Before Ya Molian could finish saying ’okay’, the two heard a muffled grunt from the courtyard, followed by the voices of Zhe Jue and a few others.
Lin Caisang stood up from his lap and looked towards the door.
"Let’s go take a look," Ya Molian took her hand and led her out.
By the time they reached the courtyard, Zhe Jue and the others were already standing there, a group of men surrounding something on the ground and muttering among themselves.
"Cripes, it’s a young girl!"
One of them bent down to turn the person over and, under the moonlight, they saw a girl whose face had turned yellow and body thin from hunger.
"Why would a young girl run into these deep woods?" Zhe Jue couldn’t help but question.
At this late hour, did this girl swallow a leopard’s gall to dare come into the deep woods? Wasn’t she afraid of being snatched away by wild beasts?
Moreover, although he had not shown his face in Ya Village, he knew exactly who lived there. This face was very unfamiliar; he had never seen it before.
Lin Caisang and Ya Molian walked over and asked.
"Master, Mistress, a young girl trespassed near our bamboo house. I thought she might be a spy, so I knocked her unconscious," one of the servants answered.
If she were a spy, would she daringly run into the courtyard? She must be hiding outside, obviously.
"First, take her to the hall, and we’ll see what to do when she wakes up," she ordered the men.
Zhe Jue gave his affirmation and directly lifted the girl by the back of her collar to carry her into the hall. Lin Caisang watched in surprise.
The way Zhe Jue picked up the skinny girl reminded her of a bone-thin rabbit. The strength of men in ancient times indeed was astounding.
No wonder Ya Molian could effortlessly carry her, fat as a wild boar back then, and fly freely through the air.
Not much later, the young girl woke up. Seeing so many people staring at her, she screamed and huddled in a corner to hide.
"Don’t... don’t catch me, don’t catch me."
Lin Caisang glanced speechlessly at Ya Molian, then at Zhe Jue and the others.
When did they try to catch her? It was she who had barged in here, what did that have to do with them? Weren’t Zhe Jue and the others entirely innocent? Did being pitiful always make you right?
"Young girl, you are the one who ran in here, don’t you remember?" Zhe Jue reminded her.
The girl was so scared she wasn’t making any sense, huddled in the corner, letting her fearful eyes glance at Ya Molian and others and muttering to herself.
"She’s likely overly frightened, making her somewhat delirious. She doesn’t realize what she is saying or doing," Lin Caisang said.
Having said that, she took out a silver needle packet from her challenge bag, took a needle to the girl, and pierced it into her. Then she turned back to look at Ya Molian.
"Brother Molian, she’s not from Ya Village, she must be from another village."
Ya Molian also nodded.
If she’s not from Ya Village, then why is she here? If she came from another village and ran here deep in the middle of the night, this would be totally impossible.
"Even the villagers of Ya village rarely come here, let alone people from other villages. It’s absolutely impossible," he said.