Chapter 6 Phoenix Mountain Nestles in Wutong County

Wan Chu'er mustered all her willpower to move forward swiftly despite the pain, but every part of her body ached. Her leg had received several kicks from Zhang Xiaoyu and her cronies, likely to be a riot of black, blue, red, and purple bruises. Each step she took was agonizingly sour.

This score, we'll settle it slowly in the future!

Don't think that just because I accepted your apology today, it's all over. I, Wan Chu'er, am not so magnanimous. It's just that today's primary target was Liu Li, so I'll give you a pass for now. But in the future, I'm definitely going to claim back what's owed with interest.

Wan Chu'er clenched her teeth as she thought and persevered onward.

She had just traveled back in time from 2016 to 1997, and though she had just won a battle, she needed to sort through events from more than a decade ago. She needed to find a quiet place to calm herself down.

No sooner had Wan Chu'er turned the corner of the teaching building than she was called to a halt by An Lian.

"Wan Chu'er, please wait a moment."

Upon hearing An Lian's call, Wan Chu'er was taken aback, almost forgetting about this uncle. She stopped and turned around expressionlessly.

Seeing that familiar expression, a bitter smile crossed An Lian's heart. Wan Chu'er was still the same Wan Chu'er, unchanged in her attitude towards him.

After waiting for a while without either of them speaking, impatience crept onto Wan Chu'er's face. An Lian's heart felt a pang of bitterness, realising it was impossible to expect Wan Chu'er to initiate the conversation. He took the initiative and said, "Wan Chu'er, you've sustained severe injuries, where are you headed now?"

Wan Chu'er glanced at Teacher An of physical education, his dithering as consistent as ever. She really wanted to retort as she used to: "None of your damn business," and then walk away.

But she was no longer the Wan Chu'er of before; she was now Wan Chu'er with the soul of a thirty-five-year-old, having experienced joys and sorrows. She couldn't be so immature and insensitive to hurt those who cared about her by acting willfully.

Suppressing the impatience in her heart, she said indifferently, "Thank you, Teacher An, for standing up for me just now."

Wan Chu'er's sudden thanks caught An Lian off guard, and he responded somewhat flustered, "I didn't really do much."

He had intended to stand up for Wan Chu'er, but she hadn't given him the chance. Just now, Wan Chu'er was like an unsheathed sword, fiercely sharp, capable of slaying demons and ghosts on her own, without needing his help.

"Teacher An, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now." Wan Chu'er sighed inwardly and turned to leave. This uncle, as ever, failed to impress her—was there really a need for such a flustered reaction over merely saying thanks!

An Lian hurriedly called out again, "Hey, Wan Chu'er, wait, you should really go to the hospital to have your wounds checked. Otherwise, your mother will worry."

Wan Chu'er curled her lips slightly; although An Lian wasn't very impressive, he was indeed attentive towards her mother. She ignored An Lian and continued walking forward.

An Lian was unsurprised by her reaction, as Wan Chu'er had never shown him any regard. However, he couldn't bear to see her walk away with all her injuries. Feeling his pocket and patting himself down, he pulled out US$ 150, took a few steps forward, and forcibly stuffed it into Wan Chu'er's pocket.

Wan Chu'er glanced down at the money peeking out from her pocket, then looked up at the hastily retreating An Lian, rolling her eyes speechlessly.

It was just over 100 yuan; did he have to run away as if a wolf was chasing him?

Forget it, considering his clumsiness, she decided to turn a blind eye and let him do as he pleases when it comes to seeking out her mother.

Wan Chu'er clasped US$ 150 in her pocket as she trudged out of the schoolyard.

The elderly doorman, seeing the state Wan Chu'er was in, clicked his tongue twice, but still couldn't help calling out, "Girl, wait a moment."

Wan Chu'er, puzzled, stopped at the gate. What did the old man want?

She had some recollection of the doorman, having been rescued by his shouting twice when Liu Li and her gang were assaulting her. At that time, Wan Chu'er resented the entire world and had glared at the old man.

Years later, whenever Wan Chu'er would think of the doorman, she would mock herself. Now, seeing him again, she waited at the gate with good patience.

Soon, the doorman hurried out from the gatehouse, carrying a small bottle with half-filled pale-yellow liquid.

"Here, girl, this is my special medicinal wine. It works somewhat for bruises. Rub it in well, and you'll be fine in a couple of days."

Wan Chu'er thought for a moment before taking it, then she dug out US$ 50 from her pocket and handed it over to him.

On seeing the money Wan Chu'er was offering, the doorman's eyes bulged: "You stubborn girl, take the medicated wine for free, and take your money back immediately. If you talk back, leave the wine with me."

Wan Chu'er then stubbornly pushed back the wine, infuriating the doorman to the point where his whiskers nearly bristled.

"You impudent girl, if you can, fight back! Don't get sassy with me!"

Wan Chu'er came to her senses, took back both the medicated wine and the money, made a stone-faced bow to the doorman, and left.

From behind, the doorman's voice followed: "Always getting beaten up, don't you learn? Can't you learn to dodge? If it were my granddaughters, I'd beat them to death with a stick."

The doorman just assumed Wan Chu'er had been bullied by Liu Li and her group again.

Hearing the old man's voice, Wan Chu'er's lips curled slightly. She had learned her lesson; she wouldn't get beaten up again. Clutching the medicated wine tightly, she walked along the road.

This was a small county town in the Northern region, called Wutong.

Wutong County remained just as it was in her memory: the roads hadn't changed, the buildings hadn't changed, the mountains and rivers hadn't changed. In her previous life, she had left Wutong County at the age of eighteen and never returned. During her three years of high school in Wutong County, there hadn't been any significant changes. It was only after she got divorced and moved to a city in the South, when she began to pay attention to Wutong County again, did she learn about the dramatic changes there. The economy had taken off, and it had become one of the top 100 counties in the country.

Wan Chu'er walked along the largest, widest, and newest road in Wutong County. After half an hour, she turned left onto a smaller path, and twenty minutes later, she arrived at the end of the path, where Phoenix Mountain lay in Wutong County.

Following her memory, Wan Chu'er climbed up a trail to the top of Phoenix Mountain. It wasn't very tall; it took her only half an hour to reach the summit and find a sun-facing boulder to lean on and sit down.

This place had also been a frequent escape for her. Whenever she was bullied, had a quarrel with her mother, or was upset after exams, she would climb up here to sit by herself and zone out.

There was a temple atop Phoenix Mountain, and beyond it lay a barren hill. Few people came up here on regular days. It was very quiet. Sitting on the mountain, one could overlook all of Wutong County. Wan Chu'er cherished this feeling of serenely taking in everything at a glance.