QG Chapter52

It was midday, the blazing sun hung directly overhead, its scorching rays blanketing the earth. The mist that had lingered in the forest for days quickly dissipated under the sunlight. In the clear air, no impurity could hide.

 

“Tap-tap, thump-thump-thump…”

 

Crisp sounds echoed from the wooden stairs, each one signifying a shrinking distance.

 

“Thump-thump-thump.”

 

Unrushed footsteps steadily approached from the other end of the corridor.

 

I held my breath, my heart pounding. This was my only chance; if I couldn’t escape this time, Shen Jianqing certainly wouldn’t give me another chance. I now clearly understood that, in terms of brute strength, I was no match for Shen Jianqing. To escape his control, I had to win by surprise.

 

My palms began to sweat, and the object I was holding started to slip. I couldn’t help but move my fingers, getting my stiff wrist ready.

 

Calm down, Li Yuze. Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous.

 

“Creak—”

 

The door was pushed open.

 

“Yuze Ah-ge, I’m here. Have you been waiting impatiently?” Shen Jianqing’s dark blue figure stepped through the doorway. His voice held a slight joy, as if bringing food brought him some sort of happiness.

 

But when he didn’t see me in the room, his voice cut off abruptly.

 

Now!

 

I leaped out from behind the door where I was hiding, swung the wooden chair high, and brought it down hard towards Shen Jianqing’s head!

 

No sooner said than done, Shen Jianqing saw my position from the shadow on the ground. He turned around, only to be met by my wooden chair head-on. His face was calm, devoid of fear or anger. He even slightly tilted his body, protecting the food in his hands.

 

“Bang!”

 

It was a loud crash.

 

Shen Jianqing crumpled to the ground, the food in his hands scattering. I didn’t know how much force I’d used; my hand was numb from the impact. I worried I might have killed him outright. Dropping the chair, I tremblingly felt for the pulse at his neck… it was steady.

 

A sigh of relief escaped me, and I turned, wishing for wings to sprout from my ribs so I could fly out of there in a flash.

 

“Thump-thump-thump-thump!”

 

The wooden stairs groaned under my weight, sounding as if they might collapse at any second. My heart pounded with anxiety, and my foot slipped, almost sending me tumbling down the stairs. Finally reaching the bottom, I steadied my breath.

 

But I hadn’t run two steps when I felt a whoosh of air behind me. I quickly dodged. The next moment, my long robe tightened, firmly clutched by a pale hand.

 

Shen Jianqing, who was still on the ground, had a large blue lump on his forehead, though no break in the skin. He clutched my hem, looking up at me with a slightly pleading gaze, appearing dizzy and weak.

 

“Don’t go, Li Yuze…”

 

Tears welled in his eyes, and combined with his pleading expression, it was enough to stir a pang of pity. But I couldn’t sacrifice my entire life for a fleeting moment of compassion.

 

I turned to leave, but he stubbornly refused to let go. This wouldn’t do. Hardening my heart, I knelt down and painstakingly pried his fingers open, one by one.

 

“Don’t, don’t go… please don’t go… Yuze Ah-ge…” His face grew paler and paler, his strength clearly failing as his fingers were pried apart.

 

Finally, he completely released his grip on my robe. I thought that if I could successfully escape this time, this would be our last encounter. I looked at Shen Jianqing’s pale, delicate face, my heart a jumble of emotions.

 

I wasn’t sure what I truly felt for this person. There was resentment, fear, and something else mixed in. But now, all those emotions no longer mattered, because his obsession only made me want to escape.

 

“Shen Jianqing,” I said very solemnly, “When you truly learn how to love someone, that’s when you’ll find the person who can stay with you for a lifetime.”

 

With that, I felt no lingering attachment or softness. I turned and ran into the forest.

 

“Li Yuze… Li Yuze!”

 

I heard a heartbreaking roar from beneath the stilt house.

 

I couldn’t help but look back again, only to see Shen Jianqing sprawled miserably on the veranda, his face streaked with tears, eyes wide with fury. “I won’t let you go…” His voice grew fainter, yet he stubbornly kept his eyes fixed on me. “I’ll find you. Don’t think you can run, don’t think you can run!”

 

The scene was truly shocking. I subconsciously took half a step back, my heart violently thumping in my chest. I regained my composure, then turned and plunged into the forest. Freedom, long yearned for, long desired freedom, lay ahead.

 

Sunlight pierced through the shadows, casting patch after patch of light on the ground. It was a rare good day, but I had no mind to appreciate it. Following the route etched in my memory, I ran towards the village. I didn’t dare to stop for a single step, fearing he might recover at any moment and make good on his threats.

 

In a flash, the stone arch bridge appeared ahead. Red ribbons fluttered in the wind, each one seeming to possess life anew under the sunlight. I cast a hurried glance, quickly spotting the red silk ribbon embroidered with the character “Shen.”

 

Shen Siyuan.

 

I paused, but quickly pressed on.

 

Through the paddy fields, across the dam, and beyond lay the Miao villagers’ settlement. Perhaps my movements were quite noticeable, as many villagers poked their heads out to look at me, just as they had when I first arrived.

 

Lu Qi’s stilt house was on the slope. I stepped forward and knocked on the familiar door. The door opened shortly, revealing Lu Qi’s old, wrinkled face. He didn’t seem surprised by my arrival. He turned back into the house, retrieved a lit candle, and then pointed to a dried herb hanging by the door.

 

I immediately understood his meaning, took the candle, removed the herb, placed it in the stone mortar by the door, and lit it with the flame. Gray smoke curled upwards, diffusing into the air with the wind. The scent was familiar, as if I had smelled it somewhere before. But I had no spare energy now to think about where I’d smelled it. I kept my head raised, intently watching the stilt house halfway up the mountain directly above me.

 

That was where Wan Ying lived.

 

I didn’t wait long before Lu Qi suddenly patted my shoulder. I looked at him in confusion. He anxiously pointed towards the nearby river, waving his hands repeatedly, seemingly gesturing for me to hurry and leave.

 

“Gachu!”

 

He spoke words I didn’t understand, pointed to the stilt house above, and then to the direction of the river. Did he mean for me to go along the river? Not waiting for Wan Ying? But with no one to guide me, I wouldn’t be able to get out at all; I’d be trapped and die in the mountains.

 

Lu Qi anxiously pointed to the stilt house above again, then gestured into the distance. Was Wan Ying waiting for me there? I knew he wouldn’t understand anything I said, so I confirmed by pointing into the distance and then to the stilt house above.

 

“En, en!” Lu Qi nodded repeatedly.

 

I didn’t know how much of his meaning I had truly grasped, but I dared not delay any longer. I bowed gratefully to Lu Qi.

 

Towards the direction the river flowed, the direction of freedom, I ran without looking back.