Zhan Chun - Chapter 21
She quickened her pace and walked forward, stretching as she did so, her hair swaying behind her like a horse's tail.
Shu Jun stopped in his tracks.
Little Pumpkin crept over mischievously and whispered, "Master, did they find out about your extortion? Did they give you a good scolding? Honestly, if you didn't want to make friends, you should have just refused. Why make things so complicated?"
Shu Jun scratched his head innocently: "But... I thought she was attracted to my good looks and had to play the bad guy."
Little Pumpkin made a vomiting gesture while explaining, "Master, I just drank too much, I absolutely did not mean any disrespect!"
Shu Jun smiled at first, but then his face gradually darkened, and he didn't reply.
Little Pumpkin sighed, "Now that you know they just wanted to thank you, what are you going to do? I think these two are pretty nice people, and having more friends isn't a bad thing."
Shu Jun shook his head: "No. I hate it just looking at it."
"It's because they didn't like your beautiful face... Ouch!" Little Pumpkin covered her head where she had been hit, jumping up and down in pain.
Shu Jun took a step forward and continued walking, saying softly, "How should I put it, I think she's quite dangerous. It's best if we never see her again."
Unrestrained, like a refreshing breeze, yet dangerous.
It's very dangerous.
Chapter Thirteen
The fates of people are often decided in a single moment.
It may be a coincidence, or it may be a deliberate arrangement. But life is unpredictable because of the various encounters between people.
For example, when Yichun met Ningning, it was just an ordinary afternoon. She was idly strolling through the temple fair with Yang Shen when she discovered this emaciated girl who was about to starve to death in a corner.
She huddled on a clump of dirty straw, like a kitten on the verge of death, only the occasional glimmer of light in her eyes suggesting she was still alive. But she was living a life of great suffering.
If the girl had encountered Shu Jun, he would probably have instructed Little Pumpkin to take off her relatively clean shoes, then stand by and watch her die in front of everyone, and even later find an excuse to sell the shoes to earn some pocket money.
If he were to encounter Yan Yufei, who was used to seeing unfortunate people die violently in the streets, he would not even flinch and would walk past them as calmly as a breeze.
The girl was lucky because she met Yichun.
So she was taken back to the inn and put to sleep on a soft bed. All her wounds were carefully bandaged. Yichun kept stroking her forehead and said softly, "It's okay, you can sleep for a while. You'll be fine when you wake up."
Ningning obediently fell asleep, probably feeling at ease.
She woke up again on the evening of the third day. Yichun was brewing medicine for her in the room. The wind blowing in from the window carried a damp, sticky feeling and the fragrance of peach blossoms.
Ningning watched her busy figure and suddenly asked, "What's your name?"
Yichun turned around abruptly and saw her eyes, which were as bright as stars. Upon closer inspection, the girl was quite pretty, but her eyes were too bright, unlike those of a dying person.
She smiled and said, "My name is Ge Yichun, and I have a junior brother named Yang Shen, who lives in the next room. We saw you at the temple fair. You were injured so badly, was someone bullying you?"
Ningning was silent for a moment, then said, "My parents owed money to someone and couldn't repay it, so they sold me. The person who beat me was angry that I refused to take customers."
The clichéd tragic backstory always manages to evoke sympathy and tears. The understated tone makes it all the more heart-wrenching.
Yichun couldn't say anything.
"My name is Ningning. Thank you for saving my life, sister." Ningning kowtowed twice to her on the bed. "I have nowhere to go. Please take me in, sister."
Yichun was not good at dealing with this kind of situation. Although she knew in her heart that she couldn't bring a burden when she went out to train, it was not so easy for her to refuse.
Just as they were in a dilemma, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside, followed by the door being kicked open. Yang Shen's voice was slightly panicked: "Senior Sister! Something terrible has happened!"
He rushed in like a whirlwind, and was taken aback when he saw Ningning kneeling on the bed, but he didn't have time to pay attention to her. He just held up a piece of paper in his hand: "You're wanted!"
Yichun was startled: "Wanted...wanted?!"
She took the paper; it was a notice with a drawing of a disheveled woman whose face resembled hers by about 70-80%. Below it was a chilling line of red text: "Murderer on the run. Anyone with information will be rewarded handsomely."
She was so shocked that her vision blurred, and she murmured, "Murder...fleeing? Who did I kill?"
Yang Shen said urgently, "Do you remember that young lady from the Xiaoyao Sect? I found out that she was suddenly murdered a few days ago, and for some reason, the people from the Xiaoyao Sect all framed you! They've already reported it to the authorities, and the shopkeeper has implicated you. The soldiers will be here soon!"
Yi Chun's face turned deathly pale: "But... how can you frame someone like this without any reason? Isn't there any evidence? Why doesn't the government investigate this thoroughly?"
"The government has always been one where money talks, they don't care about the life or death of a commoner like you! Never mind that, quickly cover your face and find a secluded path to escape!"
Yang Shen gave her a push.
Yichun rubbed her temples, trying to calm herself down.
She rushed to the window and peeked out. Yang Shen hadn't lied to her after all. The inn was surrounded by soldiers, and the innkeeper was talking to the head constable, occasionally glancing up at their rooms.
She slammed the window shut, picked up her bundle, and said, "Yang Shen, you take Ningning with you. We'll meet in the grove behind Kaifu Temple."
"Ningning?" Yang Shen didn't immediately recognize the unfamiliar name, but Yi Chun had already kicked open the door and rushed out in a grand manner.
"Senior Sister!" he cried out urgently. Had she gone mad?! Was she really going to just rush out like that?
But he understood Yichun's meaning. Although Yang Shen was not on the wanted list, the shopkeeper would surely implicate him in order to gain credit. She should rush out first to distract the crowd so that he could lead the girl to find a way to escape.
Despite his immense reluctance, he gritted his teeth, picked up Ningning, and rushed out the door. After looking around to make sure no soldiers had come up the corridor, he immediately pushed open the back window and jumped out.
Ningning, who was being held in his hand, suddenly whispered, "Young Master, be careful behind you."
Even without her saying anything, Yang Shen heard many footsteps behind him, indicating that there were soldiers guarding the backyard as well. He tore off a sleeve, covered his face, and kicked the ground, raising a cloud of dust that temporarily blocked the soldiers.
"Cover your face!" he urged.