Chapter 7: As Long as the Person is Home, They are There

Xu Da had always considered himself cold-hearted, but seeing this cruel scene, he couldn't help but shudder.

"They’ve slaughtered the city," Xu Da said in a low, heavy voice.

He turned to look at the Wang woman, expecting her to be as shocked and filled with pity as he was.

However, the Wang woman had seen too much of cruel warfare; she had witnessed methods far more savage and brutal than this.

Therefore, in her eyes, there was only loathing!

She was a General of the Alliance, with illustrious military achievements, never having tasted defeat. She was the pride of the entire star system and the general most revered by the people.

Every time war was imminent, the people would call for their general, cheering for the arrival of war, believing it would lead humanity to greater strength.

But the fanatical masses did not know what real war looked like.

They yearned for it because they only saw the results of victory.

Yet, people did not know that behind victory lay slaughter, bloodshed, and the constant trampling of the bottom line of human nature!

The general they saw as omnipotent also feared war—even detested it!

The Wang woman looked down at Changyi County at the foot of the mountain. A thousand thoughts surged in her heart, finally settling into a soft sigh

"If Yuniang hadn't suddenly woken up this morning wanting to see the old man next door, we would likely have become one of them."

Recalling this, Xu Da felt a lingering fear.

In the past, he wouldn't have even spared these mortals a glance; he could have crushed them all with one hand.

But now... it’s better not to mention it!

He had brought shame to his ancestors!

"We can't stay in this place any longer. We must go further away to seek a way to survive."

The Wang woman turned around, refusing to look at the smoke billowing from Changyi below, and strode back. "Let's go."

Remembering something, she suddenly turned back to warn him, "If the children ask about the situation in the city, don't talk nonsense."

Xu Da frowned, his eyes asking: Are those three really children? Is it necessary to protect them so carefully?

The Wang woman stopped abruptly and turned to look at Xu Da. Her serious expression made him realize she wasn't joking.

"Since we are parents, we must act like parents. I don't care what you were like before, but now, you are my husband and they are my children. If you don't want this identity, you can leave right now."

She wouldn't kill him, but she wouldn't keep a selfish family member either.

Since the couple had been reborn days ago, the Wang woman had never spoken to Xu Da like this, because she knew he was an adult and assumed he would figure out what he should do on his own.

That was why she had tolerated his previous slacking off; she had shared her food and water with him because he had come along and his attitude had been acceptable.

But now, the situation at the foot of the mountain brought a sense of survival-related pressure. If she still had a "cheap husband" by her side who couldn't recognize reality, she wouldn't mind kicking him away and letting him fend for himself!

This determination left Xu Da stunned for a long while.

He remembered how he had previously despised her for her "womanly kindness" when she knocked on doors to warn the villagers to flee.

But would someone with mere "womanly kindness" face a city-wide slaughter so calmly?

Would she even consider casting her own husband out of the group?

"The children's young hearts need protection. The slaughter of a city is too cruel; it shouldn't stain their pure souls. I understand what to do, my lady, please rest assured!"

Without hesitating for even two seconds, Xu Da made his choice: he would be a loving, elderly father.

The Wang woman stared at him with her dark eyes for a moment before a satisfied smile appeared. She reached out and patted his shoulder.

"Work hard, husband. I believe you will be a good father and a good husband."

A dignified Golden Core cultivator—when had he ever been treated like this?

Xu Da’s face flushed red, and his dark, rough features were filled with "emotion."

The couple returned together. Xu Yue always felt the atmosphere between her father and mother was a bit strange.

But before she could investigate, the Wang woman gave the order to continue the journey.

"Mother, what happened down the mountain?" Xu Yue asked worriedly.

The Wang woman signaled for Xu Erniang to stop lying down and get up to travel, replying, "It's not good. We can never go back to Changyi."

"Did the rebel army occupy Changyi?" Xu Erniang asked, puzzled.

The Wang woman noticed the straw sandals on Xu Erniang's feet were loose and adjusted them for her.

But the straw sandals weren't sturdy to begin with, and walking on mountain paths made them worse. The Wang woman couldn't fix them properly; she could only make do so they wouldn't fall apart.

As for better shoes, that was simply a delusion!

When her mother didn't answer her question, Xu Erniang looked at Xu Da. "Father?"

The Wang woman glanced pointedly at Xu Da. Remembering his wife's warning, Xu Da gave his eldest daughter a reassuring smile.

"It's fine. If we lose one home, we have countless others. As long as the family is together, that is home."

Xu Erniang: "..." Father, have you lost your mind?

However, she knew Changyi County was finished, and even the dilapidated home she had disliked was gone.

Was she sad?

Xu Erniang didn't feel it; she just felt a bit lost, not knowing where the future lay.

The five faces looked at each other. The whole family's mood sank. Even Xu Dalang, who seemed to lack intelligence, frowned and looked at Xu Yue in his arms, showing a worried expression.

Xu Yue silently gripped her brother's hand. She knew well that she was the weakest in the family; if she didn't have someone to rely on, she would easily become the one left behind.

As if sensing her small worries, the Wang woman suddenly looked over. "Yuniang, don't be afraid. In the future, we will have a home again—a bigger, sturdier home."

Xu Yue looked at the Wang woman striding at the very front, her heart stirred, filled with a sense of security.

So much so that when they stopped at a cliff face in the evening and saw a large green snake flicking its tongue as it crawled toward them, Xu Yue's subconscious reaction was to scream at the top of her lungs

"Mother!!!"

The Wang woman, who was busy cutting branches, heard the cry and immediately dropped the branches, sprinting toward the cliff face. In front of Xu Yue, she gave a live demonstration of what it meant to crush a snake with one's bare hands.

That explosive power shocked Xu Da, who had arrived just after, for a hundred years!

Xu Dalang, who had finally been persuaded by Xu Yue to follow the Wang woman to work, rushed in like a gust of wind.

Seeing the green snake shattered into several pieces, his expression changed drastically. He pulled Xu Yue into his arms and refused to leave her side for even a step.

Xu Yue looked at her family members who had rushed over, feeling a bit awkward; she really hadn't expected them to be so efficient.

"Little sister, are you okay?"

Xu Erniang ran slowly and was the last to arrive. She was the only one who dared to provoke Xu Dalang, directly reaching out to pry his hands away, attempting to pull her little sister into her own arms to comfort her properly.

Unsurprisingly, Xu Dalang "roared" and bared his teeth at Xu Erniang, twisting his body to hide Xu Yue behind him, not letting her touch her.

The battle for the little sister played out once again. The Wang woman and Xu Da were both tired of watching it. Knowing Xu Yue could handle her brother and sister, they turned away to continue looking for firewood.