"Everyone, stay back!"
Once Old Hu and Shen Lu made their move, they left no survivors. The two seized a pair of kitchen knives from the crowd, swinging them with fierce whistling strokes—clean, precise, and utterly ruthless.
Those assassins weren't actually that weak; it was simply that Old Hu and Shen Lu were truly formidable. Moreover, since Old Hu and Shen Lu didn't want any of them to have the chance to speak in front of so many people, they went all out from the very start, finishing off the enemies as quickly as possible.
The two of them took down five men as easily as slaughtering chickens, leaving everyone present stunned speechless.
"What are you standing around for? Search them for anything valuable and split it with the grain on the horses."
"How do we divide the horses?"
"Yeah, what about the horses?"
Several farmhands stared at the horses, their eyes gleaming green with greed. These were horses, after all—one horse was worth dozens of taels of silver.
"I'll take two for myself. The remaining three, divide them however you like."
When Old Hu said this, a few men looked displeased and wanted to step forward to object, but their chief grabbed them and held them back.
"Chief, isn't their share a bit much?"
Chief Zhao shot a glare at the men behind him, then cupped his hands in salute to Old Hu and Shen Lu. "Thank you both for your help. All of these things belong to you two—we can't take them."
That old fox knew how to play his cards right. Old Hu pretended not to notice the valuables and grain, but these were war horses, and he truly hated to part with them. Yet thinking ahead to the road with scarce water and food, these horses would need fodder and grain to feed—even water would be a problem. He wasn't even sure he could keep two alive.
"We helped, and we'll only take what we're owed. Your people also put in effort and got hurt—divide the rest among yourselves."
With that, Old Hu and Shen Lu each led a horse away without ceremony.
Chief Zhao then came again with the affected families to express their thanks—though "thanks" was really just a way to curry favor. Chief Zhao and the heads of each household brought eggs, brown sugar, and coarse grain. In times like these, being willing to part with food as gifts showed genuine sincerity.
Qi Nian accepted without hesitation.
Ever since Qi Nian discovered water in the river, the several hundred members of the Zhao clan had thought she was lucky and followed along to share in her fortune. At night, when her Da Bai drove off the wolf pack, most people figured she was just lucky enough to have raised a spiritual wolf.
But now, having witnessed Old Hu and Shen Lu's skills firsthand, the Zhao clan truly recognized this family's capabilities—following them meant guaranteed safety on the road.
There was no denying it—Chief Zhao was shrewd as could be.
Qi Nian exchanged pleasantries with them and shared some basic information before the sun began to sink toward the west.
No sooner had Chief Zhao and his people walked away than Old Hu sidled up to Qi Nian.
"Young Mistress Qi, I'd like to discuss something with you."
"Go ahead."
"It's like this—our Third Master has gotten himself into some trouble and is being pursued. I was wondering if you could pretend to be husband and wife with him along the way to cover for him? That way we can avoid further complications." Actually, you two already share a marital bond, but of course, Old Hu didn't dare say that.
"Your Third Master isn't married? Then what about Xiao Rui?" That was Qi Nian's understanding—otherwise, why pretend to be married?
"This is supposed to be a secret, but you're different. Actually, Xiao Rui is the Master's nephew."
Old Hu certainly couldn't say Xiao Rui was Yao Chengyi's illegitimate son, could he? So he'd say nephew instead. Nephews often resemble their uncles, and an uncle raising his nephew as his own son—nothing wrong with that.
Whether Xiao Rui was Yao Chengyi's son or nephew, she didn't care. And she didn't quite believe Old Hu's story either.
"Since all the men are dead, they won't come again, right?"
"That's hard to say."
Even if no one was pursuing them anymore, Old Hu still wanted to play matchmaker between his master and Qi Nian. Though there was no proof yet that the three children shared the same mother, based on his decades of medical experience and insight, he was eighty or ninety percent certain.
"What's in it for me if I help you?"
"Plenty of benefits. With the Master and us around, you and your three children will be absolutely safe on this journey."
"I can agree, but I want to know what your Master's identity is. Also, did I know him before? If not, where does his hatred toward me come from?"
"You probably didn't know him. That's just how our Master is—it's not directed at you specifically. He's cold and aloof with everyone. As for his identity, I can see you're a clever woman, Young Mistress Qi. Some things, the less you know, the better."
"Then tell me, how should I cooperate?"
"Very simple. Have your children call him 'Father,' and pretend to be a married couple along the way."
"I can agree, but you have to guarantee the safety of me and my two children, and you have to pay me silver."
"Deal."
Qi Nian didn't absolutely need to know his identity. As long as she confirmed she'd never known this Yao fellow before and there was no grudge between them, that was enough. She didn't have more than a few copper coins on her whole body right now, so of course she'd take silver if she could get it.
With Qi Nian agreeing, Old Hu went to work on Yao Chengyi's mindset.
No one knew how Old Hu finally managed to persuade the cold-faced demon, but he dragged Yao Chengyi back to Qi Nian.
The three children, half-asleep and groggy, looked up at their father (uncle) standing ramrod straight. What's wrong with Father (Uncle) and Mother?
"Xiao Rui'er, from now on, you'll call her Mother. Xiao Chen, Xiao Xi, you two will call your uncle Daddy, got it?"
Xiao Rui's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Xiao Rui liked this mother—liked her from the very first glance.
Xiao Chen and Xiao Xi hesitated. At three years old, they vaguely understood that a "daddy" was someone bound together with a mother, not someone you could just claim casually.
"Mother, is what Grandpa Old Hu said true?" Xiao Xi tugged at her mother's hand and asked.
"Mother, I don't agree." Xiao Chen voiced his opinion directly.
"It's only a temporary daddy. When we reach the next town, we won't want him as daddy anymore, okay?"
"Why?"
"Because he's good at fighting, so no one will bully us on the road."
Xiao Xi let out an "oh" and accepted her mother's explanation.
Xiao Chen, however, was skeptical. But he remembered those first few days after leaving the village, when Mother had taken him and his sister and they'd always been bullied by the villagers. Fine, then—let him be their daddy for now. The child nodded reluctantly.
Old Hu let out a sigh of relief. He'd finally managed to convince those little ancestors—it hadn't been easy! As for the rest, he'd let the little family figure things out on their own. His work here was done.
"Call me Third Master. Don't address me by name directly. And if there are no outsiders around, there's no need to put on an act."
"You're setting rules when you're the one asking for a favor? What gives you the confidence?"
"You do."
"What about me? Your servants may indulge you, but I'm not a servant. I have no obligation to indulge you! Since you're the daddy now, the children need to eat—go take care of them!"
Finally seizing the chance to turn the tables and sing a different tune, Qi Nian shoved his son and her own two children toward Yao Chengyi. She was going to take a good rest—definitely not because she was lazy.
Hugging Da Bai, she leaned against the wall with her eyes closed. This was her proper way of slacking off.
"Don't push your luck!"
"If you talk like a human being, I'll talk to you nicely. But if you're going to be bossy and act like a ruffled rooster, then don't expect a kind face from me!"
The argument couldn't be allowed to scare the children. Seeing that this fake couple was about to go at each other, Old Hu quickly came over and led the three little ancestors to the pot to eat their porridge.
Within less than a quarter of an hour, news of the young couple—who kept a little wolf king and had three children—arguing had spread throughout the crowd of refugees.
Old Hu silently cheered. This Young Mistress Qi was something else—with just a few words, she'd solidified their status as husband and wife in front of several hundred people. After this, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone prying into the master's affairs. No one would connect a refugee dragging along a family with the master.