SES Chapter 78 Part 2

Could it be that the poor man had taken the fall for Yan, as a scapegoat?

Cao Yanhua shivered at the thought.

Luo Ren said, “It’s possible. Today, we saw with our own eyes that there really are savages in these mountains. They’ve been here a long time, but encounters with people are rare, and the only fatal attack anyone’s heard of is that one incident.

As for the rumor of rape, it could easily be mountain gossip, twisted and exaggerated. Think about it: if a savage attacked for revenge, it would fight like a beast, clawing and biting wildly. That old man’s clothes were torn, his lower body bloodied and mangled—that matches such an attack. But to outsiders, it was easy to misinterpret it as some kind of frenzied sexual assault.

And besides…”

Luo Ren looked out the door. “This abandoned village near the mountain may be connected to the savages too. Maybe after that attack, word spread, and the villagers all moved away. Only hunters still dared to venture in, and always in groups.”

Wan San nodded. “That makes sense. But that leaves us with one last question: what was the relationship between that savage and the murdered woman, that he would fixate so hard on avenging her?”

The room fell silent. Mu Dai touched the bandaged wound on her body, a strange sadness stirring in her. “Now that you say it like that… I almost feel like the savage is… kind of loyal.”

Cao Yanhua said, “I thought of another possibility. What if… that woman knew the savage?”

Luo Ren’s heart stirred. He asked Mu Dai, “When you fought with the savage, did it seem old to you?”

Seeing her hesitation, he explained further: “Savages generally have shorter lifespans than humans. A savage that was around twenty years ago would be elderly by now.”

Mu Dai shook her head. “No—it moved really fast.”

Yan Hongsha added after a pause, “When it swung its arm, it tossed me—shovel and all—several meters away. It seemed very strong.”

Luo Ren nodded. “If it’s in its prime now, then twenty years ago it must have been just a young one.”

Cao Yanhua suddenly laughed. “If it were a young one, then it had to be born to someone. But who… who gave birth to it—”

He broke off mid-sentence.

The room instantly grew tense.

Luo Ren turned to Old Man Yan. “From what Hongsha said, that treasure well was in a remote spot. How exactly did you run into that woman?”

The old man was silent for a long moment, his voice trembling with panic when he finally spoke. “She… she passed by. I saw her, and I…”

He couldn’t describe it properly. Back then, alone in the wilderness, suddenly a solitary woman appeared. It was like a starving wolf suddenly spotting fresh meat. He just…

Luo Ren pressed, “Think carefully. Was she empty-handed, or carrying something?”

The old man’s throat worked dryly. “She… she had a basket. Inside… there was food.”

Wan San’s spine went cold. “There are wild beasts in the mountains. A woman wouldn’t wander here alone just to visit relatives. Was she… bringing food? Could she have been… the savage’s mother?”

Mu Dai froze, then looked down at the rouge-colored amber pendant in her hand.

Yes… how else would a savage, born in the wilderness and living off raw flesh and blood, end up wearing something as delicate as a rouge-amber pendant?

A thunderclap split the sky. The heavens darkened, clouds thickening into a storm.

Luo Ren said grimly, “If that’s the case, then this time… we won’t be leaving these mountains so easily.”