Chapter 40: Where Exactly Did She Come From?

“That young lady said she wanted to? Jiao Tu, have you forgotten whose subordinate you are?” Mu Zitao asked coldly, suppressing the fury in his heart.

Hearing this, Jiao Tu shrank back and turned to look at his other companions, his eyes pleading for help: *Brothers, you were part of this just now too, weren't you?*

“Master, actually, it... it can't entirely be blamed on him. He didn't step in to help just now. Seeing a delicate young lady facing those three robbers all by herself, he just felt bad,” San Jin spoke up with great loyalty.

Mu Zitao grew even angrier upon hearing this. He pointed toward the direction where the donkey cart had departed. “She is... delicate? San Jin, have you gone blind?” After a pause, he pointed at the three unlucky robbers lying on the ground. “I think they are the ones who are delicate!”

Seeing that San Jin's words had further incensed his master, someone felt that if they didn't speak up to mediate, there would be no way to settle this: “Master, please do not be angry. It is just that we have followed you for so long; we are used to killing enemies on the battlefield, so helping those in need when we encounter injustice while traveling has become a habit.”

“Followed me for so long, and it's become a habit? So now you're blaming me? Ba Qian, is what you are doing right now 'helping those in need'? You were just tricked by a few words and are now cleaning up someone else's mess.” The more Mu Zitao listened, the angrier he became. How had his subordinates, who usually seemed quite reliable and clever, all become so foolish?

None of the three companions fared any better. The remaining two looked at each other, communicating through their eyes: *Should we say anything else?*

“Master, since things have already turned out this way, there is no use in being angry. You might ruin your health. Let your subordinates deliver these three to the yamen, and you can continue... continue on your journey,” Song You said, feeling that taking on this heavy task should at least be the right move.

He had originally wanted to say, *Master, you should just continue with whatever you were doing,* but he didn't dare. His master was already this infuriated by that young lady; how could he ask him to continue?

“Deliver them? The nearest yamen is right at Dong Fanren's place. Once you deliver them there and he finds out these three scumbags were blocking the path to rob his little sister Xiao Duo, what do you think he will do?” Mu Zitao could no longer suppress his rage.

*Hmm? That young lady... is Dong Gongzi's little sister Xiao Duo? Someone related to Dong Gongzi?*

*And... why does it sound like there's a hint of jealousy in Master's voice?*

Song You's mind raced, trying to figure out exactly what had happened between his master, Dong Gongzi, and that young lady.

Seeing that Song You had yet to find an answer, Mu Zitao glared at him. “Based on my understanding of Dong Fanren, if he finds out what these three scumbags did today, he will either incite the county magistrate to execute them or kill them himself.”

“Ah, then what should we do? How should we deal with them?” Song You blurted out.

“What should we do? Do I really have to teach you what kind of people these three scumbags are and what their trade is to know how to deal with them?” Mu Zitao nearly kicked him.

Song You and the others understood immediately. They dragged the three robbers into the woods and swiftly sent them to meet the King of Hell.

They dug a pit, and while dragging them, San Jin let out an "Eh?"

Seeing him crouching by the legs of the two corpses, examining the wounds, the others approached. When he couldn't see clearly, he used a dagger to slit the trouser legs of the corpses.

Once they understood why San Jin was doing that, the others' attention was also drawn to the wounds.

“What are you all dawdling for? What, are you setting up an altar for them or picking an auspicious time for their burial?” Mu Zitao, having grown impatient waiting by the roadside, walked toward them while scolding.

“Master, come look!” Ba Qian called out excitedly.

Mu Zitao frowned. What could be so special about corpses? But he walked over anyway, and upon seeing them, he gasped.

The injury on the corpse was at the knee; there was now a hole that pierced through the kneecap from the back of the leg.

Looking at the leg wound of the other corpse, it was a similar piercing hole, with only a slight difference in the size of the opening.

They remembered that the young lady had thrown something—was it a concealed weapon with a cold glint?

Such accuracy and such force... it was impossible to achieve without profound internal strength or years of hard training. That young lady looked to be only around the age of her coming-of-age ceremony.

One could say that severing an opponent's arm with a single sword stroke could be achieved through a sharp blade and skillful force.

However, even when she was equipped with a sword, there wasn't even a trace of the aura of a martial artist about her!

Furthermore, judging by the movements and techniques she used when fighting the robber leader earlier, she looked even less like a martial artist! Just what was her background?

Mu Zitao glanced again at the holes in the knees of the two corpses and made a gesture. His subordinates threw the bodies into the pit and covered them simply with soil.

Returning to the side of the mounts on the road, the subordinates silently followed their master as he mounted his horse. They were all wondering: was the master planning to continue his journey?

Similarly, Mu Zitao, sitting atop his horse, was also hesitating. Should he continue to travel the same path as her?

With her level of skill, she certainly didn't need to ask him for help.

And what was wrong with him? Why was he doing something so childish, ridiculous, and pointless?

Was it just to kill time? Dong Fanren had spent three years in Millstone Town; wasn't that even more boring? He was so kindred with that Hong Xiaoduo, yet he hadn't followed her impulsively.

He, a man who was always composed, was acting so absurdly!

The five of them, including San Jin, watched breathlessly as their master turned his horse around two or three times before finally spurring the horse in the direction the donkey cart had gone.

*Phew.* The five on horseback finally breathed a sigh of relief and followed.

On the donkey cart, which had already traveled a considerable distance, Hong Xiaoduo stared blankly at the sword resting across her legs. She had just used it to sever the arm of that robber. Now, the image of the robber clutching his severed arm as blood sprayed onto the ground kept repeating in her mind.

“Mother, what's wrong? Are you tired?” Tianji asked softly.

Hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo looked up to find all six little ones staring at her with concern. “I am a little tired. After all, I was one against three,” she said. However, she felt that Tianxuan and Tianji didn't quite believe that answer.

*Sigh, older children are just hard to fool!*

“Um, actually, there's one more thing. It's just that this is the first time I've encountered something like this, so... you understand, right?” Out of necessity, she had to add that.

Sure enough, Tianxuan and Tianji showed expressions of "so that's how it is" on their small faces.

*Well, no matter how smart children are, they are ultimately pure-hearted. They are still easy to fool!*

“Mother, you just gave those three villains a harsh lesson and even had someone send them to the yamen to eliminate evil. The travelers on this road will be safe from now on,” Yuheng said very happily.

Hearing her words, Hong Xiaoduo's heart stirred. *That's right, the people I hurt were bad people who were robbing travelers. Why should I feel bad? I was just overthinking and making myself miserable!*

Hadn't she always dreamed of being a heroine? Isn't a heroine someone who eliminates evil and protects the good?

Once she thought it through, her mood lightened, and she felt like joking with the little ones again.

Because of the delay caused by the robbers, by the time they reached Willow Tree Town, it was already dark.

Tianshu could not read, but that didn't stop him from finding an inn. He asked the attendant if there was an empty large room for them, and the answer was yes.

After putting their luggage away and settling the donkey cart in the stable, Hong Xiaoduo took the seven little ones out into the street to find something to eat.

“Yaoguang, calling Uncle Yuefan in Millstone Town... was that also taught to you by Big Brother?” As they walked, Hong Xiaoduo suddenly thought of this and asked the little one in her arms in a low voice.

Yaoguang pursed her lips, blinked her large eyes, and looked around. Seeing that the attention of the older siblings was on the roadside stalls, she gave a small nod.

“Then do you know why you call him 'Uncle'?” Hong Xiaoduo had actually been curious at the time but had forgotten to ask.

She always felt that when Tianshu taught the other children to call Dong Yuefan by that title, it didn't seem like they were thinking of him as her mother...