Mu Dai kept her head down, holding Luo Ren’s hand. He led her along. Cao Yanhua and Yan Hongsha trailed behind.
Cao Yanhua said, “Sister Hongsha, this time… I just feel so heavy inside.”
Yan Hongsha only replied, “Mm.”
He wanted to say more, but suddenly remembered—she had just lost her grandfather. His own fleeting heartache couldn’t compare.
He swallowed his words with a sigh.
The cursed scroll was dangerous—it harmed people. Taking it back should’ve been right and just.
So why did it feel so wrong?
When he dug the pit with his saber to bury the woman, the cave light flickered strangely. He was gasping for breath, with this nagging guilt pressing down on him.
And that wild woman…
As he stumbled along, Cao Yanhua recalled how she had tossed him two small apples, then stomped away, snorting through her nose like she was saying: “Two fools.”
When Yi Wansan saw Luo Ren and the others return, his eyes widened.
They all stared at each other.
Five people—none missing. But they were covered in dirt and grime, looking completely different from before.
Inside, the fire was lit. The sweet smell of sweet potato and pumpkin porridge filled the room. Flowered bamboo hats hung on the wall. Zha Ma’s mother ladled out porridge, the clink of bowls and spoons ringing softly.
It felt like another lifetime.
Yi Wansan’s lips trembled as he asked, “None of you are hurt?”
He couldn’t explain why he asked that, but it felt like—if at least one of them had been badly wounded—his heart might feel lighter.
Just like last night, when he’d stood at the trap’s edge, looking down at the wild woman’s empty eyes. The voices around him had faded into a void, and he’d thought dazedly: I didn’t do anything wrong, right? I didn’t do wrong? Cao Yanhua was probably killed by her. I was avenging my friend.
He replayed Cao Yanhua’s last desperate cry—“I’ll take her down with me! You run when you get the chance!” That gave him comfort. Yes, he told himself, he hadn’t done wrong.
But today, here they all were. Standing before him, unharmed.
Yi Wansan lowered his head, burying his face in his knees.
His vision blurred. In his ears, he could still hear the wild woman’s ragged breathing when she carried him on her back.
By dusk, the mule cart messenger returned, looking bewildered.
The township didn’t have a department for scientific research. The official who received him didn’t know who should handle it, so he sent him back, saying it would be recorded and studied later, depending on higher authorities.
That night, the group stayed at Zha Ma’s house.
Luo Ren asked about the village leadership, so Zha Ma took him to Old Man Bujiang.
The others who stayed behind felt the atmosphere shift. Yan Hongsha was overwhelmed—just days ago she had left Qiju Village with her grandfather, and now he was gone, buried at the bottom of that well.
Yi Wansan sat silent, head drooped, across from Yan Hongsha. Cao Yanhua paced the room, then crouched in front of Mu Dai, holding his hands in a frame so that Yi Wansan and Yan Hongsha were perfectly inside it.
He whispered, “Little Sister Master, look—don’t they look like two short-necked swans, sitting there all droopy-faced across from each other?”
Mu Dai, cross-legged on the rough mat, snapped at him: “Go away!”
Rebuffed, Cao Yanhua sulked a little. He’d only wanted to lighten the mood.
A moment later, he leaned close again, this time solemn.
“Master.”
“Huh?”
Why not “Little Sister Master” this time? Mu Dai looked up.
“Those gems… the ones in the cave. You just left them there?”
Mu Dai saw right through him. She said nothing, only gave him a sharp side-eye, until he finally gave up, deflated.
He comforted himself: Fine. Let them sit there. That’ll be my treasure stash. If I’m ever starving in the future, I’ll come back for them.
But that would be a long, long time from now. He’d have to wait until any siblings of that wild woman had died of old age. Still, he marked those gems down in his mental wealth ledger.
Luo Ren came back very late. By then, Yan Hongsha and the others were asleep. Only Mu Dai waited up. Hearing his footsteps, she rushed to open the door.
Zha Ma saw her and tactfully left them alone.
Luo Ren smiled. “Still awake?”
Mu Dai didn’t answer at first. She glanced back to see Zha Ma shut the door, then hurried over. Luo Ren pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead.
He was tired too, and sat with her on the terrace, holding her close.
“I went with Zha Ma to see Old Man Bujiang. We warned them to be especially careful these days. There might still be other wild ones in the mountains. If they come for revenge, it’ll be dangerous.”
Mu Dai lifted her head. “What did Old Man Bujiang say?”
Luo Ren gave a helpless little laugh. “They’re not afraid.”
He repeated Bujiang’s words: Kill one wolf, there are still wolf brothers, sisters, and pups. Kill one boar; there are boar sisters, cousins, and uncles. If we ran scared every time, would this village still be a village?
Mu Dai burst out laughing, face tilted up, eyes sparkling.
Luo Ren stroked her cheek. She lowered her head, ears warm.
He felt a pang of guilt. Such a sweet girlfriend, and he’d never taken her on a proper date. Only to these dangerous, bruising places, leaving her waiting late into the night.
He said softly, “When we get back, let’s climb a snow mountain together.”
Mu Dai blinked. “We’re leaving already?”
“The cursed scroll has to be returned. As for Qiju Village, Old Man Bujiang promised to keep the villagers disciplined for now. I told Zha Ma to call me on market days whenever he comes to town. If another wild one shows up…”
He hesitated.
Mu Dai guessed where his thought was going. “We’d come back?”
Luo Ren thought for a long moment.
“Not necessarily. The wild ones fear big villages. They might not dare show up again. But what worries me is this…”
“If our earlier guess was right, the woman treated the rouge-amber as a talisman. She gave one piece to the female wildling. What if she gave another to another sibling too? In that case…”
In that case, the cursed scroll they recovered was… incomplete.
Meow meow On TPH Chapter 26.1