Accidentally dressed as an empress

Chapter 250 Encountering Bandits

Zhong Ye nodded heavily and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a strange noise coming from outside the temple, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground.

The two men became alert instantly. Lin Zihan quickly drew out his dagger, signaled Zhong Ye to hide behind him, and quietly approached the temple gate.

Through the crack in the door, I saw a dark shadow lying in the mud, motionless.

Lin Zihan cautiously opened the door and approached the shadow with Zhong Ye. In the dim moonlight, they discovered a wounded old man, dressed in tattered clothes, bleeding profusely from his wounds.

"Save... me..." The old man spoke with difficulty, his breath weak.

Without any hesitation, Lin Zihan and Zhong Ye helped the old man into the temple and placed him next to the campfire.

Lin Zihan examined the old man's wound and found that although the wound was deep, it was fortunately not a vital part. She took out herbs and bandages from her bag and carefully bandaged the old man.

"Thank you two kind people..." The old man said gratefully after he recovered some strength.

"Old man, how come you are in this deep mountain and injured so badly?" Zhong Ye couldn't help but ask.

The old man sighed and said slowly, "I am a hunter from the mountains. A few days ago, I went hunting in the mountains and ran into a group of bandits robbing passing merchants. I wanted to sneak away, but they found me and chased me for several days. Today, I couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed here."

Lin Zihan and Zhong Ye exchanged a look of sympathy. "Old man, rest assured, stay here and recover. Don't leave until you're better," Lin Zihan said.

The old man nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of gratitude. After hearing Lin Zihan's words, the old man's eyes reddened slightly, his lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something but was choked with sobs and could hardly speak. He could only raise his calloused and slightly trembling hands and nod to the two of them repeatedly to express his gratitude.

Seeing the old man's pale face and weak breath, Zhong Ye turned to Lin Zihan and said softly, "I'm going to find some herbs nearby. You stay here and take care of the old man."

Lin Zihan nodded in agreement, then carefully tidied up the hay under the old man, poured some warm water, and fed it to the old man bit by bit.

Not long after, Zhong Ye hurried back with the herbs he had gathered. He expertly crushed them and applied them to the old man's wound, saying, "Old man, this herb will stop the bleeding and reduce the swelling. Just bear with it, and it will heal much better soon."

The old man looked at the two busy men, tears welling up in his cloudy eyes. He said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you both very much. I thought I was doomed this time, but I didn't expect to meet such kind people like you."

That night, under the careful care of Lin Zihan and Zhong Ye, the old man's injuries gradually improved.

During this process, they also learned from the old man a lot about the paths in the mountains and the distribution of bandits in the surrounding areas, which provided great help for their subsequent journey.

The next day, they said goodbye to the old man. He thanked them profusely and watched them leave. Lin Zihan and Zhong Ye continued on their journey to Dongling.

The two continued to move forward. The surrounding mountains and forests were quiet, with the occasional calls of unknown birds.

Suddenly, there was a loud sound of horse hooves in the distance. Lin Zihan's face suddenly changed and he whispered, "Oh no! It's probably bandits! Hide quickly!"

The two men quickly hid in the dense bushes on the side of the road, not daring to breathe.

The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer. The bandit leader rode a tall horse, his eyes scanning the surroundings like an eagle.

Just as the officer's eyes were about to sweep over their hiding place, the corner of Zhong Ye's clothes was accidentally caught on a branch. He subconsciously pulled it hard, making a slight sound.

The bandit pulled the reins hard and shouted, "Who are you? Come out!"

Lin Zihan's heart was in her throat. She clenched the dagger in her hand, ready to fight to the death.

At this moment, Zhong Ye suddenly stood up, put himself in front of Lin Zihan, and said loudly: "Sir, we are ordinary people. We came out to pick some herbs and will go home soon." As he spoke, he raised the basket of herbs in his hand with pretended calmness.