When Zhi Nu woke up, he instinctively touched his forehead.
Though there was no bandage, the swelling from his injury had also greatly diminished.
He quickly tucked the purple-gold box into his robes, grabbed onto the tree trunk for support, and stood up, carefully assessing his current predicament.
Returning to Jingyin Temple was out of the question.
But he still needed to find a way back to the capital.
Zhi Nu thought for a moment—perhaps he could try his luck at the Grand Canal docks. If he could find a cargo ship headed to Ying Jing, there might be an opportunity to work as a deckhand and sneak his way back to the capital.
As he walked out from the grove near the temple, heading toward the main road, he suddenly noticed an official carriage with a blue canopy exiting Jingyin Temple.
A blue canopy signified a fourth or fifth-rank official in Great Yong’s government.
The sight triggered an old memory—
Zhi Nu’s father, Wu Qiong, had once been a Fifth-Rank Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.
Before his conviction, he too had ridden in an official carriage just like this one.
Zhi Nu bent down and picked up a few small stones from the ground.
Then, in a sudden burst of motion, he rushed onto the main road, blocking the path of the carriage.
The well-trained driver and horses reacted immediately, slowing down to avoid a collision.
But Zhi Nu had planned for this—he stumbled dramatically, making it look as though he had accidentally fallen.
At the same time, he hurled the stones with precise aim, striking the horse’s front legs.
The startled horse stumbled forward, its legs buckling beneath it.
The carriage lurched as it came to an abrupt halt, swaying precariously.
“What’s going on?”
A curtain lifted, and a middle-aged man in his forties peered out from inside the carriage.
He had a strong, well-defined face, thick brows like a tiger’s, and a firm, commanding presence.
Zhi Nu remained on the ground, feigning weakness.
"Help! Help! Someone save me!" he cried out pitifully.
The middle-aged man frowned deeply, then turned toward the driver.
"How could you be so careless?" he scolded. "You ran over a child for no reason!"
Without hesitation, he stepped out of the carriage, striding toward Zhi Nu to check his condition.
Zhi Nu, of course, had no injuries from the carriage accident—only the bruise on his forehead from crashing into the tree the night before.
So, he clutched his head, groaning theatrically.
"Ow, ow… my head!"
The official knelt beside him, his tone now gentle.
"Child, where are your parents? Where is your family?"
Zhi Nu did not answer—he only kept holding his head and groaning.
The man sighed. "I am Wang Cheng Xing, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. I am not a bad person, and I deeply regret this accident. Would you allow me to take you to a doctor? You may ride in my carriage."
Zhi Nu blinked, his expression turning pitiful and hesitant.
"Sir… my head hurts. I feel dizzy… I can’t walk…"
Wang Cheng Xing immediately crouched down and, with careful movements, lifted Zhi Nu into his arms.
Then, he carried him into the carriage and ordered his driver to take them to a physician’s clinic.
The physician quickly examined Zhi Nu and determined that he had no serious injuries.
After cleaning his forehead wound and applying a bandage, the doctor prescribed some herbal medicine to help with circulation and bruising.
However—
No matter how many times Wang Cheng Xing asked, Zhi Nu refused to reveal his name or his family background.
The doctor sighed and said, "This child may have suffered a head injury. It’s possible he has temporary amnesia. Give him a few days to rest—once the blood stagnation clears, his memory might return."
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