Heart Protection (Back from the Brink)

CHAPTER 4

After being exhausted the entire day, Yan Hui had hoped to sleep well. Contrary to her expectations, she was woken up when the sky was still dark by the rooster crowing outside. She shut her eyes and tried hard to block out the noise. It had to crow itself tired at some point, she thought. However, it was the same as last night. Once the chickens started crowing, there was no stopping for the rest of the night.

In the early morning, Yan Hui got up from bed with dark circles. Once again she firmly swore that before she left, she would turn that rooster into soup.

When Yan Hui got up, A'Fu, who was sitting in the corner, also stood up. He straightened out his clothes before walking over and standing in front of the bed. He bit his finger and rubbed the blood onto the bedding.

Yan Hui raised an eyebrow after seeing his actions: "You're still thinking about tricking the old granny. You treat her well. You're still acting like you're her grandson."

A'Fu ignored her teasing: "It's done. Let's leave to get food. Stop wasting your breath."

Yan Hui curled her lip: "When are you taking me to the treasure?"

"I'll take you when I go work in the field."

Yan Hui nodded. Her heart suddenly had a funny feeling though she couldn't say why. There wasn't time to ponder on it before the grandma walked in. She beamed and rubbed Yan Hui's face: "The little girl isn't fussing anymore?"

Since she was going to leave after getting the secret treasure anyways, Yan Hui didn't feel like correcting the granny. She nodded and made a sound in agreement. Yan Hui walked out and looked back while closing the door. She caught a glimpse of the grandma leaning on the bed, one hand feeling the bedding and bringing her nose closer to smell it.

Yan Hui felt nauseated and embarrassed by the sight. She promptly closed the door and left.

She suddenly felt a little happy that it was her who was captured and not another girl. At least she had the skills to get away. If it was another person, she was afraid they would waste their entire life away here.

After eating, A'Fu carried a hoe on his shoulder to do work. As promised, he also brought Yan Hui.

The grandma was clearly much reassured after confirming Yan Hui and A'Fu had done the deed. She didn't fuss too much before letting the two go off. Perhaps in Grandma Xiao's eyes, the hymen decided a girl's fate. Whoever it was given to then was also given the girl's fate.

For a moment, Yan Hui couldn't tell if it was bad or good that the snake demon entered A'Fu's body.

After reaching the field with his hoe, A'Fu took Yan Hui along twisting and turning routes to wind their way out of the village.

Yan Hui had been carefully memorizing their route, but when they reached the end, she realized this path didn't take them down the mountain. It actually lead to a lake behind the village.

The source of the lake was precisely the very river that flushed Yan Hui out from within the mountain on that fateful day.

Yan Hui watched A'Fu find a wooden raft by the lakeside with movements that suggested he has done this before. He called out to her: "Get on."

Yan Hui looked at the lake which stretched as far as the eye could see. Then she looked at the water sloshing over the raft. She cultivated fire techniques which naturally loathed water. A few days ago, she felt like she was being burned by fire within. On top of that, then she slipped headfirst into water. Now looking at such a large lake......

She currently didn't have any magic, and she didn't know how to swim.

Yan Hui took a deep breath. Right when she was mentally readying herself, she saw the man on the raft extend a hand.