Chapter 41

At this time, the sky was already dark. The mountain was far away and the path there was rugged. And it was likely that they might meet danger. In a blink of an eye, there was already a great distance between him and Wei Luo. Zhao Jie could only gesture to Zhu Geng to catch up to her.

In a few jumps, Zhu Geng caught up to Wei Luo and was firmly blocking her path.

Wei Luo was currently extremely anxious and had no time to explain. She pushed him and said, “Let me pass.”

For every moment that she was delayed, the more likely that Ah Dai would be in danger. Who knew how long they ago they had left their house? Have they already started the ceremony? If she was too late, Ah Dai might already be buried alive!

But, Zhu Geng was an unmovable as a mountain. She couldn’t push past him no matter how hard she tried. If she moved in a different direction, he would follow her direction to intentionally stop her. Ah Luo raised her head to fiercely glare at him. Just as she had grabbed his hand and was about to bite down, Zhao Jie caught up to them.

His slender fingers blocked her small mouth and his beautiful voice calmly asked, “Ah Luo, where do you want to go?”

Wei Luo had brought them here for a reason that only she knew, so she knew that she had to provide them with a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, this wouldn’t be justifiable no matter what. However, it was still too early. It was more important to save Ah Dai first. She hesitatingly looked at Zhao Jie like a small beast that wanted to escape its shackles. After a long time, she said, “Up the mountain.”

Zhao Jie looked her in the eyes and slowly nodded, and then he held her hand, “Okay, this prince will bring you there.”

A sense of uncertainty existed in his heart. He had asked what she was planning, but she didn’t reveal anything. It was only now that he knew why she asked him to come with her. It was because she wouldn’t have been able to get here by herself. Then the question was, how did she know this place and why was she so familiar with it?

She was Duke Ying’s fourth miss. Normally, she lived a secluded life. Other than her home and the palace, she rarely went anywhere else. She shouldn’t have previously come to such a place.

Zhao Jie looked at the little girl in front of him. Her dark eyes were gloomy and cold. While holding his hand, she was trembling slightly as if she was trying to conceal her emotions. She was always hiding things in her heart instead of telling other people. She was clearly only seven or eight years old, but her thoughts were deeper than anyone else’s. When she had been standing outside that house’s doorway, her little shoulders had dropped. She looked so pitiful and frail. He almost couldn’t resist stepping forward to hug her.

What was she hiding?

Zhao Jie recovered his senses and went back to looking forward.

It was nightfall and the mountain forest was quiet. Zhu Geng was holding up an oil lamp while he walked behind them. The faint light illuminated the path beneath their feet and stretched into the deepest part of the mountain forest. There was a thick layer of snow beneath their feet and their feet would sink into the snow as they took each step. It was a very difficult walk, but Wei Luo didn’t express any complaint. She tightly held his hand and didn’t say a word as they progressed further into the woods. The trees blocked the moonlight and he couldn’t see the expression on her face.

Wei Luo had been walking forward using her memories as a guide, but she overestimated herself. That day had been too chaotic and she had been too fully occupied to remember the path. When she was going up the mountain, her red wedding veil had covered her head. When she was descending the mountain, she had been fleeing wildly. So, at this moment, after walking this far, she didn’t know which direction to go and was spinning around in place.

She looked left and right, but the scenery was the same blackness in each direction and she couldn’t tell where she was.

Zhao Jie asked here, “Are you lost?”

With a somewhat hopeless look in her eyes, she replied in discouragement, “En.”

Zhao Jie smiled and unknowingly calmed down. It was good that she didn’t recognize which path to take. This was normal. If she even knew which mountain path to take, then he really had to be suspicious of her.

Zhao Jie leaned over her to brush off the sparkling and translucent snow on her head. Then, he gathered together her cloak and put on her hood. The white rabbit fur crowded around her little face. Underneath the lamplight, her face had become deathly pale. He asked, “Where do you want to go?”

She deeply pondered before replying, “There’s a grave.”

Zhao Jie’s eyes didn’t change and he didn’t ask further before ordering Zhu Geng.

Zhu Geng immediately jumped onto a tree to look at the surrounding area. There was an easy way to find cemeteries. Blue will-o’-the-wisps would rise from graveyards at night. In the darkness of nighttime, this was especially distinct. Zhu Geng was highly skilled in martial arts and his eyes were the same. In a short time, he jumped down from the tree. He pointed in the southwest direction and said, “Prince, there’s something strange there.”

Zhao Jie nodded and held Wei Luo’s hand again, “Let’s go.”

Wei Luo followed his footsteps. After walking such a long mountain path, she had become tired a long time ago, but she took a deep breath and continued walking forward without complaining. Now that she knew which way to go, she walked even faster. Without noticing, she let go Zhao Jie’s hand and had left him behind. But, she was still too young. After only walking a few more steps, her body was unable to endure. Her speed became slower and slower.

She had just taken another step when her foot struck a stone that had been hidden by the deep snow. Her body couldn’t help falling forward and she could only watch, as she was about to fall onto the ground!

From behind her, Zhao Jie grabbed her waist. When she was stably standing again, he didn’t let go. Instead, he held her in his arms and picked her up from the ground. He couldn’t help but laugh as he said, “You’re finally tired?”

Wei Luo didn’t struggle. Instead she took the opportunity to cling to his neck and buried her ice-cold face in that shelter. She slowly said, “En.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Her small face was icy cold, but her breath was warm. Zhao Jie didn’t continue to tease her. He carried her as he continued walked.

Zhu Geng followed behind them. He was unable to bear seeing his respectable prince carrying a young girl while walking a mountain path. He spoke up to suggest, “Prince, how about letting this subordinating carry fourth miss on his back?”

Zhao Jie didn’t pause. His voice was serene, “Walk in front of us and carry the lamp to show the way.”

Zhu Geng was inviting a rebuff and making himself unwelcome. He rubbed his nose and could only follow Zhao Jie’s order. Carrying the lamp, he walked in front of them.

Wei Luo thought Zhao Jie’s neck was very warm and kept burrowing herself in her search for warmth. The breath from her small mouth was warm. At some point, her nose had reached his ear. She was like a proud kitten that liked to wrap herself around other people. Zhao Jie freed one of his hands to touch her forehead, “Cold?”

She shook her head. She didn’t forget why she was here, “Not cold. Walk faster big brother.”

Zhao Jie didn’t say anything else. He continued walking forward on the mountain forest path.

——–

There was indeed a cemetery in the southwest. Because it was currently deep winter, there weren’t many burning will-o-the-wisps. There were only a few, bright flames that were gently burning. This was the same scene that Zhu Geng had seen at the top of the tree. The light from the fire had a celebratory redness that had an eerie effect.

Zhao Jie had finally walked here while carrying Wei Luo. He looked at the scene in front of him.

Wei Luo’s face was suddenly unable to move. Her eyes had frozen on a couple that wasn’t far away from them. That couple was Lin Huilian and Bai Yang. At this time, they were holding shovels and shoveling dirt into a grave. The coffin had already been deeply buried. In front of the grave, there was a bright red candle. On the side, there was a pair of embroidered red shoes!

They had come too late. Ah Dai had already been buried alive!

The couple finished shoveling the last layer of soil and put away their things. They stopped in front of the grave to say a few words, and then holding the bamboo basket, they were about to descend the mountain.

Wei Luo trembled with endless anger, “Capture them, big brother… capture them…”

At this time, Zhao Jie and Zhu Geng finally understood what was happening. Their faces had become imposing. After Wei Luo finished her words, Zhu Geng was like a shot arrow. He quickly arrived in front of Lin Huilian and Bai Yang and took out the sword at his waist and pressed it against his necks, “Stop!”

The couple was dressed normally. They looked simple and honest, but their hearts were vicious. The two of them didn’t think a person would appear at this time. Frightened, their conscience became guiltier.

Lin Huilian stubbornly maintained her arrogance and said, “Who are you? Why are you blocking our path?”

Zhu Geng directly asked, “What were you burying?”

Bai Yang was a thin and weak man and he couldn’t walk nimbly. Covered in cold sweat, he said, “We weren’t burying anything. Today is the anniversary of my child’s death. I’m here with my wife to burn paper in offering… how is this related to you?”

After saying this, he turned around to leave using another path. Unexpectedly, another person carrying a young child came from that direction. His presence wasn’t ordinary and he seemed like a person that shouldn’t be provoked. The two of them guessed that their business had been revealed, but they couldn’t guess the identity of these people. They gritted their teeth and prepared to run away.

They had only run a few steps away when Zhu Geng caught up to them.

Zhu Geng unloaded them from his arms and dropped the two of them in front of Zhao Jie. He cupped his hands in obeisance, “Prince, how should they be dealt with.”

The two of them lied on the ground and wailed incessantly.

Zhao Jie’s eyes were cold. He asked the young girl in his arms, “Ah Luo, how do you want to deal with them?”

Wei Luo was worried about Ah Dai. She hadn’t been buried for a long time and might still be alive. She looked at the people on the ground. Seeing them again, her mood didn’t go up or down the slightest amount. She said, “First, make them dig that person out.”

Lin Huilian and Bai Yang’s faces changed and they shook their heads, “No… You can’t…”

Zhu Geng placed his sword on Bai Yang’s neck. With the smallest amount of pressure, Bai Yang’s neck started bleeding. Bai Yang paled in fear and he quickly changed his words, “Okay okay, we’ll dig.”

They didn’t know which deity they had provoked. Their plan had originally been going well. They couldn’t have expected that these three people would suddenly appear. They were clearly not people from their village. Since they weren’t, why would they intentionally come here? It couldn’t possibly be because they knew Bai Lan? They thought of this, but they hastily rejected this idea. These three people were clearly not common people. How could they have any relationship with Bai Lan?! But other than this reason, what other reason could there be?

Lin Huilian and Bai Yang couldn’t figure it out. Forced by Zhu Geng’s sword, they once again dug out the coffin that they had just buried.

He looked at Wei Luo’s grave face and hurried them, “Hurry up. If you’re too slow, I’ll have your lives.”

The two of them were resentful, but they could only obey. After the time it would take an incense to burn, a black coffin was revealed at the bottom of the grave.

Wei Luo tightly clenched her fists. Her soft voice solemnly said, “Open it.”

Bai Yang and Lin Huilian wanted to make a final effort. It wouldn’t be good if the coffin opened. Their son wouldn’t be peaceful in the underworld without a marriage. They said with hesitation, “Our son is inside. It’s been too long. Only a heap of bones is left… Why do you want to look at this? There’s nothing else inside.”

This didn’t move Wei Luo. Her voice became more resolute, “Open it!”

They could only obey. They slowly opened the coffin to reveal what was inside. A bundle of white bones appeared in their line of sight. Zhao Jie was behind Wei Luo and he covered her eyes. When the top of the coffin was completely removed, there was also a teenage girl wearing a bright red wedding dress inside. Because she had been sealed inside for too long, her face was deathly pale. Her eyes were closed. She had lost conscious a long time ago.

Wei Luo slowly pulled Zhao Jie’s hand away and looked inside. Her gaze stopped at Ah Dai’s body. After a long time, she asked, “Is she still alive?”

Zhao Jie looked up to see inside. Although the girl’s face was very pale, after the coffin was open, her chest had been moving up and down. She was probably still okay. He finally knew why Ah Luo wanted to come here. Even knowing why, he was still curious what relationship Ah Luo had with that teenage girl, “She’s okay.”

Wei Luo let go of her worries and turned her head to look at that couple.

Lin Huilian and Baiyang were under Zhu Geng’s watch. They were both kneeling on the ground. They knew that they couldn’t keep their secret and started talking about their bitter predicament. After all, if this were told to the authorities, they would be punished. They knew their actions were wrong, but they still went through with it.

Could a dead person’s marriage be more important than a person’s life?

Zhu Geng had taken Ah Dai out from the coffin. Ah Dai remained unconscious at Ah Luo’s feet.

The redness of the wedding dress was horrifying. The firelight shined brightly in the Ah Dai’s golden hairpin. Because her family was poor, the hairpin was only gilded with a thin layer of gold. The golden polish was tapering. Without any warning, Wei Luo took off the hairpin on Ah Dai’s head and took a step towards Liu Huilian!

Lin Huilian had stiffly put her hands on the ground. She saw a little girl looking at her coldly and holding up the sharp-end of a golden hairpin. Before she could understand what was happening, the little girl had viciously struck the hairpin down at her hand!

She let out a painful shout. Fresh blood splashed out on the ground.

Ah Luo hated that hand. It was that hand that had saved her and brought her home. It was that hand that raised her to adulthood, cooked her food, and washed her clothes. And, it was also this hand that pushed her into a coffin and completely smashed her feelings of warm-heartedness and gratefulness.

And now, she was using this hand to harm someone else. Why was she so wicked? Ah Luo’s eyes were cold as she pulled the hairpin out from Lin Huilian’s hand. Then, she resolutely pierced her right hand. One stab wasn’t enough. She need to stab a second and third time. She wanted her to feel pain. The more pain that Lin Huilian felt the better. She wanted to make it so that this pair of hands would never hurt anyone else by making silk flowers, or picking up a shovel.

Lin Huilian was in so much pain that her entire body was twitching and sweating. She wanted to push Ah Luo away, but Zhu Geng was behind her. Her body was powerless and she couldn’t make a single movement.

Not much time passed before Lin Huilian fainted. Wei Luo held the hairpin and slowly stopped.

She bowed her head and stayed motionless.

Zhao Jie stepped forward to hold her. As he was about to wipe away the blood on her face, he saw that she was crying and suddenly stopped his action. Tears were stored in her eyes. Drop by drop, her tears fell. She cried silently as if she had suffered a big grievance. She looked far too fragile.

Zhao Jie crouched down in front of her and asked in surprise, “Ah Luo?”

She stretched out her arms, hugged his neck, threw herself onto his chest, and began to loudly cry. Her sobs changed into howling and wailing. Her warm tears slid down his neck. It seemed as if her heart-broken and sad tears were endless.

Zhao Jie held her in his arms and surrounded her little body. At this moment, his heart ached for her.