A Moment of Understanding
At the bottom of the cliff, TanTan lay unconscious on the ground, with Prince Li sprawled on top of her.
A few minutes later, TanTan slowly regained consciousness. She felt an unbearable weight pressing down on her body. When she looked up, she realized that they had fallen into a hollow beneath the cliff.
First we fell off a cliff, and now we've landed in a hole? Great!
No wonder every part of her body ached.
She could also feel the warmth of Prince Li's body against hers. As a young woman, she found their position extremely uncomfortable.
"Get off me..."
She pushed Prince Li away. He let out a soft groan.
TanTan then noticed a dagger embedded in his left shoulder. She immediately regretted pushing him.
Right... He was stabbed because he protected me.
She wasn't sure whether she should pull the dagger out or leave it where it was. She remembered seeing something similar in movies, where an injured character would pull out the weapon before receiving treatment.
But this wasn't a movie. Was pulling it out really the right thing to do?
While TanTan was still hesitating, Prince Li grabbed her hand and spoke weakly.
"Pull... pull it out... Be... careful... It's... it's poisonous... Urgh!"
Prince Li could already feel the poison taking effect. The weakness was spreading through his body much faster than he had expected.
He's been poisoned!!!
TanTan remembered her school days as a Girl Scout. She had once learned how to handle poisonous snakebites, but a poisoned dagger was a different matter, wasn't it?
Gulp.
Taking a deep breath, TanTan carefully but quickly pulled out the dagger.
"Arghhh!"
Fresh, dark blood flowed from Prince Li's shoulder.
TanTan immediately pulled open the shoulder of his robe to examine the wound.
"Wha... What are you doing...?" Prince Li asked in surprise, but he was too weak to stop her.
"Calm down. You need to stay calm so the poison doesn't spread too quickly. I'm checking your wound."
TanTan tore a long strip from the lower part of her own clothing, then used it to cover and wrap his injured shoulder.
Prince Li remained silent, allowing her to treat him. He watched as she carefully folded and secured the cloth. Her technique was surprisingly good, almost as if she had done it many times before.
But what puzzled him most was that she didn't seem disgusted by the blood.
He remembered that the Hua MuTan he knew had always been repulsed by blood. She wouldn't even cook for herself because she couldn't bear to touch a dead fish that still had blood on it.
And now she was willing to tear her own clothes to bandage his wound?
The old Hua MuTan would never have done such a thing. No matter what the situation, her appearance had always been her top priority.
Has Hua MuTan really changed? She's so different from the woman I know...
Prince Li couldn't help wondering.
After TanTan finished wrapping his wound, she noticed that he was still staring at her. She looked back at him.
For a few seconds, their eyes met.
Somehow, TanTan felt a little shy. She quickly stood up and turned her attention to the surroundings.
"We... we can't stay here. The poison needs to be treated immediately, and you need proper medical attention. I wish ShuangAi were here. She would know how to treat you..."
"ShuangAi... Urgh..."
As Prince Li slowly adjusted his clothes, he remembered that ShuangAi and FangFang were still waiting for them back at the residence.
Ah, yes. ShuangAi and FangFang must be worried about us. I hate to admit it, but Hua MuTan is right. We need to get out of here...
TanTan walked around to inspect their surroundings. The place looked like some kind of cave, but she could feel a gentle breeze passing through it. There had to be another way out.
She glanced back at Prince Li. His condition was getting worse, and she could feel pain in her own back again. Her wound had probably reopened during the fall.
"Can you walk?"
Prince Li tried to stand, but his legs could barely support him. He was now too weak to move.
Obviously not... And I'm too weak to carry him out either. What should I do? Should I go out and find help?
"Maybe I should go outside and look for help..."
"No!"
Prince Li assessed the situation. ManQi should have finished dealing with the remaining assassins by now and would probably be searching for them. However, it would still be dangerous to let Hua MuTan wander outside alone. There might be more assassins waiting.
"Just wait here. ManQi will come and find us."
Prince Li slowly sat down against the nearest rocky wall, trying to rest and slow the spread of the poison.
TanTan decided to follow his instructions. ManQi would hopefully find them soon.
There was nothing more she could do for the moment. She was exhausted, and her own body was aching from the fall. So she sat down beside Prince Li, leaving a little distance between them.
Prince Li couldn't help remaining curious about her. After a while, he glanced in her direction.
"How... do you know how to bandage a wound so well?"
TanTan was a little surprised that he had taken the initiative to speak to her.
"I... I learned it from my mom. She was good at treating injured people..."
She thought of her mother, who had worked as a nurse before retiring. Her mother had taught her all kinds of first-aid techniques in case she ever needed them.
TanTan couldn't help smiling to herself. She had never expected to use those skills in a situation like this.
However, Prince Li misunderstood her words. He assumed she was talking about Hua MuTan's mother.
Princess Li ShuiXian truly was a kind-hearted woman.
He remembered an incident from his childhood. When he was still a little boy, he had once fallen because of a mischievous trick played by the First Prince. By chance, he had met Princess Li ShuiXian and little Hua MuTan, who were visiting the palace that day.
Princess Li ShuiXian had kindly treated his wound and comforted him.
Sometimes, Prince Li had wondered why Hua MuTan shared so little with her mother apart from her appearance. But perhaps he had been wrong. After all, they were mother and daughter.
Prince Li seemed lost in his memories, and a long silence settled between them.
TanTan didn't like the awkward atmosphere. Then she remembered that she hadn't properly thanked him for what he had done earlier. Gathering her courage, she finally spoke.
"Um... I want to thank you for saving me earlier. And... I'm sorry you got hurt because of me."
Prince Li's eyes widened. He hadn't expected those words to come from her.
"Well... If you want to thank someone, you should thank ShuangAi. She's the one who pushed me to look for you and bring you back."
"Oh, of course. I will. I'll thank her later. ShuangAi is really kind to care so much about me..."
TanTan paused for a moment before continuing.
"Um... This might sound strange to you, but I really want to see you two together. You would make a wonderful couple."
This is too different! Even if she's pretending, she's doing it too well... She isn't disgusted by blood anymore. She didn't get angry when I mentioned ShuangAi. Now she's even complimenting the two of us as a couple?
Prince Li looked at TanTan differently now, although his suspicion hadn't disappeared.
He finally asked, but his voice sounded more confused than angry.
"What exactly is your plan, Hua MuTan?"
"I don't have a plan! I really don't!"
TanTan took a deep breath before continuing.
"It's just that I've changed... Listen, I know you don't trust me, but I still want you to understand that I'm not the Hua MuTan you used to know anymore..."
TanTan looked directly at Prince Li. She could still see the suspicion on his face.
What should I do to make him believe me? Should I just tell him my real identity? That I came from the future and somehow ended up in this body? Would he believe that? It sounds even crazier...
But before she could say anything more, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of someone calling from outside.
"Prince Li...! Master!"
"Over here!!!" they shouted together, recognizing ManQi's voice.
Prince Li turned to look at TanTan.
"We'll see whether your words are true..."
Not long afterward, ManQi appeared, hurrying toward them.
After hearing a brief explanation of what had happened, ManQi immediately carried Prince Li onto his back. They prepared to return to Li Mansion.
However, just as ManQi started walking, TanTan suddenly turned back toward the cave.
She retrieved the poisoned dagger and wrapped it in another strip of cloth torn from her clothing.
This might be a clue that could help us discover who those assassins are...
With the dagger safely wrapped, TanTan hurried after ManQi, though she could only manage a slow pace.