Chapter Seven: Peril in the Forest

  This bamboo forest is vast and endless, and after walking for a while, I still can't see its edge.

  Qing Sang was after all a lady who rarely went out, and after walking for some time, her legs were already sore and soft, and she was wearing a skirt that kept getting tangled up, so she couldn't walk quickly.

  Fu Xixing's son was in a hurry, and before long, he had left Qing Sang far behind. But Tang saw that Qing Sang couldn't keep up, so every now and then, he would walk for a while and then stop to wait for her.

  He saw her stumbling and staggering, so he simply accompanied her on her way.

  Fu Xi saw that the two were getting farther and farther away from him, and couldn't help but call out: "Your Highness Qi, if Miss Pu really can't walk anymore, you can stay with her for a rest. I'll go ahead and look around, and come back to tell you both if there's any news."

  Tang? saw Qing Sang's face turn pale, panting and slightly worried, so he replied: "Brother Xi is right, thank you for going to find him first."

  Fu Xi heard this and no longer hesitated, quickening his pace as he walked forward, and in the blink of an eye, he was out of sight.

  "Miss Pu, take a rest for a while, and when you've recovered some strength, we'll continue our search." Tang said, then found a green stone and invited Qing Sang to sit down.

  Qing Sang hastily refused, saying: "Don't worry too much, Your Highness. It's just that my younger brother is still young, and the sky has already darkened. After nightfall, I'm afraid he might be startled by wild beasts or catch a chill. Let's search again. I'll be fine."

  "Look, she said so herself, I won't force her. Let's say, 'There is a Xu Xi in front to check, you and I will search this way, okay?'"

  Qing Sang thought what he said made sense and would also save time, so she agreed on the spot.

  After walking for another incense stick of time, the sky had darkened, and since entering the depths of the forest, the surrounding light was even more gloomy.

  "Alas, I worry that the snakes and frogs have already awakened in early spring, and there are even poisonous snakes lurking in the bamboo forest. I'm getting a bit anxious, let's head back first and make plans again, or perhaps Treasure has already returned to the temple."

  Qingsang was in this dark bamboo forest, and his heart was also fearful. When he heard Tong mention that Jiabao might have returned to the temple, he felt that he should go back to the temple first.

  The two of them started walking back and forth.

  Little did they know that the bamboo forest was crisscrossed and intersecting, with paths crossing each other. It was already difficult to recognize the road during the day, and it was even harder to distinguish directions at night. After walking for a while, Tong felt something was off.

  Qing Sang was both tired and afraid, ignoring his aching feet, he quickened his pace, but suddenly felt the ground beneath him give way, and before he knew it, he had fallen.

  Beside the precipice? One shock under the hand to rescue, due to the great force of falling, also followed by a fall.

  The moment he landed, Tong hugged Qing Sang and fell to the ground with his back facing the cave.

  With a "thud", Qing Sang only felt the softness beneath him, without feeling any pain, and in an instant he realized he had fallen onto Tang's body.

  Tang then let out a dull groan.

  "Is Your Highness injured?" Qing Sang hurriedly climbed off from Tang's body, and since it was too dark to see his fingers in the cave, he had to feel around with his hands.

  "Ah!" Qing Sang also didn't know where he touched Tong, only hearing a miserable cry.

  "Your Highness, where were you injured?" Qing Sang hastily asked.

  "It's probably a fracture of the left hand." Tong only felt his left arm throbbing in pain, and when Qing Sang touched it again without knowing its severity, he almost fainted from the pain. As a martial artist, he was used to bumps and bruises, but this time he had basically confirmed that his left hand was fractured.

  "This, this, how can this be good?" Qing Sang was anxious like an ant on a hot pot, at a loss for what to do.

  Tang endured the pain and said: "Help me up."

  Qingsang hastily helped Tong up and had him lean against the cave wall.

  Look up, only to see the entrance of the cave with only a faint light coming in. The depth of the cave is estimated to be over 10 meters. If it weren't for their skills, the two would have fallen vertically and died instantly. Fortunately, they slid down from the wall of the cave, which reduced the impact, and there seemed to be some dry grass or something similar at the bottom that cushioned their fall.

  "Where did you put my sword?" Tang was in so much pain that he couldn't move, and had to ask Qing Sang to find his sword.

  Qingsang groped around for a while and found the sword to hand over to Tong.

  "You pull out the sword, use the sword to stab into the wall of the cave and borrow force to climb up. Wait until you get out of the cave and then find someone to come and rescue me." Tong didn't take the sword, but instead took a few deep breaths, hoping to alleviate the pain.

  Qing Sang nodded and said "good", then quickly lifted the hem of her skirt to prevent tripping. Anyway, it was pitch black outside, Qing Sang didn't care about anything else as long as she could climb out smoothly.

  Tong? After getting used to the darkness a bit, Qing Sang's suggestion to climb up was just a casual mention, but after saying it, she felt that it couldn't be done. As a delicate and weak official's daughter, how could she possibly climb? Little did they know, Qing Sang was actually ready to take action and eager to try.

  "Can you go?" Tang asked.

  "Try it and you'll know." Qing Sang began to stab the sword into the soil on the wall of the cave, using the leverage to start climbing up. However, this sword was a bit too long, and it wasn't as convenient to use here as a dagger would be.

  After climbing a few steps, Qing Sang abandoned his long sword and pulled out the hairpin from his head, trying it out and finding it more suitable.

  Tang? Heard the sound of a sword falling to the ground, originally thought Qing Sang was careless and fell, but did not see Qing Sang fall, vaguely saw her still climbing up, estimated in her heart that she had changed to other objects to borrow strength, also felt that this woman was indeed clever and determined, unlike ordinary noblewomen who were weak.

  She climbed three or four meters, but the hairpin in Qing Sang's hand couldn't be inserted into the soil no matter what. Qing Sang touched the wall of the cave with her hand and found that it seemed to be a stone wall all the way up, and the hardness of this jade hairpin was simply impossible to insert.

  Groping for the gap, Qing Sang exerted a little force, and the hairpin snapped with a sound. Qing Sang also slid down due to sudden loss of strength in her hand, falling back into the hole.

  "Ouch!" Qing Sang cried out in pain.

  "How are you?" Tang struggled to climb beside Qing Sang.

  "Your Highness be careful of your injured hand, I'm fine." Qing Sang moved his hands and feet, they were all okay, only his back and buttocks hurt from the fall.

  He leaned against the cave wall, and Qing Sang said helplessly: "The cave wall more than three meters above seems to be a stone wall, which is smooth and wet, making it difficult to get a foothold. I'm afraid we can't climb up."

  Tang sighed and said, "It's hard for you, let's just wait for someone to come and rescue us."

  Qing Sang was frightened and his injuries worsened. He stood up, facing the entrance of the cave, and shouted with all his might several times, but all were drowned out in the darkness, with no one responding.

  "Miss Pu, it's better to save some energy and wait for someone to come before shouting for help." Tang advised weakly.

  Qing Sang thinks it's reasonable, now calling out loudly, exhausting all his energy, but when someone comes, he can't make a sound, which is even more troublesome.

  Then obediently sat beside Tang.

  After nightfall, the temperature dropped even lower. Qing Sang felt her way to gather all the straw on the ground and covered Tang with it.

  Tang? Knowing she was also thinly dressed, he used his right hand to divide some straw for Qing Sang.

  Qingsang looked at Tong excitedly, although he couldn't see his expression clearly in the dark.

  The straw emits a musty smell, but it's better than nothing at this time.

  "Is Sang Er your nickname?" The two of them remained silent in the darkness for a while, before Tong suddenly asked softly.

  。

  Qing Sang said: "Sang Er is a term of endearment used by Master and Mistress to refer to me, my name is Qing Sang."

  "Yi yi mo shang sang, wan wan sang jian fu. Shi ge hao ming zi, ni ye bu bi zi cheng nu bi, xian zai zhi you ni wo, bu bi ru ci kou li." Tang's voice was trembling slightly, Qing Sang looked at him with some concern, but couldn't tell if it was due to the cold or the pain.

  Qingsang asked: "Is Your Highness a surname?" Qingsang remembered that the national surname of Xuan Dynasty was Wei, so she thought they were surnamed Tang before, which is why she asked this question.

  "No, I am called Tang Que," said Tang Que. "On the night of Shangyuan, I told you and your younger brother my true name, and I did not deceive you."

  "Huh? Which one is it, which one?" It's actually quite impolite to ask a prince about his name, but perhaps having been in the dark for so long, Qing Sang's courage had grown somewhat, driven by her curiosity.

  Tong? He didn't answer immediately, instead using his right hand to search for Qing Sang's left hand, and with his fingers, he wrote the two characters "Tong?" in her palm.

  Qing Sang's body stiffened, and he recalled a past event from his previous life.

  When I was seven years old, a twelve-year-old boy came to the orphanage. Every time it was quiet at night, this boy liked to sit on the grass in the yard and look at the stars.

  One evening, Qing Sang looked out of the glass window in her room and saw his lonely figure in the courtyard. She walked over and sat down beside him.

  "What's your name?" the boy asked.

  "Tang Ruoling. And you, brother?"

  The boy didn't answer immediately. He grasped Qing Sang's hand and wrote the two characters "Wang Xuan" on her palm with his finger. Then he said slowly, "My name is Wang Xuan."

  Tang? saw Qing Sang good for a while without making a sound, didn't know why, his heart was shaken, and he grasped Qing Sang's hand with force.

  Qing Sang felt a pang of pain and realized she had lost her composure, saying: "Your Highness's hand is feeling better?" She then thought to herself that it was a ridiculous question - how could a broken bone not hurt? Before Tong Er could respond, she hastily added: "Your Highness, please bear with it for just a moment longer, the Crown Prince, the Young Master, and Fu Gongzi will definitely come looking for us."

  Tang murmured a response, but didn't say much more, yet still held onto Qing Sang's small hand without letting go.

  。

  Qingsang wanted to break free, but was afraid of pulling his wound, so he just let him hold on. Thinking that no matter what, he was also helping himself find the family treasure and ended up in this situation, so he might as well let him take advantage of it.

  The patient had just recovered and was exhausted from running around in the daytime. Qing Sang gradually felt his eyelids getting heavy, and before he knew it, he fell asleep.

  After an unknown period of time, Qing Sang only felt a constant flow of heat in her body. As she woke up from her daze, she found herself leaning on Tang's shoulder, and it seemed that he was also asleep, his chin resting against her forehead, muttering: "Water... water."

  Qing Sang was shocked and suddenly woke up.

  Quickly withdrew from Tang's shoulder, but Tang did not react at all, still holding her hand as hot as fire.

  Qingsang wiped his forehead with his hand, breaking out in a cold sweat, and Tang had a high fever.

  He kept murmuring about wanting a drink of water, but where could we find water here?

  Qing Sang had never studied medicine, but at this moment he also knew that the situation was not good. In his anxiety, he felt for the sword he had just discarded and, gritting his teeth, cut two of his fingers with it, then placed them on Tang's lips.

  A drop of fresh blood fell into his lips, and he thought it was water in his daze, so he sucked it continuously. Qing Sang only felt that his fingers were numb and painful, and he had to grit his teeth to endure it.

  After a while, Tong stopped sucking, but still murmured: "Water, water!"

  Qingsang knew that this fresh blood couldn't quench his thirst at all, and what was even more dangerous was this wound.

  In their anxiety, they suddenly heard a calling voice from outside, as if someone was looking for them.

  Good people naturally have good fortune.

  Qing Sang dragged his leaden legs, bowed on the wall and shouted for help. Finally, someone heard the sound and came to search. Upon learning that the seventh prince had a fractured hand, there was an immediate commotion.

  After a while, a thick rope dropped from the cave, and someone climbed down along the rope. As soon as he landed, he lit up the firebox, and the cave was instantly bright. The person who came was Tong Feng, the prince of Xi Guo.

  Tang Feng quickly arrived at Tang's side, which had already been charred, took the two bamboo boards that were just made and hung on his waist, untied his belt, and nimbly fixed the fractured part for Tang.

  After handling properly, Tong Feng borrowed the firelight to take a look at Tong Qi's complexion, seeing that his lips seemed to have fresh blood, and was shocked. He asked: "Seventh brother spat up blood? Is there an internal injury?"

  Qing Sang was taken aback, thinking that he had internal injuries and the blood on his lips was a remnant of vomiting blood. He could only explain: "Don't worry, Seventh Highness, you shouldn't have any internal injuries."

  。”

  Tang Feng looked at Qing Sang in surprise and asked: "Then whose blood is this?"

  Qing Sang whispered softly: "The Seventh Highness was burning with fever and begged for water, I was so anxious that I cut my finger..." Qing Sang's voice became softer and softer, until it was as thin as a mosquito's hum.

  But Tong Feng still understood, and on his face, which was half bright and half dark in the firelight, a smile seemed to flicker.

  No more questions, Tong Feng let Qing Sang tie the rope around his waist and was pulled up by the people above. Then he lowered the rope again, and Tong Feng hugged him to support him, and the people above pulled both of them up.

  A few people returned to the temple, and the sky had already begun to turn white.

  The crown prince, the abbot of the temple and the old lady were all sitting in the east wing waiting, a night without sleep. And Jia Bao had long been found by the crown prince and Shizi and returned to the temple.

  As a result, the loss of the family treasure could no longer be hidden from Old Lady, but what she didn't expect was that it would alarm several princes. Especially when Fu Xi reported that the Seventh Prince and Miss Pu were nowhere to be found, Old Lady was even more shocked, fearing that something unexpected had happened, which would lead to the downfall of the Pu family.

  After waiting for a whole night, the two finally returned, but to see that the Seventh Prince was being carried back, with his hands wrapped in bamboo splints. The old lady's heart suddenly turned cold. Seeing Qing Sang standing before her, disheveled and covered in dirt, she grasped the walking stick in her hand and struck Qing Sang with it, scolding: "You unfilial child, you've dragged the Prince into this mess! Today I'll beat you to death as an apology to His Majesty!"

  The old lady was just pretending, knowing that this couldn't be blamed on Qing Sang, but since a member of the royal family had been injured, the Pu family would likely have no good days ahead, so she made a show of hitting him, though her strength wasn't great, and assumed Qing Sang would dodge.

  Who would have thought that Qing Sang not only didn't dodge, but instead took a blow and fell straight to the ground, his face deathly pale.

  The old lady was so startled that she almost fell too, fortunately, there was a maid holding her.

  Before everyone could react, Taizi Tonghao flew forward, picked up Qing Sang, and ordered, "Quickly call the imperial physician!" Then he headed towards the inner chamber.

  Leaving behind a house full of astonishment.