Zhan Chun - Chapter 77
She didn't answer for a long time, then suddenly grasped his hand and whispered, "I don't know, give me some time."
He chuckled, a sound like a sigh, his body trembling slightly, his voice also trembling: "...So now...what do we do? Can we continue?"
"……I have no idea."
She can be so cunning sometimes it makes you want to grind your teeth.
Shu Jun took a few deep breaths, tossed the light gauze off the bed, then rolled over and lay down next to her. It took a while for his breathing to gradually become steady.
"If you don't want to, then I won't." He used his foot to pull the blanket up to cover her naked body, turned his head to the side, and refused to look at her again.
The room suddenly became extremely quiet, eerily so, and she didn't say a word.
Shu Jun suddenly turned over and asked her, "What are you thinking about?"
Yichun answered honestly, "I miss you."
He smiled again, stroking her forehead: "What are you thinking about? Tell me."
Yichun turned her face and stared intently into his eyes, saying each word carefully, "I'm thinking about how much I owe you—money, favors. Is it because I need to repay those debts?"
His hand suddenly turned cold and he quickly withdrew it from her forehead.
"I see," he said, then jumped off the bed and left without looking back.
After he had been gone for a long time, Yichun suddenly felt that the room had become bone-chillingly cold. It was strange, the brazier was clearly burning, and it had been so hot that she was sweating just now.
She curled up in the blankets, but it didn't alleviate the chill at all.
It was a profound, unforgettable feeling that spread from the depths of her body, making her feel heartbroken for no reason, as if she had lost something precious.
Yichun suddenly sat up in bed, quickly put on the clothes that were scattered in the corner of the bed, and pushed open the door to chase after him.
The blizzard lashed her face, making her shiver and nearly stumble back several steps.
She cupped her hands to her lips and cried out, "Shu Jun! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you angry!"
Her voice carried far away by the raging snowstorm, but no one answered her. Yichun put on her cloak and rushed into the snowstorm, searching left and right for someone, but the lights in every house were off. She went from house to house, but couldn't find a single person.
She called out Shu Jun and Little Pumpkin's names several times, but no one answered.
Yichun suddenly felt that everything was absurd. He came and went as he pleased, like a handsome but malicious ghost who gave her a beautiful dream and then snatched it away before she could even enjoy it.
They searched the house again, but still found no one. The courtyard, standing silently in the wind and snow, resembled a strange, eerie monster.
Yichun took a few breaths, then turned around and bowed three times to the grave at the entrance.
She had to leave; she simply couldn't stay here any longer. She wasn't even sure if it was just a drunken dream; she was completely confused after waking up and didn't know how to face anything.
"I'm sorry... Shu Jun, I'm leaving."
She fastened her sword, turned and quickly walked out of the courtyard, leaving the snow-capped mountain overnight.
Even after repelling the five dwarfs from the snowy mountain who had launched a surprise attack under the cover of night, Shu Jun's anger had not subsided.
He didn't know whether to spend the night calming down or go back and confront her. How could fate have made her this way? He really couldn't fall for her, or he'd only be driven to the brink of madness.
Shu Jun pushed open the door, deciding to go back to see her, but all that greeted him was an empty bed, the torn gauze curtains still rolled on the floor, and she had vanished without a trace.
Very well, she simply ran away first.
Little Pumpkin peeked in furtively, then whispered as if afraid of disturbing him, "Master, what should we do with these five dwarfs? As you just said, have them clean the kitchen again?"
Shu Jun stirred, turned around, and quickly walked out of the house. The five short men, tied together with a rope, squatted foolishly in the snow, looking up at him.
He gave a cold laugh, experiencing for the first time what it felt like to be enraged.
"Cut off their flesh and stew it into soup for the dogs!" With that, he slammed the door shut, nearly cracking the door frame.
Little Pumpkin was startled: "Stewed...stewed soup?! Master! This can't be real, can it? Master?!"
No matter how much he shouted this time, Shu Jun wouldn't come out again, as if he had died inside the house.
After a while, he suddenly rushed out of the house again, put on his cloak and hat, and without saying a word, chased after the mountain with a stern face.
Little Pumpkin then realized something was wrong and peeked into the house. Sure enough, Yichun wasn't inside. He guessed his master had tried to force himself on her while she was drunk, but had angered her and she'd gone down the mountain that night, leaving his master burning with lust as he chased after her.
"Yes, that's right, that must be it!" Little Pumpkin clicked his tongue and shook his head, feeling utterly disappointed.
He sat by the door all night until dawn, his hands and feet were freezing cold. The five short men squatting in the snow were even more pale. Because Shu Jun had silenced them, they couldn't make a sound and could only roll around on the ground to express their dissatisfaction.
Little Pumpkin roared, "If you roll any further, I'll really cut off your fat and render it into oil! It's all your fault, you bunch of shorty! If our master can't win over the girl, we'll see what happens!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shu Jun slowly walked back alone.
He scrambled to his feet, stamping his frozen hands and feet, and peered around furtively, but couldn't find Yichun anywhere.
"Um, Master..." Little Pumpkin tentatively tried to speak, but Shu Jun whispered, "Why haven't you boiled these bastards into soup yet?"
He stammered, "This...are we really going to make soup?"
Shu Jun didn't answer; his mind wasn't on that at all. After a long while, he finally said, "Pack up, we're getting ready to leave. That girl... let her make her own way for a couple of years."
He must not have found anyone, that's why he looks so desolate.
Little Pumpkin shook his head, pouting, unable to think of any comforting words, and could only obey his instructions to pack his things.
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