Chu Chu carefully examined the branch in her hand. The cut surface of the branch was unusually smooth, something that an ordinary tree-cutting knife could not achieve; it must have been made by a sharp sword.
“There’s someone here,” Chu Chu said coldly.
"Someone? Where?" Meng Qingrou blinked, looking around. All around her were identical trees. She didn't see a single person, or even an animal.
Chu Chu did not answer Meng Qingrou's question.
In the current situation, a true expert would generally remain silent.
In Chu Xiaoxiao's consciousness space, Xiaoxiao watched all this like a spectator. Swords? Someone? Bandits? How laughable, how laughable. Do they even know who this is? The infamous "Chu Tianzun"! Causing trouble for her is simply a case of someone who's tired of living and in a hurry to be reincarnated.
"Chuchu, let's keep collecting branches."
Meng Qingrou was completely unaware of any danger around her. She listened to He Yunxiao and began to gather branches to prepare firewood for the barbecue.
Chu Chu did not listen to Meng Qingrou.
She's a "senior," and according to the hierarchy in the martial arts world, she might even be considered Meng Qingrou's grandmaster, if she has a master. How could someone of such status be ordered around by a mere girl?
Meng Qingrou squatted down and bent down to pick up firewood. The dry branches on the ground were a little dusty, but Meng Qingrou didn't care at all. She focused on picking them up, humming a little tune and swaying her head, one piece after another, holding the fire-starting tools in her arms like treasures.
This grove of trees is located beside the post road leading from Yinjing to Jubeiguan.
This post road was used by both government messengers and the horse-drawn carriages of farmers and merchants, with a great many vehicles coming and going.
Chu Chu stood quietly in place, listening to the sounds in the air.
“Two horses are approaching,” she suddenly said.
Meng Qingrou looked up. "A guest?"
Chu Chu did not answer.
Three breaths later, two horses appeared in Chu Chu and Nan Zhu's field of vision. The first two tall and mighty steeds that came into view silently proclaimed their formidable load-bearing capacity with their large muscles.
Looking further up, the two riders were seventh-rank martial artists, carrying bows and arrows on their backs and broadswords at their waists. One of them was also carrying a small deer. Alive.
The two men were dressed like ordinary江湖人士 (jianghu figures), but they exuded a strong murderous aura.
The two seventh-rank martial artists were immediately captivated by Chu Chu and Nan Zhu.
Their beauty was out of place with their surroundings, like fairies descended to earth.
One of them exclaimed excitedly, "Our Emperor is about to get married, and the General is just wondering what to give as a congratulatory gift. Wouldn't this pair of beauties be perfect?"
The other man, his lips dry and his voice hoarse, said, "Exactly, absolutely wonderful."
"Dismount and take them back to the military camp."
Chu Chu coldly said to Meng Qingrou, "Go back, I'll be right there."
Suddenly, a sound of branches hitting the ground and colliding came from beside Chu Chu, and then a petite body stood in front of her.
Although Meng Qingrou was naive, she could tell that the two men had ill intentions.
then……
"Chuchu, go find He Yunxiao. If we run together, no one can escape. Don't be afraid, we'll be alright."
Chu Chu was stunned by Meng Qingrou's sudden assertiveness.
Xiao Xiao was also stunned.
Xiao Xiao said as if watching a show: Wow, Chu Chu, she's willing to cover your retreat. This sister-in-law is really something.
Chu Chu looked at Meng Qingrou's serious profile but still didn't say anything.
The tall Yan army warriors continued to walk towards them, one of them already pulling out a rope. His companion quipped, "Look at their delicate skin, won't this rope make them wet?"
Despite her gentle exterior, Nan Zhu's wife remained calm and urged Chu Chu behind her, "Chu Chu, you go first."
Chu Chu finally spoke, "You leave, I will stay."
"You are my sister, you..." Meng Qingrou hadn't finished speaking when she felt something brush past her cheek.
In Meng Qingrou's vision, the air suddenly became turbulent, and the fallen leaves on the ground were stirred up and flew up, obscuring her view. She couldn't see anything.
"Chuchu!" Meng Qingrou saw that her "little sister" was gone and thought something had happened to her, so she quickly shouted.
A moment later, the air fell silent again, and all the leaves fell to the ground in order. Her younger sister, Chu Chu, was now standing in front of her, and at Chu Chu's feet, a pile of withered branches and fallen leaves formed the shape of two people.
The tall horse and the deer were still there, but the two men were gone.
“Chuchu…” Meng Qingrou said timidly.
"Let's go," Chu Chu said.
"We haven't brought the firewood yet." Meng Qingrou tugged at Chu Chu's sleeve, transforming back into a soft and cute girl.
Chu Chu walked ahead, glanced at Nan Zhu, and said, "Let He Yunxiao come and get it."
He Yunxiao successfully hunted three wild rabbits.
Based on his understanding of Chu Chu and Nan Zhu, the two of them together could only afford to eat one rabbit, and the remaining two would be his.
Of course, we can't make it too obvious. We'll each have one at first, and then eat what they leave behind if they can't finish it. Sharing a rabbit with my wives isn't important at all; the main thing is that I don't want to waste food.
After hunting the rabbit, He Yunxiao didn't rush back to the campsite. Instead, he skinned and gutted the rabbit on the spot before stringing it up and taking it back. Nan Zhu, having grown up in the palace, had probably never witnessed killing before, and seeing a rabbit killed in front of her felt rather inappropriate.
He Yunxiao carried the rabbit back to where they had parted ways, only to find the two little girls waiting there early in the morning, but empty-handed, without any firewood.
"Rou'er, where's the branch?"
Meng Qingrou glanced at Chu Chu, then pointed in a direction and said, "Over there."
He Yunxiao: ?
Chu Chu said, "He Yunxiao, go and get the firewood. It's about two hundred paces away."
He Yunxiao handed the strung rabbit to Nanzhu's wife, then walked two hundred steps with a puzzled look on his face.
Upon arriving at the scene, He Yunxiao understood everything without Chu Chu needing to explain.
Good heavens, have we run into Yan army scouts?
Seeing the two fine horses, two good bows, two broadswords, and a small deer, He Yunxiao, who had come to plunder the goods, beamed with joy. The Yan army was truly capable; the gifts were small but the sentiment was deep, they had delivered this package from afar.
However, the biggest gain from this looting wasn't the items themselves, but a map of the State of Qi.
He Yunxiao specifically compared the map he was carrying with his own and discovered that the map of Qi drawn by the Yan Kingdom was actually more accurate!
No wonder the Yan army was so unstoppable...
Now that they are halfway there, it would be a waste of time to go back to Yinjing. He Yunxiao decided to hand the map over to the garrison at Jubeiguan and let them decide how to use it.
You can bring a knife and a bow and arrow.
The horse doesn't look cheap; it's probably a breed from the Yan state, which would be perfect for use after it enters Yan.
Deer...
...
At noon, He Yunxiao and his two friends reluctantly added a dish to their barbecue plan.
Meng Qingrou held the venison, hesitating to take a bite. "Brother Xiao, did you take someone else's things...?"
“The fawn is wild, not ‘someone else’s property.’ It has its own will and is willingly being eaten by us. Rou’er, don’t waste food, eat it while it’s hot.”
Meng Qingrou was still hesitant to speak. She asked timidly, "Brother Xiao, how are those two people?"
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