Perhaps my glare was so vicious that it actually startled him.

He landed on his rear, scooting backward some distance, and addressed me—or perhaps Zhao Jiajia who was being swept away by the current—saying, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry! If we didn't kill her, we would all lose our lives!"

I couldn't spare a moment to watch his performance, because if I let my guard down for even an instant, the moment that long-haired man pulled out his gun, I would be finished.

But what worried me more right then was that once the water carried the burlap sack further downstream, I would never be able to save Zhao Jiajia.

Panic made cold sweat bead on my brow; I lunged forward, punching at the long-haired man in front of me.

He was clearly a skilled fighter; he effortlessly dodged my first two swings and countered with a side kick aimed at me.

However, at that moment, I did something he absolutely did not expect.

I turned and ran, intending to leap into the river.

But the brute seemed to anticipate my move, grabbing a corner of my jacket.

Thinking fast, I ducked my head, flung my arms out, shrugged off my coat, and plunged headfirst into the water.

Once submerged, an icy chill pierced through my entire body, so intense I could barely draw breath.

The first thing I did wasn't to swim toward the rapidly drifting sack, but to look up at the two figures on the bank to see their reaction.

Sure enough, just as I had guessed, the long-haired man had drawn his gun and fired two shots the moment I surfaced.

It was only because I had anticipated this that I managed to dive back under the water in time; otherwise, those two rounds would have blown my head apart.

Submerged, I thought I was safe, but a searing, sharp pain suddenly shot up my right calf. I knew instantly I had been hit by a stray shot from the long-haired man.

But I had to grit my teeth and endure it; I couldn't risk showing my head again to take more fire.

I stayed underwater, swimming submerged for a full thirty seconds, feeling as if I had covered a great distance before finally surfacing.

Looking up, I saw the two men on the bank running along the river's edge, trying to keep pace with me.

Pop-pop—two more shots, narrowly missing my scalp and splashing into the water.

I thought to myself that luckily, this guy’s aim wasn't precise during a moving target engagement, and I had escaped death again.

To conserve ammunition, the other side ceased firing.

Even more fortunate, I spotted that the river widened not far ahead.

A wider river meant shallower water and a faster current.

Indeed, as I was swept into the shallows, I quickly pulled away from the two men on the bank.

I saw the beams of their flashlights stop there; perhaps they were tired from running.

The long-haired man fired two more rounds into the water, but because of the distance, they were completely off target.

I took a long, deep breath, and only then did I turn to search for the burlap sack that had been washed away.

Luckily, the sack had snagged on a tree root near the bank at that very moment.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in my leg, I swam swiftly toward it.

But as I neared, I suddenly froze, because there were two burlap sacks in front of me.

It was then I remembered seeing one sack even before discovering the two bodies being dumped.

It seemed these two sacks had miraculously been caught in the same spot.

Since it was dark, I had no idea which one was which.

Logically, I should open both to check, but who knew what the other sack contained?

What if it held the water ghost I dreamt of? It would surely scare me to death right then and there!

After a moment of hesitation, I decided to drag both sacks onto the bank first.

I was already on the opposite bank anyway, and with no bridge nearby, I wasn't worried about those two catching up.

With considerable effort, I managed to wrestle both sacks onto the shore.

Then, fighting through the stabbing pain in my leg, I painfully hauled myself up.

This side of the riverbank was also thick with weeds, and I constantly feared a snake might suddenly slither out.

Thankfully, once I was clear of the water, I found they were just common reeds, and the section I crushed down provided just enough space to rest.

The first thing I did after sitting on the bank was check the injury on my calf.

Rolling up my trousers, I saw the entire leg was stained crimson with blood, and it was still gushing out.

I knew I might have hit a major vessel, so I quickly tore off a relatively sturdy vine and tightly bound the muscle above the wound.

Tightening the binding would stop blood from pumping to the wound, and sure enough, the bleeding quickly ceased.

But I knew I had lost too much blood; bright spots were starting to swim before my eyes.

However, I couldn't afford to pass out just then.

After crudely wiping the blood away from the wound, I examined it and realized the bullet had pierced clean through my entire calf from the side; fortunately, it hadn't hit the bone.

But because it was a traverse shot, there were two entry/exit wounds, one on each side.

Tying off the leg like this wasn't a long-term fix; prolonged pressure would lead to tissue necrosis, so I needed to find something to staunch the flow permanently.

If it were anyone else, they would surely be in danger without immediate hospital care, but thankfully, I was a specialist in botany.

I searched the surrounding area and actually managed to find several herbs known for their hemostatic properties.

I glanced across the river, confirmed the pursuers had given up, then chewed the herbs into a pulp and applied the poultice to the wounds.

Next, I plucked two large reed leaves to use as bandages, wrapped my leg securely, and then untied the temporary vine binding.

As expected, the bleeding had stopped, and I could move freely.

To prevent the others from tracking me down again, I decided to drag both sacks into the adjacent farmland before opening them.

So, dragging my injured leg, I exerted great effort to pull the two bundles up onto the gentler slope above the riverbank.

After resting on the ground for a while, I felt the biting, bone-chilling cold of the wind whistle around me.

It was only then I realized I was bare-chested; in the struggle to get free from the long-haired man, I had lost my shirt as well.

This was truly a case of one misfortune chasing another: no food, no shelter, no money, injured, and now no clothes, just as the weather turned cold—the temperature was below ten degrees.

I sneezed, feeling slightly dizzy, unsure if it was due to blood loss or the onset of a cold, and I shivered, hugging my arms.

But no matter how cold I was, if the damp burlap sack kept covering Zhao Jiajia, even if she was alive, she could suffocate from being smothered.

I had no choice; I selected one sack and slowly began to loosen the ropes.

The knots were tied tightly, making them tricky, but they didn't defeat me entirely; after a few minutes, I managed to untie the cord.

Before opening the sack, I silently prayed: "Buddha protect me, don't let me see anything that will terrify me to death!"

After the brief prayer, I slowly pulled the mouth of the bag open, and suddenly, a dark, human-head-sized object rolled out.

Seeing this skull covered in gray hair, I thought, It’s over, someone’s head has been chopped off!

I retreated slightly, watching the head roll a couple of times before stopping. I swallowed hard, thinking, What kind of head is this? Why is it completely covered in hair, I can’t even see a face.

Upon closer inspection, I couldn't help but laugh in relief: it wasn't a severed head at all, but a very large taro root!

And it was one that hadn't had its roots removed or its skin scraped off yet.

Letting out a small breath, I looked inside the sack again—it was full of taro roots, large and small.

A wave of joy washed over me; I thought, Finally, this isn't completely unlucky. These taro roots will feed me for days; at least I won't starve.

This was the only thing that had gone somewhat right these past few days.

I packed the taro roots away and hurried to untie the second sack.

When I opened the second sack, I saw a fair, white hand dangling out.

I quickly grabbed the hand and felt for a pulse—it was extremely faint, but she was alive!

Then, at top speed, I dragged Zhao Jiajia out of the sack.

She was completely unconscious, her wet hair plastered to her face, making her look utterly frail.

She was still wearing the blue dress I first saw her in; its soft lines and pale face made her look like a beauty who had simply fallen asleep.

Because I hadn't thought things through in my haste, her entire dress was flipped up, exposing her pinkish underwear and a pair of fair, tender legs.

My face instantly flushed, and I quickly pulled her dress down to cover her backside and thighs.

Taking a breath, I reached to check her breathing.

Her respiration was steady, but there was absolutely no sign of her waking up.

I didn't know if Boss Tong had given her a sleeping pill or a knockout drug, but since her life was no longer in danger, it was best to let her wake up naturally.

But staying here was out of the question; we were both soaked, and the cold wind would surely lead to a serious illness.

I looked around, but there were no houses nearby.

I had no choice but to lift Zhao Jiajia onto my back and head toward the desolate path winding through the fields, hoping to be lucky enough to find a dwelling.

I decided to come back for the bag of taro roots later. I looked like a beggar now; no one would take me in, but if I could just get Zhao Jiajia to a place with people, she was so beautiful that someone would surely help her, maybe even take her to a doctor.

At that point, I could always return for the taro myself, even if I had to continue wandering.

We walked aimlessly forward, and thankfully, the body heat of two people could keep each other warm; otherwise, I might not have lasted at all.

Even so, I felt dizzy spells coming on intermittently.

I mistakenly thought I was just catching a cold, but later realized I hadn't properly stemmed the bleeding from my calf, leaving a trail of my blood the entire way.

Finally, after walking about a mile or so, I could hold on no longer and collapsed, passing out.

When I awoke the next day, I found myself lying in a hospital bed.

I was somewhat bewildered, thinking everything that happened before must have been a dream.

But as I tried to sit up, a searing pain shot through my leg.

Only then did I realize everything had been real.

Looking at the furnishings of the room, I noted the environment was quite nice, likely expensive.

Although I had no idea which kind soul had brought me here, I certainly couldn't afford the medical bills.

Just as I was about to slip out of bed to make my escape, Zhao Jiajia entered, pushing the door open with a doctor beside her.