As the sun climbed high, Shiqu Village.
Yuan Bao woke up unusually late. Newest update provided by novel_fіre.net
He had fallen asleep late last night, so waking up now made sense.
Yuan Bao, upon waking, looked at the still-empty room and sensed the quiet outside, letting out a faint sigh.
"Alas, in the end, it’s still me bearing all this alone!"
The small child had a surprisingly mature expression on his face.
Washing up, making breakfast.
Curling smoke rose into the air.
The silent Shiqu Village slowly saw a column of smoke ascending.
As Yuan Bao started making breakfast, in the Sheng Family’s compound next door, a team of eleven scouts was gnawing on frozen rock-hard rations while drinking icy well water.
"Centurion, look, there’s smoke!"
A scout happened to see the rising column of smoke and immediately reported it to the centurion sitting beside him.
Seeing the column of smoke rising from Shiqu Village, a rare hint of excitement appeared on the usually cold and expressionless face of the centurion.
"Stop eating, follow me!"
The centurion put away the rations he was holding and ordered his men to move out in a deep voice.
To him, the appearance of the smoke meant someone was there.
And their purpose for coming was to capture a few locals to inquire about the surrounding situation.
But along the way, all the villages they passed were deserted.
Just as Sanchuan City was ahead, he had almost given up on capturing anyone, never expecting a small village outside the city to still show signs of life.
The group quickly packed up, traveling light and moving swiftly towards the direction of the smoke.
As this team of scouts was heading towards Shiqu Village, Yuan Bao also finished heating breakfast.
However, just as she was eating breakfast leisurely, You Cang appeared!
Yet, You Cang appeared in the sky above Shiqu Village, circling relentlessly, occasionally letting out sharp cries, without any intention of landing.
Seeing You Cang’s unusual behavior, if Yuan Bao still didn’t understand what it meant, she would indeed be a clueless kid.
"Strangers are here!"
"Strangers who can threaten You Cang!"
Realizing this, Yuan Bao quickly initiated her plan to flee from home.
A rope, one end tied to the large millstone in the yard, the other end always kept by Yuan Bao, as she headed straight for the western courtyard wall.
There, a heap of firewood was stacked.
Yuan Bao moved a small stool, carefully climbed onto the firewood heap, then pulled the stool up onto the woodpile. She stood on the stool, successfully reaching the top of the courtyard wall.
In the next moment, Yuan Bao climbed up onto the courtyard wall.
Then, estimating the wall’s height, she wrapped the rope twice around her body, tightly gripping it with both hands, and began to lower herself from the top of the wall.
In no time, Yuan Bao safely landed on her feet.
After rubbing her chubby hands reddened by the rope, Yuan Bao untied the rope from her body and dashed towards the back of the village.
Although she knew enemies were about to enter the village, Yuan Bao was not about to play hero.
At her age, saving her own life was already a miracle!
Yuan Bao ran swiftly, soon reaching the fields and ditches behind the village. She found a pile of crop stalks and covered herself with them, even her little head, leaving only her eyes peeking through the gaps in the stalks, watching the village street.