Rebirth: Traveling To Ancient Times As A Companion Reading Chapter 48

Anger

Once he clearly saw the large black and yellow object moving not far away, Qiao Yi’s pupils constricted sharply. He froze in place, not daring to move a single step.

Qiao Yi could not believe what he was seeing. A tiger—a robust, powerful tiger covered in yellow and black stripes.

The tiger was pacing through the woods over there, its head lowered as it sniffed the ground from time to time, as if attracted by some scent.

Qiao Yi remembered that was the path the horse had taken while carrying him. It must have been the lingering scent of blood from the horse’s injury that drew the tiger here.

Qiao Yi focused his mind, not daring to act rashly. He quickly moved away, distancing himself from the path the horse had traveled.

Shortly after Qiao Yi left his previous position, the tiger followed the scent to that spot. As if sensing something, it bared its teeth toward the direction the horse had fled, revealing sharp fangs still stained with blood. It let out a low, continuous growl, its warm breath forming a layer of white mist in the cold air.

…

It wasn’t that Qiao Yi had never seen a tiger before, but those had been for display in zoos. He had rarely come face-to-face with a wild tiger possessed of such raw, predatory bloodlust at such close range.

He had to leave this place before the tiger discovered him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even need to go back and walk into a trap; the tiger in front of him would simply have him for dinner.

Despite the overwhelming fear and dread filling his chest, Qiao Yi did his best to remain calm. Holding his breath, he stepped back lightly. One step, two steps, three steps…

Once he was certain he had put enough distance between himself and the massive beast, Qiao Yi kept his eyes fixed on the tiger, which had yet to notice him. He had to leave quickly; Lou Ling was still waiting for him to return.

Qiao Yi turned, intending to run.

But after only two steps, his pace gradually slowed. He looked back at what was behind him, and as a thought occurred to him, he even came to a full stop.

If he chose to go back now, he and Lou Ling alone would definitely be unable to defeat those people. But if he brought this thing over…

Qiao Yi looked back at the black and yellow figure, silently calculating the distance the horse had run earlier. This place shouldn’t be too far from Lou Ling’s position. If he used blood to lure it over there, it might just work.

Once the idea took hold, Qiao Yi began to plan. He still had strength. He only needed to cut a wound on his hand to lead the creature. If he ran at his absolute limit, he might be able to bring this thing to that side…

But if he couldn’t outrun it… Forget it, he would take the gamble.

Time did not allow Qiao Yi to hesitate further. He picked up an arrow, furrowed his brows, and turned his head away from his arm as his right hand slowly applied pressure.

Sss!

The sharp arrowhead sliced through the outer layer of his clothing, reaching the soft skin beneath. With the sound of a sharp object piercing flesh, a stream of bright red, pungent blood slowly flowed from the wound.

Qiao Yi looked back, keeping a constant watch on the tiger’s movements.

The sword wound Lou Ling had given the horse earlier wasn’t heavy, and because the horse had been running fast, the lingering scent of blood wasn’t nearly as strong as the fresh blood flowing from Qiao Yi.

Sure enough, moments after Qiao Yi wounded himself, the tiger, which had been heading in the direction the horse had fled, paused. It seemed to catch the new scent in the air and began to turn slowly.

Seeing that his goal was achieved, Qiao Yi didn’t hesitate. He immediately ran before the creature could spot him.

He had to be fast. Those people were not kind souls; they definitely wouldn’t let Lou Ling go.

–

Although he had trained at the Yuanli Workshop, Lou Ling was young and lacked sufficient strength. After exhausting his efforts, he had only managed to kill one person. Now, he lay on the ground covered in wounds, cornered against a tree by the remaining men with no way to retreat.

Lou Ling leaned his back against the tree trunk, staring coldly at the men before him. His once clean face was covered in dried blood. From the sword gashes on his body, blood pulsed outward, soaking his outer robe and making the already vibrant red even more eye-catching and piercing.

The intact red riding habit he had been wearing was now tattered from the fight, allowing the winter chill to seep into his body.

Heh! Lou Ling’s body trembled involuntarily, yet he seemed not to feel it. He raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, lifted his eyelids, and looked coldly at the men surrounding him. Your master certainly knows how to pick his timing.

The men in white remained expressionless, looking at Lou Ling as if he were already a dead man. One of them had lost his white mask, revealing a prominent thorn-shaped scar on his cheekbone.

Lou Ling knew they were from the Ice Fragrance Pavilion.

The Master of the Ice Fragrance Pavilion and the Master of the Yuanli Workshop—Lou Ling’s mother, Lou Mengli—were bitter rivals.

It had been less than three months since the Yuanli Workshop had passed into Lou Ling’s hands, and the Ice Fragrance Pavilion was already this anxious to move against him. Truly… Lou Ling gave a cold, mocking sneer, thinking the Master of the Ice Fragrance Pavilion had underestimated him far too much.

With his current abilities, he indeed could not kill these people, but that didn’t mean he had no way to handle an emergency.

Lou Ling’s sword had been knocked away during the fight. At this moment, he was heavily injured and unarmed, leaning against the tree by using his left hand for support. His wounded right arm hung uselessly at his side, unable to be lifted.

Behind his back, hidden from everyone’s sight, a small green bottle slowly slid from his sleeve into his left hand. He gripped the bottle tightly. Although his mother had told him not to use this unless it was a matter of life and death, it seemed he truly had no other choice now.

Both sides were silent.

The lead assassin coldly swung his sword, aiming directly for Lou Ling’s neck.

Lou Ling stared at the sword, his hand tightening to crush the bottle. The contents were now in his palm. But just a moment before he could throw the powder, an arrow suddenly struck the hand holding the sword.

The hand lost its strength, and the sword fell directly to the ground.

Lou Ling immediately saw Qiao Yi running toward them from behind. His gaze instantly turned sharp. Without hesitation, he threw the powder in his hand, quickly snatched up the sword beside him, and used the last of his strength to cut down the person closest to him.

Blood spilled, and the scent of iron quickly spread.

After Lou Ling threw the medicinal powder, the masks on the men’s faces proved useless. The effects took hold in just a few breaths, and the men who had been standing tall moments ago slumped to the ground.

However, the side effects of this medicine were also very obvious.

Not only were the men in white affected, but Lou Ling himself found it difficult to stand.

Qiao Yi had already run over from the distance.

Looking at Qiao Yi as he drew closer, Lou Ling didn’t wait in place. He forced himself to take a few steps, moving away from the area where he had scattered the medicine.

But Lou Ling could only manage those few steps. Before he was even halfway, he was on the verge of collapsing.

Just before Lou Ling could fall face-first onto the ground, Qiao Yi ran over and caught him.

What’s wrong?

Qiao Yi held Lou Ling, feeling the obvious abnormality in the person in his arms, his heart filled with worry.

Lou Ling shook his head. I’m fine.

Qiao Yi looked back and said, Can you still walk?

Lou Ling tried to stand, but even with Qiao Yi’s help, he could barely get up.

Knowing what was coming from behind, Qiao Yi didn’t hesitate. He immediately crouched down, signaling for Lou Ling to get on. Get on, quick. I’ll carry you.

Lou Ling looked at Qiao Yi’s thin back and hesitated for a moment, not getting on immediately.

Hurry up! Qiao Yi urged. There’s something chasing us from behind. If we don’t hurry, we’re both going to die here!

At this point, Qiao Yi could see the tiger’s silhouette beginning to appear in the distance.

Damn it! Qiao Yi didn’t bother asking again. He stepped back, grabbed Lou Ling’s legs, and forced him onto his back. He immediately stood up and ran into the distance.

The moment they moved, the tiger seemed to realize something and began to accelerate toward them.

Qiao Yi charged forward with Lou Ling on his back.

Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! We’re gonna die! We’re gonna die! We’re really gonna die! Come on, legs, move faster!

On Qiao Yi’s back, Lou Ling heard these words and glanced back.

With that one look, Lou Ling’s pupils also contracted violently because he saw the tiger too.

It had clearly smelled the heavy scent of blood here. Its eyes grew more crazed, filled with greed and desire, and its speed increased as it lunged toward them.

Qiao Yi used the greatest strength of his life for this run. He felt like he wasn’t even running anymore; if he went any faster, he felt like he could fly.

However, as long as he wasn’t dead, Qiao Yi had to keep running. If he slowed down even a little, in the next second, he and Lou Ling would experience what it truly felt like for their souls to ascend to heaven under the tiger’s teeth.

Qiao Yi looked back as he ran, still clutching his bow and arrows tightly. He had to ensure the tiger went for the men in white instead of coming after him and Lou Ling, otherwise…

Fortunately, because Lou Ling and those men had bled heavily during their fight, the tiger did not continue the chase once it reached that spot. Instead, it chose to stop there.

After running a long distance, Qiao Yi looked back. Once he was sure he could no longer see the tiger and that they wouldn’t be caught by those people for the time being, he finally stopped, standing in place and panting heavily.

Setting Lou Ling down, Qiao Yi was still uneasy. He looked back, then looked down at the bow and arrows in his hand. As a thought struck him, he looked at a thick tree nearby that was large enough to hide his figure.

Lou Ling, do you have any strength left?

Lou Ling had lost too much blood. His face was pale, and his voice was low. What is it?

I’ll carry you, and you hold onto me. We’re hiding in the tree.

To avoid being caught by those people or the tiger, Qiao Yi knew that given Lou Ling’s current state, they couldn’t possibly travel very far. Their only option was to hide for now.

But it was the middle of winter, and Qiao Yi wasn’t familiar with the terrain. If Lou Ling fainted and Qiao Yi got lost, it would be even more troublesome.

But Lou Ling didn’t want to. He pulled at Qiao Yi. We can’t climb it. You go back and find people. I’ll just find a place to hide.

Hide my ass! Qiao Yi looked at Lou Ling’s wounds and said without hesitation, In your condition, by the time I walk back and come back here, you’ll have stopped breathing.

Lou Ling said, I won’t…

Shut the hell up! Qiao Yi didn’t want to waste words. He pulled Lou Ling onto his back. Hurry, hold on tight. I’m going up now.

In his past life, Qiao Yi had tried all sorts of things when he was idle, including a bit of rock climbing.

So, when climbing the tree, Qiao Yi’s movements were quite fast. Aside from the pain in the wound on his arm, everything went smoothly.

The tree was very large. Even though it had lost its leaves and was bare, the branches were still thick and sturdy.

As the sky grew dark, Qiao Yi specifically chose a spot that wasn’t too high or too low—just high enough for him to carry Lou Ling up, but not so low that they would be seen by anyone or any tiger passing by.

Qiao Yi had Lou Ling sit down to rest while he began trying to stop the bleeding from Lou Ling’s wounds.

Those people had been out for Lou Ling’s life, so they hadn’t held back. Almost every wound was deep enough to see bone.

Sss! The more Qiao Yi looked, the more alarmed he became. They really were ruthless.

Lou Ling leaned against the tree trunk with his eyes closed. Aside from an occasional muffled groan, he remained silent throughout the process, letting Qiao Yi do as he pleased.

Bear with it. Qiao Yi turned his head to say this, then tore his own clothes to reveal the cotton padding inside. He used it to wipe away the grime around Lou Ling’s wounds and to stop the bleeding.

Although the cotton wasn’t very clean, in a situation where there was no medicine or gauze, the hidden cotton was better than the dirty outer clothes.

It was winter, and the temperature dropped even lower at night. Both of them were in a tree, and the cold wind felt like it would freeze their bones.

For the sake of convenience, riding habits weren’t as bulky or warm as other winter clothes. Now that the little cotton they had was being pulled out, the insulation was practically non-existent.

Qiao Yi was shivering all over, and his lips were beginning to turn purple. Yet he didn’t say a word, gritting his teeth as he continued to pull cotton from his clothes to stop Lou Ling’s bleeding.

Stop. Lou Ling grabbed Qiao Yi’s hand, preventing him from continuing. Your clothes…

Without thinking, Qiao Yi pressed Lou Ling’s hand back down. Don’t move. Your wounds are too serious. We have to stop the bleeding, or you’ll be dead before I can bring help.

Lou Ling fell silent and stopped speaking, merely watching Qiao Yi’s hand as it held his own. The wound on Qiao Yi’s arm from the arrow was very obvious, having formed a bloody gash that looked like an ugly centipede perched on his skin.

Once he was sure Lou Ling wouldn’t move again, Qiao Yi felt relieved enough to let go. He lowered his head to tend to the wounds while muttering, Sometimes I really don’t understand your logic. We both could have run earlier, but you insisted on staying to fight them. How could two kids like us beat those people? Honestly…

Suddenly, Lou Ling spoke. You didn’t have to do this.

What? Qiao Yi, who was focused on the wounds, thought he had misheard. He looked up and asked, What did you say?

Lou Ling said, I said, you didn’t have to come back. As long as the horse…

Qiao Yi was shivering from the cold yet still tearing his clothes to save Lou Ling, only to hear this. In his anger, he reached down, found a scrape on Lou Ling’s body, and pressed down hard.

Ngh! Lou Ling looked at the angry Qiao Yi. Even though Qiao Yi was pressing hard on his wound, he only gritted his teeth and let out a muffled groan, saying nothing.

Qiao Yi thought Lou Ling was mentally ill. He pulled his hand back after a few seconds and said crossly, Do you think I’m the kind of person who breaks his word and returns kindness with ingratitude?

Lou Ling said, That’s not what I meant.

Does it matter what you meant? Qiao Yi didn’t even look up. Though he was angry, his hands didn’t stop moving. If I had really run away, do you think you’d be sitting here right now? I went through all that trouble and risked my life to come back and save you, and instead of thanking me, you keep saying stuff like this.

Lou Ling said, Don’t you want to leave me? If I died, wouldn’t that be the perfect chance for you to go?

Qiao Yi found Lou Ling completely unreasonable. He forced himself not to lose his temper with an injured person. If you really want me to leave, then let me go openly. What kind of skill is playing dead?

Lou Ling stopped talking.

Qiao Yi didn’t feel like arguing further. I’ll give your wounds some basic treatment first. I’ll go find people for the rest later. You just stay here and don’t move! Do you hear me?

Lou Ling nodded slightly.

Seeing that Lou Ling’s face was deathly pale and his body was shaking uncontrollably, Qiao Yi didn’t know what to say. He let out a helpless sigh. You really are… No matter how mature he acted, Lou Ling was still just an eleven-year-old kid.

Qiao Yi was helpless. He didn’t finish his sentence but instead leaned forward and hugged Lou Ling tightly. The temperature was low at night, and he couldn’t go for help yet. He could only use this method to try and keep their body heat from escaping too quickly.

Lou Ling was stunned by Qiao Yi’s action, but he didn’t speak. After a moment of hesitation, he silently rested his head on Qiao Yi’s shoulder.

Neither of them spoke again.

Finally, a commotion from beneath the tree broke the silence between them.

Qiao Yi felt it was strange. Why would anyone appear here at this time? He leaned out to look down, only to see a black figure running past below.