Chapter Eighty-Six: The Old Man Who Lost His Horse

Moo Yiyi led Xiao Ding and Yue Yuruo once more through a bewildering series of turns, out of the ring of standing stones and farther into the valley, for nearly a mile. By then night had fallen completely, but Xiao Ding and Yue Yuruo still caught sight of wisps of cooking smoke rising from behind a huge boulder.

Xiao Ding was overjoyed. Moo Yiyi brought the two of them close to the massive rock, still taking them along by one circuitous path after another. It seemed this place too had been arranged in a formation.

When Xiao Ding and Yue Yuruo finally followed Moo Yiyi around to the far side of the boulder, Xiao Ding’s eyes widened at once.

Behind the huge stone was a blazing campfire, and over the fire were roasting two mountain chickens. What astonished him most was not the fire or the birds, but the young woman tending them beside the flames.

Who else could it be but Mei Ruoshuang?

“Miss Mei, how are you here?” Xiao Ding cried out in delight.

Mei Ruoshuang had also heard footsteps. She turned around, and when she saw Xiao Ding beside Moo Yiyi, she too froze. Hearing his cry, she reacted instantly, hurriedly got to her feet, stumbled toward him, and threw her arms around him, exclaiming in excitement, “Brother Xiao Ding, you’ve finally come...”

As she spoke, tears began to fall. “Brother Xiao Ding, why did you come so late? I thought you wouldn’t come looking for me anymore...”

Xiao Ding held her slender, boneless body tightly and kept murmuring, “Miss Mei, it’s wonderful that I found you. Wonderful. I’ve finally found you...”

Only then did the anxiety that had hung over Xiao Ding’s heart finally ease. All the hardship, fatigue, shocks, and fright of the past days became suddenly insignificant.

He had not expected that after losing two bundles of gold and jewels, he would unexpectedly run into Moo Yiyi and Mei Ruoshuang. Truly, a loss may turn out to be a gain.

After embracing for a while and calming themselves, the two finally let go.

Mei Ruoshuang raised her tearful eyes and, glancing at his chest, pouted, “Brother Xiao Ding, what are you carrying in there? It poked and hurt my chest.”

Xiao Ding grinned at her delicate, rosy face and said fondly, “Miss Mei, it’s a good thing. When we get back, I’ll give you one. I promise you’ll like it!”

Just then Moo Yiyi also came over and said to Xiao Ding, “Well? Brother Xiao Ding, isn’t this a pleasant surprise?”

“A true pleasant surprise! By the way, how did you two end up together?” Xiao Ding asked.

“Let’s wait a bit before talking about that. We should eat first. Though I didn’t know you’d be coming tonight, so two roasted wild chickens may not be enough...” Moo Yiyi said.

“It’s all right. There are still some dry provisions in Miss Yue’s bundle...” Xiao Ding said.

Moo Yiyi helped Mu Hong out from a cave not far away. He was no longer as ruddy and vigorous as he had been a few days earlier; his face was somewhat pale, and his body still weak.

“Uncle Mu, is your injury all right?” Xiao Ding asked, hurrying over to help him sit down.

“That giant ape struck me in the chest. I suffered internal injuries and will need some time to recuperate,” Mu Hong said weakly.

“My uncle coughed up a lot of blood that day...” Moo Yiyi added.

“Looks like it really was an internal injury. Still, it’s all right. After we eat, I’ll help treat you,” Xiao Ding said.

“You know how to treat injuries?” Moo Yiyi asked in delight. Yue Yuruo and Mei Ruoshuang also turned to look at him.

“Only a little. I’ve never treated internal injuries, so I don’t know whether my inner strength will be of any use,” Xiao Ding said, not sounding very confident.

“Then let’s try it after dinner,” Moo Yiyi said, full of hope in him.

The four gathered around the campfire, eating dinner while talking about what had happened to each of them after they were separated.

Xiao Ding also introduced Mei Ruoshuang and Yue Yuruo to each other. They were both seventeen; Yue Yuruo was a few months older, so Mei Ruoshuang addressed her as Sister Yue.

After hearing Mei Ruoshuang’s account, Xiao Ding finally learned what she had gone through.

It turned out that on that night, Mei Ruoshuang and Mei Ruoxue had been resting in the mountain woods. Suddenly she had needed to relieve herself, so she climbed down from the tree to do so. But just as she had finished and tied up her trousers, she found a gigantic creature looming before her.

Terrified, she screamed and turned to run. The monstrous thing chased closely behind her.

Because it was dark, Mei Ruoshuang could not tell direction. After running for about two or three miles, she suddenly twisted her ankle and fell painfully to the ground.

The enormous creature had already reached her. Extending a claw, it grabbed Mei Ruoshuang and carried her into the mountains.

It was the giant ape. After capturing Mei Ruoshuang, it did not harm her. It merely sniffed her all over from head to toe, then carried her to this valley. After throwing her in, it even picked wild fruit for her to eat.

At first Mei Ruoshuang had been terribly frightened, but seeing that the giant ape had no intention of hurting her, she once again began thinking of escape. Yet with her injured foot, escape was impossible, so she decided to wait until her ankle healed and then find a way out of the valley.

But after a day, she became both hungry and thirsty. The giant ape had once picked her a wild fruit, but only that one time, and afterward seemed to have forgotten all about it.

And with her mobility impaired, she had neither the strength nor the means to search for food and water herself.

Just when Mei Ruoshuang had fallen into utter despair, that same night she suddenly heard a thunderous crash from the cliff nearby. At first she had no idea what had happened and was somewhat frightened.

Later, crawling along the ground, she found a stick, used it to brace herself, and hopped on one leg to the source of the noise. There she saw a giant bear that had fallen from the cliff above, now mangled beyond recognition.

Delighted, Mei Ruoshuang quickly drew the treasured sword she carried, cut open the bear’s hide, sliced off some meat, gathered a few branches nearby, and lit a fire to roast it.

Hearing this, Xiao Ding could not help sighing inwardly at the astonishing coincidences of the world. If he had not lured that giant bear to the cliff that night and tricked it into falling, Mei Ruoshuang might well have starved to death below.

Unfortunately, it had been so dark that night that he had had no idea she was beneath the cliff at the time.

With the bear meat to sustain her, Mei Ruoshuang recovered some strength, but without fresh water she remained unbearably thirsty. Soon, however, she thought of a solution. Early the next morning she discovered that the clothes on her body had been soaked by dew, and the plants around her were heavy with it as well.

So she survived for two days on dew and bear meat. By then her ankle had improved greatly, and she was able to move around the valley floor with a stick, searching for wild fruit to quench her thirst.

The valley floor was not large, and because the giant ape guarded it, no fierce beasts from outside dared enter.

But Mei Ruoshuang was unable to leave, for the giant ape wandered near the mouth of the valley every day. If she tried to go out, it would drive her back. If she dared resist, it would seize her by the arm or leg, lift her up, and fling her to the ground inside the valley, leaving her sprawled there for a long time before she could get up again.

After many attempts, Mei Ruoshuang abandoned the idea of forcing her way out. Now she could only wait for a chance—wait until the giant ape was absent, and then try to escape.

At that moment Xiao Ding thought: if Mei Ruoshuang had succeeded in escaping the valley back then, would he still have been able to find her today?