Xi Qingyue's decision to separate the mule cart confused many people. Releasing the mule's restraints in the dead of night—weren't they afraid it would run away?
The people in the caravan ahead were desperate to keep someone watching their horses, terrified they might be stolen in the night. None of them would dare do what she had done.
She had Tafeng stand guard by the cart while she took a round cushion from inside, placed it outside, and sat cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation. Her crossblade lay beside her.
At that moment, Xi Qingyue was deliberating: should she kill at night with a blade or a gun? After a brief thought, she decided on the blade.
She sat in meditation, absorbing the moon's essence to cultivate her powers, as if shutting out everything around her.
Scarface and his gang wanted to curse at her for her earlier actions. That mule would soon belong to them—if it escaped during the night raid, it would be a huge loss.
He pointed at two men and gave them strict instructions: "Your job tonight is to watch that mule. Don't let it run away."
"Yes, boss, don't worry. We'll make sure it can't escape even with wings."
Having arranged everything, Scarface began to rest, waiting for the moment to strike.
Dealing with a couple of kids should have been a simple snatch-and-grab, but he was always cautious by nature. He feared that if he moved too early, others might rush in to loot as well. He decided to wait until the Chou hour—when everyone was deep asleep—to make his move.
After a long day's travel, people were exhausted. They lay down and quickly fell asleep, most clutching their bundles tight. The larger groups had night watchmen, but they only guarded their own people's belongings.
At the exact start of the Chou hour, Scarface and his men moved. They crept quietly toward Xi Qingyue.
Not far from her, the group of the White-clad woman was resting. Two guards on watch saw them move and immediately woke the others.
The woman said calmly to Luo Ling and her companions, "Deal with them. Don't let them wake anyone."
The moment she finished speaking, Xi Qingyue's eyes snapped open.
She still wanted to see Tafeng's fighting skills—she couldn't let these people ruin that.
She drew her crossblade and stood up, shouting to the mule, "Tafeng, attack!"
Hearing her command, Tafeng charged out joyfully. Before Scarface could even reach Xi Qingyue, he encountered the mule rushing at him fiercely. Tafeng reared up and slammed its front hooves forward, catching Scarface off guard and kicking him to the ground, then trampling hard on his chest.
Blood gushed from Scarface's mouth with a "pfft." Before he could react, Xi Qingyue was already at his side. With one swing of her blade, a red line appeared across his neck, and he was dead in an instant.
"Boss!"
The gang members who had followed were stunned into silence by the sudden turn of events. Even the guards who had come to help stopped in their tracks.
People who had been fast asleep were now jolted awake by the shouting, all turning to look at the source of the noise.
As Xi Qingyue was cutting down one man, Tafeng had already turned toward another target. The mule had only one goal: spirit spring water. Each man meant one bowl of it.
"Damned mule, you're dead!" Triangle Eyes raised his machete and swung furiously at Tafeng.
Tafeng sidestepped nimbly, dodging the blow, then reared up and kicked out, sending Triangle Eyes crashing to the ground in pain, clutching his stomach.
The next instant, Xi Qingyue's crossblade was at his throat. A graceful arc flashed, and the man was dead in an instant, his eyes wide open in disbelief.
Xi Qingyue didn't actively attack the rest of the men but focused on dodging, while watching Tafeng show off its might.
Some were knocked over by front hooves, others by hind kicks. Some were rammed head-on by the mule's solid body. By every means possible, Tafeng charged through the crowd, sending men sprawling. Xi Qingyue followed behind, finishing them off with her blade.
One fell, she cut one down—like she was just picking up the leftovers.
Whenever the men swung their machetes angrily at Tafeng, it dodged with lightning speed, as if it were no ordinary mule at all.
In less than half a quarter-hour, all twenty-plus men lay dead on the ground. It didn't even take half a ke.
Tafeng trotted happily back to Xi Qingyue, raised its head, and brayed. Then it stomped one hoof on the ground, proudly indicating that all the bodies were its work.
Xi Qingyue patted its head with a smile. "Good. A deal's a deal. Wait a moment—let me clean up first."
Tafeng obediently walked back to the cart, its gentle demeanor nothing like the fierce creature from moments ago.
Xi Qingyue glanced at the bodies on the ground. She grabbed one man in each hand and headed toward a large boulder in the distance.
The crowd, woken in the dead of night by the commotion, stood frozen, stunned by the sight of a kid and a mule killing people. Now, watching her haul a full-grown man in each hand as if they weighed nothing, they couldn't speak.
No one dared say a word about the killings. They barely dared to breathe. Even those who had once considered robbing her mule cart now abandoned the thought, cold sweat drenching their backs.
Luo Ling and her companions, who had been ready to help, were also amazed by the mule's ferocity. Seeing Xi Qingyue disposing of the bodies, they quickly stepped forward to carry the rest behind the big boulder.
After that, they wasted no time and swiftly returned to their mistress's side.
Hidden by the boulder, Xi Qingyue collected all the valuables from the bodies. She then took out gasoline, splashed a little on each corpse, and flicked a lighter. Flames shot into the sky.
In the summer heat, dead bodies could easily spread disease—especially those of men who had eaten who knows what. She figured she'd do everyone a favor and eliminate the potential hazard.
The sight of the fire shocked everyone once more. That kid was ruthless—killing men and not even leaving them intact.
Those who had come out to watch quickly retreated to their own spots, terrified she might return and start swinging her blade.
Xi Qingyue looked down at the bloodstains on her clothes, but a smile spread across her face. Tafeng had really come through. If she trained it regularly, it might even become mightier than a warhorse.
She turned and walked back. As she passed the White-clad woman and her group, she paused for a moment and said, "Thank you."
Even though she hadn't needed their help, she still owed them a word of thanks.
The White-clad woman smiled gently. "No need. We didn't do much."
Returning to the cart, Xi Qingyue approached Tafeng and chuckled. "Looks like you're a greedy one too."
She glanced around. Most people had already gone back to sleep. The few still awake couldn't see clearly at this distance.
Carefully, she took a basin of water from inside the cart and set it down by Tafeng's feet.
Seeing so much spirit spring water, Tafeng lowered its head and drank greedily. It downed two full basins before stopping. Only after it had finished did Xi Qingyue put the empty basin back into the cart.
Afterward, she re-hitched the cart, climbed inside, and slipped into her space with a flicker.
She took a shower, tossed her clothes into the washing machine, and then slept in the space. No one would dare trouble her anymore tonight.
The next morning, Xi Qingyue got up, had breakfast, and returned to the cart from her space.
She got out of the carriage and stretched, looking refreshed as if last night's events had nothing to do with her.
Some of the displaced people who had seen her kill last night immediately took a detour when they saw her. No one among those resting here regarded her as a child anymore.
Even if she was a child, she was a cold - blooded killer, and she also had a fierce mule. No one dared to provoke her.
She fed some food to Tafeng and then drove the carriage to continue moving forward. She wanted to drive faster when there were fewer people on the road in the morning.
Against the morning sunlight, Xi Qingyue drove the mule - drawn carriage at a speed comparable to that of a horse - drawn carriage. Many people on both sides of the road were still busy cooking porridge and having breakfast, and there were very few people traveling on the road at this time.
It wasn't until half an hour later that the number of people on the road gradually increased.
This time, Xi Qingyue didn't stop all the way. She only occasionally slowed down to drink some spiritual spring water.
Most of the people from last night had been left behind by her. Her next destination was Liang City.
