Song of the Bright Moon Chapter 12

So those dusty pastries and shriveled fruits had been put there by this bandit?

Shen Yujiao nearly cried from misery. One moment she thought what bad luck, another she wondered if this was punishment from the Earth God for stealing offerings.

“Must’ve been some beggar brat who stole them. Don’t be angry, Boss. We made a good haul this trip. Tomorrow we’ll offer fresh ones to the Earth God, it’s nothing.”

“Wildcat is right, Boss. It’s getting late, our families are waiting for dinner. Don’t you think…”

The pair of dusty black boots before the altar shifted two steps aside, then that lazy voice sounded again: “Sparrow, light the lamp. Wildcat, Skinny Monkey, bring the chest here.”

“Yes, Boss!” the men answered in unison, excitement bubbling in their tones.

Shen Yujiao could not see, but from their words she guessed they were about to divide the loot,  the owner of those black boots standing before the altar must be their leader.

All she could do now was pray they would split quickly and leave.

As she thought this, a hazy glow of candlelight spread beyond the curtain, along with the bandits’ chatter.

“Hey, this chest is pretty heavy!”

“Of course, it’s a full three hundred taels of silver!”

The bandits’ rough voices boomed. The small earth temple echoed, and in the still night it made Shen Yujiao’s heart pound wildly, terrified the baby would be startled awake.

That very thought had barely formed when a loud bang suddenly came from above the altar, shaking dust loose from the cracks of the table, falling down in a shower.

The light-sleeping infant was startled, and even Shen Yujiao herself jolted. She blinked against the dust stinging her eyes, then quickly lowered her head to check the child in her arms.

Before she could see clearly, a faint wail burst forth, “waa.”

Shen Yujiao’s breath stopped in her throat. She hurriedly covered the baby’s mouth.

“Hm?”

A suspicious voice came from outside the curtain: “Did you guys hear something?”

“Huh? What sound?”

“Sounded like a child crying.”

“Boss, don’t scare us. Out here in the wilderness at night, how could there be a child?”

“Yeah, Boss, hurry and open the chest.”

“All right.” The bandit leader answered lazily, footsteps approaching the altar.

Underneath it, Shen Yujiao felt her heart about to burst from her chest. She covered the baby’s mouth, too hard and she might smother him, too light and his cries might escape. Bowing her head, she pressed her lips to the child’s forehead, whispering low: “Ping’an, don’t be afraid, Auntie is here…”

Before the words had even fallen, a sudden brightness shone through her eyelids.

Shen Yujiao froze, instinctively lifting her eyes.

Only then did she realize the curtain had already been lifted. Outside, a young man bent down, one hand holding a knife, the other lifting the curtain. His pitch-black eyes bore straight into hers, sharp as a blade, bright as flame, carrying a pressing, overbearing force.

In the instant their gazes met, Shen Yujiao’s whole body seemed to freeze, her blood turned to ice. She was so frightened she dared not move a finger.

The five or six bandits outside all exclaimed in surprise: “Turns out it’s just a beggar woman with a kid?”

“Scared me, I thought someone had set an ambush to rob us.”

“Boss, look at the plates by her hand, it was her who ate your offerings!”

At the word “offerings,” Shen Yujiao’s eyelids twitched, and half the soul that had fled her body came back.

Her panicked gaze swept across the ragtag bandits outside, tall, short, fat, thin, before falling again on the bandit leader before her, who was nothing like what she had imagined. Clutching the ragged swaddling in her arms, her mind raced with what to do.

Should she fight to the death and refuse to yield, or swallow her pride and kowtow to beg for mercy?

Before she could decide, a long, slender hand reached toward her.

Shen Yujiao’s face changed instantly, and she cried out in panic: “Don’t, don’t touch me!”

But how could a bandit heed her words? The leader snatched her by the collar as easily as lifting a chick, and hauled her out from under the altar.

Once out from beneath the table, with the candlelight burning, the whole temple was bright.

Shen Yujiao sat collapsed on the ground, clutching the child. Her hair was in disarray, her clothes tattered, her face so filthy her true appearance could not be seen. Only a pair of bright, watery eyes, limpid and alive, now full of fear and panic, warily observed the bandits crowding around.

The baby in her arms also sensed the danger and cried out weakly. From birth he had never once eaten his fill, and his wails were as frail as a kitten’s.

Hearing that feeble cry, Shen Yujiao’s heart ached. She knew that even if it cost all dignity and pride, for the sake of the child she had no choice.

She lifted her ashen face, tearful eyes sweeping past the bandits, and finally resting on the especially young bandit leader. Her hoarse voice pleaded: “Great lord, I am a refugee fleeing famine from the north. Floods destroyed my home, my family is gone, only me and my poor child escaped here alive… I just arrived in your honored land and did not know the rules. I didn’t know this earth temple was your territory, nor that these offerings were set here by you…”

At this point, her throat tightened.

She had meant to beg by playing on pity, but as she spoke, the hardships and sufferings of her journey surged up in her chest, and grief and indignation welled within. Her eyes brimmed with tears, her tone all the more desolate: “I truly didn’t mean to steal your offerings. I just hadn’t eaten in many days, I was starving beyond endurance. Great lord, please, I beg your mercy, spare me this once. I won’t dare again…”

Her soft voice, tinged with sobs, pulled at the heart.

Looking at her gaunt, dirty, wretched figure, and the feeble infant in her arms too weak even to cry properly, the rough men in the temple glanced at one another. In the end, all eyes turned toward their leader.

The young bandit chief stood with arms folded, lazily leaning against the altar. The warm yellow candlelight wrapped his handsome face, his long dark lashes casting faint shadows over his eyes, hiding his expression. Only the slight curve of his thin lips showed, carrying a casual, careless air, like someone watching a play.

Seeing him remain silent while the pitiful woman and child kept weeping, the fat one nicknamed Wildcat couldn’t help reminding: “Boss, what do you think?”

The leader lifted his eyelids, glanced at him, then at the trembling woman on the ground, and said lazily: “Enough. Stop crying.”

Shen Yujiao paused, looked up again, and saw the tall figure straighten, peach-blossom eyes narrowing as he stared directly at her. His gaze was so sharp it felt almost tangible, inch by inch sweeping across her face. Her heart tightened, her tear-filled eyes widened in panic, flickering restlessly.

Why was he looking at her like this? Was he deciding how to silence her?

Yes, she had stumbled upon their division of loot. He would surely silence her!

At the thought, Shen Yujiao’s face drained of blood. She felt like a condemned criminal waiting for the judge’s order, her life or death hinging on this man’s single word.

After a deathly silence, the man finally spoke, but not to her. To the fat bandit beside him: “Is there still water in the water pouch?”

The abrupt question stunned everyone.

Wildcat quickly recovered, fumbling to unfasten the pouch. “Yes, Boss, here.”

The others thought their boss must be thirsty. But instead of drinking, he tore a strip of cloth from his sleeve, wet it with the water, and walked toward the cowering woman on the ground.

Seeing this, Shen Yujiao guessed what he meant to do. Her heart lurched with alarm.

No! If he wiped her face clean and saw her true appearance, perhaps death would not be the worst outcome!