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Capítulo 75

Shocked, Danfeng gripped the woman's belt tightly, trying to pull her away to avoid the danger. However, her horse was startled and suddenly reared up. The mountain path was full of sand and gravel, and the leap threw Danfeng off the horse. But she was still holding onto the woman in front of her, and before she could let go, the woman was dragged down the hillside with her.

Although it was winter, the hillside was not barren; shrubs grew thickly, their branches sprawling. Danfeng plummeted down, breaking countless dead branches before finally crashing into a ravine. Fortunately, the branches cushioned her fall, preventing her from being knocked unconscious, but she was in pain all over and couldn't even sit up.

Voices could be heard coming from above, faint and indistinct. She lay prone on the ground, unable and afraid to move. After a long while, when she could hear no more movement above, she tried to prop herself up. Above her was a protruding mound of earth and rocks, covered with bushes that blocked her view. Danfeng carefully moved to a side, looked around, and saw the woman she had pulled down the slope, leaning on her sword, slowly walking towards her from the bushes not far away.

As dawn broke, Danfeng was able to see the woman's appearance clearly. She looked older than herself, with a beautiful face and slightly raised eyebrows, but her eyes were swollen and her complexion was quite haggard.

Danfeng tried to stand up, leaning against the rock, but her lower back ached and she couldn't muster any strength. The woman's injuries seemed less severe; she could still walk. She came to Danfeng, bent down to look at her, and whispered, "You can't walk?"

"It seems I injured my waist." Danfeng frowned, looking very frustrated.

The woman looked up and gazed upwards. After a moment, she simply said, "Wait here," and then walked towards the other side of the ravine.

Danfeng didn't know what she was going to do. She saw her walk straight around the tangled tree roots, stepping on the pebbles on the ground, and disappear into the bushes in a moment.

After waiting for a long time, the woman did not return. It was getting light, but the mountain valley was cold and damp. Danfeng huddled there alone, all sorts of speculations swirling in her mind. She wished she could sprout wings and fly up the cliff.

Just as she was feeling anxious, she heard the sound of footsteps on dry branches not far away. Danfeng straightened up alertly and gripped the hilt of her sword at her waist. She only breathed a sigh of relief after the person had turned the corner of the mountain.

It turned out that the woman had returned.

"Where did you go just now?" Danfeng asked tentatively, observing her expression.

The woman did not answer. She moved the long sword on her back to her waist, squatted down, and carried Danfeng on her back.

Author's Note: Just a reminder that chapters 37 and above will be available for purchase starting Thursday... Thank you all for sticking with me this far. This is my first time writing a novel, so I hope it doesn't flop too badly, hahaha.

52. Distant sails drift aimlessly into the vast expanse.

"I'll take you to the city, then you'll have to figure things out yourself." The woman, who had been walking silently, suddenly turned her head slightly and said to Danfeng.

Danfeng, who was perched on her back, paused for a moment. She realized that if the young master and the others couldn't find her, they would surely stay and wait in the south of the city. So she stammered, "There's no need to enter the city; I only want to go to the south."

The woman pursed her lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and continued walking out of the mountain. They were still at the bottom of the valley, the ground covered with a thick layer of withered branches and leaves; it was unclear how long it would take to get out. Danfeng noticed that the woman wasn't very tall and seemed to be struggling to carry her, and felt deeply ashamed.

"Girl, I'm so sorry for pulling you down the hillside..." Danfeng said softly.

The woman remained silent, only shaking her head quietly.

Danfeng felt the atmosphere was quite awkward, so she could only ask, "How should I address you?"

"You don't need to ask so many questions." The reply was still unusually distant. Danfeng assumed she still harbored resentment, so she quickly added, "I'm not trying to find out your background. It's because of me that you were injured as well. When I return to the south of the city, I'll tell my young master to come and thank you."

The woman's steps slowed, as if she was struggling more.

The sky, which should have been clear, gradually darkened. Before long, a light drizzle began to fall, seeping through the sharp-leaved pines overhead and sprinkling onto the two of them. The woman, carrying Danfeng on her back, was already inconvenient, and she almost slipped on a protruding tree root.

Danfeng gripped her shoulders tightly. She walked to an ancient pine tree, put Danfeng down, and silently gazed at the gray sky in the distance.

Only then did Danfeng notice that a white handkerchief was wrapped around her wrist, which was soaked with blood.

"Are you injured?" Danfeng asked anxiously.

The woman raised her wrist, lowered her eyes, and said, "It was grazed by that crossbow bolt, it's nothing."

Danfeng rubbed her lower back, noticing that although the cold rain wasn't heavy, it made the roads even more difficult to walk, and her mood sank. She thought for a moment, then took a delicate chain from her wrist and held it in her palm: "You shouldn't carry me on your back. Our people should be in the south of the city. After the rain stops, you just need to go there and give them this, and they'll come looking for me."

The woman took the chain and saw that it was adorned with coral stars that swayed back and forth, carrying a hint of playfulness.

Seeing her staring at the chain in a daze, Danfeng smiled slightly and pointed to the coral stars, saying, "This is something that only exists in the sea..." But as soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to remember something, suddenly pursed her lips, hid under the tree, and showed a look of worry and fear.

"What's wrong?" The woman looked down at her childlike face.

"It's nothing..." Danfeng said, but her tone remained low. She shook her head and said, "It's all my fault. I came here on my own. I wanted to leave Luzhou as soon as possible, but I ended up wasting time and causing you trouble. Young Master will definitely blame me. I don't know what he'll do..."

As she spoke, she dejectedly rested her chin on her hand, then looked up at the woman. Seeing her dim eyes and troubled expression, she quickly explained, "But if you see my young master, don't be afraid... um, he just... just seems a little cold..."

The woman turned her head to look at the distant valley and whispered, "I've seen him before..."

"How do you know who he is?" Danfeng looked at her suspiciously, straightening her back slightly.

"Young Master Lian from Seven Star Island, isn't he?" the woman said calmly, gripping the chain Danfeng had given her.

Danfeng was slightly surprised, but still nodded and said, "So you knew. Did you know him before? He rarely leaves Seven Star Island."

"I only met him recently," the woman said slowly. "Young Master Lian is indeed decisive and ruthless in his actions."

"There's nothing we can do about it!" Danfeng sighed, feigning maturity. "He hasn't been in charge of Seven Star Island for long. If he's indecisive, who knows what others will say about him? I think he's done very well. Even if he's a bit ruthless, he shows it outwardly and doesn't resort to underhanded schemes."

The woman listened, but didn't continue the conversation. After a moment of silence, she asked, "I know that Lian Junqiu used to manage all affairs on Seven Star Island. Why haven't we heard from her in all these years... Instead, Young Master Lian has taken over?"

Danfeng paused, her gaze shifting, and said, "Miss Lian has grown tired of her former life and no longer cares about matters of the martial world."

The woman looked at her and, seeing that she was clearly trying to hide something, stopped pressing her for answers.

"Are you a maidservant who serves Young Master Lian?" she asked in a low voice as she turned around.

"Chongming, Yinglong, and I all lost our parents at a young age and made a living by performing on the streets. Later, the island lord brought us back to Seven Star Island, where we accompanied you to practice swordsmanship. By the way, you gave us all our names!" Danfeng was still young and didn't seem wary of her questions. On the contrary, she seemed quite happy to talk about these things.

"Practicing swordsmanship..." the woman murmured.

Danfeng nodded, her eyes filled with admiration: "You know what? We started learning swordsmanship at the same time as him. We don't consider ourselves lazy or stupid, but we couldn't compete with his relentless practice day and night. He usually only slept two or three hours a day, spending the rest of his time practicing swordsmanship by the sea. Although it's only been a little over three years, if you really calculate it, the time he spent probably exceeded six or seven years for others."

The woman's face was somewhat pale, and she leaned against the ancient pine tree, looking very weak.

Danfeng stared blankly at the wound on her wrist, noticing that the bloodstains on the white handkerchief were somewhat dark, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Miss, is your injury alright?"

"It's just an external injury." Leaning against the tree trunk, she watched as the raindrops gradually subsided and said to Danfeng, "I'll go find someone to pick you up."