Chapter 16: with translation of chapter title

At this moment, the distant fire had gradually died out, leaving only a wisp of mist that had not yet dispersed.

Those who shouldn't have died are dead, and those who should die ought to gather together.

"I just wanted them to taste fear as well, so they'd know to be good people in the next life."

For some reason, Niu Dingtian, in front of Han Xiao Ying, gave an unexplained soft explanation, his expression no longer as cold as before—but this didn't seem like his character.

So, as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized and almost slapped himself: "What the hell am I explaining for?"

"I"

Han Xiao Ying leaned on her sword with difficulty, her delicate frame swaying in the moonlight, on the verge of collapsing.

Just as he was about to speak, he realized he had no strength left and collapsed to the side.

"Careful!"

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian hastily reached out and caught her.

In an instant,

A warm softness entered his embrace, a fragrance rushed toward him, and Niu Dingtian found himself somewhat lost in the scent.

He lowered his head to look at the pale, unconscious Han Xiao Ying, felt deep pity, unconsciously tightened his arms, hoisted her horizontally, and then walked slowly toward the ox cart.

He gently laid her on a pile of straw, took off his own cotton robe to wrap her, and, worried about the night cold, added another layer of straw on top.

Thereafter, he propped up his injured body, walked to the front of the cart, drove the ox cart, and continued north by moonlight.

This time,

He in front, she behind,

He sat, she lay.

What a familiar feeling!

As Niu Dingtian drove the ox cart, he didn't know what came to mind, couldn't help sighing, and then his face broke into a satisfied grin, sweeping away the gloom of the past two days.

"Pa~"

"Pa~"

Where the mood took him,

He cracked the oxwhip twice.

"Nong he, walking mountain paths, crossing small streams~"

"I drive the ox cart, chop firewood~"

"On the cart sits my little sister~"

"Oh me, my little sister~"

Niu Dingtian spontaneously began to sing the little tune from Dan Zhou that Old Ox Fifth loved most.

Before, he felt ashamed inside; after secretly teaching Old Ox Fifth a few times, no matter how the latter coaxed him, he no longer wanted to accompany the old man on the ox cart and "make a fool of himself."

He only said, "A gentleman does not lose his footing before others, does not lose his composure before others, does not speak falsely before others; therefore a gentleman's appearance should be awe-inspiring, his demeanor should be wary, and his words should be trustworthy"—these are Confucius's requirements for scholars.

Seeing this, Old Ox Fifth stopped, for he did not understand the world of scholars, yet he respected it.

Unlike before, at this moment Niu Dingtian's heart felt pleased.

"On the cart sits my little sister~"

"Oh me, my little sister~"

"In the past, it's hard to guess my little sister's heart~"

"Ah, my little sister's heart~"

In her hazy state, Han Xiao Ying seemed to hear someone singing.

She faintly made out two lines, feeling the song sink into her heart, and she wanted to drift off to sleep, but a chill wind brushed her face, slipped into her collar, made her shiver, and soon she woke up again.

All she could see was a bright moon and a sky full of stars.

Unable to help it, she curled her body and pulled her robe tighter.

She caught the scent coming from the man ahead, and her thoughts drifted unbidden to earlier today.

She had originally been in the desert, accompanying five sworn brothers to teach Guo Jing martial arts. A few days ago, upon learning that a relative in the old Jiaxing clan was critically ill, she and her own elder brother Han Baoju rushed back.

After handling the funeral, Han Baoju had urgent business and returned north first; she stayed to settle the clan members, then only set out northward the day before.

She never expected that, early this morning while passing the outskirts of Luoyang City on her way to fetch water by the river, she would find an unconscious handsome young man in the grass.

At the time, seeing his pallid, frail scholar's appearance and suspecting severe injury, she couldn't bear to leave him, so she rescued him—leading to what happened later that evening.

What she never imagined was that this person was actually a top-tier expert, displaying a godlike, illusory movement technique and swordplay so fast it reached the extreme—something she had never seen before in her life.

Originally she had been driving the ox cart carrying him, but in the blink of an eye it became him carrying her; thinking of this, she felt as if in a dream and couldn't help closing her eyes.

Lying there, she also made out the frivolous tune of the man ahead; being a Jiaxing person from Jiangnan, she naturally recognized it as a southern accent and began to murmur it to herself:

Nong he walking mountain paths, crossing small streams

I drive the ox cart, chop firewood

On the cart sits my little sister

In the past, it's hard to guess my little sister's heart

Ah, my little sister's heart

Today there's no need for the little sister to say it outright

When will the little sister pass the gate?

Ba ya me, pass the gate

The little sister utters a smiling line

At first, Han Xiao Ying silently hummed the tune, then recalled the scene between the two of them, her face slightly flushed, feeling quite uneasy inside.

Somehow, as she kept humming, it seemed to remind her of something, and with a sudden sharp pain in her left shoulder, she unknowingly let tears slip down.

Everyone says that women are most beautiful when helpless; no matter how strong a heroine, she is ultimately still a woman.

Han Xiao Ying recalled many things; she recalled South of the River, she recalled the Great Desert, she recalled that back then her fifth elder brother Zhang A-sheng had secretly loved her but dared not confess.

That person who, in order to save myself, was severely wounded and died in the fight against the Bronze Corpse Chen Xuanfeng.

Even in my own heart, I am not clear whether I have any feelings for him.

But when he risked his life to save me, and when he expressed his feelings before death, I do not regret my earlier acceptance, nor do I regret making that pledge.

But suddenly, Han Xiao Ying felt a trace of hatred, hating that person for not confessing while alive.

Even if I could only experience a few days of time, this life would not have been lived in vain; it would be better than, before death, letting myself live alone like a widow.

As she thought, her pale pretty face gradually became streaked with tears.

The ox cart crept along under the moon's companionship, aside from the creak creak of the wheels, all around was quiet.

In silent stillness, I do not know how long passed.

Only hearing a squeak, the ox cart slowly came to a stop.

Han Xiao Ying slowly opened her eyes, and a ruined temple came into view.

(End of chapter)