Shi Yin instantly whipped around, raising her crossbow and firing a bolt in the direction the sound had come from.
She then quickly shook Cheng Zhou awake.
Flipping over to wake up, Cheng Zhou first fumbled for his own crossbow, then shook his head and rubbed his eyes, gaining a bit of clarity.
The muffled grunt from a moment ago had come from some distance away, and Shi Yin knew she must have hit her mark.
She remained silent, her eyes trying to pierce through the darkness to make out anything.
“Dammit, this bitch has arrows!”
The next moment, an exasperated voice rang out from the distance. Right behind Shi Yin, a crossbow bolt was loosed toward the source of the sound.
It was Cheng Zhou!
Cheng Zhou’s archery had been meticulously taught by an instructor, and his skill in locating targets by sound was exceptionally high.
“Ah—!”
Another series of miserable shrieks rang out from that direction.
“Damn it all! Let’s fight them to the death! We’re just going to starve to death anyway, I refuse to believe our group can’t take down a woman with a child!”
Shi Yin’s heart pounded with alarm; it looked like she had been tracked by this group of people!
The legend of starving refugees consuming two-legged mutton flashed through her mind, causing her anxiety to spike. She could neither retreat nor lose!
“Cheng Zhou! We’ve hit bandits, bring out your family-taught skills!”
Shi Yin turned her head to look at her eldest son, who was lying prone on the ground, having already aimed toward the source of the sound and let loose another arrow. Her voice carried a fierce and ruthless edge.
“Ah—!” After another miserable shriek echoed, Cheng Zhou nodded in response.
“Mother, don’t worry, I will protect you!”
Taking advantage of the brief lull, Shi Yin hurriedly pulled out a fire starter and a round black ball from her pack. She ignited the fuse with the fire starter and threw it directly into the darkness ahead.
“Boom—!” A muffled sound rang out, and sparks flew in all directions.
The sparks showered onto the bodies of nearby people. Hemp clothing caught fire almost instantly upon touching the tiniest spark, and a wave of continuous screams erupted right away.
Only then did Shi Yin see clearly that there were over a dozen ragged, emaciated people ahead, clutching their burning flesh as they rolled on the ground and wailed in agony.
Taking advantage of that momentary flash of fire, Cheng Zhou loosed two more crossbow bolts at a few distant individuals who hadn’t been burned, hitting his mark with every shot.
“This is an evil sorceress! Run—!”
“It really is a witch—a witch—!”
Since Shi Yin knew she had arrived at the end of the Jin Dynasty, how could she possibly have come unprepared?
Though the Jin period had no concept of gunpowder, alchemy was rampant, and substances like saltpeter and sulfur were far from uncommon. Even though the ratio of one part saltpeter, two parts sulfur, and three parts charcoal couldn’t match the explosive effects of later eras, spraying fire and producing a mild, booming noise was still quite shocking.
To avoid injuring herself, Shi Yin had reduced the proportion of saltpeter and had only made three of them for self-defense.
Moreover, these little mud balls had never been tested before; today was the very first time they had ever detonated.
Their destructive power wasn’t large, but they certainly packed a terrifying punch.
At best, they could only be considered fire bombs.
None of those people died from the fire bomb; they only suffered burns, yet they fled in panic due to something they had never seen before.
The horses were also startled by the fire bomb, neighing continuously and acting up with extreme agitation.
Fortunately, their reins were securely tied to a sturdy pine tree root protruding from a rock crevice, which prevented them from breaking free.
“Mother, what is this? It’s so amazing.” Cheng Zhou stared in wonder at the fire bomb his mother had thrown out.
“This is called a fire bomb. Once we get to Black Mountain Island, Mother will teach you how to make them!”
Young boys always held a certain curiosity for these things, and he chattered away, asking Shi Yin questions for a long time before finally growing a bit drowsy.
At this moment, the smell of gunpowder smoke lingered all around, keeping wild animals from approaching. As for humans—who knew if there were any desperate enough left? Shi Yin didn’t dare to sleep.
Cheng Zhou originally wanted to take the night watch himself so his mother could sleep for a bit, but alas, he was still too young, and before long he fell into a deep sleep.
Shi Yin carried him back onto the sheepskin coat and gently kissed his head.
Looking at the beloved souls she cared for in this world and reflecting on the chain of events over the past two days, she couldn’t help but recall her past life.
Shi Yin’s past and present lives actually shared some similarities. In her previous life, before turning eighteen, she had also played the role of a well-behaved, obedient daughter in front of her parents, which was how she managed to get the opportunity to study abroad.
After going abroad, her parents were never stingy with her allowance, so outside of her coursework, she had tried her hand at sailing, skydiving, skiing, triathlons, and various other activities.
It wasn’t until she reached the age of thirty, urged by her parents to return home, that a stray missile was mistakenly fired at the airplane she was riding in during a layover in a country experiencing civil war—which was how she came to inhabit this present life.
She hadn’t expected that coming over with the memories of an adult would still force her to once again put on an obedient front and marry a complete stranger.
Though it left her somewhat disgusted, this Li Bi turned out to be—”quite useful.” If she didn’t think of him as a husband and treated him merely as a lover, it wasn’t too repulsive to herself.
Especially after she had this pair of children, she gained the driving force to keep living in this world.
Had it been her past life, she never would have imagined that these tiny little human beings could possess such magic.
“Don’t worry, your mother’s capabilities are massive; I will definitely protect you both so you grow up safe and sound.”
The steady, rhythmic breathing of Cheng Zhou and Rong’er seemed to be responding to Shi Yin’s murmured self-talk.
With an entirely sleepless night, the moment sunlight broke over the eastern horizon, Shi Yin got up to inspect yesterday’s carnage.
They had shot and killed five people in total. Forcing down her discomfort, she collected her arrows back; today, her courage was visibly a bit bolder.
As for the person closest to them, his situation was very strange—the arrow on his body hadn’t struck a vital spot, hitting only near his shoulder blade.
Yet his exposed lower leg was swollen to an enormous degree and had turned a grayish-black color, with two tiny fang marks clearly visible on it.
Not far away, the severed half of the snake Shi Yin had chopped in half yesterday had completely cooled through.
That snake was venomous. It must have inadvertently wandered close to these bandits yesterday and ended up being bitten by the snake head that hadn’t completely died yet.
Shi Yin felt a trace of fortune, yet remembering the two writhing sections of the snake from last night, she shuddered.
Wisps of white mist rose in the morning light, and Shi Yin called Cheng Zhou awake.
It wasn’t that she didn’t know Cheng Zhou’s injuries needed proper rest and recuperation, but she had neither the time nor the courage. She only had two fire bombs left, and what Black Mountain Island was truly like remained an unknown. If she used up all the fire bombs on the road, she would lose her bargaining chips to establish a foothold on Black Mountain Island.
“Cheng Zhou, bear with it just a bit longer. Two more days of travel and we’ll reach Changfeng Wharf. We can rest properly at the post station then.” Shi Yin stroked Cheng Zhou’s cheek, speaking with a heart full of ache.
“Mn, Mother, I know. It doesn’t hurt nearly as much today.”
Cheng Zhou obediently comforted his mother.
Shi Yin knew full well—how could it *not* hurt?
Their inner garments were made of silk, but they had long since worn through.
To avoid drawing attention, their outer garments had been replaced with hemp clothing. That coarse hemp cloth chafed the skin just from walking, let alone when Cheng Zhou was only a seven-year-old child with extremely tender skin.
Shi Yin could only change Cheng Zhou into a new pair of silk trousers to wear underneath, layer a pair of hemp trousers over them, and spread a sheepskin coat across the horse’s back before lifting Cheng Zhou onto it.
Softening the seat as much as possible helped reduce the pain by even a fraction.
Setting off once again, their pace noticeably slowed down.
Passing through Ping County in Qingzhou, the population became increasingly sparse. This place was close to the sea; traveling on foot would take five or six days to reach it. People with nothing to eat would go to the wharf to look for odd jobs in exchange for some food to fill their stomachs.
Relatively speaking, this area was somewhat safer.
By evening, they arrived at the post station on the outskirts of邹县 (Zou County). Presenting their travel documents and giving the courier half a *sheng* of millet, they managed to trade for a single private side room, along with three bowls of millet porridge and two flatbreads.
Rong’er’s spirit had flagged somewhat due to the jolting journey over this period, often being able to take only two meals a whole day—truly an agonizing ordeal for a toddler.
Now, smelling the aroma of that millet porridge, she forced herself to stay awake despite her hunger, wanting to shove a few bites into her mouth first.
Shi Yin felt somewhat worried. Rong’er’s belly was already distended and taut; right now, she was in a state of being both bloated and hungry, which was actually quite uncomfortable—only the child was too young to voice it.
Sure enough, no matter how hungry Rong’er was, she ate only three or five mouthfuls before stopping.
Shi Yin didn’t force her. After giving the remaining millet porridge to Cheng Zhou, she began massaging Rong’er’s little belly over and over again. Once Cheng Zhou finished eating as well, she returned to their rented side room and continued the massage.
Finally, after holding it in for five days, Rong’er couldn’t hold it any longer.
Her bowel movement was extremely painful, and she cried with sweat streaming down her face.
Shi Yin had no choice but to soothe her by her side, patiently accompanying her.
After a long while, once her belly was emptied, a much more comfortable Rong’er began crying out that she was hungry again. Shi Yin bought her another bowl of millet porridge; this time, she drank a full, large bowl before stopping. Recovering her energy, she wanted to find her big brother to play with, but Cheng Zhou, exhausted from the journey, just wanted to sleep quickly, so Rong’er had no choice but to play with a wooden bird by herself, which kept her quiet enough.