Crackle~
Snap! Crackle~
Twigs popped as the fire burned, its faint yellow light shadowing Jiu Xian's face. He sat on the ground, leaning against a thick tree, his breath heavy.
For days, he wandered from village to village, hoping to stumble upon the spirit herbs, but each time, the rumours turned out to be just that—A rumour.
The four leaved clover? Just a weed in the forest that people of a certain village believed brought immense luck.
The mysterious statue? It was just an old ancient shrine with nothing mysterious to its name.
Jiu Xian sighed. His eyes were now dull.
He was starting to lose hope.
'Is it even worth it? If I had to abandon my dream, wouldn't it have been better to decline the fairy's offer and search for immortality together with Mei'ren?'
Rustle! Rustle!
The sound shattered his thoughts.
His eyes became sharp, ears perked up. He quickly lifted the bow from the ground, knocking an arrow onto it.
"Calm down, brother. We are hunters seeking a place to rest."
"Right! We saw the light and thought we could seek shelter with you. After all there is power in numbers."
From the bushes appeared two men.
Jiu Xian's gaze studied them. One man was tall, the other one short.
They wore blood-stained tunic on their lanky bodies, had heavy bags under their eyes. A bow rested on their shoulders and a sword hung on their waist.
Oddly enough their quiver held no arrows.
Jiu Xian slowly lowered the bow, loosening the tension from the string, but he did not remove the arrow from the bow.
"Sure... You are welcome to join me, take that spot there."
He pointed to the spot opposite to him. Only when they sat down and placed their bows on the ground did he remove the arrow from the bow.
"So brother, are you also a hunter? Your reflexes are good."
"Thanks for your praise, but no, I am not a hunter. After all why would a hunter be in robes? I am just a scholar going to the capital. My skills are all a gift from my father."
"I see. I see... A scholar aiming to overturn his fate."
"The capital is too far from this back water region. How do you plan to get there, brother? It will cost a lot; do you even have that kind of money? " The short man stroked his chin.
Jiu Xian's gaze became sharp for a moment before he quickly hid it, putting on a warm smile.
"I have an uncle in Nanzhou, he will help me. By the way, brothers, which village did you say you were from?"
The men's pupils constricted at the mention of Nanzhou.
"Oh we are from Crouching Fish Village. It's a small village, but maybe you have heard of it... A fairy descended in our village some time ago." They replied with practiced ease.
Jiu Xian raised his eyebrow, his lips pursing together.
'HAHA! This has to be a joke played by the heavens'
"I have heard of it. I live Bao Village. We are neighbours then... Would you like some jerky? You look hungry."
"Yes please, we have been on the run... We encountered some bandits on the way."
"Yes! Yes! We even lost all our arrows while we ran."
Jiu Xian nodded along, pulling out a pouch from his bundle.
"That must have been hard... It's good you escaped. About this fairy, do you have any more details about her?"
THUD!
As he pulled out the pouch, another pouch fell on the ground, silver coins rolling out on the ground.
"Oh, here" He quickly threw the pouch with the jerky inside over to the two men and scurried on the ground to collect the spilled coins.
The men caught the pouch, their eyes shining as they looked at the ground.
The tall man's feet moved forward, but the short man quickly yanked him back by the hand.
"Sorry, brothers, the exhaustion from the travel must have made me numb." He tugged at his hair. "Never mind that. Hurry up and tell me more about that fairy."
The two men ate the jerky, talking with Jiu Xian, subtly trying to grasp his family situation.
Jiu Xian played along, answering every question patiently.
Before long the evening had turned into night.
Jiu Xian pulled out an incense stick from his bundle, lit it with the camp fire nearby, burying it in the ground beside him.
Smoke curled in the air, a nauseating smell drifting along it. The incense stick seemed normal, but the smell irked the duo.
"hmm... what's that, brother?"
The two men inched closer to him, but backed away at retch-inducing smell.
"hm?... just an insect repellent, passed down in our family." He stared at them.
"You want some?"
"N—No. I think we are good. What are a few mosquitoes to us hunters?"
"Fine. Suit yourself." Jiu Xian yawned. "It's getting late, let's catch some sleep."
""Yes""
Jiu Xian curled on the hard ground, turning his back to them.
A silence filled the space. Only the crackling of fire and rustling of bodies remained.
Jiu Xian's breathing steadied.
"Hey!"
"Hey! Are you awake?"
"..."
"I think he's asleep."
"Let's get to work then."
Sounds of twigs breaking could be heard. They drew closer to Jiu Xian.
"Heh! What a fool." The tall man gathered the phlegm and spit on the ground.
"AHahaha! These back water people are all like this. If we add the money he has with the one we have looted, we will be able to leave... away from the cursed Nanzhou."
"Right! Deserting was the best decision of our life."
They sneaked behind him, covering their nose.
"Don't!" Jiu Xian's screamed suddenly.
They backed off.
"Is he still awake?" The short man sucked in a cold breath.
"What if he is? He's just a scholar. What can he do?" The tall man sneered.
"Let's hurry up... This stench is unbearable. This is why I have country bumpkins."
They waited, to check any further movement, but even after a long time he didn't move.
"Don't leave, Mei'ren."
"hah! He's just mumbling in his sleep."
The short man drew his sword from his waist, lifted it high.
Then, he swung downwards.
At Jiu Xian's neck.