Whistling
Chapter 33,
Upon hearing my words, Lan Feiyu didn't immediately show joy. Instead, she blinked, looking at me with confusion. She bit her lower lip, hesitated for a moment, and then said with a bitter smile, "Xi'er, you don't need to be like this. This whole matter really has nothing to do with you. Besides, you are a girl from Dongchu. Regardless of whether your biological father died at the hands of the Dongchu Emperor, you... you wouldn't betray your country, would you..."
I paused for a moment. I couldn't bring myself to conceal or distort my thoughts, or even just speak vaguely, in front of Lan Feiyu—I didn't want to lie to her, and I probably couldn't lie to her anyway.
As she said, I am a girl from Dongchu, and I grew up listening to stories like Su Wu herding sheep. Of course, I dare not presume to call myself a loyal and virtuous person. I am as humble as an ant. But if one day Bozhou turns against Dongchu, I will never be able to stand on Bozhou's side.
Seeing the troubled look on my face, Lan Feiyu let out a soft sigh, then smiled and comforted me, "Xi'er, don't look like that. You look like a cat who doesn't know which fish to choose. It's not time for you to make a choice yet. Let's go. I want to get you to their camp before dark, and then I'll catch up with Yuanzi and the others tonight."
“No,” I pouted, thought for a long time, and finally said, “If you don’t mind me being a burden, I’ll go to Baili with you; otherwise… otherwise you can go after Yuanzi now and ask her to lend me Zhizha so that Zhizha can take me back.”
“But…” Lan Feiyu hesitated for a moment, then a resolute look suddenly flashed across her face. She stared at me intently and said, “Xi’er, I originally hoped you would come to Baili with me. I’m overjoyed that you’re willing to accompany me. However, I must make this clear beforehand: if you obstruct my plans, I… I will act according to what you Han people call righteousness and even familial duty… and lock you up.”
She seemed unsure how to deal with me for a moment, then turned her head to think for a moment before continuing firmly.
I believe that Lan Feiyu did indeed intend to do so, but her expression was so serious that I couldn't help but laugh. However, my joy turned to sorrow, and my already aching stomach felt like it was about to explode. I had to bend over and clutch my lower abdomen, wiping away tears that were a mixture of pain and laughter with the back of my hand. Sniffling, I said to Lan Feiyu, "You really shouldn't have coaxed me. Once I'm with you in Baili, whatever you do with me will be up to you and Yuanzi, won't it?"
"I don't want to lie to you anymore." Lan Feiyu supported me and helped me wipe away the tears that had covered my face.
I was speechless for a moment, staring blankly into her beautiful big eyes. At first, she lowered her long eyelashes slightly, and then she also looked at me intently. Our eyes met, but neither of us could find a way to say anything.
Finally, Lan Feiyu's gentle smile broke the strange stalemate. She whispered to me, "Xi'er, you are so beautiful."
I suddenly trembled all over, and without further hesitation, I clenched my fists and said to Lan Feiyu, "I'll go with you."
Before I said those words, I was quite apprehensive, but as soon as I spoke and saw Lan Feiyu's face and expression, I suddenly felt a hundred times braver.
“Yu’er,” I said, holding her hand, “I also have to say something unpleasant. If you insist on going your own way and make Bozhou and Dongchu enemies, I will also put the greater good before family. I will lock you up in a place where it’s just the two of us.”
Lan Feiyu also laughed out loud. We looked at each other and burst into laughter in unison—of course, I laughed so hard that my wound ached again.
"Let's not delay, let's go." Lan Feiyu took my hand and glanced back at the blocked cave. "It's a pity that Yuanzi took the horse with her, otherwise we could ride it and you would be more comfortable."
I followed her gaze and turned to the cave, still feeling sad for Sister Muqing and her sister. But when I looked at the huge rock a few more times, I suddenly felt my hair stand on end. I grabbed Lan Feiyu and pointed at the cave entrance in alarm, saying, "Yu'er, Yu'er, look, isn't that rock moving?"
Lan Feiyu frowned and looked over, but before she could speak, the situation changed drastically. The boulder was suddenly pushed outward and crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
I was dumbfounded. Lan Feiyu reacted much faster than me. She quickly pulled me and dragged me into the dense forest. Just as we were hidden, we heard a sharp, long howl from inside the cave, and a human figure appeared faintly at the cave entrance.
Was that the original Sister Mu Qing?
I held my breath and opened my eyes wide to see what was going on.
However, there were too many obstructions in front of me, and I couldn't see clearly through several layers of branches and leaves. I could only see that "Mu Qing" took a few more steps outside the cave and let out a howl that sounded very much like a monkey's cry.
"What is she doing?" Seeing that "she" had not discovered our hiding place, I felt a little relieved and quietly asked Lan Feiyu.
Lan Feiyu gestured for me to be quiet, and I obediently shut my mouth and continued to stare.
At the cave entrance, "Mu Qing" began to behave strangely. She circled around repeatedly, and every few circles, she would suddenly lower her body, doing something unknown, and then repeat the process over and over.
At first, I was completely baffled and had no idea what "she" was doing. It wasn't until the umpteenth time that I realized there weren't many leaves obscuring the view where "she" was crouching down, and I could glimpse "Mu Qing's" actions through the gaps. But after I understood what was happening, it gave me even more goosebumps.
"Mu Qing" still looked human, and the clothes she was wearing would not disappear into thin air. This "Mu Qing," who was no longer known to be human, actually urinated through her clothes!
I felt a tightness in my chest and my stomach churned violently, so I had to cover my mouth with both hands to suppress the urge to vomit.
Looking at Lan Feiyu, her expression wasn't much better than mine; she also wore an expression of shock and disgust. We looked at each other, bewildered, but we both knew that now was not the time to escape.
But neither Lan Feiyu nor I had any idea how long that thing would keep spinning.
Just as they were getting impatient, suddenly, "Mu Qing" shrieked again. This time, not far away in the forest, another long whistle echoed, the sound of which was rougher than this one. "She" seemed to have finally received an answer, and was overjoyed, shrieking even more frequently.
It no longer sounded like a monkey's cry. I unconsciously used the hand that was covering my mouth to cover my ears, thinking to myself, "Why does this sound sound so much like the endless moans of mother cats in the dead of night after spring has arrived?"
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