Chapter 57 057 "Hello, brother-in-law."

A deep expanse of stars stretched across the night sky from east to west. The clothes that had been hung out to dry on bamboo poles at noon had been evaporated of their last trace of moisture. Even after the sun had set, one could still feel the lingering heat from above; the smell of sweat had vanished.

Lu Yuanyuan tore off her clothes, draped them over her arm, pushed open the door, and threw them onto the person on the bed: "Put these on."

Yue Hong's low-grade fever persisted, and he drifted back into a hazy sleep for the rest of the day. His head was covered by a garment, and he suddenly opened his eyes, feeling for his own clothes. He quickly sat up, his long arms outstretched, his taut muscles stretching with the movement. In a few swift movements, he tied the belt, finally letting out a sigh of relief before looking at her properly: "By the way, I was half-asleep just now, and I think I heard some noises outside?"

Lu Yuanyuan poured two bowls of cool boiled water from the teapot and handed him one. Then, she pulled up a chair, sat down at the table, took a sip, and said, "Someone came to cause trouble. Don't worry, I've already taken care of it; they won't dare come again."

Lu Yuanyuan was facing him sideways, her fingers holding the bowl were fair and slender. Her sitting posture was very casual, with one leg crossed across the knee of the other leg—of course, on a noble lady, this would be called rude.

The mask that had once been firmly pressed onto her face—the mask of humility, meekness, and caution befitting a princess of Yan—seemed to have been peeled away from her skin. Gone were the fine silks, brocade robes, and embroidered shoes; only a vibrant and lively life force emanated from her body.

Yue Hong stared blankly for a while before casually lowering his head, swallowing a mouthful of water, and adopting a serious tone: "I have been missing for three days. An army cannot be without a commander for even a day. Let's set off back to Xiangcheng at dawn tomorrow."

He could clearly feel that the wound on his waist was healing unusually quickly. He knew it must be the magic pills Lu Yuanyuan had given him that had worked, which made him both curious and somewhat wistful.

Lu Yuanyuan shook her head: "It can't be rushed."

“I’m getting better. If this continues, my mother will find out I’m missing.”

"It has nothing to do with whether you're getting better or not." Lu Yuanyuan put down her bowl, turned around, and said solemnly, "Do you believe that I can actually tell fortunes?"

Yue Hong: "..."

Lu Yuanyuan, with an air of profound mystery, took advantage of Yue Hong's ignorance and began to seriously try to deceive him with something that did not exist in the cultivation world: "I have already calculated in advance that setting off tomorrow will be extremely unlucky. Starting from today, the next five days will also be extremely unlucky. If you insist on setting off, you will most likely not escape a bloody disaster, and even a great immortal cannot save you."

It's all because the elixir is too effective; besides deception, she really can't think of any good way to keep him here. Of course, to meet the conditions of the hidden plot, she'd rather tie Yue Hong up completely and keep him in this village for seven days. However, using force is only a last resort; she'd better try diplomacy first.

Yue Hong's expression hardened, and he asked solemnly, "This is a heavenly secret? What about the seventh day?"

Lu Yuanyuan smiled and said, "The seventh day is auspicious."

Are we going to stay in this place for seven days?

Yue Hong frowned, somewhat anxious. But with the "secret of heaven" before him, he had no choice but to be cautious.

Lu Yuanyuan stood up, walked to the bedside, leaned down slightly to meet his gaze, and comforted him, "Anyway, you're not the only one in the Yong Kingdom army who knows how to fight. Losing you for a few days won't cause any major trouble. It would be a real mess if you really did something wrong. Don't worry, with me here, I'll definitely send you back safe and sound."

"..." Yue Hong's Adam's apple bobbed, and he said indifferently, "Oh, there will be a generous reward after it's done."

"Your Highness the Third Prince is indeed straightforward. In return for this reward, I will have to protect you well."

.

Having successfully used supernatural and mystical methods to stabilize Yue Hong, Lu Yuanyuan's pressure was reduced by half.

She wasn't without worry; if the Shu Mountain cultivators didn't see her arrive in Xiangcheng, they might assume something had happened to her. However, the hidden storyline on Yue Hong's side prevented her from traversing mountains and leaving for too long. If something unexpected happened here, she wouldn't be able to get back in time.

Sending a distress signal would be too much of an exaggeration. If it attracted Qi Chang and his group, then Yue Hong's condition of staying in the village for seven days would certainly not be met.

Weighing the two options, the only solution is to stay here until the seventh day before rushing to Xiangcheng.

Over the next two days, Yue Hong had several more bouts of low-grade fever. Then, his health gradually improved. In ancient times, when even a small wound could be fatal, this was nothing short of a miracle.

During this time, Lu Yuanyuan managed to get him two sets of clothes to change into, both of which were coarse linen garments made by the villagers. It has to be said that Yue Hong lived up to the saying, "When a person is good-looking, even wearing a burlap sack looks dignified."

The stitches on his lower back wound hadn't been removed yet, but Yue Hong had boundless energy and couldn't stay idle. As soon as he got out of bed, he started practicing martial arts. Of course, to avoid being recognized, he could only stay indoors, doing push-ups and practicing his boxing techniques.

He only managed to practice secretly twice before Lu Yuanyuan caught him red-handed. She was furious and immediately ordered him to stop doing anything that could reopen his wound.

Yue Hong was disappointed, but he had no choice but to give up.

In the blink of an eye, they had been in the village for five days.

Lu Yuanyuan was in charge of the hunting trip up the mountain. That day, she chased a wild rabbit and returned quite late. By the time she got back to the village, it was almost dusk. The inhabited parts of the village were alright, but the remote corners were completely pitch black. There was actually a convenient path leading up the mountain, but people are inherently afraid of places where they can't see clearly, so after dark, the villagers would avoid that area. Lu Yuanyuan wasn't afraid, and her vision was clear at night, so she didn't take a detour and quickly crossed the shortcut.

As we passed several haystacks that were over two meters high, faint screams could be heard in the night wind.

Lu Yuanyuan paused, but the sound disappeared.

Did I... hear that right?

No, in such a quiet place, she couldn't have misheard.

Suspecting something terrible had happened, she silently gathered her sword in her hand and hurried across the haystack, where she saw a scene that made her fury surge.

A thin, petite girl had her hands tied, her clothes torn and disheveled. A burly, dark-skinned old man stood before her, hastily unzipping his pants, about to climb on top of her.

But he no longer had the chance.

Hearing the wind approaching from behind, the old man turned around impatiently. Suddenly, it felt as if a leaf had scratched his throat, followed by a chill and then a heat. The blade flashed, and blood gushed out!

The little girl, her face splattered with blood, stared blankly at the person who had appeared before her. Her heart, which had been almost stagnant, began to pound violently.

The old man's eyes widened, and he collapsed to the ground, convulsing with a "hoarse" sound. Even as he died, his trousers were still hanging from his ankles.

The bloodstains fell along the blade into the soil without leaving a trace.

Lu Yuanyuan's expression was indifferent. This time, she showed no mercy to such a person.

She was not afraid of blood. At this moment, she found herself still unafraid—when she pointed her sword at the heart of the wicked, the hand holding the sword was not just her own; countless others who had been humiliated by her were with her, gripping the hilt of her sword together.

Lu Yuanyuan kicked the corpse aside in disgust, went to the little girl's side, and untied the ropes from her wrists: "Are you alright?"

The little girl was trembling all over, tears streaming down her face, and crying out, "Ah ah!"

A mute? No, that's not right...

Lu Yuanyuan was startled. She touched the other person's face and realized that the man had actually removed the other person's jaw. She helped put it back in, and after a cry of pain, the little girl regained her ability to speak.

Lu Yuanyuan brushed aside the girl's hair and was surprised to find that she was the little girl who had come to steal fruit earlier. After a pause, she asked, "What's your name? Can you still walk?"

The little girl's legs went weak, and she whispered, "My name is... my name is Third Sister."

Seeing that she couldn't stand up, Lu Yuanyuan simply carried her on her back. She wasn't actually much older than the other woman. But the woman was so thin she looked like just skin and bones, making it easy for her to carry her: "Where do you live? Is there anyone else in your family?"

“It’s over at the other end of the village.” Third Sister, clinging to her back, stretched out a hand and pointed in a direction, then said dejectedly, “No, no one’s there.”

"What happened?"

Third Sister lowered her head, sniffed, and said, "Half a month ago, my parents said they couldn't survive here, so they left with my grandfather and my younger brother. They wouldn't take me with them, so I secretly followed them into the woods. From afar, I saw them suddenly surrounded by several soldiers. Those soldiers were very fierce. They knelt down and begged for mercy, but they were still killed... and their heads were cut off..."

Lu Yuanyuan stopped in her tracks and immediately thought of the soldier who shot the arrow she had encountered on her first night, and the several heads on his waist.

That's just how unfair the world is. Third Sister was a girl, so she was abandoned by her family. Even as a princess of the Yan Kingdom, she wasn't much better off than a country girl. When the two countries went to war, she was always the first one pushed out to slit her own throat.

Even with her dirty fingers, San Niang dared not grasp her clothes. Seeing that she didn't speak, she cautiously asked, "Sister, you're amazing. Are you... a martial artist?"

Lu Yuanyuan snapped out of her daze and continued walking forward: "Yes."

She didn't use any obviously magical techniques just now, no wonder she was mistaken for an ordinary martial artist.

Third Sister seemed quite envious and asked in a low voice, "Sister, where did you learn martial arts?"

"..." Lu Yuanyuan didn't answer, but asked instead, "Are there any other people like you in this village?"

Third Sister shook her head: "That's all."

Instead of taking San Niang back to her home, Lu Yuanyuan led her to the house next to her own temporary residence. This house, separated by only one wall, was also empty.

“The thugs here usually travel in groups of three or five, and I’m worried that someone might cause you trouble tonight. Since no one is home, you can stay here tonight. If you are in danger, just call out and I’ll hear you.”

Third Sister paused, her eyes slowly reddening: "Thank... thank you, sister."

Just then, the door to the room behind Lu Yuanyuan opened, and Yue Hong strode out, frowning: "Lu Yuanyuan, why are you so late today? I thought you got into trouble on the way..."

He paused, then noticed a little brat standing beside him, and his brows furrowed deeply: "Where did this brat come from?"

“Her name is Third Sister.” Lu Yuanyuan didn’t intend to explain to Third Sister who Yue Hong was. She just turned around, glanced at Third Sister standing next to her, and gestured for her to go inside and rest.

However, it seemed that Third Sister misunderstood her meaning. The little girl immediately stood up straight, nervously clenched her hands, and greeted Yue Hong: "Hello, brother-in-law."

Lu Yuanyuan: "..."

Yue Hong: "..."