Qi Yihan went hunting with his men. Before leaving, he repeatedly warned Li Man'er to stay in the cave and not wander off.
Li Man'er said she was cold and wanted to warm herself by the fire, so she wouldn't go anywhere, and he could rest assured. Inwardly, she grumbled about him being too worried, as if she were a child.
Only then did Qi Yihan leave.
While Ah Si was not paying attention, Li Man'er poured out the water from her water skin and replaced it with water from her spatial dimension. A sip made her feel refreshed.
There was no other way; it was best to avoid drinking the outside water if possible.
"Miss, the Prince treats you very well."
"Is that so?" Li Man'er pulled her small blanket tighter. "How come I haven't noticed!"
Ah Si was shocked. "You haven't noticed something so obvious?"
Obvious? Li Man'er was bewildered.
Ah Si explained to her earnestly, "Look, the Prince usually doesn't like to smile. He keeps a stern face, looking unapproachable."
Li Man'er nodded in agreement.
"But when the Prince is with you, his eyes sparkle, the corners of his mouth curl up slightly, and sometimes he even laughs."
"Really?" She hadn't paid much attention.
"Furthermore, when has the Prince ever put someone so much in his heart as he does you now? He's worried you won't eat well, so he specifically went to hunt rabbits." Ah Si smiled and said no more, leaving the young lady to figure it out herself!
Li Man'er said nothing out loud, but her heart felt a slight sweetness. However, she was not someone who could be swayed by small favors. If Qi Yihan didn't perform well, what was the point of him being a prince? She would still leave him.
Before long, Qi Yihan and his party returned, and the sky outside had completely darkened.
They used large branches to block the cave entrance and roasted the rabbits and pheasants they had hunted over the fire. Qi Yihan also found some wild eggs, which he boiled and added to the porridge for Li Man'er to eat.
Li Man'er didn't want to eat alone and thought they should share. But who would dare to snatch food from the future princess? They all fled as if in fear, lest Li Man'er offer them wild eggs.
Li Man'er could only accept graciously. The food had been rather monotonous for the past few days, and she was happy to have a few wild eggs to change her taste.
After dinner, everyone gathered around the fire to warm themselves. With the cave providing shelter, the night watch duty reverted to two people, with shifts changing every two hours.
Li Man'er spread out her fox fur bedding, covered herself with a blanket, and fell asleep. Before she could drift off, she felt someone approach her and then slide in beside her.
Without even thinking, Li Man'er knew it was Qi Yihan.
"What are you doing?"
"It's cold," Qi Yihan said in a low voice. "Your blanket is thick and large, share half of it with me."
"Don't you have your cloak?" That thing was lined with fur and was very warm to wear!
Li Man'er turned her head and saw that Qi Yihan was only wearing his cotton clothes and soft armor. His outer cloak, which he always wore, was draped over Ah Wu, who was on night watch at the cave entrance.
Ah Wu tried to shrink himself, minimizing his presence. He hoped the young lady would believe him if he said the Prince had forced him to wear this cloak.
Li Man'er, not being a true young girl, couldn't help but understand Qi Yihan's ploy. She said nothing more and simply turned over, presenting her back to him.
Qi Yihan did not lie down beside her. Instead, he sat against the wall, his legs covered by the blanket, and occasionally tossed a few branches into the fire.
The mountain wind at night was bone-chilling. Even in the cave, with the fire burning, Qi Yihan's attire was a bit too thin.
Li Man'er thought about it and, despite knowing he had a robust constitution, worried he might catch a cold. She threw her own fur cloak over to him to wear.
Her cloak, while not as thick as the outer robe, was lined with two layers of cotton and had a deerskin lining, making it windproof and warm.
The outer fabric was not as fine, being somewhat rough but durable. Even if it were scratched by a branch, it wouldn't break easily.
Qi Yihan hugged the cloak, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The "bitter tactic" was somewhat effective. With Li Man'er's personality, if she truly didn't care about you, she wouldn't even bat an eye if you froze to death in front of her. Her throwing him the cloak indicated that she cared deeply about him.
Qi Yihan silently put on Li Man'er's cloak. He caught a faint, almost imperceptible scent of jasmine. This time, he did not toss and turn; he slept soundly until dawn.
Early the next morning, everyone prepared their provisions and water. After breakfast, they began their journey.
This time, they were getting closer to their destination and soon arrived at the poisonous marsh described by Xiao Qiniang.
Li Man'er raised her telescope and looked into the distance. In the mountain forests ahead, yellow and green mists swirled, indicating something unpleasant. She couldn't even see any signs of life around.
"We can't go any further," Li Man'er's expression changed slightly. "This is the outer edge, there's no immediate danger, but the poisonous gas spreading from further ahead would kill an ordinary person within fifteen minutes."
Fifteen minutes was clearly not enough time to escape.
"Then what should we do?"
Li Man'er handed the telescope to Qi Yihan, allowing him to also observe the scene ahead.
Qi Yihan looked for a long time. When he lowered the telescope, he remained silent for a while.
"Do you have a plan?"
Li Man'er nodded. "I want to go ahead and scout the path myself."
"Absolutely not!" Qi Yihan immediately refused. "It's too dangerous. You can't go alone."
"I am a physician. I must interact with it to know what kind of poison it is and what its hazards are. If you don't let me go, all of us will have to turn back, and all our previous efforts will be in vain."
"I'll go with you."
"No!" Li Man'er flatly refused. "Only I can go alone."
Both were stubborn and unwilling to yield.
Ah Wu and Ah Si exchanged a glance and silently retreated a few steps with the others. When two great deities argued, they, as mere pawns, should stay out of the way to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
"Man'er, you took risks alone in Mobei City before..." Qi Yihan sighed. "I was so angry then, I wished I could rush over and charge into the barbarians' camp with you. I don't want to experience that feeling again. If you must go, you must take me with you."
"You are different from me."
Qi Yihan was confused. "How are we different? I trust you. Your antidote pills were very effective before."
Li Man'er simply said, "I don't even trust myself. There are thousands of poisons in the world. If you don't know what the poison is, how can you possibly have a matching antidote!"
"I refuse to let you put yourself in danger. In short, wherever you are, this king will be there."
Li Man'er stamped her foot in anger. "My constitution has been modified, and due to my cultivation techniques and other reasons, I am already immune to all poisons. That's why I'm the most suitable to go. Why are you trying to join the fun?"