SES Chapter 77 Part 2

Even though there was a generation between them, Mukai still felt a bit embarrassed hearing it. Yan Hongsha’s face was hot too, her head half-lowered, unsure what to do with her hands.

At that moment, Mukai suddenly grabbed her hand.

Her palm was cold. Yan Hongsha gave her a strange look.

Mukai’s eyes were fixed on the doorway, so Yan Hongsha followed her gaze.

Outside was pitch-black night, yet the inside of the house was darker still. With the door open, the outside seemed like a lighter backdrop—against it hung…

A black, shadowy shape. It looked like the rain-charm doll, the one called a Saoqingniang. Yes—it had to be the one they’d fished out of the well, because it was still dripping water.

Yan Hongsha froze in shock. Just then, Old Man Yan returned.

He stepped to the doorway—right under the hanging doll. A drop of water seemed to fall into his collar, making him instinctively tilt his head upward.

Without warning, two long arms shot down, seized his head, and yanked him upward.

From Mukai’s angle, it was like watching a plant being pulled from the ground—one moment he was standing, the next he was simply gone.

Yan Hongsha screamed. Mukai reacted instantly, snatching up her saber and charging forward. She reached the doorway, grabbed the frame, and used it to launch herself upward onto the roof.

Dawn’s first light was creeping in. Ahead, a wild man nearly two meters tall had Old Man Yan tucked under his arm, striding quickly up the mountain.

Mukai’s mind blanked for a moment before she took a deep breath and gave chase. She was nimble, but the wild man clearly knew the terrain—he leapt from rock to rock with practiced ease, quickly widening the gap.

Gritting her teeth, Mukai hurled her saber at his back with all her strength.

It wasn’t a wooden practice blade—it was steel. The weapon didn’t sink in as deeply as she’d hoped, but it struck hard enough to make him jolt and drop Old Man Yan. Roaring in fury, the wild man whirled and lunged at her.

Mukai rolled to the side, dodging the first attack. The stench of him hit her—sharp, metallic, and foul.

Meanwhile, Yan Hongsha had come running with a shovel. Seeing the towering figure up close made her whole body shiver, but she shouted and swung with all her strength.

The wild man caught the shovel’s handle and, with frightening ease, flung Yan Hongsha—shovel and all—two meters away.

Mukai spotted her saber and moved to retrieve it, but the wild man was faster. He stomped on the blade and swung a massive hand toward her face. Mukai ducked low, aiming to slip under his arm, but suddenly felt a sharp pull at the back of her head.

Oh no.

He had her hair—fistfuls of it. With brutal force, he yanked her back and slammed her onto the ground. Stars exploded in her vision. Before she could rise, a crushing grip closed around her throat.

The strength was overwhelming, nearly snapping her neck. Mukai’s eyes rolled back, her mouth gaping for air.

So this is why they said I vanished… I’m going to die this fast.

Her hands flailed, grabbing at something—anything—and holding tight.

Then, two gunshots shattered the air.

Bang! Bang!

The wild man’s body jerked once, twice, and the crushing pressure vanished. With a pained howl, he bounded into the forest and disappeared.

Mukai lay coughing violently. Through blurred eyes, she saw a familiar figure high above.

Luo Ren was lowering his gun. Cao Yanhua and Wan San were racing down toward her.

“Mukai, my little sister!” Cao Yanhua shouted.

She couldn’t get up. A wave of helplessness and pent-up fear crashed over her, bringing tears to her eyes. Cao Yanhua reached her, flustered and anxious. “Are you hurt? Where are you hurt?”

“I… I want to go home,” Mukai sobbed.

Her words dissolved into more coughing. Luo Ren came over, scooped her up, and murmured, “It’s all right. We’re going home.”

The once-quiet stone house was suddenly crowded and noisy with so many people.

The rain-charm doll was torn down from the doorway and tossed aside. Wan San and Cao Yanhua boiled water—the bottled supply they’d brought was still enough. They filled a basin for Luo Ren, then used the rest to make instant noodles.

The aroma was intoxicating, better than any delicacy in the world. Even the bundle of eggs finally came in handy. Mukai overheard Cao Yanhua urging Wan San, “Make two more, come on—my little master needs the nutrition.”

Luo Ren dipped gauze in hot water and gently wiped Mukai’s neck. The dark bruises where she’d been strangled were stark and ugly, with a few bloody scratches along the side—probably from the wild man’s nails when he was shot.

Next came a small bottle of medical alcohol. Luo Ren dabbed a cotton ball and cleaned the blood. The sting made Mukai hiss sharply.

“This kind of wild man’s claws… who knows what kind of bacteria they carry,” he said. “I’ll give you a shot.”

After taping gauze over the wound, he opened the medical kit, took out a cloth-wrapped bundle, and unrolled it—revealing small glass ampoules and a syringe.

Yan Hongsha, watching from the side, asked softly, “You carry those around?”

Without looking at her, Luo Ren said evenly, “Of course. Even if there weren’t wild animals out here, an injury like this could mean tetanus. What did you bring? I checked—no medicine, no weapons, just a pile of food. What exactly were you planning? A vacation?”

He had never spoken in that tone before. Yan Hongsha stayed silent. Cao Yanhua came in with a steaming bowl of noodles and, sensing the tension, quickly set it down without interrupting.

Mukai felt awkward as Luo Ren rolled up her sleeve, swabbed her arm with alcohol, found the vein, and slid the needle in with practiced ease. When he was done, he handed her a cotton ball to press on the spot.

The shot barely hurt—Luo Ren’s hands were quick and precise. Years in the wilderness had taught him to give himself injections.

Mukai shot Cao Yanhua a look, silently telling him to get Yan Hongsha out of the room. She stood there with her head down, looking so guilty it was almost painful to watch.

Cao Yanhua understood and was about to say something when Luo Ren turned toward Old Man Yan in the corner.

“You never actually led a treasure-hunting team before, did you?

“I heard from Hongsha you’ve ‘trained your eyes’ to see the aura of treasure. In a team, someone like you is a technical specialist—others will treat you like gold. You wouldn’t have to handle logistics or plan anything yourself. So you figured you could just take two people and a shovel and walk out with treasure, didn’t you?”

Cao Yanhua squirmed. Yan Hongsha couldn’t speak, and Mukai stayed quiet too, so Cao tried to smooth things over. “Brother Luo, he’s… a senior…”

“Senior,” Luo Ren echoed with a thin smile.

“A senior who risks his own life, drags his granddaughter along, and nearly gets others killed.”

He stopped himself from saying more, then rose and walked out.

Yan Hongsha exhaled shakily, only to stiffen when Wan San poked his head in. “Hongsha, come out—Luo Ren wants a word with you.”

Her face fell, almost tearful. “I knew it. I’m dead—he’s going to chew me out.”

Reluctantly, she went.

Cao Yanhua handed the noodles to Mukai. “Eat, little master.”

She took the bowl but instinctively glanced at Old Man Yan. Cao whispered, “There’s more in the pot.”

As she lifted her hand to eat, she realized she was still holding something.

Then she remembered—in the fight earlier, she’d ripped it from the wild man’s body. She’d been so terrified she never let go, completely forgetting about it.

She slowly opened her hand.

It was a piece of crimson amber—long and narrow, its shades of red deepening toward the center.

It looked like an eye, resting in her palm.