Xi Qingyue didn’t know much about Liang City, but she wanted to buy some more cooked food in the city. Snacks for the road were essential.
She wasn’t short on supplies—she had her space to store things—but more was always better. After all, she had no intention of cooking during the journey.
Once she started cooking, the smell of meat would surely attract trouble. Even without cooking, people still tried to rob her, but there was a difference.
She wasn’t bored out of her mind. With food stored in her space, why would she pretend to boil plain porridge? The refugees on the road changed constantly; who would care whether she cooked or not? Of course she’d eat well.
Suddenly, she sensed Xi Weilan waking up in her space and pulled the mule cart to the side of the road.
She lifted the curtain, entered the carriage, and vanished into her space, appearing instantly inside the room.
“Big Sister, I can dress myself,” Xi Weilan said happily, rushing over as she saw her.
Xi Qingyue smiled and countered, “Oh? Can you comb your hair too? And remember the last time you put your shirt on backward?”
Xi Weilan’s little face reddened with embarrassment. “Big Sister, that was an accident. I’ll learn to do it myself from now on.”
“Alright, but there’s no rush. You’re only three now. Since Mom is gone, Big Sister is still here.” Xi Qingyue gently tousled her hair, then helped her dress and comb it.
At the mention of their mother, Xi Weilan’s eyes reddened, and tears fell. “Big Sister, I miss Mom.”
Xi Qingyue picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. Setting her down in front of the sink, she said softly, “After you wash up, let’s eat first. Then we’ll go to Mom’s grave, and you can talk to her.”
Xi Weilan nodded eagerly. “Mm-hmm, I’ll go talk to Mom later.”
Watching her obediently wash her face, Xi Qingyue felt that moving the grave into her space had been the right choice. Letting the child visit and talk to her mother now and then would ease her heartache.
The mule cart remained idle by the roadside, puzzling the passing refugees.
The merchant convoy’s carriage soon caught up. When they spotted the mule cart, they recognized the fierce-looking mule from the night before.
They were merely curious for a moment before pressing on. They wouldn’t easily provoke the mule’s owner.
On a famine-stricken road, death was common. Someone like Xi Qingyue, decisive and ruthless, was not someone they’d dare to cross.
Before the entire convoy had passed, Xi Qingyue came out of the carriage, followed by Xi Weilan.
Xi Weilan carried a small cloth bag slung across her shoulder, a little pistol tucked at her waist, and a lollipop in her mouth.
Xi Qingyue urged the mule forward as the little one sat obediently beside her, sucking on the candy and curiously glancing around.
“Big Sister, can we get into the city without a travel permit?”
“Don’t worry. Not everyone checks for travel permits when entering the city. Few people actually have them. We have our household registration; that’s enough.”
Most city gate guards didn’t check every person. With so many people entering and leaving daily—mostly locals—they rarely needed travel permits. Only suspicious individuals were stopped and questioned.
Now, with war raging and refugees everywhere, who still had travel permits? Having household registration was already good enough.
Some cities might refuse refugees entry, but most still allowed them to enter.
After traveling for an hour, the crowd grew thicker, and the official road became even more congested. The sun blazed down like a furnace.
When they reached a small crossroads ahead, Xi Qingyue stopped the cart by a side path and returned to the carriage with Xi Weilan.
“Lan’er, the heat is unnatural. You’d better stay inside. You can still keep me company in here. If you want to sit outside, you can join me during the cooler mornings and evenings.”
As she spoke, she took out a watermelon, cut it open, and handed half with a spoon to Xi Weilan. “Here. Eat, then we’ll rest a bit before moving on.”
“Okay, Big Sister.” Xi Weilan nodded obediently, took the spoon, and quietly began eating.
Xi Qingyue herself wasn’t bothered by the heat. The beaded moisture on her forehead wasn’t sweat but a layer of ice water she had condensed using her water-element ability. After cooling off, she could dry it instantly with her wind-element power.
Previously, when Xi Weilan sat beside her, she had shared that cooling effect, but there was no need to keep the child outside forever.
After they finished the watermelon, Xi Qingyue placed some building blocks, snacks, and drinks on the table in the carriage, along with a straw mat over the seat.
“Play with these for now, or lie down and rest if you’re tired.”
When Xi Qingyue left the carriage and resumed the journey, the merchant convoy had long since disappeared. The faces on the road changed continuously; none were familiar.
But all the passersby shared one thing in common: they stared at her mule cart and at her.
A middle-aged man walked up to her, rudely calling out, “Hey, girl. I’ll give you ten taels of silver. Let us ride your cart to Liang City. How about it?”
Xi Qingyue glanced over at him.
Beside the man were a group of women and seven or eight children. Behind them, over a dozen guards stood around. He was clearly some wealthy lord or fugitive official fleeing with his household.
“Not happening. My cart is too small.”
Xi Qingyue refused him flatly and urged the mule to speed up, overtaking them. She feared they might try to take the cart by force.
In broad daylight, she didn’t want to see blood again. It smelled nasty.
A plume of dust rose as they sped off. The middle-aged man spat dirt from his mouth, cursing loudly.
“Damn girl! If you won’t let us ride, fine! But why rush off like that? Think I’d eat you alive or something?”
His face twisted with displeasure. A woman beside him soothed him, “Master, she’s just a young girl. All of us here must have scared her. She’s probably afraid we’ll steal her cart.”
The mention of stealing made his expression even darker. They had woken up this morning to find their cart and food gone. If not for the silver coins they’d hidden on them, they’d have gone hungry today.
Seething, he turned to the dozen guards and barked, “Useless idiots! Can’t even guard a single cart. A bunch of fools...”
The guards lowered their heads, silently enduring his tirade. The lead guard sneered faintly before quickly masking it.
After venting until he was satisfied, the man angrily resumed walking. The lead guard signaled the others and followed.
Xi Qingyue had no interest in their group. She pushed the mule as fast as possible, hoping to reach Liang City before dark.
But just ten-odd miles from Liang City, at a fork in the official road, hoofbeats thundered, accompanied by arrogant shouts:
“Brothers, open your eyes wide! Don’t let a single cart or beast slip by. Leave everything for us!”
Xi Qingyue, resting by the roadside, was the first to spot the riders approaching. At the lead, a burly man with a curly beard was roaring with laughter, a broadsword in hand, while the dozens of people on horseback behind him joined in the laughter. On foot, dozens more followed, forming a group of over a hundred that charged straight ahead to rob.
The merchant convoy resting ahead of her found themselves surrounded in an instant by the bandits who had burst forth, throwing the road into chaotic disarray.
