Chapter 106: Slowly, Slowly (1) |
Behind him came the driver's cursing voice.
There was no time to worry about that now. Zhang Shutong turned his head for a quick glance and could still make out the silhouette of that long-haired woman on the shore.
He immediately leaped off the bus, but since the door and the Forbidden Zone weren't on the same side, losing sight of her meant he'd have to circle around half the bus before he could see what was happening in the Forbidden Zone again.
Lu Qinglian was faster than him. The girl pushed off with the tip of her foot, light as a swallow, practically flying out of the bus cabin. But when she landed, she slightly lost her balance, her body tilting toward the side of her injured foot.
The old injury had flared up again. But Zhang Shutong knew why she had to run so urgently—
If their earlier deduction was correct;
If that figure really couldn't hear sounds;
This was a golden opportunity they couldn't ask for to subdue her.
But neither of them dared gamble. The bus's sudden brake had already made a loud noise. They could only approach at full speed.
Zhang Shutong followed close behind. By the time he ran out the door, Lu Qinglian's figure had already disappeared around the corner;
By the time he reached the corner at the back of the bus, Lu Qinglian had already reached the reed bed ahead;
—The reed bed.
Damn it!
Zhang Shutong cursed inwardly. Just now they'd had the high vantage point from the bus, easily seeing over the reeds, but now standing on the ground, their line of sight was blocked by the reed bed again.
Every second counted now. He held both arms in front of his body and plunged headfirst into the reed bed. Lu Qinglian's footsteps began to slow uncontrollably. Within a few steps, Zhang Shutong caught up to her shoulder. From the corner of his eye, he noticed her stumble again. Zhang Shutong was about to rush ahead to clear the path when the girl grabbed his shoulder with one hand and said coldly:
"Dangerous. Don't go."
Zhang Shutong saw her brow furrow slightly. Her voice was usually clear and crisp, but these few short words now carried an unquestionable tone. Zhang Shutong's feet paused, then Lu Qinglian undid her long robe and tossed it backward:
"Catch—"
She charged forward again, her figure instantly swallowed by the reeds. Her footsteps rustled below, but soon the rustling disappeared, transforming into the dull, sticky sound of feet stepping into mud. Lu Qinglian had broken through the reed bed, but then those sounds abruptly ceased;
Zhang Shutong could almost imagine the girl building up momentum, lifting her leg, kicking toward the figure on the shore—
Sure enough, the next moment came the muffled sound of bodies colliding.
Lu Qinglian and the figure had engaged!
This actually made him calm down. Rushing forward recklessly wouldn't help. If this was an opponent Lu Qinglian could handle, he didn't need to go. If she couldn't handle it, then going would just be a burden, and getting taken hostage wasn't impossible.
Zhang Shutong quickly surveyed his surroundings, instinctively looking for a handy weapon, but there was nothing around. Countless reeds pressed in on him from all sides. He thought of the fishing line tied to the grass stems below, but fishing line wouldn't help now. He'd witnessed how fast that figure could move—
The reeds formed an impenetrable wall. From their invisible depths came several more sounds;
More muffled impacts, more footsteps, and the sound of wind from swaying hemlines;
In just an instant, the two had exchanged blows multiple times!
Zhang Shutong became even more certain of his decision. He quickly turned and ran back—
Last time they'd completely lost the trail because the figure had rushed into the reed bed, so this time Zhang Shutong returned to the road, his eyes fixed intently on the reeds' movements. There was no wind today, so even the slightest motion could be detected.
Then he saw a cluster of reeds begin to move:
"North!"
Zhang Shutong shouted. At the same time, his feet started moving. As his words fell, the reed bed on the north side shook even more violently—Lu Qinglian was following close behind.
This was a chase. Zhang Shutong saw the shaking reeds change position:
"East!"
He quickly called out another reminder, and the figure below swiftly changed direction as well.
The setting sun was blood-red, dyeing the reed plumes orange. Two figures sped through them, each cluster of plumes barely stilling before the next began to shake. They expanded and spread like the writhing body of a massive orange python.
Zhang Shutong ran following the python's head.
His breathing grew ragged. He had to constantly watch for the increasingly icy road beneath his feet. His chest began to ache faintly again. He could tell that figure had no intention of circling around in place, but was fleeing Lu Qinglian's pursuit at all costs;
Zhang Shutong ran with his head down, feeling a taste like rust in his throat. He knew this was a sign of ruptured capillaries in his lungs. In a flash, they'd run another dozen meters or so. The reed bed grew shallower. He could gradually see the tops of both their heads. But before Zhang Shutong could feel any joy, in his line of sight, the figure behind seemed to miss a step, then fell backward—
Something had happened on Lu Qinglian's end!
Zhang Shutong hurried down, haphazardly pushing aside the reeds to see the girl half-kneeling in the muddy ground, breathing heavily. On her porcelain-perfect face was a shocking line of blood. Turning his head, the figure they'd been chasing had long since vanished without a trace.
"Are you alright?"
Zhang Shutong came before her, gasping for air.
But Lu Qinglian didn't respond, as if just breathing had exhausted all her strength. Only then did Zhang Shutong notice a muddy patch on her chest, about the size of a footprint. Zhang Shutong's heart sank, but Lu Qinglian shook her head before he could speak.
After a long moment, the girl finally escaped her suffocating state. She closed her eyes, making her voice as calm as possible:
"You shouldn't have come to find me."
"But I couldn't catch up to her by myself either."
Zhang Shutong sighed, glancing at the reeds that had gone still again:
"What happened to your chest?"
"Got kicked."
Zhang Shutong waited for her breathing to steady, then asked:
"Any discoveries?"
"Woman."
"Who?"
"I didn't see too clearly, don't recognize her... but she should be the person I'm looking for." Lu Qinglian frowned tightly. "Just missed by a bit."
"What happened?"
"There was a stone on the ground. My injured foot happened to step on it. I lost my footing, and she seized the opportunity..." As she spoke, she seemed somewhat frustrated and suddenly coughed a few times. She closed her eyes then opened them again, those amber eyes regaining their calm. "What about you? Any discoveries?"
"No. You said she was running, then suddenly stopped, then kicked?"
Lu Qinglian nodded.
But Zhang Shutong really couldn't figure out how that was done, or rather, how a human could execute a "kick" under those circumstances.
There was no need to even try this move to know—suddenly stopping while running at full speed, even maintaining balance would be difficult, let alone launching an attack in an instant, and hitting a vital spot at that.
"You couldn't beat her either?"
"At least not while injured." Lu Qinglian added, "As for that kick, it's very difficult, but not impossible to do."
"But why did she choose to run instead of continuing to attack you?"
"Because of you." Lu Qinglian thought for a moment. "Just a guess—she doesn't know what other tricks we have up our sleeves, or perhaps doesn't want to expose herself too early."
"Did you see anything else?"
"No, but I can basically confirm she's the person I'm looking for."
"Let's get up first."
Zhang Shutong extended his hand, but Lu Qinglian didn't grasp it. Instead, she grabbed onto the reeds beside her to stand up. It looked painful just watching. She only sighed lightly:
"In the end, we still lost her."
"Don't blame yourself too much. We'll find another chance." Zhang Shutong consoled her.
"You'd better think about how I got this injury on my foot."
But right after saying this with an expressionless face, her brow furrowed again slightly.
"Stop being stubborn."
Zhang Shutong let her lean on his shoulder as they slowly walked back to the road.
Lu Qinglian put on her blue robe and found a rock to sit on. Her long hair was somewhat disheveled, her face bearing an injury, yet despite all this, she still sat upright.
Zhang Shutong went back and pulled down several reeds, having her use the plumes to wipe her clothes, then asked:
"When you were on the shore at the very beginning, did she already notice you?"
"No. The judgment about no hearing should be correct."
"Then what?"
"Then I held back some strength and kicked her back."
"She dodged?"
"I hit her."
"But it felt strange, like a..." She seemed to be thinking of an appropriate metaphor. "Remember that dish at lunch?"
"King oyster mushroom?"
"Mm." The girl nodded lightly. "That's what it felt like."
"So I hit her, but I lost my balance instead. We exchanged blows several more times, but because of my foot injury, I had trouble finding leverage points and was constantly at a disadvantage." At this point, Lu Qinglian glanced at him. "If you run into her again, you'd better not even think about confronting her."
"That strong?"
"One encounter would decide the outcome."
"What about those bodyguards at the villa?"
"If I'm uninjured and both sides are barehanded, I can handle two or three. She's only stronger than me, not weaker."
"But doesn't this mean that with so many people around Gu Qiumian this time, she actually can't win in a direct confrontation?"
"Pretty much."
"Does she have any special abilities? You should understand what I mean—like, you know... shrinking bones to squeeze through railings, flying through the sky and burrowing underground, or superpowers?"
"If that were the case, we wouldn't have the chance to sit here talking. She's just physically stronger than ordinary people, but overall hasn't exceeded that scope." Lu Qinglian looked up at him helplessly. "Is your brain filled with anything besides immortality, snake demons, and Superman?"
Zhang Shutong spread his hands.
Surprisingly, she even knew about Superman.
Maybe Old Song had shown them foreign blockbusters before.
"But she's definitely not the figure I saw that day." Zhang Shutong deflated again.
"You might not have been lying, but now I suspect you saw wrong. You just saw a long-haired woman and mistook her for me."
"Now that you mention it, I didn't really see her face clearly at the time. It was too dark at night, and half her face was covered by her hair... But she really was wearing a blue robe."
"Mystification? Imitation, or disguise?" Lu Qinglian frowned again. "But looking at it this way, at least your deskmate's personal safety can be guaranteed."
Zhang Shutong nodded, then glanced north.
That figure had ultimately gone in that direction.
While the villa was to the south.
He looked at Lu Qinglian again:
"How's your face?"
Tiny beads of blood were seeping from the wound. Below her feet was snow, her skin flawless as ice, making it all the more striking.
"It's fine. Just got scratched by a reed leaf." She gently wiped away the blood on her face.
Zhang Shutong wanted to ask if it would scar. Generally speaking, girls this age cared a lot about such things, but Lu Qinglian didn't seem to care much, or rather, she had no choice. She couldn't go to a beauty salon, didn't have scar-removing skincare products. She could only wait for it to heal on its own, then leave it to fate.
After resting a while, Zhang Shutong asked if she needed him to carry her. She shook her head. She walked very slowly, otherwise she'd have to limp.
Zhang Shutong also slowed his pace to wait for her.
The two walked to the nearest bus stop. By now it was already five o'clock. Fortunately, they caught the last bus.
Four yuan total, coming and going.
On the bus, Zhang Shutong asked again:
"Want to come get my bike with me? I'll treat you to dinner."
"No, I still need to go back up the mountain to cook. Grandma's waiting for me."
Zhang Shutong was a bit stunned:
"Cook?"
"Mm."
Zhang Shutong looked her up and down:
Injury on her face.
Sprained ankle.
Kicked in the chest, severity unknown.
Then going back up the mountain to cook.
You're the real Superman here...
She was now looking up, staring at the bus handhold, as if looking at something very novel.
Zhang Shutong felt a bit sorry for her, but Lu Qinglian withdrew her gaze, her voice utterly flat:
"Don't waste your pity where it shouldn't be used. I don't feel there's anything wrong, so being looked at with different eyes—whether pity or strangeness—will only trouble me."
Alright then.
Zhang Shutong stopped talking.
He supposed she was used to it.
Finally, the two parted ways at the port.
There were still only the two of them on the bus. After he got off, only Lu Qinglian remained, sitting by the window. Not far away was the vast expanse of the lake, with ferries slowly traveling back across its surface, several columns of black smoke rising into the sky. Probably because the heavy snow made movement difficult, quite a few people had left the island today. The pier was bustling, the ship whistles somewhat noisy. Lu Qinglian was someone who liked quiet, so the bus carried the girl off into the distance.
The setting sun fell, the sky already darkening. Zhang Shutong thought about how with her bad foot, climbing the mountain would be slow. By the time she walked up the mountain, the sky would probably be completely dark. But she walked that path every day, day after day, year after year. Should he say she didn't feel lonely, or had grown accustomed to loneliness?
Zhang Shutong didn't have the mood to study this question for now.
He followed the text message to find his family's motorcycle. The glove box on the motorcycle was broken—a light pull would open it. His dad had hidden the key inside.
This was a sport bike, 350cc displacement. His dad had been a somewhat flashy man in his youth, and how could a flashy man not have a motorcycle?
He'd ridden it a few times before and learned to shift gears, though he was rusty now. After starting it up and practicing for a moment, he rode away from the port.
The clamor of voices gradually faded behind his ears. People who should go home for dinner would eat, those who should sleep would sleep. Even if sleeping now was too early, they could watch TV for a while;
Those not going home were like his dad and mom, choosing to stay overnight in the city. In the evening they could visit the park and cinema—both good places to pass the time, lively and fun.
The day was drawing to a close, but not his finale.
Zhang Shutong twisted the throttle, heading toward his next destination.