The Witch Nichang- Chapter 89 Go On

The Witch Nichang– Chapter 89

Go On

No matter what had happened, and how the future might be, we must go on with what we were doing. 

Lian’er stubbornly refused to agree to what I suggested. I knew there was no point in convincing her, so I put it aside for the time being, and we started on our way back before the sun rose. Thankfully, it was a smooth journey and went without a hitch. Even so, it was already dawn by the time we made it back and regrouped with the camel caravan that was waiting for us at the same place. The rising sun was unobstructed, reflecting the trepidation in their eyes.

When we took the filled water pouches and poured out the luscious water to share, the two guides dropped to their knees facing west, praying reverently while murmuring some kind of chant. They were thanking their God, but actually, they should have thanked the girl in front of them. 

God had hidden the water but not from the eyes of Rakshasa.

The water was a reassurance to the team. Holding the water pouch, Old Tie gulped down the content and let out a satisfied sigh. After a while, he furtively pulled me aside and told me that the older guide was indeed acting suspicious last night, but thankfully, he didn’t give him any chance to do anything. After that, he patted my back and complimented me that for someone who usually kept to herself, I sure had a keen eye for people. I smiled, neither agreeing or disagreeing. I didn’t want to tell him that I had never fully trusted him either. 

In times of crisis, my trust lay not in Tie Feilong himself but his pride and confidence. Now that I think of it, I’m just a coward who is always suspicious of others. 

I didn’t have to let anyone know what I was thinking. Since everyone was fine and everything turned out well, we could leave it at that. That day, the caravan took a detour and headed towards the dried-up lake. We arrived at dusk. This time, it was Lian’er and Old Tie who went down to fetch water. It took them about three to four trips to replenish the caravan’s water reserve. The empty water barrier on the camels was filled again. There was nothing more comforting than that in the desert. 

We rested by the lake that night. Lian’er and I were worn out from the previous trip, so we just crashed out. It was a silent night. However, when we left the next morning, Lian’er, seated on the camel, glanced back at the receding lake. Suddenly, she leaned close to my ear and whispered, “When we were fetching water yesterday, Old Tie was just waiting at the bottom of the hole. He didn’t enter the water cave.”

My ear felt ticklish. I had to lean back a little. I didn’t understand why she was bringing this up, so I smiled and said casually, “Yeah, the gap in the rocks was too small. Old Tie probably couldn’t squeeze through with his burly body.”

“So…” she added with a smug smile, “When we came out, I sealed the cave with rocks to make sure that even if someone goes down there in the future, they won’t see anything.”

I was confused. I asked, perplexed, “Why would you do that? What if someone’s looking for water?” But she rolled her eyes and huffed nonchalantly, not answering my question. 

At that time, I didn’t understand what she was doing, and later on, I couldn’t figure it out either. I didn’t actually try to figure it out because after that, just dealing with all the situations that happened every now and then along the way was exhausting enough. And the so-called situations were just certain… behaviors of Lian’er.

I didn’t know how that situational intimacy in the cave had affected her, but it did cause some changes in Lian’er behaviors afterward. The most noticeable one was her increasingly frequent…physical contact, even going as far as more intimate skin-to-skin contact.

I remembered she used to detest these contacts when we were young, probably feeling somewhat belittled by them. Now that she had gotten a taste of something different, she was so eager to “belittle” me. And this enthusiasm of hers was giving me a headache.

But I was somewhat relieved that although she wouldn’t agree to a certain request earlier, she wouldn’t insist on getting her way at my refusal. When I refused her attempt for the first time, I thought it would upset her, but surprisingly, it didn’t. Instead of getting upset, she tried all kinds of ways to… tease me. Although Lian’er didn’t really understand what teasing was. 

I didn’t know what she was thinking. Was she trying to divert her annoyance? Or was she just curious? Anyway, when she couldn’t get the “competition” she wanted, she started to become interested in other places. Oftentimes, as we jolted and swayed on the camel’s back, she would suddenly lean over and peck my cheek or my chin, sometimes even my nose, eye, or ear as if nothing happened.

If it was just that, it would be fine, but a lot of times, she would stick out a bit of her tongue and brush my face as she moved away, and that was something I couldn’t stand. So, from then on, every time she hugged me from behind, I had to be on my guard. It used to be a place where I could let down my guard, and now I had to constantly stay alert to not be surprised by her spontaneous actions while I wasn’t paying attention.

Sometimes, I felt like it was as if she had discovered an uncharted territory worth exploring. It didn’t matter where exactly she was exploring, what mattered was that it was fun. 

Sadly, as the subject of her exploration, I obviously lacked the effective way to deal with her antics. I was even secretly relieved that this explorer’s antics were limited to the area above my neck, and she knew to maintain some degree of decorum and only did that when we were alone. It was just that since we spent a lot of time on the top of the last camel, the time when we were alone seemed a bit too much. 

I had to admit, other than annoyance, I could sometimes taste the faint hint of sweetness and hope about this change. Lian’er didn’t mean any harm; I had no doubt about this. If the so-called “competition” was confounding, then the frequent probes and touches at least proved that she accepted, and even enjoyed this kind of intimacy. Acceptance and enjoyment, after all, offered more promise than rejection and aversion. 

I didn’t know if she had taken what I said that night to heart nor if she had thought about the answer. Lian’er had always been someone who liked to make her own decisions. She would ask if she couldn’t figure it out. Since I had given her the choice, all I had to do was wait. But who would have known while I was waiting, I would have to endure this torment. 

All I could do was gaze up at the sky in resignation. If this kept on, I wasn’t sure if her relentless curiosity would wane first, or if my depleting patience would wear thin first. Maybe the heavens had heard my wish because in two days, a solution presented itself.  Unfortunately, this solution had nothing to do with the anticipated relief. 

Heading north all the way, we finally made it through the desert, but the surroundings remained desolate, with masses of rocks and stretches of sand appearing alternatingly. Gradually, the rugged Kuruktag Mountains come into view. Over this sprawling mountain range lay ahead of us was the way out of this no man’s land, and further down the road was an easy ride leading directly to Turpan. However, in the days of traversing the mountains, my body was getting weaker and started to act up again. 

It was only after we left Dunhuang and started traversing through this harsh, arid desert that I realized that my body in this world had a tough time adapting to the weather. Other things I could handle, but the uncontrollable nosebleeds were a lot to handle. I thought it got better in Lop Nur, but now, it came back again unexpectedly. It was just a few drops at first, then it became more and more, until it reached a point where even when I pressed my hand against my nose, they would seep out between my fingers. 

I didn’t hide it from Lian’er this time. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. As this happened, her playful mood was gone, and every day, she would remind me to drink water and rest whenever she was free. Even so, my condition didn’t seem to get better. We only had so much water for each day. With the bleeding getting worse, I became weaker and weaker. 

Finally, Lian’er got worried. She badgered the guides to go without stopping. The guide, summoning his courage, tried to explain how it isn’t a good idea, but he almost got himself killed by her sword. Seeing the chaos unfold because of me, I couldn’t think of any other way but felt bad for him and tried to convince her otherwise. All I could do was hope that we would reach an inhabited area faster, where my condition could get better, just like it did in Lop Nur. 

Unfortunately, the more we tried to rush, the easier it was to get into trouble. 

Under the pressure of Lian’er and Old Tie, the two guides reluctantly braved themselves and pushed on without stopping. Traveling through the rugged mountains late at night was very dangerous because it was easier to get lost, slip, or even come across bandits. So, when the night wind carried the neighing of horses and the cries of people echoed from the distance, the guides’ faces were instantly drained of blood. 

They immediately stopped the caravan, urging us to dismount the camels, and kept motioning a silent gesture as they explained with their quivering voice that there must be a caravan being robbed ahead, and we needed to stay low tonight. It was a normal reaction because they had never gotten to know how strong the old man and the girl traveling with them were. 

Old Tie, of course, wasn’t afraid of troubles. He guffawed and exclaimed, “Haha! I’ve been bored for the past few days. It’s about time the heavens let me loosen these old bones of mine! Let’s see how strong the bandits are in the West compared to those from the Central Plains!” With a laugh, he darted towards the hillside like a soaring eagle.

But Lian’er didn’t follow after him. She glanced at me hesitantly and stayed seated. Robbing was something she did for a living, her expertise. How could I not understand her itch? So I wriggled out of her arms, smiling, nudged her, and said, “Chief Lian, Hero Lian, what are you waiting for? If you wait too long, there’s nothing left for you after Old Tie has loosened his bones.”

Indecision wasn’t Lian’er’s nature. With a little teasing, she shot me a glare, then thought for a moment, and said, “Fine, you stay put on the camel and don’t move. Drink water when you’re thirsty. I’ll be right back!” After seeing me give her a serious nod, she leaped off the camel and vanished into the night sky. 

I saw her off with a smile, then I turned to look at the guides whose face turned even paler and said affably, “Don’t worry. Even if there are thousands of soldiers on the other side, those two can still take the head of the general. They both are people who’ve made their name. The sword isn’t just for show, and of course, they won’t kill innocent people. Relax.” When I asked them to relax, I myself was relaxing. Looking at the crescent moon and listening to the clamor of cries and shouts coming from the other side, I was calm. All I had to do was wait for her return. 

But it was at that moment, I felt a slight itch on my nose and saw the crimson droplets on the back of my hand. It was already the fourth time that day. I had gotten used to it these days. Tilting my head back, I pressed one hand against the bleeding nostril, the other reaching for my water pouch at my waist. But the bleeding was heavier this time. As I tilted my head and pressed against it, the blood flowed back too quickly, and I choked on it, setting off a fit of uncontrollable coughing. As I fumbled, a sudden wave of dizziness hit me like a crashing wave against a shore. 

Shit… a flash of thought in a haze. Instinctively, I wanted to grab onto the camel saddle, but my hands couldn’t react fast enough. My body felt weightless for a moment, and then I heard the sound of my skull hitting the ground. 

That was the last sound I heard that night.

---

Slopaw’s note:
Hey, sorry for being away for so long. I’ve been busy with uni and work, leaving me little free time for TWN. I’ll keep translating it but the chapters will be slower. I can’t guarantee when the next chapter will be out. Thanks again to everyone who’s stuck with me and supported me on Kofi and Patreon. There are times when I feel like giving up on TWN, but whenever I see your nice comments about TWN and how much you enjoy it, it makes me wanna continue it. I still love TWN, which is why I’m still translating it whenever I have some spare time. Anyway, I just wanted to give you some updates about TWN, which I should have done earlier. Hope you have a nice day 🙂