Chapter 12: The Boot's Tip

  The sky was a deep blue, the weather was hot and dry. Although the Taoist temple on Listen Mountain was close to the riverbank, it was impossible to expect any help from that direction. The town of Yao was originally sparsely populated, and the Taoist temple was located outside the town. Although there was an official road at the foot of the mountain, there were only three people on the road at this time: Nan Yue, Lan Sheng, and one other person. Therefore, the flames rose high into the air, fanned by the wind, but the birds had long since flown away, and the forest was quiet and still, burning so silently.

  Nan Yue Lan's brow furrowed tightly, and without hesitation, she urged her horse to ascend the mountain slope, but was stopped by Wu Guo.

  "There are flowers, you and the young lady wait here, I'll go take a look." Before the two could say anything, he had already rushed into the mountain.

  Nan Yue Lan was determined to go and take a look no matter what, but the horses with flowers blocked the mountain road.

  "Making you wait and can't even help put out the fire, being so pampered, what if you get dizzy from the smoke and become a hindrance. She spoke straightforwardly, but was also worried about nothing, her eyes fixed on the thick smoke. "If we say that Listening to the Waves Pavilion is unlucky, then such a large area of mountain forest, why did the heavenly fire have to fall on the middle of the mountain? Hopefully it didn't burn down the pavilion."

  Nan Yue Lan Sheng said, "The forest of Tingtao Mountain is mostly composed of tidal wood, which is not easy to catch fire. On the other hand, the Taoist temple is made of wood. Looking at this smoke and its momentum, I'm afraid it's the Taoist temple that's on fire." Is it heavenly fire?

  "Look at you, Miss, when did you become so clever that even a wooden stick can understand?"

  "...That's common sense." Nan Yue Lan Sheng glanced back, "People who don't even know common sense are called idiots."

  There is a flower willow eyebrow upside down, and also want to talk back.

  "There's a limit, although I don't mind joking around with you in my free time, but if you insist on being contrary sentence by sentence, I'll ask Mother to switch maids. But it's always someone staring at me, no one can take responsibility." The buzzing in her ear made Nan Yue Lan feel like her brain was going to short circuit.

  The flower has pursed her lips. The present-day South Month Orchid is different from the past, and it's highly likely that she'll put her words into action. If I'm to be replaced, how can I repay Madam's kindness in raising me? Endure. Endure.

  One was anxious to know the situation on the mountain, and the other was out of breath and couldn't speak. Fortunately, the two didn't have to wait long before they saw Wu Guo running down from the mountain path, waving his arms.

  Hua and Wu Guo grew up together from a young age, they could understand each other's intentions with just one movement. Immediately, he said to Lan Sheng, "Dismount."

  Nan Yue Lan Sheng also found that the fruitless horse was gone, and he knew something was wrong. After hearing Hua's words, he dismounted his horse.

  Hua swung out two painful lashes, and the two horses whinnied as they ran into the woods. At the same time, she pulled Nan Yue Lan Sheng towards Wu Guo's direction, asking "What's wrong?"

  Wu Guo made a silencing gesture and led the way, jumping into the bushes on one side of the mountain path. He crouched low to the ground with his entire body and signaled for the two to follow suit.

  There is a vacant position in the middle of the flower arrangement, urging the slow-moving Nan Yue Lan to move faster. "Big sister, you should hurry up."

  Nan Yue Lan's movements were indeed slow, her bones and muscles not listening to her, after all, three months ago she was still weak from illness, and had been pampered as a precious daughter. Her movements were clumsy and awkward, her feet slipping, she took a mouthful of mud, and ended up with a dirty face.

  There are flowers laughing at each other's misfortunes, a heart full of melancholy swept away in an instant, "Don't come, you insist on coming..."

  Without any results, he jumped up, pressed down the flowers, and brought over the surrounding wild vines to cover his ears and eyes. Only then did he lie down again, saying in a low voice, "Someone is chasing me."

  Nan Yuelan also lowered her voice, "Where's the fire?"

  "I was about to push open the door of the Taoist temple when someone shouted 'Who's there!' I felt something was off, so I ran away. Then I heard many footsteps chasing after me, all of them were practitioners."

  "Could it be a Taoist?" Hua Yifei blurted out at the same time, and was met with two pairs of rolling eyes, yet still felt inexplicably puzzled. "What's going on?"

  "The Taoist priests of Listening to the Waves Temple don't know martial arts." said Wu Guo Dao.

  "It's pointless to chase him, what can a Taoist priest do? The fire is spreading too fast." Nan Yue Lan Sheng said.

  There's no need to say more about this matter, but Huai couldn't help retorting, "You two are so clever, alright then."

  Wu Guo suddenly covered her mouth, and even Nan Yue Lan Sheng heard the noise, which was the sound of horseshoes galloping over.

  A man's cold voice, "Where is he? Why has he vanished?"

  Someone replied in a trembling voice, "Did he ride away on horseback?"

  "His horse is left in front of the Taoist temple, where did another horse come from? Unless there's an accomplice. You bunch of fools, can't even catch one person." The man said.

  "That little guy runs very fast, seems to be quite handy." Still that warlike person.

  "You're all courting death!" The man's voice was laced with cold laughter. "You don't even know when someone is tailing you."

  "No... it can't be, maybe I just saw smoke..." The voice was as if it had a physical form, and it was definitely sweating bullets.

  "Look, it seems like there's a cavalry coming from over there." A third person's voice.

  "...After going back, whoever dares to mention that kid's matter, you're all waiting to lose your heads, withdraw!" The man had a powerful and intimidating presence.

  Through the dense shrubs, Nan Yue Lan saw a horse's four hooves turning in place, and after a slow half-beat reaction, that man was on the other side of the shrubbery, unable to help but take a deep breath.

  The sound of horseshoes began to run, Nan Yue Lan thought the other party did not hear her gasping, but that voice was like a thunderbolt above her, and the man actually didn't follow his team.

  He dismounted, so she could see his boots. The pointed toes were embroidered with black and gold waves on the boot covers, the soles touched the ground, the tips of the feet moved slowly, and he walked leisurely. She didn't dare to look up at his face, fearing that the other party would notice where she was hiding.

  "I know you're hiding here, originally I was going to take your lives, but it seems like you have good luck. Listen carefully, if any of you dare to speak a word about today's events, I will definitely find you. Believe me, even if you think you've spread the news to countless people far and wide, I will still appear in front of you, everything has its roots. If you don't speak up, it means you agree. Remember, when the time comes for me to settle accounts, it won't be as simple as just one knife strike, because I hate those who go back on their word."

  Both feet lifted off the ground, horseshoes left the ground, the surroundings returned to calmness, and the murderous aura still lingered.

  "Talking to himself, who answered him?" The flower was about to bloom, but was pulled down by the fruitless effort and also ate a mouthful of dust.

  "Hiss——" stared blankly with no result.

  After a while, another team of fast horses, this time riding up the mountain.

  Wu Guo stood up and brushed off the dirt on his body, which was a signal that the alarm had been completely lifted. But Dao said, "The one who just passed by was Wang Lin."

  "Did you see the person who made the promise?" Nan Yue Lan Sheng thought this matter was more important.

  He shook his head in dismay, "Everyone is covering their faces."

  "Are you talking nonsense? And fortunately, they are masked, otherwise, if we see their faces, we will definitely get entangled to the end. This is called murder and silence, do you understand?" The flower spat on the ground.

  "I don't understand, you seem to have experienced it personally." When Huamei picked up Youhua Wugu, she was only three or two years old and had not left Yaotown for 13 years. The phrase "kill and silence" is used with ease.

  There was a flower smiling and saying "this is common sense."

  The little girl who insisted on saving face.