Chapter 11: Heavy Rain, Worsening Injuries

After Su Ying put Madam Zhao down, she went to deal with the tiger skin she had peeled off.

She sprinkled the sterilizing drying powder she had taken from her space onto the tiger skin to prevent it from rotting and spoiling; otherwise, it wouldn't fetch a good price.

After packing it up, Su Ying folded the whole tiger skin and tied it securely with a hemp rope.

The bailiff standing not far away stared at Su Ying with greedy eyes. "That tiger skin is twice the size of an ordinary tiger's. If sold, it would fetch at least several hundred taels of silver. My oh my!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was slapped on the back of the head.

"You damn fool, if you want to die, go ahead. When she skins you alive along with your head, don't say I didn't warn you." Li Da glared at the young bailiff, terrified that he would provoke Su Ying. This woman's terrifying capabilities had already exceeded their comprehension; he just wanted to reach Beihuang and get as far away from her as possible!

The young bailiff rubbed his reddened head aggrievedly. "Boss, don't be angry. I... I was just talking. Who would dare to have designs on her?"

"Have you finished counting the dead? Record them properly and bury the bones on the spot."

Last night, when the white tiger charged out, it bit many people to death. Basically, anyone who ended up in its mouth had no chance of rescue, so there were no wounded, only mangled corpses.

"I'll go right now."

Su Ying finished packing the tiger skin and was just about to sit down and eat something when she turned around and saw Er Bao standing behind her, staring at her longingly.

Remembering how she had scared Er Bao, Su Ying squatted down and looked at her. "What's wrong, Ling'er? Want some jerky?"

Er Bao puffed out her little face and shook her head, her large, watery eyes fixed on Su Ying. "Is that the big tiger's skin?"

Su Ying patted the tiger skin and smiled. "Yes. Does Ling'er like it? If you like it, I'll keep it for you to use as a blanket."

Er Bao shook her head fearfully. "No, it's too scary."

"Then we'll sell it for silver and buy you new clothes, okay?"

Er Bao blinked her big eyes and said in a milky voice, "You... you killed the big tiger. You're so amazing, just like Daddy."

Su Ying raised an eyebrow with interest. "Your daddy has killed a big tiger too?"

Er Bao nodded, opening her two little hands to form a large circle. "This... this big a tiger."

Looking at her adorable appearance, Su Ying really wanted to pick her up and kiss her, but fearing she might scare the child, she played along. "Your daddy is really amazing."

Hearing Su Ying praise her own father, Er Bao's big eyes shone even brighter. One must know that previously, not a single good word about Xiao Jin had ever come from Su Ying's mouth. So Er Bao ran back to Xiao Jin happily, her little face full of pride. "Daddy, she said you're amazing."

Xiao Jin's expression paused slightly; he didn't immediately understand who the "she" in Er Bao's mouth was.

Er Bao pointed at Su Ying and looked at Xiao Jin softly. "She said Daddy can kill big tigers too, super amazing."

Xiao Jin frowned. Back in the hunting grounds, he had indeed hunted a large tiger, but upon learning of it, Su Ying had only curled her lips in disdain, calling him cruel and bloodthirsty. How could she possibly think he was amazing?

But little Er Bao wouldn't lie. Thinking of Su Ying's demeanor last night, Xiao Jin furrowed his brows, feeling that this woman had changed far too much.

After the bailiffs finished disposing of the mangled corpses, they began counting heads and lining up to continue the journey.

Su Ying carried the tiger skin on her front and had Bai Shuang help Madam Zhao onto her back.

Bai Shuang was stunned watching Su Ying carry two to three hundred catties of weight without changing expression.

Jiang Yang carried Xiao Jin on his back. Xiao Jin, still injured, carried Da Bao. Su Ying had Bai Shuang lead Er Bao.

Bai Shuang's constitution was decent. After Su Ying gave her a large bottle of energy supplement, she felt her stamina recover significantly; leading a child was no problem.

Strangely enough, after Su Ying killed the white tiger, their journey down the mountain went exceptionally smoothly, and they reached the foot of the mountain before noon.

"No wonder it felt so gloomy on the mountain. Looks like it's going to rain."

The moisture in the air was heavy. Su Yin was injured, others were sick; if it rained, their situation would only worsen.

But it seemed the heavens were deliberately opposing them. Not long after descending the mountain, the rain started falling.

The bailiffs hurriedly took out straw raincoats from the carts and put them on, but the rain grew heavier, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

"All of you, move faster! Quick march!"

Li Da had been escorting exiles for many years and knew the terrain of this area fairly well. He knew there were a few caves not far ahead where they could temporarily take shelter from the rain.

Rainwater hit Xiao Jin, making his leg wound ache even more. To prevent Da Bao from getting wet, he carefully held the child in his arms, using his own body to shield him from the wind and rain.

Su Ying looked up at the heavy rain and cursed softly. She had rain-shelter equipment in her storage space, but unfortunately, she couldn't take it out.

The caves Li Da mentioned were on a mountain not far ahead. By the time they arrived, the sky was almost dark.

Fortunately, the caves were quite large, enough to accommodate all the prisoners even if separated.

Su Ying carried Madam Zhao to the innermost part of the cave, finding a relatively smooth spot before setting Madam Zhao down.

Madam Zhao already had pneumonia, and now she had been caught in the rain; the medicine given today would likely have been wasted.

She took out warming patches from her person and stuck them on Madam Zhao to maintain her body temperature, then got up and walked to the cave entrance.

A bailiff saw her approach and stretched out a hand to stop her. "What are you doing? Stay put inside the cave."

Su Ying glanced at them coldly. "I saw some dry firewood in a sheltered spot near the entrance. I want to gather some to make a fire."

"Make a fire? Just you being delicate. Do you think you're on a spring out—"

"Bang!"

Su Ying's fist smashed into the stone wall behind the bailiff. She opened her hand, and stone debris fell rustling down.

The bailiff's face turned pale. He looked at the expressionless Su Ying, who resembled an Asura, and swallowed hard with difficulty.

"If I insist on going out, none of you together can stop me. Understand?"

The bailiff's lips trembled. He was damned; he had actually forgotten the scene of Su Ying killing the giant white tiger with a single slash!

"You... you... hurry up then."

Su Ying released her grip, turned, and walked out of the cave.

She really did go out to gather firewood, but also to find an opportunity to access her space.

After Xiao Jin sat down, he reached out to touch Da Bao's forehead. The little guy was burning up again; the fever had returned.

He took off the child's rain-soaked clothes and was about to ask Jiang Yang to get some fire from the bailiffs when he saw Su Ying walk in carrying a large bundle of firewood.

Su Ying arranged the firewood. Xiao Jin only heard a soft "click," and the pile ignited.

Xiao Jin's eyes darkened. He wanted to see what was in Su Ying's hand, but her movements were too fast; the object was tucked back into her sleeve in the blink of an eye.

(End of Chapter)