Chapter 45
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They had been running for who knew how long. Ling Rui, jostled around, eventually drifted off to sleep with his little head heavy.
Sihai sensed no pursuit behind him, but he didn’t dare stop. Both he and Little Seven had been sold to others—if caught, death awaited them.
He still wanted to live.
Driven by the will to survive, Sihai tirelessly ran on, even though Ling Rui had fallen asleep in his arms.
From night to dawn, and from dawn to midday, Sihai’s feet were blistered and bleeding before he finally stopped.
By now, they had traveled quite a distance.
Leaving the remote path for a main road, they encountered more people. There were stalls selling food and tea along the way, with vendors busily calling out to passersby.
Sihai glanced down at Ling Rui in his arms. Just then, Ling Rui rubbed his eyes and woke up with a cough.
“Sihai.”
Ling Rui, with his flushed face, looked up at Sihai. “I want some water.”
His soft voice was a bit hoarse, likely from thirst.
Sihai carried him to a tea stall. “Boss, could you give us a bowl of plain hot water?”
Plain water was the cheapest, but the stall owner didn’t even bother to serve them, seeing they couldn’t pay.
Sihai wasn’t disheartened.
When he begged as a beggar, he faced more disdain. Sometimes, people in bad moods would kick him unexpectedly.
He moved to another stall and continued begging for water.
In this world of good and evil, there were naturally some good people.
At the third stall, Sihai not only got water but also two pieces of bread. The woman, a farmer with a child, gave him the food. She wore simple clothes, indicating a modest living.
Seeing the poor child in his arms coughing, the farmer approached and shared bread meant for her child with them.
“This child is sick. You must take him to see a doctor.”
The farmer touched Ling Rui’s warm cheek. “Childhood illnesses should not be ignored; delaying treatment could lead to complications.”
After giving them advice, the farmer hesitated and asked, “Do you have money to get him treated?”
Sihai: “…”
Sihai shook his head. “I’ll figure something out.”
Although the farmer liked Ling Rui, she didn’t have much to offer.
She patted Ling Rui’s cheek and squeezed his hand sympathetically. Finally, she said, “He’s such a lovely child. It would be a shame if his treatment is delayed. Are you his brother? If not, I could help find a good family for him.”
“I know a wealthy household without children. If you agree, I could arrange for him to be adopted as their own.”
“No need, he has family.”
Sihai refused without hesitation. “I’m taking him back to his family.”
The farmer nodded upon hearing he had family. “Then you should hurry to take him back.”
After bidding farewell to the farmer, Ling Rui drank the hot water and ate the soaked bread without complaint.
After a few bites, he touched his stomach and said he was full.
Sihai didn’t believe him and tried to force the remaining bread into his hands, but Ling Rui covered his mouth and refused to eat.
In the end, Sihai ate the remaining bread himself.
After finishing the bread, he hoisted Ling Rui onto his back and prepared to move on.
Ling Rui had been asleep all night and hadn’t seen the route. He didn’t know how far they had come, only that everything around him looked unfamiliar.
“Sihai, let’s go back.”
Ling Rui was still thinking about Ah Wu. His little head was heavy from drowsiness, but he clearly remembered hearing Ah Wu’s beastly roar.
Ah Wu had come to find him.
Sihai had barely managed to escape; naturally, he couldn’t turn back now.
“Little Seven, we’re halfway there. Let’s keep going and we’ll reach our destination.”
Sihai’s only thought now was to seek help in the border town where Murong Xue resided.
He was a beggar with no parents or family.
But the child on his back was not.
“When we find General Murong, she’ll definitely help you find your family.”
Sihai’s words made Ling Rui’s anxious little face even redder. Going forward meant finding Auntie, but going back meant finding Ah Wu.
He wanted to go forward and wanted to return.
He hesitated for a while before decisively making up his mind. “Sihai, let’s find Ah Wu first, then we’ll go find Eldest Auntie.”
“What eldest auntie?” Sihai was a bit confused.
Ling Rui hugged his neck, already considering him family.
To family, Ling Rui was trusting.
So, with his little face pressed against Sihai’s, he whispered softly in his ear, “General Murong is my auntie.”
Sihai: “…”
Sihai’s expression was complex. After a while, he finally spoke, “It seems we need to hurry. Your head is all mixed up.”
Everyone knew that apart from Noble Consort Yi, none of the Murong family’s offspring were married.
The Noble Consort entered the palace, but she did not have any children.
Sihai was somewhat isolated from current news and still didn’t know that the Noble Consort in the palace had adopted the Seventh Prince.
Seeing that Sihai didn’t believe him, Ling Rui didn’t insist on arguing with him.
“Sihai, can we go back? Please?”
Ling Rui pleaded softly with Sihai, wanting him to carry him back.
But Sihai didn’t listen.
Unable to persuade Sihai, Ling Rui tried to send a message to Ah Wu. However, he had a fever and felt so uncomfortable that he couldn’t use his foresight abilities.
Sihai continued to carry him forward.
Ling Rui laid on him, unsure if Ah Wu could follow.
Time passed without a clear grasp.
Ling Rui could only judge by the sky. Based on the changing light and darkness, he deduced that another day had passed.
On this day, Sihai begged with Ling Rui. Apart from begging for food, he also begged for medicinal herbs.
Begging wasn’t easy. Ling Rui sat aside while Sihai held him, watching Sihai pitifully plead with passersby. After watching for a while, he walked over.
“Little Seven, sit back.”
Sihai didn’t allow him to come over, let alone beg for food like him.
Despite having approached, Ling Rui was driven away by Sihai’s sternness. He retreated to the side, still looking eagerly at Sihai.
Their interaction caught the eye of some passersby, and some began to admire Sihai.
“You’re quite something, kid.”
Someone struck up a conversation with Sihai, saying, “Want to work with me? I’m hiring temporary workers, paid daily.”
Upon hearing about temporary work, Sihai’s interest was piqued. “Can I bring the child? I promise it won’t affect my work.”
“Sure, it’s light work. We need to deliver some items to the General’s mansion.”
With these words, Sihai and Ling Rui brightened up. They had come all this way to find General Murong.
“When can we start?” Sihai kept his voice steady, not wanting to appear unreliable.
“Come with me. We’ll start tonight.”
“Okay!”
Sihai bent over to carry the child and followed the man offering the job.
As they walked and talked, Ling Rui heard that it was the General’s mansion. Still, he asked again, “Is General Murong at the mansion?”
“Of course.”
The man smiled, “General Murong mostly stays at the military camp, but she’s been at the mansion for the past two months.”
Seeing the interest in General Murong from the two, the man continued, “The mansion isn’t large, but it’s heavily guarded. When you follow me to deliver goods, just do your job and leave quietly. Understand?”
Ling Rui hesitated.
If they left after delivering the goods, how would he find Eldest Auntie?
Without showing any sign, Sihai pinched the child in his arms to keep him from speaking out of turn. He promptly answered, “I understand.”
The man delivered household items to the mansion, such as firewood, charcoal, and vegetables. After loading them onto the cart, he directly brought them to the mansion’s backyard.
After reminding Sihai on the way, they arrived and started unloading the cart.
After unloading, Sihai didn’t immediately push the cart away. He and Ling Rui were inspected to ensure they carried no weapons.
Even Ling Rui was inspected.
During Ling Rui’s inspection, his harmless little face was pinched several times.
“Alright, you’re good to go.”
The man chuckled, “I’m not suspicious of you guys, but the General is a thorn in the eyes of some barbarians. They dream of harming the General, so I have to check you guys as a routine to feel more at ease.”
Sihai agreed with his caution. “That’s understandable.”
Although General Murong was highly skilled, being skilled didn’t mean she wasn’t concerned about safety.
Being cautious was a good thing.
Sihai pushed a cart full of goods, while Ling Rui sat on the cart, holding onto things tightly, afraid of falling off.
“Little Seven, is it more comfortable sitting on the cart or being carried by me?” Sihai asked while pushing.
After taking medicine once, Ling Rui’s complexion had improved a lot, but he still felt a little hot. He hugged a big cabbage, pressing his cool face against it, and answered Sihai’s question, “Both are comfortable.”
Seeing Ling Rui hugging the cabbage like that, Sihai couldn’t help but smile.
The mood of the two was visibly good. Although Ling Rui couldn’t turn back to find Ah Wu, he knew Ah Wu was nearby.
As long as he behaved, Ah Wu would come to him.
Previously, the distance between him and Ah Wu was a little close. Within this range, Ah Wu could detect his presence.
Ling Rui wasn’t blindly confident in Ah Wu.
Because at this moment, Ah Wu was indeed not far from him. Due to the presence of people here, Ah Wu didn’t use his beast form anymore and had changed back into a human form he didn’t particularly like.
His current human appearance was bigger than Ling Rui, but he still fell within the category of a human infant.
On the road,
He met a farmer with a child. Seeing him alone, the farmer asked in surprise, “Why are there so many poor children today? Where are your family?”
As the farmer spoke, she wanted to introduce him to a good family.
Ah Wu’s face turned cold, showing no interest in a good family. From the farmer, he learned about a sick child who seemed to be his little one.
Ah Wu’s route had no deviations as he made his way over.
Like Ling Rui, he encountered both good and bad people along the way. However, unlike Ling Rui, the bad people Ah Wu encountered were even worse.
When adults saw him alone, dressed unusually, they harbored ill intentions.
And in the end, for those who harbored such intentions, the consequences were not something a young child should witness.
Provoking a fierce beast, even if it’s an underage one, never leads to a good outcome.
Alone, Ah Wu cleaned the blood from his hands by a small river on the roadside, expressionless with his delicate young face, and continued walking forward.
He hadn’t reached the street where Ling Rui was.
At this moment, something happened on that street.
“You damaged the goods on my cart, you have to pay for it!” The man with Sihai and the young child was arguing with someone, “If you don’t pay, don’t think you can leave!”
They were peacefully pushing their cart on the road when these people crashed into their cart and now wanted to get away after causing damage!
The young child on the other cart was also angered.
His cart had overturned too.
Although Sihai wanted to save him, he was a step too late.
The vegetables on their cart were scattered on the ground. When he climbed out of the vegetable pile, leaves were stuck to his forehead. The infuriated young child clenched the vegetables in his hands and demanded, “Pay up!”
These vegetables were meant for Eldest Auntie; they had to compensate for the damage!
“Do you know who I am?” One of the men stepped forward, “I’m sent by His Majesty, currently learning under General Murong at the military camp. If you dare to pull me, ruin my clothes, you won’t be able to afford ten carts of vegetables!”
“Nonsense!”
The man didn’t believe him, “If you were really under General Murong, you wouldn’t be causing trouble like this! I don’t want to waste time with you, pay up quickly so I can go change my cart and buy new vegetables. I don’t have time to argue with you here.”
After saying that, the man tried to grab his money pouch.
This angered the man.
He had come here over two months ago with Murong Xu, but after arriving, Murong Xue was injured and did not see him. He was assigned tasks by Murong Xu.
With his noble status in the capital, he came here, and Murong Xu unexpectedly had him start from the bottom as a soldier!
His grandfather had fought on the battlefield before, and he had come here to gain experience so that he could one day obtain a general’s position! Starting as a soldier was simply an insult to him.
The fire that had been burning in his heart for two months reached its peak during the shoving match with this man.
The man continued to pull him, “Don’t use General Murong’s name to do dishonest things! Our general can’t afford to be dragged down by you.”
As the man pulled him, the young man’s face grew darker and darker, and finally, he violently pushed the man to the ground and shouted to the people around him, “D*mn it, beat him up!”
“Really giving him face, even daring to snatch this young master’s money pouch.”
As the man was being beaten, Sihai picked up the young child from the pile of vegetables and moved him aside. Then he rolled up his sleeves and rushed over, “Uncle, I’ll help you!”
In an instant, what had been a quarrel turned into a brawl.
The young child, with leaves on his forehead, watched in shock. Seeing Sihai at a disadvantage, he let go of the vegetables in his hands and ran over with his short legs.
But in a moment of rushing over, he was kicked and pushed out.
Before he could see who had pushed him, he sniffled, tightened his little fists, and randomly picked a woman passing by.
The woman was beautiful, dressed simply in white, and her eyes seemed familiar to him.
He only looked for a few seconds and didn’t dwell on why she looked familiar.
He opened his little arms and politely asked the woman, “Can you lift me onto that cart?”
The woman looked at his little face, her gaze profound.
She bent down and lifted the young child onto the high cart as requested, “Of course, but you need to be careful not to fall off.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Standing on the cart, the young child thanked the woman. Then he raised his voice towards the fighting people, “Stop fighting! Give me some face! “
With a serious expression on his small face, he solemnly declared his identity on Auntie’s territory, “General Murong is my auntie. If you keep fighting, I’ll tell my auntie!”
His words made the fighters stop.
Sihai looked at the young child on the cart, a hint of despair in his eyes. He had already told this young child not to talk nonsense!
Unlike Sihai’s look of despair, the old man delivering vegetables looked at the young child, then at the woman next to him. His voice trembled as he called out, “Ge, general?”
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Obrigada pela tradução!!