Xiao Ning kept a certain distance from the beautiful woman. He smiled, bowed to the woman, and said:

"Thank you, fairy sister!"

The woman slowly raised her head and her eyes fell on Xiao Ning. Her eyes were as clear as autumn water, and the tenderness in her eyes did not fade away much. She stared at the handsome boy in front of her quietly, as if time had stopped at this moment.

After a long while, the woman came back to her senses. She coughed lightly and asked, as if a little embarrassed:

"What are you doing here in this desolate mountain area?"

Xiao Ning smiled and replied, "I was planning to go up the mountain and go home."

The woman was surprised when she heard this. She asked, "Go home? Do you live in the mountains?"

"Yes."

Xiao Ning answered affirmatively, and then he walked to the side of the basket, squatted down, and carefully checked the contents of the basket. After checking, the items in the basket were not damaged, which finally put his mind at ease.

Xiao Ning stood up, dusted himself off, picked up the basket, turned to face the woman, and thanked her sincerely again:

"Thank you so much for what you did just now, Fairy Sister. If you hadn't helped me in time, I would have fallen off the cliff... I am really grateful!"

When the woman heard Xiao Ning's words, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a sweet smile like a blooming spring flower. Then she said.

"So how do you want to thank me?"

Xiao Ning was in a trance for a moment. He had never expected the other party to ask such a direct question, and for a moment he was at a loss. Xiao Ning's lips moved slightly, but he found that he had no idea how to answer.

Silence spread between the two of them, and time seemed to freeze at this moment. Xiao Ning scratched his head unconsciously, and this action made him look a little embarrassed and awkward.

Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he took out a purse from his pocket and handed it to the woman.

"Well, I only have this much silver. Well...if you think it's not enough, I will go to the mountains to collect herbs every day to exchange for money. I will give it to you when I have money..." Xiao Ning's voice became lower and lower, and it was almost inaudible in the end.

He held the purse tightly in his hand, as if afraid that the woman would refuse. However, when he raised his head and saw the woman staring at him, a strong sense of inferiority came over him.

The woman looked at the blushing boy quietly, and a feeling of tenderness rose in her heart. It was like a mother seeing her child, gentle and loving.

She slowly stretched out her hand, held Xiao Ning's hand, and said softly:

"I won't take your money. I was just teasing you. What's your name?"

Xiao Ning's eyes flashed with doubt, and he was obviously a little surprised by the woman's behavior. But soon, he came to his senses and replied, "My name is Xiao Ning."

When the woman heard the name, her whole body seemed to be frozen. Her eyes were fixed on Xiao Ning, and the hand that was originally holding Xiao Ning seemed to have lost control. The strength increased and it was trembling slightly.

This sudden change caught Xiao Ning off guard. He felt inexplicably uncomfortable, so he raised his head and looked at the woman in confusion.

"You hurt me..." Xiao Ning said softly, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice.

This sentence was like a thunderbolt, awakening the woman from her daze. She came to her senses as if she had just woken up from a dream, quickly pulled back her hand, looked at Xiao Ning awkwardly, and stammered:

"Your name is Xiao Ning? Who are your parents?"

Xiao Ning rubbed his wrist which was pinched by the woman and replied blankly:

"I don't have any parents. I have always lived with my aunt."

After hearing Xiao Ning's answer, the woman's eyes widened, as if she had seen something incredible, and she murmured to herself:

“Did they really find it?”

Xiao Ning looked at the woman in front of him who was behaving strangely, and a trace of fear arose in his heart. He subconsciously stepped back, keeping a certain distance from the woman, and then said:

"Well, I have to go back, otherwise my master will scold me."

After saying that, he turned around without hesitation and walked towards the mountain without looking back. However, the woman seemed to notice his abnormality. She quickly chased after him, grabbed Xiao Ning's arm tightly, and shouted:

"I want to go with you!"

Xiao Ning's face turned pale as paper in an instant. He shook his head vigorously and said in a firm tone:

"No, I can't! Master has strictly forbidden me to talk to anyone. I have already violated the rules and I absolutely cannot take you with me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Ning suddenly broke free from the woman's hand and left quickly like a rabbit. The woman stood there blankly, looking at Xiao Ning's back as he walked away, feeling a sense of loss in her heart.

She bit her lips tightly, as if suppressing some emotion, and murmured to herself in a low voice: "It is better to kill a thousand people by mistake than to let one go!"

Just when Xiao Ning thought that the matter was over, suddenly, a sharp hand knife came towards the back of his neck like lightning!

There was a dull thud and Xiao Ning's eyes suddenly went dark. His body seemed to have lost all its strength and he fell forward limply.

Seeing this, the woman rushed over and quickly supported Xiao Ning who was about to fall to the ground. She stared at the unconscious boy in front of her, with a complicated look in her eyes.

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