Второстепенная женская героиня невинна

Глава 29

What could be more terrifying than Shang Shao's face?

My hands were held tightly in Shang Shaochang's grasp, and I dared not move. After listening to Yun Yiyang's story and going through it in my mind, my cheeks flushed red and I was drenched in sweat. This was not due to the hot weather or illness, but because I felt ashamed and embarrassed after hearing Yun Yiyang's story! I bit my lip, slowly raised my head, and timidly looked at Shang Shaochang's face. Upon looking at him, my face turned even redder.

Shang Shaozhang stared at me with a livid face, several bright red handprints clearly visible on his right cheek!

His gaze startled me, and I glanced down at my toes—how could I have known I'd slapped someone so hard for the first time… He hadn't killed Yun Yiyang, but why was it being made to look like he'd done something wrong? Even if he'd done something good, saving us from the brink of death, why didn't he explain then? Yes… but given the circumstances, how could he have had time to explain? Besides… But now it seems, of all the mistakes, this time it truly was my fault! He was clearly our savior, yet I had the audacity to slap my savior…

I swallowed hard, my lips trembling for a long time before I finally managed to utter a few words: "Hug...hug...I'm sorry...I...I...I'm not..."

Shang Shaozhang remained silent, released my hand, and turned to walk towards the black horse, not even glancing at me or Yun Yiyang. He bent down and was about to mount—I quickly ran a few steps forward, anxiously asking, "Where...where are you going?"

Shang Shaochang touched his still swollen face, looked at my anxious face, and said expressionlessly, "After being slapped by you, where else can you go?"

"But...but..." I cried out in desperation, "What do you want? I've already apologized! If...if you think that's not enough, you...you can just hit me back!"

Shang Shaochang glanced at me, then leaned against his horse with his hands casually across his body and said in a low voice, "Are you so eager to keep me here just to find someone to risk their life for you so you can protect you on your way to Xia Yanliang's place?"

I was startled and angrily exclaimed, "You—what nonsense are you spouting!"

Shang Shaochang glanced at me and smiled slightly, then leaped onto his horse and said to me and Yun Yiyang, "Although this carriage is dilapidated, we can still ride in it. We should hurry on our way before it gets too late."

Yun Yiyang smiled at Shang Shaozhang, then turned to me and said, "Sister Bai, let's come up quickly... Sister Bai, what's wrong?"

I had no time to answer Yun Yiyang's question. I just waved my hand and leaned against a big tree, vomiting violently. I almost threw up my dinner from the night before. From the ambush, the breakthrough, to Shang Shaochang killing people, arguing... it wasn't until now that I noticed the corpses behind Shang Shaochang and the heavy, rusty smell in the air!

Perhaps, this is the true face of this ruthless killer!

Chapter Seventeen: The hardest thing to manage is the fickleness of human relationships.

Barren trees and crows at dusk, desolate mountains and ancient temples.

On the mountain path, a magnificent black horse pulls a few broken planks across the uneven snow. The black horse, the broken planks, and the people sitting on them create an unusually peculiar scene.

Yun Yiyang and I sat on the carriage—no, it should be said, on a broken wooden plank. The gray-clad assassins had used grappling hooks to dismantle this fine black tung oil carriage into pieces, leaving only four wheels, a wooden plank on top, and a few brocade quilts on the plank. We were both pale and exhausted. The day had been full of unexpected events and troubles. Although we hadn't been injured by the gray-clad assassins' swords, we were still shocked and frightened, and our spirits were gradually becoming weary.

But Shang Shaochang sat on the carriage shaft, idly playing with the whip in his hand while humming an unknown tune. He had killed seven people in one go, yet he seemed completely unaffected, even more energetic than before. He looked up at the sky; the sun was gradually setting. Ahead, under an old locust tree, an ancient temple stood quietly.

Shang Shaozhang whistled, picked up his riding whip, and pointed with a smile, saying, "We're lucky tonight, at least we've found a place to shelter from the wind and rain!" He glanced at me and said leisurely, "I wonder if the famous White-Robed Prime Minister can endure such a life of sleeping in the open."

“You…” I bit my lip hard, swallowing the words that were on the tip of my tongue. I endured it! — Who told me to accidentally slap Master Shang! Seeing that I didn’t speak, Young Master Shang chuckled and said, “Let’s go! — We’ll spend the night in this temple.”

We entered the dilapidated temple. The only clay statue of Guanyin on the altar was also in a state of disrepair, its paint uneven and peeling in many places, and covered with cobwebs. Although the ancient temple provided shelter from the cold, it was so run-down that the doors and windows creaked and rattled in the wind, letting in a biting chill through the drafty walls. The cold air felt like knives cutting into my skin, and I involuntarily shivered, quickly pulling my black fur coat tighter. Looking at Yun Yiyang beside me, he did the same, but his face was even paler.

Shang Shaozhang walked in from outside, carrying a large bundle of hay he had found somewhere. He neatly spread it out in a thick row on the ground, and then piled some dry branches about ten feet away from the hay. After doing this, Shang Shaozhang stood up, brushed the grass and dust off his clothes, and laughed, "Now we can get through the night warmly enough." He then turned to me and asked, "Do you have a tinderbox?"

I asked in surprise, "What is a fire fold?"

"Oh?..." Young Master Shang looked at me thoughtfully, reached into his robes and took out a small object. He flicked it in the wind, and a flame was lit. He brought the flame close to the pile of dry branches, and instantly the fire blazed brightly, warming the small temple.

Yun Yiyang was rubbing his hands together happily by the fire when he suddenly asked me, "Hey, Sister Bai, you don't even know what a fire folding stick is?"

I was secretly furious, thinking to myself: I live in modern times, how could I have ever seen such a backward fire-starting tool! Besides, have you ever seen a gas stove, an electric water heater, or an induction cooker? Although I thought this to myself, I dared not say it out loud, and laughed and said: "In my hometown, we never use such fire-starting tools, let alone use them."

"Huh—really?" Yun Yiyang moved closer to where I was sitting, curious, and asked, "Sister Bai doesn't even know how to use a tinderbox?"

I shook my head, and just as I was about to answer, Shang Shaozhang said with a grin, "Although your sister Bai doesn't know how to use a fire tumbler, her slapping skills are incredibly cool!"

"You!--" Seeing Yun Yiyang laughing loudly, I bit my lip hard and barely managed to suppress the anger that was about to come out of my mouth. In my heart, I had already cursed this utterly shameless bastard a thousand times!

As night deepened, the flames in front of me gradually diminished, and I felt increasingly chilly. The moon was high in the sky, but I was still wide awake. So I quietly put on my cloak, got up, and sat down in front of the fire. I picked up a dry branch and threw it into the firewood. Watching the flames grow stronger little by little, I yawned softly and pulled my cloak tighter around me.

"What are you thinking about?" Shang Shaochang had gotten up and sat down next to me at some point, fiddling with the firewood. Seeing me staring blankly at the flames without saying a word, Shang Shaochang said softly, "I know you were worried about that kid's safety today... Your blow was very light..." He touched his face and said self-deprecatingly, "Not much stronger than a kitten."

“You’re the cat!…” I replied softly, still hugging my knees, staring blankly at the crackling firewood, a lock of hair falling down to cover half my face.

Shang Shaochang laughed and put his arm around my shoulder. "You used to be so spirited and energetic, why are you acting like a docile little lamb today? It's really not like I'm used to it!"

I was lost in thought when I felt his hand on my shoulder. Startled, I tried to pull away, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. Afraid of making too much noise and waking Yun Yiyang, who was sleeping soundly nearby, I had no choice but to let his hairy hand rest on my shoulder. I whispered, "I'm not angry with you... I'm angry with myself!... I just realize... I'm completely useless, I can't survive, I have no strength! I can't protect others, let alone myself! I... I'm just such a burden... a troublemaker for others... What... what am I going to do?..."

Shang Shaochang tightened his grip slightly, pulling me closer to him. This time, surprisingly, I didn't struggle, letting him draw me into his arms while his other hand tightened my fur coat. My face flushed slightly, and I raised my head to look at Shang Shaochang's handsome, composed face in the firelight. His eyes shone even brighter in the night, like gentle starlight in the darkness.

“You are a strong girl…” His voice was as gentle and pure as his eyes, captivating the heart. “You were meant to be protected. You could have avoided having to endure so much…” He smiled softly. “I didn’t know you were so strong. An ordinary girl would have burst into tears at the sight of such a scene or the events that had happened, but you remained calm.”

I smiled slightly and whispered, "Actually... I want to cry too... but—" I sighed softly and said slowly, "But since my parents passed away, I haven't shed a single tear!"

I nestled quietly in Shang Shaochang's arms, watching the flickering flames illuminate our faces. His chest seemed warmer than the flames, and I could faintly smell a masculine scent mingled with the fragrance of bamboo leaves. Beside me lay the sleeping Yun Yiyang—it was the first time in my life I had been held in the arms of a young man, yet surprisingly, I didn't feel awkward—instead, I felt a sense of peace and tranquility I hadn't felt in a long, long time. I quietly glanced up at the faint wrinkles around his eyes and the stubble on his chin… His age, like his personality, was hard to fathom; he seemed no longer so young, yet he was so full of sunshine and vitality.

If he hadn't drawn his Autumn Water Blade, if he hadn't been an assassin... what kind of person would he have been?

As the flames before me gradually died down, a chilly north wind blew in from outside the temple gate. I picked up a piece of dry firewood and put it into the fire, slowly pushed away Shang Shaochang's hand from my shoulder, and whispered, "I... want to sleep..."

Shang Shaochang looked at me thoughtfully, and after a while, said softly, "Okay... go and rest."

I nodded, walked to the straw mat a little distance from the fire, and lay down fully clothed. But I couldn't fall asleep for a while. The crackling sound of the firewood burning in the fire could be heard from time to time, and it was particularly clear in the quiet temple.

The next few days were spent on endless travel, sometimes through mountains, sometimes along narrow paths, and occasionally passing through small towns, but all without much trouble. Shang Shaochang led us southwards. Perhaps due to the two assassination attempts, the "gentle" gray-clad assassin never reappeared. The journey was undoubtedly arduous and exhausting, but the strange and wonderful scenery and local customs along the way broadened Yun Yiyang's and my horizons! I had rarely left Jiangzhou City since arriving in ancient times, and Yun Yiyang had also been quite naive since childhood. Although we endured hardships, we found it quite enlightening. We two were like frogs in a well, suddenly seeing a world far larger than Jiangzhou City, and we were completely lost, unable to find our way around. I was already utterly directionally challenged in modern times, but in the Song Dynasty, I was like a blind person walking with perfect sight. When I asked Shang Shaochang a few questions, he either laughed and made sarcastic remarks or simply refused to answer. Aside from glaring angrily, I was completely helpless against this seemingly cynical but unfathomable killer.

Before we knew it, the three of us and our horse had been traveling for almost a month. One day, while we were traveling, Shang Shaochang suddenly laughed and said to us, "Do you see that? Once we cross that stream, the other side is Yanliang Valley!"

"Ah!" "Ah!" Yun Yiyang and I cried out in unison. Xia Yanliang's healing arts were unparalleled, almost mythical. These two cries brought mixed feelings of joy and worry. The joy came from the fact that with Xia Yanliang's help, Yun Yiyang's illness was at least 80% curable. The worry stemmed from the fact that Xia Yanliang's personality was as famous as her medical skills. If her strange and unconventional ideas made it impossible to cure him, it would truly be a regret I would carry for the rest of my life.

Shang Shaozhang seemed completely oblivious to our expressions, and smiled slightly, "It's been a long time since I've seen Yanliang. I wonder how she's been these past few days, and whether she's missed this prodigal son."

I glanced up slightly and was surprised to see that this usually jovial assassin had, for the first time, a look of longing in his eyes, as if Xia Yanliang, whom he spoke of, was incredibly important to him! Could it be…? I bit my lip and quickly looked away.

The valley of coldness and indifference should not be entered by those without a heart.

Is this the residence of the unparalleled physician?

This place can't even be called a "valley"; it's just a small lowland. The trees in front are scattered, with withered branches and fallen leaves, making it look quite desolate. Further away, a few thatched cottages stand alone in the barren mountains. If you say this place is hard to find, you can only say that few people in the world would imagine that this goddess healer would live like the most ordinary farmer in this small, cold valley.