Chapter 357: A Young Girl’s Secret Thoughts

Inside the small room, there was no light at all; darkness enveloped everything. Only the slightly uneasy breathing of the two girls could be heard, there was no other sound.

After a long while, Little Orange finally couldn’t hold back and tentatively asked: “Miss, are you asleep?”

“No!” Nie Qianyu answered resolutely: “How could I possibly fall asleep?”

“Me neither, Miss. Whenever I close my eyes, I keep seeing Hero Ren… the way he killed those people.”

“Sigh. Just a few days ago, that group slaughtered eight of our bodyguards right before our eyes, and then those men were killed by some mysterious expert. Even with all that bloodshed, it wasn’t as shocking as seeing Hero Ren kill today. It’s not just you, even though I was mentally prepared, I was still caught off guard. I… I never imagined he was that powerful…”

Nie Qianyu’s voice grew softer and softer. Little Orange let out a long sigh and said: “Miss, you truly have sharp eyes, able to see through that fellow’s true nature. I was completely fooled by him, even ordering him to do chores like a servant. I wonder if he’s holding a grudge about that.”

“Pah!” Nie Qianyu couldn’t help but spit lightly. “You want him to remember, but he’d have to care enough first. If he didn’t want to do something, no matter how much you begged, he wouldn’t lift a finger.”

Then, she murmured: “Little Orange, do you think there’s some kind of fate between us and him?”

“Fate?” Little Orange was startled. “Miss, don’t say such things lightly when it comes to fate.”

“Think about it. We just saved a female hero, which delayed us, and then not long after, we ran into him. All those crazy things you said, he overheard them all, remember? He even waved at us, and then asked us about the Sibu Xiang. I can’t vouch for anything else, but if you’re talking about the Sibu Xiang. I’d say our Spring Rebirth Valley is the only place in the world that has them. Even though his question was simple, it feels like we’ve formed a karmic bond.”

“By the way, Little Orange, don’t you think it was awfully sudden, the way he appeared that morning? It almost seemed like he was connected to that mysterious expert who saved us the day before. Maybe… maybe he was sent by that expert to protect us.”

“Pfft!” Little Orange couldn’t help but laugh, and the air in the small room seemed to lighten. She said: “Miss, are you telling me one of those stories from your novels again? If he really were that expert’s disciple, he would have shown up the night before! And he should have escorted us straight back to the manor, not acted all wishy-washy like he did, making excuses not to take us.”

“Mm, you’re right. Besides, I clearly saw there wasn’t any white-bearded, white-haired elder by his side that day.”

After that, the room once again fell into silence.

After a while, Nie Qianyu spoke hesitantly, uncertainty in her voice. “Little Orange, do you think… do you think he’ll really just dump us at the escort agency, find a few random bodyguards or guards-for-hire, and be done with us?”

“Miss, I think…” In the darkness, Little Orange was just as hesitant. “I think it’s very possible.”

“But… doesn’t he have even a shred of chivalry? No matter what, we’re just two pitiful, defenseless girls. Can’t he at least lend a hand and see us safely home?”

Little Orange was silent for a moment, not making a sound. Nie Qianyu grew anxious. “Little Orange? Little Orange, have you fallen asleep?”

“No, Miss, I’m just like you right now. I can’t sleep at all.”

“Then why aren’t you answering my question?”

“Sigh, Miss, isn’t your mind all jumbled right now, like a tangled mess? All you can think about is him. How he held that long sword, leaped up from the ground, just like a hero riding a rainbow cloud, descending from the heavens, wielding a blade that could cut through any evil. Without hesitation, he struck down the villains before us. That sword technique, one you’d never seen before, didn’t it feel like, with one swing, you’d be under his protection, never having to fear the troubles of the world again?”

“Ah!!” Nie Qianyu let out a low gasp. “Little Orange, how… how did you know?”

Little Orange let out a faint, lingering sigh, but didn’t answer her question. Instead, she asked in return: “Miss, we were complete strangers to him, yet first he helped pull our carriage back from the wilderness, then looked after us for several days, and this afternoon, right before our eyes, he killed those who tried to steal our treasure. Judging by their manner, those people were even higher ranked than the villains who attacked us the first time. To be honest, his kindness to us is greater than that of the flying sword-wielding senior expert. Yet you keep thanking that mysterious expert you’ve never even met, while blaming the one who just saved our lives. Do you really think this is the same calm, decisive Miss Nie I’ve always known?”

“This…” Nie Qianyu was at a loss for words. After a while, she said: “Little Orange, you always act like you don’t understand anything, always needing me to teach you. How come you suddenly know so much?”

“Miss, it’s nothing. I’m just a few years older than you, that’s all.”

“What do you mean by that?” Nie Qianyu was puzzled.

“Sigh~” Little Orange sighed again, as if she’d sighed more tonight than in the past fourteen years combined.

“Give it some more time, Miss. Maybe you’ll understand on your own.”

“Will I?” Nie Qianyu sounded a little lost.

But soon, Nie Qianyu asked: “Then, what do you think we should do now?”

Little Orange’s troubled expression was hidden by the darkness; she only replied: “Miss, my heart is just as tangled as yours right now. Please don’t ask me.”

Then, Nie Qianyu tentatively asked: “Little Orange, do you think I should be honest with him and tell him everything about our situation?”

“Absolutely not, Miss!” Little Orange immediately stopped her. “As the saying goes, ‘You can know a person’s face, but not their heart.’ Right now, he doesn’t know we’re carrying a treasure. If he learns how valuable it is, who knows what thoughts he might have? He could become even more dangerous than those who tried to rob us. If he wanted to take the treasure and kill us both, it would be easier than killing a chicken.”

“Huh? Surely not, Little Orange. He… he doesn’t seem like that kind of person. When I look at him, I just feel safe.”

Little Orange spoke in a voice that was almost trembling: “It’s still… better not to tell him…”

Her words grew weaker and her voice softer and softer.

“Oh!” Nie Qianyu suddenly remembered something and said: “By the way, when you took the brocade box back from that villain, was he there? Or did you get it before he arrived?”

Hearing Nie Qianyu’s question, Little Orange’s face suddenly burned with embarrassment, her heart pounding wildly. She replied carefully: “No, I took it before he came.”

“Oh, that’s good, that’s good.” Nie Qianyu seemed to pat her chest with relief, laughing: “Since he didn’t see it, and I don’t tell him, it doesn’t really count as lying to him, right? He wouldn’t ask anyway, would he?”

“Mm~” Little Orange answered vaguely.

The night grew deep. There was no moonlight outside the window, only darkness, a perfect time for sweet dreams. Yet in the pitch-black little room, the sound of tossing and turning could be heard from time to time. Sleeplessness and lingering thoughts were shared, but the feelings in their hearts were not the same.

“A tall, slender figure, brimming with extraordinary power. That longsword in his hand, shining with dazzling light, sweeping away all the filth of the world. He stood right before my eyes, displaying divine might.”

“His eyes, though a bit small, were bright and piercing. His nose was a little flat, but pleasingly so. His ears were a bit small, but looked just right.”

“His youthful face carried a hint of maturity, and every word he spoke had a playful, carefree charm.”

“Could it be he really did come riding on rainbow clouds?”

“He… he is… my… hero?”

Meanwhile, in the adjacent room, Zhang Xiaohua had no idea that, in the hearts of these two young girls, his image was growing ever more perfect. He simply sat with his eyes closed, quietly cultivating and slowly comprehending the boundless mysteries of the Dao.

It was only as midnight approached that he took out a yuan stone from his robe and began circulating the Carefree Heart Sutra, resuming his cultivation practice.

The next morning, Zhang Xiaohua had just finished practicing the Big Dipper Divine Fist nine times. He was about to carefully ponder the 108 moves to see if he could reverse them when he heard footsteps coming from the small room behind him.

Zhang Xiaohua frowned slightly and stood with his hands behind his back in the middle of the courtyard.

With a creak, the door to the room opened. Nie Qianyu and Little Orange both emerged, dark circles under their eyes and red veins showing in their gaze, looking exhausted and dispirited.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua smiled and asked: “Miss Nie, why do you look so tired? Didn’t sleep well last night? And Little Orange, you’re the same?”

Looking at that ordinary smiling face, the very one that had appeared countless times in her dreams the previous night, Nie Qianyu suddenly didn’t know what to say.

It was Little Orange who supported her mistress’s arm and replied: “Sigh, suddenly staying in a new place is really uncomfortable. I kept having nightmares all night. In the dream, a cat was chasing a mouse, and that mouse kept darting back and forth in front of me, but the cat could never catch it. Isn’t that right, Miss?”

“Oh, that’s right. That cat was really hopeless.”

Zhang Xiaohua pinched his nose and laughed: “So you both had the same dream? Truly a deep bond between mistress and maid.”

Seeing the two girls looking embarrassed, Zhang Xiaohua changed the subject and said: “Why don’t you both wait a bit? I’ll go get some breakfast from the inn. You two eat first, and then I’ll head into town to see if the Fushun Escort Agency is interested in taking this job.”

“Hero Ren… can’t you really escort us yourself?” Nie Qianyu still wouldn’t give up, looking at him with hopeful, shining eyes.

Zhang Xiaohua just smiled and turned to leave the courtyard.

Soon, he brought breakfast into the courtyard.

Zhang Xiaohua asked: “By the way, Miss Nie, where exactly are you headed?”

Nie Qianyu thought for a moment and replied: “Spring Rebirth Valley.”

Then she watched Zhang Xiaohua’s reaction very carefully.

But to her disappointment, Zhang Xiaohua didn’t react much at all. He just smiled and said: “Miss Nie, Spring Rebirth Valley is where your family lives, right? You’ll have to tell me where it is. Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain it to the people at the escort agency?”