Chapter 142
Chapter 142
“There’s no time to lose. Tomorrow, I’ll take the Xiao Family’s Shadow Guards and select several dozen skilled men from the Dragon Tiger Guard to launch a surprise attack on the gold mine.”
Nestled in Xiao Che’s arms, Jin Bao raised a little hand excitedly, her eyes sparkling.
“Baby too! Baby wants to go.”
Xiao Che stroked her little braids indulgently.
“Of course you’re coming. Otherwise, we won’t know the way.”
Jin Bao beamed, revealing two rows of tiny white teeth. Then Xiao Che warned her in a stern voice, “You may come, Daughter, but you are not allowed to use any of your other powers. Your only job is to lead the way. If you use your powers recklessly again, Daddy will send you back to Black Pine Valley to stay with your mother.”
Jin Bao quickly tucked in her neck.
Black Pine Valley was lots of fun, but she liked adventures outside the mountains even more.
She nodded obediently, wrapped her arms around Xiao Che’s neck, and wheedled, “Daddy, Baby won’t. Don’t send Baby back, okay? Baby will be good.”
Only then did Xiao Che smile and tap the tip of her little nose.
That night, Xiao Jingxing finally regained consciousness.
He was still far too weak, however, and after saying only a few words, he fell asleep again.
Those few words gave Xiao Che a rough idea of Ye Yi’s current location.
It turned out that Xiao Jingxing had decisively stopped resisting that day so Ye Yi and the others could escape to Black Pine Valley and deliver the warning.
Prince Cheng had sent more than a hundred men, while Xiao Jingxing had only six companions. They had been hopelessly outnumbered.
Even so, the attackers had grievously wounded Xiao Jingxing.
Xiao Che clenched his fists.
“Just you wait, Prince Cheng. We’ll settle every last debt between us.”
Xiao Che had committed each of Prince Cheng’s offenses against the Xiao Family to memory. One day, he would lead his men into the Capital and capture Prince Cheng with his own hands. Then he would personally flog the man’s corpse and hang it above the city gate for three months beneath the scorching sun.
For now, though, Ye Yi and his men had taken a different road. He had no idea whether they had reached Black Pine Valley yet.
At the first glimmer of dawn the following day, Ye Qi and Long Xia assembled their men outside the western side courtyard.
Everyone wore neat, close-fitting clothes, with a bow across his back and a saber at his waist.
When they saw Xiao Che emerge with the still-sleeping Jin Bao in his arms, they merely cupped their fists in salute. No one spoke for fear of waking her.
Xiao Che nodded and led the way toward the outer courtyard.
The warhorses were already waiting at the main gate, where Xie Yanhong had come to see Xiao Che off.
“Uncle Xiao, may you win a swift victory and take the gold mine in one fell swoop.”
“Don’t worry. But there are a few things I need to tell you.”
Xiao Che moved a few steps to the side, and Xie Yanhong followed close behind.
“Once we take that gold mine, the outside world is bound to notice. You must increase the patrols around this estate.”
Xie Yanhong understood his concern, but smiled. “Don’t worry, Uncle Xiao. Before my father bought this land, he investigated it thoroughly. This estate lies in a no-man’s-land between the Baishui Xiao Family, the Qingshan Cliff Qin Family, and the Lushan Qi Family. None of the three families is permitted to maintain private troops, so none poses a threat to us.”
Xiao Che had heard a little about the Eight Great Families of the Northern Frontier, but his knowledge was far from thorough.
Reassured by Xie Yanhong’s explanation, he decided he would study the Northern Frontier’s political situation carefully after taking the mine.
The Lushan Qi Family sounded strangely familiar. Before his departure, Mo’er seemed to have given him a token belonging to them. Once this matter was settled, he could take the token to pay them a visit. Befriending the family first would be a good opportunity.
With that thought, Xiao Che patted Xie Yanhong on the shoulder.
“That puts my mind at ease. We’ll be going now.”
Xiao Che secured Jin Bao against his chest as before. With one hand on the reins and the other around her, he did his best to let her sleep comfortably.
Even at a full gallop, the gold mine was two days away.
They had packed light precisely so they could arrive as soon as possible.
At noon on the third day, they finally reached the outskirts of Jinshi Town.
The land was utterly desolate, hemmed in by mountains on all sides. Only a single road entered the mountains, barely wide enough for one carriage.
“Valley Master, the gold mine is just ahead. Shall I scout the road first?”
Afraid that their large group might alert the enemy, Ye Qi volunteered for the task.
“No need. My daughter knows the way. We’ll rest here for half a day and move at midnight.”
Jin Bao nodded along. “That’s right, Uncle Ye Qi. Baby knows the way. Baby also knows there’s a cave over there, and a whole herd of wild goats too. Baby wants a whole roasted goat!”
Xiao Che and Ye Qi could not help laughing.
“Then how about Uncle Ye Qi and Uncle Long Xia hunt a few goats to satisfy the Young Miss’s craving?”
“Yay! Uncle Ye Qi is the best! Here, just follow this mountain path straight up. Don’t turn anywhere, and you’ll see them really soon.”
Through the surrounding plants and trees, Jin Bao could sense every movement within fifty li.
With her directions, Ye Qi and Long Xia easily led a dozen men to a herd of wild goats drinking from a mountain spring.
The goats stood there at ease, oblivious to the approaching men.
At a signal from Ye Qi and Long Xia, the Shadow Guards and Dragon Tiger Guards immediately nocked arrows and drew their bows.
Each man took aim at a target.
Long Xia gave the signal to fire, and a volley of arrows flew at once.
In an instant, more than a dozen goats fell and did not rise again.
The rest of the herd bolted in terror. In the blink of an eye, the goats that had been drinking so peacefully vanished into the forest.
Jin Bao led Xiao Che and the remaining Dragon Tiger Guards to a modest cave large enough for everyone to rest inside.
No one sat idle. They gathered firewood and built a fire.
Ye Qi and his men returned with a rich haul, carrying on their shoulders the wild goats they had already dressed beside the stream.
Xiao Che had ordered roasting racks set up. All they had to do was lash the goats to them and begin roasting.
As time passed, the bloodstained hides gradually turned golden brown.
Xiao Che pulled a packet of coarse salt from inside his robe.
This was a habit he had developed over the past six months. Whenever he left home, Pei Wanqing prepared salt for him in advance, just in case he needed it.
He scattered the coarse crystals over the goats to add a savory flavor.
The sizzling fat quickly melted the salt.
Jin Bao squatted beside the roasting goat and rubbed her little hands together, swallowing hard.
Her big eyes never once left the meat.
After nearly two hours, the goat was finally taken down from the rack.
Xiao Che sliced off a piece of meat from the leg with his dagger, set it on a leaf plucked from the forest, and handed it to Jin Bao.
“Careful. It’s still hot.”
Jin Bao snatched it with nimble hands. She murmured her agreement even as she lowered her head and bit into the golden meat.
“Sss… hah!”
Her tiny mouth swallowed the whole piece at once. The steaming roast mutton was so hot that she hopped from foot to foot, yet she could not bear to spit it out. Tears welled in her eyes as she frantically rolled it around inside her mouth.
Xiao Che reached in to pull it out, but Jin Bao dodged him.
“Mmph… sss, hah!”
In the end, Jin Bao managed to swallow it. Her tongue had already gone numb from the heat, and her mouth turned down as she prepared to cry.
Xiao Che did not know whether to laugh or ache for her.
“You silly girl. That meat was scorching hot, and you shoved it straight into your mouth! Why didn’t you spit it out?”
Jin Bao looked aggrieved. “Meat smells yummy. Can’t throw it away. Wasteful.”
Xiao Che had no answer to that. He could only pick up his daughter and soothe her. From then on, he let every piece of meat cool until it was merely warm before giving it to her.
Jin Bao had learned absolutely nothing from the experience. Whenever she was starving, she still ate far too quickly.
They did not roast all the goats whole. The rest were cooked dry, cut into jerky, and packed into the bundles they carried.
They had only brought enough rations for two days, so the jerky would replenish their supplies perfectly.
When the moon hung high overhead, Xiao Che woke Jin Bao.
Knowing they would act that night, Jin Bao became fully alert almost at once. She led everyone around the sentry posts and toward the rear of the gold mine.