Onigumo

Trees crowded around them, and the burble of running water drifted over.

Onigumo caught the reins, wrapped one arm around Xu Zhiqiu, and leaped to the ground.

Just as he was about to set her down, the woman cried out in pain through gritted teeth.

"What's wrong?" Onigumo asked kindly.

Xu Zhiqiu kept a sour look on her face, unwilling to acknowledge him.

Onigumo looked down and saw her filthy little feet. Without a word, he tossed aside his sword, scooped her up in both arms, and carried her toward the stream.

Just as Xu Zhiqiu thought he intended to drown her, he set her down. Ignoring her struggles, he grabbed her lower leg and lowered her foot into the water, admiring its beauty as he washed it.

After washing away the mud and grime, he noticed her red, swollen ankle and poked it.

Xu Zhiqiu's expression changed instantly.

"Hah, so you twisted it," Onigumo murmured, then promptly manipulated her ankle back into place.

Xu Zhiqiu cried out in surprise, only to realize that her ankle no longer hurt.

She looked up at him, a hint of bewilderment in her eyes.

Onigumo grunted and lifted Xu Zhiqiu's lower leg out of the water, setting it on the ground. Under her bewildered gaze, he pulled off his outer armor.

Xu Zhiqiu lowered her eyes, her shoulders trembling, not daring to look at him.

Onigumo stripped naked. Watching the woman's frightened expression, he licked his dry lips and warned himself not to rush. After all, sooner or later, she would be his.

The assault Xu Zhiqiu had expected never came. All she heard was a splash, and a few drops of water struck her face. She looked up at the spot where the man had been standing and discovered that he was already in the water.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

The fresh air brought a sense of comfort.

The horse stamped its hooves and bent its neck to graze, swishing its tail.

Xu Zhiqiu sat beside the stream, glanced at the clothes nearby, then cast a sidelong look into the water. The man was bathing, his eyes flicking toward her now and then, as though worried she would run away.

Xu Zhiqiu slowly edged toward the bank and saw a familiar face reflected in the water. She was still herself.

She bent over and cupped water in both hands to wash her face, splashing the clear stream water over her skin.

Xu Zhiqiu shivered. She pursed her lips around the droplets clinging to them; they tasted faintly sweet.

"Hey, woman, want to come down and bathe?" the man called from nearby.

Xu Zhiqiu shook her head and sat farther back from the bank, drawing up her legs and covering herself below with the hem of her skirt. Remembering the humiliating scene from earlier, she blushed a little, but the thought that he was a lecherous bandit quickly smothered any tender fancies.

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Seeing Xu Zhiqiu's bashful expression, Onigumo chuckled and dove beneath the water again.

As the man submerged once more, Xu Zhiqiu bit her lip. She spotted her jade lying on the clothes he had taken off, while the sword he had discarded lay on the other side of the horse.

She considered how likely she was to turn the tables and kill this bandit if she could get hold of that Samurai Sword.

What should I do? If I don't run now, he might rape me and then kill me. If I'm going to die either way, I might as well make up my mind now.

With that, Xu Zhiqiu took advantage of the bandit's bath to edge toward his clothes, pick up her jade, and clutch it tightly in her palm.

As she stood and turned to escape, a dark figure leaped swiftly from the water onto the bank.

A moment later, Xu Zhiqiu felt dampness against her back. Cold, wet hands wrapped around her waist from behind, and a voice like a demon's whisper sounded beside her ear. "Where are you going?"

Xu Zhiqiu straightened and turned her head toward the naked man. Meeting his savage eyes, she forced an awkward smile. "I'm hungry. I wanted to find something to eat."

"Really?" His voice was thick with disbelief.

"Yes," Xu Zhiqiu answered meekly.

The hands around her waist released her, and Onigumo picked up his reasonably clean clothes and put them on.

Xu Zhiqiu stood with her back to him, not moving a muscle.

Once he was dressed, Onigumo picked up the Samurai Sword he had discarded, caught the reins, and glanced at Xu Zhiqiu, who was still standing stiff as a wooden chicken. "Hurry up and follow me. Or do you want me to carry you?" As he spoke, he swept another lustful gaze over her.

Goosebumps rose along Xu Zhiqiu's arms. She shook her head and hurried after him.

The man no longer seemed interested in taking her jade, but Xu Zhiqiu still did not dare relax. There was no way to escape now. If she ran, he would surely stab her from behind.

For now, she could only follow him and wait for a chance to slip away.

After leading the horse on foot for a while, Onigumo grew annoyed at Xu Zhiqiu's slow pace. He lifted her straight onto the horse and rode through the woods toward his destination.

The sky gradually darkened.

They found no village, but they did come across a ruined temple.

Onigumo frowned, seemingly not having expected that he would fail to catch up with his group.

A campfire blazed in the middle of the damp, ruined temple.

Xu Zhiqiu laid down some dry grass and sat on it. She knotted the red cord that had been cut earlier and put it around her neck again. Seeing that the man said nothing, she bit into a wild fruit she had picked along the way.

It was not yet the season for them to ripen, and the fruit tasted bitter and astringent. But without eating, she was unbearably hungry. Grimacing, Xu Zhiqiu chewed for a long while, then held her breath and swallowed.

"Tsk." Onigumo leaned against a round wooden pillar, arms folded across his chest. His eyes remained fixed on Xu Zhiqiu, taking in every expression on her face, yet a trace of puzzlement showed in his brow.

Xu Zhiqiu glanced up at him, then turned her face away. Enduring the bitter taste in her mouth, she chewed the wild fruit to a pulp and swallowed.

She faced a collapsed wall of the temple. Cool moonlight spilled down, and she clearly saw a pair of red eyes in the grass there. Thinking she was imagining things, she rubbed her eyes and looked again. The red eyes were still there.

Certain that hunger was not making her see things, she turned her stiff neck to look at the man leaning against the wooden pillar.

The horse tethered to a tree outside neighed. Onigumo lifted his sword, stood, and walked toward the sound. "I knew something was wrong. There really is a demon lurking nearby."

As his words fell, the red-eyed creature that had been lurking in the darkness emerged.

In the moonlight, Xu Zhiqiu saw the demon clearly: a hulking body, a hideous face, and a bloody maw looming before her.

!!!

Xu Zhiqiu could no longer stomach the fruit in her hand. She hurried to her feet and hid behind a wooden pillar, watching the bandit clash with the demon.

Samurai Sword in hand, Onigumo slashed down at the demon's head without hesitation. The demon turned its head, evading the human's attack, then raised its claws and struck at him.

Onigumo twisted aside to dodge the demon's attack, sprang up on his toes, and raised his long sword. Excitement gleamed in his eyes as he slashed straight at the demon's arm.

Black blood sprayed out, indistinct beneath the moonlight. Only its foul, bloody stench was clear.

"Ooo." The already-wounded demon let out a whimper. As though its fury had been kindled, it attacked even more fiercely.

The human brimming with malice and the seemingly weak demon fought, their figures obscured by the shrubs.

Xu Zhiqiu knew this was her chance to escape with her life. Watching their figures fight their way deeper into the woods, she turned without hesitation and ran in the opposite direction!