RPDPHW Chapter 46

When Gu Qingyin turned around, that person became even more excited.

“I thought I had mistaken someone else! I can’t believe it’s really you! What a coincidence to meet you here! Sister Yin! I’ve missed you so much! You said you’d visit me whenever you had time when you left last time, but it’s been so long, and you never came back to see me even once!”

The girl’s voice was so loud that it was impossible not to hear her.

Zhong Shujin had been feeling quite relieved after throwing up, but as soon as the girl shouted, she suddenly felt a bit more suffocated again.

“Leader, are you feeling better?”

Seeing that Zhong Shujin had stopped vomiting, Jing Rong hurriedly handed her a water pouch.

“Who’s that?”

Zhong Shujin took the pouch, rinsed her mouth, and glanced in Gu Qingyin’s direction, asking casually.

“Oh, her? She’s the fifth young lady of Feiyun Manor, Yun Huitong.”

Oh, so this was the Fifth Miss of Feiyun Manor whom Qingqing had once saved.

Zhong Shujin pursed her lips and said unhappily, “Why is she here?”

Jing Rong quickly explained, “We happened to run into Feiyun Manor’s group in Heifeng Town this time. Huitong and I have known each other since we were little—she’s a good person. When she learned we were being hunted by the Tang Clan, she let us travel with them. These past two days, we’ve been waiting for you, worried that something might have happened. It was also thanks to her that people were sent to search for her. Tonight, it was their people who noticed the commotion in the forest and came to inform us. That’s how we knew you were here…”

Those twenty or so strangers were people from Feiyun Manor—rescuers that Yun Huitong had brought along herself.

“A good person? Rong’er, don’t forget—we are not good people! She may be good, but we are villains. How could you be so careless and tell her our identities without any caution?” Zhong Shujin scolded Jing Rong with a stern face. “Have you ever considered that she might be deceiving you on purpose, just to lure us into a trap and wipe us out?”

Before Zhong Shujin could finish reprimanding, Gu Qingyin’s voice caught her attention.

“So it’s Tongtong.” Gu Qingyin smiled, rubbing Yun Huitong’s head. “It’s been over a year, and you’ve grown so much.”

Tongtong…

Maybe it was because she had just vomited, but Zhong Shujin suddenly felt an overwhelming bitterness in her mouth.

She let out a cold snort and took another big gulp of water to rinse her mouth.

Perhaps it was the frustration weighing on her chest, or maybe the bitterness was too much to bear, but the next moment, she accidentally started retching again.

“Are you okay, Leader? Don’t be angry! Huitong would never betray us! Feiyun Manor is different from those hypocritical pretenders in the martial world…”

Jing Rong frantically patted Zhong Shujin’s back while nervously defending Yun Huitong.

Zhong Shujin nearly choked from sheer frustration.

“Shut up!”

By now, her stomach was completely empty, and all she could do was bend over and dry heave.

The sound of dry heaving was so loud that Gu Qingyin, who wasn’t far away, heard it clearly. Seeing Zhong Shujin nearly bending all the way to the ground, she quickly stopped her conversation with Yun Huitong and took two hurried steps in Zhong Shujin’s direction.

But then she remembered what this person had said earlier—“Don’t come over.”

Forcing herself to stop, Gu Qingyin could only stand in place, watching Zhong Shujin’s hunched figure with worry.

“I can’t… I can’t take it anymore…” Zhong Shujin gripped Jing Rong’s arm tightly, using it for support. She repeated, “I’m about to collapse…”

Only then did Jing Rong suddenly remember Gu Qingyin.

“Ah, why is it so bad this time? Should we ask Doctor Gu to take a look at you?”

Hearing this, Zhong Shujin’s eyes lit up slightly.

“Ugh… Then what are you waiting for… Hurry up and call her…”

With permission granted, Jing Rong immediately shouted, “Doctor Gu! Can you come check on our leader? She says she can’t take it anymore!”

Zhong Shujin: “…”

Is that really how you’re supposed to say it…?

If Gu Qingyin hadn’t immediately dropped everything and rushed over, Zhong Shujin would have smacked this fool.

“Where do you feel unwell?”

As soon as Gu Qingyin arrived, she took over Jing Rong’s spot, gently patting Zhong Shujin’s back, her voice filled with concern.

However, just moments ago, Zhong Shujin had still been standing steadily while vomiting. Now, as if she had lost all the bones in her body, she suddenly collapsed onto Gu Qingyin, wrapping her arms around her neck and closing her eyes. “Everywhere hurts.”

Jing Rong, standing to the side, widened her eyes in shock.

Could it be that the leader was really at her limit?

She couldn’t even stand anymore?

Before Gu Qingyin could respond, Yun Huitong, who had followed her over, spoke with clear disdain. “Ew, Sister Yin, she just threw up! That’s so gross! Aren’t you the most afraid of filth? Do you want me to call someone to pull her off you?”

Hearing this, Zhong Shujin, who had been resting her head on Gu Qingyin’s shoulder, unhappily opened her eyes. She shot a cold, sidelong glance in Yun Huitong’s direction, then, as if showing off, wiped the moisture from her lips right onto Gu Qingyin’s neck.

Gu Qingyin shivered slightly.

Yun Huitong’s eyes instantly widened in horror!

Ew! That’s so disgusting!

She even had the audacity to smear that filth on Sister Yin!

But the worst part—Sister Yin didn’t even push her away!

“Just bear with it for now, okay?” Gu Qingyin, unaware of Zhong Shujin’s hidden, icy gaze, thought she was genuinely feeling unwell. Holding her even closer, she reassured her softly, “Once we find a place to rest, I’ll get you some medicine, and you’ll feel better.”

And yet, Gu Qingyin’s hand continued to gently stroke Zhong Shujin’s back, helping her breathe more smoothly.

“Mm.”

Zhong Shujin remained clinging tightly to Gu Qingyin, showing no intention of letting go.

Seeing this, Leng Shaoying, feeling a bit awkward, stepped forward and offered an explanation. “Doctor Gu, please don’t take offense. Our Leader gets really clingy when she’s feeling unwell. If she has offended you in any way, we ask for your understanding…”

Even Leng Shaoying wasn’t sure why their Leader had suddenly become so weak and needy, but feeling helpless, she could only offer a polite excuse.

After all, in their eyes, Gu Qingyin wasn’t exactly someone they were familiar with. It was best to be courteous to avoid their Leader offending someone without realizing it.

“It’s fine,” Gu Qingyin replied with a gentle smile before asking, “Can we head back now?”

Just as she finished speaking, Qiu Chengye and Li Ziming had finished inspecting the bodies on the ground. Seeing this, Ju Yuze quickly went to fetch two horses. Initially, the plan was to give one to each of them, but to everyone’s surprise, Zhong Shujin looked half-asleep already.

In this state, there was no way she could ride a horse on her own.

However, what truly amazed them was how their Leader, despite being in this dazed, half-conscious state, could still cling so tightly to this poison doctor.

After all, Zhong Shujin had just vomited, and there was inevitably some lingering stench. Remembering how Yun Huitong had mentioned that Gu Qingyin was particularly afraid of filth, the members of Xueyan Sect felt even more embarrassed. Their Leader’s behavior seemed far too impolite.

In the end, it was Gu Qingyin who took the initiative to hold Zhong Shujin and get on the horse first, reassuring the others, “It’s fine. I’ll take care of her.”

The remaining horse was then left for Lin Ziyan and Shan Wenshu to share.

On the way back, Yun Huitong rode alongside Gu Qingyin, circling around her and chattering nonstop.

After a long round of small talk, she finally got to the point.

“If Second Brother sees that you’re here too, he’ll be over the moon! Oh, right, Sister Yin, you haven’t married yet, have you? I was thinking of—”

“So annoying!”

Before she could finish, Zhong Shujin, who had been lying against Gu Qingyin with her eyes closed, suddenly snapped her eyes open and shot Yun Huitong a cold glance. “What does whether she’s married or not have to do with you?”

Yun Huitong was momentarily stunned.

She hadn’t expected Zhong Shujin, who had seemed half-asleep, to suddenly lash out like that. While Yun Huitong was merely taken aback, Jing Rong, on the other hand, shivered from the sudden hostility.

Why was the Leader suddenly angry?

Jing Rong couldn’t figure it out and simply assumed she wasn’t feeling well and was irritated by Yun Huitong’s incessant talking. Wanting to defuse the situation, she quickly spurred her horse forward to Yun Huitong’s side and said, “Didn’t you say earlier that you wanted to race me? Let’s do it now—let’s see who gets to the inn first!”

“Right now?” Yun Huitong asked in surprise.

They hadn’t even exited Heifeng Forest yet. The place was pitch dark—hardly the right setting for a horse race.

“Yep!”

Before Yun Huitong could react, Jing Rong had already nudged her horse into a gallop and charged ahead.

After all, Yun Huitong was still young, with a strong childlike nature. Naturally, she wasn’t willing to lose.

“Sister Yin, I’ll come find you later at the inn to chat!”

Leaving behind just that one sentence, she flicked her whip and raced after Jing Rong.

“Hmph.”

Zhong Shujin let out a cold snort, finally feeling a little more at ease.

“You’re awake?” Gu Qingyin gently squeezed the hands wrapped around her waist and tilted her head to ask, “Feeling better?”

“No!” Zhong Shujin pouted, rubbing her chin against Gu Qingyin’s shoulder as she mumbled, “She was so noisy. How could I sleep?”

Gu Qingyin slowed her horse’s pace, falling to the back of the group, and chuckled softly. “Well, now it’s quiet. You can sleep.”

Zhong Shujin was already full of frustration.

“Oh, so you can chat so happily with her, but when it comes to me, you have nothing to say?”

That unmistakable sour tone made it clear she was upset.

“You’re so petty.” Gu Qingyin turned her head slightly and pinched Zhong Shujin’s nose, teasingly scolding her. “Weren’t you the one who told me to stay away earlier? And now you’re blaming me?”

“When did I tell you to stay away?!” Zhong Shujin huffed, swatting the hand off her nose. She leaned back slightly to put some distance between them before retorting, “Aren’t you the one who’s always afraid of filth? If I hadn’t been worried you’d find it disgusting, I wouldn’t have bothered stopping you!”

Hearing this, Gu Qingyin was momentarily stunned.

Only then did she recall the vague dirty that Zhong Shujin had muttered when she had tried to approach earlier.

“Fool.”

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but chuckle. She turned her hand over, gently clasping Zhong Shujin’s hand that was gripping hers, and sighed helplessly, “How could I ever find you disgusting?”

Hearing this, Zhong Shujin couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile. She narrowed her eyes and asked playfully, “Really?”

Most of her frustration had already melted away.

“Of course!”

With that confirmation, Zhong Shujin forced herself to shake off her exhaustion and perk up a little.

Grinning mischievously, she cupped Gu Qingyin’s face in her hands. Under Gu Qingyin’s puzzled gaze, she took a deep breath—then exhaled directly onto Gu Qingyin’s nose.

Someone who had just vomited would undoubtedly have an unpleasant breath.

Even after rinsing her mouth, that awful smell wouldn’t fade completely in such a short time.

So, with that deliberate breath, what reached Gu Qingyin’s nose was a distinctly nauseating stench.

As soon as the smell hit her, Gu Qingyin instinctively furrowed her brows.

“Hmph.”

Seeing her reaction, Zhong Shujin didn’t push her luck any further. This little act of revenge was enough. She let go of Gu Qingyin’s cheeks and turned her head away with a huff.

“Liar. You do find it disgusting.”

Her tone, however, was much lighter than before, clearly showing she was in a far better mood.

It seemed like turning her head away now was just to spare Gu Qingyin from smelling the lingering stench any longer.