Chapter 77 - 69: Take Me Away
Chapter 77: Chapter 69: Take Me Away
Sigh... A sigh drifted from the house. Old John stepped outside and watched the pair as they walked away.
Then came the RUSTLE of footsteps. In the moonlight, a dark figure tailed them from afar. Old John grabbed the shovel from the corner and slowly crept forward.
Out in the open fields, Little John and Mary happily chased each other under the morning sun. The autumn morning was cold, but Mary felt as if she were truly alive for the first time. She laughed, sang childhood songs, and skipped along as she asked Little John about the interesting secrets of Adventurers and talked about where they should rent a house.
Little John watched his girlfriend, a smile in his eyes. The Mary before him was something of a surprise. Perhaps her former life had forced her to be reserved. Now, running toward freedom, she had become more carefree, more beautiful.
"Be careful, don’t fall!" Little John called out.
The country roads were quite rough, and Little John was afraid his girlfriend might get hurt.
Mary ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "After we find a house," she said, "I’ll make you your favorite dish."
"What’s that?" Little John asked.
"Smoked fish over rice, of course," Mary said, tilting her head with a smile.
"But I don’t even like that," he said, holding his girlfriend and looking at her with deep affection.
Just as their faces drew closer and closer, shouts echoed from far behind them.
......
In the forest, Little John pulled his girlfriend along, running for their lives.
Earlier, they had seen several people from the village chasing after them. They had no choice but to pick up their pace, hoping to lose their pursuers.
But in the autumn fields, with the crops already harvested, the entire area was wide open. Shaking them completely was just a pipe dream.
Having no other choice, Little John made a snap decision. He pulled his girlfriend onto a side path and ran straight for the Nightmare Forest.
He figured the forest paths were winding and the trees would block their pursuers’ line of sight. Besides, with threats like wild beasts, snakes, insects, and goblins, maybe the men following them would get scared and stop.
But he had clearly underestimated them. After a few shouts, they all charged into the forest, showing no fear.
Little John and Mary had no choice but to continue fleeing deeper into the forest.
As they fled, Mary’s small cloth bag had long been lost. She was now panting, holding up her skirt, her calves covered in bloody scratches from the thorns. But she never cried out, not once. She just gritted her teeth and stuck close behind Little John. She never even asked why he’d led them into the Nightmare Forest. ’Don’t ordinary people die in here?’
Mary simply trusted him unconditionally. She believed in Little John’s decision.
"Stop!" one of their pursuers screamed from behind, his voice laced with exasperation.
Little John couldn’t stop. He hoped their pursuers would finally give up, but he also hoped to run into a familiar Adventurer in the forest.
But unfortunately, throughout their desperate flight, he encountered nothing but the birds they startled into the air.
"Ah!" A pained cry rang out behind him. Little John stopped and turned to see Mary collapsed on the ground.
Little John rushed over to help his girlfriend up, but the moment she tried to take a step, her face went pale with pain.
’Did she sprain her ankle?’ Little John thought, bending down to check on her anxiously.
’She was just a farm girl who could read a little; she’d never run for her life like this before. It was a miracle she’d lasted this long without getting hurt.’
"Jack, you have to go," Mary said, her eyes welling with tears. "I’ll be fine. The worst they can do is drag me back to my father. But if you’re here, they might beat you and haul you off to the Public Security Bureau."
"No, Mary, don’t lie to me," Little John said with a sad smile, having already glimpsed the Small Knife she was hiding behind her back.
"Just go, they’re catching up!" Mary urged her lover, tears streaming down her face.
Little John drew his Longsword and stood by Mary’s side. "Since we can’t run, let’s just have a nice chat with them."
"Jack."
"Don’t worry," Little John said with a grin. "Someone told me I’m going to be a Hero one day."
"Damn it, you two can really run," a burly man gasped as he ran up, planting his hands on his knees and panting heavily.
A few seconds later, he stood up straight and took out two Short Swords.
"Let us go," Little John tried. "Just pretend you never saw us. That skinflint won’t make things hard on you." ’This guy looks familiar,’ he thought. ’I think he’s one of the tax collector’s cronies.’
"Still dreaming, kid?" The burly man sneered. "That old bastard’s dead drunk, sleeping like a log."
"Then you..." Little John trailed off, confused. ’Are they... helping us?’
"Fine by me. I’ll send you to your grave first, so you won’t have to see what comes next." With that, the burly man charged.
Little John had no choice but to meet the charge with his Longsword.
He dodged the man’s thrust, then brought his Longsword down on the man’s Short Sword. He followed through with his whole body, slamming into his opponent and knocking him off-balance.
The burly man clearly hadn’t expected such a desperate fighting style and was thrown into confusion. Little John seized the opening, moved past his opponent, and plunged his sword into the man’s back, right through the heart.
SHIING! Little John pulled his Longsword free and assumed a ready stance, facing the others who were catching up.
"Hound! He killed Hound!" one of them cried out in shock.
"What are you screaming about? I saw it," a shrill, panting voice said.
"The tax collector," Little John said in surprise. He hadn’t expected the man to come after them himself.
"Sir, he killed Hound. Maybe we should just let them..." a subordinate holding a Short Blade stammered.
’Little John’s skills were clearly impressive. Even Hound, a former robber, was no match for him. The four of them would probably have a hard time taking him on.’
"Sir, we were just on our way to visit Yangjiao Town," Little John said, trying to make an excuse.
"Jack, don’t bother. He’s the one behind all this," Mary said from her spot on the grassy ground, glaring at the tax collector, who was leering at her.
"Clever girl," the tax collector said, rubbing his chest to catch his breath. This was the first time he’d ever had to chase someone so far.
"I always wondered how that man could offer my father so much money. But a few days ago, I saw him with you all, and I got suspicious," Mary said, pointing at a man with an underbite standing nearby. The man, Underbite, had several cuts on his face and a bandage wrapped around his head.
"Can’t be helped. Whose fault is it for always coming to my house to pick up laundry?" the tax collector said with a slimy grin.
"You’re shameless! I’ll report you to the Public Security Bureau!" Little John yelled.
"You’ll have to get out of this forest alive first," the tax collector laughed. "Get him! Kill him!"
"But his skill..." The thugs hesitated, clearly afraid of the Longsword in Little John’s hands.
"Idiots! Can’t you just use long branches?" the tax collector snapped. He then pulled a Hand Crossbow from behind his back. "Don’t move, Adventurer. If you try anything, this arrow might just end up in your little girlfriend."
"You..." Little John’s eyes widened, forcing him to be on high alert.
"You lot, kill him," the tax collector said smugly, then immediately corrected himself. "No, don’t kill him. Cripple him. Let them watch how we have our fun."
"Yes, sir!" the three thugs answered in unison. They then grabbed long branches and began trying to jab at Little John.
Little John dodged again and again, his heart filled with anxiety. ’I can’t believe he’s this shameless. A man in his position, spending his days plotting such filthy schemes... he’s worse than the goblins that struggle just to survive. If I’d known, I should have killed them yesterday during the tax collection.’
"You better be careful," the tax collector taunted. "Such a pretty girlfriend. It would be very dangerous for her to get hit by an arrow out here in the forest."
"What are you trying to do?!" Little John yelled.
The man didn’t answer, just sneered with a slimy, vicious grin.
Little John raised his sword to parry a branch, preparing to finish one of them off, but with a WHIZ, a Crossbow Arrow embedded itself in the ground by Mary’s feet. Cold sweat broke out on his back.
"Oops, I missed," the tax collector said, quickly loading another Crossbow Arrow. He smiled. "The next one won’t."
As Little John hesitated, a sharp branch slashed his arm. Seeing him start to lose ground, the three thugs grew bolder.
"Jack, just go," Mary pleaded, taking out her Small Knife and looking at the man she loved through her tears.
RUSTLE. The bushes swayed, and a figure stepped out from behind a tree.
"Little John?" the person called out.
"Boss?" Little John looked toward the voice and saw a green-skinned figure walking slowly toward them.
"A goblin?" the tax collector laughed. "One of you go kill it. We can get a taste of what it’s like to be Adventurers today."
Shire looked at the man dressed like a wood grouse, sighed, and expertly whipped a Hand Crossbow from behind his back.
TWANG! A single arrow flew, and the tax collector collapsed.
"Dumbass."