Chu Qianli woke up to find the sky completely bright.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she sat up abruptly, her face filled with vigilance. "The scent of the药人 (yao ren)!"
She looked at the man beside her.
Feng Dingchu was still sitting on the ground, watching her quietly.
"Uncle Jiu, get up, there are药人 (yao ren)!"
Feng Dingchu shook his head, looking somewhat helpless. "No need to be afraid, they are all dead."
Chu Qianli was a little stunned. Following the scent of the poison, she saw the corpses of several药人 (yao ren) lying not far away.
Seeing them first thing in the morning was quite unappetizing.
Yet, she had slept soundly last night and hadn't noticed any sounds of fighting nearby.
Looking at Feng Dingchu again, he was still sitting on the ground, but the surrounding flowers and grass had indeed been ravaged by palm winds.
To be able to subdue the药人 (yao ren) without waking her was truly impressive.
"There are only a few药人 (yao ren), others must be searching for us everywhere."
She tugged at Feng Dingchu's sleeve. "Quick! Let's go back to the village to check!"
Feng Dingchu also remembered something and wanted to get up, but he frowned.
"Uncle Jiu?"
"My leg... is numb." Feng Dingchu wasn't unwilling to get up, but the feeling of a numb leg was truly unpleasant, and he couldn't muster any strength.
Chu Qianli just remembered that when she woke up, she seemed to have been resting her head on his leg.
Could it be that she had slept on it all night?
No wonder it was numb; with poor blood circulation all night, it would be a miracle if it wasn't.
"Let me rub it for you."
She was eager to return to the village, so she didn't bother with anything else. She squatted down, placed her hands on Feng Dingchu's thigh, and was about to give him a massage.
Feng Dingchu's expression changed, and he quickly pushed her away. "Little girl, don't be so forward! Do not touch what is improper!"
"You know you're an elder? Do elders still care about such things? In my eyes, you're still the same old scoundrel from back then."
Chu Qianli ignored him. Her long fingers landed on his acupoints. After a few massages, Feng Dingchu indeed felt a sense of relief in his leg.
He could finally stand up with some effort, and after a couple more steps, he felt much more at ease.
However, "old scoundrel"?
Fine, he should have known better than to shave that beard and continue being an old scoundrel; it would have saved him trouble.
"Xiao Li'er, you can do disguises, right? Change my beard back."
"No, you look good like this. It's pleasing to my eyes."
"This appearance... is not very convenient." Although he didn't care about the world's gaze, he disliked attracting unwanted attention.
Chu Qianli still didn't listen to him. "As long as I like it."
"..."
As they spoke, the two hurried towards the small village.
Before they even arrived, they could smell something unusual.
Chu Qianli glanced up at Feng Dingchu, who also had a grave expression.
Without any need for verbal communication, they simultaneously quickened their pace.
Thick smoke was rising from the village, and the villagers' screams mingled with the wind.
Someone had set fire to the village.
"Grandma Sun, what's going on?" Chu Qianli rushed over.
Everyone was busy carrying water to extinguish the fire, while Grandma Sun alone was trying to rush into the flames several times.
"Huzi... Huzi is missing! He was in his room this morning..."
Before Grandma Sun could finish speaking, a figure in plain white suddenly plunged into the sea of flames before her eyes.
"Uncle Jiu!" Chu Qianli was startled. Just as she was about to chase after him, a bundle of burning straw fell from above.
If Chu Qianli hadn't dragged Grandma Sun out forcefully, the two of them would have been consumed by the great fire!
"Uncle Jiu! Be careful!"
In her line of sight, that figure had already disappeared into the raging inferno.