[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 113
Afterward, they settled the old woman and took A’Nian down the mountain.
But A’Nian was now like a madman, truly difficult to control.
Shiliu figured they at least had the gu eggs as a backup. So, she temporarily used a method to suppress the activity of the gu poison within A’Nian. Although he still wasn’t in his right mind, he at least didn’t need to drink blood daily.
After the gu was suppressed, A’Nian became more docile. While still slow and dim-witted, he wasn’t as frenzied.
They took A’Nian and headed southeast, which, coincidentally, was the same direction Li Xuanci had originally intended to take to the capital.
One day, as darkness fell, because A’Nian had been restless during the journey and suppressing the gu took some time, they had only covered half the distance originally planned. With no village ahead or inn behind, they had no choice but to camp in the mountain woods.
Jin Zhan, ever dutiful, dragged the tent from the horse’s saddlebag, hammered the stakes into the ground, and set it up.
To keep luggage light, they had brought only one tent, and it wasn’t very large. So, for the first time, they faced a dilemma: who would sleep inside?
Jin Zhan, of course, prioritized his master. But Li Xuanci was utterly shameless, actually lifting the tent flap with an air of entitlement and preparing to enter.
He Chong’s mouth fell open. He stared in astonishment at Li Xuanci’s adept and swift movements, then turned his head with difficulty to look at Shiliu, only to find his junior sister also wore a completely unconcerned expression. He instantly felt a frustration akin to wishing iron could turn into steel.
The “iron head” herself felt perfectly fine, not only lacking any desire to become “steel” but also huffing and puffing as she opened her small bundle, planning to find a spot to roll out her bedding.
He Chong approached, heart aching with disappointment, and said to his junior sister, “You’re just going to let him go in and sleep?”
Shiliu was baffled. “He paid for the tent, so of course he sleeps in it.”
“You’re a girl! What if the cold dampness from the ground seeps into your body?” He Chong diligently played the role of the fretful, despairing mother hen.
Unfortunately, the young lady herself wasn’t really getting into the script. She patted her small bundle naively and said cheerfully to her senior brother, “It’s fine. We’re not deep in the mountains, and the weather’s so hot now. Sleeping on the ground might be cooler.”
He Chong had nothing more to say. He could only turn away speechlessly to find his own spot to rest.
After he left, Shiliu continued picking out gravel from the ground, meticulously preparing her sleeping area for the night.
She was intently focused on this task when she heard movement from the tent. Looking back, she saw Li Xuanci, who had already gone inside, holding the tent flap open, half his body leaning out, and glaring intently at her.
Shiliu was confused. She had been very considerate, not even arguing with him over the tent. Why was he still glaring at her?
She carefully reviewed her actions, confirmed she wasn’t the least bit at fault, and therefore glared back righteously.
But Li Xuanci’s gaze only grew deeper and more intense, locked onto her, tangling around her like silken threads. Bathed in his stare, Shiliu suddenly felt flustered—a breathlessness like running pell-mell down a hillside, or the panic when a kite string slips from your hand.
Yet, despite the turmoil inside, her face remained its usual dumbfounded self. Li Xuanci watched her for a moment, finally gave a cold snort, swished the tent flap down, and said no more to her.
One, clearly wanting to curl up together at night, yet putting on airs and clamming up like a sealed gourd.
The other, clearly affected, heart pounding like a rabbit, yet muddle-headed and obtuse as an iron ox.
One with too many schemes in his heart, the other with far too few.
A fated quarrel.
In the middle of the night, a campfire was lit. Jin Zhan, embracing his sword, rested against a tree trunk, one of He Chong’s feet draped over his crossed legs in sleep.
A’Nian had one wrist tied with rope, the other end fastened to a large tree.
Shiliu lay obediently on her cloth mat, curled into a ball, smacking her lips in her dreams, recalling the taste of roast suckling pig.
The tent was silent, without any sound.
While everyone slept, only the flames burned in the dark night. The moon should have been out, but a fog had risen unnoticed, so thick that even the bright firelight couldn’t pierce through the miasma.
Shiliu was sleeping deeply when, from within the stupor, an extremely shrill cry erupted, like a wolf pack surrounding its prey, letting it howl in agony.
Startled awake, she instantly became alert, only to immediately find her vision obscured by the dense fog. She stretched out a hand in panic, but could see nothing, only vaguely discerning the shadow of her own hand moving in the empty darkness.
Just then, the howl sounded again—so sharp, so pained, as if drilling into her ears. Shiliu shivered and decided to pull a firestarter from her robes, but couldn’t find it after fumbling for a long time.
Suppressing her emotions, she gave up on the firestarter and directly formed the Bright Flame Hand Seal. A brilliant spark jumped from her fingertip, lighting a small corner of the darkness.
However, as this flame brightened, the cry suddenly felt closer. Accompanied by the sound of rapid footsteps—the darkness confusing the perception of distance—each step seemed to tread directly on her heart, stirring endless waves.
Everything happened extremely fast. The small flame parted a tiny section of the darkness when suddenly, from the boundary where light and shadow intertwined, sharp fangs appeared!
A’Nian’s face, which had returned to normal, was once again distorted. Naked bestiality was unveiled in his features. The golden patterns in his pupils flickered in the firelight. His bloody maw opened, ready to bite down!
Shiliu immediately formed another seal. The small flame instantly grew without wind, licking out several fiery tongues in the air. Thin threads of light and flame wrapped around A’Nian’s body, forcing him back a few steps.
But A’Nian seemed unafraid of the heat. After retreating only a few steps, he stubbornly advanced again through the flames, his misshapen hands on the verge of grabbing Shiliu.
Clang! A sound like jade and gold striking echoed through the air. A flowing, glorious light—sword radiance reflecting the fire—pierced the night sky, forcibly repelling the charging A’Nian.
It was Li Xuanci’s sword!
With a sweep of his blade, he forced the maddened A’Nian back several more steps. Only then did he reach out with one hand, pull the frightened Shiliu to her feet, and draw her into his embrace.
The thoroughly startled and highly life-preserving Shiliu was actually quite cooperative this time. She immediately clung tightly to him, even wrapping her legs around him almost as if climbing a tree.
In the midst of the busy fight, Li Xuanci found a moment to look down at her and uttered a sentence.
“Fool, for not listening.”
If she had just obediently entered his tent, would she have been scared like this?