Chapter 266: Chapter 111: First Encounter at the Execution Ground_4
This place was situated around the execution grounds, with nothing but this decrepit temple, no residential dwellings nearby. If she dashed out the door, there would be nowhere to hide outside, only a vast expanse of snow. Though he was injured, his breath seemed steady at the moment. For a man to chase down a little girl was always a piece of cake.
He could easily kill her and bury her in the snow, with no one the wiser.
The man in black gave her another glance and said, "The snow is heavy outside, close the door."
It was clear he didn’t plan on letting her go.
Faced with the disparity in strength, a head-on confrontation was never a good approach. Lu Tong silently tightened her grip on the handle of her clothing chest, dragged her feet to the door, and pushed the almost-falling-apart door closed.
The blizzard was immediately mostly shut out.
He sat down on the meditation cushion, back straight, his gaze lingered on the pile of broken planks in the corner, then he ordered Lu Tong, "Little Thief, there’s wood inside, go make a fire."
Lu Tong clenched her teeth in secret.
If this man wanted to kill or mutilate her, it would be better to get it over with quickly, rather than this dragging out.
Lu Tong suspected he was too severely injured to exert much energy, which was why he treated her as a servant to boss around.
But she didn’t have the courage to fight him. Not to mention the knife in his hand, a young girl’s physical strength was no match for a young man’s.
If only she had exquisite poisoning skills like Lady Yun, at least she could blind the eyes of the person in front of her with a swipe of poisonous ash, better than being at someone’s mercy like this.
Lu Tong walked silently to the corner of the temple, picked a few shorter broken planks, and brought them over to the altar, then, using the oil lamp’s flame, she slowly lit them.
The wood was from fallen window frames and beams, slightly damp with age. After much struggle, Lu Tong finally managed to generate some warmth.
She nestled the short logs together, a small pile of fire rising, making the snowy night seem not so chilly.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, she looked up to meet his gaze coming her way.
His eyes were particularly bright, like clear gems under the faint candlelight, yet his stare was predatory, very aggressive.
Lu Tong paused for a moment.
This man, though his face was covered with a black cloth and he acted suspiciously, his posture and demeanor were anything but ordinary, showing no trace of a fugitive’s furtiveness or desperation; instead, he seemed at ease and elegant. If she had not been threatened by him all the way here, judging by his appearance alone, she might have thought he was some young hero of mysterious origin, whose identity could not be shared with outsiders.
He was truly outstanding.
However, with his face covered, it was hard to say. Underneath the cloth might be a face marred by pockmarks. Lu Tong thought maliciously.
The man in black, of course, was unaware of Lu Tong’s silent disparagement and glanced at her before looking away.
Underneath the mud-smeared Clay Bodhisattva, the altar was bare, with only a rusty copper lamp on it. The oil lamp shone brightly, and in this blizzard night, the flame was the sole warm color. Tiny lamp blossoms burst from the wick, casting a faint floral pattern on the dusty altar.
"The lamp blossoms smile..." The man in black slightly raised his eyebrows, "It seems we are in luck."
Lu Tong didn’t understand his meaning and could only follow his gaze. The bursting lamp blossoms settled on the dusty altar, leaving behind delicate and intricate trails of oil.
As if perceiving her confusion, the man in black cocked his head, "Don’t you know?"
He laughed, "In the past, Lu Jia said that when the lamp blossoms burst, all matters are joyous. The ancient method of divining through lamp blossoms suggested that continuous blossoming and bursting indicated great happiness." After a pause, he spoke insincerely, "Congratulations to you."
Lu Tong frowned.
She had never heard of any method of divination by lamp blossoms and suspected that he was just spouting nonsense to deceive her. Besides, she spent her days at Luomei Peak testing poisons; what good fortune could she possibly have? True luck wouldn’t result in an encounter with this man, nor would she be threatened by him to her current predicament.