Chapter 68: 68 Father and Daughter
The Marquis looked at Gu Jiao appearing, then looked at her leaving, the fury in his heart flaring up.
“You stand still!” he barked.
Heh, just because you tell me to stop, I will? Who are you to me?
Gu Jiao left nonchalantly with no hesitation due to his status or his anger.
The arrogant attitude was something the Marquis has never seen in his life!
He had already learned of her status from his daughter – a junior apprentice at Huichun Hall, and her master, Doctor Li, had the credit for curing Yanyan.
Because of this, he decided to let her previous offenses in the town slide.
But what she did! Leaving him unattended in the deep mountains!
And her gaze just now, a commoner dared to disdain a Marquis! Such brazen provocation of the Marquis Residence – was she tired of living?
Wait until he gets out, he will surely punish her for disrespect!
If she wouldn’t help, fine. He can get out on his own!
A faint wolf’s howl came from the deeper part of the woods.
Usually, an adult wolf doesn’t howl during the day. This must be a young wolf, yet to control its wolf instincts well. The sharp howl must mean it’s hungry.
Without a doubt, the alpha wolf would soon come out to hunt.
Gu Jiao had sat down under a nearby tree, starting to wait for the wolf.
The Marquis pulled out a dagger from the trap. Being tall, he wasn’t deep in the pit, struggle was his foot was caught in the trap.
He attempted to use the dagger to pry the trap open, but this trap seemed unusual. Despite his efforts, it did not budge.
“You can’t pry it open,” Gu Jao drank some water casually.
The animal trap she set up wouldn’t be easily pried open.
The Marquis furrowed his brows: “You didn’t leave? What for? Waiting to see my embarrassment?”
Gu Jiao said, “You aren’t funny, nor attractive.”
Did she really mean what she said?
And what did she mean he wasn’t attractive?
It’s not that the Marquis had a high opinion of himself, but the remark about his good looks overshadowing his talent has accompany him from childhood to adulthood. Even after establishing his household, most people still talked about his appearance.
This was the first time anyone has said he wasn’t attractive.
In essence, the Marquis was a man who held appearances as important as dirt, but being told this by Gu Jiao, he felt slightly uncomfortable.
The young wolf howled again, and the adult wolf should be arriving soon. He didn’t think a young girl would be capable of dealing with an adult wild wolf, or even several.
He barked harshly, “What are you waiting for? Quickly think of a way to get me out of here! Once the wolves arrive, you won’t be able to save yourself!”
“Wait,” Gu Jiao said.
If they wait any longer, the wild wolves truly will arrive!
Marquis was getting anxious.
Even for a man with martial arts skills like him, there was no guarantee he could kill an adult wolf in his current state, with his foot caught in the trap.
The rustling sounds were coming from the grass. The wolf has arrived.
Gu Jiao climbed a tree.
Seeing her hopping up the tree without a word, the Marquis was so angry it seemed to cause him chest pain.
Would it kill her to save him before climbing the tree?
Would she leave him in the trap as a sacrifice for the wolves?
As expected, the wolf discovered the Marquis in the trap. Its eyes glowed green, its huge bloody mouth opened, and saliva dripped onto the ground.
The Marquis gripped his dagger tightly.
The wolf lunged into the trap with a swoosh, swiped the Marquis’s dagger away, and viciously bit towards his neck!
In the nick of time, a thin figure descended from the sky, grabbed the wolf by the head, and sliced its throat with a sickle…
Hot, fresh blood splashed onto the Marquis’s face.
The Marquis was stunned!
Just a moment ago, he genuinely believed that his death was inevitable. At the explosion of blood, his first thought was that it was his own, not until Gu Jiao tossed the wolf to the ground did he realize it was the wolf’s.
Gu Jiao dusted her hands, bent down, and pried open the animal trap with the sickle.
Looking at the calm and composed Gu Jiao, Marquis Gu, for a moment, doubted his own vision.
Did this girl really just kill a wolf? From her nonchalant demeanor, it seemed like she had merely chopped up a bag of cabbages!
In her past life, Gu Jiao was tasked with handling creatures far more terrifying than wolves. If she couldn’t even kill a wolf, she would have died a thousand times over on her missions.
Gu Jiao effortlessly held the wolf in one hand, the dangling rope from the tree in the other, and made her way out of the trap in three brisk steps.
“You want to come up?” She tossed the rope over to him.
The Marquis could never admit that he was stunned by this girl. He grabbed the rope without a word and let Gu Jiao pull him up.
Gu Jiao’s animal trap wasn’t sharp; it just held tightly. His other foot, however, was sprained, and swollen up quite high.
It took him a long while sitting on the ground before he finally snapped back to reality: “Did you… just use me as bait?”
Gu Jiao did not respond.
Marquis Gu gritted his teeth: “Speak up! Did you use me as bait?”
Looking him straight in the eyes, Gu Jiao replied: “If I had not, the wolf would have caught you. It was easier for me to kill it while you were in the trap. Had you been in open space, the wolf would have bitten you a couple of times at least.”
The Marquis was furious: “So you DID use me as bait?! You heartless wretch!”
Gu Jiao declared, “I am not a wretch. I have parents.”
The Marquis sneered coldly, “Really? Where’s your father then?”
Gu Jiao pondered and earnestly said, “He can’t come here, but you can go find him.”
Rolling up his sleeves, the Marquis challenged, “Good, tell me, where is he?”
If a child isn’t taught, the blame lies with the parent. He was eager to see what kind of rascal fathered such a heartless girl.
Gu Jiao glanced at the ground below his feet: “He is underground.”
The Marquis was at a loss for words.
Gu Jiao started packing up, ready to head down the mountain.
The Marquis called out in a cold voice: “Are you planning to just leave me here?”
Gu Jiao gave him a baffled look.
What are you to me? Why should I care about you?
Upon seeing her reaction, the Marquis felt an inexplicable pain in his chest. He soon realized that this girl was naive about the world; she had no idea how powerful a Marquis could be. She was a baby calf, unafraid of tigers.
The Marquis sternly stated: “Fortunately, I am not a bloodthirsty man.”
Or else, you would be dead!
Gu Jiao looked deeply into his eyes, then slowly nodded: “Indeed we’re fortunate.”
Had anyone tried to kill her, she would make sure he ended up dead. Completely.
The Marquis couldn’t help but feel a chill creeping up his neck.
“Do you know the way to the nearby temple?” The Marquis asked.
“Yes.” Gu Jiao replied.
“Lead the way.” The Marquis ordered.
Gu Jiao glanced at the wolf carcass on the ground and hesitated.
The Marquis surmised she was reluctant to leave the wolf. Selling it could fetch her a good amount of silver, a significant wealth for a poor peasant such as herself.
Without patience, he said: “I’ll buy it!”
Without refusing, Gu Jiao simply said: “Twenty taels.”
The Marquis casually handed her a note representing twenty taels of silver: “Can we go now?”
Gu Jiao pocketed the note and looked back at the wolf: “What are you planning to do with it?”
Without a second thought, the Marquis replied: “Toss it away!”
“Are you sure you want to throw it away?” Gu Jiao asked with a puzzled look.
In a tone of disdain, the Marquis responded: “Just a mere wolf carcass, can I not afford to throw it away? Now hurry up and lead the way.”
“Okay.” Gu Jiao bent down, easily picked up the wolf and slung it over her shoulder, “You’ve already thrown it away. I just picked it up, you can’t ask for it back.”
The Marquis was dumbfounded.