Her guards

Chapter 2 The Kind-hearted Hunter Boy

As dawn broke, the pyre that had been burning all night gradually lost its strength.

Mo Zheng touched the clothes hanging on the side with tree branches. They needed to be dried a bit more before they would be comfortable to wear. She got up and walked behind the Buddha statue. Just as she pulled out the pile of firewood, she heard crying from ahead.

"Mother—Mother—"

“Help, help—”

"Why did you kill me? Why did you kill me—"

Mo Zheng carried Chai out and saw that the girl, who had been unconscious all night, seemed to have had a nightmare and woke up crying. She then saw that she was covered with clothes that did not belong to her, and she shook them off in panic. But then she saw the torn dress and exposed skin, and she quickly grabbed the robe and shrank back to wrap herself up tightly.

At the same time, her gaze also turned towards them, fear appearing on her face, but as she stared intently, her expression became somewhat strange.

He seemed lost in thought, seemingly saddened, yet also relieved.

Could it be because he was young, making him less frightening? Or perhaps knowing he was her savior, knowing she had escaped death, put her mind at ease? Mo Zheng stopped scrutinizing him, picked up the firewood and went over to rekindle the extinguished fire, poking it with a twig until the flames gradually glowed red.

The girl stopped crying and seemed dazed.

"Did you encounter bandits?" Mo Zheng asked proactively. "Where are your family members?"

These words brought Yang Luo back to her senses, reminding her of what had happened the night before, and her face turned deathly pale.

Not a dream.

It wasn't a nightmare, it was real.

Yang Luo covered her face and burst into tears.

Mo Zheng didn't say anything more. Listening to the girl's crying, she looked down at the firewood burning and took down the clothes hanging nearby to dry them.

Yang Luo cried and knelt down: "My benefactor, thank you for saving me."

She kowtowed forcefully, her fair forehead instantly turning bright red.

This is truly a show of sincerity.

Mo Zheng quickly said, "You're still injured, don't bump yourself."

Yang Luo stopped kowtowing, slowly sat up straight, her eyes blank, and tears streaming down her face.

"Who are you?" she murmured.

Mo Zheng, wearing a single layer of clothing that had already dried in the sun, shook out her outer garment and replied, "I am a hunter from the mountains, and this is the dilapidated temple where I usually stay when I hunt."

Yang Luo subconsciously looked around. It was a dilapidated temple with a statue that was only half intact. There was a fur coat on the altar with a few pieces of clothing on it, and two wild rabbits lying on the ground on the other side.

She lowered her gaze, feeling pain all over her body. She lifted her clothes to look and saw that the wounds on her exposed skin, from scrapes and bumps, were covered with lush green herbs.

The herbs weren't processed in any way; they were simply mashed and pasted on.

Only then did they notice the strong smell of medicine permeating the dilapidated temple.

She looked up and saw the boy sitting in front of the campfire, lifting his shirt to wrap herbs around his arm. It was a deep, fresh wound, though no longer bleeding.

He must have been injured last night while saving her.

Yes, those bandits were so fierce, the boy must have been injured while saving her.

“There’s nothing we can do in the mountains, so we can only use herbs to stop the bleeding for now,” Mo Zheng said, pausing for a moment. “I didn’t touch any other parts of your body, just the exposed wounds. You were unconscious, so please forgive me if I have offended you.”

Tears streamed down Yang Luo's face as she kowtowed again: "My benefactor, you flatter me. You saved my life and healed my wounds. If I were to blame you, I would be worse than an animal."

The young hunter coughed lightly.

"You're exaggerating." He wasn't good at dealing with girls and didn't know how to comfort them, so he asked directly, "Where do you live? I'll take you home."

Yang Luo raised her head and murmured, "Home..."

Yes, she should go home and take a look.

Take another look.

……

.......
After walking a short distance from the dilapidated temple, you will reach a wide mountain road.

Mo Zheng draped a bamboo pole over her shoulder, with two wild rabbits hanging from the other end, swaying as she walked.

Yang Luo followed behind, wearing the boy's outer robe, which was a bit too big and was tightly tied around her waist with a belt.

As she was leaving the temple, she smeared ash on her face. The young hunter looked at her, seemingly puzzled.

"I'm a girl. If someone sees me and knows that I was robbed, my innocence will be ruined," Yang Luo explained tearfully.

Mo Zheng then handed her the clothes that were thrown in front of the altar, saying, "Then dress up as a man." So at this moment, Yang Luo was dressed the same as Mo Zheng, only much thinner and unsteady on his feet.

She had never traveled this far before. She rarely went out; she always traveled by carriage. Last night, she fled in panic and was covered in wounds. The herbs could only stop the bleeding, not relieve the pain. The young hunter had been busy drying clothes and hadn't even boiled water to roast a wild rabbit. She was in pain, exhausted, bitter, hungry, and thirsty...

Seeing how weak she was, Mo Zheng slowed her pace: "Hang in there a little longer, we're almost there."

There was no sound behind her; it was unclear whether the girl didn't want to speak or simply didn't have the strength to.

Mo Zheng then asked, "Which family in Baima Town are you from?"

A low voice came from behind: "Yes, on the east side of town."

She wouldn't say which family it was because she was being chased by bandits and was afraid of losing her reputation if others found out. Even her savior couldn't do that?
Mo Zheng stroked his chin. How could he ask for a reward? He couldn't save someone for nothing, could he?

Well, even if she doesn't say anything now, she'll eventually find out when she gets to town and goes home.

But as she approached Baima Town, Mo Zheng realized that going home might not be so easy.

The entire town was surrounded by constables and soldiers. Cries and shouts echoed through the town, and black smoke billowed up everywhere.

Many people were stopped outside the town, talking and pointing amongst themselves.

"What happened?" Mo Zheng asked as she stepped forward.

We also visited the town. Standing at the crossroads, we could see more clearly inside. What we saw were corpses being carried out one after another, and houses that had been burned.

This……

"White Horse Town was looted last night."

"The burning, killing, and looting were too tragic."

"Many people died."

"This is a catastrophic disaster."

"So ruthless!" Mo Zheng lowered her eyes slightly, then turned to look at the girl behind her.

Yang Luo was also looking towards the town. Her face, smeared with ashes, couldn't hide her deathly pallor. Tears streamed down her face, leaving a white streak. Her body trembled as if she were about to faint...

Mo Zheng reached out and helped her up.

The contact of skin seemed to startle Yang Luo awake, and she subconsciously pulled back, but Mo Zheng had already withdrawn her hand.

“Your home…” Mo Zheng said.

Before he could finish speaking, perhaps because there were too many onlookers and some people were trying to rush into the town, the soldiers, brandishing their weapons, charged over.

"Don't go forward—"

"Back off, back off—"

The onlookers were pushed and shoved, amidst cries and shouts.

"Sir, my home is in town. I need to go see my parents—"

"Sir, my wife is at home. I stayed in the county town last night. What's going on?"

Upon hearing this, some officers and soldiers whispered to the leader, who then walked over and looked at the people who had been stopped.

“If you’re from the town, you can just register your name with the clerk and then you can go in,” he said.

As soon as he finished speaking, several people squeezed through and cried as they headed toward the clerk not far away. Because of the crowd, Mo Zheng and Yang Luo were also squeezed in.

The officers and soldiers' leader's gaze fell on them, with a hint of scrutiny.

"Sir, we—" Mo Zheng began to speak.

Just as he opened his mouth, Yang Luo grabbed his arm from behind.

"Brother," she said, "can we still sell the game today?"

Mo Zheng paused and fell silent. The officer's gaze unconsciously fell on the bamboo stick Mo Zheng was carrying and the two wild rabbits.

Baima Town is a bustling place at the foot of the mountain, with shops and markets, and the sale of mountain products is very common.

The officers and soldiers glared at the two, one big and one small, who were clearly hunting and scrambling in the mountains, and shouted at them.

"When are you going to sell your prey again? Get out of here!"

……

.......
Mo Zheng, carrying a bamboo pole and a wild rabbit, retreated from the crowd. Looking at Yang Luo, who was following with his head down, she frowned slightly.

What does this young lady mean?
Is her home actually in Baima Town?
Why won't you acknowledge your family?
Don't you care about the life or death of your family?
(End of this chapter)