While still on the boat, Liu Ming''an had overheard fellow travelers talking about an ancient tree in Jinzhi City that was over a thousand years old and considered a lucky charm by the locals.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
At the time, Liu Ming''an was suffering from severe seasickness, so he didn''t pay much attention. Now that he had eaten well and regained his spirits, his curiosity was piqued, and he dragged Jiang Ning along to see it.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The pair set out in the early evening, wandering around the city and inquiring about how to get to the Capital City. They had a quick dinner of two bowls of wonton soup at a street stall before leisurely making their way to the ancient tree.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
As darkness fell, Liu Ming''an and Jiang Ning bought a rabbit-shapedntern and carried it as they walked towards the ancient tree.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
What made this ancient tree extraordinary wasn''t just its longevity, but also the fact that it was a red bean tree.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Exquisite dice and red beans, do you know the bone-deep longing?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The locals referred to it as the "Tree of Yearning."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
So when Jiang Ning reached the tree, she wasn''t surprised to find it covered in red ribbons.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Oh, if only we had known to buy a ribbon to hang up too," Liu Ming''an said, looking at the red strips fluttering in the wind with regret.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Ning smiled but said nothing.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
By now it was dark, and snow had started falling again. The ancient tree stood in a remote corner of Jinzhi City near the riverbank, with few people around.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
After circling the Tree of Yearning, Jiang Ning looked at the increasing snowfall and suggested, "Let''s head back."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Liu Ming''an nodded, reaching out to brush the snow from her hair, only for new snowkes to settle there momentster.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Worried that Jiang Ning might catch cold, Liu Ming''an looked around for something to shield her from the snow. He spotted some low-growing shrubs nearby withrge leaves.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Ning heard Liu Ming''an say, "Wait here for a moment," before watching him stride into the thicket, heading straight for one particr tree.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Instantly understanding Liu Ming''an''s intentions, Jiang Ning felt an irrepressible warmth spreading through her heart.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The thicket was difficult to navigate, with some branches as tall as a person and possibly thorny. Jiang Ning stood at the edge of the path, watching Liu Ming''an make his way through, a deep smile ying on her lips.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Ah Ning!" Liu Ming''an suddenly called out, his voice urgent. Then he abruptly crouched down.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Ning''s heart tightened, fearing something had happened to him. She quickly picked up thentern and stepped into the thicket.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
When she was about five or six steps behind Liu Ming''an, Jiang Ning saw clearly that there was a person lying motionless on the ground, with a faint smell of blood in the air.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
A murder case?<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
While Jiang Ning was still considering how to persuade Liu Ming''an not to get involved, he had already started examining the person''s condition.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Ning sighed inwardly, almost forgetting that her schr was a good person – after all, that''s why he had bought her and brought her home in the first ce.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Ah Ning, he''s still alive! Just injured!" Liu Ming''an''s excited voice rang out again as he lifted the person from the ground, preparing to carry him on his back.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"You want to save him?" Jiang Ning asked, already knowing the answer as Liu Ming''an had started walking towards the path with the person on his back.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Ah Ning, if we leave him here, even if he doesn''t die from his injuries, he''ll freeze to death. If I hadn''t encountered him, that would be one thing, but now that I have, I couldn''t live with myself if I just ignored him," Liu Ming''an said earnestly, aware of Jiang Ning''s cold-heartedness.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Ning relented internally and held thentern up to illuminate the person on Liu Ming''an''s back. It was a young man with purple lips from the cold and dried blood at the corner of his mouth.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Let''s go to a medical clinic then," Jiang Ning said, leading the way with thentern. She remembered seeing one nearby when they had passed through earlier.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Dropping him off at the clinic would be enough, Jiang Ning thought. He was just a stranger, and whether he lived or died was up to fate. She certainly wasn''t going to waste her spirit spring water on him.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
However, fate had other ns. The clinic was closed. Jiang Ning knocked on the door for a while, but there was no response.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Let''s try another one. There was another clinic on the street where we had wonton soup," Liu Ming''an said, already starting to walk in that direction.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
That clinic was quite far, and it would probably be closed by the time they got there. Jiang Ning looked at the beads of sweat on Liu Ming''an''s forehead and made a decision, stopping him. "Let''s take him back to the inn. We''ll assess his condition – if it''s not serious, we can call for a doctor in the morning. If it''s severe, I''ll save him."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Liu Ming''an was taken aback. "Ah Ning, you know medicine?"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"I can save him," Jiang Ning said with certainty.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Then why didn''t you earlier—"<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"He''s nothing to me. I don''t care whether he lives or dies. I just don''t want to watch you trudging through the snow carrying someone back and forth. Consider it his lucky day – I''m fulfilling your act of kindness," Jiang Ning exined patiently.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Liu Ming''an stared at Jiang Ning for a moment before breaking into a smile.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Ah Ning, you''re wonderful!" Jiang Ning heard him say.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The inn was not far. Liu Ming''an carried the man back to their room andid him on the bed. Jiang Ning then sent him downstairs to fetch hot water.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Once Liu Ming''an left, Jiang Ning ced the candle by the bedside to get a better look at the injured man.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
He was dressed all in ck, his face pale. His heartbeat and pulse were present but weak.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The wound seemed to be in the abdominal area. Not knowing the extent of the injury, Jiang Ning took out a dagger from her space and cut open the man''s clothes.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
There were three knife wounds in total. Two were shallow, but the one on the lower left abdomen was deep, with flesh turned outward and still bleeding.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
This man is really lucky to be alive! Jiang Ning thought.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Given the depth of the wound, under normal circumstances, he would have died from blood loss long ago. But he was injured on a bitterly cold winter day, and the low temperature had slowed his blood flow, allowing him to survive long enough to encounter the kind-hearted Liu Ming''an.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Ning had promised Liu Ming''an she would save him, and she wouldn''t go back on her word. However, she couldn''t let him recover as rapidly as she had – it would raise suspicions.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
So Jiang Ning fed him two drops of spirit spring water.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Yes, just two drops.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Not a drop more.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
At that moment, Liu Ming''an returned with a bucket of hot water. Seeing the wound on the man''s abdomen, he was shocked. "Ah Ning, his injury looks severe."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Ning, not wanting to say much, simply reassured Liu Ming''an, "Don''t worry, he won''t die. Go ask the innkeeper for some needle and thread, scissors, strong alcohol, and clean gauze."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Although Liu Ming''an couldn''t understand what these items were for, he obediently followed her instructions and soon returned with everything.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Ning soaked the gauze in alcohol and cleaned around the wound. The sting of the alcohol caused the injured man''s body to twitch slightly.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Then Jiang Ning threaded a needle, heated it over the candle me, and instructed Liu Ming''an, "Hold the candlestick up so I can see his wound clearly."<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Liu Ming''an did as he was told, bewildered, and then watched as Jiang Ning began to stitch the open wound.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"Hss!" The unconscious man''s body involuntarily shuddered, a faint sound escaping his throat as his tightly closed eyes slowly opened.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"You''re awake?" Liu Ming''an asked excitedly, holding the candlestick.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Hearing the voice, the man nced at Liu Ming''an, his eyes dark and wary, seemingly assessing his situation.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
"We found you injured in the snow and brought you here," Liu Ming''an quickly exined, seeing the man''s caution.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
The man only looked at Liu Ming''an vigntly, not speaking, then turned his head to look at the other person in the room.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Ning saw his pupils contract sharply when he clearly saw her face. An expression of shock shed across his features, his mouth opening and closing without sound.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
Jiang Ning narrowed her eyes. She could clearly see that the man''s lips formed two words.<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0
It''s you!<span ss="css-1gz1n0z"><span ss="bg css-i073lf"><span ss="num css-0">0