Liang Yuzhou reached out his hand and groped in the air for a few times. Song Wanchu quickly pressed her face against his palm.
His palm was wet.
Song Wanchu bit her lips desperately to hold back the sobs from welling up in her throat.
The two of them were in a desperate situation. Tears and weakness were the last things Liang Yuzhou needed. But she couldn't contain her grief.
She wanted to say something optimistic, even if it could offer a little psychological comfort. But as soon as she opened her mouth, only mournful sobs came out.
Instead, Liang Yuzhou comforted her, "Wanchu, don't cry. I think I'll be fine. I probably just hit the back of my head when I fell. Maybe a blood clot has built up in my brain, which is pressing on my vision. My eyes themselves aren't injured."
Song Wanchu quickly checked the back of his head. Sure enough, there was a large swelling, and fresh blood was smeared around the wound.
She looked out at the boundless forest and then at the stream not far away.
The mid - day sun shone on the water, creating a sparkling effect. Looking up, one could see the overlapping mountains. It should have been a beautiful and pleasant sight.
But because of Liang Yuzhou's blindness and the desolate and uninhabited primitive scenery, it was terrifying and panicking.
Song Wanchu forced herself to calm down. "Let's follow the stream downstream. There must be people where there's water."
Once they found a village, they could stay in a farmer's house and ask a doctor to treat Liang Yuzhou.
Liang Yuzhou nodded. Even in the darkness, he remained calm and composed.
He stood up. Since he couldn't see, his movements were a bit slow. Then, relying on his intuition, he reached out his hand in Wanchu's direction.
Song Wanchu took his hand. As soon as she stood up, a sharp pain shot through her right ankle.
She couldn't help but let out a soft hiss.
"Where's the injury?"
"My right foot. It seems a bit swollen."
Liang Yuzhou crouched down again. Song Wanchu supported herself on his shoulder and lifted her right foot into his hand.
After kneading it for a few times, he let out a sigh of relief. "It's probably just a sprain. It's okay. The bone isn't injured."
Song Wanchu was also relieved.
Falling from such a high cliff and only getting a minor injury was a lucky escape.
But then she thought that her safety was bought at the cost of Liang Yuzhou's sacrifice. His right shoulder was pierced, and he couldn't see...
Hot tears welled up in her eyes again.
She firmly tightened her grip on Liang Yuzhou's hand. "Let's go."
She had to be strong. Now she was Liang Yuzhou's eyes.
The ground was full of uneven stones. Every time her right foot stepped on one, it was excruciatingly painful. Before she could take a single step, her back was already soaked in cold sweat.
"Wanchu, I'll carry you on my back."
Song Wanchu looked at his blood - soaked right shoulder and instinctively shook her head.
Then she suddenly realized that Liang Yuzhou couldn't see her shaking her head...
"I can walk." She didn't want to be a burden to Liang Yuzhou when he was already so injured.
Liang Yuzhou smiled softly. His voice was deep and gentle. "Wanchu, you think of me as too fragile. When I was eighteen, I followed the old lord to suppress bandits. I beheaded seven bandit leaders, and I had thirty or forty wounds of various sizes on my body. When I was chasing Gao Daqiang, I ran out of strength, and he managed to escape. At that time, my injuries were much more serious than they are now. It was only three days and three nights later that the old lord's men found me in the woods."
Song Wanchu held her breath. Her heart was tightly clenched, as if she had been transported to those dangerous days through Liang Yuzhou's memories.
"How did you manage to endure it?"
She couldn't imagine that he was just a teenage boy who had just stepped onto the battlefield, covered in wounds, alone in the depths of the dense forest for three days and three nights.
He had to be on guard against Gao Daqiang's revenge and the wild beasts.
Liang Yuzhou's hand slid up along her arm until it reached her shoulder. Song Wanchu leaned forward and actively hugged him.
His pitch - black eyes were unfocused, but they were filled with infinite tenderness. His palm caressed her face. The smooth touch seemed to bring a glimmer of light to the depths of his eyes.
"It was because when I was unconscious, I dreamed that you were praying for me. Just thinking of you gave me the strength to hold on."
Song Wanchu's heart trembled.
"Do you know when the happiest moment of my life was?"
Song Wanchu looked up at him. There was a smile in his eyes.
Only he could recall those wonderful moments even in a desperate situation.
"It was when I found out that you really did pray for me during the days when I was suppressing the bandits."
A complex emotion of sweetness mixed with bitterness welled up in Song Wanchu's heart. Her eyes grew hot again. "Your thought process is so different from normal people's. When I said I prayed for you, I was breaking up with you, and I even stabbed you with a sword..."
"Even when you were the angriest, you didn't try to kill me. I knew then that I still had a chance. I may have many flaws, but I think my greatest strength is that I'm confident enough and will never give up."
The valley was silent, but his words were firm and powerful.
Liang Yuzhou knew that there must be tears in the corners of her eyes. His fingertips caressed her face randomly. He didn't reach the corner of her eye but accidentally poked her nostril.
Song Wanchu couldn't help but sneeze.
After a moment of silence, both of them burst out laughing.
"Wanchu, back then, just by thinking of you, I could get through the most difficult times. Now that you're right by my side, there's no difficulty I can't overcome."
Liang Yuzhou patted his own shoulder. "I just can't see. My physical strength is fine."
He stood there. The pain from his wounds didn't diminish his charm in the slightest.
There was dried blood on his shoulder, but his back was still straight. His eyes were unfocused, but his expression remained calm.
He exuded a kind of steadiness that made people feel at ease, as if nothing could shake him.
It was as if the word "trust" was written on his face.
Song Wanchu didn't argue anymore. She could barely take a step now. If she pretended to be strong, she would only slow them down.
She obediently climbed onto Liang Yuzhou's back and tightly wrapped her arms around his neck.
"The road ahead is relatively flat. Just follow the stream all the way."
From now on, Liang Yuzhou was her walking stick, and she was Liang Yuzhou's eyes.
"Wanchu."
"Yes?"
"Even if we're both disabled, we're still a perfect match."
Song Wanchu nodded slightly. "Yes, we're a perfect match."
Liang Yuzhou's lips curled up. His world was dark, but his steps were firm and powerful.
Lu Sihong, what can you compare with me?
If he had any self - awareness, he should have realized that he had lost completely the moment his steps stopped at the edge of the cliff.
He cared about too many things. Wanchu was one of them, but not the only one.
He would never be able to go all out for Wanchu.
"There's a big rock in front of your feet. You need to lift your foot higher to step over it."
Song Wanchu timely guided him and warned him of the danger.
Liang Yuzhou walked relatively steadily.
The two of them walked from mid - day until dusk.
On the way, they stopped to rest. Song Wanchu felt that the pain in her ankle had lessened a bit. She limped to the stream, soaked a handkerchief, and wiped Liang Yuzhou's face. Then she cupped some water in her hands for him to drink.
Liang Yuzhou even magically took out a small packet of beef jerky from his bosom.
He was always used to being prepared. When he had taken Wanchu away before, he had already planned that even if they had nothing on them, he wouldn't let Wanchu go hungry for the next meal.
The two of them ate the beef jerky with the mountain spring water.
Liang Yuzhou carried her on his back and continued walking.
As night fell, the forest after dark was full of danger.
Song Wanchu was a bit anxious. They had walked so far. Why hadn't they seen a village yet?