"Da Bai, all these around you are your own kind. Can you tell them to leave, please?"
Da Bai stretched lazily in Qi Nian's arms and let out a low howl in response.
Of course he could. Da Bai's ancestors were the famed Celestial Wolf Clan. Now that he was in the mortal world, he was practically the Wolf King himself.
Then, a long, commanding howl rang out. Everyone who heard it broke out in goosebumps.
The green eyes encircling them began to move under the moonlight, gradually thinning out until they all vanished beyond the hilltop.
The wolves were all gone, but of the several hundred people traveling through the night together, more than half had collapsed to the ground, their legs too weak to stand.
Those bold enough, and close enough to Qi Nian, came over to thank her and get a look at what they believed to be the Wolf King.
"Your wolf is truly formidable."
"Is the one holding the little wolf your wife? She's brave to raise a wolf!"
"You're so young and already have three kids?"
…
They asked all sorts of questions. Only Old Hu, the chatterbox, handled the people trying to cozy up to them.
Yao Chengyi didn't even grunt in response—especially when someone asked if the young woman holding the wolf was his wife. He nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Fortunately, under the cover of night, his expression wasn't too obvious. Otherwise, everyone would have known he was more terrifying than the wolf pack.
The three children were carefully placed back in the carriage to sleep. They hadn't woken once the entire time.
Qi Nian was about to put the wolf back in the carriage when Old Hu and Shen Lu eagerly stepped forward, both wanting to take the wolf to play with.
Yao Chengyi shot them a dagger of a glare. Well then—Old Hu and Shen Lu didn't dare anymore.
Qi Nian had a gut feeling that Yao Chengyi bore some grudge against her—a grudge so deep he wouldn't even let his servants get close to her. But after searching through the fragmented memories of her predecessor, she was certain she'd never offended anyone named Yao, had never even seen him before. Where could such a grudge come from?
Before she could figure out the grudge, a group of women, seeing that Qi Nian no longer held the wolf, boldly came up to chat.
"Sister, thank you so much. Otherwise, we'd all have been wolf food."
"Exactly. Sister, are you from Suicheng too? Fellow townsfolk!"
"Sister, sister, you have three kids? Is that your man? He doesn't seem easy to get along with…"
Not just not easy—extremely difficult.
No wait, he's not my man! Qi Nian wanted to explain, but she never got the chance to interject. One woman would say a few words, then the next would come and say a few more. All she could do was smile awkwardly and brush it off.
She just hoped that man hadn't heard one of the older women ask, "Is that your man?"
Unfortunately, Yao Chengyi had heard.
After the women finished their pleasantries and left, Yao Chengyi sidled up to Qi Nian and demanded in a low, gritted-teeth voice, "Why didn't you clarify that I'm not your man?"
"No chance to say anything. It doesn't matter what others think—I know you're not, and you never could be. With that sour face of yours, like someone dug up your ancestral grave, who'd want you anyway?"
"You—?!"
"What 'you'? Afraid I'll latch onto you? You're overthinking it."
Qi Nian could afford to be this bold because she wasn't scared anymore. Even if this Yao fellow wouldn't take her along, there was still a big crowd behind her. After tonight's events, at least that crowd wouldn't reject her.
Though Yao Chengyi and his two servants were skilled, they weren't indispensable anymore.
Seeing that Qi Nian and Yao Chengyi were about to clash, Old Hu quickly stepped in to mediate. "Master, Young Mistress Qi, if you're tired, you can squeeze into the carriage with the children. It's better than walking."
She was indeed tired. The ox cart was slow anyway, and as long as she could fit half her rear on the edge, she could sit steady. Worst case, she'd face outward with her legs dangling over the side.
And so, Qi Nian squeezed onto the cart.
Yao Chengyi would rather draw a clear line between himself and Qi Nian—no way was he squeezing in. Old Hu, having good sense, didn't ask again and simply drove the cart on.
Qi Nian sat backward on the cart's edge. Under the moonlight, she found herself face to face with Yao Chengyi. Though he'd deliberately smeared mud all over his face, his features were still clearly defined—she could tell that once washed clean, he'd probably look fairly presentable.
That profile really did look a lot like Xiao Chen.
Noticing Qi Nian staring at him, Yao Chengyi moved to the other side of the carriage to avoid facing her. Out of sight, out of mind.
Qi Nian once again wondered if her or her deceased adoptive parents had unknowingly dug up the Yao family's ancestral grave. Otherwise, why would she be so unwelcome?
From night until noon, the group of several hundred led by the Yao family found an abandoned village to rest in. Families gathered under big trees or against walls to escape the midday sun.
Qi Nian leaned half-reclined against a low wall, the three children in her arms and the little wolf at her feet.
Yao Chengyi, Old Hu, and Shen Lu had also found a shaded spot to rest. Suddenly, the sound of clattering hoofbeats came. The three men opened their eyes simultaneously and exchanged glances.
Old Hu pointed at Qi Nian.
Yao Chengyi reluctantly walked over, pressed both palms into the dirt for mud, and added another layer to his already unrecognizable face before leaning against Qi Nian, feigning sleep.
Five riders on five horses arrived, searching from different directions, working from the outside in. They were looking specifically for young, single men.
The sound of footsteps approached from afar. Yao Chengyi naturally reached one hand around Qi Nian's waist to grab one of the children's shoulders, looking more like a family of five than an actual family of five.
The five men didn't notice the people they were looking for and quickly left.
Once they were far away, the hand on Qi Nian's waist was abruptly withdrawn.
"Those men were looking for you?"
Yao Chengyi gave no response.
"You can't even say thank you after using someone? You're worse than a three-year-old!"
Yao Chengyi felt that his actions just now had been extremely awkward. He turned and walked toward the empty area by the hillside, because if he stayed there, either that woman would infuriate him to death, or he would strangle her to death.
Qi Nian didn't expect a response from someone so sparing with his words. She only wondered inwardly—they were fleeing famine, and yet someone still wanted him dead enough to come finish the job. So what kind of identity did this man surnamed Yao have?
To stay alive, she'd better keep her distance from someone like him. She absolutely would not travel with them to the next city.
"Little miss, please save us, save our girl!"
"What's wrong?"
Several old women hurried toward Qi Nian.
"Those men on horseback came back—they're stealing grain and taking girls…"
Upon hearing that the horsemen had returned, Old Hu and Shen Lu clenched their fists.
They hadn't killed those five men earlier because they didn't want to attract more assassins. But now the villains were committing crimes right before their eyes. Old Hu and Shen Lu hesitated—should they kill or not?
The old women were perceptive. They could tell that Old Hu and Shen Lu were household servants who wouldn't act without their master's orders. So they knelt before Qi Nian.
"Little miss, please save our people. You drove away so many wolves—you must have great abilities to save our family…"
Stealing grain was one thing, but stealing girls was worse than beasts. Qi Nian looked at Old Hu and Shen Lu.
"I'll follow the missus's orders."
"Me too."
Were these two out of their minds? Who was their missus? Qi Nian didn't bother correcting them, though—saving the girls was more important.
"You two go. If Third Master blames anyone when he returns, I'll take responsibility." Qi Nian couldn't stand scum who harmed women.
Old Hu and Shen Lu had been waiting for exactly those words.
Over there, more than twenty people armed with hoes and kitchen knives were going up against five professional killers—they were just offering themselves up as fodder.
Several were already seriously injured.