Chapter 903: Same Path

Chapter 903: Fellow Travelers

Li Sui was watching them, and the performers were watching her back—not just watching, but staring with eyes wide, for they had never seen a girl so beautiful.

"What are you looking at! Have you never seen a woman before?" The old man rapped each of them on the head with his knuckles.

He glanced at the copper coins in the bowl, reached out, and gave the youngest boy’s shoulder a sharp twist, snapping the severed limb back into place. "Let’s go, out of the city. Bah, all this toil and we haven't even earned enough for a meal."

As they packed their belongings, they drove the carriage toward the city gates.

Just as they cleared the exit, they noticed Li Sui following behind them. The younger men in the troupe grew restless, whispering to themselves, wondering if this girl had taken a fancy to one of them.

Kicking them aside one by one, the lead old man cupped his hands toward Li Sui. "Miss, the show is over, and the hour is late. You should head back now; don't let your elders worry."

At the mention of her elders, Li Sui’s expression dimmed, though she quickly recovered. "Grandfather, is this the road to Youdu?"

"Aye, it is, but there are several forks along the way. Though the distance isn't great, it would take ten days on foot. Miss, traveling empty-handed like this, I fear you won't make it." Chen Bin finished his sentence and, without further explanation, led his disciples forward.

But they hadn't gone far when he saw the young girl following them again. "Are you all going to Youdu, too? May I join you? I’m afraid of taking the wrong turn."

"Yes, yes! We’re going to Youdu! It’s right on our way!" Several seventeen or eighteen-year-old lads were so excited they didn't know where to put their hands.

"Yes, what? Am I not your master?" Chen Bin snapped, then bowed solemnly to Li Sui once more. "Miss, men and women should keep their distance, and the journey is long. If you truly must go to Youdu, travel with your elders or hire an escort."

Chen Bin was not like his lust-addled apprentices. A maiden as fair as she was, wanting to travel with a group of bachelors, was far too suspicious. It reeked of a trap.

"But I cannot find my elders..." Seeing Li Sui lower her head in distress, the young men were instantly heartbroken, stumbling over their words as they rushed to comfort her.

Their sympathy was in vain. Chen Bin shoved them aside, grabbed the wild rabbit skin, and held it out to Li Sui with both hands. He bowed respectfully, turned, and led his disciples away as if fleeing for their lives.

They ran for two hours, stopping only when the sky began to darken.

"Master, isn't this a bit much?" Lin Qishan, the fourth disciple, asked while wiping sweat from his chin.

"Better safe than sorry. There was something wrong with that girl. Now, gather wood and start the fire."

Dinner was meager—coarse grain buns and a pot of wild vegetable soup. Only a small jar of vinegar added any flavor to the meal.

The vinegar was rationed: seven dips per person, no more. That was Chen Bin’s rule.

Growing boys have bottomless stomachs; if he let them eat their fill, the jar wouldn't last a day.

Just as they were devouring their food, the youngest boy wandered into the woods to relieve himself, a bun still hanging from his mouth.

He had barely reached the edge of the trees when he let out a shriek—a sound far sharper than when his arm had been snapped earlier.

Hearing the cry, the brothers abandoned their meal and grabbed whatever weapons they had, rushing toward the sound.

"What is it? What happened?" As the boy pointed a trembling finger into the dark woods, Chen Bin hurled his torch into the trees.

The next moment, they all froze. The girl who had asked for directions was standing there, clutching a mass of bloody flesh, nibbling at it in small, delicate bites.

Li Sui’s cheeks bulged. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and pleaded, "I didn't mean to follow you, but I have very important business in Youdu. It’s safer to travel together. If we encounter any evil spirits on the road, I can help drive them away."

Chen Bin’s mouth hung open, at a loss for words. His trembling hand reached into his tunic.

"Won't you?" As Li Sui took a step forward, Chen Bin gritted his teeth and pulled out a string of items, holding them high.

It was a copper coin, passed down from his grandfather, known as a "Mountain Ghost Charm." It was said to ward off evil.

Li Sui looked at the coin on its red string and thought of the copper coin sword her father always carried on his back. Tears welled in her eyes.

As Li Sui burst into tears, Chen Bin and his disciples collapsed to the ground in terror. The cleverest among them, Lin Qishan, threw himself flat, kowtowing frantically. "Great Immortal, have mercy! Please don't eat me!"

A long while later, under the pressure of Li Sui’s sobbing pleas, Chen Bin agreed to let her join them.

He didn't even bother to pack the pot or sleep. He drove the carriage through the moonlight, the troupe trembling as they walked in front, with Li Sui following behind.

Dawn broke, and though they should have rested, Chen Bin dared not. The image of the bloody mass in her hands haunted him; he feared becoming that very thing.

"Master, we can't go this way. Isn't this the territory of the Mountain Bandit King? We’ll be robbed for sure." Chen Bin glared at his eldest disciple.

Glancing back at the girl, who was lost in thought while staring at the Mountain Ghost Charm in her hand, he lowered his voice. "We are going to the bandit’s territory! It’s called using a wolf to drive away a tiger! Remember, the moment they start fighting, we run for our lives!"

As he spoke, Chen Bin cursed his grandfather a thousand times over. The charm had been in the monster's hands for hours, and it hadn't done a lick of good.

Three hours later, a large tree fell across the path, blocking their way. When burly men with blades on their shoulders emerged, Chen Bin felt a surge of excitement—a chance at survival!

"This mountain is my home, this tree is my planting. If you want to pass, leave your—huh? This little lass is quite a looker." The bandits surrounded Li Sui with lecherous grins.

Li Sui, shaken from her memories, looked up to see a man standing before her, beginning to unbutton his clothes.

She blinked, stepped back, and waved her hands dismissively. "Thank you, but I'm not hungry right now."