Qingshan Wild Man Valley

Chapter 50

"What...what's wrong with you?!" I managed to squeeze out the words from my throat.

The person opposite continued walking at a very slow pace, without stopping for a moment, and said in a low voice as they walked, "I can't die now."

"Looks like you haven't changed at all..." Qingyou's voice betrayed disappointment, though he meant it as sarcasm—"Weren't you looking for her?" he asked. "Sun Qingshan, alias Sun San, disappeared four years ago with the fireworks shop owner, and reappeared here four years later. Her background and origins are unknown—what, haven't you been thinking about her all along?!" As Qingyou spoke, he suddenly pressed his thumb against my chin, and with a slight effort, lifted my head high.

The savage's face was in the shadows. Although I had been squinting to try and see him clearly from the beginning, this time I felt that something was becoming blurry. The extremely weak light shone on his face, and there was no light in his eyes. His whole body seemed to be immersed in some kind of strange atmosphere. I thought of a medium called liquid nitrogen, which emits soft and ethereal white vapor, but can easily freeze people to death.

My reaction and his reaction at that moment were completely different from what I had imagined for our reunion. I thought his eyes would light up when he saw me, at least as bright as two searchlights, to express the longing he had felt for me for four years, or even two months. But he was very calm and somewhat indifferent.

Then, he changed direction and walked to the other side, intending to take the short sword from one of the guards' waists.

The short sword was drawn, and with a flick of his wrist, the gleam of the blade flashed before my eyes—"No!" I cried out.

"Let her go." I heard a very fresh and unfamiliar voice. I never thought that the wild man's voice was neither high nor low, neither clear nor muddy, just dry and hoarse. Apart from each word being pronounced slowly and obscurely, it had no other characteristics.

His voice wasn't loud, but after saying "Let her go," the tip of the sword was already pointed vertically at his Adam's apple.

Some people commit suicide by slitting their throats, others by stabbing their chests, but very few people would hold a sword straight up, tilt their head slightly back, and plunge the tip into that slightly protruding spot below the neck.

"No—!" I screamed, "No no no no no—!"

With the last sound, he suddenly opened his eyes, as if his upper body had been fitted with a spring mechanism, and sprang straight up from the bed.

I felt my clothes were sticking to my body, and cold sweat poured down my face and head. I stared wide-eyed, gasped for breath, clenched my fists, and took a deep breath...

Suddenly, an arm came around from behind, and another arm bent down and lifted up from below to hook my shoulder. I arched my back and was pulled into someone's arms.

"This isn't fair..." I murmured. His face was behind my ear. He didn't say a word, he just came up to me like this and held me without moving.

"Savage...?"

Then he grabbed my shoulder, twisted my upper body forcefully, and I, head and all, went over his shoulder before he pulled me back into his arms without any pity—his arms tightened.

My waist felt like it was about to break, and my hands were being squeezed between the two people's tightly pressed chests, bones digging into flesh, my wrists twisted.

"Savage..." I nudged him, "I can't breathe..."

He dug his fingers into my flesh, ignoring my wild struggles.

...In the end, I gave up. I knew I could never beat him—he was the big man, and I was just a little finger, not even as good as an arm. There was no comparison.

Much later, he let go of me, but then turned to the side, sat down on the edge of the bed with his back to me.

I noticed he had changed his understated yet high-quality outerwear into loungewear, a soft white fabric of some unknown material.

Looking around, you see a simply furnished bedroom with a bed, a table, a chair, and a cabinet.

But the bed is not simple; it is extra wide and long, with thickened mahogany bedposts. The whole bed is like a large box covered with intricate patterns, with the open door on one side. Inside, there are screens painted with landscapes and plants one by one—dark gold curtains are lifted high, complemented by hanging gold tassels.

The room was quiet because the doors and windows were closed, but it was bright because a row of candles was lit on each of the two walls.

"You live here?" I asked him, pondering the question.

The savage turned his head to the side. His chin was somewhat pointed and upturned, his cheeks were sunken, his eyes were slightly lowered, and he had no spirit.

If I had to say what has changed about him, to me, in these two months, everything has changed except for his appearance—he has even been able to speak without my involvement.

I thought he would only ever utter "ah" twice in his life, like a stray kitten abandoned by its owner, or a helpless baby crying.

But his voice was like this before—soft, disjointed, and strained… I moved closer, turned my head slightly, and kissed his lips. His lips were a little cool. He didn’t flinch or react.

"Savage, what's wrong?" I asked him, stepping back. "Seeing me makes you sad? Unhappy?"

He raised his eyes and shook his head slightly.

"That's strange..." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I had wanted to see him for a long time, but now that I have, nothing earth-shattering has happened. He seemed to wilted in an instant. Whether he was abnormal or normal before, a savage doesn't have such a completely calm and waveless look in his eyes. Even if I imagined that there were turbulent waves in his heart, he still suppressed himself too perfectly.

"By the way, is your neck alright?" I lowered my head to check his neck. There was a string of blood beads from the sword wound, but now the blood had been wiped clean and a layer of transparent ointment had been applied. You could only see these things clearly if you got close. As soon as I got close, he grabbed my hand to stop me and turned his face away, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

"Four years!" I gestured with my fingers.

But he didn't look at me.

"Four whole years!!" This time I got excited, and in my excitement I convulsed. I grabbed his chin and, regardless of his reaction or the pain, cruelly twisted his face—"What are you doing now?! Throwing a tantrum or playing dirty tricks?! Do you know that not long ago I thought you had burned to death? Do you know that when someone carried a mummified corpse in front of me and said it was you—do you know how scared I was? I went to dig up the corpse! If it was you, God would let him rise from the dead—that's what I prayed to the gods—but you played dirty tricks on me, lied to me, faked your death, and toyed with me as you pleased. Is that fun?! You're not dead yet, and you haven't come looking for me. What have you been doing all these years?!—You bastard, pervert, scum, son of a bitch, salted duck egg—and what are you doing now?! What are you doing now?!—Are you starting something and then abandoning it?! Finding someone new?! Just seeing me makes me irritable—"

Before I could finish speaking, the savage suddenly turned around and hugged me tightly.

"You deserve a beating, you deserve a beating, you deserve a beating...!" This was the second time he hugged me so tightly I couldn't breathe. I grabbed a huge clump of his hair from behind, pulling until my hand hurt. I let go, then grabbed another big handful—

"Say something!" I grabbed his hair. "Weren't you so arrogant when you were just saying you wanted to die? I told you not to pull me, saying 'Let her go!' Can't you be normal for once? You have to terrify me—you idiot, you commit suicide without explanation, who do you think you are? You, you, you—"

Through his clothes, the savage suddenly shivered. His shivering made my heart race, and I suddenly loosened my grip on him. I slowly watched as a strand of hair began to fall from his head, and I wiped a tear from my chin onto the savage's body. Suddenly, I felt like laughing.

This time, it didn't take long before the savage slowly released me. Facing me directly, his face was as pale as ever, his lips were purple, and his large black eyes were empty, making him seem like a recluse.

He reached out and brushed the messy hair from my face. I was startled, afraid he was going to retaliate, so I quickly backed away.

The savage grabbed me, expressionless, and approached me, carefully untying the red rope around my neck and removing the jade Maitreya pendant from my neck.

What does this mean?! I frowned. Did the savage really hate me and want to take back the token of our love and throw me away? My heart pounded twice. I was nervous and stared intently at his hand.

He slowly grasped the jade artifact in one hand, his fingertips tracing the smooth belly of the Maitreya Buddha. Then he reached out with his other hand, his fingertips cupping the Buddha's head—"What are you doing?!" I couldn't hold back any longer and lunged forward, grabbing the savage's hand. "No, no!" I shook my head. "Don't do this, don't harm it, it's innocent..."

The savage, whom I was pulling, remained silent and didn't even look up at me. But he tightened his grip, and the chubby, adorable jade Maitreya Buddha snapped in two with a "snap." To my astonishment, it wasn't badly damaged, or rather, it wasn't damaged at all. Instead, the Maitreya Buddha was originally hollow, and there was even a piece of paper sandwiched inside the hollow.

The paper was rolled into thin strips and stuffed into the jade artifact. Judging from the quality of the paper, it is not very old.

The savage quickly pinched the paper strip with two fingers and took it out, then put down the jade in his hand and turned around to unfold the paper strip.

The moment the savage saw the front of the paper, he seemed to be possessed, suddenly froze, staring blankly at the paper, and stopped moving.

He shouldn't have acted like that. He had handled everything so smoothly just now, which meant that he had placed the paper there beforehand—or at least he knew where it was beforehand. He shouldn't have suddenly froze.

"A savage?" I nudged him.

He looked up and held the unfolded piece of paper in front of me. Although it was only a glance, and everything on the paper was exceptionally small and delicate, I still recognized it as a map. I didn't believe it and snatched the paper away. There were words on the back of the paper, written in simple, thoughtful characters, using colloquial language and familiar handwriting. It read: "Xu Yi is a reliable person. Please ask him to take you home."

"What is this..." I opened my eyes wide to try to see the words on the paper, but then suddenly flipped the paper over. It was a map of the mountains and terrain near Chengdu, showing where we came from—Qingshan Yeren Valley!

"What do you mean by this?!" I flung the paper away forcefully, and the savage didn't even flinch. He just stared at me, his expression growing colder and colder until nothing remained.

Some slipped from my hand and landed beside the bed, while others fell under the bed.

Chapter 61...

"And then?" Xu Yi sorted through the herbs, casually picked up a leaf, put it in his mouth, tasted it, and then turned to ask me leisurely.

"Then..." I pouted, "a rival appeared."

Her rival wore a red dress, had long, jet-black hair, eyes that were like silk, a slender waist like a willow, and breasts as large as balls.

"Pfft..." Xu Yi spat out the herbal medicine from his mouth, wiped his mouth with a white handkerchief, and asked, "Is that still a human being?"

I scoffed, "That's because you haven't seen big breasts."

“Hmm,” the doctor’s gaze slid down to my chest, “I thought I had seen it before.” He said this with a straight face, then looked away.

"You are truly wise, doctor!" I exclaimed, beaming with joy.

"And then?" he asked again.

Then... actually, I'd met my rival before. Right when Shao Qingyou and I were discovered, she appeared at the entrance to the secret room and called out, "Who?!"

At that time, she was wholeheartedly protecting the savage. Later, it was all thanks to her that the savage did nothing but brandish a sword, which successfully diverted Qingyou's attention. Then, he was quickly subdued by the woman in red, and I was rescued.

The woman in red walked with the gait of a cat, exuding the air of a master. As she stood still and turned around, her wide, bright red sleeves fluttered. Her superior appearance was proud and aloof, with fair skin and red lips—except when she looked at the savages, her dark, piercing eyes held a humble demeanor of willing submission.

I suspect she is the Red Treasure Flowing Duck on the list of beauties in the martial arts world. She used to be the strategist of Liangfeng Manor, so it makes sense that she is now working for the Savage. Red Treasure refers to her name, and Flowing Duck is the sharp hairpin in the shape of a duck on her head, gilded with gold. It is an exotic import, but in her hands, it becomes an unavoidable and unpredictable hidden weapon. It is non-toxic, leaves no residue, and is recycled after use, making it very environmentally friendly.

The beautiful woman came to report on Qingyou's younger brother, who had been injured by her golden duck. She had instructed him to take care of his injuries and lock him in a top-level secret room where no one would pay attention even if he screamed his lungs out.

The savage nodded, and released my hand that had been holding his.

After finishing her sentence, the beautiful red baby was about to leave, but she turned back one last time to look at the savage, then at me, a helpless and frustrated expression on her face.

I knew that no one here would welcome me. Even the savage seemed to have no expectation of my appearance. After I showed up, he didn't know what to do with me. Not only did he not have the big reaction I had imagined, but he even seemed to resist the established fact.

I can't say he didn't want to see me, but his behavior was actually a disguised form of unwelcome.

"Why did Shao Qingyou want to kill you?" I asked after Red Treasure Duck left. "Why did you impersonate Shao Qingyou? Why did you use Shao Qingyou's name to slander yourself? Why did you appear here? Why did you re-elect the leader of the martial arts alliance? Why did you suddenly disappear from the Nangong family four years ago? Why did you take my travel bag and then not come to find me? Why can you speak, but you haven't said a single word to me since?!"

After a string of "whys," I discovered a small bug. Since the savage took all my things from Chengdu, it means he had looked for me—which makes sense, since who else would go to such lengths to take all my belongings? It's already quite remarkable that others know about my relationship with the savage, let alone investigate my son's home in Xujinwan. Who cares about a pile of underwear and daily necessities?

Only savages.

He sat quietly on the edge of the bed, his hands resting beside him. His fingers were slightly deformed and curled upwards, with rough edges on his nails and visible signs of wear.

I stopped talking and waited for his reply, feeling a chill in my heart... Four years is a long time, isn't it? Maybe he's gotten used to it, used to me not being by his side.

Just as I was thinking this, the savage suddenly reached out his hand. Without even looking, he could accurately pinpoint the location. With his eyes on the ground and his hand outstretched, he handed me back the map of Savage Valley that I had once thrown at his face.

"What do you mean?!" I asked.

He didn't say a word, but everything was already self-evident. The savage didn't know that I had regained my memory. He gave me the map, meaning that I should go back and return along the way!

He gripped the edge of the map with two fingers, so tightly that his nails turned white.

"I'll get angry if you keep doing that!" I stared at his hand, frowned, and didn't intend to take it.

“You have to believe me…” He turned his head at this moment. This was the first thing he actually said to me. His voice was low and hoarse, and his eyes were serious and earnest. Although I wasn’t entirely satisfied with what he said, thankfully he didn’t say “I’m sorry,” “I can’t be with you anymore,” or “You’re too late. Timing matters…”

“Some things are better left unexplained…” The savage’s words were direct, shutting down all the questions with a single sentence. His voice was low and gentle, but it gradually became more tender. He slowly took my hand, placed the map he was holding in his other hand in mine, and bent my fingers to make me hold it tightly.

Finally, he looked up, a faint smile playing on his lips, an insincere yet genuine one. Even his deep, dark brown pupils finally showed a glimmer of life. "The world is ever-changing..." he smiled softly. "I never thought I'd see you again..."

"—He really said that?" the miracle doctor suddenly interrupted me, asking with great interest.

"Nonsense!" I said irritably. This sentence was actually very hurtful. Although the meaning of the sentence was good, there were many ways to express it—"I thought I would never see you again," "Great, I finally saw you again," "Thank God, I knew you wouldn't abandon me"... These are all good, and the main point is clear: he finally saw me again, and he was very happy.

But from his words, he said he hadn't thought about it—"What does he mean?!" I vented, "Does he not want to see me, or does he not even hope to see me? Does he know I'm completely confused right now? I'm almost at the point where I can't figure out what he's thinking anymore—he doesn't take me seriously at all!"

The doctor nodded, indicating his basic agreement, and then raised his hand to signal, "Continue."

"Continue what?!" I was even angrier. "If you keep asking me questions, that guy surnamed Shao will bombard me with a bunch of questions. Who did you come with? Xu Yi... What are you doing here? Are you here to find me?... Why would Xu Yi bring you here? Did you save him?!... Then how come you're with Qingyou? Did he deliberately lure you here?!..."

"In short, it's all nonsense, nonsense, a whole bunch of nonsense..." I sighed. "Honestly, I know he's definitely doing something big, maybe dangerous, maybe he doesn't even need me, but he's really changed. He used to tell me that even if there were any grudges he couldn't let go of before he met me, he finally decided to let them go. In short, he decided to follow me—was all that just sweet talk, or was he just trying to comfort me—what is he really trying to do?!"

I was about to beat my chest in frustration when Xu Yi slowly packed the medicinal herbs on the table into individual packets and said, "Please calm down."

"Calm down, my foot!" I choked out. "You have no idea how much I regret it—why did I curse him? Why did I speak so recklessly when I got angry? I even called him selfish, saying he could make me lose my memory when he wanted to, and then wanted me to leave when he didn't want me anymore—no wonder his own brother wanted to kill him, no wonder so many people looked down on the name 'Shao Yanhe,' no wonder he's been in this mess for half his life and still hasn't managed to get a wife—?!"

After a few exchanges, I was breathing heavily when Xu Yi walked around the table full of medicinal herbs, stood in front of me, and looked down at me, asking, "So after you said those hurtful things to him, you agreed to go home out of spite?"

"I...I...I..." I looked up, my eyes stinging, gripping the edge of the chair nervously. "I didn't mean to, really...I just wanted to scare him..."

At that time, the savage was neither hot nor cold, so of course I had to resort to my ultimate move...

“This map is completely unnecessary.” Across from the savage, I slowly and methodically tore up the hand-drawn map, line by line, right in front of him.