“I saved you. Is it appropriate to treat me like that?” Guima lit a torch and put the basket on a huge stone.
Su Muge sat down before the fire. “You saved me?”
He was exposed but he was not angry. “Yes, I saved you.”
Guima took some food from the basket and threw them to her.
Su Muge didn’t know how long she had been here and she was starving. So she just picked up the steamed bun and ate it, regardless of it being dirty.
Guima sat opposite to her and asked, “where were you poisoned?”
Su Muge had a bite of the steamed bun and looked up at him with her clear eyes which were full of puzzles.
“Poison, what poison? Am I poisoned?” Fear appears in her eyes. “So, am I dying soon?”
Guima was puzzled when seeing she was ignorant and fearful.
“You didn’t know you were poisoned?”
Su Muge shook her head woodenly.
“Why were you driving the carriage in the forest by yourself?”
Su Muge lowered her eyes and said, “I was going to visit my grandmother. However, I met some robbers and my maids and bodyguards got separated from me…”
Guima had no doubt about her explanation because he saw there were some travel necessities in the carriage. Her carriage and her dressing demonstrated that she was a lady from an official family.
“You are poisoned and you could die at any time. But I have given you a detoxifying pill that can suppress the poison temporarily. Otherwise, you would have died.”
Sure enough. Su Muge hid the light in her eyes and looked at him again with pure and clear eyes.
“Thank you, sir.”
Guima took out a small white porcelain bottle.
“There are three pills that can keep you alive within three months. But you will die after three months if you can’t find the antidote till then.”
Su Muge was frightened by his words.
“So what can I do?”
“Follow me and I can make you live longer.”
Su Muge picked up the white porcelain bottle and kept silent.
“Moreover, you should bath yourself in the ice-cold pool for three days to press down the Red Blaze inside.” Guima looked at her with a faint smile on his face and said. Then he left the cave.
Su Muge tightened her hand that grabbed the porcelain bottle.
She thought the Taoist priest didn’t have the antidote of Red Blaze. The reason why he caught her was that he intended to do some research on her!
The next two days, Su Muge bathed herself in the pool for three hours every day. She didn’t climb out until her arms and legs were numb with cold.
Su Muge wore her dried dress. After bathing in the ice-cold pool for three days, she felt the scorching heat inside had been weakened a lot. But she knew that’s temporary.
Guima seemed to be confident that she would not run away, so he didn’t keep watching on her.
Wearing her dress, Su Muge walked out of the cave with the porcelain bottle. She was not interested in being a research object.
The cave was on a hillside. She found a hidden way and walked down the hill. Fortunately, the mountain was not high. Soon she arrived at the bottom of the hill.
There was a muddy road at the hill foot. But it had not rained for several days, so the road was rather hard.
“Cracks.” Su Muge heard a wheel sound and she hid behind a tree.
“Brother, can we go home before night?”
“Yes, we can certainly go home before night.”
Su Muge saw a little girl about ten years old sitting on a cart and a teenager who was sixteen or seventeen years old was pushing the cart behind.
The two people were close to Su Muge. She grabbed some soil and apply them to her face. Then she walked to them.
The two were shocked when seeing Su Muge.
Su Muge asked, “would you please tell me how far the Zhao village of Nancheng prefecture is?”
The boy blushed due to shyness when seeing Su Muge, even though her face was dirty.
The little girl was audacious and answered, “Sister, are you going to Zhao village?”
“Yes. I’m going to visit a relative. But I lost my way in the forest.”
“What a coincidence. We are from Zhao village. You can go with us. Brother, is it OK?”
Both the little girl and Su Muge looked at him, making the boy more awkward.
“Yes, it’s OK.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Sister, sit on the cart and my brother will push it.”
Su Muge was still weak, so she nodded and got on the cart.
On the way, the little girl was always chattering and time passed quickly. When it became darker, they arrived at the village entrance.
Su Muge had obtained the address of Zhang on the way. She said good-bye to them and left.
When she arrived at the door of Zhang’s house, she became astonished.