Chapter 2: The Kindhearted Young Hunter

The daylight was bright, and the bonfire that had burned all night was gradually losing its strength.

Mo Zheng touched the clothes he had hung on branches nearby; they needed to be dried a bit more to be comfortable to wear. He stood up and walked behind the Buddha statue. Just as he pulled out a stack of dry firewood, a cry came from the front.

"Mother—Mother—"

"Help, help—"

"Why kill me, why kill me—"

Mo Zheng walked out holding the firewood and saw the girl who had been unconscious all night waking up from what seemed to be a nightmare. She cried out, then noticed the clothes covering her that didn't belong to her. She shook them off in a panic, but immediately seeing her torn dress and exposed skin, she hurriedly grabbed the robe and wrapped it tightly around herself.

At the same time, her gaze shifted toward him. Fear appeared on her face, but as she stared, her expression turned somewhat strange.

It seemed like desolation, like sorrow, like... relief.

Could it be because he didn't look very old, making him less frightening? Or perhaps, knowing he was her savior and that she had escaped death, she felt at ease? Mo Zheng stopped scrutinizing her, walked over with the firewood, added it to the dying embers, and poked at them with a branch until the fire glowed red again.

The girl stopped crying and seemed dazed.

"Did you run into mountain bandits?" Mo Zheng asked proactively. "Where is your family?"

This question brought Yang Luo back to her senses. Thinking 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 up to cover her face and sobbed.

Mo Zheng didn't speak again. Listening to the girl's crying, he lowered his head to watch the firewood catch, then took down the clothes he had hung up to shake them out and dry them further.

After crying for a while, Yang Luo knelt down: "Benefactor, thank you for saving me."

She kowtowed forcefully, and her fair forehead instantly turned bright red.

That was truly full of sincerity.

Mo Zheng hurriedly said: "You are still injured, stop kowtowing."

Yang Luo stopped, slowly sat up straight, her eyes vacant, tears still sliding down.

"Who... are you?" she murmured.

Mo Zheng, wearing his dried undergarment, shook out his outer robe and replied: "I am a hunter from the mountains. This is a ruined temple where I stay when I'm out hunting."

Yang Luo subconsciously looked around. It was a ruined temple with a half-broken statue. A fur was spread on the altar, with a few pieces of clothing thrown on top, and two wild rabbits lay on the ground on the other side.

She lowered her gaze, feeling pain in her body. She lifted her clothes to look and saw that the scrapes and bruises on her exposed skin were covered with green, crushed herbs.

The herbs hadn't been processed; they were just mashed up and smeared on.

Only then did she notice the temple was filled with a strong medicinal scent.

She raised her eyes and saw the youth sitting by the campfire, lifting his own clothes to apply herbs to his arm. It was a deep wound, fresh, though no longer bleeding.

He must have been injured saving her last night.

Yes, those bandits were so vicious; for the youth to save her alone, he must have been hurt.

"There's no other way in the mountains, so I could only use herbs to stop the bleeding first," Mo Zheng said, pausing. "I didn't touch you anywhere else, only the exposed wounds. You were unconscious; please forgive me if I caused any offense."

Yang Luo's tears fell as she kowtowed again: "Benefactor, you speak too heavily. You saved my life and treated my wounds. If I were to blame you, I would be worse than a beast—"

The hunter youth gave a light cough.

"You, too, speak too heavily." 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 will take you back."

Yang Luo raised her head and murmured: "Home..."

Yes, she should go home and take a look.

Take one more look.

...

...

A short walk from the ruined temple led to a wide mountain road.

Mo Zheng carried a bamboo pole on his shoulder, with two wild rabbits hanging from the other end, swaying as he walked.

Yang Luo followed behind. She was wearing the youth's outer robe, which was a bit large and tied tightly around her with a sash.

Before leaving the temple, she had smeared ash on her face. The hunter youth looked at her, seemingly puzzled.

"I am a girl. If people see me and know I encountered bandits, I will have no purity left," Yang Luo explained through tears.

Mo Zheng had given her the clothes thrown on the altar: "Then disguise yourself as a man."

So, at this moment, Yang Luo was dressed the same as Mo Zheng, only she was frailer and walked unsteadily.

She had never walked such a long distance. She rarely left home; she always traveled by carriage or horse. She had been fleeing for her life last night and was covered in injuries. The herbs could stop the bleeding but not the pain. The hunter youth had been busy drying clothes and hadn't boiled water or roasted the rabbits. She was in pain, exhausted, bitter, hungry, and thirsty...

Seeing she was incredibly weak, Mo Zheng slowed his pace: "Hold on a little longer, we're almost there."

There was no sound from behind. The girl didn't know if she didn't want to talk or didn't have the strength to.

Mo Zheng asked again: "Which family in Baima Town are you from?"

A low voice came from behind: "In... the east side of the town."

She didn't say which family. Because she had been hunted by bandits, she was afraid of being known and losing her reputation—was that true even for her savior?

Mo Zheng rubbed his chin. Then how was he supposed to get his reward? One couldn't save someone for nothing, right?

Never mind. If she wouldn't say now, she would have to go home once they reached town; he would find out eventually.

But as they approached Baima Town, Mo Zheng felt that going home might not be so easy.

The entire town was surrounded. There were bailiffs and government soldiers. Cries and shouts constantly drifted from the town, and thick black smoke rose into the air.

Many people were blocked outside the town, pointing and whispering.

"What happened?" Mo Zheng stepped forward to ask.

At the same time, he looked into the town. Standing at the intersection, he could see more clearly: corpses were being carried out one after another, and houses had been burned by fire.

This...

"Baima Town was raided last night."

"Burning, killing, looting—it's too tragic."

"So many people died."

"It's truly a catastrophe."

So vicious. Mo Zheng lowered his eyes slightly, then turned to look at the girl behind him.

Yang Luo was also looking into the town. Even with the wood ash on her face, she couldn't hide her pallor. Tears slid from her eyes, washing away a streak of fair skin. Her body trembled as if she were about to faint...

Mo Zheng reached out to steady her.

The contact of skin seemed to startle Yang Luo, who subconsciously pulled back. Mo Zheng had already withdrawn his hand.

"Your home..." Mo Zheng said.

Before he could finish, perhaps because there were too many onlookers and some were trying to rush into the town, the soldiers brandished their weapons and charged over.

"Do not move forward—"

"Back, get back—"

The crowd of onlookers was pushed around, cries and shouts mixed in.

"Officer, my home is in the town! I need to go see my parents—"

"Officer, my wife is at home! I stayed in the county seat last night, what is going on—"

Hearing this, some soldiers reported to their leader in low voices, and the leader walked over, looking at the blocked crowd.

"If you are from the town, go to the clerk and register your name on the roster, then you may enter," he said.

As his voice fell, several people squeezed forward, crying as they headed toward the clerk not far away. Because of the crowding, Mo Zheng and Yang Luo were pushed along with them.

The soldier leader's gaze landed on them, carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"Officer, we—" Mo Zheng began.

Just as he spoke, Yang Luo grabbed his arm from behind.

"Brother," she said, "can we still sell the game today?"

Mo Zheng's voice faltered, and he stopped speaking. The soldier leader's gaze subconsciously fell on the bamboo pole Mo Zheng was carrying and the two wild rabbits.

Baima Town was a prosperous place at the foot of the mountain, with shops and markets, and selling mountain goods was especially common.

The soldier looked at the two, one big and one small, clearly looking like they had been crawling through the mountains hunting, and barked a reprimand.

"When is this to be selling game? Get out of here!"

...

...

Mo Zheng carried the bamboo pole and the rabbits as he retreated from the crowd. He looked at Yang Luo, who was following with her head down, and frowned slightly.

What did this young lady mean?

Was her home in Baima Town or not?

Why not acknowledge her home?

Did she not care about the lives of her family?

(End of chapter)