Chapter 435: Huayin County, Madam Bai
Inside the carriage, a woman with disheveled hair and dusty face was concentrating on cutting paper.
This woman looked like an ordinary woman, wearing a dress with narrow sleeves, plain clothes, and no jewelry. Except for her face that looked beautiful and calm under the dust, she was no different from a peasant woman.
Beside her, a little boy with a pale face looked at the woman silently, his eyes fixed on her deft hands, watching them cut the white paper into human figures like butterflies flying through flowers.
The woman looked at the boy, sighed, and said, "Kuan'er, if you keep going any longer, we won't be able to run any further."
The boy bit his lip and said, "Mother... Mother, why are you running away? Even if you are... you are a fox, you and father have been together and known each other for so many years, and he likes me so much. Would you embarrass us?"
The woman rubbed his head, held him in her arms, and said, "Your father may not mind, but he has no choice."
The woman glanced behind the carriage. Even though there were thousands of mountains and rivers between them and the dark night, she seemed to still see her man.
"Sitting in that seat, he's no longer himself."
The boy hugged his mother, feeling her breath and body temperature, and tears began to flow down his face. "Mother is obviously a human, not a fox."
"Why, mother, why on earth!"
The woman patted his back gently and said, "I don't want to bring you through this suffering, but if Mother doesn't leave, she will be captured. Now, there are more people who want me than just your father."
"I've considered keeping you in the palace, but if you stay, you'll be burdened with the stigma of being the son of a fox demon. You'll be caught up in all sorts of conspiracies, and countless people will attack you, hate you, and exploit you because of your identity."
She held the boy's face in her hands, letting him look into her eyes, and said, "Mother knows it's hard for you to accept this for the time being, but you must understand that mother will not harm you."
The son of a royal family was always precocious. He certainly understood what it meant to leave the capital, and what he would lose.
He looked at the woman with tears in his eyes. After all, mother and child are connected by heart. He wiped his tears and said, "Tell me, tell me everything."
The woman rubbed his head and said, "Kuan'er, I will tell you everything, but not now."
She lifted the curtain and asked, "Where are we?"
The man driving the car made a hoarse sound, like the sound of wind tearing through window paper, "We have arrived in Huayin County. The county town is just ahead, ma'am."
The woman glanced at the sky, her eyes slightly lowered, and said, "Thank you very much, just take us here."
The woman got off the carriage with the boy and watched it avoid the county town and go away on the official road.
She took the boy's hand and said, "We have to walk the rest of the way by ourselves."
She lowered her head, hunched her back, and walked towards Huayin County, holding the hand of the staggering boy.
The boy was very tired. He had followed the woman day and night and had spent the whole day in fear. His face was very pale and there was black under his eyes. He looked as if he was sick.
The boy asked, "Mother, where are we going?"
The woman said, "We'll go across Huashan and head to Shu County. Shu County is difficult to travel to, and I can't take you there. We need someone to take us there. We must first seek refuge at Huashan, so that we can travel safely."
The boy continued, "Why don't you go directly to Mount Hua? Why are you still lingering in the county town?"
The woman said, "Someone is chasing us, and it's not just a single force. We have the protection of the City God in the county, so we can escape their gaze."
The boy looked at the woman worriedly and said, "Mom, won't you be discovered if you go to the county town?"
The woman laughed, squatted down, looked at his face, and said, "They can't find me."
The woman coughed and reached out to rub the boy's face. The boy could only feel his face getting hot and cold, some parts swollen, and some parts tight, but he could not see that his face had changed under the woman's hands.
The woman said, "Kuan'er, if anyone asks, just say we came to the county town to seek medical help. Don't reveal anything."
The boy nodded and followed the woman to the county town. By the time they reached the county town, it was already daybreak. After safely entering the city, the woman found an inn to stay in so that the boy could rest.
The carriage running on the official road was running wildly, but suddenly the reins were pulled and it stopped.
In front of the official road, a wealthy woman in yellow stood in the middle of the road, looking at the carriage.
The driver pulled the reins, and the horses stamped their hooves, becoming restless.
The woman said softly, "Madam Bai, please come out and meet me. Don't embarrass me."
The driver turned the car around without hesitation and tried to escape.
The woman in yellow frowned and said, "You don't know how to appreciate my kindness."
She shook her clothes, and a white sword light flew out from her sleeves. It circled in the air and cut the coachman and the horse into several pieces.
The driver and the horse made strange noises, black smoke came out of their bodies, and then turned into two pieces of torn paper-cuts.
The woman in yellow's heart skipped a beat and said, "Not good."
She pulled open the curtains and found the carriage was indeed empty.
"Escaped? She's a woman with a child, and she can only perform some minor magic. Where can she escape to?"
The woman in yellow had a gloomy face, burrowed into the ground and disappeared.
Not long after the woman in yellow left, another group of people caught up with her. They were several young Taoists, holding magic swords and whisks in their hands.
Seeing the empty carriage and the white papers scattered on the ground, one of the young Taoists asked, "That group of demons came first. Could Madam Bai have been taken away by them?"
The older Taoist priest shook his head and said, "Madam Bai is extremely intelligent. Our master also warned us to be careful and not let her be kidnapped so easily by a demon."
He opened his bag, took out the Taiyi Compass, held it above his head and bowed, saying, "Master, please help me."
The compass slowly rotated, and the handle pointed in the direction of Huayin County.
The Taoist smiled and said, "Let's go, we found it."
In the county town, Madam Bai was sitting in her room cutting paper. In the afternoon, she heard the sound of armor outside. She tilted her ear slightly and heard someone ask, "Boss, are there any women with children staying here today?"
Mrs. Bai sighed secretly, woke the boy up, and said, "Kuan'er, we have to go."
Mrs. Bai jumped out of the window carrying the boy on her back. When she arrived at the city gate, she found that soldiers were already searching people passing by.
Mrs. Bai frowned, took the boy's hand, and hid in the streets to avoid the search of the officers and soldiers.
Tong'er was not completely unaware and whispered, "Mom, are they looking for us?"
Madam Bai patted his head and said, "Don't worry, there will be a way."
Mrs. Bai looked at Tong'er with reluctance in her eyes, but when Tong'er looked at her, she was calm again.
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