SWDnovel Chapter 23 Wild Woman
Chapter 23 Wild Woman
Inside the main room, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely, and Song Quyou's belly was brimming with the delicacies from the mountains.
Amidst laughter and joy, after the meal, the elderly man happily played with his grandson, while his children planned to go into the mountains to collect some firewood.
Shan Gao squatted pitifully at the door, his throat bobbing, but no one paid him a second glance.
Song Quyou did not linger any longer, and rose to address the elderly couple and their family:
"It's getting late, and I have to get going, so I won't stay any longer. I hope you won't hold that mountain fat against me."
"Rest assured, Taoist priest, I will prepare some other food later, untie the straw rope, treat this rascal to a meal, and then let it go."
Song Quyou bowed and said goodbye, then stepped onto the narrow mountain path, over the rocks blocking his way, until nightfall, when he lit a bonfire in a sheltered mountain hollow.
The mountain wind howled, making the bare branches tap and clatter.
In the dim light of the fire, Song Quyou tore at the hot, golden-brown rice cake in his hand, staring blankly at the flickering flames, completely unaware of the covetous eyes lurking in the shadows.
Under the cover of night, dark, gleaming eyes hid in the forest, staring at Song Quyou by the campfire, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard, unable to stop himself from drooling.
The owner of the eyes slowly approached until his face was illuminated by the afterglow of the campfire.
Naked, with flabby flesh hanging down to her knees, wrinkled and disheveled, with straw hair tied in a bun, she was undoubtedly the wild woman from the daytime.
The old woman moved with lightning speed, rushing straight towards Song Quyou in front of the campfire.
Song Quyou smiled faintly, put down the rice cake he hadn't finished eating, and began to circulate his sword technique. The flowing sword energy made his robes billow.
The old woman sensed something was wrong, but it was too late to stop.
But then, the clanging of swords echoed through the mountains and forests, and a streak of azure light pierced the sky, its sword energy like a bolt of lightning, striking the charging wild woman head-on.
The clash of weapons was deafening, and sparks flew everywhere.
Song Quyou's expression froze, his bright eyes widening in shock as he stared at the two identical old women before him.
In the midst of close combat, the swirling air currents caused the campfire to flicker unpredictably.
Song Quyou swung his long sword with all his might, forcing the old woman in front of him to retreat.
The old woman looked at Song Quyou with apprehension, and made a "whooshing" sound towards the high blue clouds.
In an instant, the clouds that had been obscuring the bright moon were pulled away, revealing countless wild women looking at each other on the treetops of the surrounding mountains and forests.
With his sword drawn across his chest, Song Quyou gasped, his brows furrowed, and swept his bright eyes over the wild women covering the mountains and fields, secretly relaxing his hands that had been numb from the shock.
Three or five wild women hung from a tree, each carrying a man whose mouth was gagged.
The lark emerged from the emerald pine grove, circled in the air, and said, "This mountain has so many wild women; these captured men are truly fortunate."
Song Quyou dared not relax, cautiously watching the two wild women in front of him.
The old woman who had blocked Song Quyou's sword was unusually relaxed, and turned her back to lecture the old woman who had pounced on her first.
The moon was bright and the stars were few. The wild women outside the forest, perhaps growing impatient, began to call out, urging them onward.
After the two old women responded impatiently, their bright black eyes turned back to look at Song Quyou, and they disappeared into the mountains and forests, their backs to the moonlight.
Song Quyou breathed a sigh of relief. The mountains and fields were full of animals that could fight fierce beasts. Even if there were ten more Song Quyous, they wouldn't be able to defeat them.
However, according to ancient records, the men who were tied up were clearly the result of the Wild Witch tribe's efforts to reproduce.
Song Quyou was unsure whether to go and rescue them. Although these men were not in mortal danger, they were likely to cause trouble...
After thinking for a moment, Song Quyou decided to go and see if he could lend a helping hand.
Following the trail of broken branches and leaves, Song Quyou reached the precipice by the time dawn broke.
The mountainside was riddled with caves, lit by firelight, from which came the howling of a wild woman and the muffled groans of a man, a strange mix of pleasure and unease.
Song Quyou was at a loss for what to do when two men walking together came out laughing. They had obviously just come out of the Wild Woman's cave.
"There's another gentleman here, let's go ask him quickly."
The two men spotted Song Quyou and excitedly jogged over, saying:
"How much did you make, bro?"
Before Song Quyou could reply, the man pulled out three gleaming gold pieces from his pocket.
"I was too weak and could only last three rounds, so I only got three pieces of gold. But this guy was much better than me and got five pieces of gold."
The honest-looking man beside him chuckled, his thick hand revealing five glittering gold pieces by lifting the corner of his clothes that he had been covering.
Song Quyou sized up the two people in front of him.
He was simply dressed, but physically strong, and the calluses on his hands clearly showed that he was a seasoned farmer.
"Gentlemen, I've just arrived here in pursuit of that old hag. I'm hoping to find a way to rescue the kidnapped man..."
Upon hearing this, the two men were taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, laughing so hard that they almost dropped the gold from their waistbands.
"Rescue? Brother, don't joke around." The man who received three pieces of gold patted Song Quyou on the shoulder. "We all found this place ourselves."
Another man laughed and said, "Brother, you don't know this, but these wild women in the mountains, though ugly, are very disciplined. They kidnap people, and after they're done, they give them gold, without missing a penny. One piece of gold is enough for a peasant family like ours to eat meat and wine every day for half a year. Such a good deal is something that poor men from all around would be scrambling to do."
Song Quyou was taken aback and didn't know what to say for a moment.
"But those men were indeed kidnapped..."
The man who had received five gold pieces stepped forward and patted Song Quyou on the shoulder, his previous naive demeanor completely gone.
"Don't worry, brother, no one is forced. Even if they were kidnapped, they'll be released immediately if they disagree. We won't cause any trouble. Besides, who would turn down gold?"
After bidding farewell to the two, Song Quyou, still somewhat dazed, left the mountainside.
The absurdity of this place is something that Song Quyou, who had memories of living in a society with a strong rule of law, could not comment on.
……
The mountains are home to many spirits and monsters, but also to wise hermits and reclusive masters.
After leaving the wild mountain cliff, Song Quyou hadn't walked far when a cloud of white mist appeared, causing him to completely lose his way in the mountains and forests.
The white fog appeared strangely, so thick that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Song Quyou stayed in the fog for a whole day, but there was no sign of it dissipating.
Song Quyou dared not be careless. He gripped his sword tightly and cautiously made his way forward, fearing that something might suddenly jump out from his surroundings.
Suddenly, a voice came from the white mist, a voice that was ancient and distant, its origin unknown.
"Looks like a little guy has come in."
"Old man, I told you to lock the door when you came home. Now look what happened, a child came in and has been living in fear all day. It's so pitiful."
Song Quyou heard it clearly and shouted, "Senior, could you please let this junior out?"
A gentle breeze blew from behind Song Quyou.
Song Quyou turned around and saw white mist surging and receding to both sides like a tide, revealing a narrow bluestone path.
The path is covered in moss, showing its age, but it feels very clean.