Volume One: A Free and Easy Journey Where Mulberry Leaves Cannot Be Told Apart Chapter One Hundred: Binding

Yang Ning thought that this girl was cruel of heart, and so he became doubly wary. Yet at that very moment, he saw Zhao Yuan let out a roar, flip upright, and bolt away. He had only gone a few paces when a three-pronged trident shot through the air and struck one of Zhao Yuan’s legs squarely. Zhao Yuan cried out miserably and tumbled to the ground.

Yang Ning had already seen that the trident had been hurled by the snake catcher behind him. He knew that if he fell into the girl’s hands, nothing good would come of it. Since the chance had come, he would not let it slip by. Spinning around abruptly, he barked, “Move aside!” and thrust the cold blade in his hand toward the snake catcher.

The snake catcher was tall and powerfully built, but in the end he was still flesh and blood. It was nearly impossible for him to block that cold blade, sharp enough to cut through iron like mud.

Seeing Yang Ning rush at him, the snake catcher gave a low growl like some wild beast. Instead of retreating, he advanced, lifting a fist and swinging it at Yang Ning.

Then the girl’s clear voice rang out: “Little brat, get out of the way!”

The snake catcher heard her and reacted with astonishing speed. He instantly drew back his fist, twisted his body, and flashed aside, allowing Yang Ning to rush past.

Yang Ning thought to himself that the terrain in these mountains was intricate, full of trees and ancient vines. He should first use the lay of the land to shake off these people.

If it were a one-on-one fight, Yang Ning would not fear the two giants, even though they loomed like iron towers. But the girl could control venomous creatures, and such things were impossible to guard against; it would be best to avoid her as soon as possible.

Who would have thought that after only a dozen steps, Yang Ning’s vision would suddenly darken and his head begin to spin. Alarmed, he staggered onward for another three or four paces, then, unable to bear the dizziness, reached out to steady himself against a large tree. He knew at once that he had been stung by the poisonous wasps earlier, and the venom must have taken effect. Drawing a deep breath, he only felt the world whirl about him. His body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.

Though he had fainted onto the earth, his senses remained. He felt a numb tingling spread through his whole body, and though he wanted to struggle up, he had no strength left at all.

Angry and frustrated, he then heard the girl’s laughter, bright and close to his ear. She was crouching only two or three steps away, smiling toward him as she said, “Run then? Why aren’t you running now? I thought you moved like a wolf; for a moment I almost believed you might really get away.”

Yang Ning knew that cursing or raging would be useless now. He could only give a bitter smile and say, “Little girl, I have no grudge against you, past or present. How can you bear to harm me for no reason at all?”

The girl shook her head and laughed. “I didn’t harm you. If you had stood there obediently, the wasp venom wouldn’t have acted so quickly. If you had spoken to me nicely and I’d been pleased, I might even have given you the antidote. But you insisted on running, which sped up your blood flow, and that’s why you fell. How can that be blamed on me?”

“Then it’s truly my fault,” Yang Ning said. “How about this: you give me the antidote, and we become friends. We needn’t hurt each other.”

The girl giggled. “Friends? What qualifications do you have to be my friend?”

Yang Ning thought to himself that this demon girl was truly impolite. He wanted to frighten her with a few harsh words, but then he remembered that Zhao Yuan had already tried that, and it had done no good at all. This demon girl clearly did not respond to force. So he deliberately sighed and said, “Don’t harm me. I still have family to look after. Don’t you have parents too? Think of your own parents, and then think of mine. If my family has no one to care for them, what are they to do?”

The girl tilted her head and said very seriously, “I naturally have a father, but no mother. And my father has never needed me to take care of him.”

Yang Ning was startled. “Everyone has a mother. How could you possibly not have one?”

“She died long ago,” the girl said carelessly. “You’ve been poisoned by the wasps, but you won’t die yet.”

Yang Ning was shocked inwardly, though he forced himself to remain calm as he asked, “Won’t die? Then can this wasp venom still kill people?”

The girl chuckled. “If it can’t kill, then it isn’t poison. These giant wolf wasps were raised by my master. I have no interest in those poisons that kill people instantly. The best poison is one that lets you watch the victim die slowly.”

Hearing her speak so lightly, Yang Ning’s hatred flared. He knew he would get nowhere talking with this demon girl. Unable to hold back, he cursed, “You little demon girl, do I have some blood feud with you? For you to harm me like this, when I recover... when I recover, I’ll make you beg...!” He had intended to say that he would make her wish she were dead, but Zhao Yuan had just threatened the girl in that same manner and gotten a terrible beating for it, so he left the sentence unfinished.

“Blood feud?” The girl did not care that Yang Ning called her a little demon. Her delicate, tender face was full of disdain as she said, “With your abilities, you think you could kill my father? Your skills are mediocre at best. Without that blade in your hand, you couldn’t even beat minor spirits or little ghosts. If you really met my father, he wouldn’t even need to lift a finger and you would...” She deliberately stuck out her tongue and rolled her pale eyes upward, clearly meaning that her father could make Yang Ning die a very ugly death without moving a finger.

She was adorable and pretty in that pose, but Yang Ning knew how cruel-hearted she was, and only felt disgust. He thought that these days, whether young or old, everyone liked to boast. This little demon girl was still so young, yet her bragging could shake the heavens. Still, he was somewhat curious about who her father actually was.

Seeing that Yang Ning did not speak, the girl said in displeasure, “I’m talking to you. Didn’t you hear me?”

“I have nothing more to say to you,” Yang Ning replied irritably. While speaking, he quietly tried to gather strength, seeing whether he could get up. The little demon girl was only three steps away from him, while the two giants stood farther off. If he could seize the girl by surprise, the antidote would naturally be within reach.

But although he could speak without difficulty, every part of his body seemed limp and powerless. It was truly hard to launch a sudden attack on the little demon girl.

The girl’s clever eyes rolled about, and she said with a grin, “You’re thinking of getting up, grabbing me, and forcing me to hand over the antidote, aren’t you? Without the antidote, you can’t rise. Stop dreaming.”

She moved closer, edging up beside Yang Ning, then lowered her head until her face was only a finger’s breadth from his. Her skin was tender and fine, seeming as though it might break at a breath, and her smile was exceedingly sweet. Yet at this moment Yang Ning found that beautiful face unbearably ugly. He only wanted to reach out and seize her, but his arms would not even lift.

“I say you can’t, and you can’t,” the girl said with a giggle. “Right now, if you stretch out your hand, you could catch me. If you have the ability, I won’t dodge at all. Go on, catch me.”

Though she delighted in all manner of sinister poison, she herself carried a faint fragrance, the natural scent of a young girl’s body.

Yang Ning sighed. “What exactly do you want? Do you want to kill me? I can’t move, so if you mean to take advantage of me now, you can do it.”

“No matter what you say, it’s useless. This trick of yours is called goading me into action,” the girl said, laughing. “I’m not falling for it. Still, you don’t seem like a bad person either, so I won’t kill you. If you’re lucky enough to stay alive until we reach the valley and find him, perhaps he can cure your poison.”

“The valley?” Yang Ning asked in surprise. “What valley?”

The girl picked up the cold blade beside Yang Ning, examined it, and then pressed it against his cheek, answering a question with a question. “Tell me this: if I slice downward with one cut, which is sharper, this blade or your face thicker?”

Yang Ning’s heart sank. This little demon girl was wicked beyond measure; she had better not really cut his face. He let out a cold snort but said nothing.

The girl pretended to trace the blade along his cheek, then giggled. “You’re quite bold. If you aren’t afraid, it isn’t fun. I won’t cut your face for now. After you die from the poison, I’ll peel the skin from your face. By then you won’t even know the pain. Tell me, am I not very good to you?”

Hearing the girl sweetly speak such venomous words, Yang Ning felt a chill creep up his spine. He wondered whose daughter this little demon girl was. A daughter takes after her father; from the cruelty of this girl’s conduct, her father ought not to be a good man either.

The girl put away the cold blade, then stretched out her fair little hand and patted Yang Ning on the cheek. “Call me big sister, and I’ll take you to find someone who can cure the poison.”

“A scholar may be killed, but not insulted,” Yang Ning said, rolling his eyes. “You’re two or three years younger than I am; you should be calling me big brother... No, forget it. I don’t want a younger sister like you. I’d rather kill myself first.”

The girl immediately broke into delighted laughter, as graceful as flowers in the wind. “You’re amusing. I can’t bear for you to die too quickly.”

She stood up, made a gesture, and the giant called Little Ghost came over and tied Yang Ning up as well. Yang Ning could tell that the rope binding him was no ordinary hemp rope; it seemed to be made from ancient vines or something similar.

Big Ghost had already pulled the trident from the tree and was tying up the burly man who had been pinned to it.

Little Ghost lifted Yang Ning with one hand, then went over and hoisted up Zhao Yuan, who had already fallen unconscious.

When Yang Ning had been lying on the ground, he had only felt weak and limp all over, and the dizziness had lessened considerably. But once Little Ghost lifted him and began walking, the vertigo came surging back at once. He knew the little demon girl had not lied: once he started moving, the venom seemed to act up instead. His vision grew more and more blurred until at last everything was black, his mind went blank, and he knew nothing more.

When he woke, he found everything around him pitch-dark. His limbs were all tied fast, and his body rocked gently up and down. He had no idea where he was.

He moved his body. He was still weak and limp, but he could move. He shifted left and right, bent his legs, and tried to straighten them, but something blocked his feet. Very quickly he understood: barring some accident, he was most likely locked inside a wooden crate. He lightly struck the back of his head against the surface behind him and heard a dull thud as it hit a wooden board.

He forced himself to calm down, held his breath, and listened carefully. Soon he heard a creaking sound, the unmistakable noise of a wagon in motion.

After a moment’s thought, he realized he had been shut inside a large box, and the box must be loaded onto a wagon that was now rolling forward.

He remembered the little demon girl saying they were going to a valley to find someone who could cure the poison, but he did not know who that someone was. And why would she, having poisoned him herself and possessing the antidote, need to go to a valley to find someone else to cure him? This little demon girl was full of mystery, and Yang Ning’s mind was filled with questions.

Many thanks to Floating Lone Island, Super Jade Immortal Fate, Overlapping Lives, Book Friend 32509758, Book Friend 5120715, Book Friend 29473300, and the other dear friends for your generous support and rewards. My deepest thanks.