Xi Qingyue sighed. The village head had been wise—upon hearing the news, he chose to leave immediately rather than stubbornly staying in the village to await death.
She didn’t know the way, but she knew that following the crowd heading south was the right choice. She would stop wherever she found a safe and suitable place.
She wanted to speed up the cart, but the road ahead was clogged with people and vehicles. The main road was far too congested, so she could only move slowly behind them.
She silently regretted not just riding a mule instead.
An hour later, Xi Qingyue pulled the cart to the side of the road to rest.
She took off her fisherman’s hat and lifted the curtain to enter the carriage. Even with the hat on, her face felt scorching hot in the summer heat.
Since everyone else on the road was sweating, she didn’t want to stand out, so she refrained from using her abilities.
She pulled out two bottles of soda, handed one to Xi Weilan, and took a big gulp from her own.
Xi Weilan didn’t drink immediately. Instead, she took out a tissue and wiped the sweat from her sister’s forehead. “Big Sister, I can help drive the cart too.”
Xi Qingyue smiled and waved her hand. “No need. We’ll eat something first, then you can rest inside the room. There’s no shade on this road, and the sun is brutal.”
Xi Weilan took the soda and drank heartily, a look of pure joy on her fair little face. This drink was her favorite.
About twenty meters away from their mule cart, another group was resting—the very same group they had encountered in the forest, led by the white-clad woman.
They were now staring at Xi Qingyue’s cart in confusion, feeling that the mule in front looked strangely familiar.
“Mistress, isn’t that mule the one from those two children? How did they suddenly get a cart? Were they robbed?” Luo Ling was puzzled. They hadn’t noticed the cart approach earlier, but now, upon turning their heads, they recognized the familiar mule.
The woman frowned. She didn’t think those two children would be easily robbed, but coming straight out of the deep mountains before reaching any town, they shouldn’t have had a cart.
She ordered someone beside her, “Go check. If they were robbed, ask where the two children are now.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Two guards obeyed and headed toward Xi Qingyue’s cart. However, a group of ruffians arrived before them.
These thugs regularly looted food from lone travelers or small groups on the road, never bothering to find their own supplies. People traveling in small numbers were terrified of them.
Seeing them approach the cart, the onlookers felt sorry for those inside, assuming they were about to lose their cart and provisions.
“You inside! Get out now and hand over the cart if you want to live,” a shifty-eyed man at the front of the group shouted arrogantly, his face dripping with smugness.
Behind him stood a dozen or so men of the same ilk, their greedy stares fixed on the cart.
They had been watching for a while: Xi Qingyue was driving the cart alone, without any companions. A mere child wasn’t worth fearing in their eyes.
Xi Qingyue had expected trouble, but not so soon—she hadn’t even finished her meal.
She lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage, revealing her tender face.
Standing atop the carriage, she looked at the troublemakers and spoke coldly. “I’ll give you one chance. Leave now, and I won’t kill you.”
Hearing this, the leading man burst into laughter, and the others joined in, mocking her apparent arrogance.
Not far away, the two guards—who had initially thought Xi Qingyue had been robbed and intended to ask about the children—were now uncertain whether to step forward or retreat. They had never seen Xi Qingyue in action.
Xi Qingyue’s hand had already crept to the hilt of her blade. With a swift motion, she drew her longsword and pointed it at the thugs. “Leave now, while you still can. I’ll count to three.”
The group laughed even louder at her words. The leading man leered at her, “You think waving a sword makes you tough? You don’t know when you’re dead.”
“One... two...” The men didn’t move, some even brandished their own machetes in defiance.
As soon as the word “three” left her lips, Xi Qingyue moved like a phantom. In an instant, she was among them, dancing like a butterfly and wielding her blade with the grace of a swimming dragon. In the span of a few breaths, the dozen or so men lay on the ground.
“Ahhh...”
“Murder! Run!”
Shrieks mixed with chaotic footsteps as many onlookers, terrified by her actions, abandoned their rest and fled.
Xi Qingyue calmly looked at the fallen bodies, using the tip of her sword to precisely extract silver coins from them. Then, silver in hand, she returned to the carriage.
She didn’t touch the food or water on the bodies; those in need would eventually claim them.
Luo Ling and the others were stunned by her ruthless efficiency. It took them a moment to recover.
Staring at the cart, Luo Ling couldn’t help but remark, “Mistress, I think your worry was unnecessary. With skills like hers, no ordinary person could take anything from her. It’s lucky she doesn’t rob others.”
The white-clad woman shook her head. “She wouldn’t rob people indiscriminately. We’ve crossed paths many times in the mountains, and she always treated us like we were invisible. If those men had left, she probably wouldn’t have killed them.”
Luo Ling was puzzled. “This is a main road, in broad daylight. She killed so many people—aren’t she afraid someone will report her to the authorities? That’s pretty harsh.”
The white-clad woman sighed. “Someone might report it, but such things are happening often lately. The authorities can’t keep up, and they might not even bother. If she hadn’t killed them, they would have come back, possibly with more men. Sometimes mercy isn’t the best choice.”
With that, she closed her eyes to rest.
Inside the cart, Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan spread out some food on the small table.
Xi Weilan pointed out the window. “Big Sister, I see that sister from the mountains. She’s come down the mountain too. I wonder if her injury is better.”
Xi Qingyue thought about the woman, who had always greeted them with a smile, never treating them as enemies despite them having injured her. She had decent character, all things considered.
After a moment’s thought, she took out some medicine, wrapped it in a small bundle, and tucked it into Xi Weilan’s arms. “Go if you want. It’s the same medicine I gave her before—she knows how to use it.”
“Thank you, Big Sister!” Xi Weilan, clutching the bundle, happily jumped off the cart and ran toward the white-clad woman.
“This is for you!” She stuffed the bundle into the woman’s arms.
The woman, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened them abruptly at the unexpected bundle.
Seeing the little girl before her, she broke into a smile. “Little girl, what’s this?”
“Big Sister’s medicine. She said it’s the same as before. Is your injury healed?” Xi Weilan’s eyes drifted to the woman’s leg as she spoke.
Beside her, Luo Ling’s eyes lit up at the word “medicine.” Medicine was exactly what they needed most—who knew when they might be wounded?
The white-clad woman patted her leg in front of Xi Weilan and even moved it around a bit. “See, my leg is healed now. You can rest easy.”
Hearing this, Xi Weilan’s face lit up with joy, her eyes crinkling into crescents. She nodded and was about to leave.
The woman suddenly asked curiously, “Little girl, where are you two headed?”
At that, Xi Weilan shook her head blankly. “I have no idea. Big Sister doesn’t know either.”
With that, she ran back to the mule cart without looking back and nimbly climbed inside.
After she left, the woman, shielded by her guards, opened the package.
Staring at the medicine for treating external injuries inside, she couldn’t help but wonder—was this in case she ran out of medicine, or was it prepared for future injuries? Could it be that her identity had been discovered?
