Chapter 6: Dispute

The man poling the raft tried to bring it to a halt, but the river current was too swift, and since he wasn't particularly skilled at this, he could only look at his companions in anxious desperation.

The other companions were all staring at the spot in the river where the woman had fallen, where the water had turned red and was churning violently.

Even men like them, who had spent their lives licking blood off the edges of blades, were broken out in a cold sweat by the sight before them.

The cousin, Miss Yu-rong, was equally terrified. She had killed people before, but she had never seen someone torn apart and devoured by those things the moment they hit the water.

"Miss Yu-rong, regardless of anything else, she was the wife the Master had bowed with. How to dispose of or settle her is a decision for the Master himself to make. How could you?" The man who had previously spoken up to help Wei Zijun could no longer hold his tongue.

His voice snapped the terrified Miss Yu-rong back to her senses. "Zhuo Yan, shut your mouth! Have you forgotten your place? How dare you point fingers at me?

"My cousin’s eyes are failing, and he has his own unavoidable reasons that we don't know about, but your eyes are fine and your ears aren't deaf. You saw and heard everything just now—do you really think she was a good person?

"Do you think a woman like that was someone my cousin admired and married willingly?

"You know better than anyone how precarious my cousin’s situation has always been. Keeping that woman around would only bring him harm.

"Let me remind you: once my cousin wakes up, unless he asks about her himself, keep your mouths shut. Don't go looking for trouble." Miss Yu-rong’s tone and demeanor finally returned to normal.

The men on the raft looked at one another, frowned, and turned their gazes forward without another word.

The creatures were no longer trailing the raft, but the atmosphere was even more stifling than before.

"Alright, A-Yan, what’s done is done; there’s no use in saying more," someone whispered to his frowning brother, fearing he might speak again.

"But regardless of everything, we were able to escape safely this time because of that woman. A person should have a conscience. The Master values loyalty and affection above all else; isn't Miss Yu-rong making the Master act unrighteously?" Zhuo Yan said, unwilling to let it go. With no outsiders on the raft, he felt free to use names.

Even if they didn't know the reason behind the Master’s marriage to that woman, she was, at the very least, the person closest to the Master here.

So what if she was ugly? As long as her heart was good, that was enough. Was it better to be like Miss Yu-rong—beautiful as a flower, yet possessing a vicious heart?

Looking at the still-unconscious Master, Zhuo Yan was deeply worried.

"Look, is that the place?" someone shouted, pointing to a spot not far ahead.

The others looked together. "Yes, that must be the place the woman mentioned."

Because of the rocky mountain protruding nearby, the river was calmer here. The man poling the raft easily steered it toward the shore. Three men jumped off first to scout the path on the rocky mountain, while the rest stayed on the raft to watch over the unconscious Master, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings, ready to push off and leave at the first sign of trouble.

Half an hour later, a bird call they recognized echoed from the mountain. Only then did they hoist the Master onto their backs, leave the raft, and head up the mountain.

After reuniting with the three scouts, one of them took a piece of paper from his pocket. It had a route drawn on it—the previous water route and the current mountain path, with clear markings for where they could rest and where traps were located.

"Tell me, you don't actually intend to follow what that woman gave you, do you?" Jiang Yu-rong asked in a low voice, only now realizing that the woman had provided a map.

The men looked at her simultaneously. Although no one spoke, the meaning in their eyes was clear: they intended to follow the markings on the map.

"I’m just being cautious! None of you knew that woman before, so why don't you have any suspicions about her?" She was clever; she read the answer in the attendants' eyes and therefore didn't use the same haughty tone she had used with Zhuo Yan on the raft.

"Miss Yu-rong, we only know that by following her route, we were able to shake off our pursuers and arrive here safely. Besides, we aren't familiar with the terrain here. If we don't trust her, who should we trust? Should we just wander around blindly?" It was Zhuo Yan who spoke. The others felt helpless as they listened.

Zhuo Yan was usually steady, but this time, he had repeatedly clashed with Miss Yu-rong because of a stranger.

Everyone was worried. They needed manpower out here; Yu-rong might not do anything to him now, but once they returned, Zhuo Yan’s life would certainly be difficult. Who knew what might happen?

Miss Yu-rong’s father was the Master’s uncle and one of his supporters. Even if the cousin did something to Zhuo Yan, what could the Master really do to her?

Wasn't it precisely because she relied on this relationship that she dared to attack that woman on the raft?

Even if that woman was truly important to the Master, once he learned the truth, what could he do to Miss Yu-rong?

The woman was a wife he had bowed with, but in a place like that, without the orders of parents or the words of matchmakers, it was normal for the family not to recognize the union. Besides, the woman was dead; even if the Master were angry, he wouldn't offend the living for the sake of the dead.

"Since you all feel there’s nothing wrong with it, then do as you please. I’ve said my piece, and I’ve warned you." Jiang Yu-rong’s tone remained firm.

Since she had said that, the others didn't say anything more, but they were all muttering to themselves. Although their contact with the woman had been brief, from her calm command during the crisis to the detailed route she had mapped out, she was clearly no fool.

Yet, why had she acted that way on the raft?

The map only covered the route out of the Soul-Severing Valley; it ended once they were out.

But they were not unfamiliar with the terrain outside the valley. To avoid pursuit, they traveled by night and hid by day.

Along the way, they found a doctor to examine the Master again, who confirmed there was nothing seriously wrong and that he should wake up soon. This put the group’s minds more at ease.

As for the Master remaining unconscious, Jiang Yu-rong stuck to her opinion: she was convinced it was some kind of conspiracy by the woman who had fallen into the river.

Zhuo Yan started to retort, but a quick-handed brother covered his mouth.

Another day and night passed, and the group finally met up with their own people who had come to receive them. They now had carriages and no longer needed to carry the Master.

At this same time, on a road heading in the opposite direction, a beggar in tattered clothes sat resting by a fork in the road. She took a piece of paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and confirmed once more that she was heading in the right direction.

She was Wei Zijun, the woman Jiang Yu-rong had pushed into the river. While still in the valley, she had determined that this cousin, Lu Huai, was no good.

Therefore, in the matter of faking her own death to escape, she had arranged a rather important task for this cousin.

Wei Zijun couldn't be sure what Lu Huai would do to his cousin once he woke up and learned the truth.

But surely, it wouldn't be without consequences, right?

It wasn't that she, Wei Zijun, was petty, but since that cousin had treated her that way, it was only fair to give her a lesson!

Taking advantage of the rest, she pulled out a piece of dried venison and ate it slowly.

She wondered where he was now. Their time as husband and wife had been strange; until she "died," she hadn't even known his real name or his background.

When he woke up and opened his eyes to see the world again, he should be very happy. As a couple, this was the only gift she could give him.

And he, in fact, had given her a gift as well—to her, the most unique and precious gift in the world.

Thinking of this, she moved her hand to her abdomen. She had to find a place to settle down and have the baby before she started showing and became clumsy...

(End of chapter)