Before she reached the exit, she spotted the few young men who had caused the original body’s death, lingering at the foot of the mountain, clearly unwilling to give up.
After all, women these days no longer dared to go out alone, especially young women like the original body.
To be targeted by scoundrels was inevitable.
Falling into their hands was worse than becoming food for mutant beasts. The original body’s choice to flee deeper into the mountains had not been wrong.
Yu Qiu did not conceal herself, but through eyes glinting with cunning, she gazed at the group of thugs from afar.
“Boss, that little girl must be dead. With so many beasts roaming these mountains, if one came out hunting, none of us would survive. Let’s just leave,” said a scar-faced youth, his courage faltering as he looked at the towering greenery covering the mountain.
The “boss” glared fiercely, lifted his foot, and kicked the scar-faced youth hard. “Bullshit! Coward! That girl could fetch at least twenty taels of silver! She might be skin and bones, but her foundation is good. Where else can we find such fine merchandise?” Still unsatisfied, he kicked him again and kept cursing. “If you dare spout nonsense again, I’ll throw you in there myself!” He jabbed a finger toward the mountain.
Old Fourth dared not speak. He scrambled up without brushing off the footprints on his clothes, hunched his shoulders, nodding and shaking his head in panic. His gaze followed the boss’s finger toward the mountain entrance.
The other two young men sneered at him. “So timid, Old Fourth. You won’t make a penny acting like a coward.”
“Yeah, Old Fourth. We’re just guarding the entrance; no one’s asking you to go inside. Pull yourself together, and don’t piss yourself.”
When Old Fourth gave no reply, their gazes turned sharp. But then they saw him trembling, pointing excitedly toward the mountain. “Th-th-there…”
The three of them suddenly understood and looked that way. Their eyes lit up with crazed delight.
“That girl’s luck is really something! Hahaha…” The boss cackled wildly, his purplish lips unable to hide his rows of yellow teeth.
The others rubbed their dark hands together in excitement. “Boss, do we chase?”
Staring at Yu Qiu’s figure in the distance, they saw only glittering silver.
Yu Qiu curled her lips. Not afraid of being chased—only afraid they wouldn’t chase!
She put on an act of panic, turned, and bolted up the mountain.
Fearing they might hesitate, she even pretended to stumble, scrambling clumsily back to her feet before running again.
The four men had been wavering, but when they saw the little girl stumbling in fright, they no longer hesitated and rushed after her.
Even cowardly Old Fourth followed into the ominous forest, thinking: if the little girl could run through it, why should they, grown men, be afraid?
Sensing they were all on her trail, Yu Qiu stopped holding back. She sprinted full speed toward her refuge, used her ability to open the cave, darted inside, and sealed the entrance behind her in one swift motion.
Her small body really did need nourishment. Just that short run left her gasping for breath, chest heaving. If she encountered another beast like this, she might not escape.
Too weak!
After adjusting her breathing, Yu Qiu listened carefully, ears pricked, as thin beams of light filtered in through gaps between tree roots above.
Outside, the four men stopped, panting and swearing.
The boss punched a tree trunk. “Damn it! That girl runs fast—gone in the blink of an eye.”
“Boss, something feels off…” Old Fourth’s scarred face trembled.
The boss smacked the back of his head. “Where’s your courage? Did you leave it in some girl’s undergarments? Look for her! She must be close by. We’re not leaving empty-handed.”
Rubbing his head, Old Fourth swallowed his words under the boss’s glare.
“Boss, he’s right. It’s too quiet.” Old Third, usually the bold but cautious one, rubbed his arms uneasily.
That made the boss instinctively wary. He scanned the surroundings carefully.
In seconds, they stood back-to-back in a defensive circle.
“Boss, maybe we should leave…” Old Second faltered, staring at the towering trees around them. Their branches and leaves loomed like man-eating demons, making his voice quiver.
Inside the refuge, Yu Qiu sneered softly: “You won’t escape.”
If she had been certain she could handle four strong men without exposing her powers, she would never have resorted to this roundabout way of avenging the original body.
Carrying a treasure invites disaster—true in any place, any age.
Suddenly—“Boom!” The ground shook violently, rattling even Yu Qiu inside the cave.
She steadied herself and peered out, excitement flickering in her eyes.
As expected!
The beast she had slain earlier had left only a cloud of blood mist. The heavy stench of blood drifting in the air was bound to lure beasts from deeper within.
But the scale was unexpected. Judging from the tremors, there had to be more than a dozen.
Cautiously, she sealed the cracks she had left open, leaving only one slit for ventilation. She slowed her breathing to the barest whisper, terrified the beasts might discover her.
This wasn’t one or two beasts. She wasn’t arrogant enough to believe she could survive in such a situation.
“Roar—!”
Beastly howls closed in, hooves pounding the earth as they charged at their prey.
“Run!”
“Ah—!”
Squelch…
Screams, wails, and the wet tearing of flesh mingled together. Through that single slit, the sounds pierced Yu Qiu’s ears, thick with the stench of blood that seeped into her cave and clung stubbornly to her nose.
She felt no guilt. These men had brazenly targeted her, intent on abducting and selling her. From their words, they were clearly seasoned traffickers, long accustomed to treating people as commodities.
How many innocents had already died at their hands?
Scum like them deserved worse than death.
Yu Qiu’s fingers clenched her clothes so tightly her knuckles turned white, itching to join the beasts in tearing them apart.
Sensing her rising fury, she shut her eyes hard. When she opened them again, her gaze—tinged red, glistening—caught the single beam of light slipping through. Against the glow, her eyes looked brilliantly bright.
Outside, the chaos slowly faded. The beasts stopped rampaging and ambled leisurely back into the depths of the forest.
Yu Qiu did not dare emerge. The air was still thick with blood, and more beasts could be drawn at any time.
With a helpless sigh, she felt as though she had hoisted a stone only to smash her own foot.
Well then—no leaving today.
“Better get some sleep.”
Murmuring softly, she lay down on the ground.
As sleep tugged at her mind, one last thought lingered: would she catch up to the migrating group tomorrow?
She, too, had elders and children to care for. She hadn’t even secured her rations yet…