Chapter 146
The next day.
When Yan Chaoji returned from helping Granny Jin chop firewood, he noticed a patch of daisies scattered like stars by the roadside.
Suddenly, I remembered that after she finished applying the herbal medicine for the last time yesterday, she muttered to herself in a somewhat dejected tone:
"Why does my whole body smell bitter?"
Yan Chaoji casually picked a few daisies, but their fragrance wasn't strong.
The promise might be able to dispel some of the bitterness.
On the way back, they encountered villagers who needed help again, and Yan Chaoji readily lent a hand, helping the villagers carry the water buckets from the cart back to their homes.
When they returned to Grandma Jin's house, it was much later than usual.
The sky above the cliff had already turned quite gray, and the sight of stars about to peek out from the mist was just beginning to emerge.
"Chaowa, have you seen Ningning?" Granny Jin, who was standing at the door, looked somewhat anxious when she saw Yan Chaoji.
"Grandma, what's wrong?"
"Isn't she at home?" Yan Chaoji asked, puzzled.
"It's all my fault. I saw you hadn't come back yet, and since it was getting dark, I went to bring you an oil lamp in case you ran into any wild animals in the forest."
"Ningwazi thought the old woman's legs were weak, so he just took the oil lamp and left." The old woman pounded her chest, filled with regret, and continued:
"Her leg has just healed; she'll probably come straight to you now!"
"Zhaowa, didn't you see her?"
Yan Chaoji looked back and found that the village was much quieter now, with the dark night sky like a towering, trapped beast surrounding the mountains and the village.
He immediately threw down the bamboo basket full of firewood on his back, turned around and ran back the way he came.
"Zhaowazi, the oil lamp."
"An oil lamp!"
Unfortunately, Granny Jin's voice couldn't catch up with his figure, and she could only watch helplessly as he stepped into the darkness.
......
Yan Chaoji moved with incredible speed, a hint of tension appearing in his eyes.
She's only just recovered from her injury, so why is she running out again?
During the few days that Yingning stayed in Jinhe Village, she had never left Granny Jin's house and probably only knew the main road leading to the mountains.
Night had fallen, and the small animals in the mountains and forests were already stirring with activity.
The sounds of beasts drifted slowly from the mountains not far away. Yan Chaoji followed the path leading into the forest, carefully searching for the light.
Much later.
He seemed to have caught a glimpse of light, and then he flew away.
"White Infant..."
Yan Chaoji saw the oil lamp lying on the ground, with a piece broken off at the top.
Before he could even pick up the oil lamp, he heard a strange sound nearby, and Yan Chaoji immediately went to investigate.
"Grandma."
"Grandma! I was wrong, I was wrong!"
"We'll never do it again!"
"Stop hitting him! Stop hitting him!!!"
"Oh dear, please let us off the hook, big sister."
......
Several pleas for mercy, accompanied by cries of pain, gradually became clearer. Yan Chaoji emerged from behind the tree and saw a figure with black hair tied in a low bun, wielding a long stick and occasionally striking the people in front of her.
"Big sister?"
"I am only sixteen years old."
Then, she struck the man hard with the stick.
Yan Chaoji was unaware of what had happened, but noticed that the people seemed to exchange glances before trying to swarm her while she wasn't paying attention.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Yan Chaoji made his move, but Ying Ning was even faster. In the blink of an eye, the two of them kicked those people away.
"Yan Chaoji?"
She turned her head and saw herself, a hint of expectation in her phoenix eyes.
"Where did you go? I've been looking for you for ages."
"I was delayed for a while because of something." Yan Chaoji didn't mention that he had come specifically to find her; his chest had been pounding with anxiety the whole way.
Even though there was no ringing, the Gu worms in his body seemed to be gradually awakening again.
The pain subsided slightly when I saw her.
"Who are these people...?" he asked.
"They suddenly stopped me just now, perhaps they wanted to... rob me?" The girl turned to look at the men who had been kicked away, only to find they were gone.
Because of her injury, her calves were still wrapped in a thin bandage, and her slightly loose robe could not hide her beautiful figure.
Yan Chaoji immediately understood what those people had just done. His hawk-like eyes narrowed slightly, concealing a gloomy expression. He glanced quietly at the spot where those people had just fled.
"They actually ran away?" She moved, seemingly wanting to give chase.
"Don't chase after them."
"It's late now, there's no need to linger in the mountains," Yan Chaoji stopped her.
“Okay, but…” Yingning suddenly stretched out her hands as she spoke.
The white lotus root on her delicate hands was stained with dirty mud.
......
Yan Chaoji led her to a stream at the foot of the mountain and sat down to watch her bend over and carefully wash her hands.
He suddenly spoke:
"You don't need to look for me today."
The woman by the river turned around at the sound: "Why?"
"Even if I am in the mountains and forests, I will have the ability to protect myself if I encounter wild animals."
"Your coming to deliver the lantern is just adding to our troubles."
The girl paused, then calmly asked, "Are you saying I went to all this trouble?"
Although Yan Chaoji sensed something was off about her tone, he couldn't figure out why.
A glowing yellow lamp landed on the tree trunk beside it, and it heard the tall, imposing man say:
"yes."
Yingning smiled and gently brushed her right hand across a pool of river water, instantly turning the moon's reflection into a bubble.
“Yan Chaoji, if you simply don’t want to owe others anything and want to draw a line between yourself and others, then I can tell you.”
"I came to find you tonight not to make you owe me anything."
"Your being chased by the blue-robed man was not something I had any ulterior motives for."
"You don't need to take this to heart."
“If I don’t look for you tonight, Granny Jin will come looking for you. I just don’t want to make her go through all that trouble,” she said softly.
Yan Chaoji frowned slightly and looked at her.
His words seemed to have given him an excuse to make the distance between them return to its former awkwardness.
It should be relaxing...
Yan Chaoji felt even worse.
Compared to the pain of the Gu worm attack, this dull, astringent feeling was even more unspeakable to him. He suddenly sensed something was wrong and spoke directly:
"white..."
"Yan Chaoji, let's call it even."
Yan Chaoji saw the expectation in her eyes shatter into pieces, as if in an instant she had transformed back into that elegant and charming princess from the Western Regions.
Are you satisfied now?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
