Then Chang'an heard another voice, "No, Xin'er, I can't leave you behind. If we go, we go together."
Who were these two, coming to this deep mountain to perform a melodrama?
The woman, moved to tears, sobbed softly, then put on a brave face and said, "Alright, let's go together. Even if we die, we'll die together."
Shortly after, Chang'an saw a man and a woman emerge from the nearby woods, their clothes disheveled, hair messy, stumbling and supporting each other as they walked.
Upon seeing people by the stream, the man immediately shielded the woman behind him, eyeing Chang'an and Old Gu Six warily.
In the darkness, only vague outlines could be seen in the weak firelight. The man looked somewhat familiar, but Chang'an couldn't recall where she might have seen him before.
The father and daughter pair merely glanced at them indifferently, not paying them much attention. The aroma of barbecue wafted through the air.
The two people, who had been on the run and pursued for days, couldn't remember the last time they had eaten a proper meal. At that moment, their stomachs rumbled in protest.
The man, concerned for the woman, approached Old Gu Six, hoping to buy some grilled meat for her.
"Stop right there," Old Gu Six called out coldly. A long sword had appeared in his hand, which he planted in the ground nearby as a warning to the man.
The man glanced at the gleaming sword, then at the man whose face he couldn't make out clearly. His expression stiffened.
After a few breaths, he stood in place and cautiously asked, "Noble sir, would it be possible to purchase some of your grilled meat?"
Old Gu Six lazily raised his eyes. "How much silver are you willing to pay?" His hands continued to turn the rabbit leg, brushing on another layer of barbecue seasoning, making the aroma even more enticing.
The man searched his sleeve pocket, only to find he had just two taels of silver left. He hadn't brought much money with him to begin with.
Xin'er had saved his life, and when they left her home, seeing that her parents made a living by gathering herbs and had many siblings to support, living in considerable hardship, he had left most of his money with Xin'er's parents.
Originally, the money he kept was enough to return to the Southwestern Qi Prince's Mansion, but unexpectedly, several groups of assassins appeared on the road to hunt them down.
And so, their funds were depleted before they could even leave the northern territory.
He took out the two taels of silver, "I only have two taels of silver here. How much can I buy with this?"
Two taels of silver was actually not a small amount; it would be enough for both of them to eat their fill.
But Old Gu Six wasn't a normal person. He sneered disdainfully, "Just this little silver? Forget it, go find your own food."
His barbecue was so delicious that he wouldn't sell it for less than five taels of silver.
It would be best if these two big troublemakers left their vicinity as soon as possible. According to his immature intuition, if these two didn't leave soon, they might be in for some serious trouble.
"Keep your distance from us, preferably go to the other side of the stream."
The woman's temper flared up, and she immediately rushed forward, "What do you mean? This place doesn't belong to you alone. We'll stay wherever we want!"
Old Gu Six didn't care if she was a woman or not. As she charged towards him, he grabbed a piece of dry firewood from nearby and swung it at her, sending her flying several meters away.
"Ah~"
"Xin'er!" The man scrambled to catch the woman.
Seeing his woman struck, the man angrily questioned, "Are you even a man? Hitting a woman like that!"
"Whether I'm a man or not is none of your business. My wife knows, and that's enough. If you don't get far away now, hitting you will be the least of your worries."
Old Gu Six pulled the long sword from the ground, pointing its tip at the two.
The man was furious, but he was helpless. His internal injuries hadn't healed, and the constant pursuit and forced use of his skills had only worsened his condition.
Now, even someone with basic martial arts skills could give him trouble in a fight.
Moreover, that man was clearly no ordinary person. It would be suicidal to provoke him further.
Reluctantly, he supported the woman and walked away, obediently crossing to the other side of the stream.
This wasn't cowardice; he simply didn't want to stoop to that man's level.
Chang'an had been silently munching on corn, knowing her Old Six Dad could handle the situation, so she didn't bother to intervene.
The corn was a bit tough to eat, and she lost interest halfway through.
She started skewering some broccoli for Old Six Dad to grill, then prepared two skewers of cilantro.
Late at night, eating some vegetables would be fine, but those chicken legs looked so delicious. Maybe she should try one?
Old Gu Six was gnawing on the corn his daughter hadn't finished when he saw her reach for a chicken leg, despite her apparent intention to eat vegetables.
On the other side of the stream, the couple was tormented by the tantalizing aroma, their stomachs growling incessantly. They had been holding out, but now they couldn't bear it any longer.
The man built a fire to settle the woman, then ventured into the mountains to try his luck.
Old Gu Six, sensing that the night might not remain peaceful, didn't prolong their barbecue session. They finished what was already grilled and packed up.
Not long after they had cleaned up, just as Old Gu Six had anticipated, a group of dark-clad figures emerged from the shadows, their killing intent palpable.
They approached and glanced at Old Gu Six and Chang'an, confirming with a look that these weren't the people they were after.
This man's aura was even more menacing than their own professional demeanor. Better not provoke him. Retreat!
Their employer had only paid for low-level assassins; there was no need for them to take on a high-level assassin's job.
Hmm? There was another campfire on the opposite bank. They decided to check it out.
The man had not yet returned from his hunting expedition, and the woman, frightened, ran deeper into the woods. Her reaction was telling.
It was clearly suspicious, and the group rushed across to pursue her.
In less than a quarter of an hour, they caught the woman. She wailed loudly, telling them they had caught the wrong person.
"The person you're looking for went hunting. You should look for him in the mountains. Please let me go, I'm just an herb gatherer!"
The assassins thought to themselves: They might not be top-tier assassins, but they weren't stupid either.
Chang'an nearly threw out her back at the woman's outrageous behavior. What happened to all that talk of "I love you, you love me, we'll never part in life or death"?
How long had it been? And now it was every person for themselves when faced with danger?
Bah! Love was indeed unreliable.
The woman's cries faded into the forest. She was probably being taken into the mountains to find the man.
Chang'an and Old Gu Six spent a peaceful night in the valley.
The next day, they set out early.
They followed the valley outwards. This valley was truly long; they walked all morning without reaching the end.
"This valley is longer than my life," Chang'an remarked.
Old Gu Six gave her a light smack on the back of her head. "Pah! Pah! Children say the darnedest things."
As they continued outward, the stream gradually widened. When they finally exited the valley, they encountered a large river.
The river blocked their path.
They couldn't see any signs of human habitation on the other side, so if they wanted to cross, they'd have to make a raft themselves.
This task fell to the multi-talented Old Six Dad. Father and daughter resigned themselves to cutting down trees.
This delay cost them another day. When the mule stepped onto the raft, its legs trembled violently, and it had to lie down on the raft.
Neither of them had experience steering a raft, so they couldn't control the direction well and kept going in circles.
"Daughter, why don't I paddle alone? You can just sit and rest."
Chang'an thought about it and agreed. It might be easier to control with just one person paddling.
Old Gu Six tried it, and indeed, they stopped going in circles.
However, as they reached the middle of the river, a ferry boat leisurely floated down from upstream.
Chang'an and Old Gu Six: So they could have avoided all that exhausting work building a raft if they had just waited a little longer?
