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墨書 Inktalez
Suddenly, she picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the man known as Slaughter Sheep. With a sharp sound, the stone struck him right between the eyebrows, instantly opening a gash from which blood gushed forth.
The group had not expected this Stinky Girl to act so boldly, and their eyes turned red with rage as they grabbed Slaughter Sheep's knife and advanced towards Xia Muxin.
Xia Muxin swallowed hard, slightly shifting her body, yet her gaze met theirs without a hint of fear.
Her small hand fumbled around on the ground until she felt something rough in her palm, which she then held up defensively in front of herself.
She had long been displeased with these people. They had already kidnapped several innocent women along the way, and after playing with them, they discarded their bodies in the wilderness with disdain. If she had known that Rong Li was such a scoundrel back at Daimiao Mountain, she would have ensured he was left crippled that day. Now, seeing those women left naked and bloodied at the cliff or in the wild made her wish she could cut off his manhood and throw it into the fire.
The rough object in her hand was not a weapon but rather a thick, long wooden stick. As they closed in on her, Xia Muxin smirked coldly and suddenly sprang to her feet. She kicked towards the pot of boiling water while stirring the fire in the stove with the stick. She tossed aside several pieces of burning firewood into a nearby stack. This place was already hot and dry, and water was hard to come by. At that moment, with Xia Muxin's actions, the entire pot flipped over, spilling scalding water everywhere amidst a cloud of steam. The stove was left in ruins, and all the firewood they had painstakingly gathered was instantly burned to ashes.
The group exchanged glances, their eyes revealing fear. This was an important task assigned from above; if they failed to serve dinner, they would surely face military punishment. Instantly, they looked at Xia Muxin with intense murderous intent, their faces contorted as they charged at her with knives drawn.
Xia Muxin tossed aside the wooden stick and took off running straight towards Rong Li's tent.
The commotion was loud enough for someone to shout that there was a fire. In no time, the entire camp was in an uproar as everyone rushed out.
Xia Muxin suddenly dove onto the stony ground, scraping her palms along the way until they were bloodied and mangled.
Yet her eyes were misty as she looked up to see a pair of black boots stop before her. Defiantly lifting her head, she recognized Rong Li and turned away in frustration.
Moments later, someone approached to report what had happened. In an instant, Rong Li crouched down and gripped Xia Muxin's chin tightly with one hand. He pulled out a vial of medicine and held it to her nose before quickly retracting it. Xia Muxin only heard him grit his teeth as he uttered a few words:
"You did this on purpose."
This was the first time Xia Muxin had seen Rong Li truly angry—his face darkened with fury and menace. Perhaps it had much to do with the recent weather; even he could not have anticipated such sudden heat after nearly half a month without rain. Nearby lakes had shrunk significantly over just a few days; today, managing to gather even one pot of water from those lakes was considered fortunate. As for those sheep, they had captured a lost flock from the woods days earlier and brought them along.
It had been nearly half a month since they had last eaten a proper meal, and Xia Muxin couldn't quite understand why. Everything felt strange along this journey; logically, they shouldn't be traveling this desolate path, even with the fierce battles at the border. Was someone deliberately obstructing them, forcing them into this situation? As this thought crossed her mind, her gaze darkened. Clearing her throat, which had been silent for too long, she pointed at the struggling pregnant sheep tied up nearby.
"Look, it's pregnant. How can you bear to eat it?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Rong Li felt like he was losing his mind. He was starving himself, yet she was concerned about a pregnant sheep. Was she really that foolish or just pretending? Hadn't she noticed the presence of a third party at the border all this time?
This force had been preventing him from returning to his homeland, and out of desperation, he had chosen this barren route.
"I knew you people lacked compassion. What kind of place is this? It's so desolate that not even a bird would defecate here. The ground is nothing but gravel; there isn't even a well in sight, let alone a village or oasis. Do you want everyone to die here?"
Xia Muxin suddenly sprang to her feet, looking at her bloodied palms with cold reproach. Then she glanced at Rong Li, whose face was filled with grim determination, and said calmly, "In a place like this, even if you let me go, I wouldn't leave. To leave would be to seek death. Go ahead—tie me up or poison me; do as you wish."
With that, she stretched out her hands and opened her mouth as if inviting slaughter.
Rong Li watched her childish and reckless behavior with a mix of amusement and frustration. He realized he was digging his own grave. He had thought that tying her up would be of great use to him, but now it seemed uncertain whether it would be beneficial at all. After all, to create those explosives required sufficient materials, and Xia Muxin had mentioned that those materials were not easy to come by—they were usually found in dark, damp basements that had been around for years.
Her explanation about the series of chemical reactions was baffling; he felt overwhelmed and couldn't grasp what she was saying.
"Fine then, let's just wait to die together," he said wearily, shrugging his shoulders as he coldly regarded Xia Muxin, who seemed unafraid of death.
"Hmph, ignorant fool. Take me to the lakeside," Xia Muxin huffed through her nose, speaking with an air of superiority.
She would never compromise her own well-being. Besides, what had he been feeding her lately? She probably lost a considerable amount of weight. She wondered if the uncle would take one look at her and mistake her for a seventeen or eighteen-piece dish to be served with wine.
"You..."
Seeing Xia Muxin's proud demeanor, like a fighting rooster, Rong Li pointed a finger at her, his eyes coldly glaring at her as if they could shoot fire and turn Xia Muxin to ashes. But Xia Muxin was unafraid, holding her head high and meeting his gaze with indifference.
He then arranged for eight soldiers to take her to the lakeside.
"Here, this is the spot. You all dig here, the deeper, the better."
Xia Muxin circled around the lake and noticed that the water had increased and become clearer. She pointed to the center of the lake and instructed them.
"Are you worried that if you die, there will be no place for you to be buried? Don't worry; you won't need this mud. The gravel on this road is enough to bury you."
Rong Li followed her and, upon hearing Xia Muxin's command, his face turned dark, almost smoking with anger. He looked at the water hole in the center of the lake, which was about the size of a bowl, and sarcastically replied.
"Third Prince, you're mistaken. Digging this lake is meant to bury all of you together."
Xia Muxin glared at him coldly and retorted. She wasn't afraid of him; besides, if she were to die, she would take a few significant ones down with her. Moreover, that bowl-sized hole in the center was likely a Water Eye. The mud here was too deep, preventing the water from flowing out, which had been blocked for so long. They had just taken quite a bit of water from it, and in such a short time, it returned to its previous state. This indicated that this place was not a desert before and was not devoid of life; it was merely due to the terrain. If she guessed correctly, the root cause of all this should be the mud.
At the same time, she took a few steps forward and found that as she got closer to the lake's edge, the ground became softer. Nearby were countless small lakes in similar conditions.
Of course, Rong Li, as a prince of a nation, would not concern himself with such details, nor would those soldiers pay attention to them. Even if they did notice, they wouldn't fathom the reasons behind it.
Seeing her approach, Rong Li frowned and waved his hand for those eight men to follow Xia Muxin's orders.
As they entered the lake to dig, Xia Muxin walked up to Rong Li and said:
"Is this the resource of your country?"
Rong Li's gaze dimmed, and he turned his head away.
In fact, Xia Muxin felt that he wasn't as cruel as he seemed; he just had a fiery temper and used despicable methods. However, his intentions weren't as bad as one might imagine. It was his subordinates who were truly rough around the edges. Perhaps this was largely due to their environment.
Hmph, if you won't speak, then so be it. I initially wanted to help you, but if you don't appreciate it, then let fate take its course.
"Your Highness, we have found a Water Eye."
Suddenly, a soldier exclaimed joyfully while holding a handful of water. As soon as he finished speaking, several others also laughed while holding water, and they had already dug quite a large pit in that spot.
Rong Li looked at Xia Muxin in surprise, but she merely snorted and walked away with her head held high.
That meal consisted of plenty of roasted lamb. Of course, Xia Muxin was their guide, but the condition was that the pregnant ewe could not be killed. They would release it once they left the desert. Fortunately, there were still enough supplies, and those soldiers who had wanted to kill her faced severe military punishment. Not only did they miss out on the delicious lamb, but they also received a beating that left them unable to move.
After eating their fill and enjoying a comfortable bath, they were surprised to find that the small Water Eye had quickly filled the entire lake.
"Alright, everyone has eaten and drunk enough. Let's pack up and set off immediately."
Xia Muxin tidied herself up and came out holding a few changes of clothes. She glanced at the pitch-black surroundings and calmly said.
- End of Chapter -
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