Chapter 649: Chapter 351: Deeper Misunderstandings, Love Unwilling, Xiaotuan’s Past, Loyal Lady
The hull made a cracking sound and snapped in half. Gu Nianjun quickly came to her senses, leaped, her toes lightly touching the water, and jumped to another boat. Zhou Shijie lay horizontally inside the boat, and as soon as the boat broke, he immediately plunged into the water.
Martial Arts Second Realm, entering the water, you sink. The body felt like something heavy was dragging it downwards. Gu Nianjun was worried about other matters and didn’t notice it at once. It wasn’t until the water splashed, and others exclaimed, that she realized. She immediately called upon three ordinary people with excellent swimming skills to rescue him.
Before long.
The three Jianghu guests brought Zhou Shijie out of the water. One person carried his legs, another his waist, and another supported his head. Zhou Shijie was filled with great sorrow and thought, "Zhou Shijie, oh Zhou Shijie, the world is vast, yet there’s no more pitiful creature than you. Gu Nianjun has no place for you in her heart. Even your fall into the water was realized late. What have you gained from your persistent pursuit?"
Even though he had escaped the water, despite his severe injuries, he could still use his Lightweight Skill with no hindrance. He slapped the water with his left palm, used the force to leap from the water’s surface, stepped back with Lightweight Skill, and returned to Gu Nianjun’s side. The Jianghu guests who just entered the water for the rescue were suddenly swept away by a wild wave, instantly submerged into the lake.
Fortunately, their swimming skills were excellent, and once the wild waves subsided, they all swam back to the surface. They looked at Zhou Shijie with discontent, seeing that he showed no gratitude or thanks. Their initial sympathy waned, and they all thought, "This gentleman appears humble, but actually looks down on us. Well, no wonder he got defeated by someone stronger. Now thinking back, he deserves it. If I had the capability, I wouldn’t endure this."
Gu Nianjun frowned slightly. She rowed over, rolled up her sleeves, bent down, and pulled the three out of the water. The three thanked her, "Ah! Miss Gu, thank you for the rescue!" Gu Nianjun smiled and said, "It’s you who should be thanked for the rescue! I just gave a little pull, not daring to take credit for the rescue."
Zhou Shijie realized later, took a few steps closer, and said indifferently, "Thank you for saving me. Shijie is endlessly grateful. If there’s anything you need in the future, Shijie will do whatever it takes!"
The three thought, "Polite words, spoken smoothly. Look at you, you seem like you don’t care about us at all. You’ll forget about this soon and chase us away if we really seek you out later." They said, "It was just a small effort, there’s no need to thank."
After a quick interaction, their goodwill towards him diminished significantly. Zhou Shijie no longer paid any attention to the three and noticed Gu Nianjun staring into the distance with a complex and puzzled expression. He hesitated, knowing she already had her suspicions, and said, "Nianjun, my right arm is severely injured and hard to save. I need to amputate it to treat the wound. Could you bandage it for me?"
Seeing Zhou Shijie’s severe injury, Gu Nianjun, though having no feelings for him, still found it hard to refuse and said, "I’m not good at treating wounds, but I remember among our Jianghu companions, there are some doctors. Let them treat the wound, and I’ll chat with you to distract you and relieve the pain."
Zhou Shijie said, "Okay!" When the doctors came over with the boat, he handed out his right arm. The injury was terrifying; torn flesh was attached to shattered bone, and it was impossible to save. The forearm needed to be amputated for the next steps.
The doctor raised his knife and swiftly cut, causing Zhou Shijie to scream in pain, drenched in sweat. The doctor said, "Young Hero Zhou, the next treatment will be very painful, please endure it!" He immediately applied the ancestral Antiseptic Medicine to the wound.
Unable to bear the agonizing pain, Zhou Shijie saw that even though Gu Nianjun was concerned, her mind was filled with scattered thoughts. Despite his screams and cries of pain, he could not win her heart back. A sudden idea struck him, and he impulsively slapped. The doctor, not expecting Zhou Shijie’s sudden strike, was slapped into the lake. Zhou Shijie exclaimed, "Terribly sorry, I... I couldn’t control my limbs due to the unbearable pain."
The doctor was not in life-threatening condition but was severely injured. Gu Nianjun frowned tightly, said sternly, "If you do this again, there will be no one left to treat you." Zhou Shijie said, "This... This isn’t what I wanted. It’s just that thief hit too hard, and the pain is unbearable! Nianjun... please talk to me, distract me, and relieve the pain. Mr. Doctor, I sincerely apologize, please don’t blame me!"
The doctor, severely injured, was rescued and brought to shore.
Another, more cautious doctor came forward. Gu Nianjun sighed, "Alright then!" refocused her mind, stayed close by the doctor’s side, and talked with Zhou Shijie.
Zhou Shijie said, "Earlier, Nianjun, your arrows were quite impressive, much stronger than before. How is it that you’ve improved so rapidly in such a short time?" Gu Nianjun said, "During the time in Flying Dragon City, I met a Divine Archer. His understanding of archery is profound, and with daily training, naturally... naturally, I’ve improved quickly."
Her heart was pounding, uneasy and anxious, her thoughts complex. She glanced in a certain direction. Zhou Shijie said, "Is it that White-faced Red Bow person?"
Gu Nianjun said, "Yes, he... he..." Her mind lingered on something strange. Zhou Shijie said, "This fine gentleman, I truly admire him. When you got to know him, why didn’t you introduce me?"
Gu Nianjun said, "I didn’t think much at the time. In the future..." She initially intended to say, "If there’s a chance in the future, let’s invite him for a drink together." However, feeling restless, she said no more.
Zhou Shijie said, "Honestly, during the days you were missing, I saw that hero again." Gu Nianjun said, "Oh? Really? Why didn’t you mention it earlier?" Images of Li Xian’s archery lingered in her mind, though he was far away, hard to see clearly. And purely by his archery, it was difficult to determine his identity. Having been in constant contact with the ’White-faced Red Bow,’ she refused to believe that he could engage in the conduct of a Flower Thief. She absolutely didn’t want to believe the two were the same person. But a subtle feeling entwined, always distracting her mind, made her very uncomfortable with anxiety. Though she didn’t want to think more, she couldn’t help but think more. At this moment, hearing Zhou Shijie had seen the White-faced Red Bow, her focus shifted immediately.
Zhou Shijie said with a bitter smile, "At that time... at that time... I..." Suddenly feeling intense pain in his arm, he gritted his teeth and smiled, "I’m ashamed to say, back then I had feelings for Nianjun. Out of selfishness, I didn’t want to mention it. But after just now, seeing that Nianjun’s martial arts surpass mine by so much, I realized there’s no hope, and I’ve let go of that mental block."
