The cave was silent, not a stir.
Xiao Xitian slept soundly, likely to wake up around noon tomorrow...
Xiao Jinheng felt a bit anxious. He had originally intended to keep watch for the young village children, fearing something might suddenly dart in.
But as soon as he closed his eyes, overwhelming drowsiness pulled him into dreams, and soon he was snoring.
Outside the cave, a man wearing a black iron mask, revealing only his mouth, was clad in black, with a long sword at his waist...
He glanced back at the dark, dense forest, ensuring no one was following, before cautiously entering the cave.
He saw two small children sleeping soundly on a large white slab.
The man couldn't help but feel surprised.
Where did these children come from in this deep mountain wilderness?
Had they run away from home in a fit of pique?
The man curved his lips, picked up a few dry branches, and tossed them onto the fire. He sat down, leaning against the rock wall...
He first examined Xiao Jinheng. The child was sharply featured, and though his clothes were covered in mud, it was evident they were once fine brocade robes.
"So young, yet daring to run away from home. Truly, the younger generation is formidable..." the man couldn't help but chuckle.
He then shifted his gaze to Xiao Xitian. The firelight illuminated her small face.
Upon seeing her, the man suddenly stood up, his expression filled with terror.
How could this child resemble someone?
Even with her eyes closed, her delicate nose and face shape were so incredibly similar to that person...
The man patted his forehead, chuckling self-deprecatingly, "Perhaps I've been under too much stress lately!"
It had been so many years; it wouldn't be strange to misremember.
When he left home back then, it was also out of a fit of temper, insisting on going out to work and help the family.
His parents vehemently refused, and in anger, he had shouldered his belongings and left...
He wondered how his beloved village, which he thought of day and night, was doing now.
He remembered cursing his father as an 'old immortal' before he left.
Because of that single sentence, he had been too ashamed to return to the place that bore and raised him for years...
He had even announced to the outside world that he had died elsewhere.
"Awooo, awooo..." A wolf's howl echoed from outside the cave again.
The man frowned, turned, and walked out of the cave.
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, with thin clouds drifting lightly.
Tomorrow would be another fine day.
He decided to travel through the night and leave this mountain forest.
But then he thought of the little girl's bandaged foot, clearly injured...
Regardless of whose child she was, leaving her in these deep mountains would surely be dangerous.
"Perhaps I should take her back to the village?" the man murmured to himself, glancing back at the cave entrance.
In this mountain forest, there were snakes, tigers, wolves, black bears, and various other creatures.
Any one of these animals could snatch the lives of the two children if they charged in...
"Forget it, I'll help them first, and deal with my own matters later!" After a moment of internal struggle, the man re-entered the cave.
He squatted beside Xiao Xitian and gently nudged her with his hand, "Little sister, wake up!"
"Mmm!" Xiao Xitian, with her eyes closed, slapped his hand away and rolled over, continuing to sleep.
When she was asleep, she hated being disturbed the most...
It was very annoying.
The man couldn't help but laugh, "This little one has quite a temper when woken up!"
He then went to Xiao Jinheng's side, tickled his nose, "Hey, wake up, I'll take you home!"
Xiao Jinheng also slapped his hand away, his action identical to Xiao Xitian's...
"Hoh, you two are sleeping so soundly, aren't you afraid of being carried off by wolves?" The man burst into laughter.
If he hadn't thrown a few dry branches onto the fire just now, the fire would have long since died out.
Without the fire, the wolf pack would surely have rushed in and eaten them down to the last bone...
"Perhaps they're just exhausted?" The man sat cross-legged by the fire, reached into his embrace, and pulled out a roasted duck, placing it back on the fire to warm.
This was a genuine wild duck, delicious and flavorful. As it roasted over the fire, it sizzled and dripped oil.
"Father's old recipes are still the most reliable, whether for roasted lamb or roasted duck, the taste is superb..."
The man unfastened his wine gourd, took a long swig, then pulled off a duck leg, eating and drinking.
Xiao Xitian, in her sleep, smelled the aroma of meat and couldn't help but twitch her nose.
She had eaten some roasted mushrooms in the evening, which digested quickly, and she was hungry again.
Instinctively, Xiao Xitian sat up, her eyes still closed, and slowly shuffled towards the man...
She was sleepwalking.
"Smells so good!" Xiao Xitian suddenly exclaimed.
The man yelped in fright, nearly falling onto the fire.
He quickly turned to look at Xiao Xitian, "You... when did you wake up? How come there was no sound at all?"
Oh dear, his soul had almost flown away in the middle of the night.
If he were facing real enemies or fierce beasts, he wouldn't even blink.
But this sudden scare was truly unbearable.
"Huh? Little girl, why are your eyes closed?" The man leaned closer to Xiao Xitian to peek, "Haha, are you sleepwalking?"
Still thinking about food while sleeping, how hungry must she be...
So, the man tore off another duck leg and stuffed it into Xiao Xitian's hand, "Here, eat, don't burn yourself!"
This little thing was so amusing.
Soft and cuddly, like a little meatball, he really wanted to pick her up and dote on her.
Xiao Xitian instinctively took a bite, grinned, "So yummy!"
Then, with a soft thud, she collapsed onto the foam board and fell back into a deep sleep...
The man laughed heartily, wondering how such a fun little girl existed in this world.
If she didn't have a family, the man would have taken her with him.
As for the little boy, he'd reluctantly take him too!~
Xiao Jinheng, who was sound asleep, sneezed. He had a feeling someone had entered the cave.
The man finished the entire duck and half a gourd of sorghum wine before lying down by the cave entrance to sleep...
Praying that those people wouldn't chase him tonight, he truly wished for a good night's sleep.
The flames flickered in the night breeze, bringing a touch of warmth to the cold cave.
The man got up after only a short while to add more firewood. If the fire went out, wild beasts would come in to eat people.
He could protect himself, but what about these two little ones?
"Sigh, you two are sleeping so soundly, not even getting up to pee..." the man couldn't help but grumble.
He reached into his embrace again, pulled out a bag of dried pork, and tossed it into the fire to roast.
This was wild boar meat, and it tasted very good, especially when roasted over a fire. It was perfect with wine.
The man was about to finish the remaining half gourd of wine when he suddenly heard strange footsteps outside the cave...