Chapter 104: The Youth

“Did you just dare to snatch my prey?” The lobster’s claws clicked menacingly, waving before the snake demon. Hmph! After waiting so long to find that fat fish, it was infuriating to have another monster eyeing it!

“You, you…” The snake demon, faced with those gleaming pincers, meekly gave in.

“What ‘you’! I’m telling you, hand over all the food immediately!”

“Uh!”

“Hmm?” The massive claws threatened.

“Alright!”

So the bandits not only surrendered their communal rations but also secretly stashed food—quite a substantial amount of meat, too!

The snake demon’s eyes narrowed in greed. Damn these disloyal scoundrels!

Fubao stared wide-eyed at the towering piles of food ahead—so many wild delicacies!

But what was that thing buried at the very bottom, with only its backside sticking out?

It looked like a person!

As the only two humans among the group, Fubao and the owner of that rear end were both placed on a platter!

Just then, the ramshackle door of the mountain hideout was kicked open. The newcomer, clad in armor and carrying a red-feathered arrow on his back, stormed in fiercely.

“Ah! Big guy!” Fubao immediately recognized him—rescue was at hand!

“Hey! So many treasures here! Come on, be good and offer yourselves up!” Gu Yun gripped his mighty bow and arrow, excitement buzzing—this haul was quite a catch!

Thus began a chaotic chase between Gu Yun and the fleeing creatures, with Fubao and the donkey watching in bewilderment. Meanwhile, the owner of the backside remained unconscious.

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Gu Yun had been tracking his ward’s scent all along, never expecting such a big catch this time—he had found a monster den!

“Too bad two big beasts got away, or tonight we’d be feasting on spicy crayfish!” Gu Yun lamented, eyeing the modest piles of food.

Fubao, tied up for hours, asked, “Can you untie us before you start philosophizing?”

Gu Yun: “Of course not!”

Fubao was tied and tossed onto the donkey’s back, alongside the nearby youth. That youth seemed oddly familiar—where had he seen him before?

Gu Yun’s arrival in the city caused quite a stir. Wild game in the capital? Everyone knew that animals had vanished nearby due to human activity, let alone such a variety of wild delicacies!

Word spread quickly, and Gu Yun’s cargo of wild game was seized by palace eunuchs under the guise of taxation.

Gu Yun grumbled, “Damn, should’ve paid the hunting tax earlier!”

Thus, the middle-aged, slightly plump emperor had a new dish to enjoy with his drinks!

Back home, Fubao was scolded and fed a hearty meal of stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat—along with a stern lecture!

As for the youth, he was taken away by the household servants who arrived soon after.

That evening, Meng Yun returned to find Lin Sanlang frowning thoughtfully, asking with mild curiosity, “What’s wrong? Why the furrowed brow?”

“My lady, I think I’ve seen that boy somewhere before.”

“The boy who was rescued with us today?”

“Yes.”

“You say that, and I feel like I’ve seen him too, but I just can’t recall where.”

After a moment’s thought:

“Getting old, I just can’t remember things as well!” Meng Yun shook her head, unwilling to dwell on it and aching from the headache.

“Bao’er’s temper—who knows where she got it from? Always so lively and noisy. She’s almost grown up, and the Chen family girls who play with her are already talking about marriage proposals, but she’s still causing a ruckus every day!” Meng Yun began to scold Fubao.

“Well, Fubao’s still young and playful,” Lin Sanlang defended his daughter gently. “She’s still a little girl. Marriage? Let’s wait until she’s twenty.”

Meng Yun: “Still young? She’s already thirteen, not so little anymore!”

At that moment, Fubao lay on the bed, sulking after the scolding. Why on the bed? Because her mother had been too harsh, spanking her until her backside ached!

Beside her, the mischievous Little Ginseng gloated, “I say, you’re really unlucky to get caught in a monster’s lair! Haha!”

Little Ginseng had gone out with Duck Duck earlier to seek springtime, while Fat Rabbit had become a father, constantly showing off his love and kids, leaving the two little ones utterly helpless.

Fubao sighed.

…

In a small villa, a large black dog perked up its ears at the noise outside the door. A youth was being carried in by a group of servants!

A big black dog???