Yang Ruoning had planned to keep a low profile for a few days before going to the sacred tree for food again, but unfortunately, Blake had grown accustomed to delicacies recently and threw a tantrum when she hadn't visited for several days. Yang Ruoning couldn't resist the stubborn black horse and had to drag it along.
As the person and the horse quietly approached the sacred tree, Yang Ruoning looked around and saw no one. The forest was so quiet that only the sound of the breeze rustling through the leaves could be heard.
"Good, no one," Yang Ruoning thought with secret delight. She quickly led Blake to the tree, ready to feast.
"You're back?" a voice suddenly called from behind as she was happily eating.
Yang Ruoning was startled. The food she hadn't swallowed got stuck in her throat, and she began to cough violently. She bent over, supporting her chest, and looked back.
Indeed, it was that person again.
Yang Ruoning's eyes watered from choking.
He glanced at the offerings that Blake had made a mess of and said, "Aren't you afraid the gods will punish you?"
"The god told me in my dream that there's food here, so I come to eat when I'm hungry," Yang Ruoning replied.
He glanced at her. "Did the god really say that? Why would he tell you?"
Yang Ruoning shrugged, indicating she didn't know why the god would appear in her dreams again. She handed him an offering fruit. "Eat up. The benevolent god said not to starve, so you can eat too."
"You really are a strange woman." He looked down at the fruit in her hand, took it, and took a bite.
Yang Ruoning breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, he's an accomplice now."
Blake, having eaten his fill, slowly walked to a nearby pool to drink water. Yang Ruoning watched the man sitting a few meters away, gnawing on the fruit, with a sense of vigilance.
The moonlight in the forest was bright, and Yang Ruoning could finally see his appearance clearly. Although this man was a slave, he was unusually neat and did not look like someone who did manual labor. He was quite well-featured, but the harsh desert weather and strong UV rays had made his skin rough and dark, making it difficult for Yang Ruoning to guess his age.
After finishing the apple, he stood up and began to untie the cords of his upper garment. In just a few moves, he shed his shirt, revealing a slightly slender upper body. Yang Ruoning was shocked. She hastily grabbed a tree branch, stood up, and shouted, "What are you doing?!"
He glanced at her, ignoring her. He walked directly to the side, searched the ground, and surprisingly pulled out a spear from a pile of fallen leaves, then began to practice with it by himself.
"Oh, okay, I misunderstood," Yang Ruoning said, a little embarrassed. She threw away the branch and sat down.
Why was he secretly practicing martial arts here? Was he, like her, trying to escape? Thinking this, Yang Ruoning felt a flicker of hope. Perhaps she could escape with him?
Whatever his purpose, she decided to build a good relationship with him first. "Hi, friend, what's your name? I'm Yang Ruoning."
He twirled his spear without speaking. After about a minute, he stopped with his back to her and said, "I won't help you escape."
"Who said I want to escape?"
"You've already tried to escape twice, haven't you?"
"I don't have any plans to escape recently."
"Without a guide, you won't be able to escape alone."
"Ha, shouldn't you have told me something so important before I attempted to escape?" Yang Ruoning suddenly felt a spark of hope and asked, "Are you..."
"I am not a guide."
"Oh," Yang Ruoning said, very disappointed. "Then what do you do?"
He did not answer. He turned around and looked at her. "Where are you from?"
"Da Song," she said.
"Where in Da Song?"
"The capital."
"Bianliang?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Is your foot better?"
"A minor injury, no longer a problem."
Yang Ruoning curled her lips. She knew it was no minor injury. Only a few days had passed, and the wound was far from healed. Yet, even so, he had to practice martial arts here, which must mean he had something incredibly important to do.
Yang Ruoning watched him practice silently for a while, then got up. She patted the fallen leaves off her backside and prepared to go back to sleep. She smiled faintly at the man. "See you later."
Before she had walked a few steps, she heard him say from behind, "My name is Handan Chun. I practice martial arts here every night."
Yang Ruoning did not turn back. She waved her hand coolly behind her. "Handan Chun, then see you tomorrow night," and left directly.
Handan Chun. She hadn't heard his name before, but she knew the surname. Handan was the surname of the royal family here. The king here, Handan Aqi, known as King Aqi, was only ranked seventh among the royal princes and would never have inherited the throne. However, when the late King Handan was alive, the entire grassland was struck by a plague, and a large part of the population was lost, including members of the royal family. The late king led the surviving tribes to live in this isolated oasis. On one hand, it was to isolate themselves from the plague and recuperate; on the other hand, it was to avoid conquest by Da Song. Among the few remaining princes, Handan Aqi was the healthiest. Thus, with his imposing physique and strong physical condition, this brutal brute became king. Although a considerable number of his people were dissatisfied with King Aqi, they dared not speak out for fear of his tyranny.
This Handan Chun was also a member of the royal family. However, judging by his attire and demeanor, there was not the slightest hint of royalty. But then again, even King Aqi, as foolish as he might be, knew he wasn't popular. To secure his power forever, he had persecuted all the male royal family members.
Perhaps this was why he practiced martial arts here at night? To strengthen himself so that he could escape from here one day? He was of royal blood, and he might even know the way out of this desert. Thinking this, Yang Ruoning felt her heart lighten.
The next evening, Yang Ruoning led Blake to the sacred tree again.
She saw Handan Chun had already arrived.
He glanced at her and nodded, acknowledging her.
Yang Ruoning was more enthusiastic. "Hello, good evening, my friend."
"We are not friends."
"Oh, we're friends since we've eaten offerings together. Have you had dinner?" Yang Ruoning pointed to the offerings under the sacred tree. Blake was already impatiently eating beside her.
He cast a somewhat disdainful glance at her. "No need, you eat."
Yang Ruoning shrugged. "Alright then."
You are of royal blood, and although not particularly favored, you at least have a guaranteed supply of food, so you don't understand the feeling of hunger.
She picked up some dry twigs, started a small fire beside her, and then took out the semi-dried meat jerky that had been offered today and roasted it over the fire. Soon, the jerky began to exude a fragrant aroma, and a layer of glistening oil appeared on its surface; as the oil dripped down, it hissed and crackled with the scattering sparks. Before long, the meat had turned an appealing golden brown. Yang Ruoning eagerly picked it up, blew on it, and took a big bite.
"Mmm—" The savory flavor of the meat filled her mouth, and Yang Ruoning couldn't help but let out a sound of satisfaction.
Handan Chun, sitting nearby, snorted dismissively. Yang Ruoning looked at him. "What's wrong? This is my first meal today. And it's really delicious, do you want to eat some?" She held out the other half of the roasted jerky in her hand to him. "You know, you should eat plenty of meat after your physical training, especially if you want to build muscle. You need to eat a lot of protein to gain strength."
"Eat it yourself," he said, standing up. He took off his shirt, picked up his spear, and went to practice martial arts elsewhere.
After Yang Ruoning finished eating, she also stood up. She took off her thick outer clothes and trousers, leaving only the thin layer underneath. The night wind blew, and she let out a solid sneeze.
Handan Chun, over there, stopped. "What are you doing?"
"Exercising," Yang Ruoning replied. She did a few minutes of warm-up exercises and then began to run around the old sacred tree.
Handan Chun watched her with surprise and curiosity for a while, then murmured, "Women from Bianliang are indeed different."
However, Yang Ruoning did not hear him; she was already running with high spirits.
(Sorry, I might not be updating on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as I need to catch up on 'Transit Love'. I really hope Haein and Hyeonkwan get together.)