Chapter 62 Noble Lady Danzhu Danzhu wasn't willing; she had simply resigned herself to her fate…
Ah Yan carried the bowl of talisman water back like a wandering ghost.
She stood outside her mother's door, the wind howling fiercely under the eaves.
Hearing the faint cries of pain coming from inside, Ayan couldn't bring herself to take a step.
She didn't believe that this talisman water could save her mother's life, but what else could she do without it?
There was nothing she could do to help her mother.
Just then, a soft call came from not far away: "Sister?"
Ayan turned her head and saw the girl her mother had picked up from outside two years ago.
The girl was wearing similar clothes to her, but stood timidly at the corner looking at her, completely unlike her usual unrestrained and flamboyant self.
She was born into a "city dweller" from the foot of the mountain, not a mountain dweller like Ayan and the others, so her status in the tribe was always awkward.
Her mountain dialect was as broken as everyone else's Mandarin, and she was usually quiet and reserved, hiding in a corner, often nowhere to be found.
But her mother treated her very well. Despite what others thought, she took her in as her adopted daughter. She not only taught her the local dialect herself, but also named her A-Chao.
Ayan wasn't very familiar with this adopted sister, but out of respect for her as the "older sister," she stepped forward, bent down, and asked, "Achao, what's wrong?"
“This can’t cure Mother,” A-Chao said in broken mountain dialect, pointing to the talisman water in her hand, and adding with gestures, “There’s a doctor down the mountain who can cure her.”
Her words sounded awkward and hesitant, yet they made Ayan's expression turn serious.
A-Chao was the only person in the village who told her that the witch doctor's methods were useless.
These words perfectly captured her true feelings.
The gods couldn't save her mother; she had to find a new way, she couldn't just sit and wait for death.
“Okay, sister, go down the mountain to find a doctor.” Ayan said, as if she were speaking to Achao, but also as if she were speaking to herself.
She immediately poured out the bowl of talisman water, put the bowl down, and left without a word. She turned around, took a small horse, and went down the mountain.
This was the first time in more than ten years that she had left this mountain forest, all to find a way for her mother to survive.
After the snowfall, the mountain road became particularly difficult to traverse. At first, Ayan could only lead the horse slowly down the mountain, winding her way through the rugged path before finally reaching the flat ground she had almost never walked on before.
The vast expanse of white ahead made it almost impossible for her to see which way to go.
Her mother taught her to ride a horse; she herself had hardly ever ridden one. Although she was still rusty, there was no turning back now.
Ah Yan then mounted her horse and galloped off toward the unknown road ahead.
In the minds of the mountain people, "city people" have always been seen as monstrous beasts. From a young age, she listened to stories told by the elders of her tribe, who all said that children should never go down the mountain casually, because if they were captured by the "city people," they would be kept as slaves, and might even be kept in cages and watched like monkeys.
But she thought that if the "city people" doctor she invited could cure her mother, she would be willing to give him whatever he wanted, whether it was fine wine or prey.
Mother, you absolutely cannot make any mistakes.
Ayan knew that when her grandfather passed away, he designated her mother, the most promising of his children, to succeed him as clan leader, and her uncle, Alian, had always harbored resentment.
He wished his mother would die so that he could take over the position of clan leader!
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Ah Lian is an unkind person; that's what everyone in the mountains says.
Back when the old clan chief was still alive, he considered himself the next clan chief and ran rampant in the village, bullying men and women, and even reviving an old custom that had long been abolished—bride kidnapping.
This was originally a bad custom of the mountain people's ancestors. At that time, the mountain people were barbaric and uncivilized. If they took a fancy to a woman, they would forcibly abduct her and marry her, completely ignoring her struggles and tears.
As the mountain people began to interact and intermarry with the people at the foot of the mountain, the clansmen gradually understood the truth and abolished this immoral behavior. It has been many, many years since such a thing has happened.
Unexpectedly, Ah Lian actually did it.
That year, a young lady from a noble family named Danzhu was praying for blessings at the local temple at the foot of the mountain. He was curious and insisted on going to see what this "city girl" looked like.
Unexpectedly, when he broke into the temple, he was captivated by the woman's appearance and, without saying a word, forcibly abducted her back to his village and imprisoned her at home, claiming that she was the wife he had chosen for him.
By the time Li Shan learned of this, more than a month had passed since the incident.
For such a long time, not a word of this matter leaked out; everyone around him protected this secret to the death.
Li Shan was furious and immediately stormed into A Lian's residence, sternly rebuking him: "A Lian, don't do such a heinous thing! Release the person immediately!"
As the older sister, she had never been able to control her devilish younger brother. Sure enough, when A-Lian saw her questioning him, he laughed loudly and arrogantly: "Li Shan, Dan Zhu is with me willingly. Don't believe me? Ask her."
Li Shan looked at the woman standing behind A Lian with disbelief.
The woman was wearing old clothes in the style of a female slave, faded and white from washing. If it weren't for her still beautiful features, it would be almost impossible to tell that she was originally a young lady from a noble family.
Her exposed skin had many bruises, and her hands and feet had scabs on them, indicating that she had been severely bruised and battered since arriving here.
"Danzhu, tell me, how did I bully you?" Alian raised his hand.
When Danzhu saw him raise his hand, she subconsciously shrank back half a step, but didn't say anything, just biting her lip without uttering a word.
Li Shan looked at her with heartache. Even though she knew that A Lian had always been a wicked person, she never expected that an innocent woman would be harmed by him and tormented into this inhuman and ghostly state.
When he raises his hand, Danzhu instinctively flinches, which suggests that Alian must treat her very badly usually.
Feeling Li Shan's gaze, Dan Zhu quickly looked up at her before slowly lowering her head again.
After a long pause, she gently shook her head.
"Danzhu, do you really want to be with him?" Li Shan pressed.
She eagerly awaited Danzhu's reply.
Even if the other party only said "no," she could find a legitimate reason to snatch Danzhu out of Alian's house and keep her away from this devilish man.
But Danzhu stopped shaking his head, but didn't nod either. He just stood there, frozen in place, like a stone statue.
It was as if that one glance at Li Shan had exhausted all her strength.
Seeing that she remained silent, A-Lian was finally satisfied and revealed a victorious smile. He raised his hand and put his arm around Danzhu's waist: "Li Shan, what nonsense are you talking about? I am the future clan leader. If Danzhu follows me, she will be the future clan leader's wife. What reason does she have to refuse?"
Danzhu in his arms trembled involuntarily.
His subordinates behind him burst into laughter.
"Yes, A-Lian is the clan chief's only son. How could Sister Danzhu's life be bad in the future?"
"Li Shan, you might not be able to have such a good husband like Dan Zhu!"
"Could it be that you're deliberately ruining other people's good times because no one wants to marry you?"
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
Li Shan was furious and pointed at A Lian, saying, "You'll get what's coming to you sooner or later!"
Despite her anger, Danzhu remained silent and could do nothing, so she could only lead her people back to her own territory.
Later, when Li Shan returned home, she told A Yan, who was still very young, about it.
Ayan only half understood what she was hearing, and asked in a daze, "The old lady in the village said that city people are all bad and will beat people. Danzhu is also from the city, so why doesn't he beat them?"
Li Shan sighed and said, "No matter how powerful a city dweller is, he can't beat a group of people if he fights alone."
She felt that Danzhu couldn't have stayed by Alian's side willingly, but she had no way of investigating the truth behind it.
From then on, Ah Lian became even more arrogant.
A-Lian and his group of people firmly believed that he was a sure thing to succeed as the clan chief, so they flaunted their power and acted like tyrants in the village.
The most authoritative shaman in the tribe remained silent on the matter, as if he were turning a blind eye to it.
This made Allen even more certain that even the gods were protecting him.
However, on his deathbed, the old patriarch specifically asked Li Shan to come forward so that he could pass on the thumb ring that symbolized the patriarch's authority to her.
"Li Shan, of all my children, only you are capable of taking on the great responsibility of clan leader. From now on, everything is entrusted to you."
Allian, who had been brimming with confidence in being the heir, turned deathly pale upon hearing this. He rushed forward, shouting, "Father! You've mistaken me for someone else! I'm right here!"
He then turned anxiously to the crowd and rattled off a string of questions: "How can Li Shan, a woman, lead an entire tribe? Ask around, who among you is willing to obey her orders..."
The people behind him looked at each other, but remained silent.
Compared to a bully like Ah Lian, everyone is indeed more willing to follow Li Shan.
At least she is kind, decisive, loves the weak, and protects the women around her. Everyone believes that she can lead everyone to a better life.
At this moment, the old chieftain coughed twice and slowly said, "Even the woman beside you is unwilling to be truly devoted to you, so who in the tribe would be willing to follow you?"
"Some things you can fool others with, but don't fool yourself too."
Ah Lian felt as if struck by lightning.
Li Shan glanced at him, recalling that since Dan Zhu came here, she had never smiled again.
But it was clearly because Danzhu's smile was so bright and beautiful that A-Lian took her back.
Anyone with eyes could see her resistance.
The matter of the clan chief was no longer in dispute.
After the old clan chief passed away, Li Shan, as the successor clan chief, presided over his funeral.
When the ceremony was over, Ah Lian arrived with a group of his men, swaggering around arrogantly.
"Li Shan, from this day forward, we are severing all ties!" A Lian seemed to be declaring something. "I'm going to take my people and establish a new stronghold. From now on, you will have no say in my affairs!"
"We're not going to work for you!"
His men followed him in a chaotic uproar.
Danzhu stood behind him in the crowd with her head down, her lower abdomen slightly protruding, as if she were pregnant.
Li Shan then understood the reason for Dan Zhu's silence.
She is a "city dweller".
People in the mountains value their reputation most. Ever since she was kidnapped by Ah Lian, her family has never sent anyone to look for her. They probably already removed her from the family and assumed she died of a sudden illness.
Now that she is pregnant again, even if she is lucky enough to get a chance to go back, she will be despised and said to have lost her chastity.
Danzhu wasn't willing; he was simply resigned to his fate.
Later, A-Lian and his men set up a separate camp on a nearby mountain and had no further contact with Li-Shan's tribe.
The last time Ayan saw him was several years ago.
She thought that if he knew about her mother's current situation, he would definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble, and might even try to seize the position of clan leader.
So she secretly resolved to resolve the matter completely before Ah Lian found out.
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Author's note: The topic of "bride kidnapping" was requested by my friend.
Even in modern times, some more primitive regions still retain this custom.
In those areas, even if girls are still in school, if a man takes a liking to them, they will be forcibly taken home and forced to serve him for the rest of their lives.
It breaks my heart every time I see something like this.
The so-called "forced love" is just a glorification of this behavior.
Always retain the capacity for anger; we would rather suffer than become numb.
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