Volume One: A Carefree Journey Amid Indistinguishable Leaves Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Maiden

Yang Ning did not know whom the girl had called a waste, but he now noticed that another man not far away was dressed exactly like the snake hunters. Both were tall, both carried three-pronged spears, and they looked like twins.

One burly man had been nailed to a tree; by now his head had drooped, and he made no sound at all. Whether he was dead or merely unconscious, no one could tell. On the ground, another giant rolled and screamed pitifully, while one of the snake hunters stepped up, took a rope from his body, and, without the slightest fear of the venomous snakes crawling over the man, tied him up.

The crossbow in Zhao Yuan's hand had long since been cast aside. Tormented by the snakes on his body, he was exhausted to the point of collapse. Leaning against a great tree, his hands tightly bound and his neck constricted, he slowly sank down until he sat with his back against the trunk.

Yang Ning looked at the person in the tree. Though the pair of pale, snow-white legs and the crisp, tender voice made it obvious she was a girl, he could not make out her face in the dark.

Then, all at once, the girl's body dropped.

Yang Ning was startled and instinctively cried out, thinking she had accidentally fallen from the branch. The branch was at least five or six meters above the ground; a fall from that height could easily mean grievous injury, if not death.

"Careful!"

But the girl's body, though descending, had one arm raised, and in her hand she held a whip. It was long enough to hang down like a rope, and she swung lightly in midair by its aid, seeming wonderfully agile. With a giggle, she called to Yang Ning, "Were you telling me to be careful?"

By then Yang Ning had guessed that these two snake hunters were probably allied with the girl. Both men were cruel and vicious, and the girl's origins were unknown; she was hardly likely to be a good sort either. He had only shouted in alarm a moment before, and now, when she asked, he gave no answer.

Still swaying in the air, the girl suddenly floated outward like a bird. Yang Ning was still staring when she landed on the ground. She flicked her arm, and the long whip instantly coiled inward. Holding it in her hand, she now stood three or four paces in front of him.

Only then did Yang Ning see her clearly. She wore short purple trousers below, and a short jacket of red, yellow, and blue above. A headscarf was wrapped around her hair, and silver hoop earrings hung from her ears. In this season, as autumn gave way to winter, the nights were already cold; within the mountains the temperature was lower still. Yet the girl, dressed in little more than jacket and shorts, seemed entirely unfazed, as though she felt no chill at all.

Bracelets gleamed on her wrists. Standing before him now, her exposed limbs were so white they seemed to glare with the brightness of snow. Her face was lovely to look at: her eyes shone like stars, bright and spirited; her features were delicate, her teeth white, her cheeks pink and round, and she looked very cute indeed. But there was also a shrewdness about her, and her large eyes blinked as her long lashes trembled. After studying Yang Ning for a moment, she smiled sweetly and said, "Hey, I'm speaking to you. Can't you understand me?"

Her accent was plainly from Sichuan, but Yang Ning could understand it well enough. Since he had no idea who she was, he said coolly, "Pretend I can't."

He thought to himself that this girl was mingled with venomous snakes and wasps. Cute as she looked, she was hardly likely to be a decent person.

He felt a prickling sting at the place where he had been stung by the venomous wasp. Unable to help himself, he raised a hand and touched it, only to discover that it had already swollen.

"I ask you a question, and you answer properly," said the girl, her smile fading. "You were stung by a giant wolf hornet. Without me, you won't survive."

Yang Ning did not know whether that was true, but he did know the venom of that wasp was far from mild. Frowning, he asked, "I have no grudge against you. Why did you have the wasps sting me?"

The girl said carelessly, "I do what I like. What business is it of yours?" She glanced around, noticed the crossbow Zhao Yuan had dropped, and brightened with interest. Hooking the whip around her slim waist, she went over to pick up the weapon and fiddled with it for a moment before giggling. "Let me see which is better."

Yang Ning did not understand her meaning, but then he saw her carrying the crossbow up to Zhao Yuan. She gave a clear, sharp whistle, and strangely enough, the venomous snakes wrapped around Zhao Yuan seemed to understand it. They stopped writhing and only clung even more tightly to him.

The girl aimed the crossbow at Zhao Yuan and examined him closely. "Say," she asked, "where should I shoot you?"

Hatred flashed in Zhao Yuan's eyes. "Who exactly are you people? Do you... do you know who I am?"

"I don't know." The girl crouched down, one hand holding the crossbow, the other propping up her pink cheek. She smiled sweetly. "Then who are you?"

Zhao Yuan had already been tormented terribly by the snakes. Gasping for breath, he said, "You'd better... you'd better leave at once with your people, or in this life you will wish for death and not be able to have it."

Hearing this, Yang Ning thought to himself that the fellow truly would not give up until he saw the coffin. Just because the other party was a sweet-looking girl, he thought he could threaten her. But this girl was of unknown origin; she would probably not be frightened by a few words. Threatening her now might well have the opposite effect.

The girl giggled. "I've always seen other people wishing for death and unable to have it. I never knew what that felt like. If you can make me wish for death and not have it, I'd be delighted." Suddenly she raised the crossbow again, aiming at Zhao Yuan's throat. "If you still won't say who you are, I'll shoot through your throat. Do you believe that?"

To Yang Ning's surprise, Zhao Yuan actually revealed a strange smile. "The Judge cannot be killed. If you dare to kill me, then beneath the Nine Netherworld you will never be reborn."

Yang Ning listened and thought the boast was outrageously absurd. What person in the world could not be killed? Yet the way Zhao Yuan spoke, in that sinister, chilling tone, was somehow unsettling.

"The more someone puts on a supernatural show, the more I want to know the truth," the girl said with a sweet smile. She set the crossbow down, took out a short bolt, and called over her shoulder, "Big Ghost, come here!"

The snake hunter who had pinned one of the men to the tree strode over. When he reached the girl's side, she lifted the furry front of his garment at the waist. Only then did Yang Ning notice that this giant called Big Ghost had five or six small gourds hanging from his belt. The girl handled them as if choosing among wares, and in the end she selected one. She opened the stopper, dipped the bolt head into the liquid inside and stirred it around, then carefully loaded the bolt back into the crossbow. Without even looking up, she handed the little gourd back. Big Ghost took it, closed it, and hung it on his waist again before covering it with his clothing.

The girl raised the crossbow once more and, still smiling, looked at Zhao Yuan like a hunter studying prey. After sizing him up from head to toe, she aimed at his left cheek. "I'm going to shoot off your left ear and see whether your thing is really as accurate as it looks."

Zhao Yuan's face changed. Before he could speak, the girl had already pulled the trigger.

There was a sharp twang.

Zhao Yuan screamed.

The bolt flew out, but only grazed his face, leaving a bloody gash that ran all the way back to the base of his ear. At such close range the bolt had struck with full force, and it had pierced his left ear as well. Blood poured down in streams, a horrifying sight.

Yang Ning felt a chill in his heart. He had already suspected this girl was no harmless creature, but seeing her shoot a man's ear without the slightest hesitation, while still wearing that sweet smile on her face, he could scarcely believe that such a delicate, pretty girl could act with such cruelty.

Half of Zhao Yuan's left ear was gone, blood streaming down his face. In unbearable pain, he cursed, "You will never be reborn... you... never be reborn!"

The girl glanced at the crossbow and curled her lip. "So this thing doesn't work very well after all." She tossed it aside, took out a small bamboo tube about as thick as a thumb, and smiled. "Try this one."

She put one end of the tube into her mouth and, aiming at Zhao Yuan's ear, gave a soft puff. Something shot from the tube and pierced Zhao Yuan's ear as if it had no substance at all.

The girl clapped her hands and laughed. "This one's better after all. I told you your things only look impressive and are useless in practice."

Yang Ning glanced behind him and saw that the other snake hunter, still gripping his three-pronged spear, had remained five or six paces away and was staring fixedly at him, as if afraid he might run.

Yang Ning knew this girl was even harder to deal with than Zhao Yuan's group. He had to get away as soon as possible. But with the snake hunter watching him so closely, and trees hemming him in on all sides, there was no chance of using his Unfettered Step technique. He could only think hard about how to slip past these mysterious Sichuanese.

The place where the venomous wasp had stung his neck had hurt fiercely earlier, but by now the pain had lessened considerably. In its place came an itch. He did not know what kind of poison this so-called giant wolf hornet carried.

Then Zhao Yuan suddenly began convulsing violently. A moment later he rolled to the ground, crying out miserably, "I'm going to die... insects... ah... give me the antidote, give me the antidote!"

He twisted and thrashed on the ground, his body jerking with spasms, clearly suffering unbearable agony.

Yang Ning remembered how the girl had dipped the bolt head into the gourd a moment before, and thought to himself that there must have been some kind of medicinal liquid inside. Zhao Yuan had been poisoned the instant the bolt struck him.

While Zhao Yuan writhed in agony, the girl clapped and laughed. "Weren't you just saying you wished for death and could not have it? Well, this is what that feels like. Do you like it?"

Then she turned to Yang Ning and asked, "Hey, isn't I impressive?"

Yang Ning tightened his grip on the cold blade in his hand and said with a cold laugh, "You're so young, yet your hand is already so ruthless and your heart so venomous. Who taught you to be like this?"

The girl's sweet smile vanished at once. Hearing his rebuke, she grew cold and snapped, "You're cursing me?"

"Yes, I am cursing you," Yang Ning said. "Am I wrong?"

The girl pointed at Zhao Yuan, who was thrashing in misery on the ground. "They were threatening to kill you just now. I helped you. You should be kneeling to thank me, and yet you still dare curse me?"

"The grudge between him and me will be settled by us alone. You needn't interfere." Yang Ning held out one hand. "Give me the antidote and leave at once, and I'll pretend I saw nothing."

The girl blinked. Her eyes were bright as she tilted her head slightly and studied Yang Ning for a moment before saying, "Is there something wrong with your brain? I help you, and you don't even thank me. Your life is in my hands, and you're still ordering me around. Do you believe I'll make you end up exactly like him too?"