《She Picked Up an Emperor on the Road of Refuge》


 Chapter 1: The Average Bad Guy

    <h4>Chapter 1</h4>


    In an abandoned courtyard in Qinghe County, Gu Jiu opened her eyes and witnessed two men tormenting a young woman.


    The young woman''s clothes were in tatters, with pieces scattered everywhere.


    Suddenly, the young woman locked eyes with Gu Jiu, paused her crying, and pointed at Gu Jiu in a shrill voice, "She''s awake! The little girl is awake! She''s much prettier than me. Go find her! Really, I saw her smearing mud on her face. Don''t believe me? Wipe it off, her skin is so fair. Go find her!"


    Gu Jiu: ...


    Damn! Is there a better way to express frustration?


    One of the scruffy-faced bearded men nced at Gu Jiu, his hands not stopping as he smirked, "A bean sprout-like doll, all dried up. I''m not interested in her, but I''m only interested in you."


    The other sleazy skinny man looked Gu Jiu up and down, "Can''t tell the front from the back, not an ounce of flesh on her body. Even a sow is stronger than her."


    Gu Jiu: ...


    Not very harmful but extremely insulting. How infuriating!


    "Her skin is so beautiful. She might be a youngdy from a wealthy family. We''re full of mud-covered peasants, but youngdies from wealthy families are a rare sight... Sob, sob, her skin is delicate and fair like a celestial being..."


    The young woman cried while continuously disparaging Gu Jiu.


    Gu Jiu wanted to smash her head open and see what was inside.


    She could understand that a young woman facing such a situation would be scared and helpless, but she couldn''t let herself be a scapegoat. Her body was not even twelve years old yet, and after enduring hunger and hardship all the way here, she appeared as a frail and weak little girl.


    This woman repeatedly tried to make a child take the me for her, she was worse than an animal.


    The scruffy-faced bearded man was getting excited, his hands not stopping as he said to the sleazy skinny man, "Hey, the youngdy from the wealthy family, let me have a taste first. We can each have one."


    The sleazy skinny man agreed and started heading towards Gu Jiu.


    Gu Jiu''s head was still a bit dizzy, and she didn''t have much strength left in her body. She could only tightly grip the hairpin in her hand. It was the hairpin the original owner had, and Gu Jiu had concealed it in her palm when she woke up.


    When the sleazy man approached and bent down, Gu Jiu pounced on him and viciously plunged the hairpin into him.


    The sleazy man let out a miserable scream, covering his eyes and falling to the ground.


    The scruffy-faced bearded man froze momentarily, released the young woman, pulled up his pants, and started cursing, "You little bitch! How dare you hurt my brother? I''ll kill you!"


    He took a few steps towards Gu Jiu, extending hisrge hand like a fan, and fiercely pped at her face.


    Gu Jiu leaned back, and at the same time, she kicked the scruffy-faced man in the groin.


    He groaned in pain, clutching his lower body and crouching on the ground.


    Taking advantage of the situation, Gu Jiu delivered a strike to his Qu Chi point. Before she came here, she had been learning acupuncture techniques from a system. She had just learned a technique called the Tremor Needle Method.


    This technique used trembling needles to instantly stagnate a person''s blood and qi, rendering them immobile.


    This peculiar needle technique originated from an evil sect of traditional Chinese medicine. After the sect was destroyed, the technique was recorded by amercial system. Out of curiosity, Gu Jiu learned a bit of it, never expecting it toe in handy.


    The scruffy-faced bearded man stood there, his hands still covering his lower body, in a contorted posture and expression. Unfortunately, he was unable to move.


    Gu Jiu felt a great pity. Her body was too weak,cking strength, and the hairpin was too thick andcked sticity. Otherwise, the effect would have been better, at least immobilizing him for an hour.


    The sleazy man was terrified. This was sorcery; this young girl knew sorcery! Seeing Gu Jiu coldly staring at him, her one eye revealing a fearful expression, he sprinted away.


    Gu Jiu looked towards the young woman. The young woman knew she had seriously offended Gu Jiu earlier, so she used both her hands and feet, swiftly climbing towards the corner of the wall like a big spider.


    Gu Jiu couldn''t be bothered to watch her. She turned around, examined the door, smirked, and locked it from the outside.


    Neither of them were good people. One was a beast, and the other was even worse than a beast. One had little strength, and the other had great strength but couldn''t move. Whether it was the man recovering and overpowering the young woman, or the young woman seizing the opportunity to knock out the man and escape, it would depend on their luck.


    Gu Jiu didn''t consider herself a saint. If a wicked woman wanted to harm her, she would have to endure her retaliation.


    Afterpleting everything, Gu Jiu gazed at the bright sun outside and let out a long sigh. Ah, this was the real world, not a dream.


    In her past life, Gu Jiu lived in an era of highly advanced technology, where people learned through various learning systems. Gu Jiu studied Western medicine. Starting at the age of ten, the system began generating virtual individuals with various symptoms for her to practice various techniques.


    After countless repetitions of each technique, Gu Jiu umted a wealth of experience, and in five years, she grew into a renowned prodigious military doctor.


    In arge-scale war, after performing several surgeries in session, exhausted, she fell asleep. In her dreams, before she even reached her sixteenth birthday, she had lived out her entire life.


    During the period of unconsciousness just now, the memories of the original host merged with her own.


    The original host came from a noble family and was destined to live a life of wealth and luxury. However, while traveling back to their hometown with the whole family, they were all massacred by bandits, leaving only her and the wet nurse to escape.


    Later, the wet nurse identally fell down a mountain and died, leaving the original host alone as a half-grown child, wandering through periods of hunger and satiation.


    Last night, the original host spent the night in an abandoned mansion, where the young woman who was humiliated today also stayed.


    This morning, the two weak women were targeted by someone involved in the human trafficking trade of this era and were quickly knocked unconscious.


    When they woke up, Gu Jiu arrived.


    Gu Jiu looked up to the sky and sighed, "What a shitty start!"


    The small courtyard before her was in a state of severe disrepair, overgrown with lush weeds and covered in thickyers of dust.


    She was starving, desperately hungry. She even felt like pouncing on the green grass and taking a few bites.


    No, she had to quickly find something to eat.


    Stepping out of the courtyard, she found herself in a quiet little alley where not even a dog passed by.


    Leaning against the wall, she randomly chose a direction and walked forward. After a while, she felt dizzy due to low blood sugar and had to crouch down, resting against the wall.


    "What''s wrong with you?" Suddenly, a clear and crisp voice rang out.


    Gu Jiu raised her eyes and saw a young man standing not far away. He wore a washed-out old robe that made him look ethereal and refined. His face, like a carved jade doll, glowed in the shadow of the opposite wall.


    What an otherworldly young man!


    In this era where most people looked ordinary, he was like a ssh of color.


    The young man coughed twice, and Gu Jiu snapped back to reality.


    She pouted her lips, instantly transforming into a pitiful figure, and said in a pitiful tone, "I''m so hungry, I can''t walk anymore."


    The young man looked at Gu Jiu for a moment and nodded. "Come with me, I''ll find you something to eat."


    He then asked, "Can you still walk?"


    Gu Jiu murmured an affirmation. Did this god-like young man mistake her for a beggar?


    The clothes she wore were stolen by her wet nurse from a peasant household, patched together and unwashed for a long time, dirty and resembling that of a little beggar.


    After walking a few steps with the young man, they arrived at the entrance of a house in an alley. The house had a wide door, unlike that of a poor family. A whitentern hung in front of the door, indicating mourning.


    The young man said to Gu Jiu, "Wait here, I''ll have someone bring you food."


    Gu Jiu waited outside the door for a while, and sure enough, an old woman with white hair came out and handed her a steamed bun, saying, "Eat."


    The old woman didn''t rush back inside but looked at Gu Jiu for a while and asked, "How old are you, young girl? Did your family suffer from famine?"


    Gu Jiu was busy nibbling on the steamed bun, just nodding her head. Her cheeks were puffed up, making it hard to speak clearly. She said vaguely, "Almost twelve."


    The old woman''s face showed apassionate expression. "Poor child, eat slowly. Eating too quickly after being hungry for a long time is bad for your health. How about this? Come inside with me, and I''ll serve you a bowl of hot porridge."


    Gu Jiu blinked her eyes. In this unfamiliar era, she instinctively kept her guard up and thanked the old woman with narrowed eyes, "Thank you, but I''m fine with just the steamed bun."


    The old woman shook her head. "Everyone experiences hardships from time to time, young girl, don''t feel embarrassed. Let me bring you a bowl of water, and you mustn''t leave."


    After saying that, the old woman turned around and went back inside. Not long after, she came out with a bowl of hot water and handed it to Gu Jiu. "Poor child, drink it quickly!"


    Gu Jiu thanked her again, took the bowl, sniffed it to make sure nothing suspicious was added, and then lowered her head to drink.


    Just as she took a sip, her head suddenly darkened. A sack was thrown over her head, and the bowl in her hand fell to the ground with a "tter."


    The old woman urged, "Hurry, hurry, bring her inside. Don''t let anyone see."


    Gu Jiu:...


    How could she think that someone who looked like a handsome fairy would be trustworthy? How could she follow him without any precautions? It turned out that what the books said was right: the more attractive someone is, the more likely they are to deceive others.


    Well, she had just escaped from the tiger''s den and ended up in the wolf''s den. What kind of world was this? Were all people bad?

 Chapter 2: It turned out to be Pretty Rough.

    <h4>Chapter 2</h4>


    Gu Jiu did not struggle, continuing to munch on the steamed buns in the sack, figuring she should wait until she had regained some strength before trying to escape.


    She was carried for a while, then set down on the ground.


    The old woman said to someone, "Watch her while I report to the Master."


    Soon, the sound of footsteps approached, and someone pulled off the sack.


    Gu Jiu had finished the steamed buns and felt revived, so she pretended to be unconscious with her eyes closed.


    The old woman said, "Master, this is the youngdy. She must have been starving and was frightened just now, which caused her to faint."


    Someone used a damp cloth to wipe her face, then took a few breaths and said, "What a beauty!"


    Gu Jiu felt eyes staring at her face. After a moment, a man''s voice said, "Very good. Clean her up and buy a wedding dress for her to change into. Granny Wang has done well, go to the ount room for your reward when the task is done."


    "Yes!" The old woman''s voice was clearly pleased.


    Change into a wedding dress? Why a wedding dress? Gu Jiu was quite curious.


    Someone lifted her up, seemingly taking her to another room, and soon the sound of water could be heard.


    Gu Jiu continued feigning unconsciousness. Having someone assist her with bathing was truly wonderful; it had been a long time since she had properly bathed, at most just quickly wiping herself down in the forest when no one was around, as she was too dirty to show herself in public.


    In any case, her current body was like a washboard, no different front or back, and not her own, so she did not feel shy.


    "Oh my, this youngdy has such tender skin and a lovely face. She looks like a child from a wealthy family. I wonder how she ended up wandering outside, could it be that she escaped from kidnappers?" the old woman said.


    A younger voice chimed in, "It''s very possible. Look at her pretty features, she''s a good match for the Eldest Young Master."


    A good match for the Eldest Young Master? Gu Jiu recalled the white veil hung outside the main gate and wondered if... they had found her a young groom? But the key question was, was he even alive?


    The two women bathed her very thoroughly, even carefully washing her hair.


    After the bath, Gu Jiu was ced on a soft bed and covered with a nket, with someone helping to dry her hair.


    Then one person left the room, leaving only the sound of faint breathing.


    The bed was soft andfortable, and the rxed Gu Jiu felt sleepy.


    Just as she had started dozing off, someone entered. It was the old woman''s voice again, "Not awake yet? The clothes are here, let''s dress her."


    The young woman responded, and the two began dressing Gu Jiu.


    As the old woman fussed over Gu Jiu, she said, "It''s better that she''s unconscious, saves the fuss. The time hase, let''s take her to the memorial hall."


    Gu Jiu thought to herself, dressed in a wedding dress and carried to the memorial hall, they really did intend for her to be buried alive with the deceased! Her era had long abandoned the practice of human sacrifices at funerals; even the ashes of the dead were rarely preserved. Who still cared about havingpany underground? She had only learned of such customs from ancient stories and never expected to encounter it firsthand.


    As they moved, she heard more and more crying. When the crying grew louder, she caught the intense scent of incense and candles.


    A man''s voice called out in a long drawl, "The bride has arrived, prepare for the burial..."


    Gu Jiu was a little curious - were they going to put her in a coffin alive? Or kill her first? Either way, she would not just let them have their way.


    Xie Zhan stood in the memorial hall. Today was the day of the burial ceremony for the Eldest Young Master Li, his schoolmate and good friend. He hade to send his friend off on his final journey.


    Suddenly, he noticed two servants carrying in a youngdy dressed in a wedding dress. He had overheard the servants discussing how they had found someone suitable to match the Eldest Young Master, so this must be her.


    Xie Zhan paid it no mind and was about to turn away when something urred to him. He took another look at the youngdy.


    He recalled the youngdy he had encountered in the alley, who had a small mole of cinnabar under the corner of her right eye. This youngdy also had one.


    Could it be...?


    Xie Zhan frowned and strode over, saying, "Wait a moment!"


    He leaned in to check her breathing and was relieved to find she was still alive.


    He was most displeased and confronted Master Li, the father of the deceased, "Is this the youngdy I brought? What have you done to her? Master Li, do you intend to have her buried alive with Zi Qian?"


    Gu Jiu, still pretending to be unconscious, recognized the beautiful youth''s voice. The weight that had been pressing on her heart finally lifted. If this handsome young man had been a deceiver, it would have been a true waste of Heaven''s favor.


    It seemed the old woman had taken the initiative to capture her in order to please her master.


    She continued feigning unconsciousness, waiting for her chance.


    Master Li said impatiently, "Fourth Master Xie, you and Zi Qian were schoolmates and good friends. Since Zi Qian unfortunately passed away so young, you can''t bear to see him alone underground, can you? This youngdy is just a beggar girl with no one to take care of her, it''s better for her to keep Zi Qianpany."


    "Master Li, I only brought this pitiful youngdy to your residence seeking a bit of food for her. I did not intend for her to lose her life because of it. Moreover, she is alive. Master, do you truly intend to bury a living person?" Xie Zhan protested.


    Master Li grew impatient and scolded him harshly, "Xie Zhan, you were Zi Qian''s best friend. Today, I invited you to send him off, nothing more. It''s best you don''t meddle in other matters!"


    So his name was Xie Zhan, Gu Jiu thought. It had quite a nice ring to it. She surreptitiously opened her eyes. At the moment, she was still being carried, with the slender figure of the youth shielding her.


    Xie Zhan''s expression also darkened, "Uncle Li, she is a living human being. Zi Qian was well-versed in the teachings of the sages; even in the underworld, he would know and never agree to you doing such a thing."


    "Enough!" Master Li raged, pointing at Xie Zhan as he berated him, "I don''t need you lecturing me. Mind your own business and get out!"


    Xie Zhan''s voice grew even colder, like the ringing of ice striking jade, "To bury someone alive, Master Li, even the high officials in the Imperial Court dare not do such a thing. The Imperial Family has never resorted to human sacrifice..."


    "Enough, enough!" Master Li angrily cut him off. "Don''t preach to me about righteousness..."


    "Ahem," Gu Jiu raised a hand. "This Master Li, shouldn''t you ask for my opinion before marrying me off to a dead person?"


    Her carriers, originally watching themotion, were startled by her voice. They flinched, nearly dropping her, giving her a chance to break free. She stood on the ground.


    Xie Zhan nced at her, then stepped forward to shield her behind him.


    Master Li red coldly at them both,pletely ignoring Gu Jiu and no longer reasoning with Xie Zhan. He barked orders at the servants, "What are you all gawking at? Don''t just stand there, get her in the coffin! If we miss the auspicious time, none of you will live!"


    The servants on both sides responded and surged forward. Xie Zhan pulled Gu Jiu behind him. His entire demeanor changed, bing exceptionally fierce, like a drawn sword with a chilling, piercing aura.


    Xie Zhan said coldly with a stern expression, "The Great Jin''s Legal Code states that human traffickers shall be executed by strangtion, and the buyers exiled three thousand miles away. Burying someone alive is murder, and murderers shall be executed in turn. Does Master Li intend to test thew himself?"


    Gu Jiu, physically weak, stumbled from being pulled behind him.


    Wow, the handsome young master was kind-hearted and disyed an imposing aura. What a dreamboat!


    Master Li scoffed coldly, ignoring Xie Zhan, and directly ordered the servants, "Seize him!"


    Immediately, the servants rushed forward. Some reached for Xie Zhan, while others extended their ws toward Gu Jiu.


    Gu Jiu gripped her hairpin, prepared to use her familiar trick again. But then she saw Xie Zhan pull her against him with one arm while kicking out with his foot. The servant in front let out a miserable cry as he was sent flying out the door.


    Then, using both his hands and feet, Xie Zhan struck out with punches and kicks. In no time, the room was filled with groaning servants lying on the floor. Gu Jiu had no chance to lend a hand.


    Gu Jiu''s mouth fell open in astonishment. Oh my, he was a martial arts master - fierce yet handsome!


    Master Li watched as his servants fell like paper figures, growing red-faced and breathing heavily in utter frustration. He shouted furiously toward the door, "Guards! Guards! Where are all my men?"


    Xie Zhan paid no heed. He tucked Gu Jiu under his arm and strode out.


    Gu Jiu felt suffocated and her stomach churned when Xie Zhan squeezed her, and she nearly vomited the little food she had managed to eat.


    Weakly, she suggested to Xie Zhan, "Elder Brother, I think it would be better if you carried me on your back."


    Xie Zhan ignored her, snorting. Her life was almost gone, yet she still wantedfort.


    Master Li roared repeatedly, "Stop them, stop them quickly!"


    In the courtyard, servants came running from all directions, wielding long sticks, carrying poles, and even hoes, surrounding them.


    Xie Zhan tucked his robe into his waist with one hand, then snatched the long stick from the leading servant, swinging it and leaving a trail of afterimages as he struck left and right, cutting a path through Master Li''s servants'' encirclement.


    Master Li bellowed from behind, "Useless, useless, all useless!"

 Chapter 3: Carry Home

    <h4>Chapter 3</h4>


    As they stepped out of the gates of the Li Residence, Xie Zhan swung his stick back into the courtyard, knocking down a pursuing servant before locking the Li family gate from the outside.


    Turning to set Gu Jiu down, still feeling the chill in the air, he asked gently, "Are you able to walk?"


    Gu Jiu slowly regained her senses and replied, "Yes, I can."


    Xie Zhan nodded, "Let''s leave this ce first."


    The two made their way down a narrow alley and onto a bustling street. Xie Zhan figured the Li family wouldn''t dare pursue them openly on the streets. He halted, looking at Gu Jiu, "Where are you from, youngdy? And where are your family members?"


    The sunlight shone on the boy''s handsome, delicate features, momentarily blinding. His fierce demeanor had dissipated, returning to that of an elegant young schr. Gu Jiu took a deep breath, bringing her thoughts back and blinked, "My name is Gu Jiu. I''m from Wuzhou. My family and I came to Jingzhou to seek a living, but they all starved to death on the way."


    Wuzhou was where the original host''s family was massacred.


    Xie Zhan stared at her, his eyes clearly saying, "I don''t believe you!"


    The young girl before him had delicate features, with a somewhat sickly pallor, but couldn''t hide the air of nobility that permeated her. Did someone from such a background need to beg for a living? And iming they all starved to death? It was unbelievable.


    But the fact that her whole family perished was probably true. Who would curse their entire family to death for no reason?


    Just a teenager, it was quite pitiful.


    Xie Zhan lowered his gaze, pondering slightly. Though his face still retained some childishness, his demeanor exuded maturity.


    This contrast was somewhat adorable.


    Gu Jiu''s fingers twitched, looking at the boy''s head, wanting to ruffle it. But seeing the height difference, she felt disheartened. He could almost be mistaken for a teddy bear to tousle with, given the height gap. It was truly heartbreaking.


    "What are your ns next? If you have nowhere to go, I can take you to the county yamen. There''s a government-run orphanage there, specifically for homeless children," Xie Zhan offered.


    Gu Jiu immediately shook her head. She didn''t want to end up there, where starvation might be avoided, but she had her own skills to survive in this unfamiliar time and space.


    Just as she was about to thank Xie Zhan, her stomach suddenly growled loudly.


    Gu Jiu felt embarrassed. She had been hungry for too long; one bun was like nothing, barely enough to regain some energy.


    She looked up, intending to speak, but what came out was, "Could you lend me some money first?"


    There was a hint of amusement in Xie Zhan''s eyes as he cleared his throat with a fist against his lips. "Let''s go, I''ll take you to buy something to eat."


    She was so pretty; he didn''t want her to be kidnapped again. It was better to keep her by his side.


    As they arrived on a rtively wide street, before they could buy any food, they noticed people on the street looking distressed, many running and crying. There were also quite a few officials in public service attire, banging bronze gongs and riding horses in all directions.


    It was chaotic, as if the sky were about to fall.


    Xie Zhan halted, furrowing his brows.


    At that moment, a horse swiftly approached from a distance, carrying a teenage boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old.


    The rider approached swiftly, dismounting near Gu Jiu. The young man, ncing curiously at Xie Zhan, quickly spoke, "Fourth Brother, I just went to the county school to find you. They said you went to the Li family to offer condolences, luckily, I ran into you here. There''s a major crisis; the county office posted a notice stating that the Juhuyan Embankment is about to breach. The county magistrate urges everyone to evacuate Qinghe County!"


    Xie Zhan''s brow furrowed immediately, murmuring either to himself or questioning the young man, "Why? Juhuyan Embankment was built less than three years ago, how could..."


    As he spoke, contemting the individuals involved in constructing Juhuyan Embankment and the hidden agenda behind it, he suddenly stopped. His frown deepened, and his eyes grew colder.


    The youth continued, "I heard that Qizhou upstream has been experiencing heavy rain for over ten days. The county magistrate, concerned about Juhuyan Embankment, inspected it and found several cracks in the main structure. It''s expected to breach within three days. Everyone needs to evacuate! The county magistrate, being an expert from the Water Department, knows his stuff. What he said must be urate."


    No wonder the streets felt like doomsday.


    Gu Jiu couldn''t help but mock her unfortunate fate. She hadn''t been in this world for even a day, and she had encountered such a mess.


    Indeed, life isn''t about the worst; it''s about getting even worse.


    Xie Zhan''s face turned grim. Qinghe County, being predominantly ins with some basin-like areas, meant that if Juhuyan Embankment breached, dozens of counties downstream would turn into a vast expanse of water. How many of the several hundred thousand residents could escape?


    Seeing him lost in thought, the youth urged, "Officials have dispatched people to notify viges, and the county school''s teachers and students have scattered. Let''s hurry back! Oh, this horse was a gift from Uncle Xu, useful for carrying things on our way."


    Speaking while continuously stealing nces at Gu Jiu, he couldn''t resist asking, "Fourth Brother, who is this youngdy?"


    Xie Zhan absentmindedly replied, "Lady Gu Jiu, picked up on the road."


    The youth widened his eyes, somewhat excited, and questioned, "Picked up? Are we bringing her home?"


    Before Xie Zhan could respond, he turned to Gu Jiu with a grin, "I''m his younger brother, Xie Fifth Xie..."


    Interrupting him, Xie Zhan handed him some silver coins and a few copper coins, saying, "Hurry, go buy food, salt, rainproof cloth, and somemon medicines. Also, get a bucket of tung oil. Do you have any money left? Spend it all on these items, wait here after purchasing. I''ll take her back ande to pick you up. Hurry!"


    Taking the reins, Xie Zhan urged Xie Fifth Xie to leave, then turned to look at Gu Jiu.


    With a sigh, feeling a headacheing on, he mounted the horse and extended a hand toward Gu Jiu.


    Gu Jiu, not trying to be strong-willed, realized that without a natural disaster, she could rely on her own abilities. But facing an imminent flood, where could she hide? If she didn''t seek help, she''d likely meet her end.


    She handed the reins over to Xie Zhan with nimble ease, relying on his strength to mount the horse.


    The ride was rough and bumpy, and Gu Jiu, with her frail body, felt dizzy and nauseous after a short while. Her heart, liver, and lungs seemed to shift position, and she passed out in no time.


    ...


    Xie Zhan''s family lived more than thirty li away from the county in Huaishu Vige. As they entered the house, Xie''s family was astonished by the little girl he was carrying horizontally. No one paid much attention to the extra horse.


    Xie Second Xie asked, "Who is this little girl, and what happened to her?"


    Xie Zhan exined briefly, "She fainted from hunger. Her name is Gu Jiu, and her whole family starved to death. Li Laoye wanted to arrange a ghost marriage for her with Ziqian, so I saved her."


    Although he felt that Gu Jiu''s background was not simple, he didn''t have time to borate at the moment, so he just ryed the message about Gu Jiu''s family starving to death.


    Mrs. Zhang, the eldest daughter-inw who was busy burning firewood in the yard, overheard and hurried over to take a closer look. "Oh, she''s so pretty, doesn''t look like a child from a poor family."


    Mrs. Xu, Xie Second Xie''s wife, also came out of the kitchen and peered over, her eyes shining. "The little girl has such an adorable face. Let''s keep her in our family; it''s pitiful otherwise."


    The Xie family hadn''t had a daughter for three generations, so everyone was very curious about the little girl Xie Zhan brought back.


    Xie Zhan strode into the main room with Gu Jiu in his arms. Just then, his mother, Mrs. Gao, came out of the main room and said, "Fourth son, bring her in. Your eldest brother is discussing matters under the big locust tree; he wants to see you as soon as you return."


    Xie Zhan replied, then carried Gu Jiu into Mrs. Gao''s room,id her on the bed, and hurried out.


    Before leaving, he told Xie Second Xie that Xie Fifth Xie was buying things in the county town, so Xie Second Xie should hurry and harness the horse to the carriage.


    The Xie family originally had a donkey to pull the cart, but it was too slow, so luckily Uncle Xu had sent a horse.


    Xie Zhan was the best-educated person in the surrounding ten miles, knowledgeable and insightful. Despite being only fifteen or sixteen years old, whenever there was a major event in the vige, people would consult him.


    When Xie Zhan arrived at the locust tree, a group of people was gathered together discussing which direction to flee.


    Seeing Xie Zhan, Xie Eldest Xie quickly called out, "Fourth brother,e quickly. You traveled with the masterst year and visited many ces. Tell us quickly, which direction should we run in?"


    Travel was inconvenient these days, and few ventured far from home. Many people''s farthest destination in their lifetime was just the county town.


    So, they might not truly understand the terrain of their hometown.

 Chapter 4: Is there still a shortage of child brides in Your family

    <h4>Chapter 4</h4>


    Xie Zhan had already nned the route on his way back from the county town. Without much thought, he picked up a tree branch and started drawing on the ground.


    While drawing, he exined, "Juhuyan Embankment will breach in at most three days. In the Qing River vicinity, only Wuling County has several earthen hills. Other ces reachable in three days have lower terrain..."


    A viger interjected, "Should we head to Wuling County then?"


    Xie Zhan shook his head, "Wuling has low terrain, and its earthen hills are too low. The rain from the past ten days in Qizhou has passed through the river channels, converging at Juhuyan. The water volume is immense; I fear Wuling''s earthen hills might also be submerged."


    "Then where do we go? We can''t reach other ces with hills in three days..."


    "Yeah, are we just supposed to wait for death?"


    The vigers voiced their worries.


    Xie Zhan drew two high mountains on the ground, "We''ll go to Immortal Dwelling Mountain."


    "Immortal Dwelling Mountain? Isn''t that the opposite direction of Juhuyan? Shouldn''t we be fleeing rather than heading uphill?"


    Xie Zhan shook his head, "That''s our only way out. The hignds reachable in three days are only Immortal Dwelling Mountain and Hupan Mountain. Hupan Mountain is too steep; we can''t ascend it. Only Immortal Dwelling Mountain, with its gentle slope, can be climbed by the elderly and children."


    "But what about food? We haven''t harvested wheat, and our homes have limited supplies."


    Everyone could anticipate the challenges even if they sought refuge on Immortal Dwelling Mountain. Even if the flood recedes, the houses copsed, fields unworkable¡ªeverything ruined. Where would they find food? Where would they settle?


    Xie Zhan pointed behind the location of Immortal Dwelling Mountain on the ground, encircling it firmly, "As long as we cross through that old forest, we''ll reach Shangyu County. Then, heading east along the Immortal Dwelling Mountain range, we can make our way to Jingzhou City for a living. As long as we''re alive and willing to work¡ªwhether asborers or small traders¡ªwe can survive."


    "Cross through the old forest?" Vigers gasped, "Generations have avoided that forest; it''s said to be filled with snakes, beasts, and spirits. The elders even im the trees there devour people¡ªit''s a death sentence!"


    "We can''t go there; it''s a forest that devours people!"


    That vast forest,rger than two Qing River countiesbined, was always shrouded in terrifying legends. Many believed that entering it meant nevering out alive, so despite its proximity to Huaishu Vige, nobody dared to hunt there.


    "There might be snakes, beasts, and spirits, but with our numbers and experienced escorts, we might make it out. Besides, the forest is rich in wild vegetables and fruits, saving us a good amount of provisions."


    Vigers exchanged hesitant nces,cking a clear decision.


    Oldest Xie pped his leg, "Listen to Fourth Xie, Immortal Dwelling Mountain is our only way out. Let''s go with this n!"


    Some voiced objections immediately, but Xie Zhan was done exining. He stood up, tossed the tree branch, and left.


    Oldest Xie was the vige chief of Huaishu Vige, adept at coordinating the vigers.


    ...


    Gu Jiu opened his eyes to find a woman sitting nearby, engaged in sewing. The room, dimly lit and sparsely furnished, had a hard, ufortable bed.


    "Awake?" The woman asked, lifting a bowl of porridge from the table. "It''s still warm, hurry and drink."


    Having devoured half a bun earlier, with the other half taken by Xie Zhan, Gu Jiu was now ravenous. Oblivious to everything else, he thanked the woman and eagerly gulped down the offered porridge.


    "Take it slow," the woman advised gently.


    After finishing the bowl, Gu Jiu felt like he could devour ten more. Looking at the woman, he asked, "Thank you. Is there more?"


    The woman chuckled. "You''re too hungry. Don''t eat too much at once, take your time."


    "Oh."


    Gu Jiu listened to the advice, putting down the bowl. Observing the woman, he noted her delicate features despite her age. In her fifties, she must have been a beauty in her youth.


    Her demeanor was calm, her speech unhurried. Despite the patched clothes, her aura differed from the rural women Gu Jiu had encountered before.


    With a slightly yellowplexion and signs of frailty, she seemed unwell.


    "Who are you? And where''s Xie Zhan?" Gu Jiu inquired.


    Mrs. Gao nced at him with surprise, finding his straightforwardness a bitcking in social subtlety.


    "I''m Xie Zhan''s mother. Xie Zhan is packing up in his room," she replied.


    Pausing, she added, "Xie Zhan is the fourth child in our family. You can call him Fourth Xie or Brother Fourth. We''re about to evacuate, not sure where we''ll end up or if we''ll survive. Since you have no one at home, do you have any ns?"


    Gu Jiu thought for a moment and said, "Do you need an adopted daughter-inw?"


    Mrs. Gao nearly choked on her own saliva, coughing violently. Someone passing by outside burst intoughter.


    Gu Jiu hurriedly stood up, grabbing Mrs. Gao''s hand and applying pressure to a specific point on her thumb.


    After a few moments, Mrs. Gao''s coughing subsided.


    Surprised, she looked at Gu Jiu and asked, "Do you know medicine?"


    Gu Jiu nodded, earnestly saying, "Yes, I''m really good at it!"


    Mrs. Gao couldn''t help butugh again, appreciating the child''s candid nature.


    "You, poor thing. Fourth brought you back, perhaps it''s fate. If you''re willing, stay with us."


    Gu Jiu enthusiastically nodded, "Yes, I''m willing!"


    She could only cling to Xie Zhan''s family; what else could she do?


    Mrs. Gaoughed again, finding the child refreshingly straightforward.


    "Come, let''s change your clothes."


    Gu Jiu was still wearing festive attire. Since the Xie family had no girls, Mrs. Gao found clothes belonging to the third daughter-inw, adjusting the sleeves and pant cuffs.


    Gu Jiu realized Mrs. Gao had been altering the clothes for her, feeling grateful and smiling warmly as she thanked her.


    Mrs. Gao noticed her hair was messy, so she turned her around and began tob it for her.


    The Xie family had never had a girl for three generations, so Mrs. Gao found the experience of dressing up a girl quite refreshing. She was so delighted that she almost forgot about the impending disaster.


    Mrs. Gao styled Gu Jiu''s hair into double buns, and when she turned her around to take a look, her maternal heart melted instantly.


    The child had beautiful phoenix-like eyes, fair and tender skin. With just a simple grooming, she looked irresistibly charming.


    Mrs. Gao secretly decided that this girl was too adorable to let go; from today onwards, she would be part of their family.


    Unable to resist, she gently touched Gu Jiu''s little face and couldn''t help but admire her more. If only there was more time, she would have loved to shower her with affection.


    Suddenly, voices were heard in the courtyard.


    "Second and fifth sons, you''re back. How much grain did you manage to buy?"


    "Just two dou, people were scrambling for it like mad. Luckily, I got there early, otherwise, the shopkeeper wouldn''t have sold any more. They wanted to keep some for themselves."


    "Sigh, just two dou it is then. We still have half a bag of coarse rice, half a bag of mixed grains, and some sweet potatoes left. We''ll have to be thrifty, but it shouldst us for a while."


    "What about salt and sugar? Did you manage to get them? And raincoats, we need to buy those too."


    "We got two jin of salt, one jin of sugar, and a barrel of tung oil. As for raincoats, we bought seven pieces. It''s outrageous, really. Each one went up by ten coins, it''s like we''re being robbed."


    "What can we do? At times like this, useful things are more valuable than silver. Alright, stopining and go tidy up your clothes and bedding."


    Mrs. Gao furrowed her brows as she listened from inside the house. Seeing Gu Jiu looking at her with wide, shimmering eyes, she sighed and patted her head, asking, "Are you scared?"


    Gu Jiu shook her head, honestly replying, "Not scared."


    What''s the use of being scared? Disasters won''t hold back just because you''re afraid. If you can''t avoid them, then face them bravely!


    Mrs. Gao smiled and said, "You''re as bold as a young calf. Alright, let''s get to work! Help me roll up the bedding and move it to the cart outside."


    In the Xie family courtyard, everyone was busy packing up their belongings. When they saw Gu Jiuing out, they cast curious nces her way. The younger ones sneaked looks while the older ones openly stared, and Gu Jiu responded with a big smile.


    The six or seven-year-old kids from the Xie family turned their heads away with a swish.


    Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Xu, the elder sisters-inw of the Xie family, were busy making tbread and preparing dry rations in the courtyard.


    Mrs. Zhang waved at her, "Awake now? Come here, Gu Jiu,e and help me with the fire."

 Chapter 5: Grab a Job

    <h4>Chapter 5</h4>


    Gu Jiu neatly rolled up the bedding and walked over obediently, emphasizing, "My name is Gu Jiu."


    Responding with "Jiu," as in the "jiu" in "Qiongjiu," not as in being ranked ninth.


    Mrs. Xu tore off a piece of pancake and handed it to her, saying, "It''s still warm, have some!"


    Gu Jiu took it and thanked her.


    Mrs. Zhang deftly rolled out the dough for pancakes, not sure if she understood Gu Jiu''s exnation, she casually responded with "Hmm" to brush it off, then quickly said, "Since Fourth Brother brought you back, we can''t just leave you alone. But let''s get one thing straight, our family is poor, we can''t afford to support idle people. You''ll have to help with the household chores."


    Gu Jiu nodded in agreement. It was only natural. They had no obligation to support a stranger like her. She obediently walked over and put firewood into the stove.


    In her previous life, she had never even lit a fire. Cooking was all done by robots. She didn''t even know how to turn on their gas stove.


    Back then, she was young and skilled, well taken care of by the legion. Besides studying medicine and performing surgeries, she never had to do any rough or tiring work.


    "Oh, youngdy..."


    Mrs. Zhang stole a nce at Gu Jiu, seeing her nibbling on the pancake while stuffing firewood into the muddy stove.


    One stick of firewood after another, mes zed in the stove, and in the blink of an eye, the pancakes on the griddle were burnt.


    "You little blockhead, all you know is eating. Can pancakes be cooked over such a high me?"


    Mrs. Zhang felt sorry for the food, quickly put down what she was doing, and pulled out a few sticks of firewood to extinguish them in the ashes.


    Mrs. Xu, who was kneading dough nearby, couldn''t help butugh, watching the tender young girl being scolded, feeling a bit sorry for her. She advised, "Don''t be angry, eldest sister-inw. Jiu is still young and probably hasn''t done any chores at home. Let''s teach her slowly."


    Mrs. Zhang grumbled, "Spoiled brat, can''t even light a fire. She''s like a burden we picked up!"


    She used chopsticks to pick out the burnt pancakes, looked at them, and said with regret, "Still edible."


    Then she shouted into the house, "Da Ji,e out and make fire."


    Gu Jiu had been hungry for too long. Even tasteless grain cakes were eaten with delight, her cheeks bulging. When scolded, she smiled awkwardly and mumbled with a mouthful of pancake, "I won''t cause trouble here. I''ll go help Mother tidy up clothes."


    Mrs. Zhang was dumbfounded, "Mother? Who is she calling mother?"


    Mrs. Xu chuckled, "She''s being set up as a child bride in our family."


    Overheard by Second Xie who was moving grain, he shrugged, "So what if she is? Our fourth, fifth, and sixth brothers, along with Da Ji, are all of appropriate age. Though Er Qing and San You are a bit young, they''ll learn to be considerate when they''re older."


    Oldest Xie patted him on the head, "Don''t speak ill and ruin the reputation of this young girl. Jiu is still too young to understand. Are you any wiser?"


    ...


    Huaishu Vige got its name from the big locust tree at the vige entrance.


    Oldest Xie stood beneath the tree, banging the copper gong in his hand, creating a resounding noise.


    Vigers heard the gong ringing and gradually gathered together. Some pulled carts, while others carriedrge bundles or sacks on their shoulders, supporting the elderly and the young, tearfully gathering around.


    Once everyone was assembled, Oldest Xie instructed each family to count their members to ensure no one was left behind. With a wave of his hand, he led the group forward.


    Leaving the vige, the roads were lined with golden ripe wheat fields.


    The entire Qinghe County was t, with wheat fields stretching endlessly, the sight of the approaching harvest season was splendid.


    In a few more days, the wheat would be ready for harvest. At this time, with the grain reserves of each household nearly depleted, it was indeed a tough period.


    Despite the imminent harvest of the wheat they had toiled over for half a year, there was no time to reap it. The more beautiful the wheat waves, the more the vigers felt a pang of regret.


    Suddenly, an elderly man in the procession burst into tears, "After toiling for half a year, just as we are about to harvest the wheat... sob... heaven doesn''t give us a way out!"


    His cry seemed to infect the sorrowful atmosphere, and soon a wave of weeping swept through the crowd.


    They cried for the impending disaster, the uncertain future, and the plight of leaving their homes.


    But for the sake of survival, what choice did they have?


    Oldest Xie shouted amidst the crowd, "There''s no time to cry now. Once the floodes, none of us will survive! Alright, stop looking back. Even if you stare at the grain, it won''t follow you. Let''s go!"


    Reluctantly, the vigers moved forward, casting nces back every few steps.


    There was another small group of people in the vige who were not heading to Immortal Dwelling Mountain. They wielded sickles, intending to harvest the wheat in the fields.


    Led by Wu Laowu, they believed that even if the water rose, it wouldn''t engulf the entire Ling Mountain. Taking refuge there temporarily, they could return once the water receded and still have time to harvest the wheat, ensuring they had food to eat and their families wouldn''t starve. Most importantly, they feared the deep forest too much and didn''t believe the vigers could safely make it out.


    Oldest Xie tried to persuade them for a long time, using both kind and harsh words, analyzing the situation from different angles, but they refused to listen, unwilling to waste any more time. So, he let them go.


    At the vige entrance, the two groups parted ways, one heading towards Immortal Dwelling Mountain, the other to the fields to harvest wheat.


    Wu Laowu looked at the departing crowd with a mocking expression, then sneered to his wife, "A bunch of fools, believing the words of Fourth Xie, a mere kid who hasn''t even grown a beard yet. What does he know? Just because he read a few books, he thinks he knows it all. I''ve been eating for decades longer than him!"


    Wu Laowu''s wife nodded along, appeasing her husband.


    Wu Laowu''s daughter, Wu Sanniang, pursed her lips, watching the vigers gradually disappear into the distance with worry. From now on, she wouldn''t be able to see Fourth Xie anymore!


    Suddenly, gritting her teeth, she said with a tearful voice, "Dad, let''s also go to Immortal Dwelling Mountain. Fourth Xie is so smart; what he says must be right. Can''t we just not go to Ling Mountain?"


    Just as Wu Laowu had mocked others, his daughter was now contradicting him. His face immediately darkened, "What does this silly girl know? I''ve lived for so many years, and I''m not as knowledgeable as a young brat? Hurry up, stop dawdling!"


    Wu Sanniang cried, "Dad, we can definitely find food on the mountain. There are wild vegetables and mushrooms everywhere. We won''t starve. Let''s go with everyone else, please!"


    Wu Laowu felt even more embarrassed. He was thinking about this incident. Everyone respected him, and when they returned to the vige after the flood receded, he might be able to take over as the vige head from Xie Dng.


    But now his daughter kept praising others. How could he bear it? He pped Wu Sanniang, "You know nothing! You want to find wild vegetables and mushrooms? No one has dared to enter that old forest from ancient times to now. There are all kinds of wild beasts. If you can''t find food, let the wolves eat you first!"


    Wu Sanniang was pushed back a few steps by the p, crying even more fiercely. She ran towards the Xie family and knelt down, "Fourth Brother, please help me persuade my dad. I... I want to go with you."


    Gu Jiu widened her eyes in curiosity, looking at Xie Zhan''s exceptionally handsome face, and gossiped, "Is she your sweetheart?"


    Xie Zhan flicked her forehead with his index finger, "Don''t talk nonsense. Let''s go!"


    Turning around, he said to Xie Dng, "Big brother, it''s all uphill from here. If we walk slowly, we might not make it in time."


    Xie Dng hurriedly shouted, urging the vigers who wanted to watch the excitement to hurry up.


    Wu Sanniang saw the vigers turning to leave, suddenly squeezed through the crowd and ran to kneel in front of Mrs. Gao''s donkey cart, "Auntie, Auntie, please take me with you. I''ll be a child bride in your family, I''ll do anything, even be a cow or a horse. Please take me with you!"


    Gu Jiu chuckled, "Oh, herees someone looking for a job!"

 Chapter 6: The Big Family

    <h4>Chapter 6</h4>


    Mrs. Xu held onto the woman beside her, Mrs. Gu Jiu, and asked with great confusion, "Sister-inw, I don''t quite understand our customs here. At this age, can she still be a child bride? She''s old enough to have her own child bride!"


    Mrs. Xu almost burst outughing. Thatment really hit home.


    Holding back herughter, she answered seriously, "Of course not, that''s not possible."


    Their voices were audible to everyone around them.


    Wu Sanniang red fiercely at Gu Jiu through her tearful eyes, then continued to beg Mrs. Gao piteously, "Auntie, auntie, let me be a maid in your house, a servant girl doing chores. I''ll take any food you give me, please just take me in!"


    Mrs. Gao frowned. "Sanniang, your parents are still here. How can I, an outsider, be your master? You''re neglecting your parents and wanting to be my beast of burden. That''s so unfilial. We can''t do such an indecent thing. Go back home."


    Not too far away, Wu Laowu angrily shouted, "You ungrateful wretch, so eager to saddle someone else with you, is that it? Fine, don''te back! Oldest Xie, we don''t want this worthless girl anymore. Take her away, sell her off or use her as livestock, it''s up to you. At least we''ll save some food."


    Mrs. Zhang muttered from the side, "I''ve never seen such people. One girl sets her eyes on someone else''s son and stubbornly tries to impose herself. The other despises her own flesh and blood, wasting the family''s food, and seizes the chance to foist her off on others. What kind of people are they?"


    Mrs. Zhang pulled Oldest Xie toward her, shielding him behind her back. She instructed Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Sun, "You two from the second and third families, look after my mother-inw and go on ahead."


    Then she turned and berated Wu Sanniang, "Can''t you understand in speech? You think you can pull this stunt just because my mother-inw is kindhearted? Do you think we don''t know what you''re scheming? First, you want to impose yourself on our family. Next, you''lltch onto our Fourth Son. Finally, you want our Fourth Son to marry you? You must be dreaming! There''s a line of girls from the county town waiting to marry our Fourth Son, and you think you''re worthy? What a joke, get lost!"


    Wu Sanniang''s face turned pale, then red, her eyes shing with resentful defiance. Her expression twisted as tears streamed down, and she protested miserably, "I didn''t... Sister-inw, let me exin..."


    But Mrs. Zhang didn''t let her finish. Hands on hips, she shouted at the vigers, "All of you, get moving! Do you want to lose your lives gawking?"


    Mrs. Zhang''s ferocity was well-known far and wide. At her roar, young and old dared not linger, urging each other, "Let''s go, let''s go."


    From afar, Wu Laowu cursed at Wu Sanniang, "You shameless thing, why don''t you just chase after them?"


    His tone suggested he wished Wu Sanniang would really disregard everything and follow the Xie family.


    Unfortunately, after hesitating for a while, Wu Sanniang didn''t dare gamble that the Xie family would take her in, so she trudged back dejectedly.


    Mrs. Xu reached out and patted the small bundle on Gu Jiu''s head, worried she might misunderstand Mrs. Zhang''s harsh demeanor as being callous. She exined with a smile, "Our Fourth Son is so handsome that all the youngdies in the vige like him. Whenever they hear Fourth Son has returned from school in the county town, they invent excuses toe to our house, especially this Wu Sanniang. She tries every trick in the book and just won''t leave, pestering Fourth Son and not letting him study in peace."


    "Our mother-inw is well-read and sensible, so she doesn''t do that shrewish scolding thing. My brother''s wife and I are not very eloquent, so we rely on the elder sister-inw''s sharp tongue to take control of the situation."


    "It''s also because our Fourth Son is too attractive. Not only is he of good character, but he''s also a fine schr. His future wife will definitely need to be carefully chosen - it can''t be just any random person."


    As Mrs. Xu exined, she naturally took Gu Jiu''s little hand in hers.


    Oh, this little hand was soft and tender. Young girls were just more endearing than boys. The grandmother couldn''t have a daughter, and the three sisters-inw also failed to have a little cotton-padded jacket. Now the family had suddenly gained a young girl, which was truly delightful and precious.


    Gu Jiu looked at Mrs. Xu. "Sister-inw, you don''t need to scold me. I understand." She was just being mischievous, that''s all.


    Mrs. Xu was taken aback. She was just making casual conversation and had no intention of scolding Gu Jiu. She had never seriously considered Gu Jiu bing a child bride for the Xie family, dismissing it as a child''s mischief. She certainly had no thought of deliberately scolding her.


    Realizing her misspoken words, she smiled and tried to exin, "You little rascal, where did you get that idea? Sister-inw wasn''t saying you..."


    But no matter how she phrased it, it didn''t sound quite right. So she simply ruffled Gu Jiu''s hair instead.


    ...


    Led by the Xie family, the vigers hurried forward, none knowing when the hanging sword might fall. They were in a race against death itself.


    The mood was rather somber, with no one in the mood for idle chatter. Everyone pressed on in silence.


    They had set out around noon, their lunch consisting of dry rations.


    They rushed until nightfall, yet hadn''t covered much ground. Burdened with food, water, pots, bedrolls, and other heavy loads, their progress was sluggish.


    Although Huaishu Vige was less than three days'' journey from Immortal Dwelling Mountain, at this pace, they might not make it in time.


    So even when the children cried out from exhaustion, no one dared suggest stopping to rest. They plodded on until it became too dark to see, lit torches, and continued for half a shichen before Oldest Xie finally called for everyone to rest.


    Born into poverty and hardened by farmbor, the vigers found the trek grueling yet not unbearable.


    But for Gu Jiu, it was sheer torment. Her feet felt as if they didn''t belong to her, and she plopped down, unwilling to move another step.


    Although the original owner had also wandered as a beggar for over a month, she didn''t rush, able to walk and rest. This frantic pace was akin to a forced march.


    From the donkey cart, Mrs. Gaoughed and asked, "Never walked such a long distance before? Tired?"


    Gu Jiu nodded, too miserable to speak. This era was too backward.


    The rtively well-off Xie family owned a donkey cart loaded with grains, sweet potatoes, pots, basins, jars of pickled vegetables, and other supplies, leaving just enough space for the ailing Mrs. Gao to sit.


    Mrs. Gao was helped off the cart by Third Xie andforted Gu Jiu, "Bear with it a little longer. It''ll be better once we reach the mountain."


    Gu Jiu nodded obediently. What else could she do but endure?


    On this journey apanying the Xie family, she hade to know them all.


    The Xie family wasrge and thriving, clearly dominated by male offspring. Oldest Xie had five brothers in total, and the younger generation had produced four sons: Xie Daji, Xie Erqing, Xie Sanyou, and Xie Siyu, all boys without exception.


    Adding Oldest Xie, Third Xie, and their three wives, as well as the matriarch Mrs. Gao and the adopted Gu Jiu, their party numbered fifteen in total, a sizable crowd of young and old.


    Having many men was advantageous in this era, the main benefit being none dared provoke them.


    The downside was theck of daughters in the family, which made them dote on Gu Jiu. Even six-year-old Xie Siyu insisted on carrying her bundle, worried she might overexert herself, stubbornly refusing to let her bear any burden.


    Even so, Gu Jiu felt more exhausted than Xie Siyu.


    Mrs. Gao stretched her stiff body and remarked, "Your feet must have blisters. You''ll need tonce them, or they''ll be more painful once they rupture tomorrow."


    Gu Jiu understood, giving an affirmative reply. She hauled herself up and approached Mrs. Zhang, the eldest sister-inw. "Elder Sister, do you have a needle?"


    Mrs. Zhang was distributing dry rations and nced at Gu Jiu, muttering under her breath, "Poor child, so much trouble."


    She stuffed the ration bag into Mrs. Xu''s hands. "Wait a moment."


    Mrs. Xu smiled reassuringly at Gu Jiu, "Jiu Niang, don''t mind her. The elder sister-inw is actually quite kind. You''ll understand once you''ve been around her longer."


    "I know, a harsh tongue but a tender heart. I get it," Gu Jiu replied with a smile.


    Mrs. Sunughed, "Oh my, Jiu Niang is so perceptive. The elder sister-inw is like a paper tiger, seeming fierce but truly soft-hearted."


    Mrs. Zhang approached with a needle, scowling without warmth, "Who said that? I have a harsh tongue and an equally harsh heart, harder than iron."


    "Mmm," Gu Jiu took the needle, continuing, "Smelted iron."


    The Xie family members allughed, the atmosphere bing rxed for the moment.

 Chapter 7: I actually want to call you Five Brother.

    <h4>Chapter 7</h4>


    Gu Jiu felt that the Xie family was quite kind and open-minded. Even in the face of disaster and an uncertain future, they did not appear as worried and distressed as the other vigers.


    Being taken in by such a family was a blessing in her misfortune.


    The Xie family thought this girl looked delicate, but she was not so easily daunted. Her feet were covered in blood blisters, yet she did not utter a singleint of tiredness. She always had a cheerful smile on her face that brightened everyone''s spirits.


    The torchlight was limited, not enough for cooking, so most families simply ate some dry rations haphazardly.


    Time was precious, so after eating the dry rations, Oldest Xie arranged for people to stand watch while the othersid out some hay to sleep on the ground.


    The ground was damp, so the Xie family looked after Gu Jiu, moving things from the donkey cart so that she and Mrs. Gao could sleep in the cart. Mrs. Gao also brought the youngest, Xie Siyu, to squeeze in between them.


    Xie Siyu was the six-year-old son of Third Xie.


    The little boy was a bit shy and stubbornly squeezed himself close to Mrs. Gao, showing Gu Jiu only the back of his head.


    Gu Jiu poked his armpits, and the little boy giggled but still refused to turn around.


    It was just entering May, so the nights were not cold, and they could manage to sleep. However, there were mosquitoes in the summer, so Gu Jiu had to cover her head and face with a thin nket to fall asleep.


    The next day, just as the sky was brightening, Oldest Xie woke everyone up and urged them to pack up quickly and get on the road.


    After packing up their bedding, the men and women separated to find secluded spots to take care of their bodily needs.


    They did not wash their faces, as the water they carried was limited and needed to be preserved for drinking and cooking.


    The younger Xie boys helped distribute the dry rations, with Xie Daji holding a stack of tbreads and handing one to Gu Jiu.


    Gu Jiu hesitated before epting it with thanks, but found it difficult to eat.


    She could go without washing her face, but not brushing her teeth was truly unbearable for her, and she had no toothbrush.


    Moreover, after everyone had finished taking care of their needs in the morning, she did not see anyone wash their hands before directly handling and eating the food.


    Xie Zhan, tall and handsome with a noble and aloof air, even took bites from the tbread while holding it against his sleeve, his face as beautiful as a celestial being. Gu Jiu felt he had suddenly fallen from the clouds to the ground.


    Between his dusty, travel-worn sleeves and unwashed hands, she could not tell which harbored more bacteria. Gu Jiu swallowed hard, struggling to bring the tbread to her mouth.


    "What''s wrong? No appetite?" Second Xieughed nearby. "Even without an appetite, you have to eat. Otherwise, you won''t be able to walk. Although you''re a youngdy and quite precious to our family, look, we''re all carrying things. If you can''t walk, no one will carry you."


    Xie Zhan nced at Gu Jiu, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.


    Fifth Xieughed teasingly, "Just call me Fifth Brother, and if you can''t walk, Fifth Brother will carry you. I''m very strong."


    The other brothers all smiled kindly at her as well.


    Gu Jiu gave an awkwardugh, not knowing how to exin her reluctance to eat. She did not want to lie, but feared being scolded by Mrs. Zhang if she told the truth too directly.


    Mrs. Gao''s eyes seemed to see through everything. "People who have endured many hardships no longer care about such things. As long as they can survive, they don''t worry about anything else. Just having something to eat and not starving is enough. Never mind not rinsing your mouth, they''ll even eat food handled with dirty hands, or that has gone moldy or been gnawed on by rats and dogs."


    Upon hearing this, everyone finally understood.


    Mrs. Zhang red at Gu Jiu and snatched the tbread from her hand. "If you''re not going to eat, then don''t! Stop being so picky! The head of the household only gets one tbread after all this hard work. How can that be enough?"


    Gu Jiu reached out her hand. "I''ll eat it, it''s fine."


    Coming from an advanced era, even food vendors who didn''t wear gloves were considered unsanitary. She just needed to mentally prepare herself. A bit of squeamishness was fine, but she still had to eat.


    Oldest Xie turned and scolded his wife, "She''s an adult now, stop throwing a tantrum like a child. If she doesn''t want to eat it, leave it for the children."


    Mrs. Zhang huffed and put the tbread away, refusing to give it to anyone.


    Fifth Xie, carrying arge bundle on his shoulder, took a bite of his tbread and came over with a grin. "Fifth Brother will share half with you?"


    Fifth Xie and Xie Zhan were twins, about the same age, but withpletely opposite personalities. One was calm and aloof, the other lively and unrestrained.


    They did not even look alike. Xie Zhan had an otherworldly, celestial beauty that made him stand out in any crowd.


    Fifth Xie was also handsome, but in a way that was just slightly more handsome than an average person¡ªsunny and amiable, still within the normal range.


    Gu Jiu nced at the half-eaten tbread, resigned, and tore off a piece with thanks. "Thank you, Fifth Brother."


    Fifth Xie was delighted to be called Fifth Brother andughed heartily, giving Gu Jiu''s head a couple of pats. "If you can''t walk, just call out, and Fifth Brother will carry you. I''m very strong, you know."


    Xie Daji was not pleased and pointed at Gu Jiu. "She''s about the same age as me, how can she be my aunt? That won''t do. Gu Jiu, you should be my sister instead, and I''ll be your brother."


    He asked, "You''re not older than me, are you? You''re so short after all."


    Gu Jiu: ...


    I''m not angry, I won''t get angry with a little brat.


    Still sounding a bit annoyed, she said, "My birthday is in June, I''ll be twelve soon."


    "Ah? I thought you weren''t even ten yet, but you''re actually older than me. I''m eleven, so I''ll let you be my older sister," Xie Daji said.


    Gu Jiu: Thanks, but I don''t feelforted at all.


    Fifth Xie said, "That won''t do, we just got a little celestial sister, you can''t make her your niece. If you want a sister, have your sister-inw give birth to one for you."


    Mrs. Zhang had also been listening intently. At first, she was secretly delighted. It had been so many years since her eldest son was born, and she had not had another child. Being able to have such a pretty, fair-skinned girl as her daughter would be wonderful.


    But after hearing Fifth Xie''s words, she red at him fiercely. If the Xie family was destined to have a daughter, would they need to take one in?


    Gu Jiu gave Fifth Xie a meaningful look. "Actually, I''d like to call you Fifth Younger Brother."


    Up ahead, Xie Zhan stumbled slightly. Mrs. Gao shook her head with a helpless smile, while the others looked baffled, not understanding the implication of her words.


    Second Xieughed loudly after a dyed reaction. "You have quite an imagination. Our Fourth Brother is a real catch, with many pursuing him. You should just obediently be our family''s daughter."


    At this, Mrs. Zhang''s heart, which had been unsettled as a mother with no daughter to dote on, suddenly turned cold. She red at Xie Zhan. This wretched son, what was the point of being so devastatingly handsome, captivating even their new daughter''s heart?


    Xie Zhan: ...


    What did I do wrong?


    Mrs. Gao pondered, "Since Gu Jiu has already been taken in, it''s fine for her to be a daughter. Or we could treat her as a child brideter on, it''s up to the children. Either way, she''ll be part of our family."


    She made the final decision. "Alright, you brothers, you all need to cherish your sister from now on, understand? Daji, Erqing, Sanyou, Siyu, from now on you must call Gu Jiu ''Aunt''. Did you hear that?"


    Oldest Xie and his brothers happily agreed. The younger ones had no objections either and obediently called her Aunt.


    Only Xie Daji, after looking at Gu Jiu''s short stature several times, reluctantly called her Aunt.


    Gu Jiu responded with "Mm-hmm", suddenly gaining several nephews without any sort of gift. She could only n to make it up to themter when she had money.


    Mrs. Gao was in high spirits, finally having a daughter of her own. Her eyes scanned her new daughter''s face with great satisfaction.


    While the Xie family''s mood was light and easygoing, not at all like refugees, the atmosphere at the back of the procession remained oppressive, further highlighting the Xie family''s open-mindedness.


    The group had been walking for the morning when they passed through Dahu Vige and saw that arge section of the wheat fields had already been harvested, with only the stubble remaining.


    The vigers from Dahuai Vige felt envious upon seeing this, as Dahu Vige was closer to Immortal Dwelling Mountain, giving them about a day and a half''s head start to harvest some grain, so they would not go hungry on the road.


    At noon, they found a shady spot under a tree to rest, still without time to cook, so they continued eating their dry rations.


    The Xie family''s meal consisted of a hard, misceneous grain dumpling for each person that could probably be used as a weapon. The younger brothers each had an additional sweet potato.


    Gu Jiu and Mrs. Gao were also given a sweet potato each.


    Gu Jiu looked at the extra sweet potato in his hand, and passed it to Xie Siyu, "You eat this one, it''s soft."


    Xie Siyu hadn''t gotten to know Gu Jiu well yet, as he went to see his mother.


    Mrs. Sun hurriedly took the sweet potato and gave it to Gu Jiu, "He''s just a little boy, how could he eat so much, you eat it quickly."

 Chapter 8: Good looks are advantages.

    <h4>Chapter 8</h4>


    Gu Jiu looked at the sweet potato in her hand, and then recalled how Fifth Xie had shared half of his bun with her that morning. He was a strapping young man at the age of growing, and half a bun could hardly sustain him. So when Fifth Xie was not paying attention, she stuffed the pointed end of the sweet potato into his mouth, "You don''t have to give it back to me. It''s been in your mouth, and I won''t eat it now."


    Fifth Xie grinned widely, taking the sweet potato and finishing it in a few bites, "Little sister is so kind. When Fifth brother earns money in the future, I''ll buy you lots and lots of delicious food."


    Gu Jiu then picked up her steamed bun, sitting on the ground in an undignified manner. She took a bite, washed it down with a sip of water, soaking the bun in her mouth until it softened before swallowing it, missing the delicious cuisine of her previous world terribly.


    Mrs. Gao, watching nearby, smiled at the sight. This youngdy seemed a bit uncouth, but she was a grateful one. When others were kind to her, she thought of how to repay them. Such a child was truly endearing.


    The relentless walking had exhausted even the hardened vigers. Everyone silently chewed on their dry rations, and even the Xie family''s lively atmosphere had be somber.


    Only the thirteen-year-old Sixth Xie continued chewing his rations while reading a book. He seemed isted from the people around him, existing in his own realm, truly embodying the phrase "deaf to the world outside as he immersed himself in the books of the sages."


    Gu Jiu had never seen someone so engrossed in reading before, and she found it quite novel.


    After finishing their rations, Oldest Xie instructed his sons Xie Daji and Xie Erqing to call the vige elders over to discuss matters.


    Oldest Xie said, "Our pace is too slow. We''re still two days away from Immortal Dwelling Mountain, having only traveled half the distance. We need to quicken our speed."


    One of the vige elders sighed, "This is already the fastest we can go. Everyone is exhausted beyond measure. You can''t expect us to keep pushing without rest. People won''t be able to endure it."


    "That''s right. The elderly, weak, and women and children simply can''t move any faster."


    Xie Zhan suggested, "We should abandon some of the things we''re carrying."


    Oldest Xie nodded, "Fourth son is right. Let''s discard things like tables, chairs, ceramic pots, and earthen stoves. We''ll only keep the essentials."


    The poor vigers cherished their belongings and were reluctant to let go of anything, even bringing along broken pots and cracked baskets.


    The vige elders exchanged nces, realizing they had no choice.


    "Some families will be hard to convince, s!"


    "Let the heads of each family try to persuade them. When ites to possessions or life, one must be sacrificed."


    The vige elders left with a sigh, and each family began trimming down their belongings.


    Sounds of discord and arguments soon echoed through the caravan.


    "Don''t you dare throw that away, you wastrel! That still has use. I''ll fight you to the death if you discard it!"


    "This sand pot is perfectly fine and can be used for cooking. I paid twenty cents for it¡ªwhat a pity to throw it away."


    After a chaotic uproar, the unnecessary items were eventually discarded, lightening the load but adding to the chorus of sobs and curses.


    With the burden reduced, the pace quickened in the afternoon.


    The Xie family had not brought too many belongings to begin with, and with a donkey cart, a horse, and plenty of able-bodied men, their speed was already faster than most families.


    They led the way, forcing the other vigers to hurry their steps to keep up with the Xies.


    Gu Jiu, however, could not keep up. In her previous technologically advanced world, she had never walked such long distances¡ªher feet simply moved by mechanical means.


    Her legs felt as heavy as lead, and her feet had gone numb from the pain. She hobbled along, sweat drenching her body, only to dry up and soak her again. Her steps were mechanical andbored.


    Mrs. Gao felt sorry for her and called out to Fifth Xie, "Fifth Xie, you''re strong. Take a sack of sweet potatoes from the cart and make some room for Ninth Miss to sit."


    As Gu Jiu was about to decline, insisting she could manage, Xie Zhan approached, took down the two buckets of water slung on the horse, and lifted her onto the horse''s back. He then gestured for Xie Siyu to join Gu Jiu on the horse.


    The younger Xie Daji, Xie Erqing, and Xie Sanyou all looked on enviously but remained silent.


    Xie Zhan handed the bundle on his shoulder to Mrs. Gao for support, then bent down to pick up the two buckets of water. Mrs. Gao said from the donkey cart, "Fifth Xie, you carry the water. Let your Fourth Brother carry the bedding."


    Xie Siyu replied, "Mother, I can manage. If I get tiredter, I''ll switch with Fifth Brother."


    Mrs. Gao did not insist further.


    Gu Jiu nced at the handsome Xie Zhan, whose refined looks could not be concealed even by his coarse cotton clothes. Indeed, good looks brought advantages, as even his own mother favored him.


    Just as Gu Jiu had settledfortably on the horse, a child''s wailing rose from the caravan: "I won''t walk anymore, I can''t walk anymore. I need to rest."


    Mrs. Sun turned her head and remarked, "It''s the spoiled child from the Zhang family. That brat has been spoiled rotten by his grandmother, and he''s already nine years old with such a temperament."


    Mrs. Xu nudged her with an elbow, nodding towards the stern-faced Mrs. Zhang.


    Mrs. Sun shrank back, only then remembering that the spoiled child was Mrs. Zhang''s nephew from her side of the family, and the child''s grandfather and Mrs. Zhang''s grandfather were brothers.


    The child''s grandmother, Zhang Yushi, coaxed, "My good grandson, listen to grandma. Walk a little further, and we''ll reach our destination. Listen to grandma, and when we arrive, I''ll steam some rice cakes for you to eat."


    "I won''t walk, I won''t walk. I want rice cakes now. Make them for me now!"


    "Good child, this is no time to throw a tantrum. The great flood ising soon. If we don''t hurry, we''ll be swept away by the waters."


    The child''s mother tightened her lips, pulling her young daughter along in silence. Though Nao Wa was her own son, he was no different from the one raised by her mother-inw. She dared not utter a word, fearing that saying too much would unleash her mother-inw''s torrent of abuse upon her.


    Nao Wa''s father, however, lost his patience and scolded, "You little brat, always causing trouble. If you don''t walk, the flood can just sweep you away!"


    "Let it sweep me away! I''d rather die than live like a dead dog, so exhausted!" Nao Wa, secure in his grandmother''s doting, showed no fear of his father.


    "Oh my dear little ancestor, don''t speak of death! Spit and purge those inauspicious words!"


    "I can''t walk anymore. I want to ride the big horse, I want to ride the big horse too!" Nao Wa shouted, pointing at the Xie family''s horse ahead.


    Zhang Yushi fell silent, her small eyes darting between the horse and her grandson. She then grabbed Nao Wa''s hand and pushed her way towards the front.


    Squeezing into the Xie family''s line, she mustered a smile and said to Mrs. Zhang, "Sister-inw, the child really can''t walk anymore. Could you allow Nao Wa to ride the horse for a bit?"


    Mrs. Zhang''s face fell as she replied, "We''ve only been on the road for two days, and he''s alreadyining about not being able to walk. We''ve abandoned our homes and don''t know how much further we''ll have to travel. How will we manage in the future?"


    Zhang Yushi maintained her smile, "Look at how small the child is¡ªhe''s truly suffering. You''re his aunt, surely you feel pity for your own kin. Just let Nao Wa ride for a little while, just a short while."


    Suppressing her anger, Mrs. Zhang tried to reason with her, "Fifth Aunt, look, there''s barely any space on the horse. Two children are already seated there, and the bedding is loaded in front. There''s simply no room for Nao Wa. If he truly can''t walk, why don''t you carry him on your back? You haven''t brought much with you."


    Though Zhang Yushi was a grandmother, she was only in her forties and still capable of carrying a child.


    Zhang Yushi''s smile faded, "Sister-inw, I''m old and feeble. How can I possibly carry such a big child? You''re the child''s aunt, and we''re family. What''s wrong with him riding your horse? If the horse can''t fit him, then make that wild girl get off. Who knows where you picked her up from¡ªwe''ve taken her in, and it''s already generous of us not to treat her like a servant girl. Yet she''s acting like a nobledy, being spoiled like that."

 Chapter 9: Here comes the Flood

    <h4>Chapter 9</h4>


    Gu Jiu raised her eyebrows, "So you''ve noticed, huh!" She nced at Mrs. Zhang, "Never mind, I''ll let it slide for my sister-inw''s sake. I won''t attack this olddy."


    Although Gu Jiu didn''t n to confront her, she remained seated, unmoving. Since Mrs. Zhang didn''t ask her to make way, she pretended not to see or hear anything. Who told the olddy to utter nonsense?


    If it were someone else whose family couldn''t spare a mount for their child, they would politely exin the situation. But with these two, forget it.


    After Mrs. Zhang Yushi spoke, the Xie Family members felt annoyed. It''s not easy to cajole a maid to serve them, so what''s wrong with pampering her? How does it concern you?


    They all looked over with unfriendly eyes. But out of respect for Mrs. Zhang Yushi being Mrs. Zhang''s sister-inw from her natal family, they didn''t want to offend her.


    Only Mrs. Gao could speak up and criticize her, but she never liked quarreling with unreasonable vige shrews. She merely frowned without saying a word.


    Mrs. Zhang was also furious. She originally wanted to save some face for this olddy, but now she didn''t care. "What''s it to you? Gu Jiu is one of our Xie Family members. Our Xie Family can let her ride our horse if we want. Can''t you see her feet are all blistered? Blood is seeping out. Are you blind?"


    If she weren''t an elder, Gu Jiu would have added - "Are you blind?"


    Mrs. Sun couldn''t help but chime in, "How ridiculous! My sons Er-Qing and San-You can walk on their own. San-Yu is only seven years old. Your grandson is about the same age as Er-Qing, nine years old. My children can walk by themselves, why can''t your grandson?"


    Mrs. Xu pulled her back with a disapproving look. Mrs. Zhang could insult her own family, but it wasn''t Mrs. Sun''s ce toment.


    Third Xie also shook his head at her, signaling her not to say more. Mrs. Sun pursed her lips and fell silent.


    Someone in the vige muttered, "There are so many children younger than that spoiled brat in the vige. If they all want to ride horses, the horses would be worked to death. Their own children can''t even ride, why should they let others?"


    Another person remarked with a smile, "They''re just relying on their thick skin. They think they can get their way if others feel too embarrassed to refuse them."


    Mrs. Zhang pointed behind the procession, towards her natal family''s direction. "Speaking of closeness, aren''t my nephews even closer rtives than your spoiled brat? My nephew Han Dou is a year younger than your spoiled brat. If I were to give up my spot, it would be for San-You or Han Dou, not your spoiled brat. Sister-inw, you''d better hurry up. If you keep dying us, we won''t wait for you."


    Mrs. Zhang Yushi pped her thigh and started ranting, "This is outrageous! Unfilial! In all my years, I''ve never been scolded by a junior like this. I might as well be dead..."


    The father of the spoiled brat pushed his way forward with a carrying pole, saying, "Big Sister, you''re really inconsiderate. It''s just letting an outsider get off the horse so your nephew can ride for a bit. What''s the big deal? You made your sister-inw cry over nothing."


    Mrs. Zhang was so furious, she was about to unleash her primordial powers and give this jerk a mouthful of curses. But the vige elders couldn''t stand it anymore.


    Everyone criticized the mother and son, "How can you not understand in speech? Just a pair of unreasonable fools."


    "What''s unreasonable? I think they''re just pretending to be fools, relying on their thick skin to bully others. Do they think the vige chief''s wife is easy to provoke?"


    This person''s voice grew softer, adding in a low voice, "She''s like a mother tiger. They dare to make trouble just because they''re rtives, aren''t they just asking for death."


    "The child is also spoiled rotten, thanks to such parents. This spoiled brat is ruined for life. When taking a wife, one must be very careful. Marrying an unreasonable fool would doom three generations."


    Mrs. Zhang''s parents were watching this scene from behind. Originally, they didn''t want to say anything, but when the spoiled brat''s father criticized their daughter, they couldn''t stand it anymore.


    Mrs. Zhang''s father, Old Zhang, shouted at the spoiled brat''s father from behind, "Old Seven, get your ass back here, and bring your dumb olddy with you! The Xie Family''s horses belong to them. They can lend them out if they want, or not if they don''t want to. If you keep dying us, don''t me us for leaving you behind and not caring what happens to you."


    The spoiled brat''s father shrank back. His own father passed away early, and he was most afraid of this elder paternal cousin. Fearing that the others would really abandon them, he hurriedly pulled his wife aside and tried to persuade her in a low voice.


    Unable to vent her anger, Mrs. Zhang Yushi made a move to p the spoiled brat''s buttocks a few times. "See, you''re being looked down upon for being so pampered!"


    Mrs. Zhang nced at her sideways, toozy to respond.


    The spoiled brat started wailing at the top of his lungs, refusing to move while lying on the ground and throwing a tantrum.


    Oldest Xie paid no attention to them. "Hurry up, hurry up. Those who want to live, move faster."


    The procession sped up, and the Zhang family trio hurried to catch up at a small jog, worried about being left behind.


    After a slow and hurried trek, the group finally caught sight of the mountain in the distance on the third day in the afternoon.


    The mountain seemed close when viewed from afar, but by the time they reached its foot, the sun was almost setting.


    Not far away, another group of people slowly caught up to them.


    Oldest Xie nced back and said, "It''s the people from Dahu Vige. They''ve caught up."


    No sooner had he spoken than a muffled rumbling sound came from the distance, low like an awakening dragon. The ground trembled ordingly.


    Xie Zhan''s face changed, and he shouted loudly, "The flood ising!"


    Oldest Xie also realized it and turned to yell at the vigers, "The flood ising! Everyone, run up the mountain quickly! Hurry! Leave your belongings behind!"


    Xie Zhan directed the Xie Family members on this side. "Second Brother, escort Mother and the sisters-inw first. Third Brother, fetch water. Sixth Brother, take care of the nephews. Fifth Brother, carry the food supplies!"


    Xie Zhan himself stayed behind with Oldest Xie to guide the vigers. The elderly and children were carried on people''s backs. They shouted hoarsely for the slower ones to hurry up and not worry about their belongings.


    The people from Dahu Vige also scrambled to run towards the mountain. The able-bodied led the way, while the elderly and children stumbled behind.


    The mountain path was difficult to navigate. Gu Jiu had already gotten off her horse, enduring the needle-like pain in her feet as she dragged Xie Siyu up the mountain.


    After running for a while, they turned back to see the murky floodwaters rolling in, carrying trees, mud, and debris, with an overwhelming force that swept everything in its path.


    Oldest Xie and Xie Zhan guided the vigers, running swiftly among the rocks and shouting, "Don''t stop! Keep going up! The water level is still rising!"


    The vigers, who originally thought they were safe, didn''t dare linger and hurried up the mountain.


    The people from Dahu Vige soon reached the mountain''s foot, but they were a step too slow. The able-bodied adults and adolescent boys managed to climb up the mountain in a mad rush, followed closely by two young women. Those slightly slower - the elderly, weak, women, and children - were instantly swept away by the flood.


    One young woman was nearly washed away, but a man pulled her up just in time, saving her life.


    The remaining vigers'' arms and heads bobbed in the water for a few moments before disappearing without a trace, unable to even cry for help.


    In this crisis, the able-bodied men of the entire vige chose to abandon the elderly and weak, leaving only a few young men, three women, and two children around ten years old on the mountain.


    The Dahuai Vige vigers, upon witnessing this, turned pale. They didn''t have time to criticize the selfishness and heartlessness of the Dahu Vige people, only feeling grateful for heeding the vige chief''s words and not dying their journey. Otherwise, they would have met the same fate as Dahu Vige.


    The floodwaters at the foot of the mountain grewrger, and although they were temporarily safe, no one dared linger. They continued climbing upwards.


    After a long climb, they looked back to see the flood had already reached halfway up the mountain, and the water level was still rising rapidly.

 Chapter 10: The Strange Gao

    <h4>Chapter 10</h4>


    The vigers could not help but worry about the future. They initially thought that once the flood receded, they could return, and perhaps their houses would still be standing. But now, they had no such false hopes.


    Looking at the volume of water, their houses would undoubtedly bepletely washed away, leaving not even rubble behind. And as for Wuling County''s Ling Mountain, even if it was notpletely submerged, only the peak would be exposed.


    How many people could that small peak amodate? For miles around, everything would be a vast expanse of water, turning the mountain peak into a solitary ind. How long could they survive trapped on that ind?


    As for whether the authorities woulde to their rescue, the vigers had no hope at all. By the time any rescuers arrived, they would likely all be dead.


    One by one, the vigers were extremely grateful that they had not heeded Wu Laowu''s evil persuasion. Otherwise, they too would have been among those trapped on the ind, helplessly crying out to the heavens and earth.


    Everyone''s spirits were extremely low, and the journey continued inplete silence.


    The Immortal Dwelling Mountain range stretched for hundreds of miles, but it was not particrly steep, with a gentle slope and small paths trodden by hunters and vigers, making it not too difficult to climb.


    With one burst of energy, they climbed to the top before stopping to rest.


    Once on the mountain, feeling safe atst, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief and found ces to sit and catch their breath.


    Quite naturally, they divided into two groups, with the Huaishu vigers on one side and the Dahu vigers on the other.


    Mrs. Gao and Xie Zhan stood at the edge of a rocky outcrop. In the glow of the setting sun, the raging floodwaters had already risen halfway up the mountain.


    Mrs. Gao said worriedly, "To the west of the county town, there are still three or four viges. It seems only our two viges made it to Immortal Dwelling Mountain to seek refuge. As for the others... s, I fear the worst."


    Xie Zhan''s handsome face was grimly set. The people from those viges had either gone to Ling Mountain or encountered the floodwaters on their way to Immortal Dwelling Mountain. In either case, their chances of survival were slim.


    Or perhaps they had headed towards Kong Mountain in Huangshi County, but that route was much farther. Only those with vehicles and horses, unencumbered by others, might have had a chance of making it alive by traveling light.


    This disaster would undoubtedly leave countless families ruined and people disced. Outside of Immortal Dwelling Mountain, one could only imagine the hellish scenes unfolding in the mortal realm.


    Xie Zhan''s voice was solemn, "The Juhuyan Embankment was only justpleted three years ago. Back then, the King of Jingzhou was given a hundred million taels of silver by the imperial court to oversee its construction, which took four years and conscripted a hundred thousandborers, causing much hardship and expense for the people. Yet it could not withstand a single torrential downpour..."


    He shook his head, his tone filled with profound resignation.


    Second Xie, sitting on the ground, angrily cursed upon hearing this, "Damnit, if they didn''t cut corners and scrimp on materials, even a ghost wouldn''t believe it! Those greedy bastards, living high on the hog, stealing all that silver without a care that their own sons would end up with no assholes."


    Mrs. Gao turned and mildly rebuked him, "Second, watch your tongue, don''t talk such nonsense!"


    After admonishing Second Xie, Mrs. Gao turned to console Xie Zhan, "What''s done is done, worrying is useless and only harms your health. You must take care of yourself first."


    Xie Zhan and Mrs. Gao had intentionally lowered their voices, but Gu Jiu, being nearby, heard every word clearly.


    From their conversation, Gu Jiu realized that this flood disaster was not an act of nature, but a man-made cmity.


    The Juhuyan Embankment was overseen by the King of Jingzhou, who had cut corners and embezzled funds, resulting in the shoddy construction that could not withstand the flood, causing the present disaster.


    What she did not understand was that while Xie Zhan was a schr, and his concern for the country and its people wasprehensible, Mrs. Gao''s articte and refined manner of speech did not seem to match that of a rustic vige woman.


    Whether it was her prudent rebuke of Second Xie or her eloquent advice to Xie Zhan, she spoke like an educated and insightful person.


    The Xie family was kind, generous, and harmonious, and although their three daughters-inw had little education, they were also virtuous and polite, indicating that Mrs. Gao had a system for educating her children and managing the household.


    How did such a person end up living in this impoverished backwater?


    As night fell, two figures approached from a short distance away.


    Judging by their direction, they had been staying not far from the Huaishu vigers.


    Beforeing too close, they called out, "Are you from Huaishu Vige? Is the vige chief Xie here?"


    Oldest Xie stood up and walked a few steps to greet them, "Ah, it''s Master Lu. You two havee as well?"


    The neers were extremely tall and robust, with broad shoulders like small iron towers. One was apanied by a young man.


    Both wore dark short jackets and carriedrge bundles on their backs, as well as iron rods with sharpened tips resembling spears.


    Mrs. Gao''s eyesight was poor, so she squinted for a while but could not make them out clearly.


    Oldest Xie exined, "It''s Master Lu from the cksmith''s shop in town and his son."


    Mrs. Gao stepped forward to wee them, relieved, "It''s fortunate that Brother Lu has alsoe. Please,e and sit."


    Master Lu and his son exchanged greetings with everyone before sitting down.


    It turned out that the Lu father and son had also deemed Ling Mountain unsafe and chosen toe to Immortal Dwelling Mountain. However, as just the two of them, they could travel faster without having to amodate others, so they had arrived ahead of the vigers. They had been resting not far away and came over to greet them when they saw the group.


    The Lu family had lived in town for many years and had a good reputation. Oldest Xie invited the father and son to join their group.


    After eating their dry rations, as night fell, the vigers prepared to sleep.


    They gathered some wormwood grass nearby, forming small piles around their camp and setting them alight to repel mosquitoes. Gu Jiu saw this and thought that once they entered the forest, there would surely be many mosquitoes, so they would need to find some herbs to make mosquito repellent oils or liniments. Otherwise, the mosquitoes might devour them.


    Oldest Xie arranged for the elderly, weak, and women to stay in the center, while the able-bodied men, including the Lu father and son, formed an outer ring around them.


    He approached Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie, quietly instructing them, "You two are skilled in martial arts and quick-witted. Take turns keeping watch tonight and be wary of the Dahu vigers. Stay alert."


    Gu Jiu curiously asked in a low voice, "Xie Zhan, are those Dahu vigers really that bad?"


    Xie Zhan ruffled her hair, "Little children shouldn''t ask too many questions."


    Gu Jiu red at him.


    Mrs. Gao, sitting next to Gu Jiu, patted her and said, "Dahu Vige has a bad reputation. The vigers there are all petty thieves and scoundrels capable of any misdeed. We must be cautious of them."


    Gu Jiu nodded in understanding. During the flood, they had even abandoned their elderly and weak, including their own parents and spouses. If they could discard their own loved ones, it was clear they were selfish and self-serving individuals.


    And now it seemed they were not just selfish and self-serving, but a bunch of scoundrels and rogues as well.


    Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie both nodded, indicating they would keep a close watch on the Dahu vigers during their shifts.


    That night, Gu Jiu and Mrs. Gao also slept on the ground.


    The mule cart could not be brought up the mountain. When the flood came, Second Xie had unhitched it and left it behind. Fortunately, animals have an innate sense of danger, and the mule had followed the horse, trotting up the mountain on its own.


    After a night''s rest, perhaps because everyone was exhausted, the Dahu vigers did not cause any trouble.


    After resting overnight, everyone''s spirit had been restored. Oldest Xie instructed them to prepare some hot meals, and once they had eaten their fill, they would continue on their way.


    Ever since witnessing the flood the previous day, Mrs. Sun had been in a daze. When Mrs. Xu asked her, Mrs. Sun said she was worried about her family back home.


    Of the three daughters-inw in the Xie family, Mrs. Zhang''s family was from Huaishu Vige, so they hade to Immortal Dwelling Mountain together. Mrs. Xu was the daughter of the head escort of the county''s escortpany, which had many horses and carts, so they could surely escape within three days. She was not worried.


    It was only Mrs. Sun whose family was from Dashiwa Vige, near Wuling County, who was concerned that her family might have chosen to go to Ling Mountain. Given the force of the floodwaters, going to Ling Mountain would mean a nine-in-ten chance of death.


    Third Xie was whittling a piece of wood, carving something. Seeing his wife''s worry, he offered a word of reassurance, "Dashiwa Vige is to the west. As long as they moved quickly enough, they should be able to reach Kong Mountain in Huangshi County."


    It would take the Huaishu vigers three days to reach Kong Mountain, but Dashiwa Vige was closer, so they might just manage it.


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Sun''s anxiety eased slightly.


    Third Xie rarely spoke, so this was the first time Gu Jiu had heard him say so much.

 Chapter 11: Oh, old acquaintance.

    <h4>Chapter 11</h4>


    Among the Xie brothers, Second Xie and Fifth Xie were the most talkative, while the Oldest Xie was reserved, Fourth Xie was cool and detached, Third Xie was silent, and Sixth Xie was a bookworm.


    Right now, the bookworm Sixth Xie was sitting alone on a rock, bobbing his head as he read a book intently. Who knows what he was reading, but his expression was utterly focused.


    Gu Jiu nced at him a couple of times and noticed therge character "Yi" was clearly written on the cover. Heh, he was actually reading one of the ssics.


    The original host was also a bookworm, though she preferred to read less serious works like travelogues, misceneous records, and even vernacr novels -- the kind of misceneous books. She would stay cooped up at home every day, a youngdy with a touch of social anxiety.


    If the original host were here, she would probably findmon ground with Sixth Xie. But unfortunately, Gu Jiu wasn''t interested in bookworms.


    Having nothing better to do, Mrs. Gao called out to Gu Jiu, Xie Sanyou, and Xie Siyu to go forage for wild vegetables together.


    The things they brought were quite bulky, so they couldn''t carry much in the way of vegetables. Fortunately, it was a season when wild greens were abundant in the mountains, making foraging convenient.


    The Xie children were used to this kind of work and could identify the wild vegetables. Mrs. Gao thought that since Gu Jiu came from a decent background, she probably had never seen wild vegetables before.


    So as they picked, Mrs. Gao exined, "This is shepherd''s purse. You can add it to pancakes when frying them, or simply stir-fry it -- it''s delicious either way."


    Gu Jiu nodded. "Mm-hmm, shepherd''s purse is cooling in nature. Since you have a deficient and cold spleen and stomach, you should eat it sparingly."


    Mrs. Gao looked at her in surprise. "You can recognize wild vegetables? No, wait, how did you know I have a deficient and cold spleen and stomach?"


    Gu Jiu didn''t recognize wild vegetables, but she knew medicinal herbs. Before transmigrating, she had been studying traditional Chinese medicine through a system and had gained some basic knowledge, including the identification of Chinese herbs, the four diagnostic methods of inspection, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation, as well as acupuncture.


    Gu Jiu exined, "Yourplexion is sallow, you have a weak voice and energy, your hands are often cold, and you have a poor appetite but produce a lot of phlegm. These are all signs of spleen and stomach deficiency."


    Mrs. Gao was even more surprised. "You''re just a young girl, but you really understand medical theory. Is your family in the medical profession?"


    "No, I''ve just liked it since I was young. I''ve read enough books to gain some understanding."


    This wasn''t a lie. The original host had read a bit about it too, though her knowledge was superficial and limited.


    Gu Jiu shook her head and continued, "When I have the means in the future, I''ll help regte your body, Mrs. Gao. I think you may have other ailments too. You can''t let illnesses drag on; the longer you wait, the worse they''ll be."


    Mrs. Gao thought to herself that even renowned physicians hadn''t been able to cure her ailments. How could this young girl treat her just by reading a few books?


    But the child had good intentions, so Mrs. Gao didn''t want to discourage her enthusiasm. She smiled and said, "Alright, I''ll wait for our Jiu to treat me."


    Gu Jiu nodded solemnly. "Rest assured, Mrs. Gao, I''ll definitely be able to cure you!"


    As mother and daughter were conversing happily, over a dozen people approached from the opposite direction.


    Gu Jiu looked up and thought, "Well, well, look who it is!"


    Leading the group were three people she recognized from the broken-down estate in the county town: the Scruffy-faced Bearded Man, the Lewd Man, and that young woman.


    The day before, when the flood hit, a woman from Dahu Vige had been pulled to safety by a man. It turned out to be the Scruffy-faced Bearded Man and that young woman. No wonder their figures had seemed vaguely familiar at the time.


    But the young woman could no longer be called that. In just a few days, she had changed to a married woman''s hairstyle and was walking arm-in-arm with the Scruffy-faced Bearded Man, their manner very intimate.


    Heh, so they had developed feelings for each other!


    The woman looked at Gu Jiu with jealousy in her eyes.


    This wretched girl was unexpectedly so good-looking. The other day, she had only caught a glimpse of her, but could already tell that her skin was exceptionally fair. Now that she saw her clearly, she realized Gu Jiu was truly beautiful! At such a young age, her eyes seemed to have hooks that could reel people in.


    It wouldn''t be so bad if she were just good-looking, but why did she have to escape the same scoundrels unscathed, while the woman herself had ended up in such a sorry state?


    She pinched the flesh on the man''s arm viciously. "See, I told you she''s very pretty. It''s all your fault, you two idiots couldn''t even handle a girl of ten-some years!"


    The Scruffy-faced Bearded Man winced in pain and pped her face. "You''re getting cocky after a couple of days, huh? Keep that up and I''ll sell you off to a brothel."


    The woman covered her face, lowering her head to hide the resentment in her eyes.


    The Lewd Man had one eye covered in a ck cloth, his remaining eye ring at Gu Jiu with hatred.


    "You little wretch, so you''ve been hiding in Huaishu Vige. But it''s no use, even if you hide here. You blinded one of my eyes, so today you''re going to kowtow to me and reimburse me for the loss of an eye, or you and I will never be done!"


    The Lewd Man advanced menacingly, but Gu Jiu had been so hungry and weak the other day that she didn''t have a shred of strength left. Now, her condition was different. Although this body was still small and not very strong, she judged that she could easily handle these two beasts again.


    She was about to say, "What do you mean ''never be done''? Let me tell you..." when Mrs. Gao pulled her back and shielded her.


    "Are you from Dahu Vige? We''re all fellow vigers here; there''s no need for such harshnguage. My child is so young, how much strength could she possibly have? Not only did she not blind your eye, I doubt she could even reach high enough to p you."


    Gu Jiu felt a warmth in her heart. She had only been at the Xie Family for two or three days, but everyone, from the highest to the lowest, treated her like a member of the family and protected her. This kind of warm family atmosphere was something she had never experienced before.


    In her previous life, humanity had endured several major wars, and various weapons heavily damaged the living environment. Humans fought incessantly,rge-scale and small-scale wars breaking out constantly, as they vied for living space and resources.


    Gu Jiu''s parents were mid-level militarymanders who were constantly on the move, with little time to spend with her. Even her education was handled by high-tech learning systems.


    Gu Jiu had essentially grown up wild, never experiencing parental love.


    So when she suddenly felt this sense of being protected by an elder, Gu Jiu was overwhelmed by an unfamiliar emotion that left her at a loss.


    As Gu Jiu stood dazed, the Scruffy-faced Bearded Man chewed on a wild grass leaf and lifted his brow. "Gooddy, I don''t recall the Xie Family having a daughter. This wretched girl not only blinded my brother the other day, but she also kicked me and tore my woman''s clothes. I need to settle that score with her. You''re not in good health; don''t bring trouble upon yourself for the sake of someone unrted."


    Huaishu Vige and Dahu Vige were neighbors, so even if the two viges didn''t interact much, they still knew a bit about each other''s affairs.


    Mrs. Gao smiled. "Jiu is the adopted daughter of our Xie Family. Since we''ve taken her in, she''s my own daughter. We''re all fellow vigers here; you can''t be so unreasonable. It''s a bit much to try and pin such a big crime on my young daughter when she''s just a child and couldn''t possibly withstand it."


    Mrs. Gao waved her hand behind her back, and Xie Sanyou quietly went to summon others.


    Gu Jiu noticed and decided to stall for time. Though she wasn''t afraid, she would wait for Xie Zhan and the others to arrive before resolving the issue, to put Mrs. Gao''s mind at ease.


    She poked her head out from behind Mrs. Gao with a grin. "Oh, Miss, you got married? Congrattions, congrattions! Who won that day? Oh, I know, you married him, right? That''s a win-win! Congrattions, congrattions!"


    Gu Jiu pointed at the Scruffy-faced Bearded Man. "You two really are a match made in heaven. You haven''t even thanked me, your matchmaker, yet. Without my help, you never would have ended up together. Isn''t that right?"


    The woman was fuming. If she were truly getting married, she might have epted it. But she had been taken back by brutes and assaulted day and night, unsure of when she might be resold.


    Gu Jiu''s "congrattions" twisted a knife in her wounds.


    She pointed at Gu Jiu and cursed, "Thank you? You wretched, doomed little whore..."

 Chapter 12: Dimensionality Strike

    <h4>Chapter 12</h4>


    Gu Jiu''s little face tightened as she could not bear to hear such unpleasant words. She bent down to pick up a small stone and threw it toward the woman.


    Unexpectedly, another stone came flying from somewhere else, hitting the woman in the mouth. The force was so great that it knocked out one of the woman''s teeth. The woman immediately covered her lips with her hands, crying and wailing as a streak of blood flowed down her chin.


    In contrast, the stone that Gu Jiu threw merely caused some pain and did not inflict much harm on her.


    "You wretched woman, how dare you insult my sister! You''re asking for it!" Fifth Xie''s voice boomed before he even arrived on the scene.


    Gu Jiu turned around to see the Xie brothers, cksmith Lu and his son, as well as a few other vigers walking toward them.


    Xie Zhan was holding a slingshot in his hand, having just released the stone that struck the woman.


    "What''s going on here?" Oldest Xie asked.


    "Vige Chief Xie, you''ve arrived just in time. The young and old in your family have been acting unreasonably and making a ruckus. You need to settle this for us. Your sister injured my brother''s eye, and now your brother has hurt my woman. Vige Chief Xie, you must give us an exnation, or else this matter won''t be resolved," the Scruffy-faced Bearded Man red angrily.


    The Lewd Man pointed to his eye, "Look, this is what your little brat did to me."


    Hey, the evildoers were using them first.


    With the Xie family present, Gu Jiu felt more confident and stepped forward to exin, "That''s because..."


    However, Xie Zhan pulled her behind him and whispered, "Stay put and don''t say a word."


    Gu Jiu swallowed the indignation that filled her heart. She opened her mouth but decided to keep quiet.


    But in truth, this brother could take on eight men single-handedly. It''s just a pity that Xie Zhan didn''t give her a chance to demonstrate her abilities.


    Xie Zhan walked to the front, shielding Mrs. Gao and Gu Jiu behind him. "You need to rehearse your lies before you can make them sound convincing. My little sister is frail and weak. How could she possibly harm a seven-foot tall man like you? Don''t think you can bully my sister just because she doesn''t have anyone to support her. We Xie brothers are not mere decorations."


    With each mention of "my sister," Gu Jiu felt a bit ufortable listening to it, even though she thought it sounded quite nice when others said it. However, she did appreciate that Xie Zhan didn''t hesitate to protect her.


    "How can you be so unreasonable? We all saw her do it," the woman said indistinctly while covering her mouth.


    The Scruffy-faced Bearded Man let out a scornfulugh. It was usually him who bullied others, but today, for once, he wanted to reason with them, yet he ended up being the one bullied. What a fresh feeling.


    He drew out a kitchen knife from behind his back. "Fourth Xie, don''t try to talk your way out of this. On the morning of the 24th, at the Lu Family''s Broken Courtyard in Manqing County, it was this wretched girl who stabbed my brother''s eye with a hairpin, kicked me, and punched me. Don''t think you can get away with not taking responsibility. For my brother''s eye, the beating I took, and my woman''s mouth, you owe us a total of one thousand taels of silver. Once we settle this matter, it''s done. If not, well, we''ll see whose knife cuts deeper!"


    The vigers from Huaishu Vige started to see what was going on. This was a lion opening its mouth wide!


    "The scoundrels from Dahu Vige must have gone crazy with greed if they want to falsely use a youngdy and extort one thousand taels of silver from her. You might as well just outright rob her."


    "Give me one thousand taels, and you can stab my eye for fun."


    "How could a young girl like her both injure your brother''s eye and kick and punch you, a big burly man? A ten-something-year-old girl beat you up? No pig would believe that story."


    Gu Jiu: ...


    I believe it!


    "Trying to extort us in Huaishu Vige like this? Others may be afraid of you, Big Scruffy Hu, but we in Huaishu Vige aren''t scared of you."


    The Scruffy-faced Bearded Man was fuming. Usually, his lies were easily believed, but today, for once when he told the truth, no one believed him. Was there any justice left in this world?


    Gu Jiu stepped forward, wanting to reason with the Scruffy-faced Bearded Man. The Xie family was defending her, so she couldn''t just hide behind them and do nothing.


    Just as she said the words "you''re talking nonsense," Xie Zhan pulled her back again and sternly hissed, "Shut up!"


    Mrs. Gao embraced her, shielding her in her arms and gently patting her shoulder tofort her, "Don''t be afraid. You don''t need to stand up for yourself. Your brothers are here."


    Gu Jiu: ...


    I''m not afraid at all. Why doesn''t anyone believe me?


    Gu Jiu resigned herself. Fine, if the Xie family insists on being overprotective, then I''ll just y the role of a helpless, gentle beauty.


    Xie Zhan''s handsome face was tinged with a hint of anger as he scolded, "You''re talking nonsense! On the 24th, my sister was with me attending the Li Family''s mourning ceremony from early morning. After that, she was at home packing up our belongings the entire day. When could she have possibly encountered you?"


    "Heh--" The Scruffy-faced Bearded Man scoffed. "That day, it was clearly..."


    Xie Zhan didn''t let him finish. "Everyone in Manqing County knows that you Scruffy Hu brothers from Dahu Vige are notorious for theft, bullying women and children, and human trafficking. You''re capable of any evil. In the past, you didn''t bully us, so we didn''t bother with you. But if you want to bully my family and falsely use my little sister to extort money from us, then forget it!"


    "You..." The Lewd Man, Hu San, was so enraged that he was about to fall backward. He had just uttered the word "you" when Xie Zhan cut him off.


    "How tall are you, and how tall is my sister? Her short little arms can''t even reach your mouth..." Gu Jiu: ...


    Let''s reason this out properly. Why bring up irrelevant details?


    "...Would you kneel down and let my sister stab your eye for fun? If you''re going to lie, at least put some thought into it. You''re just greedy for money, isn''t that right? Why bother making up excuses? It would be more honorable for you to just ask for it directly. Come on,e on, if you have the guts, let''s fight. If you win, not just one thousand taels, we brothers will sell everything we have to give you ten thousand taels!"


    Fifth Xie fanned the mes, "Come on, if you don''t dare fight, you''re a coward!"


    "Come on,e on!"


    The vigers from Huaishu Vige joined in the taunting. With their greater numbers, they weren''t afraid of the other side. Some spat into their palms, while others found sticks and clubs, all of them rubbing their fists in anticipation of a fight.


    "Who''s afraid of who? Let''s fight!"


    The Scruffy-faced Bearded Man was so enraged that his anger reached the sky. Finally, he could speak. He was almost suffocated from being interrupted so much. Dahu Vige had made a name for itself through fighting, so they weren''t afraid of anyone when it came to brawling.


    He rolled up his sleeves and beckoned, "Brothers,e at me. Fight to the death, and I''ll take responsibility."


    Gu Jiu was deeply impressed by Xie Zhan. He looked like a gentle schr, but when it came to getting into a fight, he was like a cheat code.


    And when it came to fighting, he didn''t hold back. The key was that he was a cunning schemer. Gu Jiu felt that Xie Zhan deliberately kept interrupting the Hu brothers, not allowing them to speak, intentionally provoking them into a fight.


    From what she knew, Xie Zhan was skilled in martial arts, and Fifth Xie was also a practitioner. They were taking advantage of their strengths to attack the other side''s weaknesses.


    No, whether it was verbal or physical, it was all a preemptive strike!


    The ignorant Big Scruffy Hu, unafraid, led the men of Dahu Vige and charged over with a fierce aura. Fifth Xie went to meet them head-on, aiming directly for Big Scruffy Hu.


    Although Big Scruffy Hu was tall and burly, Fifth Xie was still just a half-grown kid. But in their sh, Fifth Xie kicked the kitchen knife out of Big Scruffy Hu''s hand with one move, and then a kick sent the man tumbling to the ground.


    This kid, Fifth Xie, didn''t seem to know what he ate to grow up so strong. The teenager who hadn''t even fully grown yet was able to kick down a big, strong man with ease.

 Chapter 13: Back in the Day

    <h4>Chapter 13</h4>


    This side, Xie Zhan was itching to act, but Mrs. Gao stopped him, "Fourth Brother, don''t go. Fists cannot see, what if they harm you? Let Fifth Brother go instead."


    Gu Jiu: Was Xie Wng picked up from the roadside? Only Xie Zhan is the real son.


    Xie Zhan obediently didn''t move forward, but he didn''t idle either. He pulled open his slingshot and hit his mark every time. In just a few shots, the few people charging from the other side were covering their bleeding heads and crying for their fathers and mothers.


    Gu Jiu very tactfully went to pick up stones for him, handing them over one by one with a ttering attitude, speeding up his rate of hitting people.


    Xie Sanpeted with her for the work, "Let Fourth Uncle use mine, the stones I picked are sharper and hurt more when hitting people."


    Gu Jiu nced at him, not bad, kid, you have potential.


    On this side, the people from Huaishu Vige were rubbing their fists, but Oldest Xie stopped them with a gesture, "Wait a bit more, if Fifth Brother and the others can''t handle it, then we''ll go. Datong, you go."


    Xie Datong was from the main branch of the Xie family. He had worked as an escort for Mrs. Xu''s father''s escortpany and had some martial arts skills. He responded and charged forward, his moves very systematic. Amid the surrounding attacks from the men of Dahu Vige, he didn''t fall behind at all.


    The cksmith Lu Ironsmith and his son also stepped forward. Lu Ironsmith didn''t actually join the fight, just standing at the front like a doorman. When he saw someone approaching, he would p them back with one palm without ever needing to take out the iron rod in his hand.


    Lu Ironsmith''s son Lu Aniu shoved the iron rod into Oldest Xie''s hand, then dashed straight into the crowd. Though his hulking frame was like a small mountain, his speed wasn''t slow at all. He punched here and kicked there.


    Gu Jiu watched for a while, unable to help letting out a soft exmation. This Lu Aniu was no ordinary man. His every move was smooth and effortless, and the seemingly casual punches and kicks always struck the weakest points of the human body with great skill.


    He moved through the crowd like a tiger among sheep, leaving a trail of fallen men behind him.


    Gu Jiu''s era was full of wars. For self-protection, whether a soldier or not, everyone had to learn martial arts. Though her skills weren''t that good, she had a discerning eye.


    Gu Jiu could tell he was holding back. With Lu Aniu''s strength and the speed and angles of his strikes, the damage he could inflict wasn''t just making people unable to fight.


    Gu Jiu was certain that if he got a little more serious, his opponents would immediately be dead men.


    No wonder he had handed the iron rod to someone else - he must have been worried that one strike could kill.


    For the son of a rural cksmith to have such remarkable skills was hardly normal.


    Moreover, shouldn''t the Lu family father and son be guests in Huaishu Vige? So why were they at the very front when trouble arose?


    Inparison, Fifth Xie''s martial arts were quite ordinary, just the standard framework taught by martial arts masters. He was bolstered by hisrge physique but couldn''t defeat an ordinary person.


    The group fight ended quickly. Although only three people from Huaishu Vige hade out, they still easily defeated more than a dozen sturdy men from the other side in no time. Some were clutching their stomachs, others nursing their arms and legs, howling in pain.


    Fifth Xie strode over victorious like a little rooster, swinging his arms.


    Gu Jiu raised a thumbs up to him, "Fifth Brother, you''re awesome!"


    "Of course," Fifth Xie said proudly. "Back in the day, when I went with Uncle Xu to escort convoys, we encountered bandits on the road. I was shing left and right..."


    The Uncle Xu that Fifth Xie mentioned was the father of Mrs. Xu, Xie Er''s father-inw who ran an escortpany in the county town. He was the martial arts mentor of Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie when they were young.


    "Alright, that''s enough," Mrs. Gao interrupted with disdain, taking out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat whilementing, "You hadn''t even grown hair down there, and you''re reminiscing about ''back in the day''? Back then, you were just tagging along behind your Uncle Xu, finishing off some severely injured little bandit. Yet you''ve been boasting about it for two and a half years now."


    Fifth Xie didn''t feel embarrassed at all at having his old shame exposed. He retorted, "So what if I wet the bed when I was little? My Fourth Brother did too."


    Then he grinned at Gu Jiu, "Don''t listen to Mother. I was really awesome. I''ll tell you about my escort stories when I have time."


    Mrs. Gao swatted him a few times, "Stop ruining your Fourth Brother''s reputation. Your Fourth Brother was very sensible when he was little!"


    Gu Jiu couldn''t help but burst intoughter, ncing at the once bed-wetting immortal Xie Zhan,ughing so hard her head nearly fell off.


    Xie Zhan kicked Fifth Xie''s butt with his foot and red at Gu Jiu, then said to Mrs. Gao, "Let''s go back."


    Gu Jiu hurried to support Mrs. Gao on the other side, her shoulders trembling as she tried to hold in herughter.


    Xie Zhan shot her a sidelong nce, slowing his steps while supporting Mrs. Gao. After the vigers who hade to watch themotion left, he began to lecture Gu Jiu.


    "The Hu brothers have kidnapped and sold countless women. Anyone who falls into their hands has no good end. You''re just a young girl. If your name is associated with the Hu brothers, your reputation will be ruined. No matter what happened that day, if people know you had dealings with the Hu brothers, even their spit could drown you. Yet you insisted on getting involved, not understanding anything!"


    That''s why Xie Zhan kept interrupting and refused to let the Hu brothers mention the incident that day, deliberately provoking them into a fight.


    Gu Jiu gave Xie Zhan a sidelong nce, acknowledging his point but feeling that he was getting back at her forughing at him earlier.


    Mrs. Gao yfully swatted Xie Zhan, chiding, "Gu Jiu is still young, speak properly."


    Gu Jiu smiled mischievously, then thanked Xie Zhan, "I understand now, Xie Zhan. I''ll be more careful next time. Thank you!"


    Xie Zhan red at her, saying exasperatedly, "Just call me Fourth Brother!"


    Gu Jiu was puzzled why the officials didn''t manage the Hu brothers who had done so many bad things, so she asked Xie Zhan, "Don''t the officials govern them?"


    Xie Zhan replied impatiently, "Is that your focus?"


    But he still exined to her, "Most of the people they kidnap and sell are vagrants and beggars. They''ve established connections and bribed the constables and clerks, allowing them to run rampant all these years."


    As Xie Zhan spoke, a cold gleam shed through his eyes. Sooner orter, he would deal with the Hu brothers.


    Mrs. Gao instructed Gu Jiu, "That incident is over. From now on, if anyone asks, say you didn''t see them and don''t know them."


    "Mm, okay," Gu Jiu obediently nodded.


    When they returned to their lodging, Mrs. Zhang led Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Sun in cooking some sweet potatoes and making a pot of porridge with wild vegetables and mixed grains.


    Though it was nd, it was still better than the hard, inedible millet buns from the previous two days that could practically be used as projectiles. Inparison, the vegetable porridge was a delicacy.


    After finishing their meal in Huaishu Vige, they discussed setting off.


    The route had been nned in advance.


    The Immortals Dwelling Mountain Range started from Qinghe County, stretching southwest before turning west and then east, crossing half of Jingzhou.


    It was impossible to travel hundreds of miles along the mountain range itself. The terrain was uneven, with cliffs in some areas that were impassable. They had to cross over the mountains and through the ancient forests to reach Shangyu County, then take the official road.


    After traveling for half a day, the people from Huaishu Vige discovered that the men from Dahu Vige were following at a distance, not too close or too far behind.


    "They''re using us as pathfinders," remarked Oldest Xie.


    Xie Zhan nced back, his gaze deep and solemn as he said softly, "Let them follow."


    For the sake of the women and children in their group, he would allow them to tag along. Once the women and children from their vige were safely out of the ancient forest, he would have a way to deal with them.


    The mountain path was rugged with many ups and downs, making it impossible to ride horses or donkeys at times. Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie would then put their luggage on the pack animals and support Mrs. Gao on either side as they walked.


    Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Sun not only carried their own bundles but also led their own children by the hand.


    Zhang''s son Xie Daji had grown up and didn''t need to be led. He looked back disdainfully at Gu Jiu and said, "How clumsy you are, can''t even walk properly. Come here, let Sister-inw lead you."

 Chapter 14: See a Doctor

    <h4>Chapter 14</h4>


    "Aah," Gu Jiu let out a sound, walking over with difficulty and extending her small hand to Mrs. Zhang.


    Mrs. Zhang''s hand wasrge and rough, covered in calluses, but she held Gu Jiu''s hand steadily, making Gu Jiu feel much morefortable, no longer having to stumble along.


    After walking for a long while, trees gradually became more numerous as they approached the edge of the old forest.


    Everyone was a bit apprehensive about the old forest, mainly due to the terrifying tales passed down from the elders¡ªthings like mountain goblins, man-eating trees, wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards. Just listening to those stories was enough to make one''s legs go weak.


    It was only mid-afternoon, but no one wanted to go any further. The man-eating old forest could wait, they would enter itter when they had to.


    The Oldest Xie decided to let everyone stop and prepare for entering the forest, nning to continue the next day at dawn.


    They found a t area and sat down to rest.


    Having just begun their escape, the vigers still had some food remaining, but their water supply was almost exhausted. Some had even thrown away their water during the flood, borrowing from others'' supplies that morning.


    The Oldest Xie sent Xie Datong, Second Xie, and two burly men from the vige to search for a water source nearby.


    Xie Datong had experience as an armed escort, so camping outdoors and finding water sources while avoiding dangerous areas to evade bandits were all skills he had learned for wilderness survival.


    Gu Jiu took the opportunity during the break to take Mrs. Gao''s pulse.


    As soon as she ced her three fingers on Mrs. Gao''s wrist, a voice suddenly rang in her head, "Report to the host, your system haspleted its upgrade and is now ready for use."


    Apanied by the mechanical female voice, a vast space appeared in her mind, with mountains and water.


    Gu Jiu was dumbfounded¡ªher Traditional Chinese Medicine system hade with her! The TCM system was a small chip she had used to study TCM in her previous life, which could be embedded in specific objects and carried with her. Gu Jiu had worn it as a ring. But how did the system follow her through soul transmigration?


    She searched her body but couldn''t find the ring from her previous life.


    In her former world with advanced technology but frequent wars, people had no stable learning environment, so learning systems were invented for various fields of knowledge to allow studying anytime, anywhere.


    Gu Jiu had first studied surgical techniques, thenter acquired a TCM system and studied it for a year before unexpectedly transmigrating here.


    The key issue was¡ªthe system had actually transmigrated with her!


    No, the key issue was¡ªwhat was that space?


    Why did it seem so familiar?


    Why was it so simr to the base the army had just found before her transmigration?


    And since when could the system upgrade itself autonomously? Ande with a space, no less? It was simply too bizarre!


    Perhaps Gu Jiu''s expression was too astonished, as Mrs. Xu urgently asked, "What''s wrong? Is there an issue with Mother''s pulse?"


    Mrs. Gao patted her hand reassuringly, "It''s nothing, I know my own body. I''ve lived this long, with all my children grown up and even grandchildren now. I have no regrets. Even if my pulse doesn''t look good, it doesn''t matter."


    "Ah? No, no, no." Gu Jiu came back to her senses and hurriedly said, "It''s not that, I just suddenly thought of something else."


    She busied herself taking Mrs. Gao''s pulse again, putting the system matter aside for the moment.


    Mrs. Gao''s pulse was intermittent, weak and feeble, hollow with firm pressing.


    Gu Jiumunicated with the system through her mind, "It''s a deficient pulse, right?"


    The system''s mechanical voice gave a brief reply, "Yes."


    Gu Jiu then examined Mrs. Gao''s appearance. Her hair was dry and withered, herplexion pale and sallow, her lips white and peeling.


    "Does Mother often feel fatigued, sweat easily, have palpitations and insomnia, and sometimes feel dizzy?" Gu Jiu asked, removing her fingers from Mrs. Gao''s wrist.


    Mrs. Gao was a bit surprised. "Yes, our Gu Jiu is quite perceptive."


    "Did Mother experience severe bleeding during a difficult childbirth? The blood loss led to blood deficiency, which in turn led to Qi deficiency. With Qi deficiency prolonged, it was unable to produce new blood. Combined with a weak spleen and stomach, it umted over time, resulting in a chronic wasting deficiency that only worsened."


    Mrs. Xu stood by in astonishment, her mouth agape. "You''re truly gifted. Mother did have difficult childbirths with the fourth and fifth children. The fourth was sickly and had to stay at the Taikang Hall of the renowned physician in Jingzhou City for two months after birth before we could bring him home. The sixth child''s birth was also difficult."


    "Two back-to-back difficult pregnancies definitely took a toll on Mother''s body. We''ve had prescriptions filled by doctors in town over the years, but nothing really helped. Gu Jiu, do you have a solution? Mother''s illness has been a constant worry for our entire family, with her health being so poor."


    Gu Jiu pondered. The condition itself wasn''t difficult to treat, but obtaining the necessary medicinal ingredients would be challenging at this time. It was a pity that acupuncture couldn''t be used for dual deficiencies of Qi and Blood, otherwise she could have provided some relief through needling first.


    "It can be treated. Once we''re out of the old forest, I''ll write a prescription. We can find a pharmacy to gather the herbs and after taking the medicine for about half a month, her condition should improve. Then, with proper nutrition and rest, the full recovery process can begin."


    Mrs. Gao and Mrs. Xu both found Gu Jiu''s serious demeanor very trustworthy, a stark contrast from her usual mischievous self. Her confidence was inexplicably convincing.


    The system''s mechanical voice sounded in her mind again, "Host, you didn''t examine the pulse carefully enough. There are still issues you missed."


    Gu Jiu was taken aback. The system''s scans wouldn''t be wrong. She extended her hand, cing three fingers back on Mrs. Gao''s wrist.


    Mrs. Gao and Mrs. Xu both looked puzzled, with Mrs. Gao asking, "What''s the matter? Is there something wrong?"


    Mrs. Xu also appeared concerned, gazing at Gu Jiu.


    Gu Jiu shook her head and closed her eyes, carefully distinguishing the qualities of Mrs. Gao''s pulse.


    It was intermittent, weak, and feeble¡ªthat much was certain about the deficient pulse. But no, as Gu Jiu applied slightly more pressure with her three fingers, the pulse felt faint, feeble, and utterly arrhythmic, alternating between fast and slow, heavy and light, strained and obstructed.


    Gu Jiu withdrew her hand andmunicated with the system through her mind, "Underneath the deficient pulse, there''s also a wiry quality. Does that indicate stagnation of Qi and Blood?"


    The system responded, "Yes."


    "Oh, it''s actually caused by stagnated Qi and Blood resulting in a uterine fibroid!"


    Traditional Chinese Medicine doesn''t have a term for "uterine fibroid"¡ªstagnated Qi and Blood is the cause, while the fibroid is the result.


    Gu Jiu suddenly understood. "The root cause of the fibroid is obstructed Liver Qi. The Liver governs the free flow of Qi, so when Liver Qi stagnates, Qi and Blood be impeded. With Qi and Blood unable to circte properly, it gives rise to the fibroid mass. That''s why, to truly cure it, we must first resolve the stagnant Liver Qi."


    The system dispassionately replied, "Correct."


    Having received the system''s confirmation, Gu Jiu went over the treatment n in her mind, knowing how to proceed with the adjustments and which herbs to use.


    But for now, it was a case of the skilled housewife having no rice to cook with¡ªshecked everything needed and could only begin treatment once they were out of the forest.


    She advised Mrs. Gao, "There''s a growth in your abdomen, Mother, but don''t worry, it can be treated. As long as you don''t experience any external impacts or collisions, it will be fine."


    Mrs. Xu gave Gu Jiu an exasperated look, frantically making eye signals. This girl was far too blunt¡ªcouldn''t she be more tactful when informing a patient of their condition?


    Gu Jiu noticed Mrs. Xu''s signals but appeared perplexed. "What''s wrong, Second Auntie? Oh, don''t worry. This condition isn''t that difficult to treat. Mother''s fibroid must have been there for years. Although it''s rather delicate, look, you''ve had it for so long and nothing happened, right? Rest assured, as long as there''s nopression or impacts, it won''t cause any immediate problems. Once we''re out of the old forest, I can treat it."


    Gu Jiu was more skilled at surgical procedures for uterine fibroids, but without anti-inmmatory medications or surgical instruments, she could only use Traditional Chinese Medicine therapies. Moreover, since uterine fibroids were often caused by stagnant Liver Qi, simply removing the fibroid surgically without addressing the root cause would likely lead to recurrence.


    Mrs. Xu grew even more concerned. Perhaps it would have been better if Gu Jiu hadn''t exined at all.

 Chapter 15: Can I Kill Jiu Niang

    <h4>Chapter 15</h4>


    Mrs. Sun was tidying things up on the side and overheard them. After Mrs. Gao finished showing Gu Jiu, Mrs. Sun sneakily sidled over, looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then lowered her voice and said, "Ninth Sister-inw, show me too."


    Gu Jiu also lowered her voice and asked, "What''s wrong with Mrs. Sun? Are you feeling unwell?"


    "Ahem," Mrs. Sun cleared her throat, a bit embarrassed. "It''s just that, ever since I gave birth to my fourth child, I can''t seem to control..."


    Mrs. Xu pulled her aside, scolding, "You''re going to die, saying things like that! Ninth Sister-inw is still an unmarried youngdy, how could she understand this?"


    Gu Jiu smiled, understanding the issue they were referring to. It was amon problem for women who had given birth. "It''s nothing, just urinary incontinence, right? I understand, I''m a Doctor, what don''t I know?"


    Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Xu looked at Gu Jiu in surprise. Mrs. Xu stuttered, "How, how did you know that''s what we were talking about?"


    Since Gu Jiu had guessed correctly, Mrs. Sun didn''t feel embarrassed anymore and blurted out, "Yes, I can''t evenugh out loud, and when I cough, I leak urine. Mrs. Zhang has the same problem."


    Mrs. Xu awkwardly pushed her away, saying, "Just speak for yourself, why bring me into this? I''m perfectly fine!"


    Gu Jiu exined, "It''s nothing serious, it''s just due to the pelvic floor muscles bing loose after giving birth. The more children you''ve had, the more likely you are to develop this condition. For someone like Mother who has given birth to six children, seven or eight out of ten would have this problem."


    Mrs. Gao: "Thank you for your consideration, but no need to use me as an example."


    Mrs. Xu urgently tapped Gu Jiu, scolding, "How could you say that about your own mother-inw? At least give her some face in front of your two sisters-inw, you little rascal."


    Gu Jiupletely missed the point of Mrs. Xu''s distress and continued, "I''ll teach you and the sisters-inw a method. When you have nothing to do, practice pelvic floor exercises more often..."


    Gu Jiu taught them the pelvic floor exercise method, then said, "Once we leave the old forest, I''ll prescribe some qi and kidney tonifying herbs. Combined with the exercises, it should work."


    Mrs. Sun nodded, unconsciously trying the pelvic floor exercises. Mrs. Xu saw what she was doing, her face turned red, and she muttered, "This one''s a rascal too."


    Gu Jiu added, "Mrs. Zhang, shall I also check your Peaceful pulse?"


    That''s how they referred to it in this era, right? ording to the original owner''s memory, whenever the imperial physician came to examine her grandfather, he would say this to her family members afterward.


    Mrs. Xu paused, Peaceful pulse¡ªit had been so many years since she''d heard that phrase.


    She shook her head, clearing away some memories she shouldn''t have, and smiled as she extended her wrist. "Then I''ll trouble our Ninth Sister-inw."


    Gu Jiu ced her fingers on Mrs. Xu''s Pulse location, but after just a moment, the smile faded from her face.


    Mrs. Xu, Mrs. Gao, and Mrs. Sun all felt a pang of worry.


    Mrs. Sun asked urgently, "What''s wrong? Is there an issue with Mrs. Zhang''s health? Ninth Sister-inw, don''t scare us."


    Mrs. Sun was only in her early twenties, so she spoke directly without much tact. Her eldest and second sisters-inw still treated her like a child and took good care of her.


    The eldest sister-inw, Mrs. Zhang, was the family matriarch, usually quite stern and busy with many duties. It was the second sister-inw, Mrs. Xu, who often guided Mrs. Sun on how to conduct herself. So the sisters-inw had a good rtionship, and Mrs. Sun was genuinely concerned for Mrs. Xu.


    Mrs. Gao''s brow furrowed slightly, but she didn''t seem anxious or flustered as she watched Gu Jiu''s expression.


    Instead, Mrs. Xu smiled reassuringly at Mrs. Sun, "Don''t worry, I''ve been in good health. I don''t have any headaches or fevers, so how could it be anything serious?"


    The pulse Gu Jiu felt was slightly more excited than normal, but upon careful examination, it seemed regr again. She was still learning about pregnancy pulses before her reincarnation.


    There were two possibilities for Mrs. Xu''s pulse: either she had only been pregnant for a short time, so the pulse wasn''t showing signs yet, or her menstrual period was about to arrive, which can sometimes cause a slight pregnancy pulse presentation.


    Gu Jiu withdrew her hand and asked Mrs. Xu, "Has your monthly period arrived this month, Mrs. Zhang?"


    Mrs. Xu paused, trying to recall when herst period was. Mrs. Sun, being blunt, piped up, "Mrs. Zhang was two dayster than mest time, but I''ve already had my period this month while she hasn''t."


    With Mrs. Sun''sment, Mrs. Xu also realized and looked at Gu Jiu with a hopeful expression.


    Mrs. Gao couldn''t hide the joy on her face either as she leaned over and whispered, "Is Mrs. Zhang pregnant?"


    Gu Jiu said, "I can''t bepletely certain yet. It might be too early to show, or her period might be arriving soon. Mrs. Zhang should still be careful for now."


    Although Gu Jiu spoke cautiously, everyone felt there was an eight or nine out of ten chance Mrs. Xu was pregnant, and they couldn''t help but smile.


    Mrs. Gao specifically reminded Mrs. Sun, "Don''t go bbing about this everywhere and startle the children."


    Mrs. Sun smiled, "You know I''m not a bbermouth, right?"


    Mrs. Gao gave her a sidelong nce. "Aren''t you?"


    Mrs. Sun fell silent, embarrassed.


    Feeling envious of Mrs. Xu, she extended her hand towards Gu Jiu. "Ninth Sister-inw, check me too. My fourth child is already six years old, but I haven''t had any news since. See if there''s something wrong with my body?"


    Gu Jiu checked her pulse, which was easy to read. "Mrs. Sun, you have some womb coldness. You need to keep yourself warm, and avoid cold or chilled foods. Also, please take it easy with your husband when being intimate. Too frequent intimacy can lead to kidney deficiency and womb coldness."


    Mrs. Gao, Mrs. Xu, and Mrs. Sun were all stunned by Gu Jiu''s blunt words.


    After a moment, Mrs. Gao tapped Gu Jiu''s nose and said exasperatedly, "You, you...you unruly girl! You''ll say just about anything, won''t you? Don''t go spouting nonsense like that again!"


    Mrs. Xu covered her mouth, giggling. She thought to herself, "The usually quiet Third Brother and his wife are quite frisky in private!"


    Mrs. Sun''s face turned bright red as she covered it with both hands. "I want to die! Mother, can I kill Ninth Sister-inw?"


    Gu Jiu didn''t understand. "Hey, why me? I''m not the one who caused your womb coldness. Shouldn''t you want to kill Third Brother instead? Ouch ouch ouch..."


    Mrs. Gao covered Gu Jiu''s mouth, both amused and annoyed. "Don''t you dare say another word!"


    Gu Jiu pulled Mrs. Gao''s hand away and said seriously, "But I''m a Doctor. In a doctor''s eyes, any potential cause of illness must be clearly exined to the patient to prevent a recurrence. This isn''t nonsense, it''s a medical instruction."


    "Still, you can''t just blurt it out so brazenly. Next time, discretely advise the person in private and let them save face."


    Mrs. Sun: ...


    All sense of propriety was already lost, no need to preserve any face.


    ...


    Not long after, the people searching for a water source returned, saying there was a clear stream not far to the west that could be used for drinking water.


    Each family sent people carrying bamboo tubes, gourds, and other water containers to fetch water from the stream.


    After getting water, the women began making fires to cook meals.


    Gu Jiu was disgusted by not having bathed for days and felt filthy, so she wanted to go to the stream to wash up.


    Mrs. Zhang, Mrs. Xu, and Mrs. Sun went to prepare dried rations for the next day. Gu Jiu asked Mrs. Gao, "Mother, I''m going to the stream to bathe and wash some clothes. Do you have anything that needs washing?"


    "No need," Mrs. Gao instructed her. "The stream water is cold, a youngdy shouldn''t bathe in cold water. Just wash your hands and face. Have your Fourth and Fifth Brothers escort you so those ruffians from Dahu Vige don''t take advantage and cause any trouble."


    She then told Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie, "Fourth and Fifth Brothers, apany Ninth Sister-inw to the stream."


    "Okay," Fifth Xie agreed.


    Xie Zhan nced at Gu Jiu, not objecting.

 Chapter 16: I’m afraid I want to eat shit.

    <h4>Chapter 16</h4>


    "I''ll go too, I need to wash as well." Xie Siyu hurried over, "I''m all dirty too, I need to get clean."


    Xie Sanyou followed without hesitation, "I''ll go too, I''m dirty."


    "Alright, everyone go," Mrs. Gao smiled good-naturedly.


    So Xie Daji and Xie Erqing joined them as well.


    The two older boys led the five children as they rushed towards the stream.


    A small stream flowed quietly, with dense aquatic nts growing along the banks. asionally, little fish could be seen darting among the stones at the bottom.


    "There are fish!" Xie Siyu eximed happily.


    "It would be better if there were big fish, we could catch and roast them to eat," Xie Sanyou added.


    "Then let''s look around, maybe we can find some," Xie Erqing suggested.


    Xie Daji''s eyes lit up, waving his hand, "Let''s go upstream, maybe we''ll find some there."


    Fifth Xie reminded them quickly, "Don''t wander too far,e back right away if you can''t find any. Daji, keep an eye on your younger brothers."


    Xie Daji responded affirmatively, and the four brothers followed the stream upstream.


    Gu Jiu felt very regretful, she still wanted to bathe. It was May, and the weather was scorching hot, so the water wouldn''t be too cold. How nice it would be to get in and wash!


    Gu Jiu cupped water to wash her face and hands, then sighed deeply.


    Fifth Xie asked what was wrong.


    Gu Jiu said, "I want to take a bath and wash my hair and clothes."


    Xie Zhan frowned, "You can wash clothes and hair, but don''t even think about bathing. Out here in the wilderness, who knows if there are prying eyes nearby, with the vicious wolves of Dahu Vige watching hungrily."


    Gu Jiu pouted, "I know, why are you so fierce? Can''t I even think about it?"


    In fact, she wanted to brush her teeth even more, but she didn''t have any toothbrush or toothpaste.


    She knew that in this era, wealthy families used their fingers with blue salt to brush their teeth, or they would soften willow, peach, or locust twigs to use as toothbrushes. Formon folk, it wasmon to never brush their teeth their whole lives.


    Salt was extremely expensive in this era. Commoners could barely afford to eat it, let alone use it for brushing teeth - they might as well have their brains beaten out.


    Gu Jiu pondered, making a toothbrush wasn''t too difficult. If she was lucky enough to find a wild boar in the old forest, she could use its bristles to make a toothbrush.


    As for toothpaste, she would need to think carefully. There should be recipes for making toothpaste in traditional Chinese medicine forms.


    "Ding-dong," the system''s voice sounded, "Based on your current environment, there are four usable toothpaste recipes. The first: willow twigs, locust twigs, mulberry twigs, boil the water and simmer into a paste, adding ginger juice, asarum powder, and rhizoma zedoariae powder. The second..."


    Gu Jiu was overjoyed. Could she make toothpaste and sell it? Imagining the scenes of counting silver in the future, Gu Jiu couldn''t help but feel ted.


    "Hahahahaha..." Gu Jiu let out a burst of cheerfulughter.


    Fifth Xie was perplexed, "Sister, what''s wrong with you? Don''t go crazy! If you really want to bathe, wait until it gets dark, and let the sisters-inw cover for you. But don''t go crazy!"


    Xie Zhan squatted nearby, idly sshing water. He snorted, "Who knows what good idea she''se up with."


    Gu Jiu''sughter stopped abruptly. This young man is too smart for his own good, are you mocking me?


    Fifth Xie immediately perked up, "Sister, you''ve thought of a good idea, tell us so we can all be happy."


    Gu Jiu didn''t hide it. "I suddenly remembered a recipe for making toothpaste that I saw before. Once we settle down, I''ll make it and sell it. I''m sure we can earn a lot of money."


    The Xie family was too poor. Although they were considered well-off in Huaishu Vige, they were still destitute. They needed to find a way to improve their family''s living conditions, or life would be too difficult.


    "Toothpaste? What''s that?" Fifth Xie asked.


    "Paste for brushing teeth," Xie Zhan exined.


    "Yes, we''ll make toothpaste and also some toothbrushes to sell as a set. Oh, Xie Zhan, Fifth Brother, when we''re in the forest, help me hunt a wild boar. We''ll use the boar bristles to make toothbrushes first and see how they work."


    Fifth Xie''s eyes widened, "Wild boar? Those are vicious beasts, not easy to hunt. But if Sister wants it, no matter how dangerous, we must try."


    Xie Zhan snorted coldly. Fourth Brother didn''t even say a word, yet she wants a wild boar? She must be dreaming, they won''t even get a pig''s tail!


    Gu Jiu didn''t care about Xie Zhan''s mood. She happily fantasized about earning a fortune in the future, feeling pleased with herself.


    Just as she was lost in her dreams, she failed to watch her step. With a yelp, she slipped and fell into the water.


    Instinctively grabbing with her hands, she felt something slimy that she had grasped. Looking closely, she cried out, "Fish! It''s a big fish!"


    The fish was too slippery to hold, so Gu Jiu hurriedly threw it towards the shore.


    Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie hadn''t recovered from the shock of her falling when arge, dark, wriggling fishnded near them.


    Gu Jiu waved from the water, "Quick,e here! There are more, hurry and help me block them!"


    Without bothering to get up, she spread her hands and trapped several big fish within a patch of tall grass.


    Fifth Xie and Xie Zhan reacted swiftly. One reached in to catch the fish, while the other cupped his hands and scooped one up, tossing it onto the grass. In no time, they had caught fourrge fish.


    Gu Jiuughed joyfully, and Fifth Xie was also delighted. It had been so long since they''d eaten meat, and finally they could indulge. Sister had such amazing luck, falling and catching several big fish at once.


    Before they could finish celebrating, the four younger boys upstream began cheering, "There are fish over here, really big ones! Fourth Uncle, Fifth Uncle, hurry and help us!"


    The three of them rushed over to find the four children standing in the water with several fish trapped in front of them.


    rmed, the fish turned to swim back upstream.


    Xie Zhan grabbed a rock and hurled it at one of the fish, immediately flipping it over on its white belly.


    Gu Jiu quickly jumped in to retrieve it.


    The remaining fish scattered wildly, some darting into the grass, others wedging into crevices between rocks.


    Everyone busied themselves, chasing and blocking the fish''s escape routes. After much effort, they managed to catch three more.


    Everyone was overjoyed. Including the ones caught earlier, they had eight or nine big fish - a bountiful harvest.


    When they returned to their camp and people saw therge fish they were carrying, envious looks abounded. For impoverished families, eating meat even twice a year was rare. Having a little something savory was enough to make everyone drool.


    Zhang Yushi made a sour remark, "They really have all the luck. We all went to the stream to fetch water, but howe they''re the only ones who caught fish? We didn''t get anything!"


    Fifth Xie didn''t care about the sourness, excitedly proiming, "It''s my sister''s good fortune. My sister identally fell, and the fish just jumped into her arms. We couldn''t even stop them!"


    He boasted to his youngpanions, "This is my sister Gu Jiu. I have a sister now, my sister is beautiful and lucky."


    Xie Changsheng from the Xie family n pursed his lips, "Like anyone doesn''t have a sister. I''ve had a sister for ten years."


    "Can your sister be as beautiful as mine?" Fifth Xie looked up proudly.


    Xie Changsheng mumbled a couple of words before falling silent.


    Fifth Xie immediately strutted like a victorious rooster, tail feathers fanned high.


    Gu Jiu could barely stand to watch such childishness.


    Mrs. Gao had been too preupied with joy to notice that Gu Jiu was drenched, water dripping down her pant legs.


    "Oh my," she eximed. "You little monkey, what have you done? Quickly, someone from Second Xie''s family, find Gu Jiu some dry clothes to change into. We can''t have her catching a cold."

 Chapter 17: Sister-in-law

    <h4>Chapter 17</h4>


    Mrs. Gao scolded Fifth Xie and Xie Zhan, "How could you two look after your younger sister? You''re both neat and tidy, not caring for your sister and only indulging yourselves in y."


    Xie Zhan did not defend himself, while Fifth Xie''s arrogant head immediately drooped, feeling very regretful for his carelessness, "It''s my fault for not paying attention. I''ll definitely keep an eye on our sister next time."


    Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Mother, it has nothing to do with them. It''s me who couldn''t stand steadily and fell."


    Mrs. Xu brought some clothes over and gestured for Gu Jiu toe, "Come, let''s find a private ce for you to change clothes."


    Then she lectured Gu Jiu, "It''s fortunate that you''re still young. If you were a bit older, walking back with such wet clothes would have ruined your reputation. You''re a youngdy now, and you can''t do this in the future. Understood?"


    In that era, there were many restrictions imposed on women. Gu Jiu dared to roam around only because she was still young, her chest t against her back, and her body as straight as a board.


    Gu Jiu obediently nodded, indicating that she understood.


    Mrs. Xu then called out to Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Sun, "Elder sisters, let''s find a ce to shield Ninth Sister-inw from prying eyes."


    Gu Jiu had a thought. Since they were going to help shield her, why not go to the stream and take a bath as well?


    "Elder sisters, would you like to take a bath? We can shield each other while bathing."


    The three women looked at each other, all tempted by the idea. They had traveled for several days, and their bodies were covered in sweat and dust. Who wouldn''t want to take a bath?


    Gu Jiu instructed Mrs. Xu, "Second Sister-inw, you should be careful and just wash your hands and feet."


    Mrs. Xu felt a bit disappointed.


    The four of them found a spot by the stream withrge rocks. The three sisters-inw surrounded the area with the rocks, allowing Gu Jiu to bathe first.


    Gu Jiu''s feet were soaked in the water, and the blisters and abrasions caused by her shoes had now opened up. Gu Jiu first gritted her teeth and took off her shoes, cleaning the wounds. She nned to find some anti-inmmatory herbster to apply.


    Mrs. Zhang and the others felt pained watching her. This youngdy appeared so delicate, yet her feet were in such a state, and she hadn''t even uttered a word ofint, which made them feel sympathetic.


    After Gu Jiu washed and changed into clean clothes, Mrs. Xu gave her a pair of shoes that Xie Erqing had not worn much.


    Gu Jiu found a few dandelions nearby, crushed the leaves, and applied the juice to her wounds before putting on the shoes. She also took the opportunity to share some basic wound treatment methods with her three sisters-inw.


    The three sisters-inw then took turns bathing themselves, thinking about their mother-inw, Mrs. Gao, and wishing she could join them, but her frail body prevented her from bathing in cold water.


    The four of them also washed their clothes by the stream. Gu Jiu watched them use stones to crush the soap nuts and scrub the clothes, sighing inwardly at the backwardness of that era. Once they were out of the woods, she would definitely introduceundry detergent and soap.


    The four of them returned to their camp feeling refreshed, where Xie Dng had already generously contributed a fewrge fish for everyone.


    Mrs. Gao instructed the vige women to kill the fish, chop them into chunks, and cook a stew in arge pot.


    In those days, people could only eat meat during holidays. On regr days, they couldn''t even afford to have rice, let alone meat. Therefore, the vigers at the camp were lively and excited, as if celebrating a festival. The children had already taken their bowls and sat around, drooling in anticipation.


    There were about thirty households in Huaishu Vige, with over a hundred people. Even if they couldn''t each get a piece of fish, they could at least have a bowl of hot fish soup to dip their buns in, which was considered a treat.


    Once the fish soup was ready, Mrs. Zhang and a few vige women distributed it from therge pots. Gu Jiu took Mrs. Gao''s bowl to help serve her, "Elder Sister, Mother''s health is frail. Fish is nutritious, so please give her arger portion."


    Mrs. Zhang then scooped three or four pieces of fish into Mrs. Gao''s bowl.


    Zhang Yushi, standing nearby, rolled her eyes and pursed her lips, "Favoring their own family, while others can only have a sip of soup, her bowl is overflowing with fish."


    With only eight or nine fish chopped into small pieces, there weren''t enough for everyone to have a piece. So, they gave one piece each to the elderly with poor health and the growing children, while the rest had to settle for the soup.


    Gu Jiu was about to leave when she heard Zhang Yushi''s remark. She turned around and said, "If you want fish, just ask your family to catch some from the stream over there. Then you can have as much as you want, and we won''t covet it."


    Zhang Yushi red at her sideways, "Where did this wild girle from? No upbringing from her mother, and she talks to her elders like this?"


    Gu Jiu was taken aback, having never encountered such a shrewish woman who would curse at the slightest disagreement. However, she had never been intimidated when it came to verbal confrontations. "You may have been raised by your mother, but you certainly don''t seem to understand much about manners yourself."


    Zhang Yushi had been domineering in the vige for half her life and had never encountered a child who dared to talk back to her like this. Her brows furrowed into a sharp line as she prepared to unleash a torrent of vulgar insults.


    Mrs. Zhang pushed Gu Jiu away, "Quick, take the fish soup to Mother before it gets cold."


    Then she red at Zhang Yushi, "Ninth Sister-inw is a child of our old Xie family. Saying she has no parents in front of me is like saying I''m dead. If you have anyints, take them up with me. Don''t think about bullying my child!"


    Gu Jiu''s face bloomed into a bright smile, almost calling out, "Elder Sister is so formidable!"


    Zhang Yushi''s eyes twitched, "I''m still your aunt, and this is how you talk to me?"


    Mrs. Zhang was not one to tolerate her unpleasant behavior, "Do you even know your status as an elder? Have you ever acted like one?"


    She then deliberately scooped two more pieces of fish into her own mother''s bowl in front of Zhang Yushi, saying, "These fish were caught by our family. Letting you have some is out of consideration for our fellow vigers. If we don''t give you any, no one can say a word. Since you''reining about getting just a piece of fish, you can just have the soup. Drink it if you want, or don''t get in others'' way."


    Mrs. Zhang''s mother was mild-tempered and disliked quarreling, so she only said a few lukewarm words to her daughter: "Speak properly to your aunt." Then she walked away with her bowl.


    Zhang Yushi saw the vigers looking at her with disdain, as if telling her to either drink the soup or leave. She opened her mouth but could only close it reluctantly, carrying her half-bowl of fish soup as she left, muttering, "If it''s for the whole vige, then it belongs to the vige. Wanting to eat and take more for their own family, they shouldn''t have pretended to be generous in the first ce."


    Mrs. Zhang tossed thedle in her hand back into the pot and red furiously, "It''s my family''s food, and we''ll give it if we want to, or not if we don''t want to. If you don''t want it, give it back to me!"


    Zhang Yushi hurriedly protected her bowl and scurried away.


    Some nosy womenughed at her, shouting for her to return the fish soup, while others remarked, "If you think it''s unfair, go catch some yourself. Then you can eat as much as you want. Next time the Xie family has something good, don''t eat it."


    "That''s right, a beggarining about the bread being too dark. If you have the ability, don''t eat it. You''re just used to it."


    Zhang Yushi couldn''t bear to respond to that, because she did have the ability to eat it.


    Gu Jiu brought a bowl of fish and meat back to Mrs. Gao, who pointed a finger at her forehead and chided her, "You, why bother arguing with that shrewish old woman? It won''t do your reputation any good to be called sharp-tongued."


    However, in her heart, she felt exceptionally pleased. Her little daughter was truly kind-hearted. No wonder people said a daughter was a mother''s closest cotton-padded jacket. Indeed, she was a little cotton jacket, so thoughtful and considerate, far more sensible than those unruly boys.


    Gu Jiu handed her the fish soup and asked innocently, "Why do I need that reputation thing? It''s not like I can''t eat or drink. As long as Mother knows who I am, and our family knows who I am, that''s enough. Wordse from others'' mouths, and they can say whatever they want, as long as it''s not in front of me. If they dare curse me in front of me, I''ll curse them back!"

 Chapter 18: Topic Buster

    <h4>Chapter 18</h4>


    Mrs. Gao saw Gu Jiu''s smug little expression and was momentarily speechless. After a while, she shook her head, "Gaining a reputation for being a shrew, how will she find a..." Mrs. Gao originally intended to say "how will she find an inw''s family", but suddenly realized she wanted to keep Gu Jiu at home, so her own family would certainly not mind.


    Gu Jiu reacted swiftly, "Well, isn''t the sister-inw also a shrew? Didn''t she also get married out?"


    Oldest Xie said: "So it means I have poor judgment?"


    Mrs. Gao was speechless, this child is truly a conversation-ender.


    From the Zhang family, the mischievous child''smotion could be heard: "I want more fish, this piece is not enough for me, I want more. Older Sister, Second Sister, give me yours, quick, those who pay eat whatever they want."


    Then came Zhang Yushi''s voice: "Older Sister, Second Sister, did you hear that? Don''t eat anymore, quickly give your portions to your brother!"


    Immediately followed by the crying of the two girls, the mischievous child Wang Cuiping hurriedly consoled them in a low voice.


    Not content with taking the grandchildren''s fish, Zhang Yushi also wanted to take the daughter-inw''s fish soup, "Leave your soup for Laoqi, how can a grown man survive on just a sip? You don''t care about your own husband at all, only thinking about yourself."


    Wang Cuiping remained silent with her head down, while Zhang Laoqi poured her fish soup into his own bowl.


    The vigers all felt sorry for Wang Cuiping, marrying into such a family, ending up with such a mother-inw and husband, she was truly unlucky.


    Zhang stared coldly at Wang Cuiping from a distance, unable to exert any authority herself, yet always looking like a beaten and oppressed woman. Not just her own family, even others felt like bullying her when they saw her.


    The elders and children quickly finished their food, worried that the shameless old Zhang Yushi woulde asking for theirs once she was done, at which point they would have to waste their breath arguing with her.


    On this side, the fragrance of fish filled the mountain air amidst the livelymotion.


    The people of Dahu Vige salivated and promptly went to the stream to catch fish as well.


    Unfortunately, their luck was poor, and after searching for a long time, they didn''t even see a single fish fry, so they had to return dejectedly.


    After the evening meal, Gu Jiu asked Mrs. Xu to heat some water for Mrs. Gao to soak her feet, as there were no medicines avable, soaking her feet every night could help improve liver and qi flow.


    Xie Siyu saw this and came over with his little short legs, rolling up his sleeves and squatting down, "I''ll wash Grandma''s feet."


    Mrs. Gao patted his little head in praise, "Good boy, our Siyu is so sensible."


    Erqing and San You also hurried over to help Mrs. Gao wash her feet.


    Mrs. Gao smiled from ear to ear, praising all the children.


    Gu Jiu also took the opportunity to wash her hair with the hot water.


    In ancient times, people''s hair was long, and after washing, it would not dry quickly. Gu Jiu sat on a rock and let the wind dry her hair.


    She also took the opportunity to immerse her consciousness in the space, as she wanted to see what was going on with the sudden new space.


    Inside the space, there was a t, fertile ck soil field.


    Next to the field was a man-made ditch, following which upwards led to a tall mountain.


    In the open area, there was a partially constructed building, with some shovels lying in front of it.


    This ce looked very familiar - it was clearly the pristinend that The Regiment had found after great hardship, untouched by any radiation, where they had decided to settle.


    They had begun cultivating thend and building houses here, intending to reside for the long term.


    On a makeshift stone table, there was a crossbow, with a bag of twenty arrows beside it.


    Gu Jiu almost cried out in joy - her crossbow was still here! Back then, she had visited this new base, but The Regiment had an emergency, so she had rushed to provide medical aid, leaving her weapon behind. Afterwards, she had be overly fatigued and ended up transmigrating here.


    In her previous life, she had rarely used cold weapons, but Gu Jiu had an exceptional talent for archery, so she was quite fond of the crossbow, a type of cold weapon. She had always carried it as a means of self-defense.


    This crossbow had a range of up to five hundred meters and could easily shatter the skull of a ferocious beast, with a power greater than most firearms. Gu Jiu''s arrows were made of fine steel, custom-made specifically for her, with terrifying killing power.


    After the initial excitement, she felt a tinge of regret, as the materials needed to make these were too advanced, so she could not use them openly.


    The only difference between this space and the previous base was that there was not a single nt in sight, just barrennd everywhere.


    How had the base be her space? If she had brought this ce over, what would happen to the tens of thousands of people in The Regiment?


    No matter how hard Gu Jiu racked her brain, she could not figure it out, so she sought help from the system.


    The system: "This is a parallel space-time."


    "So in other words, this is actually the new base that The Regiment found, but it exists in a different dimension?"


    "You can understand it that way."


    The system then exined to Gu Jiu: "The space currently has too low an oxygen content, unsuitable for humans to enter. The host must quickly nt vegetation in the space. As the oxygen content increases, the space''s ecosystem will gradually improve, and the quality of nts and water will also improve ordingly. This system will also upgrade as a result."


    Gu Jiu''s eyes lit up, "If the quality of nts and water improves, does that mean the medicinal herbs I grow will have better potency than ordinary ones?"


    "That will be the case in the future."


    Gu Jiu was overjoyed. This must be a transmigration benefit, this system was a reward from the heavens for her many years of saving lives, right?


    "What functions will the system gain upon upgrading?"


    "Once this system reaches the next level, it will have the ability to identify all things. At the third level, it can provide the host with recipes for various items. The higher the level, the more recipes it can provide. To upgrade, the host must first grow a certain amount of medicinal herbs in the space. From today onwards, the host must work hard."


    Excellent! Does this mean she could produce many high-quality medicines in the future? Could she make things that don''t exist in this era and earn a lot of money?


    Gu Jiu''s mouth was already crooked with joy. Remembering the mint by the stream, she took the opportunity to quickly go pluck a bunch, making sure no one was around before entering the space and hurriedly nting it.


    Indeed, the oxygen content in the space was extremely low - just that short time was enough for Gu Jiu to nearly be dizzy and disoriented fromck of air.


    Without the carriage tonight, Mrs. Gao also had toy bedding directly on the ground. Oldest Xie and Second Xie cut a lot of grass andid it on the ground, covering it with an oilcloth to prevent moisture, for Mrs. Gao to rest on.


    Mrs. Gao pulled Gu Jiu to sleep on it with her, and it was surprisingly soft andfortable.


    As Gu Jiuy there, she once again immersed her consciousness in the space, letting the system provide virtual individuals to practice pulse-taking.


    Mrs. Gao''s pulse was rather rare, as a patient with suchplex, multiple conditions was difficult to find. The system provided Gu Jiu with virtual individuals of different ages - some with only uterine fibroids, some with only qi and blood deficiencies, some with both, young and old - allowing her to experience their various pulse patterns one by one.


    She memorized them, ensuring she would not misdiagnose patients with simr conditions in the future.


    Next, she studied the pulse patterns of those with liver qi stagnation through the virtual individuals before finally falling into a deep sleep.


    Before setting off the next day, Oldest Xie told everyone to grab a stick to fend off snakes in the grass and use as a weapon.


    Gu Jiu had previously traveled with The Regiment to various parts of the world in search of habitable locations, even venturing into primeval forests, so she had some experience. She was not afraid of entering an unknown territory.

 Chapter 19: Into the Woods

    <h4>Chapter 19</h4>


    Oldest Xie still led the way at the front of the group. After walking for a while, probably either from exhaustion or not watching his path, he stumbled and nearly fell over.


    Upon regaining his bnce, he realized he had tripped over a rock. Oldest Xie gave the rock that had stubbed his foot a kick, sending it flying.


    The rock struck arger rock and shattered into fragments that scattered, gleaming a dull yellow in the sunlight.


    "Huh?" Gu Jiu eximed and ran over to examine the shattered pieces. She picked up a fragment, smelled it, and detected a faint odor. She immediately became excited - this was a piece of realgar ore.


    Gu Jiu quickly called out to Oldest Xie, "Big brother, have everyone stop for a moment. We''ve found some realgar ore here that can be ground into powder to repel snakes."


    Upon hearing it could fend off snakes, Oldest Xie promptly ordered everyone to halt. Once they entered the ancient forest, there would surely be many reptiles and insects. If a venomous snake bit someone while they slept at night, what would they do?


    The surrounding vigers gathered around, with one asking, "So this is realgar ore? How do we use it?"


    Another remarked, "I''ve seen others buy realgar from apothecaries before, but who knew this mountain had it too?"


    Gu Jiu bent down, found another piece, and held it up for all to see. "This is realgar ore. If we grind it into powder, it can repel snakes. Realgar is also an herbal medicine ingredient that apothecaries procure."


    "Can we sell it for money?" a viger immediately seized on the key point.


    Gu Jiu nodded affirmatively.


    Oldest Xie mercilessly crushed the vigers'' get-rich dreams. "Even if you could sell it for a hundred taels of silver, you''d have to be able to transport it first. Don''t fantasize - this stuff is heavy as lead. If we carry too much, we won''t be able to travel. Having just enough to repel insects and reptiles will suffice."


    The crowd sighed, acknowledging the vige chief spoke reason. Each family was alreadyden with rations and essential supplies - it was unrealistic to haul a bunch of rocks as well.


    They could only collect a small quantity for use on the journey. Everyone searched the vicinity, letting Gu Jiu verify their finds before pocketing the approved pieces with delight.


    There were quite a fewrge chunks of realgar ore in this area. While others sought out smaller, more portable pieces, Gu Jiu deliberately sought therger ones, slipping them into her spatial bag when no one was watching.


    Realgar ore was a preciousmodity - key ingredient for medicines like Bezoar Detoxifying Pill, Peaceful Pce Pill with Bezoar, Six Gentlemen Pill, and Mind Purifying Six Gentlemen Pill.


    Once everyone had gathered enough for the journey, they resumed traveling and nned to grind the realgar into powder during rest stops.


    Upon truly entering the forest, they found the path became more level, though overgrown with wild grasses. Finally, the beasts of burden came in handy.


    Mrs. Gao was helped onto a donkey, while Third Xie led the donkey carrying their baggage.


    Gu Jiu and Xie Siyu were also hoisted onto horses by Xie Zhan.


    Feeling a bit self-conscious, Gu Jiu said, "I can walk. Let Mrs. Xu and Siyu ride the horses instead - Mrs. Xu isn''t feeling well."


    Since Mrs. Xu''s pregnancy was unconfirmed, Gu Jiu only said she was unwell.


    Second Xie immediately turned to look at Mrs. Xu. "What''s wrong with you?"


    Blushing slightly, Mrs. Xu chided, "It''s nothing. Jiu is just being a worrywart."


    She told Gu Jiu, "Just ride, dear. I''m in better shape than you."


    Still unconvinced, Second Xie walked beside Mrs. Xu and whispered, "Tell me if anything''s really wrong. Let me know early if you have any issues."


    Mrs. Xu leaned in close to Second Xie''s ear and quietly told him, "Jiu said I might be pregnant."


    Second Xie''s eyes lit up. "Really? How many months along are you?"


    Embarrassed, Mrs. Xu said, "I''m still not sure if it''s true or not. Jiu said it''s also possible my monthly course ising soon."


    Even so, Second Xie was overjoyed. Their Third had already turned seven, and these past few years, he hadn''t seen Mrs. Xu be pregnant again.


    It was quite strange for their Xie family. Their mother Mrs. Gao had given birth to all six of their brothers in session, yet the brothers seemed unable to continue that fertility. The eldest and the third each only had one child without any more. He was luckier with two children, but then it stopped as well.


    After many years, the Xie family finally had another joyous asion in sight.


    "It would be wonderful if we have a daughter this time."


    Mrs. Xu felt wistful as well. "It would be great if she turned out as lovely as Jiu."


    Second Xie gazed at Gu Jiu''s back and said, "If that were the case, I might justugh myself awake from my dreams. No, wait - girls shouldn''t be too beautiful or they''ll attract unwanted attention. As long as she''s a bit iner than Jiu, that would be fine."


    Suddenly worried for his hypothetical daughter, he became overprotective like histe father-inw.


    Distressed to see Second Xie fretting, Mrs. Xu grabbed her bundle back from him since he was already shouldering their household''s bedding.


    She chided him, "Mother made sure I packed light this morning. This only contains our modest clothes - how heavy could it be? In our vige, what woman is so delicate? All of them keep working the fields even when they''re about to give birth. Look at Third Zhang''s wife - she''s five months along but still carrying her bedroll, right? And who''s to say I''m even pregnant yet?"


    ...


    Oldest Xie divided the vige''s able-bodied men into groups to take turns leading and clearing the path ahead to ensure they headed the right direction. Otherwise, the whole group might be lost in the vast ancient forest.


    The men walked at the perimeter, guarding against wild beasts and reptiles, while the elderly, children, and women walked in the middle.


    Having truly entered the ancient forest, Gu Jiu felt she had arrived in heaven. Medicinal herbs could be seen everywhere around them. Though none were particrly rare yet, the environment suggested many extraordinary nts should exist here.


    Perhaps before even exiting the forest, she could gather all the herbal ingredients Mrs. Gao required.


    The ancient forest was filled withrch, pine, banyan, and other tall trees whose dense canopy blocked out the sun, creating a moist environment with deep soil made of years of decaying leaves - perfect for growing medicinal nts.


    She unhesitatingly dismounted her horse, borrowed a basket from Mrs. Zhang, and began collecting herbs as they traveled, immediately storing any with good potency into her spatial realm to cultivateter when she had privacy.


    She did not forget her n to make mosquito repellent oil or cooling medicated oil. The forest''s summer insects were simply too numerous. While they could fumigate with mugwort at night, some mosquitoes would inevitably slip through, biting them.


    She had picked pennyroyal by the creek yesterday and only needed to gather the remaining herbal ingredients before starting topound the medicines.


    It was such a pity she could not bring her spatial realm''s engineering tools outside, or the work would be much easier.


    As they progressed, the trees became denser and more massive, their towering branches casting deep shadows that dimmed the sunlight filtering through. They had fully entered the ancient forest.


    The periodic calls of crows pierced the air, asionally mixed with the muffled roars of unknown beasts or stretches of profound silence. Verdant scenery engulfed their vision, ented by twisted ancient trees, fallen branches, and scattered skeletons. Rays of sunlight slipped through openings high above, forming ethereal columns thatbined both vibrant life and eerie gloom, a spiritual realm intermixed with a demonic realm.


    Such an environment instilled oppressive unease, leaving no one daring to speak. Only the sounds of footsteps crunching on twigs and leaves could be heard, as if unknown dangers lurked hidden within the enveloping forest, striking fear into their hearts.


    Unable to withstand the pressure any longer, a child from one of the families began to softly sob, "Mother, I''m scared."


    A woman''s gentle voice soothed in response, "Don''t be afraid. Mother''s here, Father''s here too. Mother and Father will protect you."

 Chapter 20: Many Gastrodia

    <h4>Chapter 20</h4>


    They had been walking for a good half day when the sky opened up and the sun shone its powerful rays, signaling noon.


    It was not easy to walk through the woods - the ground was covered with tall grass, broken branches, and thorny vines, making it much harder than walking on a clear path.


    Though there were people clearing the way ahead, the vigers still felt extremely fatigued. Oldest Xie instructed those leading the way to find a rtively open clearing, and signaled for everyone to take a rest.


    The men worked together to clear the wild grass and toss aside the dead branches, making the area safe from poisonous insects and reducing the risk of starting a forest fire when cooking.


    Once the clearing was prepared, the vigers took out their nkets or grass mats and sat down to rest.


    The women then set up stoves and began preparing food. Some elders took the children to forage for wild vegetables nearby.


    Oldest Xie tilted his chin towards the back, signaling for Xie Zhan to look. "They''re still following us, how despicable! We''re clearing the path for them, making things easy."


    In the distance, obscured by trees, they could make out figures from the Dahu Vige, who had also stopped to rest not too far away.


    "Utterly shameless, using us as freebor, a bunch of petty people."


    "Vige Chief, we can''t just let them take advantage of us like this. At the very least, we should take turns. Let''s go tell them that they''ll have to lead the way tomorrow."


    Xie Zhan curled his lips coldly, calmly saying, "No need to waste the effort, they''re just a bunch of lepers who won''t listen to reason."


    If they refused to take the lead, there was no way to whip them forward from behind.


    Let them live for now, they wouldn''t survive much longer anyway. In such a great cmity, a few dozen people dying in this old forest wouldn''t even cause a ripple.


    At this point, Gu Jiu''s system was frantically pinging: "Host, scan detected pure, natural, organic wild Jimsonweed 50 meters ahead. Jimsonweed can be used for anesthesia and... Scan detected pure, natural, organic wild Dendrobium 30 meters ahead..."


    Within moments, it had reported more than a dozen types of medicinal herbs, along with their effects and processing methods.


    Gu Jiu had already be familiar with many of these herbs, but most were from her era, cultivated in unhealthy environments which diminished their medicinal properties.


    Hence the system''s emphasis on the herbs being pure, natural, and organic - highlighting these special qualities.


    Gu Jiu was itching to get started, thinking about how the herbs could help upgrade her spatial cultivation. Seeing Xie Zhan idle, she went to find him, "Xie Zhan, Xie Zhan,e with me to dig up some medicinal herbs. My mother''s illness requires a lot of herbs, maybe we can gather everything needed on this journey to treat her condition sooner."


    She wasn''t making excuses, she really did intend to do this - since she now recognized the various herbs and had treated Mrs. Gao''s illness, why not take this opportunity?


    Mrs. Gao overheard and, not feeling at ease with just the two of them going, instructed Fifth Xie, "Don''t go too far, Fifth Xie should go too. This forest is too dangerous, what if you encounter ferocious beasts?"


    Fifth Xie agreed, and Xie Daji and the others also wanted to tag along, but the adults restrained them. If they encounteredrge wild animals, the children would not only be unable to help, but would be a burden instead.


    Third Xie suddenly called out to stop them, handing each of them a sickle.


    Gu Jiu was delighted at this convenience and thanked Third Xie.


    Lu Aniu took the initiative to follow behind the three, not leading but not falling too far behind either, keeping pace with them.


    Gu Jiu turned and smiled gratefully at him, while Xie Zhan simply nodded at Lu Aniu.


    They hadn''t gone far when they saw arrow-shaped nts growing beneath arge tree.


    Gu Jiu immediately recognized them and eximed excitedly, "This is Gastrodia ta, so much of it!"


    She had guessed this old forest would have precious medicinal herbs, but didn''t expect toe across such an abundance of this highly valuable herb so soon after entering.


    Gastrodia ta was considered one of the top ten most precious Chinese herbs in her previous life, on par with ginseng and alwaysmanding a high price.


    Once they were out of the old forest, just selling the Gastrodia ta would... oh my, they''d be rich!


    She turned to the three with delight, exining, "This is good stuff, it can treat migraines, numbness in the limbs, arthritis, rheumatism and more. You can even eat it, braised with pig''s feet, in chicken soup..."


    Gu Jiu nearly started drooling just talking about it, and Fifth Xie''s eyes lit up, "You can eat it? With so much..."


    Xie Zhan decisively instructed Fifth Xie to call more people over, as their food rations were limited and this much Gastrodia ta could sustain them for several days.


    Gu Jiu had already started digging around thergest one, exining as she worked, "Be careful now, don''t damage the roots. Just like digging up sweet potatoes. The bigger the Gastrodia ta, the more valuable it is. We''ll sell therge ones for money and eat the smaller ones."


    Once shepared it to digging sweet potatoes, the two men understood and started digging with their own "tools".


    Though Gu Jiu had been a technical professional in her previous life, clumsy at physicalbor and unable to even distinguish the Five Grains, these were chores she had be ustomed to since transmigrating.


    The Gastrodia ta didn''t have shallow roots like other herbs, making it harder to dig up - she huffed and puffed for a while before finally unearthing one, only to look up and see the two men had already piled up heaps around them.


    By then, Fifth Xie had also called over the vigers - Mrs. Zhang, Mrs. Xu, Mrs. Sun, none were missing, even the children hade. In times of food scarcity, the more people a family had, the more they could gather.


    Gu Jiu quickly repeated her earlier instructions about distinguishing therge herbs for selling from the small ones for eating.


    The vigers were delighted to learn this nt could not only be eaten but fetch a high price, and they attacked the task with renewed vigor, working feverishly like chickens injected with adrenaline.


    Gu Jiu fumbled clumsily until Fifth Xie irritatedly pushed her aside, "Little sister, go y, let me handle this."


    Gu Jiu didn''t argue, watching everyone bent over busily working and paying her no mind, she quietly slipped several intact Gastrodia ta nts into her spatial realm.


    Then she quickly ducked behind arge tree, swiftly entering her space and digging a few holes in the soil to nt the Gastrodia ta and other herbs she had previously dug up. But with the low oxygen levels, she was already gasping for air by the time she finished.


    She took a few deep breaths after exiting, checking that no one had noticed, before finally rxing.


    The vigers stripped the area of all the mature Gastrodia ta, leaving only the seedlings to propagate as Gu Jiu had instructed. They returned to the camp site jubntly.


    Having these herbs to supplement their meals would save them several days'' worth of rations, putting everyone in an excellent mood.


    Gu Jiu also taught the vigers how to process the Gastrodia ta - selecting therger ones, washing them clean, steaming until soft, slicing thinly, and then sun-drying them to sell to apothecaries for money.


    In her former life, wild Gastrodia ta was nearly extinct and thusmanded exorbitant prices, sold not by the pound but by the gram.


    She didn''t know what the price would be in this era, but it shouldn''t be low.


    Mrs. Xu tugged at Gu Jiu''s clothes and whispered, "You''re so naive, teaching others skills for making a living?"


    Gu Jiu smiled, "I have plenty of cooking skills, it''s fine to give the vigers a way to make a living too. Oh, Mrs. Xu, while Gastrodia ta is good, it also has effects of invigorating blood flow, so it could disturb your pregnancy - you can''t eat it."


    Mrs. Xu hurriedly nodded, not daring to take any risks now that she was finally pregnant. She would also have to warn the wife of the Third Xie, who was over five months pregnant.

 Chapter 21: Rest

    <h4>Chapter 21</h4>


    The vigers were originally still worried about their future livelihood, but now that they could sell Gastrodia ta for money, they could also support themselves for a while after leaving. With this buffer period, they didn''t believe they couldn''t find a way to make money.


    After knowing they could sell it for money, many families didn''t even want to eat the half-grown Gastrodia ta, and had them all processed.


    Everyone was extremely grateful to Gu Jiu. When they were eating, there were quite a few families who sent things to express their gratitude.


    There were two teenage girls, one bringing two eggs, and the other bringing a bunch of greens, representing their families to express gratitude. However, Gu Jiu noticed that their gaze kept wandering towards Xie Zhan, and they would asionally blush. Gu Jiu knew that these two had ulterior motives.


    After the people left slowly, Gu Jiu sighed: "Xie Zhan is really attractive!"


    Mrs. Sun was proud of her son, "That''s right, when our Fourth Son was studying in the county school before, there were often daughters from wealthy families waiting at the school gate..."


    Xie Zhan coughed a couple of times in the distance, Mrs. Sun smiled, gave Gu Jiu a knowing look, and didn''t continue.


    She whispered into Gu Jiu''s ear: "Fourth Son is shy."


    Mrs. Gao smiled and gently scolded her: "Go do your work, don''t gossip nonsense."


    At this time, Zhang Yushi also begrudgingly had her daughter-inw send two wild leeks to express gratitude.


    Nao Wa''s Mom probably also felt that she couldn''te empty-handed, so she lowered her head and handed over the two wild leeks, mumbling something unintelligible.


    Mrs. Sun curled her lip and mocked: "You might as well take them back. We can''t afford such good stuff, you should keep them for yourselves!"


    Hmph, there were wild leeks everywhere in the woods, just pulling them up would yield a handful. Why did she bother to bring over just two?


    Mrs. Sun didn''t take them, and Mrs. Xu red at her, epted the wild leeks, and smiled: "Thank you, and thank you for making the trip. They look quite fresh, we''ll chop them up and mix them with pickled vegetablester, it''ll make a great dish."


    Nao Wa''s Mom breathed a sigh of relief, nced at Mrs. Xu, and quickly turned and left.


    Mrs. Sun disagreed: "Why were you so polite to her, Sister-inw? We were already being nice by not throwing them out."


    Mrs. Xu shook her head, stretched out her finger and tapped Mrs. Sun''s forehead, "You! In her family, it''s her mother-inw who makes the decisions. Whether to give something or not, she can''t decide herself. Nao Wa''s Mom has it tough, why make things difficult for her?"


    Standing beside them, Mrs. Gao spoke to her: "You''re such a grown woman, but you still haven''t developed any wisdom. You should learn from your Sister-inw."


    She motioned for Gu Jiu toe over and instructed both Gu Jiu and Mrs. Sun: "There are many kinds of people in this world. Those who shout and curse at the slightest provocation are actually the easiest to deal with. It''s the quiet ones who keep everything bottled up inside that you need to be cautious of. You never know what they''re really thinking, whether they hold a grudge against you, or if they''ll try to harm you. So if you can avoid offending them, it''s best not to."


    Gu Jiu pondered and felt that Mrs. Gao made sense. Those who shout and curse often have an outlet to vent their emotions, immediately releasing any dissatisfaction. Introverted and reserved people tend to umte negative feelings inside, and over time, it can lead to psychological issues.


    Mrs. Sun, however, didn''t quite understand, but she didn''t dare to argue with her mother-inw and obediently agreed.


    The people of Huaishu Vige were busily processing Gastrodia ta with great enthusiasm. Some were washing it, some were steaming it over fire, some were slicing it, and some were sun-drying it. They were busy but enjoying the work.


    After finishing his meal, Gu Jiu recalled the system''s reminder about Jimsonweed. He had been too excited about the Gastrodia ta earlier and had forgotten about the other herbs.


    Jimsonweed is one of the ingredients needed to make the anesthetic powder. In an era without anesthetics, the anesthetic powder was particrly important. Since he had encountered Jimsonweed, Gu Jiu was determined to dig up a few nts.


    He invited Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie to join him in searching for Jimsonweed.


    Following the system''s guidance, they first found a few nts of Dendrobium. Growing on a pile of rotting wood, they had purple and white flowers.


    Their stems were round and short, instantly recognizable as the premium variety - Iron Dendrobium.


    Gu Jiu was very regretful. Dendrobium is known as the king of the ten sacred herbs and its price would not be low. Unfortunately, there were only a few nts.


    In total, there were only about a dozen nts. They didn''t call the other vigers, and simply dug them out. To make space for cultivating the Dendrobium, Gu Jiu didn''t tell Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie what these nts were. Instead, he dug up some other worthless herbs and mixed them with the Dendrobium. Then, while the two men weren''t paying attention, he moved the Dendrobium into his spatial cultivation space. That way, even if some herbs were missing, the two wouldn''t notice.


    Walking a bit further, they saw the Chinese goldthread, stickyweed, and Codonia herbs indicated by the system, and dug those up as well.


    Taking this opportunity, he also had the system scan the area for star anise, eucalyptus, and camphor, which are used to make Cooling Oil.


    Eucalyptus trees were everywhere, camphor was a bit further away, but there was no star anise in these woods. Gu Jiu persuaded Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie to apany him to gather all the materials.


    On their way back, they noticed that the vigers didn''t seem to be in a hurry to continue their journey. Upon inquiry, they learned that the vigers had sliced and sun-dried a lot of Gastrodia ta, and if they were to travel now, there would be no ce to store the dried slices.


    Since there was no urgent need to rush, and these were all valuable items that no one wanted to lose, everyone unanimously decided to wait at their current location until the Gastrodia ta slices were fully dried before packing them up and continuing their journey. The vigers used branches to build simple racks in sunny areas,id downrge leaves, and spread the Gastrodia ta slices on top to dry in the sun.


    Gu Jiu took the opportunity to process the medicinal herbs he needed.


    The people from the distant Dahu Vige didn''t know what was happening here, and after waiting for a while without seeing the people of Huaishu Vige set off, they were also able to remain patient and simply waited at their location.


    With free time, the vige women went into the woods to dig up wild vegetables.


    Gu Jiu stayed behind to work on his herbs, preparing to make Cooling Oil.


    Extracting menthol and camphor crystals from the leaves or stems was easy.


    Peppermint oil and eucalyptus oil required distition, and without the necessary tools here, they also needed to be soaked for 24 hours beforehand.


    Gu Jiu had Mrs. Zhang find two basins and soak the leaves for these two oils, to be distilled in two days.


    Unfortunately, there was no star anise, so he could only make a semi-finished product. But that was fine, it would just be slightly less effective in relieving itching and inmmation, but still capable.


    After sorting out all of this, he sat down beside Mrs. Gao, watching her sew a shoe upper while chatting idly with her.


    Nearby, Sixth Xie sat on the ground reading a book, asionally mumbling out loud, fully immersed in his studies.


    Xie Zhan, on the other hand, had gathered four young children to teach them characters. After assigning recitation tasks to the eldest Xie Daji, who knew more characters, he then taught the three younger ones to write characters in the dirt with sticks.


    When Sixth Xie came across something he didn''t understand, he looked up and asked Xie Zhan: "Fourth Brother, what does ''tian xing jian'' mean in the phrase ''tian xing jian, jun zi yi zi qiang bu xi'' from The Book of Changes?"


    Xie Zhan frowned slightly, "You''ve already reached The Book of Changes? You''ve finished the Four Books so quickly?"


    Sixth Xie nodded with a hint of pride, "I''ve finished them all."


    Xie Zhan''s frown deepened, "Each of the Four Books is profound and extensive, and each one could take a lifetime to study. Reading through them once doesn''t mean you''ve mastered them. Reading books isn''t about how many you''ve read, it''s not just skimming the words without truly understanding them. You need to read and reflect, understand them thoroughly, and put them into practice, applying what you''ve learned. Otherwise, no matter how many books you read, you''re merely browsing through the text."

 Chapter 22: Talk About Ambition

    <h4>Chapter 22</h4>


    Gu Jiu listened with interest from the side and asked Sixth Xie, "Sixth Brother, why do you like reading? Why do you read so many books? Or what is your aspiration?"


    Sixth Xie had been beaten down by Xie Zhan''s criticism, and his mood was low. When asked by Gu Jiu, he seemed a bit lost and unsure, "Reading is just reading. I read because I like it, there''s no particr reason."


    "What about your aspiration then? What do you want to do in the future? You can''t just keep reading books your whole life, you have to use the knowledge you''ve gained to do something."


    Sixth Xie seemed perplexed, as he simply enjoyed reading and had never thought about using the knowledge he acquired for anything in particr.


    Gu Jiu pondered for a moment, "I once read a story in a book about a country called **. The royal family was ipetent, and the barbarians kept invading, with the people living in dire circumstances. Later, a great man emerged from this country. During his studies, his teacher also asked him the same question - why do you read books?"


    Gu Jiu blinked her eyes, "Can you guess how he answered?"


    Sixth Xie answered, "To pass the imperial examination and improve his impoverished life?"


    Xie Zhan looked understanding, as she had said that, he must be aiming to improve the weak situation.


    Gu Jiu straightened her body, cleared her throat, and answered properly, "He answered, to read books for the sake of... reading books."


    Although this line was spoken by the little girl Gu Jiu, it still stirred the heart and aroused grand aspirations.


    Sixth Xie listened with his eyes wide open and mouth agape, feeling a touch in his heart. He asked, "And then what happened?"


    Gu Jiu said, "When he said those words, he was twelve years old. Later, he became the prime minister of * country, dedicating his life to serving the country and the people."


    Even Xie Zhan felt deeply moved. After a brief contemtion, she nodded, "Those who have aplished great deeds throughout history all had lofty aspirations from a young age."


    Gu Jiu nced at her sideways, "Xie Zhan, what is your aspiration?"


    Xie Zhan''s gaze drifted into the distance, her eyes seeming far-reaching, "I wish that the granaries will be full, the people wealthy, and the country strong. That we will conquer the barbarians and they wille to pay tribute."


    Gu Jiu stared wide-eyed, what a grand wish! Could she be a future prime minister too?


    Xie Zhan turned to look at her dazed expression, patting Gu Jiu''s head, "What about you? What is your aspiration? What do you want to do in the future?"


    Gu Jiu smiled, "My aspiration is simple. I want to continuously study medicine, andpile what I''ve learned into a book in the future. This way, more people who are interested in medicine butck ess to learning can have a source of knowledge."


    Mrs. Gao scratched the needle on her head a few times andughed, "But if you do that, won''t you be giving away the means of earning a living to others?"


    Gu Jiu shook her head, "The development of medicine is slow, not because people are not intelligent enough to learn, but because everyone holds the mindset of keeping their secrets to themselves. As soon as someone has a secret recipe, they hide and keep it, only passing it down to their own descendants. But not every family can pass it down continuously. Many families lose their inherited methods due to war, idents, or theck of a son to inherit them."


    "If it continues this way, good medical techniques will be lost. Medicine will only be weaker and weaker. What I want to do is to set a good example for the world, so that good medical techniques can be passed down, and improved upon from generation to generation. This way, diseases that were previously untreatable can receive proper treatment."


    Gu Jiu''s long-winded speech left everyone listening in a daze, not expecting this little person to have such broad-mindedness and foresight.


    Xie Zhan was surprised. Beneath this little girl''s yful exterior hid an unknown profundity. This profundity did not stem from life experiences, but from the vastness of her knowledge and far-sightedness.


    How many books must she have read to have such foresight, broad-mindedness, and vision?


    What kind of family was she raised in?


    After a moment of astonishment, Xie Zhan regained herposure and smiled gently, sincerely saying, "Alright, Fourth Sister will help you achieve your wish."


    Sixth Xie felt even more lost. While others lived with such rity, even the little Gu Jiu had set her goals early on, he was still aimless and muddled.


    Mrs. Gao bit off the thread and happily stroked Gu Jiu''s face, "Our Jiu Niang is so capable, intelligent, and beautiful. What shall we do? I can''t bear to let you marry out of the family. Such a good little daughter-inw must stay in our family..."


    Gu Jiu''s eyes sparkled as she stared at Mrs. Gao, "So?"


    Xie Zhan averted her gaze and coughed lightly, her fist against her lips.


    "Of course, we can''t let such a lovely, delicate little girl go to outsiders. Jiu Niang, tell me, which of our family members have you taken a liking to? Whether it''s Fifth Xie or Sixth Xie, or Da Ji, Er Qing, whoever you fancy, Mother will betroth you to him."


    "Mother, I don''t want to be the outsider taking family property."


    Mrs. Gao: ...


    Describing such a fragrant, soft, fair and tender little girl as an outsider taking family property didn''t seem quite appropriate.


    But was that the main point?


    Initially, when Gu Jiu said she wanted to be the Xie family''s child bride, it was just a joke. When she first came to this world, it still felt unreal, as if she was acting, dreaming, or ying a game. So she didn''t take it too seriously.


    After a few days, she realized this wasn''t a game. The people she met weren''t NPCs from a game, but real people in a real world, with everything happening for real.


    So she didn''t act as carefree as before and felt a bit shy instead.


    Seeing her hesitation, Mrs. Gao said, "You can''t go back on your word now. You were the one who brought it up first. One must be true to one''s word and maintain credibility!"


    Gu Jiu scratched her head in embarrassment and nced at Xie Zhan a few times, "I think Xie Zhan is quite suitable."


    Mrs. Gaoughed, "You can''t be Fourth Xie''s main wife, but I have no objection on my side. As long as Fourth Xie agrees, you''ll be his child bride."


    Xie Zhan coughed even harder, her ears turning red when Gu Jiu looked at her. She red at her defiantly, "Show some decorum, youngdy."


    Then she turned to re at the younger ones snickering, "Write each of the characters you learned today twenty times each. No food until you finish!"


    With that, she fled, leaving a chorus of wails behind.


    Third Xie was weaving grass shoes nearby, a faint smile on his face as he came to Gu Jiu''s rescue, "Our Fourth Xie is shy. Don''t mind him, Jiu Niang. Once you two have spent more time together, Fourth Xie will certainly see your good qualities."


    He beckoned for Gu Jiu toe over, "Come try these shoes on. Third Brother doesn''t know what size you wear, or if they''ll fit."


    Gu Jiu raised her eyebrows in surprise, immediately forgetting about the child bride issue, "You made them for me?"


    She had seen Third Xie cutting grass and weaving it in his hands, but didn''t expect he was making grass shoes for her.


    Third Xie nodded, "Grass shoes aren''t veryfortable, but you can make do with them for now. We''ll buy some cloth to make shoes once we''re out of the woods."


    Mrs. Gao held up the shoe uppers she was working on, "No need to wait until we''re out of the woods. These will be done in a few days."


    Gu Jiu was even more surprised to learn that Mrs. Gao was also making shoes for her.

 Chapter 23: The Visionary Xie Zhan

    <h4>Chapter 23</h4>


    A surge of hot tears rushed to Gu Jiu''s eyes.


    In her previous life, she had no siblings, and her parents were too busy with work to spend time with her. She had never experienced the warmth of family.


    But the Xie family gave her that.


    In this lonely world, among people with no blood rtion, she felt warmth and the love of an older brother and a mother.


    Mrs. Gao hurriedly put down the straw sandals she was weaving and came over to hug Gu Jiu. "Oh, silly child, why are you crying? Don''t cry, we don''t have a daughter, and since we have you now, we cherish you so much. If we don''t treat you well, what if you leave us? I''m just being a bit sly to keep you here, but you''re not allowed to cry. Our precious Jiu has such pretty eyes, it wouldn''t look good if you cry like a sad kitten."


    Gu Jiuughed through her tears, nuzzling into Mrs. Gao''s embrace like a little kitten. "Mother, I''ll definitely be filial to you in the future. I''ll earn a lot of money to spend on you, Brother, Sister-inw, and my nephews."


    "Good, good, mother believes you. Mother will wait for you to earn money to support her. Go try on the sandals now, tell Third Xie if they''re ufortable so he can adjust them for you."


    "Okay." Gu Jiu responded, taking the straw sandals from Third Xie and trying them on.


    Third Xie was very skilled, and the sandals had no stray strands or rough edges. They were surprisingly soft and light, nothing like Gu Jiu had expected.


    Gu Jiu thanked Third Xie, and then remembered the toothbrush she had wanted. "Third Brother, could you make me a cup, like the kind for drinking water?"


    During their time together, Gu Jiu had noticed that Third Xie was a master craftsman. Even while fleeing, he hadn''t forgotten to bring his tools.


    He was always working, either making little trinkets for Xie Sanyou and Xie Siyu or carving wooden hairpins for Mrs. Gao and his wife. He was incredibly diligent.


    "Sure, what style do you want?"


    "Just a in one will do, as long as it can hold water."


    Third Xie agreed and went to find suitable materials.


    As dusk approached, the women who had gone to gather wild vegetables returned.


    After dinner, the vigers began preparing for the night.


    The men gathered the grass they had cut in the afternoon, bringing it back to spread on the ground. It had dried in the sun all day, so it made a good bedding.


    Then the elderly, weak, and women and children were ced in the middle, while mugwort was burned to repel mosquitoes. The able-bodied men stayed on the outer perimeter, and a circle of calx powder was scattered around the edge.


    Gu Jiu specifically instructed them not to bring any torches too close to the calx powder, as it bes toxic when heated.


    The Xie brothers once again prepared a spot for Mrs. Gao first, and just like the previous night, she and Gu Jiu shared a nket.


    That night, the cksmith Lu and a viger named Zhou Hu stood guard. The Oldest Xie also reminded them to keep a close watch on the people from Dahu Vige, in case they tried anything.


    Gu Jiu retreated into her spiritual space to check on her medicinal herbs and study some more traditional Chinese medicine with the system before going to sleep.


    In the middle of the night, a scream woke her up.


    When she sat up, she saw that many vigers had also woken and were looking towards Dahu Vige in the distance.


    They could hear shoutsing from over there, "Snakes! Snakes everywhere! Over here too, and over there!"


    Someone shouted back, "What are you screaming about? Just kill them if there are snakes, we can even make a snake soup!"


    "Have you seen how vividly colored they are? Who knows if they''re venomous, you''ll be the one dying if you eat them!"


    It''s not clear if the snakes were driven over to Dahu Vige by the calx powder scattered on this side, but at least there weren''t any snakes here. The vigers found amusement in Dahu''s misfortune for a while before going back to sleep.


    The next day, when Gu Jiu woke up, she heardughter and chatter. Looking over, she saw Fifth Xie leading a group of teenagers and children practicing martial arts not too far away.


    Among them were the four young Xie members, the teenage Xie Changsheng, and children like Xie Baozi from the Xie Daji household.


    They all looked quite capable, and Fifth Xie was teaching them earnestly.


    Mrs. Gao was sewing nearby, though it was unclear how long she had been awake.


    When she saw Gu Jiu sitting up, she patted her head and said, "You''re awake? Go back to sleep for a bit if you''re not fully rested yet. Your sisters-inw haven''t finished making breakfast."


    Gu Jiu rubbed her eyes. "No, I''m awake now."


    She pointed at the practicing youth. "What are they doing?"


    "The Oldest Xie said that after the flood, the world will be chaotic. Once we leave the forest, there will surely be many refugees on the road. With more refugees, the roads won''t be safe. He wants the children to learn some skills to protect themselves and their families."


    Gu Jiu nodded in agreement. Even if not for self-defense, exercising was still beneficial.


    "Xie Zhan is really foresighted," she couldn''t help but praise.


    Mrs. Gao smiled proudly. "Our Oldest Xie has been smarter than others since he was young."


    She patted Gu Jiu again. "Our precious Jiu is smart too, just like the Oldest."


    Gu Jiu raised her chin. "Of course! We''re both really smart."


    Mrs. Gaoughed wholeheartedly.


    The weather was still good today, so the vigers didn''t n on leaving just yet.


    The angelica sheets dried yesterday were left out to sun the other side as well.


    With nothing pressing to do, the vigers went to dig up wild vegetables after breakfast. Mrs. Zhang led Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Sun to gather as well.


    The Oldest Xie went to chat with the vige elders, while Second Xie was teaching the children arithmetic.


    Mrs. Gao cared a lot about the children''s education, so the children in her family all had some schooling to varying degrees. Second Xie wasn''t good at writing, but he was excellent with numbers, having worked as an ountant in his father-inw''s escort agency before.


    Third Xie was as diligent as ever with his handicrafts, working on the cup Gu Jiu had requested. Since there was no bamboo in the forest, he used a piece of wood, hollowing out the center to create the cup.


    He worked quickly, having nearly finished it the previous day. Today, he just needed to smooth out the inside and outside of the cup.


    With nothing to do, Gu Jiu squatted beside him and chatted as he worked.


    "Third Brother is so skilled. When we catch a wild boar, could you also make us some toothbrushes? Then we''ll each have one and can brush our teeth."


    Upon hearing this, Third Xie immediately stopped and asked with great interest, "What do toothbrushes look like?"


    Gu Jiu used a stick to draw in the dirt as she exined, "First, make the handle, then attach boar bristles here. Something like this, though I don''t know exactly how to make it."


    After studying her drawing for a moment, Third Xie seemed to understand. "Got it, that''s easy, I can make them."


    Gu Jiu then asked, "Third Brother, do you know how to weave baskets? I want a basket to carry all the medicinal herbs I''ve been gathering in the forest since I have nowhere to put them."


    Xie Daji, who hadn''t been paying close attention to his lesson, couldn''t resist interjecting when he overheard about catching boars for toothbrushes. He proudly dered, "Third Uncle makes the best baskets! All the baskets, winnows, and pack baskets in our house were made by him. People from the town evene to our house specifically to buy them."


    Second Xie rapped him on the wrist with a small stick. "Look at you showing off instead of focusing. You''re the first to interrupt when you can''t solve a problem yourself."


    Xie Daji pouted. "This problem is too hard. Second Uncle is just making it difficult on purpose. Problems like this are impossible to solve."


    Curious, Gu Jiu went over to take a look. Written on the ground were the words: "There is an unknown number of objects. If counted by threes, there are two remaining. If counted by fives, there are three remaining. If counted by sevens, there are two remaining. What is the number of objects?"

 Chapter 24: A Day as a Math Teacher

    <h4>Chapter 24</h4>


    Gu Jiu asked Xie Daji, "Don''t you know how to do this? It''s quite simple."


    Xie Daji widened his eyes in disbelief, "Simple? Do you know how to do it?"


    "Of course. It''s just twenty-three, isn''t it?"


    Second Xie was also quite surprised that she solved it with just a nce.


    "How did you figure it out so quickly?" he asked.


    "Dad, Dad, did sister-inw get it right?" Xie Erqing asked anxiously.


    Second Xie ignored him and asked Gu Jiu again, "How did you work it out?"


    Gu Jiu pondered for a moment. There were multiple ways to solve this type of problem, but since Xie Daji seemed rather unintelligent, she decided to demonstrate the most basic method.


    "The numbers that leave a remainder of two when divided by three are three apart. Let''s first list out the numbers that are multiples of three plus two..."


    She wrote on the ground: five, eight, eleven...


    "The numbers that leave a remainder of three when divided by five are five apart. Let''s also list out the multiples of five plus three, and the multiples of seven plus two... Look at these three sets of numbers and find the one that appears in all three sets. That''s the answer."


    Not only Xie Daji, but even the seven-year-old Third Xie could see that the answer was "twenty-three."


    Second Xie patted his son''s little head and praised him with a smile, then turned to scold Xie Daji with a stern face, "Your sister-inw is around the same age as you, but she solved it at a nce. You pondered for so long and still couldn''t figure it out. Did you leave your brain at home?"


    Xie Daji actually agreed wholeheartedly and nodded, "My brain hasn''t been working well since I was little. I said I wanted to practice martial arts, but you all insisted I study. Since you want me to study, I''ll study. But you also want me to learn math. I''m not going to be an ountant; I want to be a great general."


    Second Xie scoffed, "Do you think it''s that easy to be a great general? If you can''t even recognize numbers, how will the soldiers youmand understand your orders? If you can''t do ounts, you won''t even know when others embezzle military funds."


    Xie Daji scratched his head sheepishly, "Oh, I see. Then I should study more?"


    Second Xie red at him.


    Xie Daji smiled ingratiatingly at Gu Jiu, "Sister-inw, could you teach me math? Uncle loves to criticize others; his words are like venom. I don''t want to learn from him."


    Second Xie raised the small rod in his hand as if about to strike him. Xie Daji hurriedly hid behind Gu Jiu, not at all disying the demeanor of a future great general.


    Second Xie smiled at Gu Jiu, "Ninth Sister-inw, Brother thinks you have more patience. Why don''t you teach these boys math?"


    "Sure," Gu Jiu didn''t refuse.


    She knew that in this era, people used counting rods for calctions. Counting rods were small sticks. From one to five, they wouldy out as many rods as the number. For six and above, it was somewhat like an abacus, with a horizontal rod representing five and a vertical rod underneath representing one.


    Or they couldy the rods vertically to represent one and horizontally to represent five. There was no fixed rule for vertical or horizontal; it depended on personal preference.


    The calction method was actually quite simr to modern vertical notation, except that instead of simplified Arabic numerals, they used counting rods to represent each number, which was more cumbersome.


    ording to the original owner''s memories, this era was quite backward,cking many crops and even the abacus.


    Of course, there might have been abacuses, but the original owner had limited experience and thus didn''t know about them, or they were not widely used.


    So she decided to introduce the abacus to this era, as a contribution from her modern reincarnation.


    Gu Jiu asked Second Xie, "Brother, have you heard of the abacus?"


    Second Xie shook his head, "Abacus? What''s that?"


    Gu Jiu still wasn''t sure if abacuses existed in this era, since Second Xie was just an ountant in a remote small county andcked knowledge, which was normal.


    Gu Jiu drew the shape of an abacus on the ground with a tree branch, "The beads on the upper deck represent five, and the beads on the lower deck represent one... For counting, you do it like this..."


    Second Xie was an ountant after all, so he grasped the concept immediately. He visualized the method in his mind, and his eyes lit up.


    He called out loudly for Third Xie, "Third Son, Third Son,e over here!"


    Third Xie put down his work and came over.


    Second Xie then instructed him to make the abacus ording to the drawing on the ground.


    Gu Jiu carefully exined the structure of the abacus to Third Xie.


    Third Xie said, "This isn''t too difficult, but we currentlyck the proper tools. The holes in the beads may not be smooth enough, which could affect the speed of moving the beads."


    Gu Jiu was somewhat surprised. As expected of someone who often did woodwork, Third Xie immediately identified the key issue. The smoothness of the bead holes and the rods would determine the calction speed. If either was not smooth enough, it would not be easy to slide the beads, thus affecting the calction speed.


    "It''s no problem. For now, we just need to make one so we can start learning on the road. We can make better ones when we''re out of the forest," Second Xie said quickly.


    Third Xie had no further objections. "I''ll make one after finishing Sister Gu''s basket."


    Gu Jiu recalled the mental abacus that was once popr in her previous life before the war broke out and decided to teach Second Xie that method as well.


    For the teacher, mental abacus was just a few rhyming phrases, with the main part being the student''s practice. The teacher didn''t necessarily have to be able to calcte quickly, but the trained students could solve problems rapidly.


    Learning this algorithm could also be a means of livelihood in the future.


    Since Gu Jiu''s mint and eucalyptus leaves weren''t ready yet, and she had nearly depleted the nearby medicinal herbs, she had nothing else to do and contentedly became a math teacher for the day.


    For someone like Second Xie who had a good foundation in calctions, Gu Jiu''s exnation allowed him to grasp the tricks immediately.


    He then immersed himself in the new algorithm, visualizing calctions on the drawn abacus while the children openly cked off, which he ignored.


    The people of Dahu Vige were truly patient. Since the people of Huaishu Vige wouldn''t leave, they stubbornly refused to leave either and ended up staying in the same ce.


    That night, Gu Jiu still couldn''t get a good night''s sleep. In the middle of the night, she heard screamsing from Dahu Vige again, wondering if there was another snake? The snakes really showed no mercy, even targeting the evildoers with their upright gaze.


    She opened her drowsy eyes to find that Mrs. Gao had already gotten up, and the Xie brothers were all awake, looking towards Dahu Vige.


    When Mrs. Gao saw that Gu Jiu was awake, she patted her and gently advised, "It''s nothing, go back to sleep. It''s not our business."


    As she finished speaking, a figure came running quickly towards them from that direction, stumbling and being chased by another person.


    Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie took two steps forward to shield their family, but another figure moved even faster, shielding them from Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie.


    Gu Jiu looked and saw it was Lu Aniu.


    She found it odd. This Lu Aniu was rather strange, seeming to always protect the Xie family. Could the two families be rted?


    The running figure fell at Lu Aniu''s feet, pleading in a hoarse voice, "Save me! Please, save me!"


    It turned out to be a woman in her twenties, wearing tattered and dirty clothes with her cor ripped in several ces and her hair in disarray, clearly terrified from some ordeal.


    While everyone was surprised, the chasing person also caught up, bent over and tried to drag the woman away, "You wretched woman,e with me. Don''t think the people of Huaishu Vige can save you. This is a matter of Dahu Vige, and they have no right to interfere!"


    He forcefully pulled at the woman.

 Chapter 25: Another Fight

    <h4>Chapter 25</h4>


    That woman struggled desperately, "Let me go, let me go, you beast!"


    Then she turned and screamed, "Help me, please save me, my husband is dead, Hu Lazi wants to bully me, please save me!"


    At this time, the people from Dahu Vige also rushed over, led by Chief Hu, with Hu Sanier and twenty or thirty men by his side.


    Oldest Xie was not clear what had happened in Dahu Vige. Although the woman looked quite pitiful, he did not speak rashly.


    The woman struggled free from Hu Lazi, crawled to Oldest Xie, and pleaded, "Vige Chief Xie, Vige Chief Xie, please save me. My parents-inw and husband were all washed away by the flood. They want to bully me, a widow. If you don''t save me, they will vite me to death..."


    Hu Lazi felt a little guilty but did not dare to snatch the woman from Oldest Xie. He shouted, "Vige Chief Xie, don''t listen to Mrs. Fu''s provocation. She is a cruel woman. Just because she was dissatisfied with her husband, she aborted two pregnancies in a row. She can even kill her own children. Would you dare to shelter her and risk her causing trouble for you?"


    Mrs. Fu turned abruptly, her eyes like those of a ferocious wolf, "Why would I kill two bastards if not because their father is a viin! I was a good person, but you beasts abducted and sold me here. Why should I give birth to children for those who abducted me? I want them to have no descendants!"


    Gu Jiu sighed from the side, "This woman has such a fierce temper. In general, when encountering this situation, most people would have no choice but to submit, even losing their conscience and bing part of the abductors, turning pitiful women into the same as them. But this woman has never given up. Whether it''s aborting her own children or resisting tonight, she has preserved her dignity."


    Chief Hu said from the side, "Vige Chief Xie, no matter if she was bought or how she came here, she is now a member of Dahu Vige. We are taking our Dahu Vige person, do we need your permission from Huaishu Vige?"


    If it were in the past, Chief Hu would never have been so soft in reasoning with others. He must have been scared by the previous beating and softened his bones.


    "I won''t go, I won''t go, Vige Chief Xie please save me, I will be killed if I go back!" Mrs. Fu clung to Oldest Xie''s clothes firmly.


    Gu Jiu saw the scars on her arm exposed as her sleeve slipped down and felt a tinge of pity.


    For someone with such an unyielding heart, in an age where people would sell themselves for a loaf of bread just to survive, it was so difficult to maintain one''s integrity!


    She tugged at Xie Zhan''s clothes with her little hand, "Xie Zhan, save her!"


    These days, she had noticed that Xie Zhan was someone who could make decisions.


    Before Xie Zhan could answer, Mrs. Fu changed who she was begging, facing Mrs. Gao and shouting loudly, "Mrs. Gao, save me, I''m Fu Rong''s Mom from Taikang Hall in Jingzhou City!"


    Mrs. Gao was stunned, repeating the words "Jingzhou City Taikang Hall" in her heart. She walked a few steps hastily and examined Mrs. Fu in the torchlight. "You''re Fu Rong''s Mom? From Taikang Pharmacy Hall in Jingzhou City? You''ve grown so much, how did you end up here? What about your grandfather?"


    When Mrs. Gao first met Fu Rong''s Mom, she was only six or seven years old. Over a decade had passed, and although her appearance may not have changed much, Mrs. Gao did not recognize her. However, Mrs. Gao felt that it was unlikely someone was impersonating her, as not many people knew about her family''s connection to Taikang Hall.


    "It''s me, it''s me. Grandfather passed away four years ago. I originally wanted to return to the countryside to find my uncle, but I was drugged by Hu Sanier on the way and woke up sold to my husband, wuu wuu..."


    Mrs. Gao just nced at Xie Zhan, reached out, and helped Fu Rong''s Mom up.


    Xie Zhan understood his mother''s gaze and said, "This person is our family rtive, we''ll keep her. You all go back!"


    The people from Dahu Vige were almost amused. They thought it would be so easy to dismiss them with such a light remark.


    "She is clearly a member of our vige, what right do you have to keep her?"


    Xie Zhan raised his eyes, his gaze indifferent as he said, "She is my Xie family''s rtive who has lost her husband ande to seek refuge with us. Of course, we must keep her. She married into your Dahu Vige, not the entire vige. Just because her husband died, she can''t leave? What kind of logic is that?"


    Chief Hu said, "Her husband was from the Hu n. After he died, the Hu n can still manage her affairs. Even if she wants to remarry, she needs the Hu n''s approval."


    Xie Zhan was toozy to continue this verbal argument. He looked over indifferently and said, "I''ve decided to keep her, what can you do about it? Get lost!"


    The people from Dahu Vige: ...


    "Damn, this is too much bullying!"


    "Too unreasonable, he''s even an educated person, but he doesn''t make any sense at all."


    "All these years we''ve bullied others, but we''ve never been bullied like this. I''ve never received such treatment. Brothers, grab your weapons, attack!"


    The people of Dahu Vige were used to bullying others. For a while, they could not ept being treated this way. At someone''s shout, a few men quickly became enraged and charged forward with sticks and cudgels.


    Lu Aniu was the first to confront them, snatching a stick and kicking away the fastest one with a flying kick, sending him tumbling back.


    Xie Zhan whispered an instruction, "Break Hu Sanier''s two legs."


    Since it was this person who abducted Fu Rong''s Mom, he should pay the price for his actions.


    Lu Aniu nodded and charged into the fray like a fierce tiger.


    Xie Zhan did not advance or retreat, merely observing the battle from the side.


    Fifth Xie let out a howl and rushed in as well, as he loved fighting too much.


    The men from Huaishu Vige did not idle either, each grabbing sticks and cudgels to join in.


    Lu Aniu shook his head at the chaos before him. It would be easier for him alone, with these additional people only adding to the disorder.


    He searched through the crowd for Hu Sanier, quickly locating his target and making his way through the melee, effortlessly defeating any opponents in his path.


    Hu Sanier had one eye injured, affecting his vision. He was currently being beaten down by Zhou Hu. Lu Aniu did not hesitate, swinging his stick at Hu Sanier''s legs.


    A blood-curdling scream rang out, like a pig being ughtered. Hu Sanier, oblivious to Zhou Hu still straddling him, curled up and howled in pain.


    The chaotic fighters all froze for a moment, then the two nearest men attacked Lu Aniu from left and right, only to be struck down, wailing on the ground.


    Lu Aniu''s imposing figure stood there, his eyes cold like a ferocious beast, seemingly about to pounce and tear them all to shreds.


    The people of Dahu Vige were bullies who only preyed on the weak. Faced with such a tough opponent, they immediately softened. Seeing Lu Aniu''s appearance, they shuddered collectively, their will to retreat rising.


    Chief Hu saw the situation was not favorable and bit down hard, waving his hand, "Retreat!"


    He called someone to help carry the injured Hu Sanier and turned to leave.


    Halfway out, he looked back, his gaze flickering with a wolf-like, sinister chill.


    Lu Aniu turned to Xie Zhan, "They seem to have harbored a grudge against us."


    A hint of coldness shed in Xie Zhan''s eyes. Even if they did not hold a grudge, he would not allow them to live much longer.


    Previously, bound by thew, he could do nothing to them. But now, in this ancient forest full of venomous snakes and ferocious beasts, it would be quite normal for a few dozen people to die.

 Chapter 26: A surname

    <h4>Chapter 26</h4>


    Gu Jiu and Mrs. Gao had helped escort Fu Rong''s Mom back. Under the light of a torch, Gu Jiu helped examine Fu Rong''s Mom''s body.


    She rolled up her sleeves, revealing crisscrossing scars - evidence of frequent beatings. Some scars were faint, while others were fresh wounds. The newest ones had just scabbed over, showing they were inflicted in the past few days.


    Fu Rong''s Mom pulled her arm back and hid it behind her body, tugging her sleeve down.


    "Don''t be afraid," said Mrs. Gao. "This is our Ninth Sister, Gu Jiu. She has some medical knowledge. Let her take a look at you."


    Fu Rong''s Mom shook her head. "It''s fine. They''ve scabbed over already. I''ll be alright in a few days."


    Mrs. Gao couldn''t bear to see it. "Who did this to you? How could they be so vicious?"


    Fu Rong''s Mom spoke in a t tone, "My husband. He wanted me to bear his child, but how could I give birth to that animal''s offspring? I got rid of them all, so he beat me."


    Although Mrs. Gao felt the children were innocent, she didn''t judge others by her own standards. She stroked Fu Rong''s Mom''s emaciated face with pity and asked, "Poor child, you''ve suffered so much. What happened to your grandfather? When you arrived at Dahu Vige, why didn''t youe find me? Our two viges are so close. If you hade to me earlier, I would never have let you endure such torment."


    Mentioning her grandfather made Fu Rong''s Mom unable to hold back her tears. "Grandfather... he..."


    She nced at Gu Jiu, whose eyes were wide and full of curiosity, waiting for the rest of the story. Fu Rong''s Mom swallowed her words and said, "Grandfather passed away from a sudden illness. Before he died, he instructed me not to bother Auntie Gao. If it weren''t for my inability to go on living, I wouldn''t have sought you out, Auntie."


    Aplex light shed in Mrs. Gao''s eyes as she sighed, "Your grandfather was just too cautious. Ah, let bygones be bygones. Good child, from today onwards, you''lle with us. Your grandfather was a benefactor of our Xie family. With us, you''ll have food to eat - we won''t let you starve."


    Fu Rong''s Mom knelt and kowtowed. "Thank you, Auntie Gao! Thank you!"


    Mrs. Gao hurriedly told Gu Jiu to help her up.


    Gu Jiu recalled that Mrs. Xu had mentioned before that when Mrs. Gao gave birth to Xie Zhan and Fifth Xie, she had a difficultbor. Xie Zhan was sickly at birth and stayed at Doctor Fu''s residence in Jingzhou City for a long time before recovering his health.


    Was Doctor Fu in Jingzhou City Fu Rong''s Mom''s grandfather? If so, this seemed rather strange. As a renowned physician who had treated countless patients over his lifetime, how could he possibly remember every one of them? Why would he specifically instruct his granddaughter not to bother Mrs. Gao on his deathbed? Were they more than just doctor and patient?


    These questions shed through Gu Jiu''s mind briefly, but she had no intention of probing deeper, letting the thoughts pass without dwelling on them.


    There was still some time before dawn. Mrs. Gao asked Mrs. Zhang and the others to squeeze together and make room for Fu Rong''s Mom to sleep.


    The next day was another fine weather.


    The vigers of Huaishu Vige nned to sun-dry the gastrodia ta for one more day to thoroughly dehydrate it for better preservation, so they were in no hurry to depart.


    Third Xie had finished making Second Xie''s cup, so Gu Jiu couldn''t wait to craft a toothbrush and go hunt wild boars.


    Unfortunately, she had no weapons.


    Her spatial realm did contain an incredibly powerful crossbow, but its craftsmanship clearly did not belong to this era, so she couldn''t take it out.


    Only Xie Zhan had a slingshot, but Gu Jiu felt using a slingshot to hunt boars was a stretch - it might only enrage the boars instead.


    After some thought, she went to find Third Xie again. "Third Brother, I need a weapon. Could you make me a crossbow? I''ll draw you a design."


    Second Xie teased from the side, "You''re just a littledy. What do you need a crossbow for? Shouldn''t your Third Brother make you a hairpin instead?"


    Gu Jiu turned to him and said, "Second Brother, you don''t understand. With a crossbow, we can go hunting for rabbits and pheasants. Wouldn''t that be delicious?"


    "Delicious! Delicious!" Xie Daji eagerly chimed in. "I want a crossbow too, Uncle Third. Make me one as well!"


    Ever the doting uncle, Third Xie smiled gently. "Alright, I''ll make them for you both."


    Turning back to Gu Jiu, he said, "But your Third Brother has never seen a crossbow before, let alone know how to make one."


    Gu Jiu ttered him, "Third Brother is so smart. I''m sure you''ll figure it out just by looking. Don''t worry, Third Brother. I believe in you!"


    As she spoke, she drew a picture of the crossbow from her spatial realm on the ground for Third Xie to see.


    The crossbow in her spatial realm had a range of about 500 meters and steel bolts that could pulverize the head of a beast - its power was immense.


    At some point, Xie Zhan hade over. Looking at the crossbow design Gu Jiu had drawn, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. If such a crossbow design were to be used in the military...


    He studied the petite figure crouched on the ground intently. His doubts about her grew - she had medical knowledge, calcted like an ancient astrological text, and could even draw designs for weapons never seen before. Just who was this little girl?


    Lu Aniu had followed as well, his eyes glittering brightly. "This looks very powerful. If it can really be made, it might even outrange the long crossbows used by the military. A good bow and arrow usually takes three years toplete, but I don''t think this crossbow would require that long."


    As the crossbow design on the ground nearedpletion, Third Xie suddenly said, "Everything else is fine, but what material would be used for the body? Pine wood or elm wood could work, but theyck sticity and would greatly diminish its power. I haven''t seen any bamboo in these woods either, which would have been ideal."


    Gu Jiu had also considered this problem. In her eagerness to have a weapon for hunting boars, she hadn''t thought through the limitations of their current conditions - theycked the necessary materials to make anything.


    Disappointedly, she said, "If only we had spring steel, that would be perfect. For now, let''s use willow wood. We''ll make multiple ones, and rece them when they break. The strings could be made from deerskin."


    In these woods, she didn''t know if there were any buffalo. If there were, buffalo hide would be even better. Logically thinking, there was a higher chance of encountering deer.


    She looked around at everyone. "So to hunt boars, we need to hunt deer first."


    "What is spring steel?" Xie Zhan asked.


    "Spring steel..." Gu Jiu pondered for a moment. She seemed to recall that spring steel existed in the Bronze Age, but it probably wasn''t called spring steel back then.


    "It''s a type of steel with excellent sticity. You know those flexible swords used by martial artists? Those are likely made from spring steel."


    While the others didn''t understand, Lu Aniu, the experienced cksmith, immediately grasped her meaning. "You mean the same material as saw des."


    "Exactly, that''s the one! If the crossbow body was made from spring steel, with the bolts shaped into triangr arrowheads and hardwood shafts,bined with a deerskin string... a crossbow like that could easily achieve a range of at least three hundred... er, around ten zhang and bring downrge beasts."


    Lu Aniu and Xie Zhan exchanged a nce. Fired up, Lu Aniu said, "I still have some saw des left from before, and some arrowheads I made. With some modifications, they can be used. These next few days, I''ll see if I can hunt a deer."


    With that, he turned and headed back to his area, starting to rummage through his belongings.


    A thought shed through Gu Jiu''s mind - why would a cksmith randomly make arrowheads at home if not for a purpose?


    Third Xie was enthusiastically searching the nearby area for suitable wood to firstplete the body and wooden shafts of the bolts.


    Xie Zhan used his foot to erase the design from the ground, cautioning Gu Jiu, "In the future, don''t draw this design so casually. Don''t let others know you can draw it."


    Crouched on the ground, Gu Jiu tilted her head up at him, a puzzled expression on her face.


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