Lu Ye noticed the calluses on the young man's hands and his steady demeanor, recognizing him as a martial artist. Despite the dirt covering him, the boy's gaze was clear and honest. Lu Ye then spoke softly, "My surname is Lu, and my given name is Ye. This is my wife, Bai Sheng."
"Bai Sheng?" the young man named Shi Sheng paused for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. His gaze unintentionally settled on Bai Sheng. "I have noted both of you. I will never forget the kindness you've shown me today."
Lu Ye smiled. "There's no need for formalities; it was a small effort."
"Are your injuries serious?" Bai Sheng, seeing the bloodstains on the clothes of all three, never missed an opportunity to practice her medical skills as a newly qualified physician.
Shi Sheng waved his hand. "They are all superficial cuts and bruises; they are not serious."
Bai Sheng then produced three bamboo cups. "You must be thirsty. Here, drink some water first."
"Thank you, sister," the several young men touched their dry lips and accepted the bamboo cups.
They were indeed very thirsty. After crouching in the dirty and foul-smelling underground passage for so many days and being pursued for so long, their throats felt parched.
After gulping down several cups of water, the three youths let out satisfied sighs.
Bai Sheng quickly offered them the meat buns she had bought in Fengcheng.
The three of them were momentarily stunned in disbelief, then accepted the buns with trembling hands and devoured them ravenously.
The young man named Da Li, in particular, ate the fist-sized buns almost one by one. His throat was certainly not small.
In total, Bai Sheng gave out fifteen meat buns.
The young man named Lang Ya, who appeared leaner, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked at Lu Ye and Bai Sheng. "Many people from Great Xia oppress us Qing Huang people. You are also from Great Xia, so why are you willing to help us?"
Shi Sheng and Da Li also looked intently at the couple, as if waiting for their answer.
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye exchanged a glance and smiled. "There are many villains in Great Xia, but there are also many good people. We are just ordinary citizens and have no say in national affairs. Therefore, in our eyes, people are distinguished more by good and evil. Furthermore, according to the elders, Qing Huang Country has never actively oppressed other countries, and I have a very good impression of Qing Huang people."
Lu Ye placed his hand on Bai Sheng's shoulder. "Whatever my wife wants to do, I will support."
Bai Sheng raised her eyes and gave him a meaningful look.
This display of affection instantly made the three young men blush. However, they glanced at each other and remained silent.
Over the years, they had encountered many Great Xia people, and not one had shown them kindness, except for these two. Yet, facing their benefactors, they could not speak ill of their fellow countrymen in front of them.
After a moment of silence, Shi Sheng took out a bone whistle from his pocket and handed it to Bai Sheng. "Sister Bai Sheng, this bone whistle has accompanied me since childhood. Now I give it to you as a memento."
He actually detested Great Xia people and did not believe they would save them. But for some reason, when he saw Sister Bai Sheng, he inexplicably chose to trust her. She gave him a unique sense of familiarity, as well as the sincerity in her eyes...
That was why, in their moment of crisis, they had gotten onto their camel cart, drunk their water, and eaten their food.
"Thank you, Shi Sheng," Bai Sheng graciously accepted it. "Where do you plan to go next?"
Shi Sheng's expression turned serious. "We infiltrated Fengcheng to handle an important matter. The matter has been accomplished, so we plan to return to the east. We will get off the cart after traveling a bit further."
"The east borders Bian Province. We need to return to Bian Province. Do you need us to give you another ride?" Lu Ye saw that all three were exhausted. Returning to the east through the desert would surely be difficult.
"Yes," Da Li, who looked quite honest, replied truthfully. The soles of his feet were already so abraded that his bones were almost showing. Walking caused him excruciating pain.
He really wanted to take off his shoes, but he was afraid of offending the two benefactors in the carriage, especially since he hadn't washed his feet for many days.
Shi Sheng and Lang Ya looked at Da Li gratefully. Da Li had always been good at things that required a lack of self-consciousness. He always spoke his true needs honestly, without any prevarication.
Lu Ye smiled. "Why don't we take you all the way to the border? It's only a slight detour for us." He could enjoy a few more days of their time together.
"Then... thank you so much, Brother Lu and Sister Bai," Shi Sheng felt a little embarrassed. The three of them, like bottomless pits, would likely deplete their food supply in the coming days. He decided to eat a little less at each meal and hunt along the way.
Lang Ya felt the same way.
Bai Sheng noticed Da Li constantly shifting his feet, looking restless, and asked with concern, "Da Li, are your feet injured?"
Da Li was startled for a moment, then immediately nodded. "Yes, the soles of my feet are all worn out. Sister Bai, how did you know?"
You were squirming so obviously, and I'm not blind. "Take off your shoes and let me see."
Da Li immediately recoiled. "No, I can't take them off. My feet are too smelly; you'll definitely faint if you smell them."
Shi Sheng and Lang Ya nodded vigorously. They had experienced it many times before.
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye exchanged a smile, stopped the camel named Wuyun, and they all dismounted.
Coincidentally, there were some low sandstone rocks nearby. Shi Sheng and Lang Ya helped Da Li sit down.
Bai Sheng rolled up her sleeves. "Alright, take them off now." As a physician, she couldn't be squeamish about patients.
Shi Sheng and Lang Ya immediately ran about ten meters away, calling back to Bai Sheng and Lu Ye as they ran, "Brother Lu, Sister Bai, run further away; it's very dangerous."
Bai Sheng laughed heartily. "Is it that exaggerated?"
Shi Sheng and Lang Ya nodded in unison. "It is that exaggerated!"
Lu Ye, having some understanding of men, pulled Bai Sheng and also ran ten meters away.
Seeing that the surroundings were relatively safe, Da Li lifted his foot and forcefully pulled off his long boots. The rotten flesh on the soles of his feet stuck to the bottom of the boots, causing him to grimace in pain.
However, the moment he took off his shoes, Wuyun, the camel closest to him, suddenly staggered, fell to the ground, and let out a mournful "Mooooo."
Oh no! I forgot about Wuyun.
Da Li looked crestfallen. "Sister Bai Sheng, I... I'm sorry. I... I made your camel faint from the smell."
Bai Sheng instantly forgot her pretense of not being squeamish about patients. Perhaps it was due to her pregnancy; the intermittent waft of foot odor made her feel nauseous.
Lu Ye felt heartbroken and kept rubbing her back to comfort her.
Da Li felt extremely guilty. His foot odor was exceptionally potent, capable of incapacitating all living creatures around him, yet it spared him.
Bai Sheng, having finally recovered, quipped, "Da Li, your foot odor is truly overbearing. Fortunately, Shi Sheng and Lang Ya are experienced; otherwise, we would all be done for today."
The group burst into laughter, and Da Li chuckled sheepishly.
Bai Sheng covered her mouth and nose with her headscarf, crept towards the camel cart, and quietly added water to the ceramic缸.
Lu Ye scooped out a ladle of water and asked Shi Sheng and Lang Ya to help Da Li wash the soles of his feet. The spirit spring water had antiseptic and germicidal properties and promoted wound healing.
After cleaning, Da Li applied the medicine Bai Sheng gave him himself, and then it was bandaged.
The desert wind diluted the stench, Wuyun recovered, and resolutely stood up. Everyone resumed their journey.