Urbaner Blumentraum - Kapitel 56
“Go—” Feng Xuese paused, a warm smile blooming on her face, “Be careful!”
Zhu Huihui felt ashamed and dared not look at him. She lowered her head and walked out. After walking a dozen steps, she became worried and went back to break off some thick branches and long grass to cover the cave entrance. After walking a few more steps, she stopped in a daze, staring back at the cave entrance. After a moment, she suddenly turned around and ran away into the distance.
Grandpa, although I've abandoned you, please don't hate me! You bullied me so badly before, and I've already been very kind to you by not taking advantage of your blindness to drag you into a ditch or push you into a well! Now I'm just abandoning you, so please don't blame me for being disloyal! If you're lucky, your enemies won't be able to find you and will leave on their own. But if you're unlucky and are killed by your enemies, please don't mention me when you go to the King of Hell to complain…
She desperately tried to find excuses for herself, attempting to dispel the overwhelming sadness and guilt in her heart, but in the end, she still ran away as fast as she could.
After running for more than ten miles in one breath, I saw wisps of smoke rising from a mountain valley ahead. I stopped to take a look and found that it was a small village. I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, I had reached a place where people lived.
In her life experience, these small mountain villages were usually isolated, with people being mostly old relatives and neighbors; a stranger would attract a lot of attention. Perhaps she was just not naturally a good person; whenever she went to such a village, everyone would stare at her, to the point that even stealing a chicken became difficult. Normally, being stared at wouldn't bother her, but in this critical moment, for the sake of her own life, she absolutely couldn't afford to be suspected.
The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear, Part Three: Chapter Seventeen (5)
Looking up, the rosy clouds in the west were gradually fading, dusk was settling in, cattle and sheep were returning to their pens, and soon it would be completely dark.
Zhu Huihui decided it wasn't a good time to enter the village. She would wait until dark, sneak in quietly, grab some food and supplies, and then continue her journey. But the old man sitting in the cave waiting for her must be very hungry, right? She mustn't be foolish enough to wait there; he should come out and find food when he gets hungry. Also, she mustn't assume something had happened to her not returning, and she absolutely mustn't go looking for her. Encountering the enemy would be disastrous—oh, she forgot, she should prepare a walking stick for the old man so he wouldn't trip or bump into anything while walking…
She desperately resisted the urge to return to the cave, enduring her hunger, and sat in the woods not far from the village entrance, resting her chin on her hand as she waited for nightfall.
A woman's voice suddenly rang out from not far behind: "Young lady, may I ask you, what place is this?"
Zhu Huihui was startled and almost jumped up.
The voice was so familiar that once the person saw her face clearly, they would pounce on her without hesitation and snap her neck.
She wanted to run away, but after being frightened, her body stiffened and she couldn't control herself at all; cold sweat involuntarily seeped from her forehead.
"Hey, little girl, I'm talking to you!" Another familiar voice drew closer. "Turn around!"
Zhu Huihui groaned incessantly, but dared not turn around no matter what.
A hand landed on her shoulder and gently pulled her around. Zhu Huihui was spun around five or six times by a clever force. Feeling dizzy and scared, she tripped and fell to the ground.
"Brother Niu, don't bully the little girl!" the woman's voice scolded.
Zhu Huihui looked up, grinned, and burst into tears.
That's right, it really is that vixen snake envoy! The one who tripped her was the waiter at Tingfeng Inn who served her poisoned rice, Brother Niu? Is he Envoy Niu?
The man standing behind the Snake Envoy and the Ox Envoy was also an old acquaintance. He was the burly man dressed as a hunter from the Listening Wind Inn. He carried a bow and a knife on his back and held a magnificent white horse in his hand.
The horse looked at her, pawed at the ground impatiently with its front hooves, and then reared up and neighed loudly.
Zhu Huihui felt a surge of nervousness; this was the horse the old man rode!
The snake spirit took a few steps forward gracefully and said in a sweet voice, "Little girl, don't cry. It's so late, why aren't you home yet?"
Little girl? That's right! They don't recognize her anymore! For the first time in her life, Zhu Huihui was grateful to the old man for forcing her to take a bath and change into new clothes.
Once I relaxed, my mind suddenly sharpened, and countless lies to respond instantly came to mind:
He was bullied by his stepmother and kicked out...
Her cruel father wanted to sell her to someone as a maid, but she escaped...
The family's lamb is lost, and they're too afraid to go back home since they haven't found it...
But what he finally said was, "Ah Shan hasn't arrived yet. We'll meet there."
The snake envoy chuckled: "Oh, how old are you? You're already trying to sneak off to meet your lover!"
Zhu Huihui pretended to be very shy and said, "Ashan is the most handsome man in our village. All the girls in the village like him!"
The snake envoy laughed and asked, "So, does that Ah Shan like you?"
Zhu Huihui lowered her head, pretending to be a little sad.
The snake envoy laughed: "Little girl, let me tell you, when it comes to dealing with men, being shy isn't enough. Come, come, let me teach you a few tricks, and I guarantee your Ah Shan will be devoted to you from now on!"
Zhu Huihui looked up at her expectantly. This time, it wasn't feigned; she was genuinely curious. She really wanted to know how this snake envoy could make Ashan so devoted to her—after all, Ashan was the big tabby cat that the old lady next door in their hometown kept!
The snake envoy chuckled and tossed her a small box. "Take this. Find a chance to have your Ah Shan eat it..."
Zhu Huihui recognized it as one of the items she had found in Feng Xuese's arms earlier, which she had later been forced to return. She happily picked it up, feigning disbelief: "Is it okay to give him this?"
The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear, Part Three: Chapter Seventeen (6)
The snake envoy laughed heartily: "It will work! It definitely will!"
Niu Shangshi chimed in, "Sister She, don't use that stuff to harm children! Hey, little girl, let me ask you, have you ever seen a very handsome man dressed entirely in white?"
As expected, they were looking for an old man! Zhu Huihui's heart skipped a beat, but she feigned innocent ignorance: "How handsome? More handsome than Ah Shan?"
Niu Shangshi frowned. This little girl looked clever, but she was actually a silly, lovesick fool. He ignored her and said, "Brother Ma, Sister She, let's go to the village and ask."
The horseman leading the white horse nodded and said, "Xifeng Mountain is really lively today. I wonder who will end up with Young Master Feng. Let's go to the village and contact our brothers to see if anyone else has found him."
The three of them talked as they turned and headed toward the village. After a few steps, the snake envoy suddenly turned back, gave Zhu Huihui a charming smile, and casually tossed her a small piece of silver: "Take this, buy some rouge and powder to use. To deal with men, that box of medicine alone is not enough."
Zhu Huihui picked up the silver, her words as sweet as if she had secretly eaten three pounds of the finest candied fruit: "Thank you! Thank you, beautiful sister!"
The snake envoy was indeed overjoyed and waved goodbye.
As Zhu Huihui watched them head towards the small village nestled in the mountain valley, her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, her heart as cold as ice.
"This Xifeng Mountain is really lively today. I wonder who will end up with Young Master Feng." Doesn't that mean there are indeed many people who want to kill me? It's just that they haven't found me yet.
Normally, no matter how many people are around, the old man wouldn't be afraid. But now that he's blind, he's no match for them. There are a thousand ways to harm a blind man, they don't even need to lift a finger... No, I have to go back and hide the old man in a safer place. They absolutely can't find him.