Gu Xiao didn't give them another chance to escape. She vaulted over the wall, and before the men could even get a clear look at her, they all fell dead beneath her blade.
"Wuwu…"
The girl scrambled to cover herself with the torn fabric.
Gu Xiao took out the clothes she had bought from her Kongjian and quickly moved to drape them over the girl, but the girl reacted violently.
Her eyes were wide with terror, her body trembling as she scrambled backward.
"Don't… don't touch me…"
The closer Gu Xiao got, the more frantic the girl became, even lashing out with fists and feet.
This puzzled Gu Xiao. She was only trying to offer clothes out of kindness—why was the girl looking at her like she'd seen a ghost?
Gu Xiao wasn't good at comforting people, so she could only speak softly: "Don't be afraid. The bad men are all dead. Can you manage on your own?"
She had already been gone for a while and needed to hurry back, lest the little girl start to worry.
Just then, Gu Xiao heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw a figure in coarse hemp clothing swinging a sword down at her.
Gu Xiao dodged urgently, and as their weapons clashed, she heard a muffled grunt from the other person, the blade trembling from the impact.
She had thought this would be a formidable opponent, but it turned out they were quite timid.
Gu Xiao's expression hardened, and she was about to unleash her full strength when she heard the girl's voice.
"Brother, brother, stop fighting! It was this young lady who saved me just now, wuwuwu…"
"…"
So it was a misunderstanding caused by her male disguise. No wonder the girl had been so terrified when she approached, and no wonder this person had swung a sword at her without a word.
"I'm not a young man—I'm a woman too. Since your brother is back, I'll take my leave." Worried that the girl might misunderstand her intentions, she explained.
With that, Gu Xiao vaulted back over the wall and disappeared into the night.
Once she was out of that place, Gu Xiao didn't linger. She hurried back. Pushing open the door, another blow came swinging down. "Wan'er, it's me."
Gu Wan, having taken the Dali Wan, had put her full strength into the swing, and her speed had increased considerably. Gu Xiao barely managed to fend it off.
What was going on tonight? First a sword, then a club—was she some kind of target practice?
"Sister, you're finally back!" Gu Wan heard Gu Xiao's voice and immediately dropped the club, throwing herself into Gu Xiao's arms. "It's so chaotic outside… I was so scared…"
Gu Xiao thought to herself, It's not you who should be scared now—it's them. At full effect, the Dali Wan could let someone punch a mutated beast to death with a single blow.
But of course, she couldn't say that. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Sister will take you away right now."
The city had already descended into chaos. It was ironic—the Manyiren hadn't even arrived, and the people had already turned on each other. Qingpingzhen didn't need to be conquered; it was already ripe for the taking.
She had just transmigrated here and didn't yet have a strong sense of belonging to this unfamiliar era or nation. Keeping herself safe was the priority.
Gu Xiao shouldered her basket, held the little girl's hand with one arm, and raised a gleaming cleaver with the other. They made it to the city wall without incident.
Seeing a crowd gathered in one spot, Gu Xiao knew she had found the right place.
Ancient construction techniques were limited, and years of neglect meant there were bound to be cracks or crumbling sections in the wall. Finding a few holes to escape through was easy.
The openings were mostly narrow, though—only one person could pass through at a time—so a large crowd had gathered. Among them, Gu Xiao spotted a familiar figure: the girl she had saved, still wearing those men's clothes, hiding behind a young man.
She had left in a hurry earlier and hadn't gotten a good look at either of them.
Now that she saw them, she couldn't help but be struck by their appearance.
Under the night sky, the young man wore dark hemp clothing. His brows were sharp and cold, his nose high and striking, his lips pale and thin. He carried a basket on his back, yet stood tall and elegant, conspicuously eye-catching amidst the chaotic crowd.
The girl, though dressed in men's attire, had a pair of large, watery eyes that made her look pitifully endearing.
But in these troubled times, beauty wasn't necessarily a blessing. Gu Xiao admired them briefly, then averted her gaze and led the little girl out of Qingpingzhen.
The two behind her recognized Gu Xiao as well. The girl spoke timidly: "Brother, that's the girl who saved me earlier."
The young man's expression darkened. He hummed in acknowledgment, his thoughts unreadable.
The girl didn't notice anything amiss and continued: "Brother, why don't we travel with them? It would be safer."
"How do you know it's safe? What if she was sent by those people? We'd be walking right into a trap." The young man pressed a hand to his shoulder, which had torn open again, his brows furrowed tightly. That woman's skills were definitely not from a farming family, and he was no match for her now. Better to be cautious.
The girl was confused, watching the two figures grow distant, and grew anxious: "But she saved me just now. If she really was sent by those people, she could have just killed us outright. Why go through all this trouble?"
The young man furrowed his brow and said in a low voice: "Let's wait and see…"
Gu Xiao naturally knew nothing of the conversation behind her. She had saved the girl simply because she couldn't stand by and watch—she hadn't expected any thanks.
Right now, she just wanted to find a peaceful haven, live a pastoral life of farming and tending flowers. But the times were against her, so that would have to wait for another day.
The two followed the direction of the other refugees, heading north for about two hours before gradually slowing their pace. But there were still many refugees on the road, and she didn't dare stop.
The meal they had eaten that evening had already been consumed. Gu Xiao took some beef jerky from the Xitong and shared it with Gu Wan: "Walk a bit more, and once we find a place, I'll cook you a proper meal."
As a Yinengzhe, this amount of exertion was nothing for Gu Xiao. What surprised her was that the little girl hadn't complained about being tired even once.
As night fell, a slight chill crept into the air. From the distant mountains came the calls of a few birds—melancholy and mournful. Looking up, all she could see was pitch darkness.
Gradually, refugees began to gather around them. These people seemed to have been fleeing disaster for a long time—gaunt and sallow, covered in filth from head to toe, with yellow mud and dust caked on their faces.
In contrast, the two of them were spotless, their faces clean and fair. Greedy gazes were cast at them without any attempt at concealment.
Gu Xiao curled her lips into a smile. Anyone who had lived through Moshi would know exactly what that look meant.
Though her combat skills weren't top-tier, having crossed over to this era of cold weapons, she was absolutely a master who could dominate single-handedly. A few mountain bandits were nothing in her eyes. She led the little girl deeper into the forest.
The three men who had been eyeing Gu Xiao exchanged glances, the greed in their eyes deepening with amusement.
They were confident of success, thinking these two brats were absolute fools for heading toward a place with no people around. The blade at their side was probably just for show.
Once they entered the deep forest, the pitch-black environment heightened their senses. The little girl also sensed something was wrong and pressed closer to her.
Gu Xiao handed the water bottle to the little girl and said in a low voice, "Don't be afraid."
The men behind them felt the time was ripe and unconsciously quickened their pace. Holding machetes, they blocked the pair's path and snarled viciously, "Smart ones would hand over your silver and food right now. Don't make us use force."