Chapter 10: Survival in the Mountains and Forests

"What happened to your foot?" When Tang Ji bent down again to rub her foot, Liu Bian slightly furrowed his brows and asked her a question

Come with me! Liu Bian stood up, reached out to pull Tang Ji, and used a hatchet to chop at the branches and thorns beside him. After walking a short distance, they arrived at the base of a tree that was noticeably taller than the others.

Born into an official family, she later married into the palace where she encountered a strange tree that exuded water from its trunk. She licked her lips and glanced at Liu Bian.

With the support of Liu Bian, Tang Ji stood up, her face still marked with traces of tears. She timidly took a couple of steps and, indeed, did not feel much pain in her feet. She raised her head, looking at Liu Bian with a face full of joy, and said with a hint of surprise in her tone: "Husband, I truly do not feel any pain at all!"

Jia Xu pondered for a moment and then bowed to Dong Zhuo, saying: "Outside the city of Luoyang lies Mang Mountain. I believe that once Liu Bian leaves Luoyang, he will surely head straight for Mang Mountain. The mountain stretches for several miles, and its peaks are steep and towering. Once he enters the mountains, finding him would be like searching for a needle in the sea. The Prime Minister could set up checkpoints along the route to Hulao Pass, which would allow for the capture of Liu Bian"

"My lord need not worry, I can endure!" With one foot held in Liu Bian's hand, Tang Ji lowered her head and replied softly, bending her leg to attempt to move her foot away from Liu Bian's grasp

Hmm! Tang Ji nodded in agreement, gripping the rope with both hands, and continued to follow Liu Bian up the mountain.

Liu Bian, a former special forces soldier, has become accustomed to surviving in the mountains and forests, and he naturally possesses extensive knowledge about the plants that can aid in survival. The southwestern birch grows in high-altitude areas and prefers a warm and humid climate. Discovering its presence in the Mangshan Mountains of the northwest has indeed somewhat overturned his understanding.

"My lord is truly like a divine being." With a pair of eyes filled with reverence, Tang Ji gazed at Liu Bian without blinking. Her lips trembled slightly, and she spoke to him with evident excitement: "To even recognize such peculiar trees, to be able to follow my lord away from Luoyang, is indeed the greatest fortune of my life."

The middle-aged military officer was Jia Xu, a subordinate general of Dong Zhuo. At this time, he held the position of the General of the Suppression of Bandits. A few days prior, he had served in the auxiliary army under Niu Fu. Due to certain matters that needed to be addressed within the city of Luoyang, Dong Zhuo transferred him to the capital, but unexpectedly, the incidents of Liu Bian's escape and Li Ru's assassination occurred.

As he spoke, he reached out and gently pinched the skin of the blisters on Tang Ji's feet with his nails, breaking each blister one by one and squeezing out the fluid inside

The machete struck the trunk, and surprisingly, a stream of sap gushed out.

The sweet and refreshing juice entered his mouth, instantly alleviating his thirst. Liu Bian savored it for a while, indulging himself fully before he straightened up and let out a satisfied sigh

When Liu Bian pinched the blister for Tang Ji, he used the tip of his fingernail to gently pinch the skin at the very top of the blister, breaking it softly. It is only natural that Tang Ji did not feel any pain.

Liu Bian held a long wooden stick in one hand and a hatchet in the other, walking ahead to clear a small path.

Having traveled this distance, Tang Ji has endured considerable hardship. Liu Bian mistakenly believed that her tears were due to foot pain. He stood up, took her hand, and gently said to her: "Stand up and try to walk a few steps."

Liu Bian moved the hatchet aside, glanced at the tree trunk from which water was flowing, and said to Tang Ji: "Drink up"

"Your foot is blistered!" Liu Bian said, putting down Tang Ji's foot and grabbing her other foot, his tone carrying a hint of reproach as he asked, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Sitting side by side with Princess Tang on the hillside covered with fallen leaves, Liu Bian turned his head to look around.

It appears that the King of Hongnong has been keeping a low profile since the chaos caused by the Ten Attendants, and what he seeks is nothing more than to reclaim the imperial throne. Jia Xu slightly bent his body and said to Dong Zhuo: "Yuan Shao of Jizhou has always been dissatisfied with the matter of the Chancellor's actions regarding the establishment and removal of the throne. If the King of Hongnong reaches Hulao Pass, it may lead to endless troubles."

This tree is called a cherry tree, and it is also known as the southwestern birch. Liu Bian, having had his fill, wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said to Tang Ji: "Not only can its sap be consumed, but it also bears delicious fruits. However, according to common logic, it should only grow in the southwestern region. It is somewhat puzzling to see it here as well."

Her throat was already as dry as if it were about to smoke. When Liu Bian just asked her if she was thirsty, she instinctively nodded and extended her little tongue to lick her dry, somewhat peeling lips

Lady Tang nodded slightly and softly uttered an "mm". When she looked at Liu Bian, her eyes were filled with hope and admiration.

Liu Bian was also extremely thirsty. After Tang Ji had her fill, he tilted his head and brought his mouth close to the tree trunk, gulping down the sap that oozed from it.

She reached out to tuck a small strand of hair that was hanging over her forehead behind her ear, and then she leaned her little mouth towards the spot where the tree trunk emerged from the water to sip.

After wrapping Tang Ji's two feet with cloth strips, Liu Bian looked up at the tearful Tang Ji, a tender smile appearing at the corners of his mouth, and gently asked: "What is the matter, Tu Shu? You were fine, why are you crying?"

As she watched Liu Bian squeezing the water blisters, tears welled up in Tang Ji's eyes, and droplets the size of soybeans fell with a "pata pata" onto her thighs, soaking the fabric that covered them. The Liu Bian before her was nothing like the timid, weak, and selfishly royal person she had known in the past

"No... nothing." Liu Bian suddenly asked this question, leaving Tang Ji momentarily stunned. She quickly shook her head, stammering a response, her face turning slightly red.

Turning her face to the side, Tang Ji slightly closed her tear-filled eyes, allowing the tears to roll down her smooth cheeks. Her heart had long been completely captured by Liu Bian, and at this moment, even if she were to die for Liu Bian a thousand or a hundred times, she would do so without hesitation

After being praised by Tang Ji in such a noncommittal manner, he felt a bit embarrassed. He smiled at Tang Ji, reached out to embrace her petite figure, and cleared a path with a hatchet as they returned to the spot where they had just sat down to rest

"No." Tang Ji quickly raised her sleeve to wipe the tears from her face, pursing her lips and shaking her head vigorously.

Upon removing her shoes, Liu Bian discovered that Tang Ji's delicate little foot had developed several blisters, one of which was a dark purple color

"Don't move!" As soon as she made a move, Liu Bian spoke to her in an undeniable tone: "If you get blisters on your feet, even if you can endure it, you won't be able to walk far."

At first, when she cautiously sipped the sap oozing from the trunk, she did not dare to drink too much. After a few sips, perhaps finding the taste of the tree sap quite delightful, her little mouth eagerly pressed against the trunk, greedily sucking it up.

Standing under the tree, he reached out to peel away a piece of bark, wiping off the dust from the exposed section of the trunk. He raised the axe and struck down hard onto the bare trunk.

In the distance, a tall tree, approximately twenty to thirty meters high, appeared in his line of sight. Upon seeing this tree, Liu Bian couldn't help but exclaim "Oh," and his expression showed a hint of surprise.

"Is it good?" After Tang Ji finished drinking and lifted her sleeve to wipe her mouth, Liu Bian smiled and asked her a question.

Crouching in front of her, carefully tending to her blister, was a true man who was responsible, courageous, and attentive to detail

Liu Bian gazed at her with a caring look, his gaze as gentle as water. The two merely exchanged a glance, yet Tang Ji felt a warm and comforting sensation enveloping her body.

"In accordance with the meaning of the text, what should we do?" Dong Zhuo sat upright, his face serious as he pressed Jia Xu for a strategy to respond.

"Are you thirsty?" Seeing this tree that was distinctly different from the others, Liu Bian turned to Tang Ji beside him and asked.

After sitting down again, Liu Bian noticed that Tang Ji always seemed to want to reach out and rub his feet, whether intentionally or unintentionally

It was a tall and straight tree with a thick trunk, surrounded mostly by tall deciduous trees. However, this particular tree stood out remarkably among the forest, with its erect trunk and umbrella-shaped crown soaring above the canopy, making it appear somewhat like a crane among chickens in this woodland.

Liu Bian carefully burst all the blisters on Tang Ji's feet, then tore a strip of cloth from his collar and tightly wrapped it around her foot before helping her put on her shoes

In fact, just now, Tang Ji was repeatedly performing this action, but at that time, due to the discovery of this Southwest Birch, Liu did not pay much attention to Tang Ji's unusual behavior. Now that both of them have quenched their thirst, Tang Ji's subtle movements could no longer escape his notice

Dong Zhuo nodded, pondered for a moment, and said to the military officer who first suggested that Liu Bian's escape from the palace might have an insider's assistance: "Li Su, you are to go immediately and make arrangements. Set up checkpoints along the route from Luoyang to Hulao Pass. Once Liu Bian is discovered, do not ask for reasons and kill him on the spot"

"Because your feet are tightly wrapped in cloth!" Liu Bian chuckled and said to Tang Ji, "The cloth wrapped around your feet protects you like skin, so you naturally won't feel much pain. However, you do have injuries on your feet, so you still can't walk too far. Let's continue walking up the mountain a bit more, find a more open place to rest, and then we can prepare some food."

"Does it hurt?" While helping Tang Ji to burst the blister, Liu Bian raised his head and looked at her with concern

"It doesn't hurt!" she replied softly, biting her lower lip, burying her head in her chest. Her voice carried a hint of sobbing, and she dared not look at Liu Bian any longer, fearing that if she looked even once more, her gaze would involuntarily linger on his face, unwilling to move away.

Thinking of her as this man's wife, Tang Ji's small face unexpectedly flushed with embarrassment amidst her feelings of being moved

After running all night, Tang Ji naturally felt thirsty. However, when the two left the palace, they did not bring any water. The gourd that the night fragrance carriage driver used to carry water had been discarded after Liu Bian washed his face with it. Knowing that there was no water to drink, she endured her thirst throughout the journey in order not to add to Liu Bian's troubles.

Looking at Tang Ji, who was lowering her head as if trying to avoid his gaze, Liu Bian shifted his position, turning to face her feet. He reached out to lift one of her feet and removed the shoe from it.