Without having time to think further, Xu Nian immediately went over and bent down to check on her condition.
The little girl, only five or six years old, lay on the ground, bleeding profusely and looking sickly, as if she were about to die.
Seeing this, Xu Nian immediately took out the water bottle and brought it to her lips to pour water down her throat.
Water flowed slowly down her lips, and after a while, her fingers twitched suddenly, followed by her swallowing large gulps of water.
What happened to this little girl? Could she have been abandoned?
But she was covered in bruises; had she been beaten?
[Let's not talk about that now, she seems to be awake.]
As the comments scrolled by, the little girl slowly opened her eyes.
When she met Xu Nian's concerned gaze, she didn't feel grateful; instead, she shrank back several steps in fear.
"No, no!"
Hearing her almost heart-wrenching screams, Xu Nian was puzzled. What was wrong?
So Xu Nian tried to soften her voice as much as possible, "You just collapsed in the bamboo forest, and I gave you some water to drink. I didn't mean to harm you."
As she spoke, she held up the bottle of water, which was still more than half full, and her tone was very gentle.
The little girl's trembling body gradually calmed down, and her big eyes stared intently at Xu Nian.
This reminded Xu Nian of her two children, Da Bao and Er Bao, who used to go hungry.
Their eyes back then held the same helplessness as the little girl's now.
Thinking of this, Xu Nian couldn't help but feel compassion. "What's your name? Why are you here?"
Upon hearing this, the little girl pondered blankly for a moment, then a look of panic reappeared on her face.
"My name is Mengmeng. I... I was sent away by my father—"
With tears streaming down her face, she wailed, "Suddenly, a lot of people came to the village. They beat my parents. My father told me to run away quickly. I ran and ran, and finally I fainted."
Hearing her description, Xu Nian frowned and continued to ask, "What kind of clothes were they wearing?"
Although Mengmeng was scared, she still tried her best to remember.
"They were wearing heavy, stiff, and shiny clothes, but they were all very fierce, and Mengmeng didn't like them!"
Xu Nian was stunned for a moment.
If he were a thief, he wouldn't be dressed so respectably. Could he have been looking for government soldiers?
Xu Nian couldn't help but think of Gu Zhan.
But Gu Zhan is a compassionate person who cares about the people's livelihood, and he would never do such a heinous thing. It seems that he is another group of officials sent down by the imperial court.
[They're so despicable! They actually attacked us!]
[If it were a tax collection, they probably would have been beaten up because they couldn't pay.]
The comments section was buzzing with discussion, while Xu Nian pondered.
Judging from the direction Mengmeng ran from, if they continued walking, there was a high chance they would encounter soldiers.
If they were to encounter such an encounter, the officers and soldiers would invariably use the pretext of paying taxes to take advantage of the situation and launch an attack.
They have quite a few things in their hands, and even if I use my magic, some people will probably be affected.
Thinking of this, Xu Nian rubbed her aching forehead and made a decision.
Mengmeng looked at her, timidly remaining silent.
Her father said she shouldn't easily trust others, but she felt that the older sister in front of her must be a good person!
"Mengmeng, will you come back with me? I'll bring your dad and mom back with me later."
As the sky gradually darkened, Xu Nian asked softly.
Hearing the words "Dad" and "Mom," Mengmeng's eyes reddened again, but she didn't choke up; instead, she nodded firmly.
Seeing this, Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief.
She was also worried about what would happen if Mengmeng became too noisy. Now it seems that children growing up in this famine-stricken era are probably very precocious.
Xu Nian led Mengmeng step by step through the bamboo forest, pondering a plan in her heart.
With her current magical powers, she should have no problem fighting against a mere few soldiers.
It was already late, and they probably wouldn't set off after looting; they should be staying overnight in Mengmeng's village.
In this way, as long as I arrive early tomorrow morning, I will be able to turn the tide.
After thinking it over, Xu Nian walked back to the place where the villagers were stationed.
They were laughing and chatting happily as they ate bamboo shoots.
Da Bao and Er Bao waited obediently, and when they saw Xu Nian, they rushed over.
"Sister! Huh, what's this?"
As they got closer, they clearly saw the little girl huddled behind Xu Nian and immediately became interested.
Da Bao and Er Bao surrounded Meng Meng, their excitement evident in their eyes.
Xu Nian immediately put on a stern face and said in a serious tone, "You can't scare your sister."
"She's a girl from a distant village. She was kidnapped by soldiers and ran away. You must treat her well, understand?"
Listening to Xu Nian's teachings, Da Bao and Er Bao nodded firmly and patted their little chests.
"Don't worry, sister, we will protect her!"
Seeing the two children acting like little adults, Mengmeng chuckled, her tense mood easing considerably.
Seeing this, Xu Nian felt relieved and turned to prepare dinner for the children.
Da Bao and Er Bao started playing around with Meng Meng almost instantly.
They took out their treasured snacks and shared them with Mengmeng, which made Xu Nian very happy.
The two kids have finally grown up...
The next morning.
As soon as dawn broke, Xu Nian opened her eyes and quickly dressed.
She tiptoed away from the crowd of sleeping people.
But just as she was walking forward, she suddenly felt a force that was neither too strong nor too weak on the hem of her clothes.
Xu Nian looked down and saw Mengmeng with her big eyes wide open, asking expectantly, "Big sister, are you going to our village?"
Seeing her so expectant, Xu Nian couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
She will most likely have to fight with the soldiers on her way there, and bringing Mengmeng along might make her feel constrained.
But Xu Nian also thought that Mengmeng, being alone away from home, would inevitably miss her parents, whose situation was uncertain.
Thinking it over, Xu Nian sighed leisurely, "Let's go, I'll take you back. But you mustn't make a sound, just stay hidden behind me."
Upon hearing this, Mengmeng's eyes immediately lit up, and she nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice, obediently following behind Xu Nian.
With Mengmeng's guidance, Xu Nian quickly arrived at their village.
The village is not large, but it is not small either, with many houses.
But this place has no rural atmosphere at all; instead, it is lifeless.
Xu Nian frowned as she stepped inside and found torn clothes, broken sword blades, and other debris scattered all over the place.
Mengmeng's little eyebrows furrowed deeply as she anxiously said, "Big sister, let's go home and check on things quickly."
Seeing her worry, Xu Nian naturally agreed and followed her to a house.
Before they could even open the door, a woman's heart-wrenching wails came from inside.
"Stay away from me!"
Immediately following was a lewd male voice.
"Heh heh, you shameless slut, hurry up and submit to me!"
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