Chapter 131 - A Bad Premonition (2/2)

Zhiyuan smiled and wiped her tears. ”Can I call you Grandma?”

”Of course, dear.”

”Grandma. You don't have to worry about them anymore, okay? Just leave it to me.”

”No, no. We don't want you or your wife to get in any danger.”

”We won't be and neither would any of you in this village. Trust me. For now, Xiaosi and I will go with Mia for her safety. You are swamped with the repair work already.”

Xiaosi glanced at the teenage girl. ”Lead the way.”

”Y-Yes!”

More than looking for the branches, she was now excited to accompany two handsome men who will guard her.

Ah, today is such a good day…

Zhiyuan came to Xinyi's side and said, ”Xiaosi and I will be back in some time. Then we will leave for the campsite.”

She nodded. Zhiyuan smiled and patted her head.

Caihong glanced at Xiaosi and wondered if he would say something, but he didn't even look towards her.

Not like I expected he would inform me or something...

As they left, a few figures peeked out from behind a tree. They nodded at each other. ”I knew that bitch would be here. Let's go.”

---

Mia led the way through the trees as she looked around for any dry leaves and twigs. Zhiyuan asked, ”Tell me more about the bandits.”

Mia's brows scrunched up in a troubled expression. ”Where should I even begin? They are horrible people. They are hunters who hunt illegally. But ever since they found our village at the hills, they have only troubled us. They forcibly take all the small amount of money we earn by selling our crops. They have even destroyed our crops so many times just for fun! And then…they also forcibly t-touch the girls. They have weapons with them so we cannot do anything. They laugh at our misery.”

Xiaosi slowly asked, ”You too?”

Mia was close to bursting into tears as she hugged herself, feeling disgusted as she recalled the horrible times. ”E-En. They also fool the lost travelers and steal everything they have. We heard that once they even killed a man who resisted them. They are really scary…” she shuddered.

Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes.

”They always have an eye on us so that we don't head to the town to report against them. They said that if we did, they would force themselves on all the girls and women here and then kill them in front of everyone.”

Zhiyuan and Xiaosi turned cold. Their gazes were dark and dangerous as they learned about such atrocities.

”Just because they are strong and have weapons, they think they can do anything!” Mia sniffled.

Xiaosi, particularly, felt more riled up as he heard this. His nails dug the skin of his palm and he ground his jaw. A deadly storm arose in his heart. He shot a threatening glare at Zhiyuan and said, ”Indeed. People with more power become so arrogant. They think they can trample upon people's emotions and weaknesses, am I not right Zhiyuan?”

He sneered. ”It's not just the bandits, Mia. People like these are everywhere especially the fucking wealthy people who think that they have everything in the palm of their hands. They like it when others cry and beg in front of them.”

Zhiyuan didn't understand where he was coming from. ”What are you - ow!”

He flung his arm as he felt a thorn prick his finger. It came from one of the vines hanging from a tree.

”Oh, God! You are hurt!” Mia exclaimed.

”It's alright. It's just a scratch.”

But as he stared at his light bruise, a sense of discomfort welled inside him. He got pricked at his ring finger where a tiny drop of his blood had stained his wedding ring. Xinyi's image instantly flashed in his mind and he suddenly felt uneasy.

Why am I getting this bad feeling that she might be in danger…?