It was Wanwan who broke the eerie silence.

She ran over with her short legs, tugged at Xiao Qi beside her, and showed him the mermaid pearl in her hand, "Brother Xiao, look at this, Wanwan thinks it might be useful, but Wanwan doesn't understand it..."

The strange and complex image was still on the surface of the pearl. When Xiao Qi heard her question, he reached out and took it to examine it carefully.

He easily identified several landmarks and realized that the water-based drawing was actually a map, clearly marking the route they had taken. Following this route, the group could easily return the way they came.

What are you looking at?

The Wan brothers had somehow gotten close and squeezed between the two of them, peering at the mermaid pearl, but they didn't see any complicated route home.

"I know the way home now."

Xiao Qi calmly held the mermaid pearl in his hand, preventing the two from further inspection.

Wan Yuekui was even more puzzled. How could he know just by looking at this bead that had nothing on it?

How did you know?

Wan Yuekui asked in confusion, then looked alarmed as if he had realized something, "You and Wanwan didn't see something in this bead, did you? Yuechi and I can't see anything. Are you two scared out of your wits?"

"Shh!"

Wanwan stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and covered her brother's mouth, making a shushing gesture. Only then did Wan Yuekui quiet down.

Xiao Qi was puzzled that the Wan brothers couldn't see what was inside the bead, but considering that Wanwan could control water from the bead, this question was no longer important, and further explanation would only be a waste of time.

Thinking of this, Xiao Qi put away the bead and said seriously, "I remembered the route when I came here."

This time it was Wan Yuechi's turn to be surprised. "Young Master Xiao is amazing. He can even remember the route with his eyes closed."

"Hmm," Xiao Qi replied awkwardly in a low voice.

"If Brother Xiao knows the route, let's run away now. If they wake up later, we won't be able to escape," Wanwan reminded him.

“Good.” Xiao Qi was the first to step forward. “You all follow me.”

Without a doubt, Wanwan lifted her skirt and followed closely behind. The two Wan brothers exchanged a questioning look, hesitated for a moment, and then followed after them.

Xiao Qi led the group across the grassland and onto a mountain path.

The moonlight was perfect, and the children had excellent eyesight; they could roughly discern the route simply by the moonlight.

The path was illuminated by the shimmering light, and the surrounding grass rustled softly in the mountain breeze, with birdsong echoing from near and far.

Gradually, the surrounding grass disappeared, replaced by tall trees. The moonlight, which was not as strong as the sunlight, could hardly penetrate the layers of leaves, and the environment suddenly became much darker.

The eerie hooting of owls echoed through the forest, sending chills down the spines of the Wan brothers.

In the silent thicket, everyone seemed to hear each other's heartbeats.

Whether it was fear or the temperature, Wanwan felt a chill down her back and involuntarily reached out to grab Xiao Qi's sleeve.

Xiao Qi seemed to pause slightly in the darkness, then smoothed out the curved hand on the hem of his clothes.

Wanwan suddenly felt a little wronged, but then Xiao Qi offered her his hand, touched her fingertips, and gestured for her to hold his hand.

The moment their hands met, Xiao Qi could almost feel his heart pounding, and her smiling face appeared in his mind.

The Wan brothers, who were following behind Wanwan, were already terrified by the hooting of the owl and huddled together. As they walked with difficulty, they said to Wanwan, "Wanwan, don't worry, your brother will protect you."

Another hooting of an owl rang out, and the two boys involuntarily flinched again.

Wanwan glanced at her timid brothers, then covered her mouth and chuckled.

After walking for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the four of them finally emerged from the dense forest and arrived at a relatively open mountainside.

Just as the three of them breathed a sigh of relief, Xiao Qi suddenly made a stop gesture, which made the Wan brothers' hearts jump again.

A fire lit up at a bend in the mountain path, indicating that someone was approaching and was not far away.

The four hurriedly found something to cover themselves.

The firelight grew brighter and brighter, and the eyes of the group widened as they watched. Under the watchful gaze of four pairs of eyes, the owner of the firelight finally emerged.

Thank goodness, the person who came was Xiao Qi's guard.

The group breathed a sigh of relief, and Wanwan's face lit up with joy. She strode out, calling out, "Guard Brother!"

Upon hearing the girl's voice, the guard was startled, and even the torch trembled.

Before he could even stand properly, a little bundle of joy rushed up to him. Seeing it was Wanwan, the guard patted her head reassuringly, "Wanwan, are you alright? Is my young master with you?"

"Here."

Xiao Qi's familiar, cool voice rang out, and people followed, with the Wan brothers also making their appearance one after another.

Upon seeing Xiao Qi's face, the guard's shoulders slumped, as if an invisible boulder had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Young Master!"

The guard's eyes shone brighter than the torches. "You scared me to death! I've been looking for you for so long, and I've finally found you. Did you escape? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Xiao Qi's face remained calm and composed, his voice neither warm nor cold.

"There's no time for catching up, we need to get going," Wan Yuekui urged.

As if in response to his words, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly sounded behind them. Looking up, they saw a burst of light in the distance.

Wan Yuechi's expression suddenly turned tense. "Oh no! It's those bandits! They've caught up with us!"

"Young master, you lead everyone away first, I'll hold them off!" The guard's expression was stern, the firelight illuminating his resolute face.

Having said that, he reached for his waist, and a sound of metal clashing rang out as he drew his sword and resolutely stood in front of everyone to protect them.

“I’ll stay behind to cover the retreat.” Xiao Qi’s expression grew even colder. “Wanwan, you guys go first.”

Before she could think, Wanwan suddenly burst out with a strange strength, grabbing one of her brothers with each hand and running down the mountain.

The moon was setting, and the road was becoming increasingly blurry. The night dew was also quite heavy, but it didn't matter. After the moon went down, the sun would rise.

The cold wind lashed against their faces, stinging their cheeks.

After running for an unknown amount of time, once Wanwan was certain that the pursuers could not catch up no matter what, she stopped with her two brothers.

The Wan brothers were panting heavily, supporting each other to catch their breath.

"Brother, you go and get reinforcements first. Wanwan, go back and help Brother Guard and Brother Xiao!"

Wanwan stood in front of the two of them without even panting, her small face full of determination.

"What?!"

The two older brothers exclaimed in unison, their faces pale with shock, forgetting even to catch their breath, "No! It's too dangerous! We're the ones going!"

"It's alright, Wanwan can handle it!"