The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis
Chapter 29: No One Will Be Looking At You

Chapter 29: No One Will Be Looking At You

We made it through the mountain in one piece. Barely.

I could have sworn that I even heard snickers coming from the local wolfpack as the General jumped out of the way of a leaf falling from a tree. Exactly how stupid did you have to look to have an entire wolfpack laughing at you?

Even the cubs chirped and howled in amusement.

Me? I didn’t even bother to hide my smile as he reached for the knife that wasn’t there.

None of the men said a word, but I could hear the unspoken curses, the too-loud heartbeats, the adrenaline still leaking from their pores. Zhu Deming’s face was calm as ever, but sweat had glued the collar of his shirt to his throat and the strands of his long hair to his cheek.

I honestly didn’t think I had a thing for guys with long hair, after all, it wasn’t something that I really saw in the Devil’s Playground. But now that Zhu Deming was sporting a manbun with a silver buckle of some kind on his head, all I wanted to do was play with his hair.

Or move it from his cheek, where it escaped the updo.

On the other hand, Sun Longzi looked like he’d run ten drills in full armor. He wasn’t even red as he stood at the base of the mountain, his arms crossed in front of him, his feet planted shoulder-width apart.

I wanted to smack him upside the head.

We stood at the edge of the woods, the thick trees finally breaking open to reveal the vast plains before the village gates. The sun beat down on the sandy pebbles, heating them up until I could already feel them burning into the bottom of my feet.

This wasn’t the first time I had come here. In fact, I went at least once a month in the summer, just to keep the locals on their toes. It was easy to forget something or dismiss it when it wasn’t front and center in your mind.

And I damn well made sure that I was front and center in the minds of every Yelan... both the civilians and the nobles.

The village itself lay in the distance like a secret no one deserved—but I had one very pressing concern that had absolutely nothing to do with the mission or the Red Demons or whatever war nonsense they were tangled in.

"I’m hungry," I announced, my stomach letting out a low growl. Since I had expected them early, I didn’t bother to eat breakfast, wanting to get a move on. Then, when they didn’t show up, I didn’t want to start cooking in case they came in the middle of it.

I missed cell phones.

Both men looked at me. Zhu Deming had the appropriate level of worry on his face, while Sun Longzi was looking down his long nose at me like I was an ant. I wanted to tell them that it wasn’t a casual statement. I was actually being polite by giving them advanced warning.

I had no idea what these two wanted from the village, what information they planned to extract, or who they hoped to interrogate—but unless someone fed me soon, I was going to go full-on hangry. The kind of rage that made grown men cry and gods reconsider their choices.

"You’re not needed from here on out," Sun Longzi said when I didn’t bother to explain any more. He brushed the dirt off his already dirty brown tunic and sniffed. "You can go. Do what you want."

"How generous of you," I muttered with a tight smile. "Do you have money on you. Money that isn’t Daiyu currency?" I had no idea if everyone here had the same money or if each country was different. No matter how many times I came here to eat or to buy something, I didn’t have to worry about spending a single penny.

People were almost throwing the stuff at me to get me to leave them alone.

He blinked at me. "Why would that matter?" he demanded, cocking his head to the side.

"Because," I said with a slow stretch, "if you don’t want to be seen with me, then you are going to need to pay for whatever it is that you want. I mean, you’d look like an idiot if you go into a bar for information but can’t buy a single beer."

"Beer?" muttered Zhu Deming, his brows furrowing. "Bar?"

"Don’t worry about it," I purred at him, patting his leg. "Wine and a tavern."

Right, I needed to remember to speak like I was in Ancient Country K, not back home.

Sun Longzi’s jaw tightened. "You don’t have any money of your own?"

"I don’t exactly need money," I replied, giving him a look that said ’try me’. "But if you aren’t going to stick with me, you are going to have to pay for everything yourself. I was trying to be nice by reminding you that you were undercover at the moment, but I’ll just keep my mouth shut from now on."

"That would be a nice change," sneered Sun Longzi under his breath before calming himself down. "Only a fool argues with a woman, and I refuse to be a fool."

I glanced at him sideways, wondering if I really heard him correctly. "Can’t prove it by me," I chuckled softly. "You’re still talking, aren’t you?"

Zhu Deming shifted behind him, taking my attention away from the other man. When he was sure that he had gotten my attention, he quietly pointed to his mask. "What about me? Too many people recognize this."

I looked at him. Really looked.

The wind tugged at his tunic, pressing it against his perfect muscles. His eyes were so dark, I never wanted to stop looking at him. And I didn’t want him to stop looking at me. Fuck I was in trouble.

"Then take it off," I said, waving my hand. I moved to sit beneath the crooked shadow of a gnarled tree, giving my feet a rest before I had to cross that sand. "It’s not like you need it on."

There was a long silence before he finally replied. "I don’t like it when people look at my scars."

I paused. Just for a second.

It never occurred to me that he didn’t like his scars. After spending so much time with Hattie and hers, I thought it was a given that everyone liked their scars.

I could’ve offered to heal him. In less than a second, I could’ve smoothed that skin over and given him a face that matched the one in his memories.

But I wasn’t about to show my hand with his friend watching. Not yet.

So instead, I shrugged. "Then let the General go into town and get what he needs. You take off the mask and come with me."

"But—" he started, fingering the metal edges.

"Trust me," I said, tilting my head back against the bark. "With me by your side, not a single person is going to be looking at you."