As we entered the dense forest and gradually moved away from the city gate, the darkness merged the sky and the mountains into one, making it impossible to see our own hands in front of our faces.
Apart from the rustling of the weeds brushing past, the mountain forest was completely silent.
Li Shulan hugged the two children in front of her, gripped the reins tightly, and looked at Lin Yinan, who was leading the way. She asked softly, "Yinan, are we going straight to Jiancheng?"
Lin Yinan took off her mask and breathed in the fresh forest air. The original owner of this body had been to Sword City several times with her father and brother, and she recalled the route to Sword City in her mind.
"We'll stop in Xincheng for a day to rest and buy some dry rations before heading to Jiancheng."
"Okay! Mother will listen to you."
Li Shulan pursed her lips and stopped speaking.
Lin Yinan kept an eye on her surroundings as she traveled.
As the night deepened, the children on horseback began to doze off, and Lu Changqing on Lin Yinan's back also fell asleep, though his limbs would twitch occasionally.
She frowned slightly; the child was probably too frightened, and she didn't know what would happen to him in the future.
The two Akhal-Teke horses were very intelligent, walking slowly along a path worn down by people.
In September, the forests of Tianshan were covered in heavy dew. After traveling all night, Lin Yinan found a flat spot to rest as dawn broke.
When Lin Yinan dismounted, she took out the package that Li Shulan had given her from her spatial storage, and found an oilcloth that had been confiscated the night before, which she used to spread on the ground.
She first helped Lin Yi'an down from the horse.
"Sister." Lin Yi'an was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open. She glanced at Lin Yinan and then fell asleep peacefully again.
Lin Yinan placed him on the oilcloth, and then took off Lu Changqing from her back.
Although she was strong and six-year-old Lu Changqing was not fat, after carrying him all night, a deep red mark had appeared on his shoulder.
Li Shulan sat on the horse, so tired that she could barely lift her eyelids, yet she still had to protect the two children in front of her.
After helping the three off their horses, the two children lay down on the oilcloth and continued to sleep.
Seeing this, Li Shulan quickly rummaged through her bundle and pulled out a few coats to cover the children, then sat down on the ground.
"Mother, have a pancake." Lin Yinan took out two palm-sized pancakes from the bundle given to her by the man in black and handed one to her.
"You eat, I'm not hungry." Even though she was very tired, Li Shulan didn't feel hungry at all.
"Even if you're not hungry, you have to eat. Otherwise, how will you have the strength to go to Sword City to find your brother?"
Lin Yinan understood her feelings, but her attitude was very firm. She stuffed the pancake into her hand and then picked one up and wolfed it down herself.
After eating three in a row and drinking half a pot of water, Lin Yinan finally felt that she had regained some strength.
After finishing the pancake in her hand, Li Shulan took out another one from her bundle and ate it. Her daughter was right; her father was gone, and she still had three children to take care of. She couldn't hold them back.
Lin Yinan stood up, brushed the debris off her clothes, and handed her the water pouch. "Mother, have some water. You should lie down and rest too. We'll set off again in half an hour."
Where are you going?
"I'll go take a look around and, while I'm at it, take the horse to get some water."
"Be careful, don't go too far," Li Shulan reminded her.
As they were talking, Lin Yinan had already led the horse far away, turned back and waved to her, indicating that she could rest assured.
Lin Yinan drove the horse to the stream. She climbed a large tree next to it and looked into the distance. As far as the eye could see, there was lush greenery and rolling mountains.
Without a guide, one would probably get lost in these mountains.
Even though the forest was dense, the sharp-eyed Lin Yinan still managed to find traces of someone walking through the thickets.
Judging from the trampling marks on the muddy ground, quite a few people have passed through here, presumably locals who have sought refuge in the mountains.
They took out a compass from their spatial storage and checked the direction. They hadn't gone the wrong way; they were heading south towards Sword City.
Back at the camp, Li Shulan was dozing off with Lin Yi'an in her arms.
After tying up the horse, Lin Yinan also dozed off for an hour. She was woken up by the glaring sunlight.
It's getting late, and the horses are moving slowly in the mountains, so we need to hurry on our way.
She woke up Li Shulan and the children, gave each child a pancake, and while tidying up, took out a few pills from her spatial storage.
"Mother, this is the medicine I found at the pharmacy last night."
Li Shulan obediently took it, tilted her head back, and ate it.
Lin Yinan changed the dressing on her wound again and re-bandaged it with a clean strip of cloth.
"Auntie, does the wound still hurt?" After finishing his pancake, Lin Yongzhi ran over to check on Li Shulan's bandaged wound and asked with a frown.
Li Shulan touched his head, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Lin Daoqin, standing beside him, clenched his little fists and said angrily, "When I grow up, I will definitely drive the Hu people out."
Thinking of her murdered father, Lin Yi'an burst into tears. "I will avenge my father and kill those despicable barbarians."
He raised his little face, his expression resolute.
Upon hearing them mention the Hu people, Lu Changqing quickly stuffed the flatbread in his hand into his mouth, ran over and hugged Lin Yinan, burying his head in her arms, trembling all over, and letting out low growls like a small animal.
The four children looked at Lu Changqing with pity and reluctance in their eyes.
Among the children, Lin Yongzhi and Lin Daoqin were the oldest. Lin Yinan looked at the two of them with suspicion.
Lin Daoqin, being a clever little fellow, leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Changqing's older brother was killed by the Hu people at the academy. Yesterday at the government office, the Hu people were going to kill him, but his twin brother stepped forward and took his place to be killed by the Hu people."
After hearing his words, Lin Yinan knew that this child had witnessed his two older brothers being killed, and was most likely suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Li Shulan had already packed the things on the ground into her bundle. "Anan, everything's packed. Shall we leave now?"
Lin Yinan nodded. Although they had walked all night, they had been moving slowly and hadn't actually gone very far. If the Hu people caught up, it would be troublesome, as there were old people and young children here.
"Let's go right away."
We can only wait until things settle down before dealing with Lu Changqing's situation. We might even run into his escaped family members on the way.
She helped them mount their horses one by one, and finally tied Lu Changqing to her back. She then mounted her horse and set off again along the path that had been trodden out by people.
The group traveled through the mountains and forests on horseback. Although they were moving slowly, it was still faster than the children walking on their own.
The mountain forest wasn't too hot under the blazing sun, so Lin Yinan didn't even stop to rest at noon, but continued on her way.
They kept walking, and they didn't know how long they had been walking.
Lin Yinan didn't stop until the sun was setting. There was a crystal-clear stream not far away.
Lin Yinan routinely checked the surroundings, but there were no signs of human activity, and no traces of large wild animals were found by the stream.
This place is safe; I can finally get a good rest tonight.
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