SES Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Mu Dai woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. Out of nowhere, she thought about that piece of rouge-colored amber.

Back then, after she’d shown it to Luo Ren and the others, she had just set it down by the bed. Later, when Cao Yanhua and Wan San moved the bedboard, had they carried it along, or had it been left behind in the next room?

She reached out, groping around the edge of the bed. Luo Ren noticed and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“That piece of rouge amber—where is it?”

“I put it away,” Luo Ren said. As he spoke, he handed it to her. Mu Dai took it, holding it tightly in her palm. Because of that dream, her heart felt clogged, like wisps of cotton stuffing it up.

She asked him, “Why would a wild man be carrying a piece of rouge amber?”

“Most likely that woman gave it to him,” Luo Ren replied.

A thought struck Mu Dai. “Do you think… maybe that woman didn’t die, but turned into a wild man?”

Luo Ren chuckled. “That’s a bit of a stretch. Old Yan only killed an ordinary mountain woman. And besides—you saw it yourself—the wild man’s nearly two meters tall.”

Mu Dai pushed back. “But what about the Fierce Slip?”

“So what—you’re saying the Fierce Slip made her grow tall, sprout hair all over her body, and turn her into a wild man?”

“Uh-huh.”

Luo Ren ruffled her hair. “Go to sleep. If I run into her again, I’ll ask if that’s really the case.”

The spot where his hand had brushed still felt warm.

Mu Dai lay there wondering: Why would Luo Ren like me?

And when she thought about it carefully, she realized she didn’t actually know much about him. Huge parts of his past were just blank spaces to her.

But she didn’t want to know. Just like she didn’t want him digging into her past. People are complicated—like onions. Peel off one layer and there’s another, and in the process, you’ll cry, or uncover things you’d rather not see.

So why peel it at all? Wouldn’t it be better just to keep things peaceful, holding hands and moving forward like this?

And then, dawn came.

They had to hit the road today—leave the forest behind and head back to Qiju Village.

But deep down, everyone was thinking the same thing:

What if we can’t get out?

After all, there was blood vengeance at play here. If you were the wild man, would you really let Old Yan just walk away so easily?

As they were packing up, Cao Yanhua whispered to Wan San: “They say people who seek revenge eventually get tired, after three or five years. Animals aren’t like that. Beasts never let go—they remember with a kind of dead-serious, vicious grudge.”

He agreed with Wan San: once they hit the road, they’d stay far away from Old Man Yan, so they wouldn’t get dragged down if trouble came.

Since there was still a chance they might have to go back in again, everyone packed light—just enough food and whatever weapons they could handle. Tools like shovels and such were all left behind in the stone house.

Luo Ren gave his gaiters to Mu Dai. Following the same principle of looking out for the old and the young, Cao Yanhua and Wan San handed theirs to Old Man Yan and Yan Hongsha.

There were six of them in total. Even though they were traveling together, the mountain path was so narrow that they had to split into three groups: front, middle, and rear. Normally, the rear team had to be the strongest, since it was the safety net to keep anyone from being left behind. Ideally, Luo Ren should’ve been in the rear, Mu Dai in the lead.

But Mu Dai didn’t know the way. So in the end, after balancing strength with weakness, the lineup was set: Luo Ren and Wan San in the front, Old Man Yan and Yan Hongsha in the middle, Mu Dai and Cao Yanhua in the rear.

Wan San was silently chanting “Amitabha.” Being with Luo Ren made him feel ridiculously safe. Cao Yanhua, teamed up with Mu Dai, also felt reassured—but couldn’t help being jealous of Old Man Yan. That lucky old man was tucked neatly in the middle, with a shield in front and a shield behind. That kind of blessing must’ve taken several lifetimes to earn!

If it were up to Cao Yanhua, he’d have put Old Man Yan in the rear. That way, if a savage came up from behind, they could just cut their losses and move on.

But…

Cao Yanhua sighed. Well, that was only wishful thinking.

And so, they set out.

When they started, the sun was still out. Half an hour later, the sky had gone gray, and before long, drops of rain began falling from the leaves. This mountain really was too damp, too rainy.

Cao Yanhua huffed and puffed along behind Mu Dai.

“Little Sister Master,” he muttered under his breath, “what if that fierce bamboo slip really is with the savage? What do we do then?”

That savage was terrifying.

Mu Dai answered, “Have a little confidence in yourself. There are five of us, remember.”

“This isn’t about headcount,” Cao Yanhua grumbled. “It’s about strength. Think about my Third Brother San’s abilities…”

From up ahead, Wan San barked, “Fatty Cao, I heard that!”

Cao Yanhua was the same in private as in public. “Am I wrong, though? All you do is fuss with your lousy paintings. It’s one thing to trick some little girls, but do you really expect to conquer a savage with your art?”

Wan San shot back without hesitation, “Art transcends race and borders!”

Just then, Luo Ren suddenly stopped. Wan San walked a coupleof  steps ahead before doubling back. He saw Luo Ren staring upward, so he followed his gaze.

His heart skipped a beat. Hanging from a branch just ahead…

…was that rain-charm doll?

Mu Dai came over, too. After hesitating for a moment, she gathered her breath, climbed a few steps up the trunk, and slashed the cord with her machete.

Wan San stepped forward, picked it up, and handed it to Luo Ren.

Luo Ren turned it over and over, then leaned in to sniff it. A rank, mildewed smell clung to it, the kind that came from long soaking.

He nodded. “It should be the same one.”

Of course, they wouldn’t have taken something like this with them when they packed. Cao Yanhua remembered they’d tossed it in the corner of the big house.

So the savage had gone back? Taken the doll, then rushed ahead of them and hung it here?

Wan San felt a chill crawl up his back. He glanced again and again into the trees, scalp prickling, half-expecting something to burst out of the forest at any second.

A loud crack—branches breaking in the distance.

Everyone tensed.

Luo Ren swung his rifle off his back, leveled it, finger resting lightly on the trigger. His voice was low. “Get behind me.”

Mu Dai’s heart pounded. She reached out and grabbed Yan Hongsha’s hand. Hongsha’s palm was icy with fear.

Luo Ren held his breath.

The forest was so quiet that it seemed only the wind and rustling leaves remained. And then—

A buzzing sound. In their line of sight, a single insect hovered, wings trembling. Bee? Wasp?

Luo Ren’s stomach dropped. A wasp. A nest.

In an instant, he lowered his gun and shouted, “Run!”

The others didn’t know why, but the word “run” was clear enough. Panic set in, and they bolted in every direction.

Almost at that exact moment, a massive black wasp nest came hurtling through the air. It hit the ground with a thud, and a cloud of black insects erupted from it, swarming like a storm toward them.

“Oh hell!”

Stumbling, tripping, rolling, scrambling—chaos erupted. Screams came from everywhere: near, far, left, right. No one could tell where anyone else was. The buzzing was deafening. Suddenly, fire seared into Cao Yanhua’s neck. He’d been stung. His soul nearly flew out of his body, and he ran harder, more terrified than ever.

He knew the truth: wasp stings could kill. And even if he died, he didn’t want to die in such an ugly way. His ancestors wouldn’t even recognize him in the afterlife!

He was still running when his body suddenly lurched upward. A huge, hairy hand had grabbed him by the collar.

The savage!