The Resolute Cannon Fodder Teaching In Ancient Time

Chapter 71: Seventy-One Treasures ✨

Xu Zhen felt as though she had slept for an eternity. She was surrounded by the sounds of water being fetched, people talking, and various other noises. She knew she needed to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy and burning, refusing to budge. With great effort, she managed to conjure up her system, exchanged for some cold medicine from the marketplace, and, with a foggy mind, went back to sleep.

At dawn the next day, a servant summoned Xu Zhen to work. Lacking the strength to move, she protested with a few low groans but was nonetheless dragged outside. The camp provided the servants with only straw shoes and a coat. Xu Zhen was hurried out, unfamiliar with her surroundings, managing only to slip on her shoes as she exited the tent. The biting cold wind immediately brought tears to her eyes.

"What a wretched place," she thought, pondering if the little beggar had been enduring such harsh conditions all along. It seemed incredibly unforgiving. She leaned on her broom, seeking shelter from the wind, as she felt her feet going numb.

A nearby servant, also sweeping snow, noticed Xu Zhen's struggle and asked, "Are you cold?"

Xu Zhen instinctively shook her head.

The other servant remarked, "Your legs are turning purple."

Xu Zhen hadn't initially felt it, but upon glancing down, she was startled to see her swollen ankles. Realizing the danger of continued exposure to the cold, she feared potential nerve damage. In a hoarse voice, she quickly asked, "Is there anything I can use to wrap myself?"

The servant returned to the tent and fetched a piece of worn fur. Xu Zhen extended her bluish hands to take it, wrapping it around her legs to retain some warmth.

The northern temperature was brutally low. Although she had initially arrived in thick cotton clothing, she was now clad in a thin white robe made of soft fabric. The wind whipped around her, causing her white skirt to flutter dramatically as if she were ready to ascend to the heavens. In reality, however, she was not far from freezing.

After finally completing her task, her legs were completely numb. A fellow servant helped her back to the tent, gently placing her on her bed and retrieving a warm piece of charcoal encased in a small metal container from the brazier for her.

Clutching the container, Xu Zhen took several deep breaths to regain her composure, feeling the gentle warmth spread through her hands.

A female servant asked, "Haven't you ever been out in the cold before?"

Xu Zhen shook her head, unable to speak. The servant, finding no satisfaction in the conversation, moved on to join the others.

Xu Zhen cocooned herself in her blanket. Once it warmed up, she attempted to remove the fur wrapped around her legs, only to find it stuck with blood. Any attempt to pull it off threatened to tear her skin, and this painful realization brought tears to her eyes, adding to her already miserable state.

Despairing, she lay back down, thinking, "Little beggar, where are you? Why haven't you come to find me yet? If you don't come soon, I'll definitely have a few choice words for you when we meet..."

The tent's warmth spread, and Xu Zhen no longer inhaled icy air. She felt slightly better.

Three others in the tent ate their meals while chatting. After finishing, one pitied Xu Zhen, noticing her cold sweat, and offered herbs to mash and apply to her wounds.

Xu Zhen thanked them profusely. As she lay in a daze, she overheard her tent mates discussing the Northern Frontier King. They said that despite favoring women, the King kept her distance, leaving those presented to her as camp servants.