Winter Returns

Chapter 107 Slowly, Slowly (Part 1)
I heard the driver cursing behind me.

At this point, there was no time to worry about anything else. Zhang Shutong turned his head and glanced quickly, still able to see the figure of the long-haired woman on the shore.

He immediately jumped off the bus, but the door and the restricted area were not on the same side. Now that his view was lost, it meant he would have to walk around half the bus to see the situation in the restricted area again.

Lu Qinglian was faster than herself. With a push of her toes, the girl flew out of the carriage like a swift, but she lost her balance slightly when she landed and fell towards her injured foot.

It was a recurrence of an old injury, but Zhang Shutong knew why she was running in such a hurry—

If the previous deduction was correct;
If that figure really can't hear anything;
This is a golden opportunity to subdue the opponent.

Neither of them dared to gamble; the bus had already braked suddenly and made a loud noise, so they could only approach at top speed.

The next moment, Lu Qinglian straightened up and quickly ran towards the back of the car.

Zhang Shutong followed closely behind, but by the time he ran out of the car, Lu Qinglian's figure had already disappeared around the corner;
By the time he reached the corner at the back of the car, Lu Qinglian had already reached the reeds ahead.

—A reed bed.

Damn!

Zhang Shutong cursed under his breath. They had a high enough view from the bus to easily cross the reeds, but now that they were on the ground, their view was blocked by the reeds again.

Every second counted. He braced himself with both arms in front of his body and plunged headfirst into the reeds. Lu Qinglian's steps began to slow uncontrollably. In just a few steps, Zhang Shutong was beside her. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that she had stumbled again. Zhang Shutong was about to rush ahead to clear a path, but the girl had already grabbed his shoulder with one hand and said coldly:

"It's dangerous, don't go over there."

Zhang Shutong noticed her brows furrow slightly. Her voice, usually clear and crisp, carried an undeniable authority in those few words. Zhang Shutong paused, then Lu Qinglian loosened her robe and tossed it behind her:
"then--"

She charged forward again, her figure instantly swallowed by the reeds, her feet rustling, but the rustling sound quickly disappeared, turning into the dull, sticky sound of her footsteps sinking into the mud. Lu Qinglian had already rushed out of the reeds, but the sound suddenly stopped again.
Zhang Shutong could almost picture the girl gathering her strength, raising her leg, and kicking towards the figure on the shore—

Sure enough, the next moment came the muffled thud of flesh colliding.

Lu Qinglian and the figure have already clashed!
He calmed down at this point. He realized that rushing in would not help. If Lu Qinglian could handle the opponent, she wouldn't need him. If she couldn't handle the opponent, he would only be a hindrance and might even be taken hostage.

Zhang Shutong quickly looked around, instinctively searching for a suitable weapon, but there was nothing there. Countless reeds pressed in on him. He then remembered the fishing line tied to the grass stalks below, but the fishing line was useless now; he had witnessed just how fast that figure was—

The reeds were so dense that they were impenetrable, and several more sounds came from the unseen end.
There were muffled thuds, footsteps, and the sound of wind causing clothes to sway.

In a short span of time, the two had already exchanged blows several times!

Zhang Shutong reaffirmed his decision and quickly turned back—

The last time they completely lost track of each other was because the other party rushed into the reeds, so this time when Zhang Shutong returned to the road, he kept his eyes fixed on the movement of the reeds. Today there was no wind, so he could catch even the slightest movement.

Then he saw a clump of reeds begin to move:
"North!"

Zhang Shutong shouted, and at the same time he began to move. As his voice fell, the reeds on the north side shook even more violently, and Lu Qinglian followed closely behind.

This was a chase, and Zhang Shutong noticed that the position of the swaying reeds had changed:
"east!"

He quickly gave another reminder, and the figure below immediately changed position.

At this moment, the setting sun was like blood, and the fluffy reeds were dyed orange. The two of them moved swiftly among them. Before one cluster of reeds had even come to a stop, the next cluster began to sway. They expanded and spread, like a giant orange python swaying its body.

Zhang Shutong ran along the head of the giant python.

His breathing became erratic, and he had to constantly watch out for the icy ground beneath his feet. His chest began to ache again. He realized that the figure wasn't going to circle around in place, but was desperately trying to escape Lu Qinglian's pursuit.
Zhang Shutong kept running, head down, feeling a metallic taste in his throat. He knew this was a sign of ruptured capillaries in his lungs. In an instant, they had run another ten meters or so. The reeds became shallower, and he could gradually see the tops of their heads. But before Zhang Shutong could feel a surge of joy, the figure behind him froze for a moment, as if it had missed something, and then fell backward—

Something's happened with Lu Qinglian!

Zhang Shutong rushed down and hastily parted the reeds, finding the girl kneeling in the mud, breathing heavily. A shocking line of blood ran down her porcelain-like face. Turning around, the figure they had been chasing had vanished.

"How are you?"

Zhang Shutong came to her side, panting heavily.

Lu Qinglian didn't reply, as if breathing alone had exhausted all her strength. Only then did Zhang Shutong notice a muddy stain on her chest, about the size of a footprint. Zhang Shutong's heart sank, but Lu Qinglian shook her head before he could speak.

After a while, the girl finally recovered from her suffocation. She closed her eyes and tried to keep her voice as calm as possible:
"You shouldn't have come to me."

"But I can't catch up with her myself."

Zhang Shutong sighed and glanced at the reeds, which had become still again:
What happened to your chest?

"I got kicked."

After Zhang Shutong waited for her to catch her breath, he asked again:

"What did you find?"

"woman."

"Who?"

“I didn’t see clearly, I don’t recognize him… but he should be the person I’m looking for.” Lu Qinglian frowned. “Just a little bit off.”

"what happened?"

“There was a stone on the ground, and it was my injured foot that stepped on it. I lost my balance, and she seized the opportunity…” She said, sounding somewhat annoyed. Suddenly, she coughed a few times, closed her eyes, and then opened them again. Her amber eyes regained their composure. “And you, did you find anything?”

"No, you mean she suddenly stopped running and then kicked?"

Lu Qinglian nodded.

Zhang Shutong couldn't figure out how that was done, or how humans could make the "kick" motion under such circumstances.

This move doesn't even need to be tried; just think about it. It's difficult to stop suddenly while running at high speed and maintain your balance, let alone launch an attack in an instant, especially one that hits a vital spot.

"You can't beat her either?"

“At least not when injured,” Lu Qinglian added. “As for that kick, it’s difficult, but not impossible.”

"But why did she choose to run away instead of continuing to attack you?"

“Because of you.” Lu Qinglian thought for a moment. “It’s just a guess. She doesn’t know what other tricks we have up our sleeves, or she doesn’t want to expose herself too early.”

"What else did you see clearly?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure she's the one I'm looking for."

"Let's get up first."

Zhang Shutong reached out his hand, but Lu Qinglian didn't take it. Instead, she gripped the reed beside her and stood up. It looked painful, and she just sighed softly:

"In the end, we still lost track of them."

"Don't blame yourself too much, find another opportunity," Zhang Shutong comforted her.

"You'd better think about how I got this injury on my foot."

But as soon as she finished speaking expressionlessly, her brows furrowed slightly.

"Stop being brave."

Zhang Shutong asked her to hold onto his shoulder, and the two slowly walked back onto the road.

Lu Qinglian put on her green robe, found a rock to sit on, her long hair was somewhat disheveled, and her face bore scars, yet she still sat upright. Zhang Shutong went back and plucked a few reeds, letting her use the fluffy tips to wipe her clothes, and then asked:
"Did she spot you when you were on the shore from the very beginning?"

"No. The judgment that he has no hearing should be correct."

"and then?"

"Then I held back a bit and kicked her in the back."

"It was avoided?"

"Got it."

"But it feels strange, like a piece of..." She seemed to be thinking of a suitable metaphor, "...Do you remember the dish at noon?"

"King oyster mushroom?"

"Yes." The girl nodded gently. "That's exactly how I felt."

"So when I kicked her, I lost my balance and we exchanged blows a few more times, but because of my foot injury, it was hard for me to find a point of leverage, and I was always at a disadvantage." At this point, Lu Qinglian glanced at him and said, "If you run into her again, it's best not to even think about fighting her."

"Strong?"

"The outcome can be decided in a single encounter."

Where are the bodyguards in the villa?

"If we are both uninjured and unarmed, I can take down two or three of them. She is stronger than me."

"But does this mean that Gu Qiu Mian was surrounded by so many people this time, and she actually couldn't win in a direct confrontation?"

"almost."

"Does she have any special abilities? You should know what I mean, like... like shrinking into a fence, flying or teleporting, or some other superpower?"

“If that were the case, we wouldn’t have the chance to sit here and talk. She’s just more skilled than the average person, but overall she’s not beyond that level.” Lu Qinglian raised her eyes helplessly. “Besides immortality, snake demons, and superheroes, is there anything else in your mind?”

Zhang Shutong spread his hands.

Surprisingly, she even knew about Superman.

It's possible that Old Song showed them foreign blockbusters before.

"But it's not the person I saw that day," Zhang Shutong said dejectedly.

“You may not be lying, but I now suspect you’re mistaken. You just saw a long-haired woman and mistook her for me.”

"Now that you mention it, I don't think I saw her face very clearly at the time. It was too dark at night, and half of her face was covered by her hair... but she was really wearing a blue robe at the time."

"Playing tricks? Imitation, or disguise?" Lu Qinglian frowned again. "But from this perspective, at least the personal safety of your deskmate can be guaranteed."

Zhang Shutong nodded and glanced north again.

That's where the figure ultimately went.

The villa is located to the south.

He then looked at Lu Qinglian:
How is your face?

Tiny beads of blood seeped from the wound. Her feet were on snow, and her skin was so flawless it was like ice, making it very glaring.

"Luckily, it was just a scratch from a reed leaf." She gently wiped the blood from her face.

Zhang Shutong wanted to ask if it would leave a scar, as girls of this age are usually very concerned about this. However, Lu Qinglian didn't care much, or rather, she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't go to a beauty salon, and she didn't have any scar-removing skincare products. She could only wait for it to heal on its own and leave it to fate.

Lu Qinglian rested for a while, and Zhang Shutong asked if she needed to be carried. She shook her head and walked very slowly, otherwise she would have been limping.

Zhang Shutong also slowed down to wait for her.

The two walked to the nearest bus stop, and by then it was already five o'clock. Fortunately, they caught the last bus.

It cost four yuan in total.

On the bus, Zhang Shutong asked again:

"Want to go cycling with me? I'll treat you to dinner."

"No, I need to go back up the mountain to cook. Grandma is waiting for me."

Zhang Shutong was a little stunned:
"Cook?"

"Ah."

Zhang Shutong looked her up and down:
His face was injured.

I also sprained my ankle.

He was kicked in the chest; the severity is unknown.

Then we need to go back up the mountain to cook.

You're the real superhero...

She's looking up at the bus handle, as if she's looking at something very new and interesting.

Zhang Shutong felt a pang of sympathy, but Lu Qinglian withdrew her gaze, her voice flat and emotionless:
"Don't use your sympathy in the wrong place. I don't feel anything wrong with it myself, so it bothers me to be looked at with strange eyes, whether it's pitiful or weird."

Ok.

Zhang Shutong fell silent.

I suppose she's gotten used to it.

The two eventually parted ways in front of the port.

There were still only the two of them on the bus. After he got off, only Lu Qinglian was left. She sat by the window, and not far away was the vast lake. Ferries were slowly sailing on the lake, and a few plumes of black smoke rose into the sky. It seemed that many people were leaving the island today because of the heavy snow and the inconvenience of travel. The ferry terminal was bustling and the sound of the whistles was a bit noisy. Lu Qinglian was a person who liked quiet, so the bus carried the girl away into the distance.

As the sun set and darkness fell, Zhang Shutong thought that her legs were bad and the ascent would be slow. By the time she reached the top, it would probably be dark. But she walked that path every day, year after year. Was she not lonely or had she simply grown accustomed to it?

Zhang Shutong is not in the mood to study this issue at the moment.

He found his motorcycle according to the text message. The motorcycle's gearbox was broken and could be easily opened with a gentle pry. His father had hidden the key inside.

This is a motorcycle with a 350cc engine. My dad was a pretty cool guy when he was young, and how could a cool guy not have a motorcycle?

He had ridden it a few times before and learned how to shift gears, but now he was rusty. He started the engine in place, practiced for a while, and then rode away from the port.

The cacophony of voices gradually faded away. People went home to eat or sleep, and even if it was too early to go to bed, they could watch TV for a while.
Those who don't go home are similar to their parents, choosing to stay overnight in the city. In the evening, they can go to parks and cinemas, which are good places to kill time, lively and fun.

The day was drawing to a close, but it wasn't the end for him.

Zhang Shutong twisted the accelerator and headed towards the next destination.

(End of this chapter)