Chapter 4 – Should I Just Let Him Die Like This? (1)
Ch.4 Should I Just Let Him Die Like This? (1)
After living like this for two days, Zhou Xiaoxiao was woken up by a sudden noise while she was sleeping in the servant’s quarters one night.
She turned over to get off the bed after hearing the commotion coming from the outside crowd.
“Bandits! Bandits! They’re mountain bandits!” someone yelled.
Zhou Xiaoxiao ran out of her room and saw the vague scene under the light of the torches. Outside the entrance of the courtyard, men were shouting, and horses were neighing; the noise was deafening.
It was even more chaotic inside the courtyard; some older maids only had their clothes draped over them, their hair a mess as well. They were running everywhere, not understanding the situation they were in. Soldiers quickly passed by with clubs.
Aunt Li, who would always use her authority to abuse Dujuan was now panicking. Her hair wasn’t even properly tied together as she yelled at Zhou Xiaoxiao, “What should we do now, Dujuan?! Mountain bandits are coming!”
As she watched the chaotic scene, Zhou Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes in contemplation. Then, she suddenly realized that this may be her best chance to escape.
The mountain bandits looted the place. Although they didn’t break into the courtyard, it wouldn’t be a big deal if someone went missing. No one would have the time to find her after the incident. Now that everyone went to the front of the courtyard during the chaos, she could go through the back door and walk all the way up the mountain, it would be more convenient for her to hide in the cave. But if she doesn’t leave before the bandits break in to rob and kill, then an accident may occur.
After making up her mind, she immediately took action. Zhou Xiaoxiao turned and walked into the room to put on her cotton pants and shirt. She avoided the crowd and headed straight to the backyard.
While she passed by the East Chamber, she noticed how eerily quiet it was. Zhou Xiaoxiao suddenly had a new idea. She walked towards the door and cautiously peeked in and saw no one inside the room.
She bent her back like a cat and walked into the room. There weren’t any candles lit and the room was dark and quiet. Zhou Xiaoxiao quietly searched the boxes and found a red sandalwood treasure box. Opening the box, she found plentiful treasures, devices, and jade.
She couldn’t help but smile, thinking that she wouldn’t have to worry about how she will survive in a time period that she knew nothing about. She chose some light jade ware and put it in her bag, ready to leave.
The moonlight had shone into the room through the window, Zhou Xiaoxiao suddenly noticed that a pair of eyes were watching her.
A sudden chill shot up her back, making her shiver.
She slowly turned her around and saw a long shadow in the darkroom behind her. It was a person with his hands tied up to the beam and his body slowly turned in the air because his feet couldn’t reach the ground. A pair of empty and cold eyes stared straight at her.
Zhou Xiaoxiao almost cried out in alarm. Noticing that there weren’t any sounds coming from the person, she slowly calmed herself down.
She walked closer to him with the help of the moonlight and found that this was the man she met two days ago. His hands were tied up to the beam and he didn’t even make a sound as he silently watched her from above with a pair of watery eyes.
Zhou Xiaoxiao had an internal conflict with herself, but her kindness had won once again. She helped the person down from the beam.
The person was severely injured; he only struggled a few times before he fell flat on the ground, exhausted.
Zhou Xiaoxiao took a sharp sword from the wall and cut the rope that was tied around him. Afterwards, she grabbed a wool jacket to cover his motionless body.
“This place has been broken into by mountain bandits and it’s extremely chaotic right now. You… should pray to the gods for a miracle to get out of here alive.” She left him with this sentence as she dove into the moonlight and snuck into the forest full of snow.
“This place has been broken into by mountain bandits and it’s extremely chaotic right now. You… should pray to the gods for a miracle to get out of here alive.” She left him with this sentence as she dove into the moonlight and snuck into the forest full of snow.
The snowy forest was deathly silent with the gray sky and threatening shadows lurking nearby. The infinite tranquility in the darkness brought out their most primal fear.
Zhou Xiaoxiao trudged on the snow, leaving a deep footprint followed by a light footprint, yet she couldn’t help but have regrets. Although she was very familiar with this forest, she still underestimated the horror of walking on the mountain on a snowy winter night.
Not to mention the weather had gone down 20 degrees, the dark and quiet in this forest alone brought endless psychological stress; especially to Zhou Xiaoxiao, who had been living in a prosperous city. The dead silence in the forest made her unable to suppress her fear.
The hills that seemed so easy to climb during the daytime now seemed like an endless trip in this freezing and dark weather. You can do it, Zhou Xiaoxiao. Don’t be afraid, you are not a powerless woman now, you are Zhou Dujuan. How strong is Dujuan’s body? Her body is stronger than a cow’s, it’s even comparable to King Kong! There’s nothing to be afraid of. She repeated to herself while she ignored the eerie sounds coming from the forest.
She could hear the faint sound of a horse trotting behind her and as it gradually became louder and louder.
Zhou Xiaoxiao quickly hid behind a huge tree. She saw a white horse wandering aimlessly along the road with a person on top of its back. She couldn’t tell whether the person was dead or alive.
As the horse came closer, it slowed down and the person riding it fell off. The person’s body laid on the snowy ground motionlessly.
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