Chapter 114 - I Keep the Lantern, You Wield the Blade - Part 2
Once the two were away from curious eyes, Pang Yuanhua spoke in a low voice. “Pang Han, if we see a herd of wild beasts suddenly fleeing down the mountains, why do you think that would happen?”
“Huh?” Pang Han blinked. “Why? If they’re running, they’re running. It means more meat for us to hunt! Our people are starving, after all.”
Pang Yuanhua stifled a laugh that quickly turned somber. “In times like these, big fish eat little fish, little fish eat shrimp. If a big fish appears, little fish scatter. If a little fish appears, shrimp scatter. Tell me, the Fragrant General has camped in the wild for ages, so why the sudden rush to attack our township this past week?”
As the two women walked on, the white finch on a high branch prepared to quietly fly away.
Pang Han stiffened, sensing movement. She smirked, sword flashing as if she intended to cut the bird down.
However, Pang Yuanhua grabbed her wrist.
“What’s the matter?” Pang Han asked. “If our townsfolk are this starved, any wild bird around would be good for roasting. Just a sprinkle of salt...”
Pang Yuanhua hadn’t paid the finch any particular attention—until this moment. Now, she stared at it. Faintly, she glimpsed a barely visible thread clinging to the bird, trailing off somewhere in the distance.
Ever since her frightening experience investigating the carpenter’s home, Pang Yuanhua’s body had deteriorated. She might not have much time left. Yet she’d gained peculiar abilities, like glimpsing the soul within a body, or watching the weak souls of the sick wavering on the brink, or seeing the souls of the newly dead drift free.
And now, from the little bird, she saw that same dreamlike gleam of spiritual energy—a thin strand tying it to some distant entity, too far away to trace.
Suddenly, Pang Yuanhua shouted, “Hey! You up there. Want to make a deal? Senior! Senior!”
The finch flew off without a backward glance. Pang Yuanhua’s cries, echoing in the cold air, nearly cost her the last of her breath. Panting, she clutched her chest, and Pang Han stood by in stunned confusion. A rueful smile tugged at Pang Han’s lips, quickly replaced by concern for her ailing mistress.