Chapter 50: Night Walk

Regardless of what rank of official he actually held, he traveled with more than twenty guards, and even the driver was equipped with a saber.

Did this also suggest that the elderly gentleman himself was very likely to encounter danger?

Even though she had already foreseen this possibility, she still chose to travel alongside them. In truth, she knew that if there was danger ahead in the mountain forest, the risk coefficient would be exactly the same whether she traveled through the night with these seven children or waited until daybreak to set off.

In the eyes of bandits, they were nothing more than a young woman traveling with seven children.

Since, no matter how she weighed and analyzed the situation, the inevitable dangers could not be avoided, she might as well travel in the company of the elderly gentleman's party.

With these thoughts in mind, Hong Xiaoduo couldn't help thinking that the rule of law in modern society was truly wonderful.

If this were back in modern times, traveling with these seven little ones whose heights were all under 1.2 meters, she wouldn't even have to pay for their tickets.

This dynasty was far from peaceful; one had to be constantly on edge just traveling, especially when passing through forested areas. If she wanted to find a place to properly settle these children and someone trustworthy to entrust them to, she had to go out and look for them rather than just sitting in one place and waiting.

Therefore, she certainly couldn't hunker down in one spot and stay put just out of fear of the potential dangers along the way.

During these past few days, she had disciplined villains, gotten into fights, and recently even experienced highway robbery. Three times in total, and she had never once come out at a disadvantage, which proved that her combat strength in this world was passable.

The only flaw was that her performance lacked consistency. For instance, with the very first scoundrel she had disciplined, she still had no idea whether he was dead or alive to this day.

Therefore, what was the absolute upper limit of her martial prowess? There was no user manual, nor was there anyone to tell her. Could it be that she had to rely on continuous practice and personal experience to find the answer?

Lost in thought, Hong Xiaoduo lowered her gaze to look at the sword at her waist. Having no firm grasp of her own combat capabilities also detracted from the weapon's true power.

Although she knew nothing about swords, she was well aware that the one in her hands was a fine piece of work. What a pity—even with her wearing it, it failed to command any deterrent presence in the eyes of others.

She was not a fool; from the way people looked at her, she could already tell that no one took her seriously at all. They merely regarded this sword as a flashy ornament she wore just to put on airs.

Whenever she looked at the sword in her hand, she felt a sense of guilt toward it.

The next time she reached a major settlement, she must seek out an armory and find a weapon better suited to herself. Preferably something that could unleash devastating power without taking up too much space, capable of both self-defense to protect the children and severely punishing bad guys—leaving them utterly incapable of continuing their evil deeds in the future.

For the moment, nothing suitable came to mind, but perhaps once she stepped into a weapon shop, inspiration would strike.

If worst came to worst, wasn't there still that old man from the science and technology museum?

As the sky gradually darkened, Hong Xiaoduo began to reproach herself for her carelessness, having failed to even think of buying a lantern and some candles to keep on hand. She hurriedly took advantage of the remaining light to pull out the wooden frame beneath the seat to the middle position, laid down a mattress, and connected the seats on both sides of the carriage interior, transforming them into a flat, small makeshift bed.

She had already let the children try out this setup during the day, so now they were able to lie down and rest side by side.

Hong Xiaoduo did not lie down. There was only so much space inside the carriage; if she were to lie down as well, the children would all have to sleep on their sides.

"Mother, there's enough room if we squeeze in," the younger ones murmured, each shifting to the side to carve out a space for her.

Hong Xiaoduo felt a warmth spread through her chest, yet she said with a dismissive tone, "No need. I wouldn't be able to sleep squished like that. Besides, I'm not tired at all right now. You all go ahead and sleep first. When we reach the inn tomorrow, I can sleep for a whole day and night to catch up properly."

Hearing this, the children finally settled back down.

"Tianshu, put on your padded jacket. It's the middle of the night, no one will see you, and no one is going to laugh at you," Hong Xiaoduo reminded the boy driving the cart outside as she tucked the quilt over the children.

"Oh, I know," Tianshu replied, draping the cotton-padded garment he had been clutching over his shoulders.

He desperately wanted to tell Hong Xiaoduo inside the carriage that he hadn't worn it just a moment ago not because he was afraid of being laughed at for wearing girls' clothing, but because he was afraid of soiling her new padded jacket.

A sound came from outside. Peering through the window, she saw that one of the elderly gentleman's guards had brought over a lantern.

Tianshu accepted it and expressed his thanks. After the guard walked away, Tianshu prepared to pass the lantern into the carriage, but Hong Xiaoduo told him that everyone was already asleep and it wasn't needed inside, so he should just hang it outside.

"Tianshu, stop the cart and let me drive for a while. You come inside and catch some shut-eye," Hong Xiaoduo said in a low voice after looking out the window half an hour later and realizing they were already passing through the mountain forest.

The forest at night was pitch black, a sight that naturally made one's heart tense up.

When Tianshu heard her tell him to stop, he thought she wanted to relieve herself, but after pulling over, she actually wanted him to rest instead?

"Mother, I'm not tired, nor am I cold. Really, there's no need," Tianshu protested.

He wanted to do as much as he could to prove his usefulness, and naturally, he couldn't let her take over the driving.

"Be a good boy and get inside right now. Being cooped up in there is driving me crazy, both my legs are numb," Hong Xiaoduo said, standing at the edge and playfully 'complaining' to him.

Sure enough, Tianshu, who had been completely resolute about refusing to give up his seat, immediately jumped down and even handed his padded jacket over to her.

As he passed her the whip, he suddenly remembered and asked, "Mother, you've never driven a cart before. Will you be okay?"

Hong Xiaoduo snatched the whip from his hand and urged him to get into the carriage quickly.

"Oh, if you want it to move, just lightly tap its back with the whip, don't use force," Tianshu still instructed anxiously.

"Alright, I get it, stop nagging," she urged, feeling both exasperated and amused.

Though still full of misgivings, Tianshu dared not say another word. He climbed onto the cart, felt around with his hand for an empty spot, and then carefully crawled inside after slipping off his boots.

Noticing that the donkey cart had started moving again and was running quite smoothly, he finally let out a temporary sigh of relief.

Catching a faint glimpse of the quilts covering his younger siblings and listening to their steady breathing, Tianshu felt not a shred of sleepiness.

This mother was exceptionally good to them and took meticulous care of them, yet she seemed to have no intention of keeping them by her side forever. What should he do about that?

Outside the carriage, sitting on the shafts, Hong Xiaoduo decided that operating a donkey cart required virtually no technical skill at all.

Looking ahead, she saw that because of her brief delay, the carriage in front had actually stopped and waited for them in the dark. Only when her donkey cart resumed its pace did they set off once more.

Hong Xiaoduo knew that behind her own donkey cart, several guards were trailing at a close distance.

She raised her head to look at the night sky. The moon was hiding behind thick clouds, and nocturnal birds shrieked occasionally from the depths of the forest. Their calls were thoroughly unpleasant to the ear, and paired with the pitch-black woods, it all felt deeply eerie.

"Good heavens, please don't throw any more thrilling plot twists at us tonight. Just let these poor children get a peaceful night's sleep," Hong Xiaoduo whispered a quiet prayer to the night sky...