After lunch, the father and children continued weaving straw sandals and thin ropes.
Xu Yue suddenly felt a pressing need to urinate and stood up to relieve herself in the bushes.
Xu Dalang instinctively rose to his feet, determined to stick to his policy of staying by her side at all times. Just as Xu Yue had already half-removed her pants, she abruptly noticed the additional figure and nearly wet herself in fright.
“Brother!” Her childish voice turned shrill with anger as she snapped, “Go back!”
Xu Dalang looked bewildered for a moment before seeming to understand. “Oh,” he responded, turning around and covering his eyes with his hands. “No look, no look.” He wouldn’t peek.
Xu Yue: “…” Was that what I meant?
But her urgent need left no room for hesitation. Remembering she was still just a little kid, Xu Yue gritted her teeth, thinking the bushes in front would provide enough cover. She squatted right where she was and let go.
“Ahh~” Xu Yue relaxed with relief, her features smoothing out as she pulled up her pants and stood. She was about to tell her brother she was finished when—
Unexpectedly, a pair of large hands suddenly reached from behind and clamped over her face!
Xu Yue gasped in shock.
Another hand immediately wrapped around her, lifting her entirely off the ground. The assailant turned and sprinted into the forest.
A foul stench wafted from behind, so revolting that Xu Yue nearly vomited up yesterday’s meal. She instantly thought of the group of cannibals and struggled even more violently, screaming internally: Brother!!!
Perhaps her fierce resistance pleased her captor, as he let out two cold “heh heh” chuckles and whispered menacingly:
“Little brat’s got some fight in her. Keep struggling—we’ll slaughter you for meat soon! Tender little things like you have bones that crunch nicely when chewed. So delicious…”
He spoke with such craving that he noisily sucked back a mouthful of saliva.
But before he could finish swallowing that drool, the sound of rushing wind approached from behind. A thunderous roar erupted as a dark shadow suddenly descended, leaping nimbly to grab the man’s head and violently slam him to the ground.
Xu Yue’s world spun dizzyingly. When she regained her senses moments later, she found herself in her brother’s familiar embrace.
“ROAR!!!”
Xu Dalang’s eyes burned red as he roared furiously at the man lying on the ground.
Consumed by hatred and terror, he held his sister with one arm while inspecting her, then swung his other hand to grab one of the man’s arms. With vicious force, he smashed it against a large tree behind them!
“BANG!” The tremendous impact made the massive tree shudder three times, let alone what it did to the man.
The man lay on the ground like a ragged cloth doll, eyes wide open, his body twisted in an unnatural position. He seemed to have stopped breathing.
Xu Dalang roared again, his sweeping gaze issuing a warning to those hiding in the shadows.
Ten figures emerged one by one from the grass—the same group led by the bug-eyed man.
Originally twelve strong, they now had one member fallen on the ground and were missing one woman from their ranks, leaving only nine men and one emaciated woman.
“Old Fifth?” the bug-eyed man called to the fallen man but received no response.
A chill ran through his heart.
The short man beside him looked fearfully between Xu Dalang and the bug-eyed man: “Brother Du Long?”
Du Long pushed his tongue against his cheek, radiating displeasure. If they retreated now, they could forget about ever claiming that pond again.
He licked his chapped lips again, a ruthless glint flashing in his bulging eyes. “Wang Dayou and the others haven’t returned yet. Only a few women and children remain in the clearing. Let’s take them out first!”
His companions nodded, immediately brandishing their weapons, ready to eliminate Xu Dalan—the biggest threat—first.
Xu Yue’s heart sank. One against ten—two fists were no match for four hands. She urgently patted Xu Dalan’s hand. “Brother, run!”
Xu Dalan knew that with Xu Yue in tow, he couldn’t fight effectively. He turned and fled.
Du Long shouted loudly, “Kill that kid first!”
The group swiftly gave chase. Seeing Xu Dalan run, they assumed he feared their numbers, and their last shred of caution vanished. They howled and pursued him wildly.
Noticing Xu Dalan heading toward the pond, they remained unhurried, thinking it convenient to take out the women and children in one fell swoop.
Little did they expect Wang Shi’s arrow already aimed at them!
“Whoosh!” An arrow shot toward Du Long. Startled, he yanked the person in front of him as a shield and dodged to the left.
But Wang Shi had anticipated his move. The arrow flew over the head of the human shield and pierced straight through his left ear!
“Ah—!”
Du Long screamed in agony, clutching his ear as he collapsed. Under the shadow of death, he scrambled behind a large tree.
Wang Shi and Xu Da, leading Wang Dayou and the others, charged over. Outnumbered, Du Long’s crew—who moments ago had been ambitious about seizing the pond—immediately lost their nerve and turned to flee.
A few loyal companions risked being shot by Wang Shi to carry Du Long back.
Xu Da raised his sickle, intent on chasing them down to kill Du Long. The fierce killing intent terrified Du Long and his men, making them run even faster.
“Xu Da! Stop chasing! Everyone, return!” Wang Shi commanded.
Xu Da looked at her, confused. But in that brief moment of hesitation, Du Long’s group desperately leaped off a cliff in their panic.
If Xu Da knew how to curse, he’d be spewing expletives right now!
Frustrated yet not daring to vent directly at Wang Shi, he could only viciously hack at the surrounding branches with his sickle.
Wang Dayou and the others held no such resentment. Having spent the morning chasing animals with little to eat, they were utterly exhausted.
If they had pursued, Du Long’s cornered group might have fought back desperately, and the outcome would have been uncertain.
Seeing her mother, Xu Yue excitedly cried out, “Mother!”
Wang Shi gestured for Wang Dahai and the others to first move the prey back to the clearing, then hurried over to the siblings, followed by a worried Xu Erniang.
“Are you alright?” The two stood before the siblings, concerned.
Xu Yue shook her head. She was fine, aside from a few scratches from branches.
But her brother Xu Dalan’s condition was concerning. She could clearly sense his tension.
Perhaps he was frightened by her sudden abduction, or maybe killing had stirred his bloodthirsty nature, leaving him in torment.
Xu Yue hugged his neck, repeatedly reassuring him that everything was fine, and gave him the half-eaten taro she had left.
Holding her with one arm and munching on the taro with the other, Xu Dalan’s taut nerves finally eased slightly.
Wang Shi could also see that Xu Dalan was not in a good state and dared not provoke him. She had Xu Da take the three siblings back first while she stayed behind to assess the situation.
Xu Da snorted and led the three siblings away first.
Wang Shi walked up to the person whom Xu Dalan had smashed to death against a tree. Without changing her expression, she crouched down, touched the distorted bones of the deceased, made a mental calculation, and raised an eyebrow.
His strength was formidable, though it was clearly untrained brute force. But with her guidance, he would surely become a great talent.
However, recalling her eldest son’s current unapproachable demeanor, Wang Shi shook her head and sighed softly: The task ahead is long and arduous…