With a bang, the arrow pierced fiercely into the tree behind Su Muge, with the tail of the arrow quivering in the wind.
Su Muge opened her eyes and found her broken sleeve swaying in the wind.
âHaha ...â Infanta Ceylon laughed out loud.
âSu Muge, is it exciting? Are you afraid? If you kneel and beg me, I may be kinder to let you die more comfortably. With an arrow, Iâll let a child go.â Infanta Ceylon raised her chin.
The guard untied the rope on a child.
The child stood there trembling with tears in his eyes and dared not move.
The next moment, Infanta Ceylon pulled the bow again.
âSu Muge, Iâll be serious this time!â
The arrow was aimed at Su Mugeâs eyebrows.
âWait a minute.â
Infanta Ceylon stopped. âWhy? Are you afraid of dying?â
Su Muge pressed her lips tightly. âI let you shoot at close range. An arrow for two children.â After finishing her words, Su Muge approached Infanta Ceylon slowly and stopped only two steps away from her.
The closer the distance, the greater the damage Su Muge would suffer. Infanta Ceylon would certainly not object.
âOkay, if you want to die faster, I wonât stop you.â
Infanta Ceylon put on a sullen face and took a deep breath before she pulled the bow to its full again.
With the cold bow reflected in Su Mugeâs eyes, the silver needle flashed at her fingertips.
Just as Infanta Ceylon was to let go of the arrow, Su Muge quickly squatted down and threw herself forward to hold Infanta Ceylonâs waist.
The arrow in the hands of Infanta Ceylon flew out, and Infanta Ceylon was pushed to the ground by Su Muge unexpectedly.
While Infanta Ceylon was too stunned to take any action, Su Muge pierced the silver needle into the acupuncture point on her body. Infanta Ceylon suddenly felt her body stiffened; she wanted to move, but her limbs couldnât move at all!
Before the guards could react to step forward, Su Muge had pulled out her dagger and put it on Infanta Ceylonâs neck. âDonât come over! Or Iâll kill her!â
The guards who wanted to step forward suddenly stopped and dared not move.
âSu Muge, Iâll tear you into pieces!â Infanta Ceylon roared with crimson eyes.
The dagger in Su Mugeâs hand got even closer to Infanta Ceylonâs neck. âWe will perish together at worst. Iâm not afraid at all! Let them go; otherwise, Iâll blind her now!â While speaking, Su Muge pointed the dagger directly at Infanta Ceylonâs eyes.
The guards glanced at each other and dared not to move for a time.
Su Muge sneered. âWhy? Do you really think I wonât do it?â
As soon as she finished her words, Su Muge pierced the dagger into Infanta Ceylonâs palm fiercely.
âAh!â Infanta Ceylon screamed.
âIâll repeat it, let them go immediately!â Su Muge pulled out the dagger and said in a cold voice.
âYou idiots, what are you waiting for? Let them go!â Infanta Ceylon was terribly painful; although she wanted to kill Su Muge, she could only do as she said now.
âYes.â
The guards stepped forward and let go of the children and Cheng Ran.
Cheng Ran got up from the ground and looked at Su Muge worriedly. âMiss.â
âCheng Ran, now lead the children down the mountain and back to the city. Find Yueru and let her arrange you.â
âWhat about you, Miss?â
âRest assured, Infanta Ceylon values her life so much that she wonât let her people act rashly.â
âOkay.â
Su Muge glanced at the guards coldly again.
âYouâd better not play tricks; otherwise Iâll let her die here today!â
âLet them go. Let them go!â Infanta Ceylon shouted in pain.
Cheng Ran glanced at Su Muge and led the children down the mountain.
âStand up!â Su Muge pulled Infanta Ceylon up from the ground and walked into the woods.
The guards stared at her alertly, trying to find an opportunity to save Infanta Ceylon. But Su Muge was holding the dagger so tight that they simply couldnât find a chance.
Su Muge estimated the time for Cheng Ran and the children to escape. When she was sure that the guards couldnât catch up with them, she stopped.
âLet your people step back.â
Infanta Ceylon had been pale because of excessive blood loss.
âYou, step back ...â
Su Muge looked at the steep slope behind her. She really wished to kill Infanta Ceylon, but she couldnât.
She gritted her teeth, kicked Infanta Ceylonâs lumbar spine, and turned around to jump down to the steep slope.
âAh!â Infanta Ceylon was stumbled and fell to the ground.
âYour Grace, are you okay?â
Infanta Ceylon raised her head with a pair of resentful eyes. âGo! Catch the bitch, no matter dead or alive! Whoever can catch her will be greatly rewarded!â Su Muge, I would never let you go!
âYes, you all go down the slope!â
âYes.â
The guards went down the steep slope to search for Su Muge.
After Su Muge jumped down the steep slope, she chose the direction according to the sunâs location. The capital was in the north, so she went straight to the north.
The sun was setting and the surroundings were getting darker and darker. If she couldnât leave here before dark, even if she was not caught by the guards of Infanta Ceylon, she was likely to be attacked by beasts.
âStrange, this tree seems to have appeared just now...â
Su Muge stood in front of a big tree and looked around. After picking up a stone from the ground and making a mark on the tree, she continued walking.
But when she returned to the tree after a while, she knew that she had been lost and trapped.
Su Muge stopped and stood in front of the tree. After taking a deep breath, she picked up a long wooden stick from the ground to use as a cane, closed her eyes, and began to move forward.
She walked slowly. After a while, she felt something blocked her way. She reached out to touch it and found a huge stone.
When she opened her eyes, she was startled by the scene in front of her.
The stone in front of her was as tall as twice of her height. And it was surrounded by peach trees. In this season, the peach trees had sprouted, and some of them even have grown flower buds.
âDamn it! Where is this place?â
Su Muge walked around the peach forest and found wet steam floating from behind the big stone.
She bypassed the stone and gradually walked towards the steam.
The closer she got, the moister it became. She could even hear the sound of gurgling water.
As the sound became clearer and clearer, she pushed the bushes aside.
âAh!â
âAh!â
Behind the bushes was a steaming hot pool in which a man with a naked upper body was sitting.
Su Muge shrank back immediately.
And she heard the sounds of water and footsteps on the other side.
âWho are you?â He pushed aside the bushes with his slender and fair hands and came out. He was wearing a loose white robe, with his long black hair soaked with water.
Su Muge looked up from his bare feet and finally fixed her eyes on his face; she was stunned.
His face was so ethereal seen from all aspects!
Jinglan looked at Su Muge with his big and long phoenix-look eyes. When he caught sight of the birthmark at the corner of her eye which had faded but didnât disappear, he reached out to stroke his temple. âSo ugly.â
â...â
It was my fault to be ugly!
âI got lost and strayed into this place. I didnât see anything just now.â Su Muge pursed her lips.
âLost? You are so unlucky.â Jinglan walked past Su Muge into the peach forest.
Su Muge could only follow him. âIs this your zone?â
âMy zone? Well, it can be said so.â
Su Muge followed him out of the peach forest, and a bamboo forest instantly appeared in front of her. There were several wooden houses deep in the bamboo forest.
Jinglan pushed open the door of a log cabin and walked in. When he was about to close the door, he suddenly stopped and looked at Su Muge with clear eyes.
âWhy do you follow me?â
â...â
âSorry, I just want to ask how to go down the mountain.â
Jinglan frowned doubtfully. âGo down the mountain?â
âYes, Iâm going to the capital, but I canât get out of the mountain.â
âOh, the capital, I donât know.â
â...â
Su Muge couldnât help rolling her eyes. âYou ... donât know the way down the mountain?â
Jinglan shook his head. âI donât know.â
Su Muge was speechless!
âWho are you!?â
Just as Su Muge was to leave, she heard a murderous and violent voice behind her.
Su Muge was shocked. When she looked back, she found the tip of a sword flickering with silver light aimed at her eyebrow!
A twelve or thirteen-year-old handsome boy was staring at her alertly with a frown.
âWell, Ali, she just got lost.â
The alert in Aliâs eyes didnât relieve. âAre you coming to send soy sauce chicken to the master?â
Jinglanâs fair face suddenly turned red. âAli, what are you talking about?â
After Su Muge solemnly stated that she was just an innocent girl who had lost her way, Ali withdrew the sword.
âAli, soy sauce chicken.â Jinglan stretched out his fair and attractive hands.
Ali took a glimpse at him and took out an oil-paper pack from his arms. âYou have only one a day. Donât wake me up at night and ask me for another!â
After smelling the oil-paper pack, Jinglan became satisfied. He suddenly caught sight of Su Mugeâs eyes fixed on the oil-paper pack and held it more tightly in his arms.
âI wonât share it with you.â After that, he turned around and entered the log cabin.
The soy sauce chicken was not sold in the mountain anyway! So, the boy named Ali must know how to go down the mountain!
Su Muge pursed her lips and said, âActually ... the soy sauce chicken I make is much tastier than that you can buy outside.â
Her words successfully made Jinglan, with a chicken leg in his mouth, come out of the room and look at her expectantly.
âIs it true? Can you make soy sauce chicken? And itâs delicious!?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Seeing that such a celestial being with outstanding temperament and appearance in the mountain was actually a foodie, Su Muge felt it quite ... acceptable!
âYes, would you like to try it?â