Chapter 420 - Chapter 420: Needle in a haystack
Chapter 420: Needle in a haystack
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
As Lin Wanning closed her tear-blurred eyes, a sword flew past, cutting through the white silk rope.
Lin Wanning fell to the ground, rolling several times before stopping, coughing violently.
A young man in black leapt down from a tree, landing beside Lin Wanning. He crouched down and helped her up, “Miss…”
Lin Wanning rubbed her neck, still coughing.
The young man in black… Si Yuheng took out his water flask, opened it, and offered it to Lin Wanning, “Would you like some water?”
Feeling uncomfortable, Lin Wanning didn’t hesitate, taking the flask and drinking a few sips, “Cough, thank you.” She returned the flask to Si Yuheng.
Si Yuheng looked at Lin Wanning, perplexed, “Why are you seeking death in the middle of the night here?”
Lin Wanning regained her composure, “And why are you here?”
Si Yuheng pointed to the tree, a bit embarrassed, “I was resting in the tree. No choice, I can’t afford to stay in an inn.”
Lin Wanning glanced at the tree, then at the severed silk, “Tied together, it might still be usable.”
She got up and walked towards the silk.
Si Yuheng followed, advising, “You’re so young, why throw away your life so easily? Aren’t you afraid of hurting your family?”
“Family?” Lin Wanning retorted sarcastically, “What family? Those who don’t protect you, but instead stab you in the back…?”
Si Yuheng guessed to himself that this girl’s loathing for her family probably drove her to suicide. Better not to uncover old wounds.
“Why seek death? You could just walk away from your family if they are not important to you.”
Lin Wanning paused as if something had dawned on her. There were indeed other solutions than death – escape for instance, but she had concerns, “But as a woman alone, if I encounter human traffickers, it might be worse than death.”
Si Yuheng confidently patted his chest, “With me here, if any trafficker dares touch you, I’ll make sure they regret it.”
“You will protect me?” Lin Wanning said, thinking to herself, this young man has saved me, and his words and actions are very well-behaved. Why not choose to believe him and fight for her life? She looked at Bai Ling again. It was indeed a loss to die like this.
Si Yuheng earnestly said, “Of course, I’ll protect you if I take you away.”
Lin Wanning was tempted, pondering. If she were to run away, she’d need money. “Wait for me, I’ll go home and pack some things, then I’ll come with you.”
Si Yuheng looked around, “Where’s your home? Shall I use my Qing Gong to take you there?”
Lin Wanning led Si Yuheng out of the woods, pointing in the direction of the Lin family, “Over there.”
Si Yuheng wrapped his arm around Lin Wanning’s waist and flew over.
Lin Wanning, frightened, reflexively hugged Si Yuheng, pressing close to his chest with her eyes shut tightly and teeth clenched…
She’s funny, Si Yuheng thought. Not afraid of hanging herself in the wilderness at night, but scared of flying like this.
They landed at the back door of the Lin family house.
Lin Wanning, feet on solid ground, slowly released Si Yuheng, embarrassed as she said, “Wait for me, I’ll be right out.”
Si Yuheng said, “No rush, take your time.”
Lin Wanning glanced at Si Yuheng, tiptoed through the door into the Lin house.
At this time, everyone was in deep sleep. Lin Wanning smoothly returned to her room, gathered her jewelry and valuables, then sneaked into her father’s study and took all his banknotes.
Since her father didn’t care whether she lived or died, she felt no obligation to be a dutiful daughter anymore.
Quickly scavenging the banknotes, she left the study.
Unexpectedly, someone was standing at the door. Lin Wanning was so startled she almost died of fright on the spot.
Ge Lihua quickly covered her mouth and pulled her into the shadows.
As a martial artist, Ge Lihua’s senses were sharp and alert, especially in someone else’s house. Restless and unable to sleep, she heard stealthy footsteps and followed them here.
To her surprise, it was Lin Wanning.
Seeing it was Ge Lihua, Lin Wanning relaxed, “Sister.”
Ge Lihua whispered, “Why are you up in the middle of the night?”
It was hard to explain. Lin Wanning’s expression darkened. “Sister, let’s leave here first. I’ll tell you the reason after we leave, okay?”
In theory, she had fulfilled her task by delivering the person back to the Lin family. However, after spending two days together, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for Lin Wanning and wanted to protect her.
Ge Lihua pulled her and flew out of the Lin house with her Qing Gong. They arrived at an alley. “Can you tell me now?”
Lin Wanning did not hide anything and told her everything, even about the young man.
In her heart, Ge Lihua was a friend and was worth trusting wholeheartedly.
Ge Lihua patted Lin Wanning’s head sympathetically. She was really a girl with an ill fate. “Since your family can’t tolerate you, let’s go somewhere else.”
Lin Wanning hugged Ge Lihua. “Sister, thank you for not objecting.”
Ge Lihua smiled faintly and said, “What’s there to object to? We’re all girls. You know how girls feel. Most of the time, we don’t have a choice. But no matter what the outside world thinks, we have to fight for what we have to fight for so that we don’t regret living in this world.”
Lin Wanning could not help but cry again. “Sister, I’ll remember what you said.”
Ge Lihua patted Lin Wanning’s head. “Silly girl.”
Lin Wanning hugged Ge Lihua again, then the two of them went to meet Si Yuheng.
When Si Yuheng heard the sound of footsteps coming from the side, he immediately hid himself vigilantly, so Ge Lihua and Lin Wanning did not see him.
Ge Lihua was also a martial artist. She stood rooted to the ground and looked to the side.
A needle suddenly appeared in her lowered hand. Then, she raised her hand at lightning speed and shot the needle in the direction she was looking at.
Si Yuheng was shocked. With danger approaching, he had no choice but to reveal himself. He had been wandering around the world for more than a year, but this was the first time he had encountered a girl who was so good at using hidden weapons. He almost died.
When Lin Wanning saw Si Yuheng, she quickly pulled Ge Lihua back. “Sister, he’s Si Yuheng. He’s one of us.”
Si Yuheng was on guard, but he quickly said, “I saved the girl beside you just now.”
Ge Lihua stopped attacking. “I’m sorry.”
Si Yuheng bowed. “Greetings, Miss. I’m Si Yuheng. May I know your name?”
Ge Lihua sized up Si Yuheng. “Ge Lihua!”
Qingzhi told her to pay more attention if she met someone with the surname Si. There were not many people with the surname Si in the Daling Dynasty.. What if he was Si Yingzong’s nephew?