NFBE Chapter 113 The Half-Grown Boy
Chapter 113 The Half-Grown Boy
That night, the group stayed in Zeshan Village. Du Hu's uncle warmly welcomed his nephew's companions. He killed an old hen that wouldn't lay eggs and made soup for everyone.
Feeling bad about it, Yu Wanran left one tael of silver as lodging expenses the next day before leaving.
Uncle Du Hu was extremely grateful. Du Hu also felt honored and became even more proactive as a guide along the way. He led the group, taking shortcuts as much as possible to save energy.
As dusk fell, they finally approached Qingling Mountain. The further they went, the more remote it became, overgrown with shrubs and ancient trees. Because it was rarely visited, the path was covered with dense, overgrown weeds.
Seeing that his companions were indeed too tired to walk any further, Yu Wanran agreed to Qiu Yan's suggestion to set up camp there for the night.
To maintain their image as villagers, they didn't bring any tent-pitching equipment. Their personal weapons were hidden on their bodies or in baskets. They gathered several bundles of dry branches and grass from nearby, lit a campfire, and prepared for a simple night's rest.
They weren't afraid the fire would attract bandits. They were simply searching for a needle in a haystack, unsure where to even begin looking for the bandits.
After discussing it, they decided to take turns keeping watch. Dou Yi and Qiu Yan would keep watch for the first half of the night, while Yan Qing and Du Hu would keep watch for the second half. As for Yu Wanran, she was a young woman and the team leader, so it was definitely not her turn.
Yu Wanran, fully clothed, leaned against the campfire, her back against a large tree. The fire crackled and sparks flew as she drifted off to sleep. The first half of the night was calm, but just before dawn, Du Hu suddenly woke the others.
Yu Wanran immediately realized something was wrong, grabbed the sword hidden in the vegetable basket, and stared at him, asking, "What happened?"
Du Hu, panting heavily, said, "Miss Yu, there's a cave ahead! We found traces of people living there, and Brother Yanqing is still guarding it."
Yu Wanran's spirits lifted. She hadn't expected the two to be so diligent in their night watch, even going so far as to patrol the surrounding area and find clues.
She got up immediately.
"Let's go and have a look!"
Leaving the relatively composed Dou Yi to guard the luggage, Yu Wanran, along with Du Hu and Qiu Yan, grabbed their weapons and headed to the discovered cave.
It's called a cave, but it's really just a hole in the roadside wall, whether man-made or naturally formed, it's hard to tell. It's covered in weeds on the outside and pitch black inside, you have to bend over to get in.
Yu Wanran guessed that Yan Qing had discovered it.
As a bodyguard, he is particularly good at finding places where people can hide.
The cave was too small, so Yanqing lit a tinderbox and let Yu Wanran and Qiu Yan take turns crawling into the cave to take a look.
The room was incredibly damp, covered with a thick layer of straw. On the straw lay a patched-up quilt and two old clothes, haphazardly thrown around. Beside them was a pair of small, floral-patterned cotton boots.
Several large stones at the entrance of the cave were probably used by the cave's owner to block the entrance and protect it from wild animals when he slept at night.
Yu Wanran noticed the two old clothes, one large and one small. The smaller one was made of floral fabric, and a thought suddenly struck her.
The hole isn't big; even an adult would have difficulty turning over inside. But two children could easily squeeze in.
After leaving the cave, she asked Yanqing, "When you discovered this cave, was there no one inside or around it?"
Yanqing shook his head.
"Master, the people in the cave must have heard the commotion and escaped before us. I touched the bedding, and it was still warm. So I immediately sent Brother Du back to report!"
“Well done!”
Yu Wanran praised the two of them.
However, the people living in this cave don't seem like bandits; they might be villagers hiding from bandits.
Seeing Yu Wanran deep in thought, Du Hu hurriedly asked, "What should we do, Miss Yu? Should we split up and search the surrounding area? This person can't have gone far!"
Even if they are villagers, hiding in these Qingling Mountains, they must know something about the bandits. They should be caught and questioned!
Yu Wanran glanced around.
Before dawn, a cold wind rustled the branches and grass, making them sway. Shadows twisted and swayed like the arms of ghosts. It seemed as if a pair of wary eyes were watching them intently from the darkness.
She suddenly laughed and raised her voice.
"They've all escaped, what's the point of looking for them? We should get going, let's go!"
Yanqing and the other two, seeing the look she gave them, understood and chimed in, "Right, why bother with so many other things? Getting on the road is the priority!"
The group chatted amongst themselves, deliberately exaggerating loudly, and soon their figures disappeared into the mountains and forests.
After a while, a noise came from the bushes.
A thin, dark figure glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then darted out of its hiding place like a rat crossing the street. It crawled into the cave, rolled up some straw mats, old clothes, and even its small cotton shoes, and carried them to its chest before heading out.
Cunning Rabbit Three Caves.
The cave has been discovered, so they can hide somewhere else. But they can't abandon their bedding and old clothes, or they'll freeze to death in the wild!
He had just dragged his things out of the cave when Yanqing swooped down from the tree and leaped to his side. With a swift movement, he pinned the boy, bedding and all, to the ground.
Caught off guard, the man struggled desperately. His eyes were bloodshot, and he bared his teeth, trying to bite Yan Qing's arm. But Yan Qing was a martial artist; how could an ordinary person like him possibly harm him!
With a little extra force, the other person was covered in dirt, and could only lie down obediently and stop making a fuss.
Yu Wanran, along with Du Hu and Qiu Yan, walked back from a distance. Du Hu said admiringly, "Miss Yu, why were you so sure that they would come back to retrieve their belongings?"
A tattered quilt and two old clothes—even a beggar would probably refuse them. Surprisingly, someone actually cherished them more than their own life.
Yu Wanran smiled faintly and did not answer the question.
People like Du Hu and Qiu Yan, though from rural areas, have never experienced hunger or lack of clothing.
When people are in dire straits, they will be overjoyed to find even a patched quilt or an old piece of clothing, or even just a few dirty rags to wrap around themselves.
This stuff is much more comfortable than a bundle of dry straw!
Shaking her head to shake off the bad memories, Yu Wanran composed herself and strode toward the person Yan Qing had captured.
As expected, it was a teenager.
He was about eight or nine years old, completely black except for the whites of his eyes and teeth. His hair was a mess of straw, like a stone from a latrine. The stench made Du Hu and Qiu Yan take two steps back as soon as they approached.
Yan Qing desperately wanted to use his feet instead of his hands to hold the brat down. But the kid was incredibly slippery and would escape at any moment. He could only frown and stretch his arms as far as he could, trying to keep his nose away from the danger.
Yu Wanran crouched down beside the child. Despite the pungent odor emanating from him, she didn't even flinch. Looking closely at the child, she regretted that he was too dirty to make out his features.
She could only soothe the other person with gentle words.
"Don't be afraid, we are not bandits."
Her voice revealed that she was a woman. The boy was stunned, staring at her with wide eyes.
A moment later, her brows furrowed in anger: "Liar! A woman dares to come to Qingling Mountain?"
This place, within a hundred miles, has become a forbidden zone, a dead zone, where ordinary people dare not approach. Let alone a woman? Unless she is a member of the bandits!
He rolled his eyes.
"Since you say you're not bandits, then why did you arrest me? Do you dare to release me?!"