Chapter 403 - Inhumane (2/2)

“Zhuang Xiaomo isn’t someone unrelated to me! He’s the future son-in-law that my parents both want!” Before Yu Xiaocao had finished what she was saying, she had been pulled into an icy cold hug.

Perhaps he had lost too much blood but Zhu Junyang felt like his entire body was chilly and his head was spinning. He locked the little lass into his arms and sourly remarked, “The son-in-law that they want? That stupid, good-for-nothing, tanned young fellow? How could he compare to my stunning good looks, skillful martial arts and boundless future?”

“Pffftt...” Yu Xiaocao sprayed out a laugh and forcefully pushed him away. When she saw Zhu Junyang stagger after being pushed, she reached out to support the weakened youth as she said, “Just why are you being so jealous right now? Zhuang Xiaomo is someone that my mother wants for Xiaolian’s future husband. You’re so tyrannical so how could my mother possibly try to find someone else for me besides you?”

Only after hearing that did the jealousy in Zhu Junyang’s heart slightly settle down. He pretended to be very weak as he leaned against Xiaocao’s shoulder, but he was also afraid that his weight would push her down and make her too tired. On the nearby reef, Commander Zheng had left a secret message hinting that they had already gone back to the West Mountains.

The two of them relaxed and circled around the sandy beach to avoid the Wokou pirates searching for them. They got to the vicinity of Zhuang Xiaomo’s village. In the distance, using the hazy light of the moon, they could see some human-shaped figures dangling from the large tree at the mouth of the village. When they got closer, Yu Xiaocao almost vomited from the sight. The figures hanging from the tree were all the villagers that the pirates had slaughtered. They must have been dead for at least two days as their corpses were giving off a dense, rotten scent. After the storm from the evening, all of them had swelled up and didn’t resemble people anymore.

Didn’t Zhuang Xiaomo run back to warn the villagers that the pirates were coming? How come there were still so many villagers who had been brutally killed? However, how could she know that the village chief of Zhuang Xiaomo’s village refused to believe the words of a youth who was half grown and didn't take any of it to heart. Other than the few families who had a good relationship with him that had packed and fled to the nearby hills, the other villagers didn’t prepare anything and had met their doom when the pirates arrived.

This village was smaller than Dongshan Village but it still had around eighty to a hundred villagers usually. From the looks of it, at least fifty to sixty of them had been brutally murdered. Yu Xiaocao had also noticed that there were almost no young women among the corpses that were hanging on the trees. Anyone with a brain could tell what had happened to those women. The Wokou pirates were too cruel. Stealing the villagers’ belongings was one thing yet they also had to viciously slaughter innocents and rape helpless women! Yu Xiaocao felt simultaneously disgusted and afraid. She ground her teeth in rage.

Zhu Junyang lightly covered her eyes and gently comforted her, “Xiaocao, don’t worry! All of these lives will definitely be paid back for you! I will definitely make sure that these bastards pay blood for blood!”

Yu Xiaocao sniffed and then helped him to circle around the village along a tiny muddy trail. They headed towards the West Mountains. Since Zhu Junyang had been injured, their speed was very slow. By the time they entered the mountain, the first rays of light from the sun had just peeked over the horizon. The sounds of birds chirping gradually filled the air.

Her head was still filled with the mournful images of the village. Fortunately, the village chief of Dongshan Village had trusted her and the Yu Family and made a wise decision. His decision saved all of the lives at Dongshan Village. Their lost possessions could be slowly earned back but people who lost their lives could never come back!

The two of them silently trudged through the forest with difficulty. Suddenly, Zhu Junyang stopped moving and made a gesture to her, telling her to be quiet. He was listening to the sounds in the vicinity.

“What’s wrong? Did you hear something? Is it a person or animal?” Yu Xiaocao immediately became nervous. Could it be the Wokou pirates had chased them into the mountain? Although Royal Prince Yang was very skilled at fighting, he had been heavily injured. If they were in the water, she might have some skills to get them out of a bad situation. However, on dry land, she couldn’t be of any help. What should they do? What should they do?!

Zhu Junyang pointed at a large tree behind them and helped her climb up. He followed up behind her with a lot of effort and they used the dense tree leaves to cover up their figures.

Before long, the figure of an adult man appeared underneath the tree and a familiar voice could be heard, “So weird, I’m pretty sure I shot that animal. How come I can’t find it now?”

“There’s a blood trail here. If we follow it, we will definitely find it. Xiaomo, don’t be in a hurry. That dumb roe deer absolutely can’t run for too far!” This was the voice of the adult man. Yu Xiaocao wasn’t very familiar with it.

However, she could already guess the identity of this man and the worry within her heart gradually dissipated away. Zhuang Xiaomo wasn’t too stupid. At least he knew to hide in the deep mountain forest. Luckily, he didn’t lose his life. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure how to break such news to Xiaolian.

“The crisis is over, it’s Zhuang Xiaomo and the others!” Yu Xiaocao quietly informed Zhu Junyang. Zhuang Xiaomo, who was under the tree, suddenly raised his head to look at the leaves above him. His dark and bushy eyebrows slowly came together in a frown and he also slowly raised the bow in his hands in the direction of the tree top.

“Oh ho! This fellow has some pretty good ears on him. Too bad he’s on the older side. If he was able to get formal training when he was young, he absolutely wouldn’t be any less skillful than Zheng Yun and the others!” Since the other person had already spotted him, Zhu Junyang naturally also raised his voice.

Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and revealed her small head from the cover of the leaves as she hurriedly said, “Zhuang Xiaomo, it’s me, Yu Xiaocao!”

When he heard her voice, Zhuang Xiaomo lowered the bow in his hands. The few men behind him only discovered that the tree was hiding people after they heard the sound of Zhu Junyang’s voice.