The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming-Chapter 151: Save Me?

Rain pattered against the leaves and branches, rustling.

Stray raindrops splashed down, filling the air with a damp chill.

Ye Chutang glanced outside. "It’s raining. I’m afraid we’ll be stuck here for a while."

She turned to the man beside her and apologized softly, "My apologies for dragging you into this, Princely Heir."

They had lost their footing and tumbled from halfway up the mountain. The fall had been rough, but by a stroke of luck, they landed on a small, jutting ledge. By an even greater stroke of luck, a curtain of thick vines concealed a hidden cave, offering them a relatively safe shelter.

The cave wasn’t large, but it had more than enough room for two.

Shen Yanchuan, however, ignored her. His dark, intense eyes swept over her pale face before finally settling on her left shoulder.

"That dart needs to be dealt with immediately," he said.

Ye Chutang blinked. A strange feeling washed over her. ’Shen Yanchuan is angry.’

’We just barely escaped with our lives, and we’re finally safe. What could he possibly be angry about?’

Ye Chutang pondered. ’It can’t be because he got scraped up protecting me during the fall, can it?’

’Granted, she had never seen Shen Yanchuan so dusty and disheveled, but there was no one else here. Who would see him like this? What was there to be upset about?’ 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Looking at the man’s cold profile, Ye Chutang wisely swallowed her words.

"I know," she said, her gaze falling to the dart lodged in her left shoulder.

It had only pierced her by half an inch at first, but the rough tumble down the mountain had driven most of the dart into her flesh. Now, only the red-tasseled end remained visible, making the wound look even more frightening.

She raised her hand to pull it out.

Yet before her fingertips could touch it, the man asked abruptly, "You’re going to pull it out yourself?"

Ye Chutang looked up, seeming a little baffled. "...What else would I do?"

’Wasn’t he the one who said it needed to be dealt with immediately? Why all the questions now?’

Shen Yanchuan’s brow finally furrowed.

’Doesn’t it hurt?’

’This cave is dark and damp, it’s raining outside... The conditions couldn’t be more primitive.’

’And she’s just going to yank it out?’

Shen Yanchuan had long known Ye Chutang was different from ordinary women, but only now did he realize that she wasn’t just decisive with others—she was ruthless with herself.

Seeing his grim expression, Ye Chutang thought he was doubting her ability and explained, "Don’t worry, Princely Heir. I’ve treated similar injuries before. One time it was even worse than this, and everything turned out fine."

Shen Yanchuan’s lashes trembled slightly. "What?"

Ye Chutang pressed a hand near the wound. "Three years ago, when I was escaping with Yan, A Feng, and Xiao Wu, I was hit by two arrows. Luckily, they both missed anything vital. I was worried they’d make it harder to run, so I pulled them out on the spot. I rested for a while afterward and recovered just fine."

Her tone was casual and calm, as if she were discussing something utterly mundane.

Yet every word offered a glimpse into the incredible danger and hardship she must have faced.

Shen Yanchuan felt the tightness in his chest intensify, as if crushed by a great weight. Something boiled and raged within him, threatening to burst through an invisible barrier and consume everything in its path.

He looked at Ye Chutang again.

In the dim light, the young woman’s gentle, lovely face was obscured by shadows, yet her eyes remained clear and calm.

Had she not said so herself, no one would believe she had endured so much.

She had only been fourteen.

Shen Yanchuan walked over and knelt in front of Ye Chutang.

Ye Chutang froze for a second. Then she heard him say in a low voice, "Brace yourself."

’Is he going to help?’

Realizing his intent, Ye Chutang didn’t insist and lowered her hand. "Thank you, Princely Heir."

Shen Yanchuan had no desire to hear her thanks.

He placed one hand on Ye Chutang’s shoulder to steady her and gripped the end of the dart with the other.

Dark red blood had already stained a large patch of her clothes. The faint scent of it mingled with the damp air, becoming cloying as it slowly, inexorably enveloped them.

"Did you come here specifically to find me today?" Shen Yanchuan asked suddenly.

Ye Chutang’s eyelid twitched. "Hm?"

The moment she was distracted by surprise, Shen Yanchuan yanked the dart out!

A sharp, tearing pain shot through her. Ye Chutang’s body shuddered, and her face paled even further.

Yet she endured it, not letting a single sound escape her lips.

Shen Yanchuan’s hand on her shoulder tightened instinctively. When he saw her brow furrow in pain, he relaxed his grip slightly.

Ye Chutang shook her head. "...No. I came today to pray and offer incense for the moving of my parents’ and older brother’s graves and the setting of a new headstone."

Shen Yanchuan watched her without a word.

Ye Chutang’s pale lips curved into a weak smile. "Otherwise... otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten lost from walking up the mountain, and I wouldn’t have happened to run into you and Prince Qi."

Many people took carriages up the mountain, but Ye Chutang had not.

She had walked from the foot of the mountain, step by step up the winding path, to show her devotion.

As her words faded, silence fell over the cave.

It was impossible to tell if Shen Yanchuan believed her.

But Ye Chutang wasn’t particularly concerned with that. She had more important things to do—

"Princely Heir, I need to apply my medicine now," she reminded him tactfully.

She was a physician, so it was only natural for her to carry items like golden sore medicine. It was certainly proving useful now.

Shen Yanchuan gave her a deep look, then tore a relatively clean strip of cloth from the cuff of his outer robe and handed it to her.

Ye Chutang accepted it with a word of thanks. Shen Yanchuan rose and moved to stand guard at the mouth of the cave.

Only then did Ye Chutang turn her back to him and untie her sash.

The blood-soaked garment fell away, revealing a fair, rounded shoulder and a gory, mangled wound.

’Fortunately, the bone wasn’t injured. The dart was sharp but not poisoned. It’s better than I expected.’

Ye Chutang wiped away the blood around the injury and sprinkled a pale yellow powder onto the wound.

Her hand trembled from the pain, but she remained perfectly still and quiet, methodically doing what needed to be done.

’Conditions are limited. I can only dress it simply for now. I’ll have to treat it properly once I’m back.’

The rain was a deafening downpour, yet Shen Yanchuan could still easily pick out the subtle sounds coming from behind him.

The rustle of clothing, the sound of a medicine bottle being opened, and then, after a long silence, the rip of fabric and the soft sounds of it being wrapped and tied.

Shen Yanchuan’s hands, clasped behind his back, slowly tightened into fists.

Time seemed to drag on.

Finally, all the sounds ceased, followed by the young woman’s quiet voice.

"Princely Heir, I’m finished."

But Shen Yanchuan did not turn around.

He stared at the branches swaying in the rain outside the cave, his expression calm, his thoughts unreadable.

A gust of mountain wind blew a fine spray of rain into the cave, carrying with it a piercing chill.

Ye Chutang found this odd. "Princely Heir?"

Shen Yanchuan finally spoke.

"You knew there would be an ambush here today, didn’t you?"

His voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

Ye Chutang sounded somewhat taken aback. "What makes you say that, Princely Heir?"

Shen Yanchuan turned, his gaze fixed on her face.

"So much so that you’d even throw yourself off a cliff to save me?"

Ye Chutang’s brow twitched.