Chapter 37: Many Evil Tigers in the World
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As the bandit wife, the bitterness in Mei Sanniang’s heart was probably unknown to anyone, yet Xu Yan understood it clearly.
A warm feeling surged through his heart, and the little Taoist bowed deeply to the woman.
The old Taoist of Riding Cloud Temple had told Xu Yan that favors and grudges needed to be repaid – favors must be repaid, and grudges must be settled. This was human nature and worldly wisdom.
Those outside the mundane world were still human.
“Third Sister, are you leaving too?”
Xu Yan blinked and asked seriously.
“Third Sister won’t leave. I still need to accompany Little Cheng…”
Mei Sanniang’s smile was somewhat bleak. She touched Xu Yan’s head and whispered in the little Taoist’s ear: “The stronghold will celebrate greatly today. When those cooks are dead drunk, you should leave Yuan Mountain Stronghold. Don’t worry – as long as you go far away, they won’t pursue a poor Taoist like you.”
Fragrance wafted by his ear, but Xu Yan’s brow remained tightly furrowed. He wanted to say something more, but Mei Sanniang had already turned and left. Xu Yan vaguely heard Zhang He’s flattering voice – it seemed the lady wanted him to go to Yongning Town to buy some face powder. Receiving the order, Zhang He didn’t dare delay even a moment and immediately left the stronghold.
After Mei Sanniang left the vegetable garden, the cooks gathered around again, chattering about how lucky the little Taoist was to survive under the Third Chief’s hands. Then Xu Yan was assigned a pile of tasks. With this group of cooks watching him, he temporarily couldn’t go anywhere.
To celebrate today’s harvest, the Yuan Mountain bandits held a grand celebration. The Zhao family convoy’s cloth was piled high, sheepskins could be stacked into tall heaps, and though the most valuable spices were the least in quantity, they were worth more than the cloth and sheepskins combined. Including those dozen or so carriages, the Yuan Mountain bandits’ gains were quite substantial.
Bandits everywhere received a share of the benefits, including the kitchen. This group of bandits drank even more heartily, and after eating and drinking their fill, they all fell into deep sleep. The kitchen was filled with thunderous snoring.
Today’s food was good, with wine and meat, but Xu Yan didn’t eat a single bite.
He kept seeing the image of that Zhao family daughter before his eyes – from a pretty young woman to a toothless pig-headed wreck in just an instant.
The night grew deeper, the starlight brighter, and Xu Yan’s heart grew heavier.
At midnight, when all the cooks were sleeping like dead pigs, Xu Yan left the kitchen.
He didn’t leave Yuan Mountain Stronghold but instead searched for the whereabouts of the Zhao family girl based on his daytime memories.
He very much wanted to leave this bandit nest, but leaving like this would leave a thorn in his heart, and this thorn would stay with him for a very long time.
The old Taoist of Riding Cloud Temple had never taught Xu Yan to be a good person. How could someone called the Sword Demon be a kind-hearted believer?
The old Taoist often told Xu Yan that those who could live with a clear conscience could already be called saints, because in this world, no one was truly without guilt. As for those guilts, people simply didn’t want to think about them or mention them.
Xu Yan wasn’t a saint and didn’t want to be one. He just wanted to live carefree like a pig.
Under the moonlight, the little Taoist’s ears still faintly retained his master’s whispers. He smiled bitterly and mocked himself: “Xu Zhijian, oh Xu Zhijian, others seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, but you avoid fortune and approach misfortune. You really are a pig…”
Whether intelligent or foolish, Xu Yan’s steps never stopped as he searched the vast stronghold for traces of the Zhao family girl.
He was no longer young and could see what those minor leaders who dragged the girl away intended to do. But as long as the girl wasn’t dead, perhaps he could help her escape this bandit stronghold.
Being alive was better than anything.
The small figure wandered through the stronghold, sometimes passing through wooden sheds, sometimes stepping over tree stumps. The little Taoist under the moonlight found several minor leaders sleeping soundly but never found the Zhao family girl.
Puzzled, Xu Yan stopped near a well at the edge of the stronghold. He thought for a moment and decided to continue searching.
There was still more than an hour until dawn – time was still sufficient.
Just as he was about to move again, Xu Yan suddenly saw that something seemed to have been added to the distant well.
By moonlight, Xu Yan carefully identified it and finally confirmed it was a person.
A person sitting on the well’s edge!
Could it be the Zhao family girl?
Thinking this, Xu Yan quietly approached the well. Being able to sit on the well’s edge suggested the person intended to commit suicide by jumping in.
His light footsteps could still be heard clearly in the quiet midnight. Just as Xu Yan was about to approach the figure sitting on the well’s edge, the other person also sensed someone approaching.
Suddenly turning around, the girl wrapped only in a torn blanket looked like an evil ghost. Half her face was swollen high and bright red, while the other half was iron-blue without a trace of blood. The large bruises on her neck probably extended over her entire body, just hidden by the torn blanket.
“Don’t jump!”
Xu Yan didn’t dare shout loudly and spoke softly, but what he received in return was a terrifying resentment from life’s end.
“Even if I become a ghost, I won’t spare you evil bandits!”
Splash!
Diving headfirst into the well, the girl who had been tortured beyond recognition disappeared before Xu Yan’s eyes. Xu Yan still had one hand raised, but there was nothing left to grab.
Mountain wells were all very deep, at least five or six zhang deep. Xu Yan often came to draw water and knew what jumping in would mean.
With such a narrow well opening, unless the girl didn’t want to die, even if Xu Yan jumped down, he would be dragged down with her into the depths. No one could be saved.
After being stunned for a moment, Xu Yan rushed forward and threw the hanging bucket into the well.
“Come up, quickly come up! You’ll drown!”
Lying at the well’s edge, Xu Yan shouted into the dark depths. The sound-gathering well kept his voice from traveling too far, making it less likely to alarm others.
He didn’t know how many times he shouted until Xu Yan felt his voice was about to go hoarse. Earlier he could still hear splashing sounds from the depths, but later this deep well became quiet.
The little Taoist lying at the well’s edge slowly straightened up, his eyes somewhat vacant.
Xu Yan couldn’t understand why the girl who had still been alive, whom he could even have helped escape the bandit stronghold, chose in a single thought to bury herself in the well.
Ghosts couldn’t take revenge. The bandit stronghold was filled with killing aura so heavy that ordinary ghosts would be scattered by the bandits’ murderous qi the moment they appeared.
“You could have lived, why did you choose to die…”
By the well came the little Taoist’s suppressed whisper. Xu Yan faced the well opening, his hands clenched tightly. His originally handsome face was now twisted and fierce. Under the moonlight, it seemed as if a malevolent ghost had truly appeared by this well!
“This is the way of the world.”
Behind Xu Yan came a woman’s bitter words. Mei Sanniang’s figure appeared beside the well.
“There are many evil tigers in this world. They devour people without spitting out the bones!”
Mei Sanniang slowly came to Xu Yan’s side, rubbing the little Taoist’s head while sitting on the well’s edge herself, murmuring softly: “Five years ago, I also sat here for a night. I also wanted to dive headfirst into the well. I was unwilling, unwilling to let Little Cheng sleep alone in the back mountain. But what could I do? A woman who falls into the hands of a group of evil bandits – to have survived until today, I long ago stopped considering myself human…”
Mei Sanniang didn’t look at Xu Yan, always gazing into the darkness of the well’s depths. For a brief moment, she really did want to dive down too. That way she could be free.
Sometimes what people think often becomes reality. After gazing into the dark well opening for too long, Mei Sanniang’s body began slowly tilting toward the well opening, very slowly, so slowly that she herself didn’t notice.
Xu Yan had already been awakened by Mei Sanniang’s appearance. His expression had returned to normal, but now Xu Yan’s face had become somewhat pale.
Because his strange left eye had once again seen a ghost.
In Xu Yan’s vision, behind Mei Sanniang, a dim black shadow was forcefully pushing the woman sitting on the well’s edge, trying to push Mei Sanniang into the well too. And that black shadow’s appearance was vaguely that of the Zhao family girl who had jumped into the well earlier!
