Chapter 7: Let’s Meet in Three Days

“Bang!”

“A gun?”

Mu Yi was startled by the loud sound and quickly came back to his senses. It really was the sound of a gun. (Note: Not a modern gun)

Mu Yi and the old man had traveled around the world and seen their fair share of firearms. Large aristocratic clans had firearms and their own personal guards. In the Qing Dynasty, there were even entire armies equipped with firearms, but most of the time, they were poorly made and did not last long.

Who could be shooting in these mountains? Mu Yi wondered.

After settling himself in the area, Mu Yi had considered the whole territory as his own. Now, someone who could be a potential danger to him had intruded with a gun.

Therefore, Mu Yi vigilantly walked towards the location of the gunshots.

“What do you think? Much better right? They are better than us.” As Mu Yi got closer, he heard a voice.

“Zheng Zicong, try and say that in front of your grandpa,” said someone else.

Mu Yi quickly understood that these people knew each other, but they didn’t seem too close either.

“He he, I admit that I’m not that good, but you lost today. Don’t forget about our bet,” Zheng Zicong said while laughing.

“Hmph! We’re far from Tianhei. We’ll see who will win at that moment,” said the other one, grinding his teeth.

“Alright, we’ll see who manages to get a yellow weasel,” Zheng Zicong said immediately.

Mu Yi was still hiding when suddenly, a snake appeared in the leaves under his feet, so he couldn’t help but move away immediately.

Unfortunately, his movement made a sound and a sense of danger followed.

Anyone who dared to come into the depths of the forests was strong, so Mu Yi’s movement would startle Zheng Zicong and company, especially when they were there to hunt. If they couldn’t distinguish the sound between a human and an animal and decided to shoot him, it wouldn’t end well.

Therefore, Mu Yi moved aside and said, “Hey.”

“Who’s there?!”

When they heard him, the two friends immediately shouted.

“There’s a snake there!” shouted Mu Yi. He slowly moved into their line of sight so they could see his face.

Mu Yi had done the right thing.

Instead of two, Mu Yi actually saw five people: two young men, a young girl, a strong-looking guard, and someone who was acting like a noble.

One of the young men was holding a gun while the other was holding a bow, and they all looked at Mu Yi. The guard quickly took out a knife from its sheath, which was hanging on his waist. If Mu Yi hadn’t shouted a moment before, he probably would’ve gotten killed by the guard.

“Who are you?” asked the guard suspiciously. When the others saw Mu Yi, they were relieved except for the strong guard, who quickly walked to Mu Yi and brandished his knife.

“I’m a Taoist priest, and I live on Funiu Mountain. I decided to take a day off today to hunt. I didn’t think that I would meet anyone, especially noblemen like you,” Mu Yi said, throwing his axe on the ground as a sign of good faith.

When the guard heard him and saw that Mu Yi had thrown his axe aside, the guard nodded and relaxed.

Besides, Mu Yi seemed to be around fifteen years old, so he didn’t pose a threat to them.

Mu Yi walked towards the group and nodded.

“Ha ha, a Taoist priest who hunts? That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard,” Zheng Zicong said while laughing loudly and arrogantly.

Zheng Zicong was around twenty years old, and he looked feminine and tender. He was wearing Western-style clothes and wore his hair in braids like Manchus. Even though he tried to look strong and aggressive, it didn’t work. Mu Yi thought he looked ordinary, but he didn’t show it on his face; he just tried to look indifferent. “Taoist priests are people too. We need to eat. I just rely on myself to eat. I don’t steal or ask people for offerings. I don’t see why you’re laughing.”

“Jinlun, you don’t know this Taoist priest. He was hiding and listening to us a moment ago. There’s definitely something suspicious about him. Song should interrogate him,” Zheng Zicong said with a hint of killing intent.

For him, Mu Yi was merely a beggar who had dared to contradict him. Those who made him lose face had to die, and since they were in the wild, he could have him killed easily. However, he didn’t want his female cousin to have a bad opinion of him.

“Zheng Zicong, you’re exaggerating. He’s only a little Taoist priest. Even if we don’t know him, he doesn’t pose a threat to us,” Su Jinlun said while frowning. He hadn’t noticed that Zheng Zicong actually intended to kill Mu Yi. He thought that Zheng Zicong was saying this to teach the little Taoist priest a good lesson.

“Since you think so, we can forgive him. It’s still early, so let’s not waste time,” Zheng Zicong said while smiling as if nothing had happened.

However, Mu Yi observed him carefully and came to the conclusion that Zheng Zicong was evil. He had clearly seen the look of murder in the man’s eyes.

Even though Mu Yi hasn’t managed to be as perseverant as he wished, his perception, which was closely related to his responsiveness, had become acute. He could easily distinguish good from bad.

Hearing Zheng Zicong’s words, Su Jinlun didn’t waste any more time on the matter since the little Taoist priest was just a poor kid in the end.

“Wait.”

As she turned around, the person who was acting like a noble suddenly spoke. Actually, this fake prince should be called a princess instead because the speaker was actually a woman disguised as a man.

Looking at his own sister, Si Jun asked “What’s the matter, Xao Ying?”

The fake prince ignored him as he looked at Mu Yi and asked, “Little Taoist priest, you live on Funiu Mountain?”

“Indeed,” Mu Yi answered with a nod.

“So can you capture ghosts?” asked the fake prince.

“A little bit,” Mu Yi replied after remaining silent for a few seconds. He could capture weak, ordinary ghosts, but he wouldn’t be able to deal with stronger ones.

The old man had taught him. Besides, the nobles he had met were all arrogant, and Mu Yi didn’t want to have anything to do with them. However, he now needed to make a living. He needed to eat. Initially, he wanted to hunt, but it didn’t work. He possibly had an opportunity now.

“Erf! Cousin, don’t let him deceive you. Look at him. Do you think he can capture ghosts? Besides, ghosts don’t even exist. He’s just a rip off,” Zheng Zicong said while laughing.

“Little Taoist priest, if you deceive me, you will get in trouble,” the fake prince said, ignoring Zheng Zocing. She stared at Mu Yi.

Seeing the fake princess focusing on Mu Yi instead of him, Zheng Zicong looked towards Mu Yi with eyes full of hatred.

“Don’t worry gentlemen. I am willing to give it a try,” Mu Yi replied cautiously.

“Alright, let’s meet in three days. Come down to the village and head to the Su Clan to find me. By the way, my name is Su Yingying,” the fake prince said. She then turned around and left.

“Little Taoist priest, I’m giving Yingying face, so I won’t kill you. However, we’ll see your true colors in three days,” Zheng Zicong said, looking at Mu Yi with anger. Then, he also turned around and left.

Mu Yi looked at their departing figures and clenched his fists.

Three days, Su Yingying!