Chapter Three – Quietly Following

Not wanting to die, yet unwilling to return to Lin Furong’s home and be forced into marriage, Wen Lan decided to follow the hunter in secret.

She had no other options. Lin Furong had lived her entire life in a small mountain village. Even though Wen Lan had inherited her memories, they couldn’t help her navigate the current situation.

Now occupying Lin Furong’s body, Wen Lan was both exhausted and starving—and this was Yunzhong Mountain. If she stayed here alone and happened to encounter a bear, no amount of knowledge or nursing skills would be enough to save her.

Well then, she decided to take the bark from the big yellow dog earlier as an invitation.

Wen Lan brushed the dust off her clothes and jogged to catch up.

Strangely enough, as she followed behind the hunter, he didn’t stop or try to drive her away.

It was the dog, instead, that occasionally circled back to her, sniffed at her with its nose, and then trotted off again.

After walking like this for an hour or two, the hunter suddenly veered off onto a small trail.

Wen Lan hurried to keep up. As she stepped onto the narrow path, she finally saw that at the end stood a courtyard gate woven from tree branches.

That must be the hunter’s home.

The hunter didn’t pause. He walked directly to the gate, gave it a light tug, and it opened. Then he stepped through the entrance, as calm and collected as ever.

Wen Lan didn’t hide. She simply stood on the path, watching the man walk into the courtyard.

Strangely enough, after entering, the hunter neither closed the door behind him nor glanced back at her. He called to the dog once, then went straight into the inner house.

Wen Lan saw this and couldn’t help but feel a wave of joy.

She thought, This hunter may have a sharp tongue, but his heart isn’t so bad after all. Maybe he had walked off without a word earlier because he felt it was improper for a young girl to follow a grown man home—perhaps he had worried about damaging her reputation.

And now, by leaving the door open, he was showing her a hint of compassion.

Though her earlier decision to follow him had been partly out of stubbornness and the fact that she had nowhere else to go, right now she mostly felt grateful.

Cautiously stepping into the courtyard, Wen Lan peeked around curiously.

The hunter’s home was actually quite well built. Though it couldn’t compare to the tidy cottages Wen Lan remembered from her own world, it was far more spacious than Lin Furong’s house.

Still, she needed to figure out which room to enter—she couldn’t just keep standing around in the courtyard.

Wen Lan looked up at the sky. It was late autumn, and the days grew dark early. Now the sky had already dimmed to twilight.

She also remembered that Lin Furong, determined to end her life today, hadn’t brought a single change of clothes. If she was going to stay at the hunter’s place for a few days, at the very least, she needed to borrow something to wear.

Thinking this, Wen Lan cautiously walked toward the main house.

The main house’s door wasn’t shut, and a soft light glowed from within.

Could it be… the hunter had already guessed her situation and purposely left the door open so she could come in and borrow clothes?

No way—could this guy actually be that considerate?

Determined not to waste the opportunity, Wen Lan boldly stepped inside.

She never expected that the moment she entered, a cold flash sliced through the air—and a long sword suddenly pointed directly at her face.

The man holding the sword was none other than the hunter. At this moment, his clothes were half removed, and his partially open shirt revealed a lean, muscular body. Even in the dim candlelight, Wen Lan could clearly make out the smooth lines of his abs.

She instinctively gulped. Crap… this hunter looks like someone you really don’t want to mess with.

“Who told you to come in?” the man asked coldly.

“I—I came in on my own,” Wen Lan stammered, her eyes fixed on the sword hovering in front of her neck, her voice trembling with fear.

“Get out.”

“Okay.” Wen Lan clutched the doorframe and walked out, her heart filled with regret. She had finally found a place where she might take shelter, and now her own presumptuousness had ruined it.

Sigh… what was she thinking, worrying about changing clothes at a time like this?

Trying to salvage the situation, Wen Lan mustered her courage and asked,
“Big brother, can I just stay outside the door?”

The man’s expression darkened. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.

Wen Lan quickly added, “Don’t worry, I’ll be as quiet as air. You won’t even know I’m there.”

With that, she turned and walked out the door—then thoughtfully closed it behind her.