Faint Thunder Rumbled, Mist Hung Thick

Along the way, she did her best to avoid strangers, not daring to get too close to them. Zhong Suihua was perceptive, and she felt that at a time like this, she should avoid too much contact with those outsiders. It would be best to have no contact with them at all.

She went forward, careful with every step.

Yet after turning a corner, she could not help a shiver in her heart and stopped in her tracks.

This narrow alley was the only way home, but now, looking through the falling rain and mist, she saw a tall figure standing at the far end of the straight alley.

Just then, Zhong Suihua suddenly felt that her eyesight had improved considerably. Even from this distance, she could clearly make out the tall figure's build.

The high ponytail and slender waist showed that it was a woman.

A tall woman.

Zhong Suihua knew very well who she was: the tall woman who had appeared in her shop earlier.

The moment she realized who the woman was, she suddenly understood why she could see her so clearly from so far away. In fact, the woman was right in front of her. For some reason, she only looked far away, for Zhong Suihua could now clearly see a hand reaching toward her, its size not quite matching the woman's tall frame.

She saw the hand reach for her neck, but could offer no resistance.

The hand seemed very deft, touching her neck with ease. She felt a touch of warmth, a warmth enveloping her neck.

It closed around her neck and slowly tightened.

Zhong Suihua instinctively dropped her umbrella and grabbed the hand, trying to pry it open and stop it from gripping her neck so tightly.

But her resistance had no effect.

The pressure on her neck grew stronger and stronger, until she could no longer breathe.

She felt her body grow a little lighter. No matter how desperately her feet kicked, they could not reach the ground. She flailed and struggled, but it did nothing to ease the pain in her neck.

A gust of wind caught the umbrella, blowing it high into the air and over the alley's tall wall.

Zhong Suihua felt the rain growing lighter, because the sounds around her seemed to be growing fainter. Her vision grew increasingly blurry. She did not know how much rain had rolled into her eyes. She wanted to blink, but could not, and could only stare blankly as the delicate-looking woman before her grew more and more indistinct.

She also saw another hand reach toward her chest and feel around inside her clothes, then pull out the handkerchief made in her favorite shade of red. She wanted to snatch it back, but could no longer muster any strength.

The last breath in her chest ran out.

Her hands fell to her sides.

Her feet no longer had the strength to kick.

Clutching her umbrella tightly to keep the wind from blowing it away, Qin Sanyue stood close against a wall, sheltering herself from as much of the wind as she could. She planned to wait until the gust had passed before moving on. It would be trouble if the umbrella broke, because then her precious clothes would get wet.

Suddenly, she felt something strike her umbrella.

She looked up and saw an expensive-looking umbrella land in front of her.

It was a lovely umbrella, and at a glance, she could tell it was the kind that cost several dozen copper coins.

Such a nice umbrella got blown away. Its owner must be worried sick.

With that thought, she crouched down, picked up the umbrella, and folded it. Then she looked around, but saw no one, so she figured it must have blown over from the other side of the wall behind her.

Teacher Ye said there's nothing wrong with taking pleasure in helping others.

She nodded and started forward. She planned to go around the wall and see whether someone's umbrella had been blown away on the other side.

She pressed on through the rain.

She frowned as she looked at the handkerchief in her hand.

This thing contains the will of the Great Dao? The workmanship looks fine, but it's just an ordinary handkerchief.

She collected herself.

But if he said it does, then it certainly does.

She looked up again at Zhong Suihua, whom she had lifted by the neck, and froze.

Dead? Was she that weak? A mortal body really is so fragile.

She shook her head.

She casually tossed Zhong Suihua to the ground, then looked up at the tops of the tall buildings around her.

The Forest Guardians might not be all that formidable. Besides, I only killed a mortal. Surely they won't strike me dead outright for that.

She thought.

I refuse to believe the Forest Guardians would dare oppose our Spring and Autumn Sect over a body that wouldn't have lived seventy years.

She tucked the handkerchief into her clothes.

I'd better hurry and meet up with him. At the thought, the corners of her lips curled up again. He said he felt nothing for me, but wasn't he so concerned about me just now?

With her hands behind her back, she looked rather happy.

She turned and was about to leave.

As soon as her foot came down, a shrill scream rang out behind her.

"Murder!"

She frowned and spun around.

A slender girl stood at the mouth of the alley, holding one umbrella over her head and carrying another in her hand. She was shouting with all her might.

Chapter 38: Faint Thunder Rumbled, Mist Hung Thick

Qin Sanyue stared in horror at the tall woman in the alley, whose body was soaked through by the rain.

When she saw that the person lying motionless beside the woman was Zhong Suihua, the owner of the Cloth Robe Workshop, she let out a mournful cry.

It was not as though Qin Sanyue had never seen anyone killed. When she was eight, she had seen an older beggar stomp a young beggar to death over food. But Zhong Suihua's murder struck her especially hard. Only a few days ago, when she had passed the Cloth Robe Workshop, Zhong Suihua had smiled and offered her some cloth.

And just a few days later, when she saw Zhong Suihua again, she was a corpse that still held a trace of warmth.

She saw Zhong Suihua lying in the flowing water, her eyes wide, her mouth open and her tongue hanging to one side. Her hair had come loose, drifting back and forth in the water.

"Murder-murder-"

The thought kept echoing in Qin Sanyue's head. She stood there blankly, bewildered and at a loss.