activa-t Chapter 73 The Snail Girl
Chapter 73 The Snail Girl
The border is hazy, and the mountains are shrouded in mist.
The dim, waning moon retreated behind the clouds tinged with the dawn's glow.
The knight-errant rode his horse across the muddy roadside. If it weren't for the fact that this was the only way down the mountain, he would never have taken this long-neglected village road.
Ten days had passed since the warship crossed the river. During this time, he had moved around and entered and exited the forest seven times.
Only now did Fang Hongxuan realize that he had indeed gone astray, and the original mission of searching the mountain issued by the Demon Suppression Division was even more completely off track.
After much thought, he finally discovered the clue. It was Tsukasa who had driven him into the Bewitching Forest, which was why he had gradually drifted away.
"I don't know where we are now. Perhaps we should find someone and ask them for directions."
Perhaps due to absorbing the dragon pill, the already agile Wu Qi became even more intelligent. It strode forward with extremely bumpy steps, carrying Fang Hongxuan at high speed.
However, such behavior was met with relentless condemnation from Fang Hongxuan.
"The mountain road is rugged, and you deliberately made it so bumpy. I think you're asking for a beating."
Despite the pain, Wu Qi drank even more heartily, galloping for a while longer before his horse stopped beside a narrow cave.
You can vaguely see tiny, childlike feet wearing straw sandals inside.
Fang Hongxuan frowned at first, then drew his sword and dismounted.
Cuo Jin didn't react at all; all he could see before him was someone whose nature he couldn't discern as good or evil.
The loud neighing of the horses startled the figures inside the cave, causing them to panic.
He tried desperately to drill deeper, but found that no matter how hard he tried, he could not squeeze in even a fraction of an inch further.
Fang Hongxuan was naturally very patient, and he watched the figure slowly emerge while holding his knife on guard.
"Hmm, wearing monk's robes and straw sandals. Could he be an ascetic monk?"
When the person finally emerged, Fang Hongxuan realized that he was the novice monk he had met once before.
The disheveled novice monk clutched his swollen forehead in pain.
"What are you doing here...?"
As if recognizing the familiar tone, the trembling that had been caused by excessive panic gradually stopped.
After the novice monk saw the swordsman's face clearly, he burst into tears.
Fang Hongxuan then had a chance to carefully examine the novice monk.
He looked to be about eight or nine years old, with a kind and amiable expression and a round body.
It was obvious at a glance that he was a chubby boy with a great appetite who would accept anything offered.
"Zongdu has been captured. Can you help this humble monk one more time...?"
The novice monk sobbed, as if he had been reminded of something painful, and a deep sorrow welled up within him.
Her already red and moist eyes became even more swollen.
"Weren't you and Zongdu heading to Da Ruo Temple? How did you get lost, and why were you captured along with Sheng Yulian?"
Although he was asking a question, Fang Hongxuan pictured Ban Yinuo's fierce face in his mind.
"Could it be that they've followed me here?"
The novice monk stopped sobbing abruptly and stared blankly at Fang Hongxuan.
"This humble monk...this humble monk can't remember...I only remember that I had to escape from here as soon as possible..."
"Do you still remember your own Dharma name?"
Fang Hongxuan raised an eyebrow slightly, a vague sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.
Even on Earth, he rarely interacted with such young children, let alone knew how to care for them.
"This humble monk...this humble monk's Dharma name is...Daoyuan...As for where I come from and where I am going...this humble monk does not remember..."
"Are we still going to Ōrō-ji Temple?"
"The journey is arduous, at least a hundred or eighty li. Even if I wanted to go, I am powerless to do so."
For some reason, Fang Hongxuan felt an unusual affinity for this novice monk. In the past, he would never have agreed to escort him.
But reality is different now. Not only did they deviate from the patrol route, but they were also not far from the location in the Mirror Lake Mountains that resembled a demon.
All of this came out of Fang Hongxuan's mouth without thinking.
"If I were to send you there, would you be willing to go?"
As soon as Fang Hongxuan spoke, he felt a wave of regret wash over him.
"That would be excellent..."
"What happened? Why would I say such things? Could it be that I've truly taken a kind heart?"
With a gloomy expression, Fang Hongxuan had no choice but to accept it, but the meticulous man secretly became wary.
After all, there are countless bizarre and wonderful cases within the Demon Suppression Division, and the spirits skilled in the art of bewitching are as numerous as carp crossing a river.
Unable to vent his depression, Fang Hongxuan could only angrily crack his whip, startling Wu Qi into a loud cry.
Since the novice monk was already exhausted and could no longer muster any strength to walk, Fang Hongxuan had no choice but to lead the horse on foot.
...
"My lord, I am already at the door, why do you hesitate to open it? Is it because you despise my old and frail appearance and do not wish to associate with me anymore?"
A mournful sound drifted into the hall through the crack in the door.
On the bed
The blind scholar quickly got out of bed and dragged himself out of the house.
"My lady, please don't misunderstand. I was just out teaching today when I accidentally fell down a hillside and broke my leg. I didn't have the money to hire any doctors, and it took me half a day to finally get some rest."
"Please don't be offended, my lady..."
In a moment of scrambling, the blind scholar laboriously pushed open the door latch, letting the woman at the doorway in.
She was thin, but her face was extremely beautiful. Even though she was wearing a hemp dress, she was still considered quite attractive.
However, the only flaw was that the woman's fair and delicate fingers were covered with calluses from years of hard work.
It's obvious at a glance that this is due to being constantly immersed in Yangchun water.
The woman helped the blind scholar to a table and chair before heading towards the kitchen.
But the blind scholar firmly grasped the woman's hand, feeling the calluses that had hardened like iron.
The scholar actually shed tears.
"Madam, this useless scholar of mine has not only gone blind, but also broken his leg. You've suffered so much from all those years of hard work managing the household."
The woman gave him a reproachful look, then subtly withdrew her hand.
"My lord... as long as I can stay with you, I am willing to endure any hardship and toil."
"Can my wife stay with me during the day? Sometimes when I wake up and she's not beside me, I often feel lonely..."
"If the villagers weren't so unaware, seeing my spotless house, they would have thought I was raising a fairy godmother from a book."
Upon hearing this, the woman's blushing face froze on the spot.
After a long while, she sighed softly and went to the stove to prepare some food.
The blind scholar, who hadn't heard any commotion for a long time, panicked and quickly apologized.
"Madam, I've misspoke again..."
A faint sobbing sound came from the kitchen. Just as the blind scholar was about to get up to look for it, he saw the dishes and lamps on the table and chairs fall to the ground with a clatter, stirring up some dust.
The already excruciating wound reopened.
A piercing pain shot straight into the scholar's mind, but before he could cry out, he was pulled into the woman's arms.
"I would like to, but it's truly beyond my capabilities..."
"Boom!"
A sudden clap of thunder roared outside the window, and a flash of lightning illuminated the dimly lit hall.
The two shadows were cast straight onto the wall.
Unlike the scholar, the woman's joints and vital organs were all pulled up by thin threads.
At the end of the thin thread, one could vaguely see the shadow of a giant spider, large enough to level a house...