A dozen horses galloped forward like lightning, stirring up a cloud of grass and dust.
Mei Li woke up from the uncomfortable shaking and almost vomited. She was wrapped in a blanket and carried on the horse. What she saw before her were strange and blurry dark green mountains and low-hanging gray clouds.
"Oh? You're awake?" Alex looked down and said with a smile, "You woke up after just one day. It seems that Mr. Pollard's sleeping magic didn't have much effect on you."
Mei Li was almost falling apart. She looked at him blankly, and then her eyes moved to the top of his head - where there was a very familiar owl flying.
The owl was saying, "It's going to rain soon, Alex, hurry to the town ahead to stay overnight, I don't want to get my wings wet... Oh, our little girl, you're awake!"
Mei Li: "You are... the talking owl I saw in winter, who called himself the Messenger of the Forest, right?"
Owl: "Oh, yes, it's me. I'm glad you remembered me."
Mei Li: "So, what do you want to do by taking me away?"
She wanted to have this conversation in a serious tone, but the horse was shaking and the wind was blowing, so her words came out in a halting manner. She didn't sound serious at all, but rather funny.
The owl laughed, folded its wings and landed on Alex's shoulder. "You'll know in two days."
Mei Li shut up and thought deeply about what had happened before.
Mrs. Peg being torn apart by the crazy goblins, and the melted swamp monster.
She was very frightened at the time, but now that she was sober and thinking back on it, she could guess that the swamp monster would not die so easily.
This isn’t the first time he’s melted on the spot, so it shouldn’t be a big problem
After realizing this, Mei Li felt much more relaxed.
And Hesha, she watched her escape and nothing happened to her.
It was just that the situation was chaotic at the time, and later many people came outside and shouted to kill the witch and burn down the house... She was afraid she couldn't go back.
Thinking of this, I became silent again.
As for this knight who suddenly appeared and the owl she had met before, Mei Li made a bold analysis and felt that they probably did not take her away for any good reason. After all, this body's biological mother, Mrs. Peg, was a useless person. Could it be that this group of people came to take advantage of the situation or to save people for no other reason
You can tell it's impossible just by thinking with your toes.
Suddenly, the hand that was holding her began to grope up and down her waist.
Mei Li: “…”
Her expression changed as she watched Alex. She didn't expect that he looked like a decent person, but was actually a pervert.
"If you want to fall off the horse with me, just keep touching me," she said.
Alex laughed, "Don't be nervous, I'm just getting to know you in advance. After all, we're getting married soon."
Mei Li: "Who is marrying whom?"
Alex: “You and me.”
Mei Li: "You and me what?"
Alex: “Get married.”
Mei Li: "What kind of marriage are you getting?"
Alex looked down at her again, and seeing the undisguised rejection on her face, he raised his eyebrows, "You don't have to be so repulsive. When the time comes, it will only be your body that will marry me. Don't worry, your soul should have ascended to heaven by then."
Mei Li: “…” Here it comes, and it’s coming for Mei Li’s body again, so what secrets does this body have
Seeing that he didn't care about spoilers, he was either sure that she couldn't escape, or that he could catch her even if she escaped. This was a bit difficult. After escaping from the tiger's den, he fell into the wolf's mouth. Could he just sit there and wait for death
As Alex galloped on his horse, he did not forget to touch her waist again, "So, I am just getting familiar with the body of my future wife in advance..."
Before he finished speaking, Mei Li raised her palm and pushed it against his chin.
Coincidentally, this coincided with the horse's shaking, allowing him to bite his tongue hard.
Alex: “Uh…”
Looking at his ferocious expression, Mei Li responded calmly.
Haha, didn’t you come here specifically to steal this body? I bet you can’t kill anyone even if you’re mad as hell.
Who is afraid of whom
After finally getting over the pain, Alex gave her a bloody smile, "Okay, okay, you're pretty good!"
After that, his hands, which had nowhere to put, finally settled down a little.
When the group stopped in front of a small town hotel and everyone got off their horses, Mei Li changed her calm behavior on the horse and tried to break free from Alex's arms.
But Alex didn't let go, and kept saying, "We should have a good talk about what happened on the horse just now."
The word "chat" sounded particularly ambiguous when he said it.
Mei Li nudged him with her elbow and said bluntly, "Please let go. You have body odor. Don't you know how pungent it is? Stay away from me."
Someone in that team of knights couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Alex's face darkened. He turned around and glared at them, then dragged Mei Li inside.
The owl standing on Alex's shoulder was also watching the fun and laughing, but was caught off guard by Meili, who grabbed its feet and lifted it upside down. It immediately let out a panicked scream.
Alex held onto Meili and wouldn't let go, and Meili wouldn't let go of the owl, so the owl had no choice but to call out to Alex desperately... It was such a lively scene.
The rain was pouring down, and a group of people were sitting in the hall eating lively. Mei Li was locked in the room eating alone, and an owl stood on the shelf next to her to watch over her.
Mei Li quickly ate the not-so-delicious food, then sat by the window, looking at the heavy rain outside, somewhat absent-minded.
Ever since she met the swamp monster, she would think of him every time it rained.
Many goblins in the forest said that the swamp monster used to appear only on rainy days, and he liked to walk in the wilderness on rainy days.
But since he met her, he didn't just appear on rainy days. On clear moonlit nights, she couldn't sleep and quietly went out with a lamp to look for swamp monsters, and asked him to accompany her on walks in the mountains and forests.
… I don’t know how he is doing now.
She stared at the rain outside the window in a daze, perhaps with some inexplicable expectation in her heart, expecting to see the tall and thin figure suddenly appear in the rainy night.
"Are you thinking about the swamp monster?" The owl flew over to the small table next to her, as if it wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with her.
Mei Li didn't even look at him, muttering to herself, "He melted in front of me. I don't know if he was hurt or when he will be able to return to his original state."
Owl: "Under the interference of Mrs. Peg's magic, it will take three days, or maybe seven days to restore to the original state. I don't know. But if you want him to come, it will be impossible."
He stroked his beak with his wing, like an old gentleman. "Swamp monsters usually stay in one place and won't travel far no matter what happens. We're going far away, so they won't come over. Besides, Madam Frizzle's magic has covered up your scent... But this is the first time I've seen someone befriend a swamp monster."
The owl's big round eyes glowed with curiosity and excitement. "Aren't you afraid of the swamp monster?"
Mei Li: "He is so pitiful and cute, and he is also well-behaved and obedient. How can he be scary?"
Owl: "Uh--it sounds like you enjoyed it."
Mei Li looked out the window and said calmly, "Yes, I like him."
She had said so many things since she woke up, but this was the only sentence that didn't have a sharp, vigilant tone. Instead, it had an indescribable tenderness.
The owl stared at her with wide eyes for a while, and finally understood something. He muttered to himself for a while before saying, "I thought humans only liked humans—Hey, you are such a strange little girl. Aren't human little girls supposed to like good-looking men like Alex?"
Mei Li turned her head and said, "Huh? My taste is not that bad. I am just the kind of pervert who would touch a strange woman's waist and other parts when meeting her for the first time..."
Alex just pushed the door open and was almost driven out by the disgust contained in this sentence.
"Hey, hey, listen, I was just kidding you. As a man with outstanding looks, I thought you would be happy that I was so 'passionate' towards you."
Mei Li covered her chest and rolled her eyes. Ah, so greasy! Such a greasy man!
Fortunately, I had already eaten, otherwise I would not be able to eat the greasy food.
As if unwilling to have his charm questioned here, Alex leaned against the door in a flirtatious posture, "How about it, we still have two days to spend together on the road, open your heart to me, and you will realize my goodness again."
Facing his coquettish gesture, Mei Li's answer was: "he —tui—"
There is no more devastating answer than this.
Alex was still unwilling to give up and wanted to flirt with her again, but the owl whispered to him, "If Mrs. Frizzle finds out, you're done for."
Alex touched his nose and laughed dryly: "I was just joking, how could Furis blame me."
Having said that, he did not dare to do anything to Mei Li in the next two days. He just said a few greasy words occasionally, and Mei Li pretended not to hear and continued to be lost in thought.
On the afternoon of the third day, they turned a hill and the view in front of them suddenly opened up.
Mei Li sat on the horse and saw the bay where deep blue and light green were intertwined.
The crystal-clear, shimmering sea extends forward on the right, while the left side is backed by continuous mountains. From afar, one can see many houses built at the foot of the mountain ahead. Those houses of all sizes gathered together form a fairly large town.
A team of knights did not stay in the city, but rushed directly through the main road in the city and headed towards the canyon farther away.
In the valley there was a manor surrounded by forest, with a pointed roof visible among the green fir and pine trees.
The scent of the sea breeze and the forest met here, and it had a completely different smell from the place where she had lived for a year.
The knights stopped in front of the manor, and except for Alex and Meili, everyone else left.
The servants in the manor saluted them. Alex was very familiar with the place and took Mei Li to the big manor.
In the large fountain, two embracing mermaid statues are spitting out water. Various flowers and plants are planted in the garden. You can smell the rich fragrance of roses as soon as you walk in. There are water lilies in the small pond and a small white dome pavilion beside the pond.
A lady sat in the pavilion with her back to them, drinking tea.
Alex strode forward, hugged her from behind, and kissed her passionately.
"Dear Fris, I successfully completed the task you gave me and brought the person back!"
The lady who was drinking tea put down her cup and turned gracefully to look at Mei Li.
She had a face almost exactly like Mrs. Peg's, with the same red hair and green eyes, but compared to the frail and thin Mrs. Peg, she looked healthier, plumper, younger and more beautiful.