Qi Nian's hands itched to pick up another child, but her mind reminded her she couldn't.
The two left behind by the original owner were her responsibility and couldn't be avoided. As for others' children, why invite trouble for herself? Having thought it through, Qi Nian took the two little ones and walked around the child.
But Xiao Xi couldn't move her feet.
"Mother, can we bring the little brother along?" Xiao Xi looked up and asked in a small voice.
"Mother can't bring him. If we can't walk anymore later, Mother won't know what to do." Xiao Chen immediately objected.
Was this cheap son of hers really this clear-headed?
Qi Nian rubbed the few strands of yellow hair on his head, feeling quite pleased.
"Mother…" Xiao Xi was acting spoiled now. What if she really wanted to bring this little brother along?
Qi Nian had never even dated in the modern world before being dragged into the Cultivation Realm by the Heavenly Dao. After spending so many years in the Immortal Realm, she had long forged a cold and indifferent temperament. Besides, she didn't even know if she could keep her own children alive—how could she add more trouble to herself?
But she took two extra glances at that child. Just two glances, and she unexpectedly softened toward a child who looked so much like her cheap son.
Xiao Xi tugged at her hand again, refusing to move. Qi Nian hesitated for a moment, then took out the gourd of water, pulled out the stopper, and brought it to the child's lips. "Have some water."
The child looked up, glanced at Xiao Chen and Xiao Xi who were the same size as him, then his gaze landed on Qi Nian.
Sensing Qi Nian's goodwill, the child took the gourd and gulped it down.
"Mother, don't let him drink so much! If he drinks it all, we won't have any left!"
Xiao Chen reached out to snatch the gourd back—that was the water for him, his mother, and his sister.
"Let him drink. Mother can find more water later, don't worry."
"Brother, Mother said there's still water."
Xiao Xi, the spendthrift girl, didn't begrudge the water at all, blindly trusting that if her mother said there was more, there was more.
If not for the inexhaustible Spirit Spring in the Secret Realm, Qi Nian wouldn't have done something so saintly either. She also thought that since this was Spirit Spring water, after drinking his fill, the child could hold out for at least half a day. Maybe the child's family would come back for him.
For the sake of the child looking like her cheap son, Qi Nian could only do this much.
While the mother and children were talking, the child drank nearly half the gourd of water, only stopping when he started hiccupping.
The child was done drinking. Qi Nian took the gourd back and put it away, then took the two children's hands. "Let's go."
If she could help it, Qi Nian wouldn't be able to ignore a three-year-old child out in the wilderness. But right now, she couldn't even guarantee she could look after the two she had.
When others fled, the better-off ones had horse-drawn or ox-drawn carts to carry their belongings. The worse-off ones at least had handcarts. The original owner had also made a hand-pushed wooden cart to hold pots, pans, bowls, and all sorts of miscellaneous items, with room for the two children to sit. But by the time Qi Nian woke up, the wooden cart and everything on it had been stolen.
The food and cooking utensils were gone, leaving only a small bundle slung over her shoulder.
Qi Nian held a child by each hand and trudged along.
Behind them, the child stumbled to follow.
Qi Nian happened to look back and spotted the child. She unconsciously slowed her pace.
"Mother, there's a bad guy!"
"Waaah…"
Qi Nian heard the child crying loudly behind her. She turned around and saw the child being carried off tucked under a burly man's arm.
The man muttered to himself, "This kid's tender. If I can't finish him, I can pickle him and eat him for a few days. Not bad, not bad."
He was picking up the child as food? This kind of inhuman atrocity—Qi Nian couldn't tolerate it.
Qi Nian told Xiao Chen and Xiao Xi to wait by the roadside. She took out the Black Iron Dagger from the Secret Realm Space and charged forward, stabbing hard at the arm of the man carrying the child. "Put my son down!"
The man had thought he'd found an unclaimed child to eat, but he didn't expect the child's mother to come charging at him. He didn't want to lose his life over a bite of meat, so he quickly dropped the child and dodged the strike.
Worried the child might get hurt from the fall, Qi Nian swiftly scooped up the thrown child.
"Damn woman, you're asking for death!"
"Snatching my son in broad daylight—you're the one asking for death!"
The big man lunged to grab Qi Nian's dagger. She twisted her wrist, slashing a long gash across his arm in one motion, then raised her leg and delivered a full-force kick for good measure.
Qi Nian no longer had Magical Power from the Cultivation Realm, but her fighting techniques were still in her head—more than enough to scare off a few ordinary people.
This woman was clearly trained. The big man weighed his options, knew he couldn't win, and walked off cursing.
The child was saved, and the mother-and-children trio gained another little bean sprout.
"I'm Xiao Xi, and my brother is Xiao Chen. What about you?" Xiao Xi asked the new little friend.
Xiao Chen pouted at his sister in dissatisfaction. Always meddling!
"Xiao Rui." Two words popped out of the child's mouth.
"Then I'll call you Xiao Rui!" Xiao Xi took Xiao Rui's hand, acting as close as could be.
So you two have become good friends, but Qi Nian was worrying herself sick. Three children—in the eyes of starving people, that was like three delicious little lambs. She was afraid she couldn't protect them.
To survive, they had to stick together.
Qi Nian led the three children, deliberately moving close to a small group of families traveling together. But the moment she got near, they chased her away.
Before the safety issue was even resolved, Qi Nian heard a big commotion behind her.
"Run, run fast! The pursuers are coming!"
"Father of my child, you run first—they're grabbing men for the army…"
"What are you dawdling for? You want to be hauled off to camp and ruined?"
Some men cursed their wives for being too slow, some women and old folks urged their husbands to flee first, and children wailed in terror…
In an instant, the whole road was in chaos.
Qi Nian worried that the three children might be knocked down and trampled, so she could only retreat to the roadside and let others run ahead.
"Mother, let's run too!" Xiao Chen tugged at Qi Nian's clothes, afraid his mother would be caught.
"Mother, I'm so scared~" Xiao Xi clung tightly to Qi Nian's leg, her little feet lifting off the ground as she scrambled to climb up.
Xiao Rui shot Xiao Chen a contemptuous look, then said to Xiao Xi, "Don't be afraid—my dad, Old Hu, and Uncle Shen will beat up the bad guys."
"Where's your dad? Go find your dad, why are you sticking with us?"
"Big brother, you can't bully Xiao Rui."
"I wasn't bullying him."
"Hmph!"
Qi Nian had no time to deal with the three children bickering. There was indeed the sound of hooves, and it seemed to be not far behind. She quickly tore one of the garments from her bundle into several straps, hung two children on her back, and carried one child plus the bundle in front.
Running for her life with three children on her, her legs were about to give out when the sound of hooves finally faded.
She kept carrying the children until dark, and at the foot of a mountain, many people were resting by the roadside. Qi Nian found a spot and set the three children down.
Others were steaming dried rations or cooking porridge. Qi Nian had no food, so she could only give the children water.
"Mother, I'm hungry—I want fruit~"
"I want some too!"
Xiao Xi and Xiao Chen were thinking about the fruit.
Qi Nian looked around, saw no one was paying attention, and took out four pears—one for each.
"Eat quickly, don't let anyone see."
The three little ones nodded and chomped away.
Though no one seemed to be watching, the crisp crunch of each bite was loud enough that others couldn't possibly have missed it.
A child of seven or eight rushed over, snatched the pear from Xiao Xi's hand, and ran off, leaving her wailing in tears.
Having carried three children for half a day, Qi Nian was exhausted. Did she have the strength to charge over and argue with someone? Not a chance. One pear stolen was just that—she comforted Xiao Xi and gave her another.
Xiao Rui couldn't stand seeing Xiao Xi robbed. He charged over like a little bull and butted the bigger child who'd taken the pear, sending him sprawling on his back.
The boy didn't run after knocking him over—he stood there with his hands on his hips, glaring triumphantly.
The child's father ran over and yanked the pear-snatcher up from the ground. After hearing his son's complaint, the burly man scowled fiercely and raised his hand to strike Xiao Rui's head. "You little bastard, you hurt my son—you're asking for death!"