Upon Her Lips - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

After an unknown amount of time, Mu Fei suddenly snapped her eyes open, her pupils still showing the crimson vertical slits of one not yet fully awake.

Her gaze fell upon the fair nape of the human child leaning against her chair. She averted her eyes and blinked quickly, her irises instantly reverting to their normal golden-brown. She tilted her head, slightly perplexed that she had fallen asleep at such a cozy moment, especially in front of a human child.

She prepared to stand and turn off the screen, which was now playing some other boring program, only to realize she had been covered with a small blanket…

Mu Fei couldn’t help but smile faintly. Was this little thing afraid she would catch a cold? How amusing.

Above Yuran’s head, Wu Ming sensed its master’s awakening. It immediately ruffled its feathers and stood up, preparing to let out a cry of respect, but seeing Mu Fei make a “shush” gesture, it intelligently took flight and landed quietly on its perch. Wu Ming watched with curiosity as its mistress leaned down and—incredibly—gently picked up the human child and placed her upon the noble lounging couch that belonged only to the Mistress.

Wu Ming felt a surge of shock and confusion.

Mu Fei covered Yuran with the same blanket that had been on her own lap. During this, she observed the ointment on the girl’s face and the backs of her hands. Good, it seemed the medicine had been fully absorbed.

She suddenly remembered hearing Yin Sili mention that many human children fear the dark and long for the light. Thus, Mu Fei left a small nightlight with a soft yellow glow for Yuran before closing the door and heading downstairs alone.

After the Mistress left, Wu Ming was surprised that this human girl received such special treatment.

“Lady Mu Fei…”

Hearing the girl’s mumble, Wu Ming decided it didn’t dislike her either; at the very least, she was warm. The crow flew onto Yuran, found a comfortable spot, curled into a small black ball, and drifted into dreamland.

…

The Next Morning

In her sleep, Yuran felt something pressing against her, making her uncomfortable. She tried to turn over, only to hear a sharp, terrifying shriek.

Startled, she bolted upright. She stared at the couch, realizing she had almost crushed the red-eyed black crow, Wu Ming. Ignoring her own fear, she quickly reached out to cup the crow, which was barely larger than her palm.

Wu Ming squinted its eyes and gave Yuran’s hand a few pecks. They were light—no blood was drawn—but they still stung.

“I’m… I’m sorry. R-really… I’m s-s-sorry,” Yuran apologized in a low voice, stroking Wu Ming’s head soothingly.

One should know that Wu Ming’s sharp beak could easily tear Yuran’s hand apart. However, it didn’t bite down; it merely gave a symbolic nip and let go. The proud crow, like its mistress, disliked being touched and unhappily dodged Yuran’s petting.

If Wu Ming had expressions, it would surely be an arrogant glare. Yet, ultimately, it allowed the foolish human to touch its wings, because it actually felt quite comfortable.

Seeing that Wu Ming seemed to have forgiven her mistake, Yuran felt relieved. This was Lady Mu Fei’s pet; she had to look after it with extreme care.

But then—

Why was she sleeping in Lady Mu Fei’s study? And not on the floor, but on… Lady Mu Fei’s personal lounging couch?

Yuran tried hard to recall the previous night. She remembered stealing glances at the Lady’s face—she rarely had the chance to be so close—and even when she was exhausted, she wanted to look a few more times, until sleep finally overcame her.

Oh no. She had occupied Lady Mu Fei’s couch. This was a major taboo. Lady Mu Fei must be angry, and Aunt Dai would surely scold her.

Wait, she still had physical training with Mr. Han Sheng today!

Mr. Han Sheng was incredibly strict. The more time she spent with him, the more Yuran realized why everyone intentionally avoided “Chef” Han Sheng. He was truly terrifying.

“Yuran, you were almost late.”

Han Sheng’s voice came from behind her. Though she flinched, after many days of such greetings, Yuran could now distinguish his position. At the very least, she could mostly dodge his “polite” shoulder pats.

The first time Mr. Han Sheng had patted her shoulder from behind, the pain was enough to make her feel like her bones were being crushed.

Though she dodged the attack, she lost her balance and tumbled onto the grass.

“S-sorry, Han—” Mr. Han Sheng.

Yuran stammered, and Han Sheng looked at the tiny tot who had fallen so clumsily, offering a silent word of praise. Progress. At least she can tell which direction the attack is coming from.

“Let’s go. I’m taking you to a good place today,” Han Sheng said.

Yuran stood up. To her, falling down didn’t count as pain at all, so she brushed the dirt off her clothes and followed him.

“Te-teacher?” she asked, confused. They had come to the wild forest in the back mountains. Previously, besides making her chop wood, Han Sheng would take her to the frozen lake to catch slimy fish. She thought they were going there again.

Han Sheng pointed to the mist-shrouded forest in the distance.

That was—the Black Mist Forest.

Han Sheng pointed to the area shrouded in shadows and said, “I heard you’ve been to that forest before and stayed there safely, all for a…”

“Flower,” Yuran said without thinking.

Hearing her answer, Han Sheng laughed.

“Brat, were you scared back then?” Han Sheng asked, turning his head.

Yuran looked at the forest, which seemed terrifying even from the outside. She had been very scared then, but the thought that Lady Mu Fei liked or needed those purple flowers made her feel she could conquer her inner cowardice.

“Scared. B-but, back then, th-there was a—”

“An uncle who brought you here and pushed you off the edge,” Han Sheng finished for her, looking at her.

Yuran bit her lip and nodded, remembering the terror and near-despair of that day.

What Yuran didn’t know was that the man, like her former “sister” Fu Ya, was a rogue vampire (a wanderer) secretly bribed by other families. He made a living smuggling organs and stealing commercial intelligence. Stealing the secret list of the Mu family manor was his main job; getting rid of Yuran was just a little “bonus” to please his old flame, Fu Ya.

Unfortunately for him, not long after he received his payment, Dao Lei had dragged him out that very night. Everything was squeezed out of him, and he, along with those who helped him, were wiped clean from existence.

Han Sheng watched Yuran fidgeting with her fingers. He guessed that if they had only stolen the secret list, they might have lived. But because they tried to eliminate this little brat, things became complicated.

After all, the current head of the Mu family seemed to care quite a bit about this human girl. She had specifically instructed him that starting today, Yuran shouldn’t touch the frozen lake to catch fish. The lingering scent of that annoying Manzhi grass on Yuran had apparently been treated by the chilblain cream the Mistress bought on her way back.

“By the way, Yuran, do you know who finally saved you in the Black Mist Forest?” Han Sheng asked. He guessed no one had told her the truth.

Yuran froze, then shook her head. After that incident, no one in the mansion asked her about it, and no one told her anything. It was as if everyone was intentionally avoiding the subject.

So, she didn’t dare ask. As long as Lady Mu Fei liked the purple flowers, she felt everything she did was worth it. Of course, she vaguely remembered being caught by someone when she fell, but she had fainted before seeing their face.

“Guess who it was?” Han Sheng asked as they walked. They left a trail of large and small footprints in the snow.

“I… I think, it… it was D—” Mr. Dao Lei.

In truth, Lady Mu Fei’s face had flashed through her mind first, but she quickly shook her head to deny such a ridiculous thought. How could someone as noble as Lady Mu Fei do such a thing? Besides, the Lady was supposed to be in the South then. Following that logic, Mr. Dao Lei was also unlikely. So, the person catching her must have been a hallucination.

“That guy Dao Lei?” Han Sheng brushed the grey hair away from his left eye and chuckled. “If you can think of Dao Lei, why not think of me?”

“Teacher…” Yuran smiled innocently. She couldn’t agree with that. There was no way Mr. Han Sheng would save her; all the cruel training was his idea. Of course, she was now starting to develop the agility to dodge sneak attacks.

As they spoke, a terrifying carnivorous beast, an Ao Wolf, appeared from the depths of the woods. These wolves were massive, with sharp, venomous fangs protruding from their muzzles—the most ferocious beasts in the wild.

These massive creatures radiated a thick intent to kill. They loved eating short-tailed elk and human children, so Yuran became their target.

“Change of plans. We’re not going to the Black Mist Forest. Today, I’ll teach you how to hunt these Ao Wolves.” Han Sheng smiled as he saw the pack approaching. As expected, even more were hidden in the shadows.

Seeing the massive, savage wolves coming their way, Yuran’s hair stood on end. She stared at them, realizing Mr. Han Sheng wasn’t joking. He really intended to hunt these beasts that were sturdier than grown men.

“Yuran, how many minutes do you think it will take to kill all seventeen of them?” Han Sheng unslung his pack and handed it to the pale Yuran. He readied himself for combat and asked with a grin.

Minutes?!

Kill seventeen Ao Wolves by hand?

Before Yuran could even think, Han Sheng vanished. In the snow ahead, one wolf was already decapitated.

Eight seconds.

That was what Mr. Han Sheng told her. Before Yuran could even get the pack warm in her arms, he was walking toward her, dragging the last wolf—the only one with an intact body—leaving a trail of blood in the snow.

“Yuran, drag this one back.”

“…”

Yuran swallowed nervously, looking at the dead wolf. To be precise, even this “small” Ao Wolf was twice her size. Han Sheng merely laughed, then ran to the shade of a distant tree to light a cigarette.

At that moment, an Ao Wolf hidden in the darkness suddenly lunged. Strangely, it had completely masked its presence. It wasn’t heading for Yuran, but for Han Sheng.

Yuran was grabbing the dead wolf’s tail. She looked up just in time to see the wolf flash past her like black mist toward her teacher. There seemed to be a mark carved on the wolf’s body, and even Han Sheng, with his back turned, didn’t seem to notice.

Teacher Han Sheng is in danger!!

“Han—”

Yuran desperately tried to signal her teacher, but her nerves made her stutter uncontrollably. Just as the wolf was about to strike Han Sheng’s back—

Don’t touch my teacher.

A voice from the abyss, like an evil curse, suddenly imprinted itself upon the vital point of the savage wolf. The wolf’s body seemed to be bound by countless invisible silk threads, rendered immobile. In the next instant, its massive frame shattered and dissolved into a mist of blood, vanishing into the falling snow.

This unbelievable, terrifying sight happened in the time it took for Han Sheng to finish lighting his cigarette.

Han Sheng frowned, sensing the sudden increase of blood in the air. He turned around to find little Yuran standing by the dead wolf like a little fool, staring at him blankly.

“Brat, are you waiting for me to carry it for you? Why are you just standing there?” Han Sheng puffed his cigarette and walked over, patting Yuran’s hair.

Yuran was snapped back to reality. She looked up and nervously checked Han Sheng’s body, carefully tugging at his clothes.

“What is it, brat?” Han Sheng asked, confused. He extinguished his cigarette and looked at the panicky little thing.

Yuran stammered, “Teacher… you’re… you’re okay… that’s good.”

“Hmm?”

“Teacher, j-just now, a… a wolf… a-a-attacked you.” Yuran struggled to organize her words to tell him about the weird event. She had truly seen a wolf attack from behind, and her teacher hadn’t sensed it at all.

Han Sheng frowned and looked around. There were no living wolves left; all seventeen were dead. And even if a wolf wanted to ambush him, it was impossible for him to miss it.

Unless… its presence had been deliberately sealed. That would be a bit troublesome.

Yuran opened her mouth, but the scene was too bizarre—a giant wolf turning into blood mist. And Mr. Han Sheng had no idea.

“Brat, are you hallucinating because you’re tired from training? You still have to drag this wolf back.” Han Sheng patted her head, signaling for her to wake up.

Yuran also felt it might have been a hallucination. Perhaps watching horror and mystery shows with the Lady had given her a weird imagination. Besides, how could her teacher not detect a wolf? He was so powerful he killed seventeen with his bare hands. Yuran felt Mr. Han Sheng wasn’t even human.

“Yuran… u-understands.”

She was pulled back to reality. She looked piteously at the wolf on the ground, suddenly feeling that the wolf was nowhere near as savage as her teacher. But she didn’t dare disobey him. She gritted her teeth, grabbed the wolf’s tail, and began to pull. It was incredibly heavy.