Chapter Sixty: Encountering a Beauty in the Dense Forest

After Qin Cheng had dealt with the two men, he finally had a moment to catch his breath. In his haste to pursue them, he had paid little mind to the terrain. Now that the matter was settled, he cast his gaze about and realized he was surrounded by dense forest, beyond which rose countless hills and ridges; he had ventured deep into the heart of the wilderness.

After resting for a while, Qin Cheng sheathed his sword and set off in the direction he believed would lead him back to the manor, intending to rejoin Li Hu and the others. However, after some time, he discovered he was lost, unable to distinguish the way he had come. Earlier, as he chased the two men, he had to dodge their arrows and avoid losing their trail; he’d had no leisure to leave any marks along his path. He had not anticipated the terrain to be so intricate, leaving him well and truly trapped in the mountains. After wandering all afternoon with the sun soon to set, he realized there was no way out of the forest before nightfall. With the prospect of wild beasts prowling after dark, he decided to find a suitable cave to spend the night and wait for dawn to try his luck again.

With his mind thus made up, Qin Cheng sat at the entrance of a cave. The cave was about the size of the main hall of a prefectural office, resembling a chamber more than a tunnel. Inside was a small pool, fed by a spring trickling down the back wall, collecting in ample measure.

Earlier that day, when Qin Cheng had chased the men in blue and gray into the mountains, he had glimpsed a couple of motionless soldiers lying silently in the woods—no doubt beyond saving. Now, thinking back, he was puzzled. Those two men had clearly escaped into the forest—why had they doubled back? Could they have anticipated his arrival at the manor and lain in ambush to assassinate him? If not for Liu Mu’s timely reaction, shielding him from that sneak attack, it was uncertain whether he would have survived. Considering this, Qin Cheng felt the possibility all too real.

After a day’s exertion, Qin Cheng built a small fire in the cave, preparing to rest. Not long after closing his eyes, before sleep could claim him, a sharp, brief scream rang out nearby.

Startled, Qin Cheng leapt up. Straining to listen, he heard nothing more.

“I could have sworn I just heard a scream—a woman’s, it seemed. Now there’s nothing. Did I imagine it?” he thought to himself. “No, I’d better go and see.”

Arming himself with his long blade, Qin Cheng set off cautiously, yet swiftly, in the direction of the sound. Crossing a ridge and parting the shrubs before him, he saw a slender figure collapsed on the ground. Her hair was disheveled, falling loosely over her shoulders, her posture tense with the effort of pulling at something hidden in the grass, her body trembling slightly.

Seeing it was just one person, Qin Cheng stepped out from behind the bushes. At that moment, the figure looked up and, to his surprise, revealed a face of delicate features, rosy lips, fair skin, and fresh, elegant brows—a young woman disguised in men’s attire. Her beauty was all the more striking for her attempt to conceal it.

At the sight of Qin Cheng, the woman’s expression shifted to wary surprise, but her hands did not falter; she seized a short blade by her side and, drawing it, pointed it at Qin Cheng, demanding in a low voice, “Who are you?”

Qin Cheng took a moment to regard her closely. Though his first impression had been of a willowy frame, at close range he saw she was actually quite shapely, her figure full yet harmonious. The brown embroidered garb she wore, though styled for men, only accentuated her charm. As he looked her over, a line from a poem sprang to mind—“Whether lightly or richly adorned, she is always lovely.”

He then noticed her foot, caught in a metal trap, its teeth embedded in her calf, the cause, surely, of the earlier scream. Such traps were used by local hunters; now, one had ensnared her.

Despite her predicament, the woman remained composed, her grip on the blade steady, her youthful face taut with vigilance. Qin Cheng, in a leisurely tone, said, “Isn’t it plain to see who I am? The real question is—who are you?”

Dressed in the uniform of a Han army officer, though missing his cloak, Qin Cheng still cut a commanding figure. His gaze was challenging as he spoke.

“Are you truly an officer from the army?” she asked, frowning in disbelief, her blade unwavering. “If so, why are you here?”

“How strange your words, miss. If you can be here, why shouldn’t I?” Qin Cheng replied unhurriedly. “I haven’t asked your identity, yet you interrogate me. Aren’t our roles reversed? Oh, and let me remind you—if you don’t want to be crippled, you’d best remove that trap quickly.”

He deliberately stressed the words “trap.”

The woman shot him an angry glare, then, with brisk decisiveness, sheathed her blade and clasped her hands in a formal salute. “I am from Kong Village at the foot of this mountain. I came here to hunt out of pique and, by a moment’s carelessness, was caught by the trap. May I ask the general’s name?”

“So, you are Miss Kong.” Qin Cheng returned the salute. “I am a cavalry captain from the Shanggu garrison, surname Qin. I was chasing fugitives into the mountains, lost my way, and ended up here. Imagine my luck to meet you, Miss Kong.”

He chuckled softly, the meaning of his laughter unclear.

“General Qin, forgive my rashness just now,” Miss Kong said, her expression changing in a flash before she quickly masked it with another formal salute. “May I ask, did you catch the ones you were pursuing?”

“I killed them,” Qin Cheng replied offhandedly.

At his answer, she lowered her head, hiding her expression, and sheathed her blade. “General Qin, your skill is truly admirable. I am impressed.”

“Let’s not dwell on that.” Qin Cheng brushed it off, crouching beside her injured leg. “Your wound is severe. Let me open the trap for you.”

“I am in your debt, General Qin,” she replied.

Placing his hands on the jaws of the trap, Qin Cheng slowly pried it open. As soon as the teeth released her flesh, she quickly withdrew her leg.

He tossed the trap aside and saw Miss Kong, gritting her teeth, struggle to her feet and lean against a tree, her face contorted with pain. Seeing Qin Cheng looking at her, she forced a smile and said, “Thank you for saving me, General Qin. I will repay you handsomely one day.”

“Your leg is still bleeding. That trap may not be poisoned, but it’s certainly not clean. I see a lot of dark blood pooling; if you don’t get it out quickly, not only will the wound heal poorly, you might be left with a permanent disability,” Qin Cheng remarked, eyes on her calf.

“This… I can’t trouble you any further, General Qin. You’ve already done more than enough. I’ll just let the wound be…” she murmured, clearly not meaning it.

Qin Cheng said nothing, scanning the area until his eyes brightened. Striding to a nearby rock, he plucked a plant from its crevice and returned, holding it up with a smile. “You’re in luck—this red-flower herb is a rare remedy for your injury. Sit down and I’ll dress your wound.”

Miss Kong glanced at the herb—thin, long, and a vivid red, looking rather odd. Remembering her injury, she nodded and seated herself without protest, first offering Qin Cheng a salute.

“Before applying the medicine, the clotted blood must be removed, or the effect will be compromised. But… this may be an affront, miss,” Qin Cheng said, frowning as if troubled, then suddenly brightened, as if making a great decision. “Well, since I’ve gone this far, I’ll see it through. I’ll draw the blood out for you!”

“What?” Startled, Miss Kong pulled her leg back, her face coloring, shaking her head so vigorously it was as if a rattle-drum. “That won’t do! Men and women must observe propriety. How can I let you… I’m already grateful enough if you apply the medicine; please don’t trouble yourself further…”

“Enough!” Qin Cheng cut her off, casting her a displeased glance. “If I, the general, don’t mind, why should you? I’m the one put out, not you. If I weren’t in a good mood today, I wouldn’t bother. Besides, don’t you want to keep that leg? Unless you wish to be unable to walk or marry in the future, you’d better do as I say. Don’t worry, I won’t take advantage.”

He shook his head and sighed, “Confucius was right—truly, small men and women are hard to deal with…”

Qin Cheng wore a look of infinite grievance and suffering. Whether it was his reasoning or something else, Miss Kong seemed to waver. When Qin Cheng reached for her leg, she only shrank back reflexively, then let him proceed. As he bent over her injury, her heart pounded wildly, nerves taut as a bowstring, her face flushed with embarrassment.