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墨書 Inktalez
As she and Qin'er each carried a basket full of goods while holding Tide's hand, they noticed a thick darkness enveloping the village below, causing her to freeze in place. She initially thought there was a fire, but upon closer inspection, she realized it wasn't just one house that was burning; many were ablaze, accompanied by cries and screams.
“Qin'er, you stay here with Tide. I’ll go down and take a look,” she said, her heart racing for reasons she couldn't quite understand. In the distance, she faintly heard cries for help.
“No, miss, let me go instead,” Qin'er insisted, not wanting her to face any danger.
“Qin'er, there are some things you don’t understand. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Just wait for me to come back!” Before Qin'er could respond, Tide decisively dropped the basket and lifted her skirt as she slowly made her way down the mountain. However, when she reached halfway down, she saw that her own hut was also on fire.
The hut was situated far from the village with no other houses nearby; it shouldn't have caught fire. Moreover, dinner time had already passed. The fact that the firestarter was on her person made the situation even more suspicious, causing her to tread even more cautiously.
“Quickly tell me, where did they go?” Hidden among the trees, she saw Liu Grandma being captured by several men in black. Her hair was disheveled, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth—she looked both pitiful and desperate. Yet those men showed no mercy as they continued to interrogate her.
Were they after her?
As Qing Luan thought this, her heart ached. If her predictions were correct, the villagers were also suffering. Memories of Aunt Zhang, Erwa, and Aunt Zhang’s eldest daughter—people who had treated her kindly—flooded her mind, and tears fell uncontrollably. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand to stifle any sound.
“Grandma…” When she witnessed a sharp sword pierce Grandma's heart, she whimpered internally, her eyes widening in shock. The masked man wielding the sword had a distinct mole on his face—a detail that Qing Luan etched firmly in her memory.
These people were ruthless; she had completely abandoned her identity. Why wouldn’t they let her go?
Digging her fingers into her flesh painfully, she held her breath cautiously. Knowing she was powerless to help, she turned slowly to crawl back up the mountain. Fortunately, branches and wild grass along the path concealed her figure.
Gasping for breath as she reached halfway up the mountain, she saw Qin'er's worried expression and gestured for her to remain silent while quickening her pace. However, beside Qin'er was Little Tide, who had no idea what was happening. Upon seeing Qing Luan return, he excitedly shouted, “Sister!”
"Oops!" As soon as Qing Luan heard her voice, she panicked. Turning her head, she noticed that there was indeed some movement below. Without caring whether they had alerted anyone, she quickly scrambled up, carrying Tide on her back and urging Qin'er to run fast.
Life in the countryside had made her more capable, and her body felt much stronger than before. However, as they ventured deeper, the mountain paths became increasingly rugged, and with a child in tow, they couldn't move quickly at all. Qing Luan felt a surge of anxiety.
"Qin'er, you carry Little Tide and move ahead," she instructed. The outline of the path was still visible, but after so many years without maintenance, it was difficult to tread. Still, it was better than stumbling through the mountains. She couldn't abandon this route; the best way to divert those men in black was to create a distraction.
She handed Tide over to Qin'er and took the basket filled with mushrooms and wild vegetables from her hands. As she walked, she tossed the contents to the left with all her strength. Then she tore off strips from her coarse cloth clothing, letting them flutter away in the wind. Once she had done enough, she turned and hurried forward, disappearing into the underbrush.
Qing Luan didn't know what the outcome would be; all she could do was use every ounce of strength to protect Tide while running ahead with Qin'er. As long as they weren't caught, they could survive. But she needed more than just survival; she had to avenge her mother-in-law, Aunt Zhang, and everyone in the village. She couldn't afford to die.
Tide had no idea what was happening but understood from his sisters' serious expressions that he mustn't cry or make a fuss; he couldn't upset them.
"Miss, let's take a break?" Qin'er pleaded, utterly exhausted.
Thinking that if they were going to be caught, they would have been by now, Qing Luan nodded while catching her breath. "Alright, let's sit for a moment and then we'll move again."
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