Chapter 59: Survival in the Wild Forest

The forest was silent; even the sound of Liu Li stepping on dry branches seemed loud. Enduring the pain in her left leg, she didn't know how long she had been gathering, but she finally accumulated a small pile of branches.

Afterwards, she used a lighter to ignite the dry leaves first, then used those leaves to light the branches, finally managing to start a small campfire. The warm flames dispelled a trace of the chill. Liu Li slowly added branches, hoping to keep the fire burning bright all night.

The grim environment around her made Liu Li, in a moment of bitter humor, think of the game "Don't Starve" that her roommate had dragged her to play back in college; one had to stay by a campfire at night, or else they would be attacked by monsters.

Thinking of this, Liu Li suddenly stiffened. She subconsciously looked at the pitch-black surroundings, and a thought popped into her mind: Could there be wild beasts lurking here?

Thinking this, she felt her heart pounding non-stop; she was terrified to death.

She turned her head and nudged Liu Che, who had yet to wake up: "Father Emperor, wake up." If a wild beast really came, she couldn't possibly carry him in his unconscious state with her small frame. However, she called out to Liu Che for a long time without any response. When she touched his forehead, the temperature was frighteningly high.

It was over; in just this short time, Liu Che had actually developed a fever! Liu Li's heart instantly jumped to her throat, and she panicked for a moment.

Now was not the time to panic; she had to calm down and think about what to do. Liu Li closed her eyes, her voice trembling as she asked the system: "System, what should I do now?"

【Command error. The system has no authority to direct the host's choice of direction.】

Liu Li: "..." Although the system didn't tell her what to do at this moment, hearing the Mandarin that made her feel so close to home, she wasn't as afraid anymore.

Liu Li took a deep breath, trying hard to steady herself, thinking about how to save Liu Che at this time. First, she had to wake him up, then feed him fever-reducing medicine.

Liu Li exchanged a box of Ibuprofen from the system store; this stuff could reduce fever and relieve pain, so it should make Liu Che feel a bit better.

Originally, Liu Li wanted to get water directly from the pool nearby, but as soon as she thought about the dead person floating in the pool water, she could only exchange for a bottle of mineral water from the store.

Liu Li struggled to help Liu Che up from the ground, letting him lean against her small frame. She first fed him a mouthful of water, and seeing that he still had the consciousness to swallow it, she unscrewed the Ibuprofen capsule, poured the medicine inside into his mouth, and then fed him more water to ensure he had swallowed all the medicine. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

For the rest of the time, Liu Li just held the unconscious Liu Che like this, staring blankly at the flames. Finally, sleepiness gradually took over; she drooped her eyelids and fell asleep leaning against Liu Che.

Ganquan Palace on the mountain.

Because the Emperor had encountered assassins, the entire Ganquan Palace had become heavily guarded. Even the Feathered Forest Guard stationed far away in Weiyang Palace and Shanglin Park received notification, all heading to Ganquan Palace to protect the Emperor and search for the Empress and Princess who had fallen off the cliff.

As for who had arranged for this assassin and why they wanted to assassinate the Emperor, that also had to be thoroughly investigated.

It wasn't until dawn that Wei Qing, leading the Feathered Forest Guard unit under his command, arrived at Ganquan Palace. Wei Qing went to see the Emperor alone. Looking at the exhausted Emperor, he couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty, you must also take care of your own health."

Because of her worry, Chen Ajiao hadn't slept all night. Seeing Wei Qing arrive, she stood up hurriedly, as if she had seen a savior: "Wei Qing, hurry and take men to search the foot of Ganquan Palace mountain for the Empress and the Princess."

Chen Ajiao's voice was hoarse and choked with sobs: "He often praised you for being brave, resourceful, and having extraordinary skills; you must find them for me!" Even if you are Wei Zifu's younger brother, I still pin my hopes on you.

Wei Qing was startled. He looked at the Emperor with a complex expression, but in his heart, he was pondering who the "he" in the Emperor's words referred to. Could it be the "Empress"?

Thinking of this, Wei Qing pursed his lips tightly, bowed, and said: "Your Majesty, this subject will certainly not fail the commission!"

Wei Qing learned from the guards who were present at the time where the assassination had occurred, and took people to the scene to investigate. Finally, he determined two plans for finding the people.

One was to find the architectural map of Ganquan Palace to determine the location at the foot of the mountain.

Then they would go down the mountain to find the people. The other was for him to take men down from this cliff, which could find the people faster.

If they went to find the architectural map and then searched the mountain, it would probably take many days, which was too much of a waste of time. Finally, Wei Qing decided to personally take a few people down from this mountain body to save time.

Of course, it wasn't blindly going down from the mountain; they needed to prepare long enough ropes.

Upon hearing that Wei Qing needed to prepare ropes, Chen Ajiao immediately issued an imperial decree for everyone to cooperate with Wei Qing. If the hemp ropes in Ganquan Palace were not enough, they were to be found in Weiyang Palace; if still not enough, they were to be made on the spot. They had to be made at the fastest speed.

A whole day passed. Weiyang Palace had indeed prepared quite a few hemp ropes, and the hemp ropes used for military training in Shanglin Park were also collected. Wei Qing personally took these ropes.

Although the news of the Emperor's assassination and the Empress and Princess falling off the cliff was blocked in time, some wind still leaked out. After all, Ganquan Palace suddenly needing so many hemp ropes must mean something had happened.

Wei Zifu also heard some wind. Taking advantage of Wei Qing coming to Weiyang Palace to take the hemp ropes, she asked her younger brother to verify this matter.

After hearing this, Wei Zifu's heart skipped a beat. In her memory, such a thing had never happened in her previous life. How could "Chen Ajiao" fall off a cliff in the fourth year of Yuanguang, with her life or death unknown?

However, regarding this assassination, it seemed there had been such an incident in her previous life, but at that time, Liu Che seemed to have caught the assassin very quickly, and there was no such episode.

Wei Zifu wouldn't overthink things she couldn't figure out; after all, there was no such person as Princess Jianling in her previous life. She calmed down, suddenly reached out to hold her brother's hand, and called out in a low voice: "Wei Qing."

Wei Qing looked at his elder sister: "Elder Sister, what is it?"

"Elder Sister wants to ask you for one thing." Wei Zifu's heart was pounding, and the hand holding her brother's tightened involuntarily: "If you find the Empress, can you..." Words reached her lips, and Wei Zifu hardened her heart and said: "Can you not let her live?"

Hearing his sister's words, Wei Qing gasped: "Elder Sister!" He couldn't believe what his ears had heard; his gentle sister in his memory actually wanted him to murder the Empress?!

A trace of determination appeared in Wei Zifu's eyes: "Wei Qing, I do this all for Ju'er."

Wei Qing pursed his lips tightly, staring at his sister without speaking.

"The Emperor does not yet have a legitimate son. As long as the Empress is gone, then Ju'er can become the Crown Prince in the future, and I..." And she would also regain the position of Empress.

She didn't know what was wrong with this world; she had one less daughter, Chen Ajiao had one more daughter, and Liu Che's attitude towards Chen Ajiao had also changed. Therefore, Wei Zifu was not sure if she could become Empress two years later in this world, and if her son could become the Crown Prince.

Now it seemed to be an opportunity to get rid of Chen Ajiao. As long as Chen Ajiao, this Empress, was gone, and Wei Qing performed meritorious service in the sixth year of Yuanguang, everything would develop the same way as in her previous life.

Then she only needed to wait for her son to grow up, wait for her nephew Huo Qubing's wings to be full... At that time, she would kill Liu Che and seize the throne! Let the things she and Ju'er never thought of doing in her previous life be realized in this world.

Wei Qing's thick brows furrowed: "Elder Sister, you used to... not be like this." The sister he knew was the one who would gently help him apply medicine and give him encouragement when he was bullied. Not like this now, asking him to kill... and it was the Empress of a country.

A trace of sorrow appeared on the corners of Wei Zifu's lips. She looked at her brother, her eyes as gentle as ever, but her voice was no longer the same: "Wei Qing, the Elder Sister you knew died long ago, died in..." Died in this lonely and cold Weiyang Palace, died in Liu Che's heartlessness...

"Wei Qing, in Weiyang Palace, gentleness and kindness are the most useless things. Even if you don't scheme to hurt others, others will scheme to hurt you for the sake of profit. Do you remember the time when the former Empress Chen couldn't tolerate me and kidnapped you because I was pregnant to threaten me?"

Wei Qing frowned: "But wasn't that done by the Grand Princess? It wasn't her original intention."

"The Grand Princess is her mother; do you think the whole thing has nothing to do with her?" Wei Zifu looked at Wei Qing strangely: "Wei Qing, what's wrong with you? Didn't you also hate Empress Chen very much before?"

Empress.

Wei Qing: "..."

When Wei Qing was kidnapped back then, he was only a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy. Suddenly being kidnapped to threaten his sister, of course, he hated the mastermind very much. But as he grew older, his mind matured. Especially after the scene in Shanglin Park last time, he seemed to... never be able to hate her again.

Now facing such a request from his sister, Wei Qing couldn't do it, couldn't do it, and couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Elder Sister, she is the Empress." Wei Qing said in a deep voice: "She is the ruler, and I am the subject. If I move to kill her, that is disloyalty."

Wei Zifu: "..." She looked at her brother in a daze, suddenly wanting to know, if her brother knew what happened to her and Ju'er in her previous life, would he rebel against Liu Che for the sake of his sister?

Because of his background, which was different from others, Wei Qing always had a humility that was different from ordinary people. It was precisely this character of his that made Liu Che reuse him and constantly promote him, creating the glory of the entire Wei family.

Wei Zifu closed her eyes, sighed long, and said: "Forget it, Elder Sister won't make things difficult for you. Just pretend Elder Sister never brought this matter up to you."

Wei Qing sensed his sister's disappointment. Watching her turn away in frustration, he opened his mouth but ultimately didn't call out to stop her.

When Liu Che woke up, the light in front of him was a bit dazzling. He squinted his eyes, and it took a long time to adapt to the light. In front of him was a forest that seemed to have no end, and in front of him was a campfire that had been extinguished for a long time.

He moved slightly and felt that his body was not as painful as he had imagined. He sat up with some difficulty and realized that his daughter had been holding him from behind all this time.

"A Li." Liu Che endured the pain in his body and reached out to half-embrace his daughter. The moment he touched her, Liu Che realized with a start that her body temperature was very high; when he touched her forehead, it was shockingly hot.

Liu Che was startled and hurriedly pulled her into his arms. He stood up from the ground with some difficulty, looked around at the surrounding environment, and soon noticed the assassin floating in the pond.

The assassin had died the moment he fell. Having been soaked in the water for an entire night, his face was bloated, making him unbearable to look at.

Liu Che looked up at the mountain slope to the side; they had fallen from above, and the final landing spot must have been in this pond.

That he was still alive now must be because A Li had pulled him up. Looking at his daughter, whose cheeks were flushed and who had fallen into a deep sleep in his arms, Liu Che's heart softened completely.

He could not imagine the situation at the time—how his daughter had managed to save him and bring him ashore, and how she had managed to start a fire in such darkness.

Perhaps if it were another person's child, they would have been scared to tears long ago; how could they have done so much?

Truly worthy of being my daughter!

They had fallen from such a height, yet he only had scrapes on his body and no broken limbs, and it didn't even hurt much; it must be because of the protection of the gods.

Thinking of this, Liu Che seemed even more convinced of the existence of the gods.

However, the most important thing right now was how to survive and walk out of this dense forest. A Li seemed to have caught a cold, and he had to take her to find a doctor for treatment as soon as possible.

As for the assassin's corpse... Liu Che's gaze turned cold; it would not be too late to arrange for people to retrieve it later.

In truth, Liu Che's body was still weak, and he found it somewhat strenuous to hold Liu Li's small body. Moreover, Liu Li hummed uncomfortably in his arms, her little face scrunched up from the discomfort.

"Mommy." Liu Li murmured unconsciously.

Liu Che frowned upon hearing this. What did "Mommy" mean? Had this child started talking nonsense from the fever? Liu Che's heart tightened; he held her firmly and prepared to scout the path ahead.

Just as he was about to leave, Liu Che suddenly noticed several strange objects beside the extinguished fire. These odd-shaped things must have been taken out by A Li. Liu Che thought for a moment, then gently placed his daughter on the ground.

He picked up these items; the only one he recognized was likely that box of medicine. After all, A Li seemed to have taken out something similar before and let A Jiao eat it—what was it called again?

So this must be medicine, right?

Liu Che looked at the medicine, then at his daughter who was running a high fever. After weighing it repeatedly in his heart, he decided to feed her a little of it first to see.

However, after opening the packaging, Liu Che discovered that this medicine was a bit different from the one he had seen last time. The one in his hand seemed a bit too large, and its appearance was also very strange. Could this... really be eaten?

"Water... I want to drink water." Liu Li licked her dry lips in a daze, muttering to herself.

Liu Che subconsciously looked up at the pond to the side and searched around to see if there were any containers that could hold water. Finally, his gaze locked onto the object that looked like it contained water.

Was the thing inside this water? Liu Che picked up the mineral water bottle and shook it in his hand; there seemed to be more than half a bottle of water left, but how was he supposed to drink it?

Liu Che had thought about pulling the cap off, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remove it. He searched around and saw a reflective object at the very edge of the mountain slope. Liu Che walked over to take a look and found it was actually a dagger.

The dagger the assassin had used earlier.

Liu Che hurriedly picked up the dagger, wiped it on his body, and then aimed it at the object in his hand and stabbed it. The water inside gushed out, spilling more than half of it.

Liu Che hurriedly fed the remaining bit into Liu Li's mouth. Liu Li choked on it and finally opened her eyes in a daze.

Seeing his daughter wake up, Liu Che's eyes brightened: "A Li, you're awake."

Liu Li shifted her gaze, landing on the mineral water bottle that had been ruined by Liu Che. She opened her mouth and asked in a hoarse voice: "Why did my mineral water become like this? Where is the water inside?"

Liu Che said: "I couldn't open this thing, so I thought I'd use the dagger to cut it open a bit. I didn't expect all the water inside to spill out..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Li's expression changed: "It all spilled? Then where did the water you fed me just now come from?" An answer she found hard to accept vaguely surfaced in her mind; it couldn't have been from the pond nearby, could it...

Seeing her like this, Liu Che curled his lips and said: "Although half of it spilled, fortunately, half remained, and I fed that to you just now."

Hearing this, Liu Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She felt lightheaded and weak, knowing she had likely caught a cold too. Fortunately, the ibuprofen she had exchanged for yesterday was still there. She reached out to pick up the medicine on the ground, peeled out a capsule, and turned her eyes to the ruined mineral water in Liu Che's hand, suddenly falling into silence.

He wasted more than half a bottle of her water!!!

A bottle of mineral water costs 100 points!!!