Chapter 6: To Die with One's Brain and Intestines Exposed

The horizon began to pale, and the sounds of shouting and killing drifted from the city from time to time. Terrified, Xu Yue’s family did not dare to stop for even a moment, trekking along the mountain path for two consecutive hours.

By the time the sounds of slaughter behind them finally faded, the sky had already brightened significantly.

The sun rose, and the surrounding temperature climbed rapidly. Even before eight in the morning, the sunlight was already scorching enough to make one feel dizzy.

Xu Dalang seemed oblivious to fatigue, his legs moving forward mechanically. However, Xu Yue, held in his arms, was drenched in sweat and her face was flushed red from the heat radiating off his body.

Looking at eight-year-old Xu Erniang, she was struggling to move her small legs. Carrying a military pack, she had to rest one hand on Madam Wang’s waistband for leverage just to keep moving.

She was panting, drenched in sweat, and seemed to be reaching her physical limit. Her face was contorted, teeth gritted, and she looked as though she might let go and collapse at any moment.

Madam Wang, however, would not let her stop. She hoisted half of Xu Erniang’s body up, tossed the girl’s pack onto Xu Da—whose expression was growing increasingly grim—and turned to the others.

"Keep going, just a little longer. The sun is too strong; we cannot stop in this exposed area. Let’s walk for another hour." Realizing her phrasing was imprecise, Madam Wang immediately corrected herself to "half a shichen."

She continued, "The southern side of this mountain is near the village; it’s where the villagers from nearby come to gather firewood, so the trees are sparse."

"But the northern side is deep; the forest remains in its primitive state. Almost no one goes in there except for hunters. Once we reach that point, we can rest."

After speaking, she had Xu Da take out the bamboo tube filled with salt water. Everyone took a sip to replenish their energy before continuing the trek.

Madam Wang had hunted the game she previously brought home in this very forest. Having been here many times, she was familiar with the terrain and tried her best to lead her family along the easiest paths.

Half a shichen later, the dense forest Madam Wang had spoken of finally appeared before them.

As soon as they stepped into the cool shade of the forest, Xu Erniang collapsed onto the grass, exhausted.

Yet, Xu Dalang, who was carrying Xu Yue, still wanted to keep moving. Despite the sweat on his brow, his heavy breathing, and the clear signs of physical exhaustion, his spirit remained strangely agitated.

At first, Xu Yue hadn't noticed anything wrong, but now, she realized something was off with Xu Dalang.

If she let him keep walking like this, his body might collapse at any moment, and he wouldn't even be aware of it.

Xu Yue hurriedly called for a stop. Xu Dalang, who was still trying to push forward, stopped abruptly. He looked down at her, tilting his head slightly, his eyes filled with anxiety and confusion. He made "ah-ah" sounds, as if saying

*Danger, we must escape, we cannot stop!*

"Brother, you need to rest," Xu Yue said as she slid out of his arms.

Looking down, she saw that the clothes in front of her were completely soaked through by the sweat pouring off Xu Dalang.

She looked up at him; his clothes were drenched, he was gasping for air, and his lips were pale, dry, and peeling.

The two adults were in much better shape. Xu Da seemed to possess a unique method of breathing and energy circulation; aside from his increasingly grim expression due to their dire situation, he showed no signs of fatigue.

Madam Wang was also fine. After all, she was an SSS-level physical arts master. Although this current body was not her original one and her stamina was diminished, this level of exertion was nothing to her.

Xu Da watched as Madam Wang gathered the children. Instead of letting them sit down to rest immediately, she made them perform several strange stretching movements before distributing food and water.

This was another thing he couldn't understand. Couldn't she see the children were already exhausted?

Wasn't it better to let them rest during that time?

Madam Wang noticed the disdain hidden within Xu Da’s confusion. She inwardly mocked him as an ignorant illiterate, but she still offered an explanation.

After all, he was her partner for the time being; being too ignorant would only hold them back.

"This is called stretching. It allows the body to reach a better state and prevents muscle and bone injuries."

"The children have never exercised this intensely before. If we don't adjust their physical state, they won't be able to walk tomorrow."

"If they don't even have this basic mobility, and we encounter real danger, you and I will be too busy looking after one thing or another, and we’ll all be finished!"

Xu Da, who had never considered looking after others while fleeing for his life, was stunned. His worldview—forged in the cultivation world where the strong prey on the weak and only the fittest survive—was once again violently shaken.

"Perspective, do you understand?" Madam Wang scoffed at him. Too lazy to look at his shocked face, she instructed the children

"Rest quickly. I’m going to the cliff ahead to check the situation below."

"Mm-hmm, be careful, Mother." Xu Yue nodded obediently. She cast a sympathetic glance at Xu Da, who had been looked down upon by Madam Wang again, and silently handed the rice bran rice ball she had broken into three pieces to her brother and sister.

She gave a noticeably larger portion to Xu Dalang than to Xu Erniang.

"Aren't you hungry?" Xu Erniang asked, puzzled.

Xu Yue shook her head. "I didn't walk, so I'm not tired. Brother and Sister worked harder than me, so you should eat more."

Xu Erniang looked at her younger sister’s large, sympathetic eyes and suddenly felt most of her fatigue fade away.

"My kind sister, the Goddess of Light will bless you."

Xu Erniang made a prayer gesture over her chest and readily accepted the food her sister handed her.

As for Xu Dalang, he ate whatever his sister gave him, however much she gave, without being picky. He didn't even realize he was eating his sister's portion.

A fist-sized rice bran ball plus the small extra piece from Xu Yue was nowhere near enough to fill his ravenous stomach. After finishing, he still stared longingly at Xu Yue.

This last piece was the one Xu Yue had saved for herself. Although she wasn't tired, her body’s hunger didn't care about that; her stomach was growling, so she wouldn't give this portion away no matter what.

Even though Xu Dalang’s gaze was so desperate, she didn't hesitate to pop it into her mouth, washing it down with water and swallowing it whole.

Seeing the food was gone, Xu Dalang’s expression clearly wilted, but he didn't do anything to harm Xu Yue over the food.

He patted her small head gently, as if to comfort her: *It's okay, it's okay.*

Xu Da followed Madam Wang to the edge of the cliff. Standing there and looking out, the entire situation in Changyi County was laid bare before them.

Thick black smoke billowed into the sky. Rebel troops, holding high red banners, wove through the black smoke, more terrifying than vengeful ghosts.

They robbed everyone they saw, and killed those who resisted!

The men and women they captured were stripped and exposed, their necks tied with long ropes, stumbling with every step. Some were trampled by horses, others crushed underfoot. Blood and brains stained the ground, and the sound of weeping filled the wilderness.

Even though the county seat was far from the North Mountain, the heavy stench of blood drifted all the way to where Madam Wang and Xu Da stood.