Neun Lieder - Kapitel 153
Nine points...
The remaining point will be decided by him!
“If it really is her, then we’ll have to change our plans! Come closer…” He leaned close to the man’s ear and calmly stated his plan, his young and delicate face displaying a coldness and depth beyond his years.
A look of hesitation crossed the man's face: "This... I'm afraid that's inappropriate..."
*Slap!* A crisp slap landed on the man's face, and instantly, the spot swelled up like a fermenting bun.
"How dare you question my decision?!" The childish voice held a bloodthirsty ruthlessness.
"Your subordinate wouldn't dare! Your subordinate is only worried that if it doesn't work out, it might create an enmity between us. I know her temperament to some extent. If you really anger her, she will make sure that whoever angers her is cast into an abyss of eternal damnation, even if it means going to heaven or hell..."
His next words were automatically silenced by the child's piercing gaze.
Stretching out its short, white arms, the child's eyes were filled with disgust.
"Perfect timing! That woman is incredibly stupid. If I had relied on her to steal the Immortal Herb, I don't know when I would have recovered! Perfect timing, perfect timing!"
A bewitching yet chilling smile curved her lips, her phoenix eyes flashing with an eerie light, appearing particularly unsettling and unsettling against her childlike face…
"Whoa—" Suddenly, the reins were pulled tight. The horse was extremely displeased with the unexpected tug on its neck. It raised its front hooves and pawed wildly in the air, neighing loudly to express its dissatisfaction.
Lifting the curtain at the front of the carriage, Rongyue looked at Zhang Daniu, who had suddenly stopped, with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong?"
Zhang Daniu's honest face was filled with panic: "Madam Liu, quickly lower the curtain, we think we've encountered bandits!"
Zhang Daniu turned his horse around, intending to drive back, but unexpectedly, a row of men holding menacing broadswords appeared behind the carriage. Each of them had a fierce look in their eyes and looked like bandits.
A group of men, wielding large, gleaming white swords, quickly surrounded the carriage. The leader, a burly man with broadshoulders, flung open the carriage curtain, pounded the carriage floor with the hilt of his sword, and menacingly shouted at Rongyue inside, "You inside, get out of here!"
Without moving, Rongyue lazily raised an eyebrow: "Want money?"
"I want you down here!"
She curled her lips into a smile, casually toying with the strands of hair that fell across her chest: "Are you going to try and rape me?"
A series of lewd laughs came from outside the carriage: "Looks like the little lady knows what's good for her! Since you know why we're here, why don't you get down and serve us? If you can please us, I'll be happy and take you back to the stronghold. I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury with us from now on! Hahaha!"
Amidst their lewd laughter, Rongyue bowed and stepped down from the carriage. Not for any other reason than that she couldn't fully utilize her skills inside the carriage.
"Madam Liu!" Upon seeing Rongyue alight from the carriage, Zhang Daniu was shocked and jumped off the carriage as well, blocking Rongyue's path.
Pushing Zhang Daniu aside, Rongyue walked towards the sleazy-looking man at the head of the group, a bright smile playing on her lips: "Judging from what you're saying, big brother, it seems you want to be a romantic ghost who dies under the peony flower?"
"To die beneath the peony blossoms, even as a ghost, is still romantic." This is a common, playful saying among men, but when uttered by the woman before him, it carried an eerie and sinister undertone.
"Little lady, are you willing to let your brother die?" The burly man reached out his lewd hand, leering as he tried to touch Rongyue's face.
She swiftly dodged to the side, then took out a silver coin from her sleeve, weighed it in her palm, and said, "I'll give you two choices: one, take the silver and get lost; two, leave your name and die."
Just then, three or five bandits walked towards them, cursing and swearing.
"What a damn disappointment! Big Head, it's all your fault! Why didn't you keep a close eye on that woman? She died before we even got to use her, what a waste!" Upon seeing Rong Yue, his earlier annoyance vanished, replaced by a lecherous gleam in his eyes: "Oh, brother, so there's a pretty lady here!"
"Second brother, this woman is threatening your elder brother, saying she'll kill him! Second brother, your elder brother is really scared—"
"Hahaha—Big brother, that's a great joke, a really great one! Hahaha..."
Tucked her hair behind her ear, Rongyue lightly dusted herself off, and said in a cool and aloof tone, "You chose the path to heaven but refused to take it, and barged into the gates of hell. Don't blame me."
As the last word was uttered, the silver in his hand shot towards the burly man's face like an arrow. A crisp sound of bones breaking rang out, and the burly man's eyes widened, the lewd smile that had not yet faded from his fleshy face frozen in place. He fell straight backward like a piece of wood that had been cut, leaving a heavy thud as he hit the ground.
Before the remaining thieves could make a move, Rongyue had already grabbed the burly man's broadsword, sneered, and swept it across the surrounding thieves...
After a short while, only Rongyue, holding the blood-stained knife, and Zhang Daniu, who was standing there dumbfounded, remained.
Throwing away the large knife that was still dripping blood, Rongyue pulled Zhang Daniu toward the carriage.
"You'd better forget everything that happened today, you hear me?"
Just as she was about to step onto the carriage, the intermittent groans of a child reached Rongyue's ears from ahead.
Looking towards the sound, one could see a family fallen to the bandits' blades. A child in a beige jacket lay weakly in a pool of blood, his chest seemingly slashed, the red blood seeping from it soaking through the jacket. His small face, marred by blood, was contorted in pain, his body convulsing. The soft groans emanating from his throat were heart-wrenching…
My heart skipped a beat.
I wonder if every mother feels this way: seeing another child suffer misfortune, you feel a deep empathy and naturally think of your own. If her Gouwa had suffered such a tragedy, she… Just imagining Gouwa lying in a pool of blood sent chills down her spine. The thought alone made her blood run cold. And if that day were to come, she couldn't bear to imagine what she would become…
"Brother Zhang, go and bring that child over." Since we've encountered this child, perhaps it's fate! In this way, it can be considered accumulating some good karma for Gouwa. May Heaven bless her, protecting Gouwa's life with peace and safety…
The knife wound was on his chest, deep enough to expose the bone, but fortunately, it did not damage his internal organs.
After cleaning the wound and applying some medicine, the bleeding was finally stopped.
"Pretty sister, pretty sister—" Gouswa drooled as she rubbed the child's fair and alluring cheeks, her almond-shaped eyes shining as if she had seen something delicious that made her mouth water.
Gouwa's eyes, like a wolf eyeing a sheep, made Rongyue chuckle. But the child was truly unbelievably beautiful, with fair skin and a lovely face. Even at such a young age, he possessed an alluring charm. Even Rongyue herself was slightly stunned when she saw the child's face clearly, secretly marveling at her good fortune. A true beauty in the making, she would surely grow up to be a stunning beauty, captivating all who beheld her!
*Smack!* A sticky, drooly kiss landed unexpectedly on the child's cheek. Due to the dog's overactive salivary glands, her drool overflowed, indirectly soaking the child's cheek. The excess drool formed a shallow stream, meandering down the child's fair face, past the corners of her lips and chin, dripping onto her delicate neck, sliding down her collarbone, and threatening to spread towards her chest…
Sensing the dog's tendency to launch a second attack, the child could no longer remain "unconscious." With a soft moan, her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her captivating phoenix eyes wide...
"Mother? Where is Mother? Mother, where are you? Mother—Waaah… Mother, I want Mother, I'm looking for Mother—Waaah…" The child looked around in panic, and when he did not see the familiar figure, he cried out in heartbreaking sobs, his hoarse voice moving everyone who heard it.
Aunt Liu knew a little about what had happened and understood that the child had lost both parents in a single day. Feeling a pang of pity, she turned away and wiped her reddened eyes with her sleeve: "Madam Liu, alas, this child is truly pitiful..."
When Gouwa saw the child crying uncontrollably, she assumed that she had just upset the child. Her smiling face was full of unease. She moved her chubby little body and trotted to her 'little warehouse' where she usually stored round balls. She picked up her favorite round ball recently - lychee, and then trotted to the child's bedside. She generously presented the lychee to the child.