Early Spring Journey

The girl was carried by someone running fast, and once again placed on the ground in her dazed state. She took a deep breath, suppressing her discomfort, looking at the man before her, her voice hoarse, “You… you’re not with them?” The man sat down quietly, only after a long pause saying, “No. I’m taking you back to the Di family for the reward.” Under the starlight, he appeared as a tall young man, typical of a wanderer in the martial world. Seeing he didn’t approach her, she felt slightly at ease, whispering, “Can you let me go first?” The young man didn’t respond, leaning against a tree trunk as if he had suddenly fallen asleep. The girl moved her body, seemingly in great discomfort, and after a while, she softly said, “Hey, can you untie me… I won’t run away, and when we get back to Luoyang, you’ll get your reward.” The man shifted slightly, still silent. Earlier, she had gritted her teeth through the ordeal, but now her voice carried a hint of crying, “I need to relieve myself…” The man, still with his eyes closed, weighed a small stone in his hand, and without any visible effort, a whooshing sound followed, and the ropes around her wrists loosened. She hurriedly untied her feet and dashed into the rice field. When the rustling sound had faded into the distance, Jun Ye’an finally opened his eyes, looking into the darkness with infinite clarity. After a while, the girl returned, smiling at Jun Ye’an, and sat down hugging her knees, “Hero, thank you for saving me.” He only gave a faint “Hmm,” not speaking further. The young girl immediately noticed that he was wearing an extremely delicate human skin mask, perhaps to conceal his true identity. She didn’t press the issue, merely asking, “Did Yin Hai ask you to follow me?” He neither confirmed nor denied. The girl quietly glanced at him several times, observing his impassive, cold expression, yet she inexplicably felt at ease, as if knowing he would not harm her. “Who are those people?” she inquired. “Mang Mountain is full of bandits,” he slowly explained, “The Di family has been targeted for a long time.” “Oh…” she wanted to say more, but his expression subtly changed, and he gestured for her to be quiet. Then he crouched down, pressing his ear to the ground. “Someone’s coming,” he whispered, extending his right hand, pushing and then lifting her onto a tree by the roadside, while he himself crouched low, waiting silently. In the darkness, without stars or moon, visibility was poor, and the girl, sitting dazed on the tree, was unaware that her palm was bleeding from splinters.