Hong Xiaoduo didn't know whether they would encounter danger tonight, but one thing she was sure of was that no matter where the old man came from or how long they had been on the road, they hadn't encountered any danger yet.
Otherwise, the old man would never have invited me and the children to come along.
Although they had only just met, she was certain that the old man was a good person.
Based on her observations, she concluded that his accompanying guards were extremely vigilant and cautious. In other words, the guards all sensed danger to the old man, but the old man remained oblivious.
With their entourage, even if there were robbers along the way, they wouldn't dare to come out and risk their lives.
However, if someone really does cause trouble, then it's definitely not about robbing money.
As she was thinking, the guards in front suddenly blew their whistles as a warning. The next moment, a group of men in black emerged from the woods beside them, several of whom lit torches.
"Mother?" Tian Shu, who hadn't slept, asked in a low voice when he heard the noise.
"Don't come out, stay inside and take good care of your younger siblings," Hong Xiaoduo whispered to her.
Tian Shu agreed, and in the dark, he found his shoes and put them on. He was nervously preparing, thinking that although he couldn't help with anything else, he could at least catch the train.
However, he dared not disobey her.
The older children, Tianquan and Tianji, were also awakened, and Tianshu whispered to them not to make a sound.
Outside, Hong Xiaoduo held a whip in one hand and untied the bag of pebbles at her waist with the other, then casually touched her sword.
Looking ahead, some guards were already facing outwards, protecting the carriage, while others were preparing to fight.
"No matter who sent you, I advise you to leave immediately. Do not be so blind as to help the wicked." The head guard pointed his knife at the other party and warned loudly.
Hong Xiaoduo heard everything clearly from behind and thought to herself, "See, I guessed some of it. They didn't even introduce themselves to intimidate the other party, which means they understood their purpose."
"Stop talking to me about good and evil. We're paid to do what we can. Let me tell you, we just want the head of the man in the carriage. If you know what's good for you and move aside, I guarantee my men won't make things difficult for you," one of the men on the other side shouted arrogantly.
Hong Xiaoduo nodded slightly. There should be more than thirty people on the other side. She didn't know if there were any more in the woods or in places that couldn't be seen.
It would be impossible for her not to be nervous at that moment.
Regardless of how chaotic the world is, shouldn't we let her adapt gradually?
Last time there were three robbers, this time five, seven, or eight is fine too, dozens in total? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? Does she think she's adapting well to this kind of situation?
What about next time, a battle of a hundred people?
Hong Xiaoduo mentally complained, feeling cold sweat breaking out on her forehead and body.
The two groups of people, while exchanging words, did not slow down their pace at all, and before they knew it, the outermost groups had started fighting.
Swords clashed, clanging and crackling, with sparks occasionally flying.
At this moment, the three guards who were originally behind the donkey cart came closer. Looking at the situation in front, they were extremely anxious, and their eyes were filled with resentment when they looked at Hong Xiaoduo.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not your enemy, and I didn't ask you to protect us. Go protect your parents." Hong Xiaoduo said.
Her words were a bit harsh, but it wasn't because she was emotional; it was simply because the fighting had been so intense.
It's clear that these men in black are all quite skilled in combat.
She didn't want anything to happen to the old man either; the guards were there to protect him.
“But my master’s life…” one of the guards hesitated.
“Those people are after your master’s life. If you keep arguing and delaying, your master’s life will be in danger.” Hong Xiaoduo was also getting anxious.
"A-Dian, you stay and protect them," the hesitant man said to a companion.
The man named A-Dian was very indignant: "Why did you keep me here?"
"Alright, alright, you don't need to leave any of them here. If your people weren't here, we might not be in danger." Hong Xiaoduo became even more anxious when she saw them dawdling.
That's a rather unpleasant way to put it.
The three guards looked at her even more displeased. They thought, "You heartless bastards! Our lord kindly asked us to protect you, and not only do you not appreciate it, you even say such hurtful things."
Now that's settled. The three of them glared fiercely at Hong Xiaoduo, then spurred their horses and galloped ahead.
Hong Xiaoduo suddenly realized something, immediately extinguished the lantern hanging in front of the carriage, picked up a handful of pebbles, and warily looked around.
The old man had more than twenty guards, so it wasn't her turn to help him, nor could she abandon her seven children.
She felt she had done what she should have done by not taking up the old man's guards.
To avoid attracting the attention of the men in black, she slowly backed away with the donkey cart a short distance.
She did consider turning around and getting away from this dangerous place, but she wasn't sure if that would be the right decision, or if the direction she came from was safe.
Judging from the men in black's determined attitude, surely they must have arranged for someone to cut off the old man's escape route?
The dangers in the forest are unknown, so for now, she can only stop here with the children.
"Mother?" Yao Guang, who had just been awakened by the sounds of fighting in the carriage, called out softly, suppressing her sobs.
"I'm here, don't be afraid, be a good boy and listen to your older brothers and sisters." Hong Xiaoduo responded softly.
Yao Guang's voice suddenly calmed Hong Xiaoduo's tense and uneasy heart. What's there to panic about? What's there to be afraid of? Be confident! The children still need your protection!
The situation ahead was clearly becoming unmanageable for the men in black, especially with the addition of the three guards who had just passed by.
She vaguely saw a guard injured and fallen from his horse. Hong Xiaoduo wanted to throw stones to help him, but she was afraid of attracting the attention of the men in black and drawing them here again. She already felt guilty and remorseful for not being able to prevent the seven children from being frightened; she could not forgive herself if any of them got hurt.
The men in black were killed one after another, and they were getting further and further away from the carriage. When the leader saw that things were not going well, he blew a whistle.
"Are they losing and starting to call for reinforcements?" Hong Xiaoduo guessed, listening to the whistle.
Suddenly she sensed movement behind her. Before she could go around to look, she heard the other person say, "Hey, Lao Ba, look, there are a few children in this donkey cart. Let's grab one or two at random. Doesn't that old geezer surnamed Wei think that everything he does is worthy of heaven and earth, worthy of his conscience, and worthy of the people?"
Let's see if he can really do it.
Hong Xiaoduo heard it clearly; they wanted to kidnap the child to threaten the old man...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
