Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

After Shen Yanchu finished eating, Shi Wanxia took the pot to the river to wash it clean, then took some water and put it on the stone stove. After boiling it, she waited for it to cool down. Feeling sleepy, she lay down on the straw mat to prepare for a nap.

"Brother Shen, let's sleep for a while before continuing our journey. I'll sleep for a bit, remember to wake me up later." He was still injured, and the long journey had exhausted him too! Shi Wanxia closed her eyes and fell asleep immediately.

Shen Yanchu felt a warmth in his heart. This thoughtful girl... A faint smile appeared on his lips as he sat cross-legged to recover his strength. Although the sun was scorching, the leaves provided some shade, and a gentle breeze blew from the river, sweeping away some of the heat.

After an incense stick had burned a while, Shen Yanchu opened his eyes. The girl was sleeping so soundly; he really didn't know how to describe her sleeping posture. The wind by the river was a bit damp; she would catch a cold if it blew on for so long.

Shen Yanchu hesitated for a moment before waking her up. "Miss Shi, don't sleep. It's windy by the river, you'll catch a cold."

Shi Wanxia groggily opened her eyes, and suddenly felt an itch in her nose. She sneezed unexpectedly, the sound like birdsong at dawn, crisp and loud.

"Achoo—!" Shen Yanchu's face darkened when he saw her like this. It was almost autumn, and the wind was already chilly. This girl was really something.

Shi Wanxia awkwardly rubbed her nose. "Are we leaving yet?" She sat up, looked up at the sky, and realized it was still early.

He then poured the cooled boiled water from the pot into a cup, went to the river to wash the pot and put it in his backpack, quickly rolled up the straw mat, and set off again.

Shi Wanxia would occasionally touch the wildflowers by the roadside. Shen Yanchu saw that she had only sneezed and had not caught a cold, so he breathed a sigh of relief and slowly followed behind her, leaning on his wooden cane.

The riverbank was mostly covered with weeds and pebbles, with only a few towering trees occasionally. The flash floods had left many dead branches and broken trees along the river, making the path difficult to traverse. Shi Wanxia helped Shen Yanchu along at a snail's pace, mainly because Shen Yanchu couldn't walk fast either, and the road conditions were poor.

As darkness fell, the moon cast its silvery light across the open area. Using this light, Shi Wanxia carefully set up a makeshift campsite.

She gathered stones from the riverbank, made a small fire pit, and lit a campfire with dry grass and branches. She took out some dried meat and wild vegetables from her backpack and put them on the fire to cook. Soon, the air was filled with the aroma of food.

Shen Yanchu meditated and regulated his breathing for a while, regaining some strength. He then saw the girl using a knife to cut the surrounding weeds, expanding the resting area a bit.

After finishing cutting the grass in the late summer, I sat on the grass mat and wondered how I would sleep that night. Since there was only one grass mat, and the dew was heavy and the temperature was low at night, laying down just one picnic mat wouldn't be enough.

After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke with some hesitation, "Brother Shen, there's something I need to discuss with you." After all, this is ancient times, and Shen Yanchu is a very particular person. If I don't discuss it with him, who knows what kind of lecture he'll give me? It's better for me to bring it up first.

Shen Yanchu glanced at her upon hearing this, then picked up his bowl and drank his water. Shi Wanxia didn't take it to heart when she saw that he didn't respond.

After organizing his thoughts, he slowly began, “Brother Shen, look, we only have one straw mat, and it’s not very big. Besides, we’re in a hurry to get somewhere, so we can’t just keep looking for dry grass. My quilt is thin, and while the daytime temperature is okay, the nighttime temperature is very low. Autumn is just around the corner. Here’s what I’m planning: we’ll sleep on this straw mat for the rest of the trip, with a mattress on top to keep out some of the dampness. You can use the quilt, and I’ll use your cloak. What do you think?”

"Don't give me any of that nonsense about men and women not touching each other. This is the wilderness, there's no need for those formalities. The temperature will only get lower and lower. If you don't abandon that idea, are you going to let either of us get sick from the cold just to uphold some so-called etiquette? Don't worry, this is something only you and I know. I won't tell anyone else, and it won't damage my reputation or anything."

Shen Yanchu stood there stunned for a long time before she came to her senses. Her brows furrowed, and she didn't know how to refute the girl's words, since what she said made sense.

It's almost autumn, and the nights are quite chilly. But how could it be as easy as she makes it sound to ask this unmarried girl to share a bed with him?

But this was the wilderness, and the girl's method was the only way. After all, he was so weak now that he had to rely on this girl for everything! After struggling for a long time, he nodded.

“Miss Shi, I have fallen on hard times and not only do I need your care, but I am also going to share a bed with you. This has damaged your reputation. Please rest assured, as long as I can get out, I will definitely make it up to you.” Shen Yanchu bowed with his hands clasped in apology.

Seeing that he agreed, Shi Wanxia waved her hand indifferently, "Oh, Brother Shen, don't be like that. We're not really... well, never mind. Brother Shen, let's eat first. I'll put the mats on in a bit."

She got up and served him the soup she had cooked. Shi Wanxia frowned as she looked at the soup in the bowl. Today was only the first day, and they hadn't gone very far. Although they had some dried meat, they would get tired of eating meat every meal.

"Brother Shen, I'm thinking, how about tomorrow, we go a little further from the river, just far enough to see the water, and go into the woods to see if we can find some other food, and also the medicine you're looking for. What do you think?"

Shen Yanchu nodded and continued drinking his soup. After they finished, Shi Wanxia got up and went to the river to wash the pot, and also took care of her business. She then carried some water back to the camp.

Shen Yanchu had already gotten up and was laying out the mat. Shi Wanxia looked up at the sky, worried that it might rain that night. She thought about setting up the tent as well, which would also help protect against the wind. After thinking for a while, she decided against it, since the moon was so big that it was impossible for it to rain.

Shen Yanchu appeared calm on the surface, but was inwardly extremely nervous. After all, sleeping with a girl... Shi Wanxia, ​​oblivious to his unease, went straight to him, took out a cloak and blanket, and lay down inside. The cloak was rather thin, but he decided to make do.

Thinking about it, he drifted off to sleep. Shen Yanchu looked at this carefree girl with mixed feelings of amusement and exasperation. After pondering for a long time, he finally lay down next to her. The girl leaned against him, which eased his tense and helpless emotions. Looking at the sky, his thoughts drifted away.

Shen Yanchu was fast asleep when he suddenly felt a soft body bump into his arms. He groggily opened his eyes and saw Shi Wanxia hugging him tightly, her hair falling on his face, bringing a faint fragrance.

Shen Yanchu was momentarily at a loss for what to do. His mind was still half-asleep, and his body was somewhat stiff. He tried to push Shi Wanxia away, but she hugged him even tighter, as if seeking some kind of comfort. Shen Yanchu felt her body trembling slightly, and a pang of pity welled up in his heart.

He gently patted Shi Wanxia's back, trying to calm her down. Shi Wanxia seemed to sense his comfort; her breathing gradually became steady, and her body stopped trembling. Shen Yanchu held her quietly like this until she drifted off to sleep again.

Looking at Shi Wanxia's peaceful sleeping face, Shen Yanchu's heart was filled with complex emotions. He didn't know why Shi Wanxia was suddenly like this, but he knew she must have encountered something. However, the girl's sleeping posture was really not very dignified. Shen Yanchu sighed helplessly; this girl really left him at a loss for what to do.