Chapter Seven: You Don’t Want Your Brother to Die, Do You?

"Young Master, it sounds like someone is crying," Qiuyue whispered.

"I don't hear a thing. Are you two sure you're not mishearing?" Chu Chunqiu replied dismissively, munching on a rabbit leg.

Jiang Li rolled his eyes in annoyance. You’re practically chewing the bones to dust with that crunching sound—it would be a miracle if you could hear anything else.

"Alright, Qiuyue, wait here. Chu Chunqiu, come with me and let's take a look."

They hadn't walked more than a few paces after standing up when they discovered the source of the sobbing. Under the sunlight, a girl roughly the same age as Qiuyue was kneeling on the ground, and lying before her was a young man whose chest was heaving violently.

"Wuwu! Brother, please hang in there! I will definitely find water for you!"

"Oh, are these two named Su Yang and Su Yan?" Jiang Li turned to Chu Chunqiu to verify.

Chu Chunqiu scratched his head, and after a long moment, replied, "Young Master, I don't know."

Jiang Li shook his head helplessly and signaled for Qiuyue to come over.

"Ah! Young Master, it's the siblings Su Yan and Su Yang!" Qiuyue exclaimed in surprise.

Jiang Li nodded. Back when the servants and maids had first arrived on the island to search for the small town, he hadn't seen these two since. In his memory, the siblings were unremarkable; their work was standard—neither brilliant nor terrible. They were as ordinary as one could be. The only reason Jiang Li remembered their names was that the girl, Su Yan, was quite pretty and was skilled at needlework.

"Young Master," Qiuyue looked at Jiang Li, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Jiang Li smiled. His current three-person team was still too small, so adding two more wouldn't hurt. Besides, when they first landed on the island, the siblings hadn't kicked him while he was down, unlike Qin Lang’s group. They were worth taking in.

"Let’s go see what the situation is."

When the three of them were less than three meters away, Su Yan finally noticed them. She hurriedly wiped the tears from her face and turned around.

"Don't come any closer!"

Seeing it was Jiang Li and his companions, Su Yan quickly stood up and bowed to him. "This servant greets you, Young Master."

"Su Yan, what happened to you two?" Qiuyue stepped forward and took Su Yan's hands.

"Qiuyue..." Su Yan’s voice choked with emotion.

After a long while, she recounted the story in broken sentences. When they first arrived on the island, the siblings had lost their way while looking for the small town. They spent two full days wandering in the wilderness before finally finding their way out. Along the journey, they had several encounters with wild beasts, and after constant fighting, Su Yang finally fell ill. Now, in this godforsaken place, it looked as though he wasn't going to make it.

Jiang Li’s mouth twitched. He had thought his own luck was bad enough, but these siblings were even worse. They had endured storms on the ship, gotten lost searching for the path, and spent two days fighting off predators in the dense forest. They were practically born with a "cursed physique."

"I beg you, Young Master, please save my brother! I am willing to serve you like a beast of burden to repay your kindness!" Su Yan looked at Jiang Li, her face a picture of tearful desperation.

Jiang Li looked Su Yang up and down. His eyes were tightly shut, and his chest heaved heavily; he was clearly suffering from a severe illness.

"Chu Chunqiu, give me a hand. Let’s carry him back to the camp first."

"Thank you, Young Master! Thank you!" Su Yan knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

"Don't thank me so soon. There are no doctors in this godforsaken place. I can't guarantee he’ll survive, so prepare yourself mentally," Jiang Li said, deep in thought.

Back at the camp, Jiang Li touched Su Yang’s forehead and immediately frowned; he was burning up, probably at forty degrees Celsius.

"Qiuyue, go boil some hot water in the teacup."

"Chu Chunqiu, take off his clothes to help him cool down."

After seeing to this, Jiang Li stood up and looked around. This remote island was surely full of medicinal herbs, but he didn't know how to identify them. For now, he could only give Su Yang hot water and see how it went.

Jiang Li placed two more sweet potatoes into the fire. "Four potatoes left, five sweet potatoes, and the wolf meat. I still need to go hunting." He scratched his head. Having more people was good, but the food consumption would rise. Provisions that were originally enough for three people for five days would now only last three. The pressure of survival was immediate.

"Qiuyue, Su Yan, do either of you recognize medicinal herbs?" Jiang Li asked.

"Young Master, I don't know anything about that."

"Neither do I."

Both girls shook their heads. Jiang Li’s gaze eventually fell on Chu Chunqiu.

"Don't look at me, Young Master. I could barely feed myself back home, let alone know about medicine. For minor illnesses, I’d just tough it out; for major ones, I’d just wait to die," Chu Chunqiu said nonchalantly.

Jiang Li nodded helplessly, deciding to check on Su Yang’s condition.

"You two stay here. Chu Chunqiu and I will go scout the woods." Jiang Li picked up a wooden club and a dagger.

In the forest, Jiang Li carefully observed the ground, soon identifying several paths where wild animals might travel. As a child from a poor family, Chu Chunqiu was adept at setting traps for wild rabbits. They set over a dozen snares and gathered some berries of uncertain edibility before turning back toward the camp.

When they returned, Su Yang’s eyes were still tightly shut with no sign of improvement, and his forehead remained terrifyingly hot.

"Young Master, my brother..." Su Yan’s eyes filled with tears.

"Let’s wait and see. Don't worry," was all Jiang Li could offer.

That evening, they ate some of the wolf meat and smoked the rest into jerky.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Su Yang suddenly erupted into a violent fit of coughing but did not wake up.

Su Yan was frantic but could only pray on the ground, helpless. Jiang Li looked at Su Yang with a solemn expression. According to his memories, the man was skilled in combat and had served the Jiang family for many years; if he could be saved, he should be.

"Phew!" Jiang Li exhaled and stood up.

"Su Yan, come with me for a moment."

Su Yan didn't suspect anything and stood up to follow him a short distance away. Jiang Li turned to look at her.

"Well, you don't want your brother to die, do you? I do have a way to save him..."

"Is there something you need me to do, Young Master? I promise to do anything, anything at all!" Su Yan said hurriedly.

Jiang Li nodded solemnly, then looked at her with a smirk.

"My beloved consort, have you eaten?"

Su Yan blinked, staring at Jiang Li in shock. *Beloved consort?* She was just a maid; how could she deserve such a title? But his next words made her face flush and her heart race.

"The hour is late, my beloved consort. Let us retire."

Su Yan nodded in a daze, and Jiang Li reached out to pull her into his arms. Though she was a maid, she was a maid of the Jiang family—back when the Jiang family was at the height of its power. Her figure and beauty were beyond question. Furthermore, she hadn't been tasked with heavy labor, so she lacked the coarse skin and muscles of a laborer. Feeling her soft body in his arms, even Jiang Li felt his own heart begin to race.