Chapter 17: The Woman in the Ruined Temple

Someone!

Before the ox cart reached the ruined temple, Niu Dingtian sensed the presence inside—apparently two people—even though no lamps were lit inside.

With his current cultivation, any faint breath or movement within ten zhang cannot escape his perception, even though he is still wounded.

"Miss Han, please wait here a moment; I will go in first to see the situation,"

Niu Dingtian saw that Miss Han Xiao Ying on the cart had already awakened, her pale, delicate face evoking pity, and he gently approached, speaking softly.

"Alright, I trouble you, sir,"

Han Xiao Ying replied in a soft voice.

After speaking, she closed her eyes wearily; the wound on her left shoulder seemed to seethe with poison, constantly draining her spirit, making each spoken word consume great effort.

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian adjusted the straw covering Han Xiao Ying's robe and headed toward the temple.

Just as he stepped through the temple gate, moonlight revealed a broken Buddha statue before him, draped in spiderwebs.

All around were crumbling walls; solemnity and sanctity had vanished, leaving only endless desolation and bleakness.

To the east of the Buddha's pedestal stood two women, one adult and one child.

It was the most sheltered spot.

The adult wore white robes and a headpiece, her face obscured; her figure suggested she was in her prime, seated cross‑legged beside the pedestal, a purple‑copper jeweled sword in her right hand, and cradling a white‑clothed girl of about ten on her lap with her left.

The girl, hearing the movement, saw someone enter and was unafraid; she stared with wide eyes, then tipped her small head toward the headpiece and, in a crisp voice, whispered:

"Master, master, someone has come,"

She then kept her head out, continuing to watch the doorway curiously.

The adult merely hummed "mm" and fell silent, remaining motionless, apparently meditating with closed eyes.

Niu Dingtian, after observing the interior, pondered briefly and walked toward the woman.

The little girl, seeing him approach, grew nervous and instinctively clutched the adult's robe edge.

Niu Dingtian, seeing this, gave the girl what he thought was his kindest smile and bowed to the adult, saying:

"Apologies for the intrusion; I have a wounded companion to tend, and wish to stay here for the night,"

"Mm,"

After the adult replied, Niu Dingtian cleared a spot nearby and then headed out of the temple.

Outside, he found Han Xiao Ying already asleep, so he softened his steps, quietly fetched a bundle of straw, and laid it on the ground beside the Buddha.

Returning again, unwilling to wake her, he gently lifted Han Xiao Ying and carried her back into the temple.

In her dream, Han Xiao Ying felt a sudden warmth on her body; her cold form instinctively pressed close, but the warmth vanished quickly. As she tried to press again, a sudden movement startled her awake.

She awoke to find herself no longer in his arms, placed on the straw pile. Remembering how he had held her, her delicate face flushed and her thoughts fluttered.

The little girl beside her, whose eyes had already grown hazy as she was about to fall asleep, suddenly perked up upon seeing the man carry a sleeping woman, thinking:

"Could this be the flower‑stealing thief the master mentioned?"

She then perched on the master's thigh, tilting her head, eyes wide, watching curiously.

"Master, master, she is injured,"

After a while, perhaps having noticed something, she again pressed her small head toward the headpiece and said in a hushed tone.

"Mm,"

The adult lightly responded "mm" and fell silent again.

"Master, then is he the flower‑stealing thief?"

The little girl's gaze shifted, and she suddenly leaned forward again to ask the master.

Having said so, she cautiously turned her head to glance at Niu Dingtian.

The adult remained silent, meeting her with silence.

Hearing this, Niu Dingtian's heart and face lit up with delight.

He again flashed the same smile, about to speak to the girl, when she quickly turned her head and buried it in the master's embrace, as if she had seen something terrifying.

Han Xiao Ying, lying on the straw pile, saw this and regained a bit of spirit, her pale face breaking into a reluctant smile.

"Please forgive me,"

The adult, seeing this, broke the silence with a cool voice.

"No problem,"

Niu Dingtian, seeing this, took it lightly, feeling more like he had encountered his sister Sha Gu, warm and familiar.

"Miss Han, how does your injury feel? Shall I first examine your wound?"

Having settled for the moment, he saw Han Xiao Ying growing increasingly weak; Niu Dingtian, also worried about her injury, wanted to examine her, but waiting for her to ask first was impossible.

Han Xiao Ying, lying there, heard this, her gaze a bit unfocused; she glanced briefly at the two people beside her, her expression showing a hint of hesitation.

She truly felt the wound worsening; though jianghu folk are carefree, the fact that he was a man and the injury was on her left shoulder made it extremely awkward, especially with someone watching.

Niu Dingtian understood that even among jianghu folk, the barrier between men and women is hard to ignore, so he decided to postpone the matter until later night, and gently said to Han Xiao Ying:

"Then Miss Han, have a sip of wine to warm yourself and rest; I will go nearby to hunt some game to fill our stomachs, and we can discuss the wound later,"

He then carefully tipped the wine from his wine sack into Han Xiao Ying's mouth.

At this moment, Han Xiao Ying no longer displayed the generosity and cheerfulness she had shown when feeding him wine earlier; her face flushed slightly, and she kept averting her gaze from his, unable to meet his eyes directly.

Though she was a jianghu person, she was still a woman; suppressing her breath, she took two small sips and then shook her head to refuse.

Niu Dingtian did not force her, tightened her robe, and then left the ruined temple.

Less than half an hour later,

When Niu Dingtian returned to the ruined temple again, he held a branch with a freshly skinned mountain rabbit perched on it; seeing Han Xiao Ying already asleep, he gave the rabbit a wine bath and then placed it by the fire to roast slowly.

He roasted it to about thirty percent doneness, splashed some wine, then to fifty percent, splashed more wine, repeating the process; before long, the ruined temple was filled with the scent of meat.

"Gulu~"

As the meat was about to finish roasting, Niu Dingtian suddenly heard the sound of someone swallowing saliva beside him.

He looked over and saw the little girl staring at the rabbit meat with big eyes, her little nose wrinkling from time to time.

Seeing Niu Dingtian looking over, her gaze darted back and forth between the rabbit meat and his face.

Niu Dingtian saw this and without hesitation tore off a piece of rabbit leg, smiling as he handed it over.

The girl, seeing this, hesitated for a moment, not daring to take it; she then pursed her lips, lightly tugged twice at her master's sleeve, lifted her head, and gave him a pitiful look to ask for his opinion.

The adult, seeing this, also hesitated a bit, pondered for a moment, then gave a slight nod, and then said to Niu Dingtian:

«Thank you! »

Her voice was still somewhat cool and aloof, and after that she said nothing more.

Seeing her master's agreement, the girl's face instantly broke into a smile; she narrowed her big eyes and took it.

Just as Niu Dingtian was about to tear some rabbit meat for Han Xiao Ying, his hand suddenly stopped moving.

Someone!

Sure enough, after a while, voices came over in waves:

«Elder Peng, there's a fire up ahead! »

«Looks like a ruined temple! And there are people! »

«I smell meat! Someone inside is roasting meat! »

«Hahaha! Brothers, we're in luck! »

(End of chapter)