Chapter 42

Chapter 42

The mountains were tall and the forests dense, often shrouded in fog.

Today, Mom Qin Luoxia still wanted to go search for another giant python.

So she trekked across the hills and streams, unconsciously reaching another remote mountain area.

She moved swiftly, estimating the time, as she still needed to return to nurse the baby.

In the dense forest, she moved as freely as on flat ground, running until she reached Qingyuan Mountain.

Qingyuan Mountain belonged to Mr. Zhao's family, and her husband didn't allow her daughter Jiang Feng to go there either, as she didn't want to cause trouble for her husband.

So she ran a bit farther away.

The area of Qingyuan Mountain was even larger, with a temple on the mountain that she had never visited, because she heard that worshipping the Buddha and burning incense required giving money.

Even when Mom was gravely ill, she had wanted to go pray to the Buddha, but had no money at all, with the little money she had going towards buying Mom's medicine and preparing for a coffin, so she was never able to visit the temple.

The Buddha doesn't deliver the poor, as the poor don't even have the donation tray money to visit the temple.

She had never visited Qingyuan Temple before, and now she actually wanted to hunt for giant pythons at Qingyuan Temple, which was somewhat disrespectful, as even the cats, dogs, birds, and snakes at temples carry the scent of incense offerings.

Qin Luoxia had never been there before.

So she had taken the wrong path.

Looking at the rugged cliffs, with scattered dwellings on top, she felt it didn't seem to be a temple.

She had heard that temples were very beautiful, very wealthy, with glittering golden adornments.

She decided to take a look around first, then think carefully about where she might find giant pythons when she returned.

As she was wandering, she unexpectedly encountered four men.

There were people in these deep mountain forests, strangers.

One carried an axe, two carried machetes, and one carried a long spear.

Qin Luoxia hid herself, not daring to move, as a virtuous married woman whose husband was present, she shouldn't casually appear before strange men, but in the village among familiar faces it didn't matter.

In these deep old forests, she still had some caution.

As she lay in ambush, she hid so naturally that in an instant she became one with the mountain forest.

When those four men came closest to her, they were only a few zhang away.

She saw that their axes were larger than her wood-chopping axe, and their machetes were larger than hers, but the spear of the man carrying the long spear wasn't as good as hers.

The man carrying the long spear seemed a bit clever, as he glanced in her direction a few times.

Qin Luoxia heard the four men speaking.

"Elder Brother Hu, what use are these idiots?"

"Sending them to their deaths, taking the blame."

"I have a bad feeling about this time, Elder Brother Hu. If there was really something good, the Second Master would have gone himself."

"Seeking wealth and fortune amid danger, whether it succeeds or not, we'll see."

Qin Luoxia was so frightened by what these people said that her milk almost let down - goodness, she had actually encountered mountain bandits!

With the mountain bandits appearing here, the dwellings on the cliff she had seen earlier must not be a temple, but a bandit lair!

How terrifying, how terrifying.

She hid even more securely, and after these people had walked far away, she turned and fled.

Because she was so tense and afraid, as she ran back, she accidentally knocked over a tree.

The four mountain bandits were walking normally behind, and when they passed by the fallen tree:

"Elder Brother Hu, something's not right about this tree, it seemed fine yesterday," the bandit carrying the long spear said curiously.

The two bandits carrying machetes also stopped, using their machetes to gesticulate that a tree this thick would take them a long time to chop down.

Elder Brother Hu, shouldering his axe, stood in thought before the fallen tree for three seconds, then said, "It must have been knocked over by the Blind Bear. There are Blind Bears in the mountains, but they didn't used to come to this area. You all watch out when patrolling the mountains, don't run into that thing, or it's certain death if you do."

The group of four continued forward.

The bandit carrying the long spear looked back at the fallen tree, feeling that something seemed off, but he couldn't put his finger on it - there were no Blind Bear footprints on the ground either, but if Elder Brother Hu said it was a Blind Bear, then it was.

In an instant, riders were thrown from horses in a pileup collision.

"Are we being waylaid by bandits?"

People from the rear of the caravan exclaimed in surprise.

Who would dare such a brazen act, so close to the county town?

A few ruffians, puffed up with bravado at first, only felt fear creeping in as their small minds finally grasped just what they had been intending to do - they weren't capable of anything, yet had come to waylay this massive caravan, a deathwish for sure.

The errand boy also realized that his acquaintance Elder Brother Hu hadn't really intended to let him join in some fun, but had simply sent him to his death.

Yet he hadn't expected to encounter bandits again right when they were almost home - could it be that Elder Brother Hu had brought the mountain stronghold's men to ambush them?

Jiang Feng protectively held her two younger sisters, looking around warily.

While the two peddlers, hovering between life and death, had a glimmer of hope in their eyes - if there really were bandits waylaying them, they could exploit the chaos and maybe survive.

He Chen and Meng Shaoxia's eyes lit up. They pretended to be fat sheep, luring many bandits along the way, and essentially cleared out the evildoers. They didn't expect to encounter this in the county town - it was too brazen! How exciting. Their horses were better to begin with, and they suddenly spurted ahead.

But they discovered it was just an old woman?

An old woman with a very large chest...

Qin Luoxia was also nervous upon seeing so many people, but she couldn't worry about being nervous now. She asked loudly, "Has anyone seen a dwarf peddler?"

He Chen, who rode up on his horse, didn't expect someone to be looking for that hunchback. Curious, he asked, "Who are you to that peddler? Why are you looking for him?"

Qin Luoxia heard his question and her heart raced. "That peddler is a kidnapper who took my child. I'm out looking for my child."

Meng Shaoxia's gaze fell on the old woman's long spear, finding it rather strange.

He saw the old woman standing alone in the middle of the road, with his entire escort squad strangely lined up a full zhang behind her, and there were traces of horses retreating on the ground.

"It's Mom!" Jiang Mianmian had good hearing and could hear Mom's voice from afar. She could also smell her familiar milky scent.

She cried out loudly, "Wah wah wah!"

As she kept crying, she started weeping, "Wah wah wah!"

Qin Luoxia also heard the baby crying. Not bothering to ask questions, she dashed straight into the middle of the squad.

She saw Fenger covered in blood, her foolish Elder Sister Yu, and the wailing Mianmian.

Qin Luoxia's saliva churned in her throat as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

She almost lost her child. How could she face her husband?

The escort squad and the two young noblemen looked at this family reunion in astonishment.

It was very moving, but they were still perplexed as to how this old woman had barged in.

Meanwhile, the hope in the peddler couple's eyes was extinguished once more.

Qin Luoxia comforted her little daughter as she embraced her. Jiang Mianmian cried tears of joy upon falling into Mom's arms.

The outside world was too dangerous. From now on, she wouldn't go anywhere. She would just cling to Mom - Mom's broad, sturdy body was the best place to be.

She cried until she hiccuped.

She wanted milk, but felt a bit shy.

Qin Luoxia hugged her child and first thanked the two young masters leading the squad.

Her gaze fell upon the peddler couple, and Qin Luoxia said, "I heard they resorted to this out of desperation to afford medicine for their sick child. A parent's heart for their child is pitiful. May I say a few words to them?"

Everyone saw this old woman holding a nursing baby, clearly having just given birth. Women at this stage were the most tender-hearted. That couple was even willing to sell her child, yet she said they were pitiful.

This round-faced, kind-eyed old woman looked very friendly.

No one objected.

Mom approached the peddler couple. Jiang Mianmian clung tightly to Mom in her arms, a bit scared. She pressed against Mom, tightly breathing in her scent.

Hope flickered in the peddler couple's eyes again. Yes, they had their difficulties.

The wife cried through tears and snot, "We had no choice. It's all for our child. We didn't want to do this."

Jiang Mianmian wanted to spit. Their child is a child, but others' children aren't?

Mom nodded in agreement. "I understand, I understand. I'm a mother too."

Mom leaned in close to the peddler's wife and whispered, "If you go to the county office, you'll definitely be executed. I know you can't bear to leave your child behind. Tomorrow, I'll send him to reunite with your family. I heard he's just a dimwitted pill-taker, but plump and healthy - he hasn't suffered any hardship, right? I won't let him suffer either. It'll just take me a moment to twist his neck, and he'll come find you. Remember to wait for him, otherwise that child will get lost on the Road to Underworld all alone."