The person who brought Zhang Xiaohua replied to the burly man, poking fun, "how Liu the Butcher has hurt someone again. This young man comes from Guo Village and has brought news of your daughters. Probably scared him so much, he forgot all about it."
Butcher Liu did not care for the villagers' teasing. He patted Zhang Xiaohua's shoulder with such strength that he cringed, saying, "Just by looking at this young man, I can tell he's open-hearted. How could he mind such a little jest?"
Zhang Xiaohua looked at his heavy hand, accustomed to butchering pigs, and thought: "I do want to mind your heavy touch, if only you could lend some courage to me. Please stop being overly friendly, my body just recovered." But he replied, "How could I dare? You must be Yueyue's father, you're just like what she described." adding in his mind, "Like a bear."
Upon hearing this, Butcher Liu burst into laughter, his eyes squinting with joy, saying, "So Yueyue mentioned this to you? Well…right, how did Yueyue and Qianqian end up in Guo Village? Are they well?" Only then did he remember to ask about his daughters.
Mr. Liu interjected: "Let's talk inside. Seeing your calm demeanor, our daughters must be fine."
After saying that, he invited Zhang and his companions, as well as the fellow villagers, into the house. The villager who guided them there said: "I won't go in. I'll fetch Liu Kai for you."
Mr. Liu expressed his thanks, watched the villager disappear in the distance, then invited Zhang Xiaohua inside for a chat.
As Zhang stepped into the courtyard which was similar in size to his own, he noted it wasn't as filled with farming tools and the stove was not in the open. There were two rooms right ahead, and two rooms on each side. He wondered why the Liu family needed so many rooms for just three people. The main room had a painting of an elderly scholar with some plates of fruit and pastries, as if in worship. On the left wall hung a painting of a snowy scene with people enjoying the snow inside a pavilion. On the right wall, there were several showcased writings with a very lively penmanship, which Zhang unfortunately couldn't read.
There was a square table in the middle with a teapot, cups and some food. On each side of the table, there were chairs. At the corners of the room, there were also potted plants.
Watching the room entirely different from his farm house, Zhang wondered: "Is this the difference between the educated and a farmer?" Despite a tidy interior, his house only had simple drawings on the wall. The idea came to him, "What would our house look like if Liu Yueyue took care of it?"
Lost in thought, Zhang stood without moving. He wasn't mesmerized by his thoughts, he simply didn't know where he should sit considering the number of chairs. He didn't want to sit in the wrong place.
Seeing this, Mr. Liu hurriedly guided Zhang and his companions to seats, and then Butcher Liu poured them some tea. Zhang Xiaohua gulped down his drink, smacking his lips at the taste of the water. Liu poured him another cup, and both of them drank four cups in total before stopping. At this point, Butcher Liu looked at them with gratitude. Despite being a rough butcher, he understood why they came such a long way. They were there to bring news of his daughters.
Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to speak, hurried footsteps approached from outside. A scholar who resembled his older brother in age and height rushed in. It must be Liu Qian's brother, Liu Kai. Liu Kai first greeted Mr. Liu and Butcher Liu, then Mr. Liu introduced Liu Kai to Zhang Xiaohua and his companion. Liu Kai returned their greetings, to which they reciprocated despite not understanding the formalities. After the greetings, Liu Kai asked, "Where is my younger sister?" As he observed the scholar who was visibly weaker than his brother, Zhang thought: "Ah, the scholar pays so much attention to etiquette. He's not losing his temper, he waits until after showing his respects before he asks a question. If he were Butcher Liu, he'd have asked immediately. He must resent Liu Kai for his delayed arrival." Zhang glanced at Butcher Liu, seeing in his eyes a similar eagerness for Zhang to speak.
Indeed, before Mr. Liu could answer, Butcher Liu interjected, "First, have some water. This young man has not yet spoken, and you've just arrived back."
Liu Kai sat across from Zhang Xiaohua, eager to hear what he had to say.
Zhang introduced himself and recounted the events of yesterday. Being cautious, he didn't specify the amount of the compensation paid by the hoodlums.Zhang Xiaohua's eloquence was not particularly good, and her speech was a series of stops and starts. However, despite this, the four people in the room were so frightened by what she said that their hearts were pounding. Mr. Liu, Butcher Liu, and Liu Kai turned pale, and Butcher Liu even jumped up from his chair a few times, only to be gently stopped by Mr. Liu each time.
When Zhang Xiaohua finished speaking, Butcher Liu quickly poured her two cups of water, and everyone else also drank a cup. It seemed that not only the speaker was parched from talking, but the listeners were also so nervous that their mouths were dry.
After drinking the water, Mr. Liu walked up to Zhang Xiaohua, gave her a deep bow, and said, "I would like to express my gratitude for your help in rescuing our daughter." Liu Kai and Butcher Liu also quickly followed suit and bowed as well. Zhang Xiaohua was startled and jumped up from her chair, wondering why they were offering their thanks again when she had already explained everything. She hastily and ineptly returned their bows.
Zhang Xiaohua reassured them, "Sister Liu and the others are now staying at our house. They're doing just fine. You guys don't need to worry." Everyone knew that their family members were safe, but they couldn't help feeling uneasy without seeing their loved ones safe and sound with their own eyes.
When everyone had sat back down, Mr. Liu said, "Xiaohua and her friends walked all morning to get here from Guo Village. It appears we won't be able to fetch the children back today. How about this arrangement instead? Liu, you go back first and ask your sister to prepare lunch. After Xiaohua and her friends have eaten, let Liu Kai go with them to Guo Village. We'll all go together tomorrow to bring the kids back. What do you think?"
Butcher Liu said, "No, I should go first. I'm worried. If I head to Guo Village now, I'll have to travel by night. I'll feel safer having me around."
Upon reflection, Mr. Liu agreed.
They had lunch at Butcher Liu's house, as there was no one to cook at Mr. Liu's place in the absence of Liu Qian. Knowing that her daughter was unharmed, Liu Yueyue's mother wanted to take good care of her family's benefactors, so she prepared a lavish meal. Zhang Xiaohua, who had been starving and hadn't had braised pork in a long time, ate to her heart's content, leaving herself satiated and stuffed to the brim.
After the meal, Zhang Xiaohua and company, along with Butcher Liu, set off back to Guo Village. Leaving that story for now, the scene at Hill Peak, just a few hundred miles away from them, was quite a different spectacle.
When an ominous shadow swept across the space between the two sour date trees that morning, Yanming Hermit immediately darted between the trees. Thanks to being a martial artist, his piercing gaze could make out minute details that others couldn't. The rest of the group was left bewildered, staring blankly at the hermit's receding figure. Unfazed, Yanming Hermit loudly instructed, "Aren't you coming?"
When everyone had gathered between the two trees and carefully examined the area, it appeared to be no different from the other sour date trees. With a smile, Yanming Hermit dispelled their doubts, "No need to search further, it's definitely the same as the rest, otherwise there wouldn't be a need to complicate matters. Now we're going to enter the forest. Take out the pelt in your hands." Following his instruction, everyone produced their pelts, and the hermit continued, "Smear some fresh blood on the uppermost part of the back of the pelt." He then pulled out a dagger, cut his finger, and smeared his blood on the pelt. Ma Xiangyang, Wen Wenhai, and Tan Wen also did the same, and a line of text appeared on each pelt respectively: Go straight for ten trees; go back six trees; go left six trees; go right eight trees. Yanming Hermit then put the pelts together according to the patterns, creating a mantra for entering the forest: "Go straight for ten trees, go right for eight trees, go back for six trees, go left for six trees."
Yanming Hermit announced, "Alright, let's prepare. We're going to enter the forest. I'll lead the way, followed by young master Ma and young master Wen. Heroine Xue and Gang Master Situ will be in the middle, with the Tan brothers bringing up the rear. Stay alert and keep pace. Don't lose the group."
The sour date grove before them was bereft of its eerie darkness of the night, yet brightly shimmering sunlight failed to penetrate the dense forest. The mist filled the space between the trees, making it impossible to see the end, while the cold wind rustling through the treetops couldn't dispel the haze.
Yanming Hermit took out his dagger and marked the two sour date trees, cautiously stepping through the gap between these two ordinary-looking trees, followed by the rest of the group in the order they had previously discussed.
The fog inside the forest was quite thick, reducing their visibility to only ten feet. The extreme humidity quickly soaked their clothes and shoes. To prepare for unexpected danger, everyone held weapons, which now felt cold due to the dampness. The sour date grove had been uninhabited for many years, its ground carpeted with thick layers of fallen leaves and rotting sour dates, making it difficult to trek. The branches and leaves of the sour date trees intermingled densely, sometimes even blocking their path. However, everyone was apprehensive about chopping down branches for fear it might trigger some mishap.
As everyone was inching forward cautiously, Situ Ping suddenly exclaimed, "Look over there!"