Lu Yao led the children around gathering several common medicinal herbs.
Carefully and patiently, she taught them how to identify each one, explaining their medicinal properties, uses, and the symptoms they were meant to treat.
As they traveled deeper into the mountains, the trees grew increasingly massive and ancient.
The forest canopy became denser, and the light gradually dimmed.
If they continued traveling much longer, it would become dangerous.
Village Chief Song of Songyang Village finally called out:
“Everyone, we’ll camp here for the night! Find a suitable place to rest, but don’t wander too far. We’ve entered the deep mountains now. The dangers here are far beyond what you can imagine.”
The moment they heard they could stop, many villagers collapsed onto the ground.
No one cared whether it was dirty.
Some sat down heavily, panting.
Others simply sprawled across the thick layer of fallen leaves.
Lu Yao studied the surrounding environment.
This was indeed deep mountain territory.
The leaves underfoot had accumulated for years, making the ground soft and springy.
There were no signs whatsoever of human activity.
Looking around, she noticed tree trunks so thick that several people would be needed to encircle them.
Vines wrapped around many of them.
Finding a relatively flat patch of ground, Lu Yao unfastened Song Ziyu from her chest.
She spread out a cloth and sat the little girl on it to play.
Turning to Song Zixuan and Song Ziyang, she said,
“You two watch your sister here. Mother is going to make beds for you.”
Song Zixuan quietly nodded.
Song Ziyang patted his chest proudly.
“Don’t worry, Mother! I’ll take good care of little sister. Leave it to me!”
Lu Yao couldn’t help pinching his adorable cheek before striding toward the vine-covered trees.
Watching her leave, Song Zixuan frowned slightly.
He looked at Song Ziyu, who was happily playing with fallen leaves, and then at Song Ziyang, who was crouched nearby guarding her attentively.
After a moment’s consideration, he decided they would probably be fine.
“Ziyang, stay here with little sister. I’ll go help Mother. If anything happens, shout loudly. Mother and I won’t be far away.”
Song Ziyang waved him away impatiently.
“Just go! Look how well-behaved little sister is. Nothing’s going to happen. There are lots of people around.”
Song Zixuan glanced toward the nearby villagers of Songyang Village before finally hurrying after Lu Yao.
The villagers themselves were spending their first night outdoors.
Most had no idea how easily a freezing night could silently claim a person’s life—especially in the cold northern regions.
As a result, many took no precautions whatsoever.
Some ate half a flatbread and immediately lay down to sleep.
They assumed that sleeping close together would provide enough warmth.
No one bothered constructing shelters or temporary sleeping quarters.
The people of Dayang Village and Xiaoyang Village also stopped to camp alongside Songyang Village.
After all, everyone had just experienced being chased by barbarians earlier that day.
Moreover, Songyang Village had obtained dozens of long sabers from the battle.
If danger appeared, they at least possessed weapons to defend themselves.
Because of this, the other two villages had unconsciously begun following Songyang Village’s lead.
When Songyang Village rested, they rested too.
Some families started building cooking fires.
Even those with no grain left still boiled water.
After all, no one wanted to sleep on an empty stomach in such freezing weather.
Some villagers slept.
Others prepared food.
Meanwhile, four sons of a woman named Madam Li from Songyang Village wandered around like street thugs.
They peered into one family’s belongings, then drifted over to another.
Wherever the four brothers appeared, villagers became visibly cautious, fearing their food might be stolen.
There was a reason everyone feared them.
The four brothers were notorious troublemakers in Songyang Village.
Most men their age already had children old enough to run errands.
Yet the four remained lifelong bachelors.
Part of the reason was their mother, Madam Li’s terrible reputation.
Matchmakers didn’t want anything to do with the family.
The other reason was that her sons were lazy, idle, and constantly fighting.
Sometimes they even stole food from village children.
In Songyang Village, they were infamously known as the “Gang of Four.”
The eldest brother, Song Qing’an, currently led his three younger brothers around the camp.
Unfortunately for them, everyone guarded their food carefully.
Their own family had almost nothing to eat.
Their refugee situation wasn’t much better than Lu Yao’s.
They had essentially set out with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Back in the village, they could occasionally steal food from neighbors.
Out here on the road, opportunities were scarce.
The four brothers had already gone hungry for an entire day.
Their mother had sent them out specifically to find something edible.
After wandering for a while without success, they spotted Song Ziyang and Song Ziyu sitting alone away from the crowd.
Song Qing’an exchanged a glance with his brothers.
The others immediately understood.
Staring at the children, Song Qing’an felt his stomach growl.
He was so hungry his eyes had begun turning red.
At that moment, he felt like he could eat an entire elephant.
Second Brother Song Qinghe knew exactly what his eldest brother was thinking.
As nervous as he was, he still lowered his voice and warned,
“Big Brother, I heard today that those two kids’ mother knows both medicine and martial arts. If we touch those children and that woman comes back, we’re finished.”
Song Qing’an immediately smacked him on the head.
“Are you stupid?
“Do you think we’re going to let anyone find out?
“By the time they realize the children are gone, we’ll already have them in the cooking pot.
“What can she do then? Demand our lives?
“Besides, they’re not even her biological children. What’s there to be afraid of?”
Third Brother Song Qinghai chimed in.
“Second Brother, that woman looks pretty good.
“The Song family doesn’t care whether she lives or dies anymore.
“Why don’t we just take her and make her our wife?
“She’s one of the prettiest women in the village.”
A lewd grin spread across Song Qing’an’s face.
“Third Brother has a point.
“I’m in need of a woman lately.
“Bringing her back for some fun wouldn’t be bad.
“The four of us could definitely keep her satisfied.”
Song Qinghai’s stomach growled loudly.
Rubbing it, he urged,
“Big Brother, when do we move?
“I’m so hungry I don’t even have anything left to crap out.
“At this rate, we’ll die before we ever reach the south.”
A fierce look flashed through Song Qing’an’s eyes.
“Second Brother and Fourth Brother, stay here and keep watch.
“Third Brother and I will grab the children.
“We’ll meet in the woods over there.”
The moment he finished speaking, he strode toward Song Ziyang and Song Ziyu.
The two children had no idea that several wolves in human skin were targeting them.
By now, darkness had already settled over the forest.
Visibility was less than ten meters.
Suddenly, Song Ziyang saw a dark figure rushing toward them.
Before he could react, a rough hand clamped over his mouth.
At the same time, he watched another strange man pick up Song Ziyu and cover her mouth as well.
The clever little boy instantly realized these were bad people.
Opening his mouth, he bit down hard on Song Qing’an’s hand.
He put every ounce of strength he had into that bite, determined to tear off a chunk of flesh.
Song Qing’an cried out in pain and reflexively loosened his grip.
Seizing the opportunity, Song Ziyang opened his mouth and shouted,
“Help! Help—!”
But he only managed a single cry before his mouth was covered again.
Afraid the commotion would attract attention, Song Qing’an yanked back the boy’s hair with one hand and struck him sharply at the neck with the other.
Song Ziyang immediately lost consciousness.
Compared to his brother, little Song Ziyu was much easier to handle.
Holding the tiny girl, Song Qinghai urged,
“Big Brother, hurry! Someone might come.”
Hoisting Song Ziyang onto his shoulder, Song Qing’an sprinted toward the designated patch of forest.
Meanwhile, Song Hongsheng happened to be patrolling nearby.
He thought he heard a cry for help.
Following the sound, he came to investigate.
But he found nothing.
Assuming he had imagined it, he asked Song Qingsong,
“Qingsong, did you hear something just now?”
“Maybe. I thought I heard a shout, but it only lasted a second.”
Immediately, a sense of unease settled over Song Hongsheng.
He asked,
“Have you seen Lu Yao or her children?”
Because everyone had been busy setting up camp, the patrol had temporarily disbanded.
People were occupied with settling their own families and hadn’t paid attention to Lu Yao’s group.
No one answered.
Song Hongsheng quickly headed toward the rear of the camp.
There he found only a piece of cloth lying on the ground.
The children were nowhere to be seen.
A terrible feeling gripped him.
Turning to Song Qingsong, he ordered,
“Qingsong, organize a search immediately.
“Look for anyone acting suspiciously nearby.
“If anyone is wandering around instead of staying with their village group, question them thoroughly.”
“Understood, Brother Hongsheng.”
Although he didn’t know what had happened, Song Qingsong didn’t dare waste time.
He immediately ran back toward Songyang Village.
Meanwhile, Song Hongsheng began shouting as he searched.
“Sister-in-law! Lu Yao! Where are you?”
At that moment, Lu Yao and Song Zixuan had just finished cutting vines.
The two were struggling to drag them back toward camp when they heard him calling.
They hurried forward.
Because of the darkness, Lu Yao nearly tripped several times.
At last, she reached Song Hongsheng.
“Brother Hongsheng, were you calling me? Is something wrong?”
Seeing that only Song Zixuan was with her, Song Hongsheng immediately asked,
“Why is only Zixuan here? Where are Ziyang and Ziyu?”
The bundle of vines slipped from Lu Yao’s hands and crashed to the ground.
Anxiety flashed across her face.
“Brother Hongsheng… are Ziyang and Ziyu missing?
“I left them sitting on a cloth.”
At that moment, Song Hongsheng knew for certain.
The children were gone.
He didn’t know how to tell her.
But Lu Yao had already read the answer in his expression.
Without another word, she grabbed Song Zixuan’s hand and ran back toward the campsite.
When they arrived, only the abandoned cloth remained.
The children were nowhere in sight.
A chilling coldness filled Lu Yao’s eyes.
The temperature around her seemed to drop several degrees.
Song Zixuan stared at the empty spot where his brother and sister should have been.
Tears filled his bright eyes.
Guilt and self-blame overwhelmed his young heart.
Lost and helpless, he looked toward the only person he could rely on.
Lu Yao.
By then, Lu Yao was already searching the surrounding area for clues.
Because this section of forest had seen little to no human activity for years, and because the kidnappers had intentionally avoided well-traveled paths, they had unknowingly left behind traces.
And Lu Yao had already begun following them.