CH 17

Chapter 17 – Gentleman Gui Debuts (part 4)

Although Fo Yin Temple was very big, the decorations were still splendid throughout. Even so, it was at heart, still a monastery. As eating meat was not acceptable here, the dining table was abundant with vegetarian food.

Bai Xi raised her head and looked at the sky. Fortunately, it was June. It was 5 pm and the sun had not yet set behind the mountain. That meant she could still look elsewhere for food. Even if the mountain did not have wild game, there should be a river, right? Then she would be able to eat meat. While she had previously rejected the idea of eating fish, when the alternative was the vegetarian fare offered by the temple, fish didn’t seem like such an unappealing option.

Having worked for ten years in a training camp, it was easy to search for wild food. In less than half an hour, she found a river. It wasn’t very big, but the water was very clear. She could clearly see the stones lying at the bottom.

About halfway up the mountain, there was an octagonal pavilion. Standing in the centre of the pavilion, she could see a sea of lush trees. The scenery of Heng Mountain was rather pleasant.

It took less than 30 minutes for Bai Xi to clean up the two fish she had caught. She wrapped the fish with lotus leaves she had picked nearby and placed them on the dry kindling. As she waited for the fish to cook, she marvelled at the size and girth of the fish. The fragrance of the grilling fish piqued her appetite, and her stomach rumbled. Bai Xi licked her lips and watched intently. She had to remind herself that it would only take a quarter of an hour.

A nearby sound interrupted her thoughts. Curious, Bai Xi rose and snuck towards the direction of the noise, her guard up. Out in the open on the face of the mountain, there was a high possibility of trouble. Since she had thought the noise had been produced by an animal, she was surprised to find a man who had been heavily injured, sleeping against a large tree.

A few strands of hair brushed his face, the rest flowing down around his shoulders like an inky waterfall. He wore a crescent white dress, the edges and cuffs adorned with six-petal plum blossoms. He had an aura of elegance and nobility, even with the red spreading across his chest.

As if the man had sensed Bai Xi’s presence, his eyes snapped open, and he let out a breath powered by internal force. Fortunately, Bai Xi had recently taken to exercising and practicing martial arts, otherwise she would have certainly died from the power behind his internal force.

“Eh? Golden eyes? A person of mixed-blood, perhaps? How can this be? A person with golden eyes is really rare.” Bai Xi smiled as she approached the man. He looked like a rich businessman. “Mm, your looks aren’t bad.”

The man’s eyebrows knitted together. Just as he was about to use his internal force to send Bai Xi flying, Bai Xi announced, “It would be a waste to use your internal force to kill me. Given the state of your wound, it would be better if you conserve your strength.”

It was not clear whether he had decided to listen to her, or if he had merely decided that Bai Xi did not intend to finish him off, but he remained leaning against the tree anyway, watching Bai Xi with focused indifference. Perhaps he was too exhausted to move.

“Hey, why are you near Fo Yin Temple? Were you hurt by the enemy, or the guards and masters of Fo Yin Temple?” Bai Xi asked amiably, sitting directly opposite of the man.

She waited for a long while, but he gave no inclination that he’d heard her.

“Are you mute?”

The man closed his eyes, not at all intending to respond to Bai Xi.

Bai Xi stared blankly. Did she say something improper? Maybe she had accidentally prodded someone’s sore spot. “You ought to have faith and believe that in this world, there is nothing that is impossible. Perhaps one day your voice will be cured, don’t you think?”

The silence continued. Bai Xi felt a little awkward. Her line of sight landed on the man’s blood-stained clothes. “Your injury looks quite serious. I can help you. How about it?”

Bai Xi took his silence as permission. Her hand was about to reach the man’s clothing when the man opened his eyes and grabbed her hand. His eyes were filled with anger.

“Tch, you don’t want my help?” Bai Xi threw off his hand. It was rare for her to have good intentions, and for him to brush her off… Really, she should just leave him. Hmph! Bai Xi turned to leave, back in the direction of her grilled fish. The man closed his eyes again, ignoring her departure.

Upon returning to the riverbank, Bai Xi found that she was still flustered by her encounter. The sight of the grilled fish should have pleased her, but her appetite had waned. As she chewed, she mentally cursed the man who had rebuffed her uncharacteristic attempt to provide aid. After finishing the fish, her annoyance had faded a little, but as she was preparing to eat the second, she subconsciously glanced over at the forest. Wait, what was she doing? Why should she worry whether the man would starve to death? If he starved to death, it would be for the best.

Even so, when she went to eat, she hesitated. Forget it, she decided and took the fish with her back into the woods. It seemed the man still had her sympathy after all. When she came across him again, he was in the exact same position as before, his eyes closed as if he was sleeping. But she knew that he was just resting.

“Oi, eat it.” Bai Xi offered the grilled fish to the man.