The lock clicked clearly. The door opened. Xyliana lifted her foot and stepped over the threshold, walking outside.
She saw a wide river stretching before her. A gentle breeze blew, causing the reeds by the riverbank to sway and bend. They seemed to welcome the little visitor.
In the distance, a few water birds flew across the surface, focused on catching fish below. Nearby, Mount Qinghua stood tall and majestic. Clouds floated past, surrounded by mist.
The mountain's reflection on the river matched the sky, looking like a fairyland from afar. Xyliana did not expect such a scene hidden behind her own courtyard. She was momentarily enchanted by the beautiful view.
Suddenly, a water bird flew out from the reeds, flapping its wings hard to take off, stirring waves on the water. Xyliana followed the sound and saw the green shadows moving with the wind, rippling over the river. Looking deeper into the reeds, she thought she saw a figure.
The breeze carried the fresh scent of the reeds. The thick reeds parted gently as the wind stirred, like layers of beautiful clothing being lifted. It seemed to invite Xyliana to come closer and explore.
She stood up and slowly walked deeper into the reeds, step by step. Her heart beat strongly, thumping loudly. For some reason, Xyliana felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
A scene flashed through her mind. She seemed to have seen it before. "What was it?"
The image appeared only briefly and then disappeared. She tried hard to hold onto it but failed. Suddenly, her head ached sharply.
Her vision blurred around the edges. Xyliana shook her head hard, stood still for a moment, and the scene slowly became clear again. Ignoring everything else, she immediately walked toward the deep reeds.
Inside, a tall figure lay quietly in the center of the reeds. The surrounding reeds swayed with the wind, their green shadows moving over the man, giving him an almost ethereal look. Xyliana dared to enter the reeds and looked closely.
This was the same slave she had met on the official road in the cage. Hadn't all of them escaped? How was he here? She frowned, puzzled.
The man's condition looked worse than the first time she saw him. His clothes were torn and dirty, beyond recognition. Even a beggar would look better.
His exposed skin was covered with old whip scars and dried blood. Some wounds were fresh, bleeding and stuck to his ragged clothes. "These traffickers are truly cruel."
Xyliana felt anger rise inside her. She hurried forward and pushed aside the man's straw-like hair. Ignoring his dirty face, she reached out to check under his nose.
A faint breath came through. She relaxed, "Still alive." Suddenly, she remembered the soft, weak lower body she had seen in the cage.
She reached out and touched the man's bent leg. The bones had healed, but the muscles and tendons still needed time. "If he does not rest properly now, this leg will not recover."
Looking at the man's wounded, weak body and shallow breath, Xyliana felt a strange emotion swell inside her. A sharp pain shot through her forehead. Broken images flashed in front of her eyes.
"Stop them. Stop!"
In a sky full of flames, a woman struggled to stand. She grabbed the man's sleeve, trembling and desperate.
"I will go with you. I will go with you! Please make them stop!"
Her eyes were full of shock and despair.
Arrows rained down like a storm, aiming at the man.
She reached out and pressed her temple, resting for a moment as the pain slowly eased. What was going on recently? Who was that woman?
Thinking about the strange, broken images, Xyliana felt confused. A breeze brushed past, bringing her back to her senses.
Looking at the man unconscious before her and recalling those clear brown eyes in the cage carriage, Xyliana made up her mind. She stood and walked toward the backyard.
She took a brand-new sheet from the wardrobe in the side room and cut two long, thin strips of cloth from it. Holding the sheet and strips, she went to the kitchen to find some branches she had folded while gathering herbs on the mountain. Then she headed to the backyard.
With quick movements, she used the branches to fix the man's legs in place and spread the sheet on the ground. From behind, she lifted the man's arms and used all her strength to move him onto the sheet.
Wiping sweat from her forehead, she sat down to rest for a moment. Then she stood up and tied the strips tightly under the sheet.
Seeing his legs now protected, Xyliana felt a little relieved. She grabbed the other end of the sheet and, using all her strength, dragged the man toward the backyard.
"You don't look strong, but you're surprisingly heavy." Xyliana panted heavily, sweat dripping from her forehead, murmuring to herself. She roughly wiped her face and continued dragging the man.
Though she heard from the street that those people had already left, she was still worried. It was better to move him inside quickly. Even though no neighbors lived nearby, Xyliana wasn't sure if passersby might come by.
If someone saw him, it would be hard to explain. After great effort, she finally moved him into the side room on the west side.
She collapsed on a stool and poured herself some tea. The cold tea soothed her dry throat with its slight fragrance. Only now did Xyliana feel a bit better.
The sky was filled with fiery clouds as the sun set in the west. The delicate courtyard looked as if wrapped in a layer of red silk, extremely beautiful. Though the view was nice, Xyliana didn't have time to enjoy it.
Looking at the burning clouds, she rested a little longer and then went to the kitchen to boil some water. Carrying a bucket of warm water, she went back inside.
By the bedside, Xyliana picked up scissors and carefully cut away the man's torn clothes. Her eyes stayed fixed on him, moving carefully so she would not accidentally hurt him.
Suddenly, a flash of green caught her eye. She picked it up and looked closely. It was a jade pendant, bright green and finely made.
The pendant had a beautiful ornament hanging below, with a large, shining pearl, clear and pure. Below the pearl hung an elegant green tassel that shimmered under the light, mixed with gold threads. It was truly very exquisite.
She wiped the pendant carefully and placed it by the man's pillow. Her small hands continued to work carefully.
"…Why are there so many wounds?" Looking at the heavily injured man, Xyliana's face showed pain as she whispered.
"How much abuse did this person suffer?" Old wounds that hadn't healed were covered by new ones, densely scattered all over his body. His skin was broken open, bloody, and stuck to his clothes.
Xyliana had to slowly cut away the clothes piece by piece. The man on the bed clenched his teeth and frowned, clearly in great pain.
"Hey, please bear with it. I... this is my first time treating such complicated wounds..." Xyliana spoke softly, her hands more careful, not daring to be careless.
After a long time, she finally finished removing all the upper clothes. She took a cloth and wiped carefully, avoiding the wounds. Then she applied medicine and started bandaging.
"Luckily, a few days ago, I gathered some extra herbs and made some ointment for external wounds. I prepared it in case I got hurt going up the mountain. Now it's all for you."
Looking at the nearly finished medicine, Xyliana felt sorry for the man on the bed. "Well, I'll make more when I have time... I just don't know how effective this is yet...
I guess I need to study the formula more..." She put the medicine bottle on the table and muttered to herself.
Turning to look at the bed, Xyliana felt troubled. The wounds on the upper body were treated, but...