Chapter 139 - 138: Past and Present Lives, Lord and Subject Meet Again!
Chapter 139: Chapter 138: Past and Present Lives, Lord and Subject Meet Again!
No one knew exactly how she managed to find their missing comrade in such a raging flood. Nor did anyone know how she managed to swim back up while dragging someone much taller and broader than herself.
The world was dim, shrouded in a continuous drizzle. There was no sun, no moon, and no stars. It seemed the only remaining light on the water’s surface came from the blue silk ribbon in her hair, reflecting a faint, starlit glimmer.
The first to snap back to reality were two young soldiers nearby. They scrambled to take their unconscious comrade from Shi Changying’s grasp. As someone reached out to pull her up, Shi Changying climbed onto the bank herself. She wiped the mud from her face, spat out a few mouthfuls of water, and said, "He’s not dead, just passed out. Don’t worry."
A dead silence followed. Everyone stared at her in mute astonishment, forgetting how to move or speak.
"What are you all looking at me for?" Shi Changying wrung out her clothes, completely unfazed. "I’m hungry. I want to eat. Is there any food?"
Xu Yunfan finally came to his senses and hurriedly went to call the logistics team.
After scarfing down a steamed bun and drinking a cup of hot water, Shi Changying felt like she had finally come back to life. The waters of the Jiang River were freezing in late November. She had used a technique to temporarily boost her inner strength, which was the only reason she had managed to find the man at the bottom of the river. It had drained her significantly, but she had saved a life, so it was worth it.
At that moment, the second batch of rescue personnel sent by Qi Sha arrived.
"Slow down, slow down!" complained an elderly man with silvery-white hair and a matching beard. "I’m just a bag of old bones! I can’t handle being tossed around like this. I’m going to fall apart!"
Despite his grumbling, he quickened his pace and immediately began treating the wounded.
Xu Yunfan walked up to Shi Changying, breaking the silence. "Why did you save him?"
Shi Changying didn’t speak. She just kept munching on her white steamed bun as if she hadn’t heard a thing.
Xu Yunfan had no intention of letting her off the hook. He stared at her intently, demanding an answer. "Did you ever think that by jumping in, you might not only fail to save him but also lose your own life? Why did you do it?"
"Why?" Shi Changying finally looked up. "You ask ’why’ about everything. Are you a walking encyclopedia of questions?"
Xu Yunfan’s breath caught in his throat, his chest tightening with frustration. He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. "Disaster relief and saving lives is our bounden duty. When we chose this path, we accepted the corresponding responsibilities. But why you? You’re still a student. There was no need for you to do this!"
Shi Changying’s expression remained calm, her voice faint. "Because he is a Jiuzhou person. Is that answer good enough for you?"
Xu Yunfan stared at her in shock, his mouth hanging open. He never expected to receive such a simple answer.
A Jiuzhou person.
It was just a few words, yet it left no room for rebuttal.
"Even if it isn’t, shut your mouth," Shi Changying said coldly.
Having forcefully depleted too much of her inner strength earlier, she was currently starving and in a terrible mood. If anyone else interrupted her meal, she was going to kill them.
Xu Yunfan watched her in silence for a few seconds. His hands, hanging by his sides, clenched and then relaxed. "I... I’m sorry," he said, his voice hoarse. He took a step back and slowly bowed to her. "You are a hero."
Shi Changying waved her hand, signaling that she heard him, that he could leave, and that he should stop bothering her while she ate.
Xu Yunfan suddenly realized that whenever he faced Shi Changying, he felt a sense of the unknown because he could never predict her actions. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced even with his direct superiors. He had much more to say, but he could only turn to leave.
He had barely taken two steps when Shi Changying suddenly called out to him again. "Don’t say a single word about what happened today to my dad. Otherwise, you’ll be leaving here in a body bag."
Xu Yunfan was left speechless. Given his temper, he should have been furious that a junior was speaking to him with such disrespect, yet he couldn’t muster any anger.
"Wh-why?" Xu Yunfan stammered.
"He’s a crybaby," Shi Changying replied. "I don’t want to see him cry. His crying annoys me."
Xu Yunfan was speechless.
Just as she spoke, Ming Chengli’s phone call came through.
Shi Changying shot Xu Yunfan a warning glance before answering. "Hello? Yeah, Dad, I’m eating. I’ll head back in a bit. I’m fine. If you don’t believe me, ask Yunfan."
Ending the call, Shi Changying went back to gnawing on her steamed bun.
Immediately after, Xu Yunfan received an interrogation from Ming Chengli. "Yes, I’m watching Changying eat right now. Chengli, don’t worry. I promise to bring her back to you in one piece. An accident? What kind of accident could happen? Nothing happened at all!"
It took every ounce of his strength to spin that web of lies, leaving him drenched in sweat. This sort of thing was truly too difficult for him!
Shi Changying leaned against a tree to regulate her inner strength, preparing to return to Jianghuai once the flood receded.
After a while, an older woman walked over holding a basin of steamed buns, eagerly striking up a conversation. "Young lady, how old are you this year?"
Shi Changying paused for a moment before answering, "Eighteen."
To her, being eighteen in her past life held no memories worth recalling. Because in that year, both her imperial father and her eldest brother had wanted her dead. But in this life, at eighteen, many things were different. Her dad might be a crybaby, but he protected her with the utmost care.
"Only eighteen? Oh my, then how can you be so brave? Don’t you care about your own life?" The older woman gasped in shock. "You should be in school right now, shouldn’t you? Why did you come all the way out here? When you suddenly jumped into the water earlier, you scared me half to death!"
Shi Changying patted the dust off her clothes, her expression lazy. "I came because I wanted to. There isn’t much of a reason."
The older woman immediately handed her a freshly steamed bun, her eyes full of pity and affection. "You must be starving, right? Hurry and eat something."
Shi Changying nodded at her. "Thank you. You should go get some rest, too."
"I’m not tired. It’s you and those young lads who have been working so hard for so long. You’re in desperate need of a hot meal." The older woman beamed with pride. "My bun-making skills are second to none."
Shi Changying looked down at the thin-skinned bun soaked in savory meat juices. She took a bite, and the rich aroma burst on her tongue.
She thought about how, even though this era was very unfamiliar to her; even though she bore an unearned infamy, branded in history as a tyrant whom everyone had the right to execute; and even though there were still people around her who thinly veiled their malice, with darkness still festering... this was still the best of times.
Through everyone’s united efforts, the raging flood receded. But this did not allow the crowd to let their guard down, as no one knew whether the mountainside would collapse again.
The rescue operation lasted for seven whole hours. By the time the moon broke through the clouds, it was already late into the night.
Ning Liuyu was distributing medicine to the frontline workers, instructing them on how to use it. As she reached the very back, she spotted Shi Changying. Surprised and delighted, she called out, "Miss Shi, what are you doing here?"