“What black-hearted, rotten-bellied scoundrels, taking whatever’s sent without refusal,” Xie Ninglan muttered angrily under her breath.
Xin Nian remained unbothered. “Standard procedure. If Eldest Sister wants to stay, she has to offer something. What, were you expecting the Old Madam to ride a giant horse? She wouldn’t even know how.”
Xin Ninglan was speechless, sneaking a glance at her daughter. “Where are you from?”
Xin Nian chuckled. “Alright, alright, don’t be upset. I’ll transfer some more Healing Power to you. Focus on practicing—try to break through to the first rank today. Once your rank improves, your physique will leap forward, and traveling will get easier day by day.”
Xie Ninglan wrinkled her brows. “I’ll take your auspicious words.”
Mother and daughter began absorbing Supernatural Power, circulating it as they walked, tuning out the mournful sighs and sobs around them.
If crying worked, the Great Wall would have collapsed long ago. Better to save their energy for the journey.
Once the sun rose, everyone trudged under the scorching heat. Those who cried until they grew dizzy and collapsed would just be dragged along.
Dragged day after day, their skin would be rubbed raw. Forget about making it to the exile destination across mountains and rivers—they’d likely be dead by tomorrow.
This was only the second day; they hadn’t even taken the first step of the long march…
Xin Wenyuan glanced back at his wife and daughter, relieved to see them walking with their heads down, seemingly unperturbed.
Turning to Mu Zhong walking beside him, he struck up a conversation. “A Zhong, we’re truly grateful you’ve been carrying Mochen all this way. Don’t worry—when Mochen wakes up, I’ll make sure he repays you properly.”
“How novel,” Xin Wenan, carrying his shackles not far behind, snorted mockingly. “The father doesn’t repay himself, but expects the Third Son to do it after he wakes up.”
Xin Wenyuan shot him a look. “Got a problem with that?”
This third brother was a real piece of work, glaring at him the entire journey. Ridiculous—it wasn’t like he’d dug up their ancestral grave. Was all this confrontation necessary?
“I do have a problem! Fourth Brother, you’ve become outrageous. At least you used to have some sense of propriety, but now you’re getting worse by the day.”
“You should learn from the eldest branch. If you’d raised Nian’er even half as well as Qing’er, she wouldn’t be so annoying.”
Xin Wenyuan immediately bristled at this. A devoted daughter-slave, he’d punch anyone who spoke ill of his girl.
Without another word, he threw a punch at Xin Wenan’s face. “Who are you calling annoying? You’re the annoying one! Can’t go a day without stirring trouble, can you?”
“Who are you to judge my daughter? What are you to her? Just a lousy third uncle, acting all high and mighty! I haven’t said a single bad word about her as her father, so what right do you have to spout crap!”
Seeing the two about to brawl like fighting cocks, Mu Zhong quickly stepped between them, still carrying Xin Mochen on his back. “Third Master, Fourth Master, please don’t fight. If you attract the Escorts, we’ll all get an earful.”
Xin Wenan, about to retaliate, withdrew his hand at Mu Zhong’s words, covering his face and muttering, “You’ve truly lost your mind!”
“You’re the one who’s lost his mind, shameless bastard. Just because the eldest branch gave you food and waterskins while we gave you nothing, you’re feeling resentful.”
“What? Does my wife owe you? I’m already shameless enough bringing my old mother along to eat soft rice—do I have to drag you deadweights along too? If you’re not embarrassed, I’m embarrassed for you. Xin Wenan, what were you thinking? Now you’re not talking about ‘a disgrace to culture’? Don’t tell me you still want to eat soft rice with attitude?”
“You already have a wife—if you’re hungry, go find your own wife! Why do you always stare at someone else’s wife begging for a free meal?”
Xin Wenan was so furious he nearly spat blood, staggering on his feet as he raised his shackles to smash them into Xin Wenyuan’s face.
That damned fourth brother’s mouth—he wanted to tear it apart!
The Old Madam saw this from afar, her heart panicked and breath short as she shouted, patting Zhao Xun who was carrying her on her back, signaling her to hurry forward.
“Stop it, all of you!”
Zhao Xun was very obedient, though she herself seemed quite eager to watch the commotion, carrying the Old Madam she reached Xin Wenan and Xin Wenyuan in a few quick steps.
“Haven’t you made enough of a spectacle? Wait until you attract the guards and get whipped—then you’ll all behave.”
The Old Madam was so angry her head felt as big as a bucket, not daring to look at the surrounding crowd watching the drama with amusement.
“You might not care about face, but this old woman still wants to keep hers.”
“Hey, Mother, don’t say that—the one truly shameless is third brother!” Xin Wenyuan quickly raised his hand to declare, “I’ve never once thought about having his wife bring me food. How dare he covet my wife and daughter?”
Xin Wenan’s face flushed crimson, trembling as he raised his shackles wanting to smash Xin Wenyuan to death.
The Old Madam was so angry her chest hurt, covering her heart with one hand as she scolded, “Everyone shut up.”
The fourth son had always been unruly, but these past two days he’d been especially unreasonable, speaking and acting entirely on whim without any regard for the situation!
“Third brother, say less.” Yu Shi’s words felt like pouring cold water on Xin Wenan’s heart. He started to protest with a cry of “Mother—”
But the Old Madam waved him off, “And you should stop thinking about whatever private savings fourth brother’s wife has. Their family has many mouths to feed, with the sick and the young—it’s not easy for them either.”
Seeing her husband being rebutted, Zhuang Shi anxiously dragged the others chained to her, hopping forward, “Mother, how can you say that? How could we covet fourth sister-in-law’s things? It’s all fourth brother’s misunderstanding—we never did.”
“Better if you didn’t.” The Old Madam knew this third daughter-in-law’s nature well and couldn’t be bothered to argue with her.
“Traveling is hard enough as it is. At times like this, family should unite as one instead of fighting internally. Everyone calm down and keep moving, no more nonsense.”
“Mother, it’s not that I want to criticize you, but at times like this you shouldn’t gloss over things. For a team to unite, we must first weed out the parasites. Those little scumbags who occasionally pop up to harass others’ wives and daughters—you should slap them a few times to make an example. If we don’t discipline them now, it’ll be harder later.”
Seeing the third son and his wife about to explode again, the Old Madam glared at her fourth son, “Enough from you too. Let’s go.”
Xin Wenyuan rolled his eyes defiantly, hoisted his cangue, and turned to leave.
The widows and orphans of the eldest branch exchanged glances.
Xin Wanqing holding her mother Nie Shi’s hand whispered, “Mother, don’t you think fourth uncle has changed quite a bit?”
Nie Shi patted her hand, “Don’t get involved in the affairs of the third and fourth branches.”
Xin Nian and her mother had no idea there’d been a commotion earlier. Throughout the journey they’d kept their heads down practicing clearing their minds, paying no attention to anyone else.
These Escorts had extensive experience transporting prisoners back and forth, thoroughly familiar with every water source, forest, and hillside along the route.
Thus before sunset, under the Escorts’ guidance, everyone settled by a stream.
They all resembled monkeys who’d crossed the Flaming Mountains, collapsing spread-eagled on the ground completely unwilling to move.
Many exiled prisoners hadn’t drunk a drop of water since yesterday. Seeing the stream now, their eyes turned red as they scrambled and crawled toward it, plunging their heads into the water gulping desperately.
Xin Nian wrinkled her face in disgust. “Give me all your water pouches. I’ll go upstream to fetch some water.”
In the camp of over two hundred people, a relatively large area had been cordoned off. Escorts stood guard along the outer perimeter on both sides of the stream, vigilantly preventing any escapes.