When Xi Qingyue entered the dense forest, many people were already resting there.
The forest stretched directly to the foot of the mountain, with some people heading into the woods together to find water or food, and bolder individuals venturing deeper to hunt.
Xi Qingyue drove the cart to a relatively secluded corner and stopped.
Since there were too many people, she didn’t plan to store the cart in her space. She decided to leave it parked here and wait until nightfall, when the official road was less crowded, to set off again. They were crawling along at a snail’s pace anyway.
Once they stopped, the two of them climbed into the carriage. Xi Qingyue laid out some pastries and drinks on the table, then picked up a cup of sugarcane juice and started drinking.
Xi Weilan grabbed a bottle of orange juice, drinking as she lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. “Big Sister, a lot of people followed us in here. They’re not going to rob us, are they?”
Xi Qingyue gave a faint smile. “It’s fine. If they dare, let them come.”
While they rested in the carriage, a group of people gathered to hatch a plan.
A thin-faced man was the first to propose his idea. “They’re just two kids. We can snatch the cart outright and take turns riding in it. We’ll split everything inside evenly, and we can sell the little ones for silver.”
The moment he finished, a square-faced man shook his head. “Too many people around here. We need a different approach—too many eyes are on them. Let’s lure them away instead. They’re children, so we’ll trick them. If trickery fails, we’ll create chaos. When everyone’s attention is elsewhere, grab the cart and go.”
“Alright, let’s do it that way.”
Others had similar ideas but didn’t want to resort to open robbery. Once fighting broke out, everyone would join in, and the chaos would make success difficult. Everyone wanted to quietly take down the two girls without losing any of their own men.
Inside, Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan carried on as if nothing was wrong, eating pastries and sipping drinks, each lounging in a spot, perfectly at ease.
A quarter of an hour later, sudden shouts erupted outside the cart. “Oh my god! Someone’s collapsed! Help! Someone come quick!”
Hearing this, Xi Weilan sat up and peered through the curtain. A boy of about five or six lay fallen right in front of their cart.
She turned to Xi Qingyue. “Big Sister, it looks like someone fainted in front of our cart.”
Xi Qingyue nodded blandly. “Mm. If they fainted, they fainted. We’re not doctors. Their family will take care of them. Just sit and watch the show with me.”
Outside the cart, a woman was wailing over the boy, clutching him. “My son! Oh, my son, don’t scare your mother! If something happens to you, what will I do?”
Just then, a voice rang out. “Everyone, move aside. I’m a doctor. Let me take a look.”
At the words, the crowd quickly parted.
An old man with white hair and a white beard stepped forward. He knelt down, felt the boy’s pulse, and slowly spoke. “Your son is fine—just overheated. If someone gives him a sip of water and finds him a shaded place to rest for a while, he should be okay.”
Hearing this, the woman rolled her eyes and shouted loudly toward the carriage. “Please, kind benefactor, let my boy rest in your cart for just a moment! Just a little while! Once he wakes, we’ll leave right away!”
Someone nearby chimed in. “Exactly! Saving a life is a good deed. Besides, it’s just letting him rest for a bit.”
“Yeah, you’re resting anyway. Letting a child rest for a while is no big deal.”
When there was still no response from the carriage, the woman grew more agitated. “The benefactor must have no objections. Thank you so much for your help!”
With that, she started to carry the boy toward the carriage. A square-faced man who had spoken earlier wore a smug expression, looking as if his plan was about to succeed.
He reached out to lift the curtain. As he peeled back a corner, a gleaming sword swung out, slashing across the man’s neck in an instant. Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering the faces of those nearby.
“Ah...”
“Murder! Someone, help! There’s been a murder!”
The noise drew everyone’s attention. The woman holding the boy turned deathly pale, staring in disbelief at the corpse beside her. The boy in her arms suddenly “woke” up, scrambled to his feet, and ran over to the fallen square-faced man, collapsing beside him and wailing, “Dad! Wake up, Dad...”
Before anyone nearby could make sense of what was happening, the group surrounding the cart drew the large knives from their waists and encircled it.
The next moment, Xi Qingyue pushed aside the curtain and stepped out, holding a submachine gun.
Her gaze was icy as she looked at the ring of men around the cart. “Are you going to rob me outright?”
“Hmph, you damn girl! You killed one of ours—now go and keep him company in death!”
A long-faced man raised his broad knife and charged at her. He had taken no more than two steps when a bullet hole appeared in his forehead, and he crumpled to the ground.
Xi Qingyue didn’t stop. She swept the submachine gun in an arc, mowing down the encircling group, and they all fell into pools of blood—except for the boy still kneeling by the square-faced man.
The boy stared at her with burning hatred and resentment, his voice vicious. “Just wait! When I grow up, I’ll kill you to avenge my family. If I don’t, I swear I’m not human!”
No sooner had he spoken than a bullet hole appeared in his forehead.
Before he died, all he heard was a cold, indifferent voice: “Then don’t grow up.”
Everyone was frozen in shock. They could hardly believe what they had just seen.
A girl of seven or eight had killed a group of men, and even a child younger than herself.
After the killings, Xi Qingyue jumped off the cart and patted down the bodies, pocketing their valuables. She then walked calmly back into the carriage.
Ta Feng, her mule, hadn’t budged the whole time—unlike a horse, it hadn’t panicked. It remained utterly unflappable, pulling the cart away from the corpses on its own.
Everyone drew in a sharp breath. One by one, they hurriedly moved far away from her cart, as if fleeing from two plagues.
Back in the carriage, Xi Qingyue used her earth-based ability to eavesdrop on conversations nearby. One group still wasn’t deterred. Instead of being frightened by the killings, they were even more excited—and they’d set their sights on the submachine gun she carried.
This group showed more patience, holding back and scheming about a different plan.
Xi Qingyue could only sigh at the complexity of human nature in this harsh world. Some feared death; others were recklessly determined to meet it anyway.
Their dialogue was as clear to her as if they were speaking right beside her. “Kids are all greedy eaters—especially the youngest, just two or three years old. Later, we’ll roast some meat in front of them. I refuse to believe the smell of meat won’t lure that little runt out. Once we grab the small one as a hostage, their hidden weapons won’t matter—they’ll have no choice but to surrender.”
“But what if she doesn’t care about the little one’s life? Then those hidden weapons will rain down on us, and we’re done for.”
"What's there to fear? Just push the little one in front of us. She wouldn't dare lay a hand on her own sister, would she?"
Xi Qingyue's gaze turned icy cold as she listened to these people's whispers. She no longer wanted to wait—this time, she planned to take the initiative.
She swapped the magazine in her submachine gun for a fresh one, then pulled out another pistol and handed it to Xi Weilan.
"Lan'er, come with Big Sister. We're going to hunt down some bandits."
