Chapter 16: Black bear
The leaves were rustled by the wind; those gleaming eyes were incredibly low, flashing in the lush vegetation, as if something were crawling forward. Jiang Changbai, suddenly seeing it, was startled, and unconsciously retreated half a step.
Song Juguang, seeing Jiang Changbai's peculiarity, followed her gaze and looked between the vegetation. At this time, that thing had drawn even closer, its whole body gleaming black, only a line of white spots beneath its jaw. A pair of eyes stared at the two; although the eyes were small, the killing intent within them was overflowing, and seeing it, one's fine hairs stood upright.
It was the black bear that that hunter had wasted her life for without gaining.
Just then, Song Juguang had listened to He Leyong's words, and had only taken it as the mountain not having any great wild beasts at all, and the words of the old, tea-selling woman at the foot of the mountain were only her subjective conjecture. As a result, she'd lowered her guard, and had, seeing the day grow dark, in order to save some steps, had chosen a closer path. Now, suddenly seeing this black bear, her heart couldn't help but be greatly startled.
Yet Song Juguang didn't retreat, and looked towards Jiang Changbai, saying lowly, "Careful." Immediately after, she exerted herself to pull her behind herself, and, on the contrary, herself rushed a few steps to face that black bear.
Seeing Song Juguang rushing towards it, the bear was also infuriated. Suddenly, it rose, raising its paws and bringing them down towards the top of Song Juguang's head. That bear's stature was great, two or more metres. Within the forest was already dim, and now, it suddenly stood up, blocking the barely remaining light, unexpectedly having a bit of a sensation of the heavens being hidden and the sun being covered. But Song Juguang was well-accustomed to fighting tooth and nail on the battlefield, and naturally wasn't afraid. Although this bear's strength was ferocious, its body was cumbersome, and between a strike and a blow, it didn't have any means at all. This paw had just come down, but Song Juguang had long since dodged to the side to another place. The wild beasts who had proclaimed supremacy in the forest at this time, in the end, had met its match.
Song Juguang still held that folding fan, but at this moment, this fan was more like a weapon. Unexpectedly, the tip of Song Juguang's foot pushed against the tree trunk, and she sprang in a leap, the folding fan rushing to stab the bear's eye. Even though it was dodged by that bear, it changed direction in midair, and whacked against its skull. It didn't have the anticipated sound of wood breaking at all, and actually, there was a degree of a clang, like metal striking. The bear seemed to have been struck heavily, and its body swayed, and immediately after, it flew into a rage, letting out a series of growls. They shook the heavens and swayed everything, and countless startled birds flew off the branches.
In this time, Jiang Changbai had already steadied her mind. Although she wasn't good at martial arts, in the end, she'd trained as a child a bit. And she couldn't bear Song Juguang fighting bravely on her own, and so she drew a dagger from her waist firmly in her hand, her eyes gazing at the battling person and bear, only waiting to snatch an opportune moment.
Actually, this ornamental dagger of hers had far more decorative use than in actual combat, a good number o f precious jades and stones inlaid on it. Even its scabbard was fully carved with patterns, its value not inconsiderable.
In the back and forth, the bear gradually fell inferior, even being struck by Song Juguang a few more times; when it waved its paws, there wasn't the strength that had been at the start. On the other hand, Song Juguang actually looked fully relaxed. The folding fan in her hand was just like a third hand, fluently commanded. Over and over, it struck against the bear's body, using great strength, as if with every blow it could break its muscles and bones.
Jiang Changbai finally found an opportunity, and hurried forward a few steps, precisely stabbing the dagger into the bear's eye. But she'd been just about to use force, when the situation changed greatly. In the end, that black bear also knew it had already come to the time of a life and death situation, and, from who knew where, it burst forth with new strength, unexpectedly throwing Jiang Changbai a distance away.
Jiang Changbai only was aware that the dagger had disappeared, and immediately, the heavens had spun and the earth had turned. She heard her own back slamming against a tree trunk, letting out the sound of a bang. Jiang Changbai couldn't pay attention to the pain of her back, and rose, just about to dash to the location of the struggle from just then. However, misfortune didn't come with song, and when she advanced, she'd only taken a couple steps, when her foot missed a step, and she fell directly into a pitfall that who knew which hunter had set.
This all happened in the flash of lightning and flint; Song Juguang saw Jiang Changbai had been sent flying, and had been about to go help her up when the black bear wound around her. When she turned her head around once more, Jiang Changbai's body wasn't there, and only disordered, chaotic dried and withered leaves remained.
"Bixia!" Song Juguang's mind was startled, and she raised her voice to cry out. But she also knew that at this moment, there wasn't any opportunity to go search for Jiang Changbai, and she still had to resolve the matter of this black bear. So, her right arm exerted itself greatly, and three strikes landed on the end of the dagger, the dagger which Jiang Changbai had just stabbed in being pushed a few degrees deeper.
Jiang Changbai naturally could hear Song Juguang's cry, and she coughed a couple times, and replied, "I'm fine." Luckily, these few coughs were covered up by the black bear's pained roaring, and Song Juguang didn't hear them distinctly, only hearing Jiang Changbai's "fine". The stone in her mind fell to the ground, and she could make some space for more attention to face the black bear.
If it were to be said that, just then Song Juguang had still had a bit of intent to relent, at this moment, there wasn't even half a degree. She raised her hand, grasping that dagger, and pulled it out. A river of blood sprayed out of the black bear's eye, splashing onto Song Juguang's plain white clothes, as if a few red plums had burst forth from the snow. But while red plums from snow were a symbol of vitality, this black bear had reached its time of death.
Song Juguang rapidly stabbed the dagger into its other eye, and, after the dagger was fully immersed, she moved it back and forth. As a result, the black bear's brain was unexpectedly beaten to a pulp, and in the end, it didn't have the strength to strike back, and smashed loudly to the ground, a few more deeply sleeping birds taking startled flight.
She didn't have the time to pay attention to the black bear's dead form, and only pulled that dagger out of its eye, and then turned around to rush towards the direction of where Jiang Changbai had disappeared. Only by the time she came close did she see that Jiang Changbai had fallen into a pitfall, and her whole body had been tangled in vines, her entire face smeared with dust, cutting quite a sorry figure. Jiang Changbai raised her head, seeing Song Juguang's deeply concerned expression, and fearing that she was worried, tugged a wispy smile at the corner of her mouth. "I'm fine, I'm not in pain."
As she spoke, she was about to crawl out of the pit, but her limbs were restrained by the vines, and the struggling couldn't throw them off at all. She heard another crashing sound, and the dust at the bottom of the pit rose in a cloud; so, Song Juguang, seeing Jiang Changbai was trapped, had leapt into the hole without thinking.
The dagger was sharp, and in a few moments, it cut apart the chaotic vines. Jiang Changbai only felt a heavy, bloody odour flooding her nose, and looked closely, using the light of the moon, and saw the already dried vestiges of blood on Song Juguang's face. At this moment, she didn't think of any ruler and minister, didn't think of any possessor of great merits making a ruler uncomfortable, let alone think of any puppet emperor; she murmured a few calls of "A Guang", and then placed her hand on her cheek.
Song Juguang was first startled, only feeling the place where Jiang Changbai's hand was pressing against her cheek gradually heat, even the beat of her heart unconsciously quickening a bit. But after, she understood tacitly, and breathed deeply, making herself appear a bit more tranquil, and said with a smile, "It's the bear's blood, this minister is fine."
"Then that's good." At this moment, Jiang Changbai noticed her own abruptness, and hurriedly drew her hand back, giving a few forced laughs.
"Your being fine is what's good, the Great Li can't be without you," Song Juguang said, forcing herself to sound high and dignified, still using the Great Li as a pretence. Once she finished speaking, she reached out a hand to tug Jiang Changbai up with a businesslike demeanour. But what her heart wanted to do, only she herself knew.
Jiang Changbai also felt that, just then, she herself had been a bit strange, and could only cast her gaze away, placing a hand on Song Juguang's, wanting to use her strength to stand up. Only at this moment did she realise how severe the injuries she'd just received were; she felt as if her her vertebra and spinal muscles had broken, and with a tiny bit of effort, there was an unbearable pain.
"Bixia?" Song Juguang, seeing she wasn't right, asked her worriedly. As she spoke, she was about to stick out her head to check Jiang Changbai's injuries over.
Jiang Changbai's face was scarlet, and she wordlessly evaded. So, even if she was in pain, she had to put on an appearance of painlessness, and she straightened her body, and said, "When there's no one else around, be like before; call me A Bai."
Song Juguang, hearing this, blinked, and for a while, she was bewildered. It wasn't that she didn't knew that, since they'd met once more, Jiang Changbai's mind had been guarded towards her, fearing that, one day, she'd snatch away the position of emperor from her as soon as she wasn't satisfied. As a result, Song Juguang had scrupulously abided to the role of minister, not daring in the slightest to cross the boundary.
Now, with these words of Jiang Changbai's, it was as if she were taking initiative to push the invisible barrier between them open a crack, causing Song Juguang to be somewhat perplexed. But despite her bewilderment, Song Juguang was naturally happy to have a bit more intimate relationship with Jiang Changbai, and so she didn't say much, only calling out "A Bai".
In the end, Jiang Changbai wasn't willing to continue this topic, and only nodded lightly. Immediately after, she raised her head to look towards the heavens, and smiled bitterly. "Now, both of us are in this trap." Gazing out of this pitfall, only layer upon layer of tree leaves could be seen. Occasionally there were a few strands of moonlight which spilled through the gaps in the leaves, yet they couldn't fall on the ground. On top of that, the sound of the whistling wind by their ears and the scent of blood that wound all around them, layered on each other, drew some horror in the air.
"Don't think too little of me." Looking at her, Song Juguang didn't look like she was paying any attention, and her expression didn't show the slightest bit of anxiety. However, her words had just finished when they once more heard a rustling sound come from above their heads.
Comments
Post a Comment