The villagers followed Village Chief Feng as they urgently made their way into the mountains.
Among Li Dazhao’s group, some were familiar with Linshan. It didn’t take long before they found a cave and hurried back to inform everyone.
“Village Chief! Jiu girl! We’ve found a suitable cave. We’ll take you there right now!”
Hearing the good news, everyone quickly followed Li Dazhao and the others.
The cave was not far. After crossing two slopes, they arrived in no time.
Village Chief Feng and his son, Feng Daqian, stood at the cave entrance and first organized everyone to go inside.
After that, Village Chief Feng asked Li Dazhao and two strong men to bring over a large rock, intending to block the entrance to make it less visible.
Above the cave was a cliff face, with dense vines hanging down, providing natural cover from above.
After entering the cave, Gu Jiu brought her younger siblings to sit against a stone wall to rest.
The cave was dimly lit, but compared to the blazing sun outside, it was already quite cool inside.
The villagers were all sweating heavily and parched from the journey. However, many had already finished their water on the way and could only stare helplessly in thirst.
Gu Jiu’s water container was made from bamboo. She had specially chosen a thick bamboo stalk, carefully hollowed it out, and polished the edges so it wouldn’t cut the mouth when drinking.
The bamboo flask could hold about two liters of water. She had filled it with spiritual spring water before leaving in the morning.
“Rong’er, Xiao Man, you’re thirsty, right? Drink some.”
Her water container also had a bamboo lid that could be used like a small bowl. After letting her younger siblings drink, she poured some spiritual spring water into the lid to feed the youngest child.
The spiritual spring water was not only clear and sweet but also remained refreshingly cool even after two hours of travel in the bamboo container, like mountain spring water. One sip was enough to wash away all fatigue.
Granny Zhou happened to be resting beside them. Her water had already been finished on the way. She was elderly and had to carry luggage, so she couldn’t bring much water to begin with.
After finishing with her siblings, Gu Jiu took out a bowl and poured some water for Granny Zhou.
“Granny Zhou, have some to soothe your throat.”
“Jiu girl, I’m not thirsty. You’ve got four children in your family, and even one flask isn’t enough for you all. You shouldn’t be giving it to me.”
Granny Zhou was already exhausted from the morning journey. Her lips were so dry she could barely speak.
Gu Jiu ignored her refusal and directly fed her the water. The old woman tried to dodge but couldn’t resist. After tasting it, she immediately felt her burning throat ease.
“Thank you, Jiu girl!”
Across from them sat Liu Guihua’s family. Her son, Wu Xiaobao, was crying and demanding water. Liu Guihua had already tried three times to explain that their water was completely gone.
But Wu Xiaobao refused to listen and started crying loudly.
Seeing that Gu Jiu still had water, Liu Guihua came over to ask for some.
“Jiu girl, look, your little brother is crying from thirst. Since you still have water, why don’t you share a bit? I’ll pay you back when we find more later.”
Gu Jiu had no good impression of this woman, who had once even tried to steal from their home.
She refused coldly, “No. The remaining water isn’t even enough for my own four family members.”
Wu Xiaobao immediately rolled on the ground and screamed, “I’m thirsty! I want water! Mom, make that dead girl give me water!”
Seeing her son crying, Liu Guihua refused to leave and clung to them.
“Jiu girl, you’re so young—why do you have no sympathy? My Xiaobao is your village brother no matter what. He’s been crying for ages, and you’re just watching? How cruel can you be?”
“Liu Guihua, I have brothers. What kind of brother is he to me? We’re all fleeing for our lives now—water is a scarce resource. Why should I give it to your son just because you asked? Do you think you’re the emperor or something?”
Liu Guihua was left speechless, her face alternating between green and white.
Other villagers also felt Gu Jiu made sense. Everyone was short on water—how could Liu Guihua shamelessly demand it from children?
Liu Guihua had always been known in the village for being unreasonable, so no one was surprised by her behavior.
Seeing that no one supported her and her son still had no water, Wu Xiaobao started screaming again at the top of his lungs.
Soon, several other children in the cave were also awakened. Their crying joined together, echoing endlessly through the cave until the adults could hardly calm them.
“Jiu girl, since you have extra water, just give him a bit. He’s so loud it’s giving us a headache!” someone finally couldn’t stand it.
Gu Jiu initially didn’t want to intervene, but Gu Changle had just finished drinking and was resting. The child was already weak and needed proper rest.
She suddenly stood up and walked straight to Wu Xiaobao.
“If you dare cry one more time, I’ll throw you out of this cave!”
Her voice was cold and sharp, her aura terrifying. Wu Xiaobao immediately stopped crying.
Seeing this, Wu Dahu, his father, immediately stood up in anger.
“What are you shouting at my son for? You little wretch without parents! You and your siblings are just orphans with no family backing, and you still dare act tough? Believe it or not, I’ll kill you and throw you out for wild beasts to eat!”
Encouraged by his father, Wu Xiaobao became even more arrogant, crying loudly on purpose to provoke her.
Gu Jiu hadn’t felt the urge to kill anyone in a long time—but this father and son had completely triggered her.
She threw a punch straight into Wu Xiaobao’s face, accompanied by his miserable scream, drawing everyone’s attention.
“If you cry again, I’ll hit you again!”
Wu Dahu rushed forward in rage to attack her, and others worried the young girl would be hurt and tried to step in.
But the next moment stunned everyone.
Gu Jiu moved with incredible agility, dodging every one of Wu Dahu’s attacks. She slipped behind him, kicked the back of his neck, and followed with a sweeping leg.
The burly man crashed to the ground.
Liu Guihua’s eyes widened in shock as she rushed over.
“Husband! What happened? Get up!”
Wu Xiaobao, seeing his father defeated, immediately stopped crying.
Gu Jiu rolled her wrist, flipped her ponytail back, and coldly scanned the three members of the Wu family.
“If anyone else dares to shout and attract those enemy soldiers, I don’t mind knocking them out and throwing them out of the cave. That’ll save everyone else from being dragged down.”
Gu Rong and the other children were stunned, then quickly cheered.
“Sister, you’re amazing!”
The villagers also quickly understood what she meant. They had barely hidden in the cave—any loud noise now could cost everyone their lives.
Li Dazhao checked Wu Dahu and confirmed he was only unconscious.
Village Chief Feng was also shocked. He had worried the girl might suffer, but instead she turned out to be extremely skilled.
In truth, he also hoped someone from the Gu family’s third branch would step up and protect the children.
“Everyone stay quiet. Keep the children from crying. The barbarians may be searching nearby any moment now!”
Liu Guihua originally wanted to argue, but under the villagers’ gazes she lost her courage. Her husband and son had already been beaten—she didn’t want to be next.
Gu Jiu chose to reveal her strength today on purpose.
On the road ahead, there would be even more dangers. With only children in her care, her family would be the easiest target for anyone with ill intentions.
Only by showing she was strong enough would others think twice before trying anything.