Chapter 393 - 389: Cannot Be Hidden

Chapter 393: Chapter 389: Cannot Be Hidden

Gu Nuan Nuan stopped Luo Hongyi’s teammate from pouring medicinal powder on Qi Guoqing’s abdominal wound. At the same time, she produced a whole Hundred Herbs Rejuvenation Pill and put it directly in Qi Guoqing’s mouth. Then she told Luo Hongyi gravely, "He’s stable for now, but he won’t be truly out of danger until we treat that abdominal wound. I dropped my backpack up ahead before I got here, so I need to leave for a moment to get it. There are things inside that he and all of you can use."

"I’ll... go with you to get it."

Luo Hongyi’s first instinct was to say, "I’ll get it." But then he paused, suddenly recalling Gu Nuan Nuan’s ability to conjure things out of thin air, and it dawned on him that her story was likely just an excuse. ’Even though he trusted these teammates with his life, no one in the world—not even himself—was more important to him than Nuannuan. He certainly didn’t want them to learn any more of her secrets.’ So, after a barely perceptible hesitation, he quickly changed his tune.

At the same time, he began to regret his impulsive decision to acknowledge her in front of his teammates. The memory of her slip-up—the single word "you" she had uttered in her real voice out of shock—filled him with remorse. Based on that single syllable alone, it would be impossible to keep the truth about her being the mysterious person from them now.

"Suit yourself."

Gu Nuan Nuan had long since given up trying to hide things from Luo Hongyi. With that, she got up and walked off. Even though she had already slowed her pace, to Luo Hongyi and the others, she was still unnaturally fast. In the blink of an eye, she rounded a corner and was about to disappear behind a large tree, making the others anxious. Luo Hongyi couldn’t afford to waste a second, but seeing the worry on his teammates’ faces as he stood up, he offered a few words of reassurance. "She’s trustworthy. Now that she’s here, she wouldn’t just take off without a word. Relax and wait for us. We’ll be right back."

Without waiting for their reactions, he broke into a sprint, chasing in the direction Gu Nuan Nuan had vanished. He hadn’t gone far. Just behind the large tree, he found her waiting for him, as expected. She was holding a large backpack and shot him a look, letting out a cold snort. "How did you recognize me?"

"Your scent," Luo Hongyi said, reaching out to take the large backpack from her. He gave the impossibly clean bottom of the bag a resigned glance, then rubbed it against the base of the tree before picking it up again. Looking at Gu Nuan Nuan with a hint of exasperation, he said, "You should just show your real face. There’s no need to hide anymore."

He had so many questions about her sudden appearance. ’He desperately wanted to pull her aside and get all his questions answered right now, but he knew this wasn’t the time. Saving Qi Guoqing’s life was the priority.’ He couldn’t delay things just to satisfy his own curiosity.

"Huh?"

"Your voice, and your scent. These guys and I, we’ve been through life and death together. You’re bound to interact with them in the future. And all of us have had special training..." Luo Hongyi explained with a wry smile.

"So that’s why," Gu Nuan Nuan said, pulling off the Jade Pendant she was wearing. She gave Luo Hongyi a helpless look. "You’ve got the nose of a hound. Looks like I’ll need to wear a sachet to mask my scent from now on."

Luo Hongyi gazed at Gu Nuan Nuan’s face so intently he couldn’t bear to blink. "Let’s go," he said, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot. He started to reach out to caress her, but stopped when he saw his bloodstained hands. He instinctively pulled his hand back and tried wiping it on his clothes, but that only made it worse, smearing it with even more blood. His face flushed hotly, and he felt a wave of unease at letting Nuannuan see him in such a wretched state.

Gu Nuan Nuan took in Luo Hongyi’s appearance—his clothes, wrinkled like dried plums and nearly soaked through with blood; the exhaustion on his face that he couldn’t hide; his impossibly chapped lips. She thought she could remain unmoved, but she was suddenly struck by an ache that spread through her chest. When she thought about how his teammates were in even worse shape, her breathing hitched. She took a deep breath and suddenly asked, "How long has it been since you last ate or rested?"

"We first engaged those people five days ago, in the middle of the night. They haven’t stopped sending men to hunt us down since; this is already the fourth wave. But we have managed to snatch moments to rest and eat," Luo Hongyi said, then subconsciously licked his lips and fell silent. Of course, he couldn’t possibly tell Gu Nuan Nuan what he and his men had resorted to eating after their dry rations were gone.

Gu Nuan Nuan fell silent. She took her personal thermos out of her storage ring and handed it to him. "Here, drink some water." She watched as Luo Hongyi set down the backpack, obediently opened the thermos, and drank all the warm water inside in one go. After taking the thermos back, Gu Nuan Nuan forced herself to compose her emotions. "Is it possible those people will come back?"

"Yes." Luo Hongyi’s expression suddenly shifted. "You need to leave as soon as you’re done treating Old Qi." ’It’s just too dangerous for her to be with them. Even on her own, she’d be far safer than she is with their group. So, no matter how much he hated the idea, and no matter how much he worried about her being alone, he couldn’t let Nuannuan stay with them for her own safety.’

"Even if you hadn’t said anything, I wasn’t planning on sticking with you guys forever. Don’t worry, I’ll leave when the time is right. But not now, and not in a little while either." Gu Nuan Nuan knew, of course, that Luo Hongyi was worried about her safety. She shot him an irritated glare. ’This man... He’s in this state and still worrying about nothing. Can’t he see how much stronger I am than him right now? Do I look like someone who can’t protect herself?’

She tossed him the Jade Bottle of Hundred Herbs Rejuvenation Pills and the Jade Jar of Hundred Herbs Rejuvenating Ointment. "Go back and have your teammates each take one of these pills and one of the medicine pills I gave you last time. It will stop the bleeding. After that, apply this Hundred Herbs Rejuvenating Ointment to their wounds to help them heal."

’Honestly, do they all think their blood is worthless? Does it not occur to any of them to treat their own wounds?’

She felt a familiar sting in her nose again. Swallowing it down, she used an even more irritable tone to hide the choked quality of her voice. "Use it. Don’t be stingy. This stuff is nothing to me. I have several more bottles in the backpack, and even if you use all those up, I have plenty more in stock. But for Old Qi, the one who’s most seriously injured, you need to add this when you apply the Hundred Herbs Rejuvenating Ointment to his abdomen."

Gu Nuan Nuan took out another Jade Bottle and handed it to him.