SES Chapter 79 Part 1

Chapter 79

Yi Wan-san shivered. He glanced toward the doorway. The little mountain hollow they were in was tiny, surrounded by steep slopes thick with trees. The wind howled, whipping the branches so violently that it was impossible to tell whether the swaying came from the storm—or from wild men thrashing about inside the woods.

“Little Luo…” Cao Yanhua asked timidly, “Do you think… the third piece might be on one of those wild men?”

He avoided saying “murder slip” out loud, not with Old Man Yan sitting right there.

Luo Ren nodded. “Very possible.”

A normal wild man, even if he fought for food or fled danger, was still just acting on animal instinct. But if all these strange occurrences really traced back to one wild man, then clearly, this one was different.

It had carved false markers into tree trunks, deliberately leading Luo Ren’s group and Mu Dai’s group in opposite directions so they couldn’t regroup—scattering their strength before ambushing Old Man Yan.

It had tossed Saoqing-niang into the water, hung her corpse from the eaves, planted the rouge-amber trinket just where Mu Dai would see it, then snatched it away again—all as if setting up a psychological trap to throw them into panic and confusion.

Like a cat toying with a mouse, it played with them first before going in for the kill.

An ordinary wild man shouldn’t be capable of that. But if it carried a murderous slip… everything suddenly made sense.

And besides, the Phoenix Luan Buckle had already pointed them toward this very area—somewhere around the Four Villages.

Twilight deepened. The rain came down in torrents.

So heavy that every drop punched pits into the muddy ground, one after another, never stopping.

Cao Yanhua carried basins and buckets out of the kitchen to collect the downpour. He’d rather boil rainwater than drink from that cursed well that had held Saoqing-niang’s body.

Yi Wan-san sat by the stove, his feet beside a pile of long branches he’d picked up in the forest before the storm hit. He was whittling the ends into sharp points with his machete. After a while, his mood soured and he muttered miserably, “Back when we fought that old clam spirit, at least we had a boat, the water eye, the hinge. This time we’ve fallen straight back to the Stone Age.”

Cao Yanhua came over to steady the stick for him. “Didn’t you hear what Little Luo said? That borrowed hunting rifle’s only good for a few shots of wild pheasant. To save the little master’s sister, he already used two. And those steel pellets can’t really hurt a wild man. When the time comes, these spears will be our main weapons.”

The sharpened spearheads looked vicious enough to make the scalp crawl.

Yi Wan-san asked, “We’re really going to fight wild men with these? What if we actually kill it…”

The thought of killing such a huge living creature made him uneasy. Worse, “What if we don’t kill it? Then it’s a blood feud for sure. Beasts like that don’t rest until they’ve had revenge. If you ask me…”

He leaned closer to Cao Yanhua, lowering his voice. “Better to give the debt back to the debtor. We just grab Old Man Yan, hand him over to the wild man, and let it be done.”

Cao Yanhua stiffened. “How could you even suggest that? Do you have no conscience at all? That’s Hongsha’s grandfather we’re talking about. How could we ever do something like that?”

He suggested, “At worst, we can just pretend we’re walking faster and leave Old Man Yan behind. Let the savages catch him instead.”

Yiwansan thought this was brilliant. The two exchanged sly grins, each thinking they’d truly found a kindred spirit—friends so like-minded they were rarer than lantern light on a night.

Evening came quickly.

With so many people, one room wasn’t enough to sleep in. Half of them had to move to the kitchen. Luo Ren said, “Mu Dai will sleep in the kitchen. Who else?”

Yan Hongsha answered, “I’ll stay with Grandpa. Easier to look after him.”

Even though Old Man Yan had done something so disgraceful, he was still her grandfather. She figured that if trouble came during the night, no one else would protect him as carefully as she would. Better to stay close.

Since Mu Dai was sent to the kitchen, the best arrangement was for Luo Ren to go with her. Cao Yanhua, determined not to play third wheel, said, “I’ll bunk with Brother San. The kitchen’s small, but the big room can squeeze in four people just fine.”

The big room had three plank beds. Cao Yanhua and Yiwansan hauled one into the kitchen. Full of mischief, Cao Yanhua rubbed his hands together and told Mu Dai, “Little Master, I’m afraid you only get one bed…”

He was clearly tossing her the dilemma: he and Brother San could easily share a board; Hongsha and her grandfather could sleep head-to-foot; but what about Mu Dai and Luo Ren?

Mu Dai’s cheeks flushed. “Then… I could share with Hongsha—”

Luo Ren cut her off. “Don’t worry about it. I probably won’t even sleep tonight. I’ll be keeping watch. You’ll be more comfortable alone.”

Cao Yanhua’s anticipation of drama was thoroughly doused.

Mu Dai lay down first. Luo Ren didn’t follow her immediately. He stood at the big room’s doorway with the others, checking if the door was sturdy, reminding them to brace it with a wooden beam.

Actually, the big room’s door was stronger than the kitchen’s. Mu Dai couldn’t figure out why Luo Ren had flatly said she should sleep in the kitchen, leaving no room for argument.

When he finally came in, she still couldn’t let it go. “Why did you make me sleep here in the kitchen?”

She even used the word “make.” Luo Ren looked at her. “You think the big room is better?”

“Of course. It’s bigger,” Mu Dai said.

Luo Ren smiled, reached over, and tapped her nose. “Bigger doesn’t always mean better.”

She rubbed her nose and tilted her head at him in confusion.

He pointed toward the hearth. “This room has had fires burning in it. It’ll stay warm through the night. The mountains are damp and chilly—I didn’t want you freezing.”

“Oh.” Relief and warmth spread through her chest. Mu Dai happily settled down—until she accidentally bumped her head. “Ow!”

“Let me see.” Luo Ren gently parted her hair. That morning, the savages had yanked it roughly; her scalp was bruised and dotted with tiny spots of blood.

He frowned. “That’s not great.”

Mu Dai blinked. “Why? What’s wrong?”

He nearly laughed but kept a straight face. “That whole patch of scalp is pulled. Hair probably won’t grow there again. You’re going to have a bald spot, Mu Dai. About the size of a teacup.”

Her heart sank. “B-bald?”

“It’s fine,” Luo Ren said smoothly. “A smart head doesn’t need hair. Shows how clever you are. Or you can change your hairstyle, comb it to the side to cover… Or just wear hats. Hats look good these days.”