Chapter 4 (1/2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Qiao An looked up and down at Su Jiu. To tell the truth, this was the first time he saw Su Jiu’s true face, and he could not help smiling.

“Very well, at least we don’t have to worry about being exposed. Good, good!” Qiao An praised, and the others responded, agreeing one after another.

Su Jiu frowned. “But why do I feel so awkward?”

She looked down. “And this dress, it’s not meant for humans to wear!” As she spoke, she was about to take her belt off!

“Miss, Master!” The woman panicked, and she did not know how to address Su Jiu anymore. She grabbed her hand. “Master, you can’t take it off. That’s how women wear it!”

“Chief, I’m sorry you have to bear with it for now. We’ll come up with something else when we arrive at Shengjing City,” Qiao An persuaded.

Looking up, Qiao An said, “It’s getting late and all the bodies were buried. Let’s get on the road!”

Su Jiu nodded, and no longer fussed over her clothes. “Place rocks inside the dowry boxes, cover them with the cloth, and don’t reveal anything!” she instructed.

“Yes, Chief!”

The moment Su Jiu spoke, the group felt that their Chief had returned, so they followed orders like they always had.

After half an hour, the team set off again. In the horse drawn carriage sat Su Jiu and the nanny, with Chang Huan driving. At the back were two carriages with the boxes of rocks, driven by Ah Shu and Hu Dapao, where Qiao An sat inside. The party then headed for Shengjing.

From that moment on, their destiny would undergo enormous changes.

The weather at the end of September was already a bit chilly, and just in the afternoon there were few people passing through the woods. The only other presence was the wind, and the leaves fluttered down from the trees, reflecting the silence in the woods.

The stench of blood gradually dissipated. Deep inside the woods was where they had buried the corpse. Su Jiu’s gang had dug a big pit and piled the bodies in it. The soil and gravel piled on top was thin, and a hibiscus-colored dress could be seen in a corner just beneath the surface.

Su Jiu and her group didn’t conduct the robbery, but had to take care of the mess. They were already nice enough to dig a pit for the victims. If they were to dig individual graves and put up a gravestone for each body, then they would not be called bandits any more.

A gust of autumn wind swept through, and the yellow leaves whirled around the pit.

A hand by the edges of the pit suddenly moved. The soil slid off, as an arm stretched out.

There was the sound of footsteps coming from afar, deep into the woods. It was the woodcutter from a nearby town who returned with firewood.

The man was about 30 years old, and he wore rough coarse clothes with patches. He carried the firewood on his shoulders, and his brows twisted. He still had an old mother in his family. He was poor and still had not found a wife at his age. He was deeply distressed. It was past lunchtime and he did not want to go back.

The ground was covered in fallen leaves. He did not take notice, and as he continued walking, something grabbed his trousers. From behind him, a woman’s voice rang the air: “Help me!”

The man froze and looked back. He saw a hand from the ground grabbed him, and the sound seemed to be from beneath the ground.

The man fell backward onto the forest floor, as he yelled in shock, “Ghost!”

——

Su Jiu and her party passed Landing Eagle Peak and traveled for nearly two hours. Su Jiu sat in the carriage, about to fall asleep. Suddenly, she opened her eyes with a jolt.

The nanny was shocked as she stared at Su Jiu unblinkingly, her body huddled against the wall.

The carriage stopped almost at that same moment!

30 or 40 masked men in black robes jumped out on both sides of the hill. The swords in their hands shining as they rushed towards Su Jiu’s group. The leader shouted, “Leave no one alive, kill them all!”