Chapter 114
Chapter 114
Xiao Che’s eyes immediately lit up at the word “seeds.”
“Daughter, you said someone is bringing seeds. Where are they?”
They needed every kind of seed they could obtain.
Although the Xiao Family was a noble military clan and had heard of many varieties, they had never heard of potatoes.
“And what is a potato?”
Jin Bao pointed one little hand toward the door. “They’re outside the inn, but they seem to be in trouble. Daddy, hurry and save them, or their things will be stolen and Baby won’t have any potatoes to eat.”
Xiao Che glanced outside. It was just after noon. Everyone was resting, while Ye Qi and Squad One stood guard outside the inn.
Xiao Che rose and prepared to leave. Jin Bao hurriedly opened her arms.
“Daddy, uppies! Baby wants to go too.”
Since the night before, Jin Bao had been awake for only four hours and asleep for the rest.
She had eaten only one bowl of porridge, so she had to be hungry now.
“Daughter, are you hungry?”
“Baby’s hungry. Baby’s tummy is flat.”
Jin Bao blinked her large eyes and patted her belly.
Xiao Che expertly dressed Jin Bao, picked her up, and carried her out of the room.
When Jin Bao saw the courtyard again, it had already been cleaned and organized.
Not the slightest trace of blood remained. The snow on the ground had also been completely cleared, exposing the original black soil beneath.
Jin Bao curiously studied the tree she had personally revived. Its entire crown remained lush and green.
She touched her little head. So it had not been a dream.
But she did not dare try the ability again. Bringing such a large tree back to flourishing life in the blink of an eye had exhausted her and made her want to sleep all the time.
As Xiao Che carried Jin Bao out, they encountered Aunt Ma.
“Valley Master, are you taking the Young Miss outside?”
Xiao Che nodded. “Yes, I’m taking her for a walk. Please prepare something easy to digest for her. She hasn’t eaten properly while traveling with me, so she’s been listless for the past two days.”
Aunt Ma had been a wet nurse in her youth and was excellent at caring for children. She bowed. “Rest assured, Valley Master. This old woman knows a thing or two about looking after children. Take the Young Miss on your walk. I’ll prepare something for her right away.”
Xiao Che thanked her and carried Jin Bao straight toward the front of the inn.
Ye Qi hurried toward them from the opposite direction.
“Valley Master, a group has arrived outside. Judging by their accents, they aren’t from Great Xia. They appear to be fleeing from refugees.”
Jin Bao had already told Xiao Che, so he was not surprised. He merely strode outside.
“Gather every Shadow Guard and follow me out to save them.”
Without asking questions, Ye Qi immediately summoned all the Shadow Guards to assemble at the inn’s entrance.
Xiao Che stopped inside Blackwind Fort’s gate passage.
Ye Qi had stationed the members of Squad One along the collapsed wall, one every zhang. Each held a great saber or spear, weapons the group had seized and which were now proving useful.
Xiao Che watched two groups racing in the distance. He could not make out the faces of those in front. They were fully covered, with even their eyes concealed behind black gauze.
They rode in sleigh wagons with sled runners below and enclosed wooden cabins above. From a distance, each resembled a little wooden house in motion.
Ten Snow Mastiffs pulled every sleigh house.
They should have left the refugees far behind, but for some unknown reason, the mob remained in pursuit. Like a rolling snowball, it only grew larger and larger.
The sight of so many refugees stunned Xiao Che. He had just absorbed more than a thousand, and now another group had arrived. Why were they all converging on this area?
The question flashed through Xiao Che’s mind, but cries for help quickly drew his attention away.
The man was shouting for help in broken Great Xia speech. Xiao Che focused on the approaching group.
Just as the sleigh houses neared Blackwind Fort, several of them overturned.
The refugees who had fallen behind surged forward like a tide and surrounded the overturned sleigh houses.
“Valley Master, everyone has assembled.”
Standing behind Xiao Che, Ye Qi also saw what had happened ahead.
“Ye Qi, remain here and guard Blackwind Fort. Do not allow a single refugee inside without my order. Everyone else, follow me and rescue them.”
After issuing his orders, Xiao Che was the first to run out, spear in hand.
Jin Bao had already climbed down from his arms and followed close behind.
The refugees paid no attention to the newcomers and continued looting the wagons.
Facing so many refugees, Xiao Che did not know how to act. They were homeless commoners who had neither attacked nor threatened his life. Striking them without cause would violate his principles.
While Xiao Che hesitated, Jin Bao had already sprung into action.
“All of you, go away! Don’t touch Baby’s potatoes. Baby wants to eat them!”
Jin Bao charged into the crowd and sent a swath of people flying with a few punches and kicks.
The refugees she kicked landed in the snow nearby without injury. They climbed to their feet and tried to charge back in, only to be knocked down by the next wave of airborne bodies.
It took considerable effort, even with Xiao Che’s help, but Jin Bao finally secured the first wagon and rescued several people along the way.
The men were stunned to see such a tiny child display such ferocity. They also seemed to realize they had found a protector, and every one of them hid behind Jin Bao.
The sight of a large group of burly men relying on a little child for protection was decidedly strange.
The refugees had also witnessed Jin Bao’s strength. When they saw that she defended only the first wagon and ignored the others, they quickly recognized the situation, avoided that wagon, and rushed toward those behind it.
“Please, save them.”
A man who appeared to be the group’s master begged Jin Bao in broken Great Xia speech to save his companions.
Jin Bao did not want to go. She might be strong, but she had no desire to meddle in other people’s affairs. Second Brother had taught her not to do anything that offered no benefit.
Jin Bao remembered that lesson.
She planted both hands on her hips and haughtily turned her head away.
The man thought for a moment.
“These, give you. Help me. Please.”
His command of the language was clearly poor, and each word emerged separately.
Jin Bao followed his finger toward the wagon before her, and a cunning gleam flashed in her eyes.
But to confirm he truly meant it, she asked again.
“You mean everything in this wagon? You’re giving it all to Baby?”
The man nodded at once and held both hands out as though presenting an object, his face pleading.
“All for you. Everything yours. Please, save people.”
Jin Bao did not dare agree by herself. She looked back at Xiao Che.
“Daddy, can Baby go?”
“You can, but be careful. I’ll have them help you.”
Xiao Che stroked Jin Bao’s little head and waved. The Shadow Guards immediately followed as she charged forward.
There were so many refugees that even Jin Bao struggled before finally pulling the trapped people from the mob.
Had they arrived any later, those travelers would have been stripped bare.
This time, the large amount of food inside the wagons had distracted the refugees.
Their behavior was also strange. No one took any gold, silver, or jewels. Everyone fought only over food.
Jin Bao loved the glittering golden jewelry. She wanted to give some to Mommy, her Aunties, and Grandma to wear.
She busied herself picking up the necklaces and jeweled rings others had thrown aside.
They jingled from her neck, little hands, and wrists, yet many still littered the ground.
That was when she turned her attention to the Shadow Guards.
The result was that when the group returned, every one of them glittered with jewelry bright enough to dazzle the eye.