Chapter 265: Chapter 111 First Encounter at the Execution Ground_3

He was injured, Lu Tong was certain of it.

But she didn’t dare to escape at this moment. The knife pressed against her throat was too sharp, and the man’s body was tense, like a beast poised to pounce, ready to bite through the prey’s throat at any moment.

She didn’t dare to take the risk.

After about half a stick of incense had passed, a dilapidated temple appeared in the distance amid the wind and snow.

The temple door was half open, there were no lights, only a bit of the night’s remaining glow shone on the coarse broken beams.

Lu Tong felt the knife edge on her neck press closer, and she quickly spoke out, "There’s no one here."

There’s no one here.

In Su Nan City, beggars and wandering monks often stayed in broken temples, but the one near the execution ground was shunned by all. People often said that the spirits of the executed dead lingered close to the site of execution, possibly turning into Fierce Ghosts, roaming in the vicinity. Even the Clay Bodhisattva that had originally been worshipped in the temple had been damaged by the rain on a stormy day. After that, no one dared to spend the night there.

Lu Tong often spent the night here because it was close to the execution ground, making it convenient for her to search the bodies at night. And staying with those beggars and wandering monks might not necessarily be safer than spending the night alone at the execution ground.

After all, dead men do no harm, but the living may not be so harmless.

Leading the man to the front of the broken temple, Lu Tong pushed the door outward with her hand.

"Creak—"

The temple door was fully opened.

The man blocked the entrance, put down the knife in his hand, and asked, "Do you have fire?"

In a low voice, Lu Tong replied, "I do."

No sooner had she spoken than she walked to the center of the temple hall and crouched down under the offering table to rummage around for a long while. She pulled out an oil lamp and a flint to light it.

These were items she had previously hidden here.

Once the oil lamp was lit, the surroundings brightened.

In front of the offering table stood a Clay Bodhisattva about the height of a person. However, a recent heavy rain had caused the temple to leak, and the consecutive days of rain had washed away half of the Bodhisattva’s painted clay, making even its face unrecognizable.

The wooden tray was empty, without a single offering fruit. The place, long uninhabited, was webbed with layers of spider webs in the corners, with dust everywhere. There were some dilapidated planks piled in the corner, probably from a collapsed beam.

And under the offering table, several tattered old straw mats were pieced together, vaguely forming the shape of a bed. That was the "couch" Lu Tong had made, where she would rest for the night.

The man’s gaze swept over the straw mats and, as if thoughtful, he asked, "You live here?"

Lu Tong suddenly turned around.

It was gloomy at the execution ground, and she had her back to the man and couldn’t see his face clearly. But now, with the temple brightly lit, she finally saw what the man looked like.

He was a tall man, dressed in dark clothing, with a black cloth covering his face, rendering his features indiscernible, leaving only his extremely dark and bright eyes visible, which under the light of the lamp held a trace of chill.

His voice was very young, although a bit hoarse, it couldn’t hide the distinctive clarity and brightness of youth. Lu Tong guessed he was only sixteen or seventeen years old, or maybe even younger.

Seeing Lu Tong looking his way, he re-sheathed his short knife and casually walked to the center of the temple, surveying the surroundings.

He hadn’t blocked the door, and a thought crossed Lu Tong’s mind, prompting her to slowly walk towards the entrance.

Just as she was nearing the broken door, the boy’s indifferent voice came from behind, "Where are you going?"

Lu Tong’s step faltered.

She stiffly turned around and slowly began, watching his back, "I’ve led you here, and no one will come..."

He interrupted her, "Are you planning to inform the government officers?"

Lu Tong was taken aback.

Before Lu Tong could respond, the person in front of her turned around and said slowly and methodically, "If you inform the government officers, I will make it known that we are together."

"You!"

He glanced at the medical box on Lu Tong: "And, how are you going to explain the stealing of bodies?"

In fact, stealing bodies wasn’t difficult to explain, as the government officers wouldn’t really do much to her, but getting messily involved with this person...

Who knows what he was up to.

Lu Tong collected her emotions and softly said, "I won’t inform the officers, rest assured, today I’ll pretend I never saw you."

He gave Lu Tong an unexpectedly look, then glanced outside the window, before smiling lightly and saying, "It’s so cold outside, where could you go? This is your territory, and no guest has the right to drive the host away."

He flicked his finger against the sheath of his knife, his voice seemingly carrying a hint of amusement.

"Sit down, we’ll live together."

Lu Tong stared intently at his knife sheath.

The man’s demeanor was relaxed, and his tone could even be considered friendly, but the veiled threat in his words was subtly unsettling.

She lowered her gaze slightly, quickly casting a glance towards the outside of the door.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read