Kite
Chapter Seventeen
The monkeys' chatter was truly a blessing from heaven. Now, in this "paradise" where I have no worries about man-eating beasts, I'm warming myself by the fire, eating fried rice, and drinking warm water. I feel that life couldn't be more pleasant.
After Zhizha brought me back, she went out again to search for "a girl similar to me".
Besides Yuanzi and Sister Muqing in the gauze skirt, there were three other girls in the cave who seemed to be younger than me. The three of them huddled together, and my appearance and our conversation by the fire did not wake them from their deep sleep.
The kite girl returned to the cave entrance to stand guard. I looked at her and quietly asked Sister Muqing, "Isn't it cold over there? Why doesn't she come over to warm herself by the fire?"
Mu Qing also answered me in a low voice: "I called her before, but Miss Yuanzi said that it's too far away here. If Little Monkey brings people back, she won't be able to hear the voice, and that would be troublesome."
I nodded, my gratitude towards the kite girl growing even stronger.
Regarding the "prey" that Yuanzi mentioned, it was Sister Muqing who told me in detail. After she learned that I was not the prey, she was happy for me for a long time, and then she was worried about her sister's whereabouts.
To my utter surprise, this matter was related to the hunting trip that my older brother had been invited to perform.
In my understanding of hunting, there are two requirements for "prey": First, it must be alive; there's nothing to hunt if it's dead, you can just bend down and pick it up. Second, it must not be human. From birds of prey and ferocious beasts to cunning rabbits and lynxes, as long as it hasn't yet become a spirit or transformed into human form, it can be chased and pursued.
But I never imagined that in the hunting grounds of Prince Amuyue of Bozhou, people, especially young men and women, could become prey to be captured and killed.
Sister Muqing told me that many years ago, Prince Amuyue began to search for poor boys and girls in Bozhou, raising them until they were about ten years old, teaching them survival skills in the mountains and forests, and driving them into the forest to serve as prey every hunting season.
It is said that Prince Amuyue was very considerate of his subordinates. When the prey fell into their hands, their life or death was left to them. After the hunt, it was given as a reward, and the subordinates were all overjoyed to receive a servant for free.
As for the young men and women who are good at hiding and manage to survive, they must return to Prince Amuyo and wait for the next hunt. This is obviously walking into a trap, but survival in the forest is difficult. Going back will give them a chance to live. If they don't return by then and are caught by Prince Amuyo's guards, they will be torn apart by five horses, and their families will also be slaughtered.
Even if they are not caught, wild beasts often roam this forest, and the unarmed "prey" may become their meal at any time.
The fate of Mu Qing and her sister was even more tragic than that of the three girls who had unfortunately become "prey". They were originally Prince Amuyue's concubines. They offended the First Queen over some trivial matters. After the First Queen made a huge fuss, Prince Amuyue banished them to the ranks of "prey".
The two poor sisters had never received any training and were completely powerless. They were driven into the forest crying and sobbing. They had made a pact to die together, but they were chased along the way. In their panic, they fled in different directions. Mu Qing was lucky and soon encountered a monkey named Zhizha, who led her to this cave. Her younger sister, however, disappeared without a trace.
I felt a chill run down my spine. I never imagined that someone I knew could be so heartless and cruel. While I was filled with righteous indignation, I also secretly glanced at the girl named Yuanzi not far away, wondering what her background was. To these young men and women whose lives were hanging by a thread, she was practically a Bodhisattva reincarnated.
After Sister Muqing finished telling me, she looked tired, but she refused to go to sleep. Leaning against the cave wall, she asked me, "Sister, you've come to this forest again?"
It would have been better if I hadn't mentioned it, because the mere mention of it made me feel suffocated. After hesitating for a long time, I sighed and said, "Hmph, they were framed by someone else! Let's not talk about it."
I don't know if my older brother knows about this. Given his personality and kind heart, he shouldn't just sit idly by. But... just like he said, we're on someone else's territory now, all alone and outnumbered. It's a problem whether we can even get back to the king unscathed.
Sister Mu Qing didn't say anything, but Yuanzi suddenly spoke up. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was chilling: "You're a Han woman, not prey. What is your background?"
Her eyes were fixed on me, like a cat poised to pounce and strike. I suspected that if she didn't get an answer, she would immediately kick me out of the cave. I rubbed my nose and decided to tell only half the truth: "I have a sworn sister. Today, I went out with her to admire the flowers, but she tricked me, saying she wanted me to help her get married to a stinky man. I refused, so I ran away while I still had the strength. I was terrified and lost my bearings, so I fled into the woods."
It's unclear how much of what Yuanzi believed, but it seemed to stir up painful memories for her sister Muqing. She covered her face, tears streaming down her face through her fingers, and cried out, "It's all my fault, I've ruined my sister's life!"
I knew nothing of what had happened, and I didn't know how to comfort her. I could only gently pat her back up and down, just like Aunt Xian did for me—my mother and uncle would pat the top of my head, but I dared not do that to my older sister.
She cried softly for a while, then raised her head again, hurriedly wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, and forced a smile as she said to me, "I originally thought that having gained the favor of a nobleman and entered the mansion, I would at least be free from worries about food and clothing, if not live a life of luxury. So I insisted that my younger sister come with me. Who would have thought, who would have thought..."
Seeing that she was about to cry again, I quickly quickened my pace and comforted her, saying, "Sister Muqing, life is full of disappointments. Who can predict what will happen in the future? Since you are thinking of sharing happiness with your sister, you have a clear conscience. There is no need to blame yourself."
Of course, Sister Mu Qing wouldn't let go of her feelings just because of a few words from an outsider like me. However, she still stopped crying, held my hand, and said in a trembling voice, "Good sister, your sister might not have intended to harm you. It's just that things didn't go as planned, and you ended up in this situation."
I remained silent. Lan Feiyu's actions were clearly purposeful, and her methods... even if they weren't particularly clever, I was completely kept in the dark, and my heart sank to the bottom.
But judging from Mu Qing's manner of speaking, she really didn't seem to come from a poor family or a brothel. I guessed that she was a young lady from a fallen family, and I felt more and more sorry for her. So I didn't refute her to her face, but just nodded silently.
After sitting there for a while, Sister Muqing leaned against the stone wall and fell asleep again. But I couldn't fall asleep no matter what. Although I was well-fed and clothed, my mind was in turmoil. Unfortunately, I didn't even have a rusty wood-chopping knife. I could only let it run wild, eventually becoming a thousand knots, so turbulent that even the Duke of Zhou (the god of sleep) would give up.
I glanced at Yuanzi furtively; she seemed to be asleep too, her legs curled up, head tucked in, motionless. Remembering what Sister Muqing had said earlier, I worried that if Zhizha came back, no one would help it push the boulder aside. So I slowly got up, tiptoed to the cave entrance, and sat down on the ground. Just as I sat down, I was startled by Yuanzi's sudden question: "What are you doing?"
"...I thought you were asleep, and I was worried that no one would push the stones for Zhizha later." I answered honestly, secretly wiping the cold sweat from my forehead.
"Don't bother me. Go back to the fire," Yuanzi said calmly.
"But..." I tried to argue, but before I could finish, I covered my mouth with my hand and sneezed again. Damn it!
For the first time, Iris's voice carried a hint of laughter: "Go back quickly, it will be troublesome if you fall ill."
I gave a somewhat embarrassed laugh and said reluctantly, "It's not difficult at all. If I get sick, I will definitely not be a burden to you. Don't worry. Besides, I've practiced martial arts for a few days, so I'm not that weak."
“Since I saved you,” Yuanzi said, her voice regaining its calmness, “I will save you to the end. There is no question of whether I will implicate you or not.”
I didn't know how to answer, so I remained silent. Fortunately, Yuanzi didn't chase me away anymore, but she didn't say anything either. We sat at opposite ends of the cave entrance, leaning against the cave walls, until I drifted off to sleep.
Of course, I didn't sleep soundly at all. It was as if there were always sounds in my ears, never stopping. If the sound got a little louder, I would jump up and suddenly open my eyes to look around.
"Zhao Xi?"
"Squeak!"
Two familiar voices rang out simultaneously. I exhaled, and the fog before my eyes cleared, revealing that Yuanzi had pushed the stone aside to create an opening wide enough for one person to pass through, while the monkey Zhizha was perched on her shoulder. The two of them were looking at me.
I was surprised to notice that Yuanzi still remembered my name. When I looked back at her, I paused for a moment before asking, "Are you... going out?"
After asking, they realized that the light coming in from outside was much brighter, indicating that it was already dawn. Looking into the cave again, they saw that the fire had been extinguished, but Sister Muqing and the three girls were still asleep.
The kite nodded: "Little Monkey and I will go out and get you some food. You and the others wait here and don't go out."
“I’ll go with you.” I rushed ahead and darted to the exit, saying to Iris, “I’m not prey, so even if I run into them, there’s no danger.”
In fact, I held onto a sliver of hope that I might run into the older brother. Even if I encountered hunters on the road, as long as I revealed my identity, they would surely take me to see the older brother.
After reuniting with her older brother, everything will be much easier. Not only can she expose Lan Feiyu's ambition in private, but she can also successfully stop this heinous hunt. As for how to arrange things for Sister Mu Qing and the "prey" in the future, that's a matter for further consideration.
"You?" Yuanzi frowned and stared intently at me.
Sure enough, there was a strange dark green tinge in her pupils.
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