The sound of people drew closer.
First came the chattering of girls: “Water, water, I told you there would be water if we turned this way.”
It was Jin Zhu and Yin Zhu. The two quickly darted beneath the trees, rushing toward the stream. They busily washed their hands and faces, drank their fill, and then filled the water bottles they carried.
Following behind them were Bai Shuixiao and Tian Ya Po. They stopped beside the trees, waiting for Jin Zhu and Yin Zhu to fetch water, casually making conversation.
Bai Shuixiao said, “We’ll part ways ahead. You should find a safe place to hide for a while, then return after things settle down.”
Tian Ya Po sighed, “We’ll be fine. You’re the one who needs to be careful. The Mountain Ghost has been distributing your photo everywhere and offering a large reward. Along this route, you must avoid villages with people. They might all have been bought off by the Mountain Ghost.”
Bai Shuixiao’s face darkened as she repeatedly pressed the switch on her flashlight, causing the light before her to flicker on and off.
Those who had come looking for her in the afternoon were indeed from the Mountain Ghost, though slightly different from what she had expected. They carried her photo and had been asking about her all the way here. From their demeanor, it wasn’t hard to guess that Meng Qianzi had gone missing, the situation was serious, and the Mountain Ghost forces had mobilized in full force, combing through every village and settlement, not overlooking any inhabited place, determined not to rest until they found her.
But none of that mattered now: Meng Qianzi had indeed escaped, which meant the Mountain Ghost’s main force would arrive sooner or later, forcing her to leave to avoid trouble.
Tian Ya Po thought for a moment, “Why don’t we just go together? With more people, we can look out for each other.”
Bai Shuixiao remained silent, then, after a pause, said, “I’ve messed things up and need to go back to explain.”
Tian Ya Po’s expression changed slightly, and she involuntarily shuddered, her voice trembling, “Nothing bad will happen, right?”
Bai Shuixiao heard the fear in her voice: “Don’t worry, nothing will happen. Don’t think of him as being that frightening.”
Tian Ya Po forced a laugh, “I’ve never met him. You… you’re really… bewitched.”
She wanted to say a few more words of caution, but Jin Zhu and Yin Zhu had already returned. Tian Ya Po fell silent, and the group resumed their journey.
As soon as they left, Meng Qianzi could no longer contain herself. She pushed aside the branches and looked in the direction of the retreating flashlight beam. Before long, one beam of light separated from the others, heading off in a different direction. That must be Bai Shuixiao.
She urged Jiang Lian, “Hurry, follow her.”
Jiang Lian didn’t move. “Why?”
What did he mean, why? Didn’t he have a brain? Meng Qianzi felt irritated: it was so much easier talking to Meng Jinsong. After years of working together, a single glance was all it took—no need for words—and he would handle everything perfectly.
She patiently explained, “Didn’t you hear Bai Shuixiao say she needed to go back to explain? This means she has a mastermind behind her; she’s just carrying out orders. If we follow her, we can trace the connection and find that person.”
Jiang Lian said, “I understand the reasoning, but Miss Meng, your safety is most important. You haven’t even fully recovered your strength yet… I think it would be better to wait until you reunite with Meng Jinsong before investigating this matter.”
Meng Qianzi laughed coldly, “Do you know how difficult it is to find someone hidden deep in the mountains?”
In these vast mountain forests, even finding a team would be difficult, let alone a single person. Once Bai Shuixiao left, she would be like a fish returning to the sea, a stone among countless mountains—finding her again would be nearly impossible.
“I know, but Bai Shuixiao is already quite formidable. Whoever is behind her must be even more dangerous, and who knows how many others there might be? Following her like this is too risky. It would be better to wait until you’ve gathered your people…”
Seeing that the flashlight beam was almost fading from view, Meng Qianzi grew increasingly impatient. “I’m not suggesting we confront them directly. We can follow secretly, try not to expose ourselves, figure out where she’s going, and find a way to contact Jinsong. Wouldn’t that work…?”
She suddenly stopped, as if realizing something. She glanced at Jiang Lian, her eyes revealing a strange look, and said, “I understand now.”
There was something behind those words. Jiang Lian’s heart skipped a beat, and his scalp tingled.
“You think it’s better not to get involved, that returning me safely would complete your duty, and you don’t want to get mixed up in these matters, right?”
She drew out her words, smiling gently, “I understand.”
Having his little scheme exposed made him feel awkward, but that was indeed his thought: he had gone to great lengths to rescue her and wanted to quickly settle the “kidnapping” debt. He didn’t want any further complications—if she ventured into the tiger’s den again and got injured, crippled, or even killed, he, as the “kidnapper,” would be permanently branded with blame that could never be washed away.
He hadn’t expected to be seen through so quickly. Since she was smiling, Jiang Lian could only smile along, knowing that whatever little goodwill he had earned earlier was now wasted.
It might even count against him.
Meng Qianzi gripped the tree branch, seemingly about to slide down. Worried that she lacked the strength and might fall, Jiang Lian quickly reached out to help her, but she stopped, not immediately descending.
Jiang Lian’s outstretched hand hung awkwardly in the air before he withdrew it.
Meng Qianzi spoke with contempt, “It’s normal for you to think that way. But let me remind you, our dispute is far from settled. My chain—there’s still no sign of it. If you think that helping to rescue me will erase everything that happened before, you’re thinking too simply.”
That chain again.
Jiang Lian realized that the chain he had been ignoring was quite extraordinary.
“Is that chain very important?”
Meng Qianzi said, “Passed down for thousands of years, the only one of its kind in the world. Do you think it’s important? If you’ve got the guts, don’t follow me.”
With that, she turned sideways and slid down the tree trunk. A distance that would normally require no effort was now truly difficult for her. Her hands and legs were weak, and she practically slid and tumbled down. Fortunately, tree climbing was a skill from her childhood. Although she seemed to have scraped her elbow and twisted her ankle when landing, she still managed to come down with apparent grace.
Still better than falling outright.
She came down so nimbly that Jiang Lian genuinely thought she had recovered quickly. The impact of this news was quite significant. He raised his right hand again to examine it: what kind of hand was this that had yanked away an antique, a one-of-a-kind item? In his daily life of drawing lots and raffles, he had never been this “lucky.”
He had previously thought his luck was bad, but now he understood that it was his fate that was poor.
It seemed that until the chain was returned, this debt would never be settled. Jiang Lian sighed and was about to follow her down when he suddenly stopped.
Wait, Meng Qianzi had just said, “If you’ve got the guts, don’t follow me,” not “If you’ve got the guts, follow me.”
He drew in a sharp breath. This woman was so cunning! She knew that regardless of his reluctance, he would follow her. After all his efforts to rescue her, would he abandon her alone in the deep mountains to be devoured by tigers and wolves?
Rushing to help, only to be manipulated—life had suddenly become a dilemma. Should he follow or not? Not following would be inappropriate, but following would mean falling into her verbal trap and admitting he had no guts…
After a moment, Jiang Lian lowered his head, his gaze sliding to his waist, and muttered, “Facts speak louder than words. Do you think you can deny what’s there?”
Tch, who does she think she is?
He nimbly flipped down from the tree.