The barbarians, taking advantage of their numbers, did not waste a word with us.
Just as their leader was about to strike with his sword, he pulled out a grey object from his sleeve with his left hand and threw it at us.
The dust was as fine as smoke, and Xiao Jingheng immediately shouted, "It's a smoke bomb! Hold your breath!"
But in my panic, I was already breathing heavily. How could I hold my breath?
I watched as the smoke quickly enveloped me, and then I knew no more.
When I woke up, I found myself lying in my boudoir, with Ying Xiang and the others watching over me.
Seeing me awake, they all started talking at once. My head was pounding as if something was burning inside my brain.
I pressed hard on my temples, and as the pain lessened slightly, images from before I passed out flashed across my mind.
The barbarians were fierce, and now I was safe at home. What about Xiao Jingheng?
I quickly asked Ying Xiang, "Did the third prince bring me back?"
Ying Xiang choked out, "Yes...but it scared me to death!"
"Where is he? How is he? Is he hurt?"
I threw out several questions in a row, but Ying Xiang started to evade, "Miss, you've been unconscious for a day. You must be hungry. Let me get you some of your favorite food..."
I knew she was hiding something from me, and my heart sank. So I forced myself to get up and said, "If you won't tell me, I'll go find him."
Ying Xiang couldn't argue with me. While trying to stop me, she finally admitted, "The third prince is not in life-threatening danger, but he is indeed injured...his body was covered in blood when he brought you back..."
Hearing this, I became even more anxious and insisted on going to his house to check on him, despite Ying Xiang's attempts to stop me.
Stumbling along the way, I finally saw him.
When I arrived, I saw his right arm tightly bandaged and elevated, with fresh blood seeping out from the bandages.
He was pale and looked very weak, indicating that his injuries were serious.
Despite this, when he saw me, his face showed concern.
"Miss Ning, why are you here? The smoke bomb is quite potent. You should rest more..."
"I know you were seriously injured saving me. If I can still rest peacefully at home, then I am not worthy to be my father's daughter."
I sat on a small stool by his window and asked him about his injuries.
He kept saying it was just a minor injury and nothing serious, but I could see that every tiny movement seemed to cause him intense pain.
He tried his best to hide it, but the barely noticeable twitching of his eyebrows didn't escape my eyes.
I was worried about his condition, but he kept trying to reassure me.
He told me, "I didn't tell your father and mother about this. Firstly, General Ning is on a campaign. If he knows you are in danger, he will be distracted. This is a major taboo on the battlefield and could be disastrous."
"As for Lady Ning...after all, she's a woman, and I'm afraid it would scare her. But don't worry, Miss Ning. I have already dispatched my personal soldiers to guard the Ning residence day and night. We also captured a live barbarian from the attackers that day and are interrogating them for the whereabouts of the rest. I believe there won't be any more trouble for the time being."
He was eager to explain things to me, his emotions slightly stirred, causing the blood from his wounds to flow more fiercely.
I remembered that the imperial court had once rewarded my father with a top-grade gold wound medicine that could stop bleeding and alleviate pain. So, I settled him down to rest and hurriedly returned home to fetch it for him.
Halfway back to my residence, I saw a crowd gathered in the distance, apparently watching some spectacle.
As I passed by, I couldn't help but look. A richly dressed woman was publicly pushing and scolding a girl in the street.
The woman had a harsh and cruel face, fiercely pointing at the girl and shouting:
"You illegitimate wretch! You and your mother are both dirty thieves! Hand over the silver!"
Upon closer inspection, the girl seemed to be four or five years younger than me. Her small face was still childlike. Despite her simple attire, it was clear that she was a remarkably pretty girl.
At this moment, her small hand was tightly clenched into a fist, gripping a money pouch.
No matter how forcefully the woman tried to snatch it, she refused to let go.
Annoyed by the tussle, the girl pushed the woman away. Her beautiful eyes were ablaze as she indignantly said:
"This is the silver my mother left me! Yun Shan has been running a high fever for days, and you wouldn't get her a doctor. I'm using my own silver to hire a physician. What's wrong with that?!"
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