The sky over the rivers and lakes is very clear

Chapter 212

Zhu Huihui chuckled mischievously, "Is Gusu Sleepless Tower a brothel? The girls there must be very beautiful!" Otherwise, why would you and Brother Liuyue go to a place like that?

The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear, Part Three: Chapter Seventeen (4)

What nonsense is going on in this girl's head! Feng Xuese said, "That's a restaurant. The chef's specialties are Biluo Shrimp, Braised Eel in Hot Oil, Crispy Tangerine Peel, and White Sauce Round Vegetable. Oh, and their soup dumplings are so delicious. I'll invite you to try them sometime!"

"Even better than Brother Liu Yue's?" Zhu Huihui couldn't stop thinking about the steamed buns that Liu Yue brought.

Maple Leaf smiled and said, "You'll know once you compare them later."

"Great hero, if Brother Liu Yue loses, will that woman still come after him?" This was something Zhu Huihui had been worried about.

"Yes!" Feng Xuese knew what she was worried about and didn't hide it. "Not only will that woman come after us, but there are also countless people on Xifeng Mountain who are preparing to catch up."

Zhu Huihui's heart skipped a beat: "Th-that..." This was terrible! The hero was blind; if someone else attacked, they would all be dead. So what if he died? What had she done to deserve this? Just for hanging out with him, did she have to risk a knife to her neck? She suddenly thought of the dead people she had seen before—some with their heads severed yet still bearing their features, others with their bellies ripped open and intestines spilling out, rolling on the ground, each one a gruesome, bloody sight...

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. She kept thinking: "The hero is a good person, but no matter how good he is, is it worth risking my life to... be buried with him?"

Or perhaps we should think of something else...

Feng Xuese noticed the little hand in her palm trembling slightly, knowing she was afraid, so she gently squeezed it to comfort her.

Zhu Huihui turned to look at his calm face, forced a smile, and said, "Hero, your eyes are not functioning well right now. Since there are still many people on the mountain waiting to kill us, it would be better if we didn't walk so swaggeringly. Why don't we hide somewhere for a while and leave after dark? That would be much safer."

Feng Xuese nodded: "Okay."

"There's a cave not far ahead. How about we hide inside?" Zhu Huihui pointed to a cave not far away, then realized that the old man couldn't see.

"good."

Zhu Huihui took Feng Xuese's hand and led him towards the cave. The cave wasn't deep, only about four or five zhang in depth, but it was spacious and clean. The entrance was hidden in a crevice in the rock. If it hadn't been for the right angle, she really wouldn't have noticed it.

Beside the cave wall, there was a protruding rock. Zhu Huihui wiped it with her sleeve and helped Feng Xuese sit on it. Feng Xuese remained silent, letting Zhu Huihui do as she pleased.

Zhu Huihui sat for a while, but eventually became uneasy, worried that the enemy would come looking for him. So he forced a smile and said, "Great hero, please rest here for a while. I'll go scout ahead and see what's going on."

Feng Xuese remained calm and answered with a single word: "Okay."

Despite being very reluctant, Zhu Huihui still said, "Then—I'm going!"

“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."