Chapter 61 Deep into the Mountains... Could it be that someone in the tribe has contracted a disease?...
Cui Pingchun rushed out the door after him, sensing something was wrong; this person had clearly planned this all along.
She anxiously looked around and happened to see Wen Yu talking to Chen Miaozhi, who was leading a horse, in the distance. The two of them witnessed this scene and froze on the spot.
"What happened?" Wen Yu quickly stepped forward.
"To make a long story short, Shuyan has been kidnapped!" Cui Pingchun rushed over and hurriedly explained, reaching for the reins. "Give me the horse, I'll go after them!"
The barrage of comments caused a huge uproar.
【？？？？】
[Where did you come from? Why are you trying to kidnap people? Are you one of those legendary mountain bandits?]
That person didn't look very old, how could they do something like that?
[Pills! Sister Shuyan, please don't log off QAQ]
【Let's take the whole village and chase them! I refuse to believe we can't beat them!】
[Are you stupid?! If you really bring that many people, a fight is bound to break out!]
[Upstairs, they've already bullied you to your face, and you're still thinking about this?]
[Hey, hey, stop arguing! Wen Yu can definitely handle this! Right, Wen Yu?]
Wen Yu never expected such a sudden turn of events, which completely disrupted her thoughts.
Chen Miaozhi, who had just taken the horse out to feed it, handed over the reins and said, "I'll go with you!"
Wen Yu interrupted her without hesitation, saying, "You stay here and watch the house, I'll go."
Chen Miaozhi still has children to take care of and cannot leave easily.
She went.
The two mounted their horses, and Cui Pingchun spurred his horse to chase after them in that direction. The two had already gone far ahead, and he could only see a small silhouette.
Wen Yu asked anxiously from the jolting horseback, "What exactly happened?"
Cui Pingchun shook his head: "I don't know either. Suddenly a person dressed in flashy clothes appeared, who couldn't even speak Mandarin properly. He asked us who could cure diseases, and then he drew his knife and kidnapped Shuyan!"
People dressed in flashy clothes...
Could it be some strange tribe living nearby?
Wen Yu had been here for so long, but she had never met anyone described in this way before, and she couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
After chasing for several miles, Wen Yu finally saw clearly that the boy was indeed dressed in a flowery outfit, just as Cui Pingchun had said.
In a moment of quick thinking, she opened the system panel to try and find out the other party's identity.
【Ayan, 15 years old, daughter of the mountain chief…】
The description is short, but it provides a key piece of information.
Mountain dwellers!
Wen Yu had heard the villagers mention this word before.
It is said that during the change of dynasties, many former subjects were unwilling to submit to the new dynasty and fled to the deep mountains to live in seclusion, intermarrying with primitive tribes. Later, they rarely interacted with the people down in the mountains.
Coupled with the consecutive years of famine in previous years, the mountain people disappeared completely, and everyone thought that they had long since moved elsewhere.
Wen Yu had previously ventured into the mountains in search of water, where she encountered many wolves and nearly perished in their jaws. This place didn't look like a human settlement at all.
Wen Yue, whom she found, also said that since his family moved up the mountain to escape famine, they had never seen anyone else.
These mountain people are still here.
But what was their purpose in kidnapping Liang Shuyan?
Could it be that someone in the tribe has contracted a disease and urgently needs a doctor to treat them?
As they chased after them, they indeed got closer and closer to the mountains, and from a distance, the mountains were covered in a blanket of white snow.
The snow that hadn't melted on the ground had frozen into a thin layer of ice, and when the horses' hooves stepped on it, the ice made a crisp cracking sound.
Ayan had excellent hearing and immediately noticed the second set of hoofbeats in the open space.
She whirled around, brandishing the knife in her hand, and warned the two men sharply, "You! Don't follow me! Otherwise, I'll kill her!"
Wen Yu and Cui Pingchun had no choice but to rein in their horses and stop.
Thinking about Liang Shuyan's past life, Wen Yu felt uneasy, always worried that the other party's behavior would evoke bad memories for Liang Shuyan.
"What should we do?" Cui Pingchun was extremely anxious.
Wen Yu closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly took out some colorful strips of cloth from his bosom.
These were the scarecrows she had tied to the fields to scare away birds. She had made a lot of them and kept the rest in her personal space. She never expected them to come in handy now.
She dismounted and tied the strip of cloth to a branch by the roadside. The colorful cloth stood out against the white snow.
Once the two men had gone some distance, she remounted her horse and shouted, "Chase them!"
They always maintained just the right distance, neither losing them nor easily being discovered.
Every so often, Wen Yu would dismount and tie a cloth strip around his neck.
It not only points them on a way back, but also gives direction to those who might follow.
This time, Ayan didn't find them again.
They followed each other into the mountains, where the road gradually became rugged and difficult to traverse. Seeing two people dismount and walk ahead in the distance, Wen Yu suddenly had an idea.
She whispered in Cui Pingchun's ear, "Pingchun, go back and ask for help first. I will leave marks along the way, and you can lead your men in this direction."
Cui Pingchun was shocked and shook his head repeatedly, refusing, "No! How can I leave you alone to face danger!"
Wen Yu held her hand tightly: "Listen to me, we don't know how many people the other side has. If we act rashly, we may be wiped out."
"I promise you, I will not act rashly, and even if I find their stronghold, I will not force my way in. I will wait for you nearby to meet me, provided that Shuyan's safety is ensured."
She gently nudged Cui Pingchun and urged, "Let's go!"
Cui Pingchun gave her a deep look, and finally relented: "Okay. You must be careful!"
Watching Cui Pingchun ride away on horseback, Wen Yu rubbed her slightly frozen hands and continued to carefully follow.
She held her breath, marking her way on roadside plants as she silently crept into the mountains.
----
This mountain forest is full of rocks and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The mountain people have been living here for many years.
If an outsider came here, they would definitely lose their way and wander off somewhere, but Ayan has grown up in this place since she was a child, and she can come and go freely even with her eyes closed.
She led the horse, lightly stepping over a few blue stones, and turned to look at Liang Shuyan not far away. Seeing that she had caught up briskly, she then looked away and continued to lead the way.
This used to be a stream, but it has frozen over completely after the heavy snowfall.
Once you cross the stream, the village will be not far away.
Once they arrived, Ayan finally felt relieved.
This is her territory, and even the "city people" doctor wouldn't dare to run away under her nose.
The two walked silently along the winding mountain path. Ayan remained silent throughout, but Liang Shuyan made conversation and asked in a gentle voice, "Miss, who did you invite me here to treat?"
Ayan hadn't expected that even after being held hostage the whole way, her attitude would remain so gentle. Yet, she still forced a fierce look and threatened, "Don't say another word! Once we get to the tribe, you'll do whatever I tell you to do!"
Liang Shuyan shook her head slightly: "I came in a hurry and didn't bring any medical instruments. If I need to treat any special illnesses, I'm afraid I'll have to go back and get them."
Ayan stopped in her tracks: "What?!"
Do we need instruments for diagnosis and treatment?
The shamans in the mountains usually treat patients by either going up the mountain to collect herbs and make elixirs, or by performing rituals to pray for blessings from the gods. I have never seen them use any tools.
Could this be an excuse for this person to run away?
She turned her head and glared at him, saying, "Don't even think about escaping! If you can cure me, you can name your price; if you can't, you..."
He stammered for a long time, but couldn't come up with a coherent explanation.
She wasn't good at making threats, and her kidnapping of Liang Shuyan today was just a moment of desperation. She couldn't speak Mandarin clearly and was afraid of being rejected, so she decided to take the risk.
Ah Yan was indeed anxious.
Last night, her mother, who was ten months pregnant, suddenly showed signs of labor, but did not give birth for a long time. She just clutched her stomach and gasped for breath, looking like she was in pain.
There were no midwives in the tribe who could help women give birth. The maids around her could only wipe her sweat and hand her water; they couldn't offer any real assistance.
Ayan was extremely anxious: "Mother, how are you? Are you...?"
"Alright, Ayan," her mother interrupted her, her brows furrowed. "This is none of your business. Go find somewhere to stay. Your mother will be fine."
But looking so pained, it was hard to believe he was alright.
She then went to the elders in the clan who knew about the matter, but they all shook their heads: "You are still a child, don't meddle in women's affairs."
"Li Shan has given birth before, so there shouldn't be any problems."
Seeing that she was still anxious, a kind-hearted elder said, "If there's really no other way, go and ask the witch doctor. He knows a lot and maybe he can help."
Ayan went to the tribe's shaman again, begging him to save her mother.
The shaman used the same old rhetoric: "Chief Lishan's childbirth is her own business. Heaven will bless her, and we mortals should not interfere."
Seeing that she was determined not to leave, the shaman burned a pot of talismanic water and handed it to her: "Take this and give it to the chieftain to drink; the gods will protect her."
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