yu called out, having already turned the person over with a stick. His face was so black it was hard to make out his features, yet his nose was distinctly high-bridged, the outlines of his lips clear.

"Commandery Princess, should we save him?" Xing Yu hesitated, looking at the man, feeling somewhat that the air around him was different.

"Oh no, a snake—" Nanny Yun suddenly screamed, pulling Zheng Nianru to leave.

"Nanny Yun, it’s a dead one." Zheng Nianru also saw the snake, limp; it must have been long dead.

"We can’t save him, let’s go," sighed Zheng Nianru. The snake was brightly colored, clearly very poisonous.

"What a waste of such a good physique, if this lad could be saved and tossed into the Art Workshop, he’d be a fine addition." Nanny Yun clicked her tongue regretfully but knew no antidote. After lamenting briefly, she urged Xing Yu to leave quickly.

"Are we still going to cook that fish?" There was a dying man here, which felt quite ominous. Should they take it back and cook it? It wouldn’t be too much trouble.

Zheng Nianru had just turned when suddenly, the shadowy figure behind her rolled over, and with a clang, several stones rolled out from the cave, falling to lower ground and producing a hollow sound.

"Commandery Princess, should we carry him out for a look?" See if he could be saved, perhaps...

Zheng Nianru somewhat disagreed. Could just saving a person result in rescuing an extraordinary individual who could then save her from a disaster? Zheng Nianru was past the age for such unrealistic fantasies and did not possess so much compassion.

"What if he’s saved then?" Zheng Nianru retorted. Could they even bring a man back to the palace?

"If he survives, clean him up and take him back to the palace. It’s better than letting him die, and he can help with cleaning or something," Nanny Yun muttered. Leaving someone like this did feel somewhat immoral. She figured they should just take another look, and if he couldn’t be revived, then so be it.

Upon seeing the two of them, Zheng Nianru thought they were about to rescue the boy. In fact, Xing Yu had already started inspecting the boy’s body, trying to determine where the poisonous snake had bitten him.

"Commandery Princess, look," Xing Yu exclaimed, having pulled open the man’s garments. They could see the man’s entire back was covered with black dots...

Zheng Nianru and Nanny Yun looked closely, only to realize those weren’t just black dots, but moles. Large and small, the moles were irregularly scattered yet seemingly arranged according to some pattern across the entire back. With his exceedingly pale skin contrasting against the dark moles, it sent shivers at first glance. Upon closer inspection, Zheng Nianru fell into contemplation, those black moles giving her an indescribable sensation.

It was as if facing a starry sky—these moles resembled the stars of various sizes in the night, profound and peaceful.

"Check the wound quickly," Nanny Yun interrupted Zheng Nianru’s contemplation, pulling up the boy’s sleeve to reveal two clear bite marks on his wrist, yet not a hint of swelling was present.

"See if there are bites elsewhere," Zheng Nianru suddenly found the motivation to rescue the boy, and Xing Yu began to tug at the boy’s trousers.

"Commandery Princess, that..." Xing Yu’s hand was suddenly gripped tightly by the boy, instantly causing the air to fill with tension.

"Don’t touch—" the boy spat out two words, his tone strong and brows furrowed as if enduring immense pain.

"It’s alright, it’s alright, look, he still has the strength to talk; he should be saveable," Nanny Yun immediately sighed in relief. It was unclear how long he had been bitten, but being able to speak meant the snake wasn’t as venomous as they had feared, so she began to fasten a tourniquet around the boy’s bitten wrist with a rope.

Xing Yu tried to break away, but the boy’s grip was so firm, and his strength so great, that Xing Yu started to get angry.

Zheng Nianru directly took the matter into her own hands, moving to undo the boy’s pants herself.

"Stop," the boy, now furious, struggled.

Zheng Nianru watched him coldly. Did he not want to be saved, or did he merely not want to be touched?

"But your life is what’s important," Zheng Nianru said coldly. The snake was wrapped around the boy’s thigh, and though it was dead, Zheng Nianru dared not touch it with her own hands, nor did she wish to dirty her clothes. Using the boy’s own clothing to remove it seemed most appropriate.

The boy became increasingly aware of Zheng Nianru’s actions, releasing Xing Yu’s hand to grab at Zheng Nianru. How could Xing Yu let him reach her? She grabbed hold of the boy’s hand, allowing Zheng Nianru to realize that despite being filthy, the boy had delicate skin and seemed younger than she had imagined.

"Is he just a child?" Nanny Yun also noticed. "Oh dear—"

But then, suddenly exerting his strength, the boy flipped Nanny Yun over, and as Xing Yu increased her grip, the boy’s strength proved even greater, trapping Xing Yu in an impasse with just one hand.

"We’re done for, done for. We’re trying to save you, and this is the thanks we get," Nanny Yun cursed as she crawled to her feet, moving to help Xing Yu.

But the boy’s strength was greater than they had anticipated. At that moment, he forcibly pulled himself up, managing to overpower both Xing Yu and Nanny Yun and even reaching out to grab Zheng Nianru.

Xing Yu immediately pounced to prevent him from touching Zheng Nianru. The boy then began to furiously kick out. Although the force of his kicks was misdirected, it was enough to enrage Zheng Nianru, who grasped the boy’s pants and wrapped them around his legs, challenging, "Let’s see how you kick now."

The boy stiffened instantly, and in the next moment seemed to realize something, letting out a growl of extreme restraint from his throat. Xing Yu and Nanny Yun were sent flying in an instant, with Xing Yu hitting her head on a rock, dazed, and Nanny Yun tumbling several times without being able to get up. The boy’s eyes suddenly snapped open, and Zheng Nianru immediately realized the danger she was now in.

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