Chapter 146

When Bianca returned to her mountain home, the sky had long since turned pitch black. She hadn’t found any more ginseng, and, being older, her energy was waning. If she encountered a wild boar, she wouldn’t be able to handle it alone.

Bianca’s doorstep was adorned with many dried herbs and insect repellents, and even animal specimens hung on the walls. Since there was no electricity, she relied on oil lamps for light.

At that moment, inside the room, the flickering candlelight was accompanied by the sound of coughing.

Bianca hurried to the kitchen to heat some medicine, then brought it into the room. On the bed inside the cabin lay a girl of six or seven, who was very thin and pale due to her illness.

Bianca sold poisonous worms to people to harm others just to earn money for her granddaughter Chloe’s medical treatment. However, despite spending the money, Chloe’s illness persisted.

Bianca, a sorceress with cursing skills, couldn’t cure Chloe’s illness with her magic. She could only watch helplessly as Chloe suffered.

‘If only Chloe could take that 1,000-year-old ginseng,’ she thought. ‘But I was just a step too late.’

“Chloe, wake up and take your medicine,” Bianca said as she walked to the bedside and helped Chloe sit up.

Meanwhile, in the village, the lights were bright.

There was one downside: bathing was quite inconvenient. Considering this, Joshua had asked James, who had returned halfway, to build a small shelter and boil some hot water.

Joshua was very thoughtful in everything he did, and Shermaine admired him for that.

However, the shelter they built was quite small, covered only by a cloth outside, and there wasn’t even a place to hang clothes inside. It didn’t serve much of a purpose.

Shermaine could go a day or two without bathing, but after running around in the mountains to pick herbs, she felt very dirty.

Regarding this, James sighed, “Mr. York, I did my best, but resources here are really limited.” He paused. “How about I borrow a stool for Ms. Shue to put her things on?”

There were chairs inside the house, but they were made of stone and very heavy, making them difficult to move around.

After they returned, their shoes were all muddy. Shermaine took off her shoes, went inside, found some slippers to wear, and then put her pajamas in a bag.

She walked to the back door. “No need, by the time you borrow one, the water will be cold.”

There were only a few households where they were staying. James and his group were even worse off, sleeping in their car because they were too lazy to set up a tent.

Shermaine handed the bag over to Joshua and said, “Keep watch for me while I’m in there.”

Joshua took the bag, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he nodded.

“Thanks,” Shermaine said.

“You’re welcome,” Joshua replied. It was his duty as her fiancé.

James, on the other hand, quietly stepped back. He couldn’t stay and disturb them any longer. He missed his wife already.

Shermaine carried the hot water into the shelter and quickly undressed. However, standing outside, Joshua could hear the rustling sounds of her undressing very clearly.

Joshua knew that his self-control was very weak in front of Shermaine. His desire for her was intense. In fact, all his desires stemmed from her.

Under these circumstances, Shermaine could only take a quick wash. After a few minutes, she stretched her arm out of the shelter, signaling to Joshua outside. “My clothes, please.”

Since she hadn’t dried off, her delicate arm was dripping with water droplets. At that moment, Joshua, who had been facing away from the shelter, turned around and walked over.

Joshua looked at the arm stretched out. Although it was very dark, to Joshua, it seemed to have a magical allure, tempting him to do something wrong.

Joshua paused, then stepped forward and handed her the bag. “Here.”

Shermaine took it and, after putting on her pants, began to button up her pajamas.

The pajamas were made of cotton and required buttons. Halfway through buttoning them, in the darkness, she saw a red dot flash. It wasn’t an illusion.

Then, she stopped buttoning her pajamas. Joshua’s voice followed. “Sheary, there’s a sniper.”

Shermaine was very quick and immediately dashed out of the shelter. Just in time, Joshua was right beside her, and she collided into his arms.

Then, a bullet whizzed by, piercing through the tent and hitting a tree in the distance.

The attacker was using a silenced sniper rifle equipped with a night vision scope, and from the direction the bullet came from, it was clear that the shooter was not far away to the south, at a higher elevation.

And, obviously, the target was Shermaine, not Joshua.

Joshua, holding Shermaine, quickly moved inside the house and kicked the door shut with his foot.