Inside the cabin
Chapter Twenty-Two
With Lan Feiyu's help, the last part of the slope became several times easier.
By this point, I was too exhausted to struggle any further. Even if she took me directly to the butcher's stall, there was nothing I could do.
I leaned against her, feeling drowsy. The hazy white before my eyes gradually darkened. It wasn't the surrounding darkness that made me uneasy; instead, it gave me a sense of peace. In a daze, I felt as if I had returned to my mother's side, nestled against her like when I was a child. Her gentleness and scent made me curl up involuntarily, unwilling to stand tall and face the wickedness of the world alone.
"Xi'er? Xi'er? Wake up..."
Ugh, why is there always a voice in my ear that keeps bothering me, like a fly that won't leave? I raise my hand to shoo it away, but one movement makes me suddenly wake up in excruciating pain, covered in cold sweat.
"Xi'er," Lan Feiyu called to me softly, "I'll help you onto the horse now. You'll have to put in some effort yourself. Can you bear with it a little longer?"
"It hurts so much," I replied, my voice trembling with tears. "I don't want to move anymore, please leave me alone!"
What drove me to despair and collapse was that, even though I was forcing myself and going through a lot of pain, I was still like a lamb entering a tiger's den, a fish on a chopping block. I haven't forgotten that the person who held me so tightly was the culprit who made me so unlucky.
The injustice I feel... well, it's ridiculous. I admit with shame that no matter how self-righteous I am, I'm really just a pampered young lady who has only ever stepped out of the city gate a handful of times, someone who has read a little bit of books and practiced a few martial arts and archery skills.
Lan Feiyu didn't reply, probably thinking it wasn't worth wasting her energy refuting me. She dragged me to the horse's side—only then did I realize she actually had a horse. She bent down, supporting my back with one hand, and tried to move my foot with the other. With a burst of strength, she put my left foot in the stirrup.
Only then did she gasp for breath and say to me, "I'm supporting you from below. Can your legs still hold up? Bear the pain and get on the horse. You need to get your injury treated as soon as possible. Otherwise, it's better to die than to be left with only one arm or one hand. I'd love to see how you cry and scream then."
Her voice was low but incredibly threatening. I imagined myself missing an arm and shuddered. I obediently complied. She lifted me off the horse, and I used the momentum to leap onto the saddle. However, this movement aggravated all my injuries, and tears welled up in my eyes from the pain.
Lan Feiyu also jumped onto the horse and sat behind me. The last one to get on was Monkey Zhizha. It was as light as a swallow. Holding the reins, it swayed and jumped easily to me, sat upright, and stretched out its hands to hold the horse's neck.
I inexplicably thought of the phrase "a monkey wearing a crown." Although the squeaky monkey was my savior, it was precisely because it was so human-like that I couldn't help but chuckle and even burst out laughing.
The laughter caused a sharp pain in his chest, and before the laughter subsided, he began to wail.
Lan Feiyu reached her hands over my waist, grabbed the reins, and spurred the horse forward. I didn't intend to speak to her, but she spoke first: "Xi'er must have been very pampered at home, right?"
Not understanding, I mumbled an "uh-huh" as an answer.
“It must be,” Lan Feiyu said with a smile and a sigh. “That’s why you developed such a straightforward personality. You cry and laugh, laugh and cry, and you consider yourself kindred spirits to people you’ve only known for a short time, even becoming sworn brothers and vowing to live and die together.”
Her words were extremely harsh to me, like a slap in the face. I opened my mouth to retort, but then I thought about it and realized that she was right. When we became sworn brothers, it was indeed a one-sided affair on my part, and she was just going along with it.
Instantly feeling disheartened, he simply sealed his lips and remained silent.
Fortunately, Lan Feiyu probably realized it was getting boring and didn't pursue the matter any further.
The two people and the monkey rode together on a horse, slowly making their way through the increasingly dark forest, until it was almost pitch black.
However, although I didn't want to pay attention to Lan Feiyu, the barbarian woman was sitting right behind me. She had to hold the reins, so she couldn't be too far away from me. Besides, the saddle was only a tiny piece of land, so who could avoid it?
I have never understood the true meaning of "having thorns in my back" as I do now.
This made me feel uncomfortable all over and my limbs stiffened, but it did drive away most of my previous drowsiness.
The fact that the two of us were so close yet could only ignore each other was really against my nature. After a while, I finally couldn't help but continue her previous topic and asked, "Then why did you agree? If you wanted to gain my trust, even without going through this or going through the blood oath, wouldn't it have been a piece of cake?"
Lan Feiyu didn't answer me either. It seemed that this conversation on horseback, whether initiated by her or me, would ultimately end in the same way: it would not continue.
After walking for about half an incense stick's time, I saw a light in the distance and was overjoyed: "There's light there!"
After shouting it out, I couldn't help but feel disheartened. I slumped my shoulders, let out a long sigh, and knew soon enough what my fate would be.
Lan Feiyu probably doesn't intend to kill me, otherwise she wouldn't have lured me to eat that "black heart" food. There are plenty of ways to kill me directly, including poisoning me or something.
She seemed to want to get me to do something, or give me to someone.
Prince Azalea?
I secretly made up my mind that if I could escape Prince Amuyo but not Prince Xian Asa, I must not take my own life. No matter what, even if it is as difficult as climbing to the sky, I will kill the villain who insulted me!
Han women value chastity, so taking away my virginity would make me devoted to her and remain chaste.
Let him dream on!
I, Zhao Xi, will only dedicate myself to those I deem worthy, and will die for what I must uphold. I will not be a pedantic and worthless martyr, dying as lightly as a feather, while the wicked live freely in the world, and I can only become a rotting corpse for others to mourn.
Just as I was lost in thought, Lan Feiyu seemed to whisper something in my ear. I didn't hear it clearly and asked her a question. She sighed softly and said, "I said, there's no one else in the hunter's hut we're going to. Don't be so nervous, like a cat with its fur standing on end..."
When I realized that Lan Feiyu had seen through my thoughts, my face flushed. Luckily, it was dark and I had my back to her, so she couldn't see me. Therefore, I could use a cold tone to feign a smile and say, "Whether there are people around or not, it doesn't matter, does it? My entire right arm is useless right now, and my whole body is in so much pain that it feels like it's going to split open. I still have to do whatever you want with me."
At this point, I suddenly shuddered, and only now, belatedly, did I ask, "You... why didn't you ask me how it got like this? Could it be... could it be that you already knew?"
Lan Feiyu gave a soft "hmm" and continued, "Those two men, carrying Amuyue who was barely alive, were trying to return to the main camp. On the way, they encountered my subordinates, and after learning what had happened, they killed them all. By the time I got the news and came to find you, it was almost evening, so I had to bring Monkey, who is used to searching for people at night. I was worried that you might be able to hold on, but now it seems that I was worrying for nothing."
"Your subordinate?" I felt a chill run down my spine. "Could it be... could it be that sister named Yuanzi?"
"You really love making friends with other women." Lan Feiyu's words were sarcastic, but she did not deny it outright.
I almost started to look at Lan Feiyu with new respect. Although I thought she and Yuanzi might be old acquaintances, I never imagined that Yuanzi and Lan Feiyu would actually have a master-servant relationship. I blurted out, "So, when Miss Yuanzi saved those girls who were being hunted, it was all at your behest?"
“It wasn’t exactly an instruction. It was Yuanzi’s own insistence.” Lan Feiyu said as she jumped off her horse first. “You stand in the stirrups first, I’ll support you from below, be careful.”
Unbeknownst to me, we had already arrived at the hunter's cabin that I had been longing for during my desperate time.
The feeling of escaping death made my legs weak. When I dismounted, I couldn't keep my balance and almost fell. Fortunately, Lan Feiyu caught me from below. She was indeed not as strong as me. She gritted her teeth and her face was contorted. I was afraid that I would hurt her arm because I was too heavy. Despite the pain, I quickly regained my balance.
The monkey, Squeak, arrived first, rushing to the door and opening it for us. I couldn't help but laugh as I looked at it: "Squeak, are you really not some kind of spirit?"
Lan Feiyu, who was supporting me, replied, "This is a spirit monkey from Bozhou. It is extremely intelligent and can even help take care of infants after being trained. It is not an ordinary ape."
I was very surprised: "Your Bozhou has so many strange and wonderful things. There's that 'Black Heart' monkey, and that clever monkey called 'Squeak'."
Lan Feiyu stopped talking and led me into the house. A fire had already been lit inside, and a large earthenware pot was placed on top of the fire, emitting a strange fragrance.
She led me to the fire, then went to the corner of the wall and brought back a large bundle of dry grass. After spreading it out evenly, she had me sit down, and she sat cross-legged opposite me, saying, "Your clothes are still wet, and your right shoulder is injured, so you can't do it yourself. Let me help you take them off."
I was startled and quickly shook my head.
Lan Feiyu frowned and said impatiently, "You've already lost so much blood. If you catch a chill, it could damage your lungs and internal organs. It won't just be a matter of losing an arm. I'm afraid you'll be out of breath even if you walk two steps quickly!"
As she spoke, she reached out to me, pulled up my already flimsy clothes, and started to take them off—I quickly exclaimed, "I can do it myself!"
"You really are..." Lan Feiyu knelt up, somewhat amused and exasperated, "They're all girls, what are you so afraid of?"
I watched her stammering, unable to utter a complete sentence, but I refused to allow Lan Feiyu to undress me while I was in a conscious state. Absolutely not!
Lan Feiyu sighed, then suddenly and resolutely lowered her head, flipped her hands, pulled off her belt, leaned back, and quickly removed her shirt, revealing her slightly dark-skinned, smooth and slender upper body. She frowned and stared at me: "Now you're not embarrassed anymore, are you?"
I stared in disbelief, speechless, frozen in place, as Lan Feiyu quickly and carefully stripped me down to my innermost undergarment.
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