Chapter 2: The Kind Hunter Youth
Daylight fully brightened, and the firewood pile that had burned all night gradually weakened.
Mo Zheng touched the clothes propped up and hung on a branch nearby; they still needed more drying to feel comfortable to wear, so she got up and walked toward the back of the Buddha statue. Just as she pulled out some stacked dry firewood, crying sounds came from ahead.
“Mother—Mother—”
“Save me, save me—”
“Why kill me, why kill me—”
Mo Zheng hugged the firewood and walked out, seeing the girl who had been unconscious all night seemingly having a nightmare. She cried out and woke up, then saw the clothes covering her that didn’t belong to her and panickedly shook them off. But then she saw her torn dress and exposed skin, and hurriedly grabbed the robe again, shrinking back and wrapping it tightly around herself.
At the same time, her gaze also turned over, with fear appearing on her face, but as she stared fixedly, her expression became somewhat strange.
Seemingly disappointed, seemingly sorrowful, seemingly relieved.
Could it be because he was not very old, making him less frightening? Or perhaps because she knew he was her benefactor and felt relieved knowing she had escaped death? Mo Zheng no longer scrutinized, hugged the firewood over, added to the extinguished fire, and poked it with a branch; the firelight gradually glowed red.
The girl no longer cried out, seeming dazed.
“Did you encounter mountain bandits?” Mo Zheng asked proactively. “Where is your family?”
This question brought Yang Luo back to her senses, and she thought of what happened last night; her face turned deathly pale.
It wasn’t a dream.
It wasn’t a nightmare; it was real.
Yang Luo reached out to cover her face and cried loudly.
Mo Zheng said nothing more, listening to the girl’s crying, lowered her head to watch the firewood catch fire, took down the clothes propped up nearby, held them up, shook them, and baked them.
As Yang Luo cried and cried, she knelt down: “Benefactor, thank you for saving me.”
She kowtowed forcefully; her fair forehead instantly turned red.
This was truly full of sincerity.
Mo Zheng hurriedly said: “You still have wounds; don’t kowtow.”
Yang Luo no longer kowtowed, slowly sat up straight, her eyes blank, with tears still sliding down.
“You, what person are you?” she murmured.
Mo Zheng wore the now-dried undergarment, shook the outer garment, and answered: “I’m a hunter in the mountains; this is the broken temple where I rest during daily hunting.”
Yang Luo instinctively looked around; this was a broken temple with only half a statue left of the deity, a fur pelt spread on the altar with several clothes thrown on it, and two wild rabbits thrown on the ground on the other side.
She lowered her gaze because she felt pain on her body, lifted the garment to look, and saw the wounds from scrapes and bumps on her exposed skin covered with green herbs.
The herbs had no processing, just crushed and pasted on.
Only then did she notice that the broken temple was filled with a strong herbal scent.
She raised her eyes and saw the hunter youth sitting by the campfire, lifting his garment to wrap herbs on his arm; it was a deep wound, fresh, though no longer bleeding.
It was from saving her last night, right?
Yes, those mountain bandits were so fierce; the youth saved her alone, so he must have been injured too.
“There’s no choice in the mountains; I could only use herbs to stop the bleeding first.” Mo Zheng said, paused, then added, “I didn’t touch any other places on you, just moved the exposed wounds. You were unconscious; if there’s any offense, please forgive.”
Tears slid down Yang Luo’s face as she kowtowed again: “Benefactor, you take it too seriously. You saved my life and treated my wounds; if I blamed you, I’d be worse than a beast.”
The hunter youth coughed lightly.
“You take it too seriously too.” He wasn’t good at dealing with girls and didn’t know how to comfort her, so he asked directly, “Where is your home? I’ll take you back.”
Yang Luo raised her head and murmured: “Home…”
Yes, she should go home and take a look.
Take one more look.
……
…….
Walking a stretch from the broken temple led to a wide mountain road.
Mo Zheng rested the bamboo pole on her shoulder, with two wild rabbits hanging from the other end, swaying as she walked.
Yang Luo followed behind, wearing the youth’s outer garment, which was a bit big, tightly cinched around her body with a belt.
Before leaving the temple door, she had smeared ash on her face; the hunter youth looked at her, seeming somewhat puzzled.
“I’m a girl; if someone sees me and finds out I encountered bandits, I won’t have my innocence.” Yang Luo explained with tears.
Mo Zheng then gave her the clothes thrown in front of the altar: “Then disguise yourself as a man.”
So at this moment, Yang Luo was dressed the same as Mo Zheng, just even more slender, walking unsteadily.
She had never walked such a long road; she hardly ever went out, traveling by carriage and horses; last night she fled for her life in panic with wounds all over her body; the herbs could only stop bleeding but not pain; the hunter youth had been busy baking clothes and hadn’t boiled water or roasted the wild rabbits; she was in pain, tired, suffering, hungry, and thirsty…
Seeing her extremely weak, Mo Zheng slowed her pace: “Hold on a bit longer; we’re almost there.”
There was no sound from behind; the girl didn’t know if she didn’t want to speak or had no strength to.
Mo Zheng asked again: “Which family in White Horse Town are you from?”
A low voice from behind: “In, the east side of the town.”
She didn’t say which family, because she was pursued and killed by mountain bandits; afraid of people knowing she lost her innocence, even her benefactor wouldn’t do?
Mo Zheng touched her chin; then how to ask for a reward? Can’t save someone for nothing, right?
Forget it; she wouldn’t say now, but once in town she’d go home, and he’d find out then.
But as they approached White Horse Town, Mo Zheng felt that going home might not be that easy.
The entire town was surrounded, with constables and soldiers; cries and shouts kept coming from inside the town, along with thick black smoke rising.
Many people were blocked outside the town, discussing and pointing.
“What happened?” Mo Zheng went forward to ask.
At the same time, she looked toward the town; standing at the road mouth allowed a clearer view inside: corpses continuously carried out, houses burned by fire.
This…
“White Horse Town was plundered last night.”
“Burning, killing, looting; too tragic.”
“So many died.”
“Truly a devastating disaster.”
So ruthless; Mo Zheng slightly lowered her eyes, then turned to look at the girl behind her.
Yang Luo was also looking toward the town; her face smeared with ash couldn’t hide the pallor, tears slid from her eyes, washing out a fair trail, her body trembling as if about to faint…
Mo Zheng reached out to support her.
The touch of skin seemed to startle Yang Luo awake; she instinctively shrank back, but Mo Zheng’s hand had already withdrawn.
“Your home…” Mo Zheng said.
Before finishing, perhaps because too many onlookers were there, and some tried to rush into the town, the soldiers shook their weapons and charged over.
“No further—”
“Back up, back up—”
The watching civilians were pushed staggering in all directions, mixed with cries and shouts.
“Officer, my family is in the town; I need to check on my parents—”
“Officer, my wife is home; I stayed in the county town last night—what exactly happened—”
Hearing this, some soldiers reported softly to the leader, who then walked over, looking at the blocked civilians.
“If you’re from the town, go register your name with the clerk over there, and you can go in.” he said.
As his words fell, a few people squeezed through crying toward the clerk not far away; due to the crowd, Mo Zheng and Yang Luo were also squeezed over.
The leader of the soldiers’ gaze fell on them, with some scrutiny.
“Officer, we—” Mo Zheng started to speak.
Just as she spoke, Yang Luo behind grabbed her arm.
“Brother.” she said, “Can we still sell the prey today?”
Mo Zheng’s voice paused and fell silent; the leader of the soldiers’ gaze instinctively fell on the bamboo pole and two wild rabbits Mo Zheng was carrying.
White Horse Town was a prosperous place at the foot of the mountains, with shops and street market, especially common for selling mountain goods.
The soldiers saw their big and small, clearly rolling in the mountains hunting, and glared angrily.
“Selling prey at a time like this? Get lost!”
……
…….
Mo Zheng carried the bamboo pole and wild rabbits out of the crowd, then looked at Yang Luo following with her head down, slightly frowning.
What did this young lady mean?
Was her home really in White Horse Town?
Why not acknowledge her family?
Did she not care about her family’s life or death?
