Chapter 11

This day had no moon, the stars were very dim; deep in the mountains and old forests, even after adapting for a while, one could not see very clearly.

Gan Tian hid behind a large rock at the place to relieve oneself, doubt rose in her heart——there was no expected movement. Could it be that they had already fled? But that doesn't make sense; if they really fled, this group should have been alarmed, not so quiet.

Could it be that the opponent is really that brave, completing a double kill with just a small knife?

Really, Da Lao...

No no no... After calming down a bit, Gan Tian heard breathing sounds in the quiet environment—one person, two people, three people, the breathing of three people!

She poked her head out a little and began to spy on the scene.

Unexpectedly, in the darkness two people sat on the ground, and another person was lying upside down. Judging by their build, the one lying upside down was none other than Da Lao!

This plot is all wrong!

"You stepped on dry leaves... don't hide... come help me quickly!" A boy about eleven or twelve, his voice full of childishness, contrasted sharply with the deep helplessness in his tone.

The situation on site exceeded Gan Tian's ability to process information; she could not imagine how it had come to this. But she chose to trust her companions—in fact, she was never one to be good at doubting.

She stretched her neck, and without much hesitation walked over.

Only when approaching could she see clearly: Yu Niang and Xiao Hu sat on the ground, grinning foolishly. In this remote wilderness, with no stars or moon, it was rather chilling; it was hard to imagine that the two had previously been members of a kidnappers' gang, both warned and supervised by these people.

Although this scene was bizarre and absurd, Gan Tian had seen many strange things and was no longer sensitive to them, so her attention quickly turned to the youth.

He lit a fire starter and discovered that the other person's arm had a sizable tear, the sleeve dark with bloodstains. Fortunately, judging by the situation, the bleeding had slowly stopped and was not flowing much.

Besides that, there were no other wounds.

The youth let out a hiss: "That woman knocked the wind out of me; I couldn't catch my breath for a moment... and my ankle is sprained."

Gan Tian nodded solemnly, not asking how the two had ended up that way, merely helping the youth to his feet: "Don't say anything else; let's go now—who knows when the people in the mountain cave might discover us!"

While speaking, Gan Tian extinguished the fire starter and lightly clapped her hands. A few soft sounds, and the little donkey trotted over lightly: "Get on!"

Not being polite where unnecessary, the youth immediately sat down.

Without further delay, the two and the donkey hurried down the mountain.

Because they feared pursuers from behind, the two did not take the main road. Fortunately, the little donkey was the best guide, able to find a safe and relatively short route even in unfamiliar mountains.

By the time it was light, they had already descended the mountain and had not been pursued. Upon descending, the first thing was to get on the official road. This place was already close to Guard River, not some remote backwater; on the official road one would not go half a day without seeing anyone. Compared to constantly being on edge and playing hide-and-seek with that gang, it would be better to walk openly on the main road.

First, they couldn't act on the official road; second, they still had the abducted person with them—would they dare to walk on the official road?

Upon arriving here, Gan Tian finally relaxed. She asked the youth riding the donkey: "What happened last night?"

The youth raised his eyebrows, looking as if he had seen a ghost: "You don't know? Isn't this knife yours?"

While speaking, he returned the small knife he had previously taken to Gan Tian; she sheathed the small knife and hung it again at her waist. Shaking her head: "It's indeed mine, but receiving this small knife was merely something that happened the day before this gang abducted me—a gift from an elder I had never met before, and I don't know what's special about this knife."

"Then how can you say others won't notice this knife?" The youth had various speculations earlier, but after last night's events he no longer thought Gan Tian's remark was offhand—she must know this knife is extraordinary.

Gan Tian wore an expression of "Actually I'm not quite sure either": "Well... I didn't know at first, I thought the gang would take this knife. Since they didn't touch it, I realized they must not have noticed it."

Could it be some divine object that ordinary people cannot see?

Gan Tian noticed he used the term "ordinary person," further confirming that he too was a cultivation reserve. But she did not specially mention this, instead pointing out: "It's not that it 'cannot be seen,' but that it is overlooked."

"What's the difference then?" The youth furrowed his brow, then quickly relaxed. He didn't look like someone who had just gone through those ordeals—aside from his disheveled appearance, his demeanor was actually quite composed.

"What difference? Let me think..." Gan Tian pondered for a moment, then suddenly pointed to a farmer bundling straw in the field by the road and asked: "How many farmers have we seen since coming down the mountain?"

At this time it's still early; bundling straw isn't an urgent farm task, so there shouldn't have been many farmers doing it along the way.

The youth hesitated a moment: "... Five... no, six?"

"I don't know." Gan Tian said with a hint of cheer: "Actually I don't know either—I just wanted to tell you that many things happening right before our eyes, people appearing before us, are not always noticed; more often we simply don't pay attention, and we forget them quickly."

"Is that knife like that?" At this point the youth also understood, but a new question arose: "How could it be like that?"

Gan Tian rubbed the small knife at her waist, then laughed: 'How would I know! But the elder who gave me this knife is no ordinary person, so the gift should be a divine object. And a divine object... have you heard of "treasures conceal themselves"?'

Miss, please tell us.

All treasures do not wish to fall into the hands of the mediocre and incapable... If one who ought not to possess a treasure obtains it, it is like a child carrying gold through a bustling market—it is a calamity, not a blessing. Thus these divine objects are often overlooked by ordinary people, even when they are right before their eyes and they have seen them, they simply ignore them.

"What exactly happened last night?" Recalling the scene she had seen earlier, she still had no idea what was going on.

The boy showed an 'I see' expression, hid nothing, and recounted what had happened last night.

At first he was full of confidence, thinking that dealing with a guard who wasn't particularly strong was something he could handle alone. He had received martial arts training since childhood, and his martial arts master had praised him. Meanwhile, the opponent seemed merely a country boy who had never received proper martial arts training, relying only on brute strength to swing a bamboo-cutting knife.

But once they actually clashed, he realized his thoughts had been too simple—was it that the rough-and-ready method was enough to catch him off guard, or had his martial arts master been misleading him? In any case, when facing his guard, he could barely dodge—the opponent wielded only a bamboo-cutting knife, yet it was fast and heavy, far beyond what he could block.

At first he managed to block a few times, but later he could only fumble in his parrying, and the wound on his arm came from that time.

Just as he despaired, he wildly swung the small knife without any hope, and it seemed to strike something. In that instant, his guard slumped to the ground, wearing a dazed expression.

Before he could figure out what was happening, another guard appeared. Another fight ensued—this woman didn't know how to use swords or knives, but her strength was tremendous! He couldn't match her. In the end, just like before, the small knife struck something, and the woman likewise ended up with a dazed look.

"Oh..." Gan Tian drew the knife again, examined it carefully, and saw the two crooked characters "Spiritual Wisdom" etched at the base of the blade. She felt she had grasped something, but for the moment couldn't recall what it was. She could only set it aside for now: "Let's not talk about this; I'll ask someone later if I get the chance... Right now, the important thing is to report to the authorities!"

Saying this, she saw a tea stall ahead setting up its stand, and Gan Tian hurried over, buying two bowls of tea and two large steamed buns.

The old tea seller noticed the boy's arm wound and wondered what had happened to them. Gan Tian could only explain: 'I encountered bandits with my older brother, which is how we escaped; we're now on our way to report to the authorities!'

Gan Tian shared the tea and buns with the boy... Fortunately, her money hadn't been searched out, whereas he had not a single coin.

Such a roadside stall couldn't have fine tea, but this is Jiangnan, where the locality produces tea leaves. Even if it's not a famous brew, it still has some flavor. Moreover, having just gone through those events, they weren't in the mood to quibble; the boy, accustomed to fine clothes and food, didn't find the tea or buns lacking at all.

After they were back on the road, he hesitated a moment: 'I, your humble self, owe you a favor, Miss; I will surely repay it in the future!'

Gan Tian merely smiled, neither accepting nor refusing. She didn't feel he owed her anything; they had suffered misfortune together and helped each other escape—what was there to say about that?

"Miss, you should rest on the donkey for a while." The boy wanted to get down, feeling his sprained foot was much better. Gan Tian had walked half the night, still on a mountain path, which would surely tire a little girl.

Yet Gan Tian walked lightly, full of energy. Without turning back she said: 'No need, no need, I have plenty of stamina! At home I often climb mountains and swim—what is this?'

The boy, who had been somewhat reserved, watched the girl leading the donkey ahead with her light steps and gradually relaxed. After thinking, he said: 'I am surnamed Wang, third in my family, a native of Jinling; you may call me Wang Sanlang.'

Gan Tian was an optimist, mainly because she always knew she had a way back, so she hadn't taken those recent events to heart. Turning around, she walked backward cheerfully: 'My surname is Gan; I am the family's only foster daughter—call me whatever you like!'

After saying that, she glanced both ways: 'Just now the old man said that if we follow the official road we'll reach Zhenjiang before noon; then we'll first go to the government office, then find a clinic to bandage you... Right, since the authorities are handling this, someone will surely be sent to take you home.'

"Miss Gan, aren't you going home?" Wang Sanlang followed Gan Tian's words, his gaze fixed on her, his heart filled with some speculation.

"No way! After all the trouble to get out, how could I just go back like that?" Gan Tian thought it over, then laughed again—she laughed easily. Quite happy: 'At least I want to play a bit longer... I plan to make a trip to Cocoon Town, the place those people mentioned earlier; I feel something is happening there.'

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Thanks to the little angels who voted for me as dominant votes or poured nutrient solution during the period from 2020-04-15 08:18:42 to 2020-04-16 06:33:13~

Thanks to the little angels who poured nutrient solution: 30 bottles of salted fish; the phoenix flower bloomed again with 1 bottle;

Thank you very much for everyone's support; I will continue to work hard!