“Stop crying.”
Xie Chi had been listening to the sound of crying for half the night.
The crying wasn’t particularly loud. It was like the fluttering of a mosquito’s wings, and he could tell that the girl was trying hard to keep it under control. However, the softer the sound became, the more irritating it felt, like ants crawling all over his body.
And it had been going on for far too long.
Xie Chi opened his eyes. His vision was still blurry, and everything looked hazy. The only thing he could make out clearly was a faint patch of light in the distance—the entrance to the cave.
Being able to see light meant his eyes were recovering. At least he wasn’t blind.
That was good.
Unfortunately, the drug was still affecting him badly. His head felt heavy, and he could barely summon any strength.
After assessing how much his body had recovered, Xie Chi finally turned his attention toward the source of the crying.
The cave was too dark for him to see clearly. He could only make out a vague figure sitting sideways to him, sobbing and trembling slightly.
She was still crying.
Xie Chi listened for a while before lowering his voice and speaking as gently as he could.
“Stop crying.”
The sobbing abruptly stopped. The girl quickly turned around, and her tearful voice carried a hint of delight.
“You’re awake!”
Xie Chi heard rustling sounds, as if the girl were trying to come closer to him.
“Ow!”
She had tripped over something and nearly fallen.
When the rustling started again, the sounds were much lower, as though she had awkwardly crawled over to him.
“Are you all right?” the girl asked worriedly when she reached his side.
Before he could answer, she sniffled and continued, “It’s already morning, and the rain outside has eased quite a bit. They might find us soon…”
Her voice faltered at the end, and it sounded as though she was about to cry again.
Xie Chi immediately interrupted her.
“Did you finish everything I asked you to do?”
The girl gave a muffled “Mm.”
“I covered the cave entrance with branches and scattered lots of small stones around it…”
After a pause, she added in a soft, aggrieved voice, “…The branches scratched my hands, too…”
Xie Chi pretended not to hear that last part.
“Then take a rest,” he said gently.
The girl fell silent. For a while, the only sound inside the cave was the rain outside, pattering against the leaves and branches of the forest.
At last, some peace and quiet.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. Before much time had passed, the girl’s quiet sobbing began again, making Xie Chi’s forehead twitch.
“Stop crying,” he said again, his voice considerably deeper this time.
The girl seemed to notice his impatience. Choking back her tears, she asked, “Do you think I’m really annoying when I cry?”
Xie Chi said nothing.
“You don’t have to answer. I already know. This is the fourth time you’ve told me to stop crying, and you’ve been getting more impatient each time.”
She had originally been kneeling in front of him. As she spoke, she shifted around and sat down beside him.
Wiping her tears, she spoke seriously in a hoarse voice.
“I know you find me annoying, but I’m just an ordinary girl. Ordinary girls get scared when something like this happens to them.”
Xie Chi still didn’t respond.
The girl didn’t seem to mind. It was as though she simply needed to let out her feelings, so she continued talking to herself.
“When that wolf knocked me to the ground and opened its mouth to bite my neck, I saw bits of bloody flesh and blood stuck between its teeth. I don’t know whose flesh it had torn off…”
She paused before continuing in a trembling voice.
“Maybe it belonged to the innkeeper. When I was taken away, I saw him lying on the ground, covered in blood. I don’t know whether he’s dead or alive…”
She began sobbing again.
Xie Chi frowned deeply.
It was only natural for ordinary people, regardless of their age or gender, to be frightened after nearly being killed by a beast.
He could understand that, but…
“Please stop crying.”
Xie Chi tried his best to sound gentle, but he wasn’t good at comforting people. His voice still revealed his true feelings.
Realizing this, he tried to make up for it by correcting her.
“That wasn’t a wolf. It was a dog.”
The girl turned her face toward him and studied him for a moment. Although her voice was quiet, her tone was firm.
“It was a wolf. Dogs don’t eat people.”
“Dogs don’t eat people, but people can train them to.”
Using fierce, trained wolfhounds to launch surprise attacks and create chaos, then following behind with weapons to kill and rob people—this was a common tactic used by the bandits of Wuyin Mountain.
Wuyin Mountain was a range of mountains north of the capital. It had earned its name because thick fog hung over the area throughout the year.
The mountains were home to poisonous insects and wild beasts. Unless their lives had become truly unbearable, ordinary people were unwilling to venture inside. Only notorious criminals who were wanted by the authorities and had nowhere else to go dared to risk entering the mountains.
The mountains were dangerous, but they also offered ways to survive. Some of those criminals managed to stay alive, and over time, they gradually gathered together and formed bandit strongholds. Once their numbers grew, they began raiding nearby towns and villages.
Most of them were desperate outlaws who were vicious, ruthless, and cruel.
The imperial court had sent troops to suppress them many times, but because the soldiers were unfamiliar with the terrain inside Wuyin Mountain, they had never managed to eliminate the bandits completely.
Xie Chi had fallen victim to their scheme.
He could only blame himself for being careless. He had never expected the bandits to have children as young as six or seven among their ranks. That was how he had ended up drugged and injured in the eyes.
“You can’t even see, and you’re still arguing with me? Besides, what difference does it make if you just agree with me and call it a wolf at a time like this?”
The girl’s voice was full of frustration and grievance.
“I’m the one who helped you get here, after all!”
She spoke slowly, her voice as soft as the willow fluff drifting through the air in early spring. Yet, just like willow fluff, she was irritating in her own way. Her words were delicate and persistent, clinging to him so tightly that he couldn’t shake them off.
Xie Chi closed his eyes.
“Fine. It was a wolf. Happy now?”
He felt that he had never been so patient in his entire life.
But he had no choice. He owed this young woman a small favor.
The bandits of Wuyin Mountain had wanted to take him away. Since he had been drugged and temporarily blinded, they had deliberately kidnapped a young woman from the inn to look after him.
The girl sitting in front of him was that woman.
They had probably chosen her because she was physically weak and couldn’t offer any help in protecting herself. Although Xie Chi couldn’t see her clearly, he could tell from her voice and behavior that she was delicate and prone to crying. She was most likely a pampered young lady who had grown up under her parents’ protection.
Inside the carriage, he had managed to untie himself. Gathering what little strength he had left, he swiftly killed several bandits.
Unfortunately, although he could locate the bandits by listening to their movements, he couldn’t control the frightened horses because he was unable to see. As a result, he and the girl had ended up stranded in the forest.
Even finding this cave where they could shelter from the rain had been thanks to her.
“Of course it was a wolf!”
Having gotten her way, the girl seemed a little happier and continued chattering.
“Dogs are gentle. The ones my second brother raises even play ball with me and fetch my handkerchief when I drop it…”
For some reason, those words seemed to remind her of something sad. By the time she finished speaking, her mood had begun to sink again.
Xie Chi had never met a girl whose emotions changed so frequently or who cried so easily.
He frowned and repeatedly reminded himself that he should be patient with someone who had helped him.
After a while, he steadied his voice and said, “The rain will wash away our scent. They won’t find us so quickly.”
The girl replied, “They will! They’ll definitely find us before my family’s servants do. You don’t know how unlucky I’ve always been. Once, I went to a temple to offer incense, and a Buddha statue collapsed. Even when I feed the fish in my own pond, they splash water right into my face! Now I’ve stayed at an inn, and I’ve run into bandits. They’ll definitely find us…”
She sniffled and continued, “I’m so beautiful that they’ll surely kidnap me and force me to become their bandit chief’s wife. I don’t want a husband like that! My future husband must come from a respectable family, be talented in literature, and be handsome…”
“My mother says that a man’s character is the most important thing when choosing a husband, but my best friend and I think his face matters, too. Just imagine marrying an ugly man! For the next several decades, you’d have to look at him every single day, morning and night, with your eyes open or closed…”
“Shut up.”
The sudden command startled the girl. Her endless chatter stopped immediately.
Xie Chi took a breath and explained, “I mean, if they find us first, we’ll kill them.”
Silence filled the cave for a long while.
Only then did the girl speak again, her voice very small.
“I can’t kill anyone. I’ve never hurt anyone in my entire life…”
“If you want to survive, you’ll have to learn.”
Xie Chi no longer wanted to hear her voice. He closed his eyes and continued speaking.
“It’s simple. Use a sharp stone to strike the head, throat, side of the neck, or internal organs. If you hit hard enough, you can kill someone.”
“I… I…”
“If you aren’t strong enough, hit them several times.” Xie Chi interrupted her again. “If nothing else works, attack their eyes or nose. Even if you can’t kill them, the pain will temporarily stop them from moving.”
“But…”
“Could you get me some water? Thank you, Miss.”
After being interrupted several times, the girl finally fell silent.
Not long afterward, Xie Chi heard rustling sounds as she stood up.
She was heading toward the cave entrance.
The cave was rather large, and she seemed frightened. She kept stopping and starting, her every step making the small stones on the ground crunch beneath her feet.
Xie Chi listened as the sounds gradually faded into the distance.
After a while, however, they suddenly grew louder again, approaching him hurriedly.
His eyes were injured, and he still had no idea what the girl looked like. But from the sounds alone, he could easily imagine her rushing back in panic like a startled bird.
A weak and helpless young woman.
As her hurried footsteps and breathless panting drew closer, his brief moment of peace came to an end.
“I’m back!”
Perhaps she was afraid of startling him, so she deliberately called out to let him know she had returned. Or perhaps she was reminding herself that she wasn’t alone and didn’t need to be so frightened.
Xie Chi nodded.
Someone approached him and brought a large leaf filled with cool rainwater to his lips, carefully feeding it to him.
After drinking, Xie Chi said, “Thank you, Miss.”
“My name is…”
The girl began to introduce herself, but she stopped just before saying her name and changed her mind.
“Just call me Yao Yao.”
“Thank you, Miss Yao. I will repay your kindness properly someday.”
“It’s not Yao…”
The girl seemed ready to correct him, but as soon as she began speaking, Xie Chi interrupted her.
“Miss Yao, would you like to rest for a while?”
The girl paused and shook her head.
“No, I’m not tired. I can’t sleep, either. Whenever I close my eyes…”
“Then I’ll rest for a little longer. Thank you for keeping watch over me, Miss.”
After saying that, Xie Chi closed his eyes.