302 Trapped in Danger
No sooner had they emerged from the cave than they saw the Yamen clerks brawling with a group of black-clothed people.
Magistrate Han and Qiao Muchen were protecting Elder Song.
Li Zhoucheng, however, was nowhere to be found.
Amidst the intense confrontation, a sudden explosion echoed from the hilltop, followed by a cascade of shattered rocks.
"The rocks are rolling down! Everybody, run!" someone shouted.
Everyone hastily sought cover. Even the attacking black-clothed people paused their assault to evade the plummeting rocks.
Zhao Zhitong had only just stepped out of the cave when this disaster struck. She was caught off guard as rocks began to rain down around her.
Caught in the moment, she had no time to question what was happening and hastily dodged the falling stones. Just then, she heard Qiao Muchen's loud shout.
"Tongtong, be careful!"
The next second, she felt a solid chest slam into her.
With the momentum, she stumbled backward.
However, the imagined pain of her back hitting the jagged rocks never came. Instead, she felt herself being turned around in an embrace, landing softly on a warm chest.
Looking up, she found Qiao Muchen had carried her as they rolled back into the cave.
Seeing Qiao Muchen's somewhat pale face, Zhao Zhitong knew he must have taken a hard fall. She quickly scrambled off him and asked with concern, "Qiao Muchen, are you alright? Are you injured? Let me see."
Qiao Muchen: "Don't worry, I'm fine."
He waved away the dust in front of him, stood up, and took in their surroundings.
To avoid the large falling rocks from the mountain, they had tumbled back into the cave, the entrance of which was now blocked by the dislodged stones.
Luckily, torches still burned inside, allowing them to see the cave's interior.
The cave entrance was sealed shut by the rocks. Without tools, they had no hope of digging their way out with bare hands.
For now, their only hope was that those outside were safe and would send help to move the rocks.
Zhao Zhitong, of course, had also realized their predicament.
However, she was more concerned about Qiao Muchen's back. He had landed hard on the rocky ground, and his back was surely cut and bruised.
Seeing Qiao Muchen trying to push the large rocks at the entrance, Zhao Zhitong called out.
"Qiao Muchen, don't move around! The entrance is blocked; we have to wait for rescue."
"Let me look at your back first. We need to treat it right away to prevent infection, alright?"
Qiao Muchen had wanted to say he was fine. But seeing Zhao Zhitong's intense concern for his injuries, an unexpected sweetness bloomed in his heart. He relented and lowered his hands, though he still mumbled that his wounds were minor and didn't need treatment.
Zhao Zhitong paid him no mind. She took a bottle of trauma medicine from her person and said to Qiao Muchen, "Quickly, Qiao Muchen, come here. Take off your shirt."
Hearing her tell him to take off his shirt, Qiao Muchen froze: "..."
Although they had grown up together like childhood sweethearts, there were still distinctions between men and women.
Zhao Zhitong completely ignored Qiao Muchen's internal conflict. She even fetched a torch and placed it nearby to see more clearly.
After doing so, she looked up and saw Qiao Muchen still standing motionless. Puzzled, she asked, "What are you standing there dazed for? Do you need my help to take it off?"
The tips of Qiao Muchen's ears turned slightly red. He coughed and said, "No, no need. I can do it myself."
Coughing, he feigned nonchalance as he walked over, sat down, and removed his upper garment, revealing his back to Zhao Zhitong.
Seeing that Qiao Muchen had finally taken off his shirt, Zhao Zhitong nodded in satisfaction and began to examine his back.
As a physician, she most disliked uncooperative patients.
Because the weather was gradually warming, their clothes were thin. The ground was littered with sharp stones, and furthermore, Zhao Zhitong had landed on top of him when they fell.
Consequently, Qiao Muchen's back had several bleeding gashes from the stones. Dust clung to the wounds, making them look rather mangled and bloody.
"I'll clean the wounds for you first. It might sting a little, so bear with it, okay?"
Zhao Zhitong was behind Qiao Muchen, and her voice was incredibly gentle.
Since his back was to her, Zhao Zhitong simply took out hydrogen peroxide from her space and quickly disinfected his wounds.
The moment the hydrogen peroxide touched Qiao Muchen's skin, he couldn't help but flinch.
"Does it hurt? I'll be gentler, then?"
As she spoke, her movements became noticeably more tender.
Qiao Muchen shook his head, his face taut, "No, it doesn't hurt."
When Qiao Muchen spoke, his voice was somewhat low and hoarse, a captivating baritone.
For Zhao Zhitong, who had a weakness for attractive voices, this sound was extremely alluring, making her feel inexplicably flustered.
In the eyes of a physician, there should be no distinction between male and female. Even if a naked man stood before her, she could remain perfectly composed.
So why am I feeling so flustered now?
Zhao Zhitong shook her head, trying to clear it.
It must be because it's so stuffy in this cave.
Yes, that must be it.
Having rationalized it, Zhao Zhitong focused on quickly treating the wounds.
Now that the wounds were disinfected with hydrogen peroxide, it was time to apply the trauma medicine.
This time, applying the medicine and bandaging was very quick, completed in less than ten minutes.
During this time, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere felt somewhat strange.
Once the final bandaging was done, Zhao Zhitong coughed lightly, stood up, and said, "Alright, you can put your shirt on now."
Qiao Muchen: "Oh. Okay."
Qiao Muchen quickly pulled his shirt back on. At that moment, he saw his own abdominal muscles and couldn't help but think, I wonder if Zhao Zhitong saw them just now?
She must have.
After my diligent daily training, my physique is definitely no worse than Zhao Yu's, even if my martial arts aren't as good as his.
Thinking of this, a smile touched Qiao Muchen's lips. Zhao Zhitong once praised her Xiao Ge's eight-pack abs; she must like this kind of physique!
The more he dwelled on these thoughts, the more confident Qiao Muchen became, the earlier awkwardness of undressing completely replaced.
Meanwhile, Zhao Zhitong wasn't thinking about abs at all; she was examining the rocks blocking the cave entrance.
She gave them a push and found they were piled very solidly. Then, she pressed her ear against the stones, listening for any sound from outside.
After a moment, she realized she couldn't hear anything at all.
Qiao Muchen, having dressed, walked over. Worried that Zhao Zhitong might be afraid, he comforted her, "Tongtong, don't worry. Elder Song and Magistrate Han are outside. They know we're trapped in the cave; they'll send people to rescue us soon."
Zhao Zhitong nodded to show she wasn't worried, but then asked doubtfully, "What exactly happened? Do you think Li Zhoucheng set a trap?"
Qiao Muchen nodded. "Yes. Elder Song has long suspected that Li Zhoucheng is highly likely involved in the Counterfeit Money Case, but he's never had any concrete evidence."