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The place where Qing was sent is the outskirts of Daliang City, where there is a Hibiscus Simple Lodge, a secret contact point for the Chu Kingdom.
Yan Ping did not know what An was thinking, hurriedly sending him here to guard a group of dancers. He had nothing to do at all, just sitting around drinking and enjoying the performances from morning till night.
When San Chun arrived, he was sitting in the main hall drinking. Suddenly, he saw someone dressed in Lord Jun's attire rush in, which startled him. When he realized it was San Chun, he was even more frightened.
Fortunately, it was late at night and there were not many guests in the lodge. He quickly brought her into the inner room and asked what had happened.
San Chun wiped her sweat and began to recount her experience at Fengling Duke's Residence. She explained how she had been deceived by Yan Ping and how she had gotten into a fight.
Qing frowned as he listened, repeatedly scolding her for being too reckless. She had caused such a big mess; that Chengyang Jun was known to be a ruthless character and would not let her off easily.
There was no time for lectures now. He stood up to pack her belongings. "This place is not suitable for you to stay long. Once it's light out, you should leave the city and hide in the nearby mountains. I will come find you in seven days."
San Chun touched her face. "In this condition, how can I leave the city?"
She stood out too much; from a distance, others would definitely recognize her first.
Qing pondered for a moment and took out a clay bottle from his medicine pouch and threw it to her. He had noticed that she attracted attention due to her looks, so he had been refining a type of Disguise Pill that could change the color of one's skin when applied.
San Chun took one pill, dissolved it in water as he instructed, and applied it all over her exposed skin. She truly transformed into a sickly-looking person with a waxy complexion. Qing then took out a fake scar and stuck it on her left cheek. It was made from pigskin and looked very much like a real scar, appearing quite fierce and terrifying.
Looking into the basin of water, San Chun was very satisfied. In this appearance, even if she were to stand before Chengyang Jun, he probably wouldn't recognize her. Feeling pleased with herself, she kept admiring her reflection.
Qing urged her to leave quickly, but she was reluctant to part with him and clutched his clothing pleadingly, "It's so remote here; let me hide for a while pretending to be a dancer."
"No way." He refused any of her suggestions and opened the door to push her out.
He vaguely sensed that San Chun's identity was quite unusual. Letting her wander around in a bustling place might lead to unforeseen troubles. Since she had already forgotten her past, it would be better for her to continue forgetting it. Deep down, he only hoped that she could live safely and peacefully for the rest of her life.
"Remember, there is a mountain outside Daliang City. There is a Cottage in that mountain where I lived ten years ago; you can go there to find shelter."
San Chun nodded, turning back to look at him with teary eyes. Since she had followed him, she had never left his side.
Reluctantly parting ways with him, the city gates of Daliang City opened at dawn, and she stepped out with her bundle.
Her vision was completely dark, making it impossible to distinguish where she was or know if there was a mountain nearby. She had always been poor at remembering routes; during her time in Niushan Village, she had tried to run away in frustration several times but could never find her way home. The mountain that Qing lived on didn't even have a name, making it even harder to locate.
After much effort searching, she only found the Fen Shui River, which had a forest nearby. Wandering through the forest, she found it quite pleasant and stumbled upon an abandoned Cottage. Inside, cobwebs were piled upon cobwebs, indicating no one had lived there for a long time.
She had never been good at chores and didn’t know how to tackle the mess in the room. As dusk approached, she thought it wouldn’t do to sit at the door all night.
With her hands on her hips, she looked at the uninhabitable house and felt a headache coming on. Qing had taken such good care of her; if only he had made her do some rough work back then, she wouldn’t be so helpless now. However, if Qing heard her complaints, he would probably be very upset.
After a simple cleanup of one area, she managed to find some moldy straw that still looked somewhat usable and laid it on the ground, thinking she would make do for one night and search for firewood and grass in the morning.
After walking for a while, she was indeed tired. As soon as she lay down, she fell into a deep sleep. In the middle of the night, she suddenly felt an unbearable itch all over her body. Lighting a fire stick to see what was happening, she discovered just how many creatures existed in this world—lice, fleas, and mice were all crawling onto her. After being hungry for so long, she finally saw living creatures and thought about eating them...
They were having a feast at her expense; poor San Chun couldn’t sleep the rest of the night due to being bitten all over. Unable to sleep at all, she curled up on the ground with her legs hugged tightly against her body and spent the night feeling wronged.
The next day before dawn broke, she jumped into the Fen River. After washing herself thoroughly—though she scrubbed off a lot of mud—the red welts on her body didn’t go away at all. After bathing, she caught two fish and roasted them for breakfast. After eating, she strolled back to the Cottage and happened to find a broken Boat Plank by the riverbank. She thought it might serve as a bed and dragged it back with her.
Upon returning to the Cottage, she suddenly noticed someone on the roof. It appeared to be a hunter in his forties carrying a large bundle of straw and repairing the roof.
“Thank you, thank you,” she said as she approached him with repeated bows. It was strange who this uncle was that he would help her fix her house.
The hunter glanced at her and asked, “Who are you?”
“I am the owner of this house.”
The hunter snorted and muttered something under his breath that likely meant “nonsense.”
He continued repairing his house while San Chun stood aside, sensing that things might not be as good as she had hoped.
When the hunter came down from the roof and after asking around, she learned that this Cottage belonged to someone else. The reason it was so dilapidated was that he had accidentally trespassed into Wei Wang's hunting grounds while hunting and had been imprisoned for over a year. He had just been released two days ago and hurried here to fix up his house.
San Chun took a deep breath, feeling that it was about time for him to arrive. If he waited until she had everything ready before showing up, she would really be in tears.
The owner of the house had returned, so she had to find another place to stay. However, houses were not easy to come by; she couldn't even find a decent high mound, let alone a place for the Azure Wind Antelope.
Just think about it, a house from ten years ago would have nearly collapsed by now. Although she didn't find a house, she later discovered a pit, likely used by hunters to trap wild animals, which was just the right size for her.
The more she looked at it, the more satisfied she became. She thought that as long as she covered it with a thick layer of branches and leaves and laid down a piece of Oilcloth, it would shield her from the wind and rain. The inside of the pit was quite dry, making it perfect for living in; it would also be convenient to roll around when bored.
With some boldness, she asked the hunter for a bundle of straw and a rope to make a soft ladder for easy access. The hunter looked fierce but was actually quite nice; he even gave her a clay pot and a bowl. She couldn't find any Oilcloth, but that piece of Boat Plank would work perfectly as a roof.
When she left, Qing had prepared quite a few things for her: fire-starting Fuse, herbs to repel insects, and a large bag of Wound Medicine. There were also several Porcelain Bottles filled with various pills, which she couldn't immediately identify their uses. With these items and some clothes laid out, she could create a cozy nest.
After tidying up and stroking her chin in appreciation of her hard work, she felt like something was still missing. What if someone discovered this pit and then found her?
She pried off a piece from the broken Boat Plank to make a sign, carving on it: "No one in this pit."
With her hands on her hips, she admired her diligent work with great satisfaction.
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