Above the vast sky, the starlight was dim and lusterless, and a pitch-black night enveloped the land.
After a day's journey, everyone was tired after eating and drinking their fill. After deciding who would keep watch for the night, they all went to sleep.
However, the strong men on watch felt unusually drowsy that night. They tried their best to keep their eyes open and stare at their surroundings, but unknowingly, their eyelids closed, and they fell into a deep sleep.
Inside the carriage, the baby in a red bellyband was fast asleep. Xie Tianjiao and Wu Ce sat on either side, leaning against the carriage walls and dozing off.
Outside the carriage, Wang Hao casually took a straw mat from the top of the carriage and spread it on the ground.
He lay down on the mat side by side with Qi Xuyiao and Zhang Zhilin, quietly enjoying the night.
The other villagers did not dare to get too close to them, so naturally, they did not discover that all the villagers had fallen asleep.
Qi Xuyiao looked at the dim starlight and said leisurely, "I used to think that nothing in the world was more incredible than longevity. I never expected there to be even more wondrous things, like coming to another world with you all."
Wang Hao rested his head on his hands, crossing his legs. "Anyway, we have no family left in our original world, nothing to worry about. This old man thinks the current life is quite good; as long as we are all together, that's all that matters."
Zhang Zhilin lay quietly beside them. His long hair, tied up high after crossing over, and the clear, handsome face beneath the stray hairs on his forehead, along with his deep and unfathomable eyes, exuded an even greater sense of mystery in the night.
At this moment, a rustling sound reached his ears.
His entire body instantly tensed up, which was noticed by Qi Xuyiao beside him.
"What's wrong?"
"Someone's approaching!"
This time, there was no need for Zhang Zhilin to remind them. Qi Xuyiao and Wang Hao heard the sounds of many footsteps approaching them.
Bandits!
It was almost certain who was coming.Their tacit understanding made them not get up immediately but pretend to be asleep.
Then, they heard someone speaking.
"The boss was indeed as prescient as ever! Seeing that the small puddle had no water, he knew we'd make a fortune tonight."
"Yeah, yeah, the boss is amazing. He put the sleeping drug in the water beforehand. Once they drink it and fall asleep, we can carry off all their belongings. We'll get so much for free without losing a single soldier. By the time they wake up, we'll be long gone."
"Alright, stop the chatter. Hurry up and search for food. Untie these horses and take them away. Times are getting tougher and tougher. Otherwise, we wouldn't have become outlaws. It's good that they're sleeping like this. If they were awake, we'd have to kill them."
"There aren't many of them, but their belongings are decent. They even have donkey meat. We can feast tonight."
"Quick, quick, let's move."
Hearing this, the three of them understood what was happening. It turned out the water they had found today was a trap set by these people.
The boss they spoke of was truly intelligent.
Fortunately, they had been drinking water from their space. The water they had drawn was used for washing. Otherwise, they might have woken up to find all their belongings gone.
"Look, there's a carriage here too!"
Hearing this, the three stopped pretending to sleep. Their own daughter was in the carriage.
In just a few breaths, the three of them rose one after another and dealt with the bandits closest to them.
The sudden commotion startled the other bandits.
"Everyone, quickly! These three were not affected by the sleeping drug! Capture them!" a bandit shouted loudly.
Inside the carriage, Xie Tianjiao and Wu Ce opened their eyes, listening vigilantly to the commotion outside. They did not go out, quietly guarding the chubby baby who was restless upon hearing the noise but had not yet woken up.
Xie Tianjiao gently patted the baby's hand, trying to soothe her.
Unexpectedly, the next second, the baby grabbed his hand and opened her small mouth to suck on his finger, her tiny teeth occasionally grinding.
Xie Tianjiao watched his daughter with amusement. What a carefree girl.
However, he couldn't let her eat his hand like this.
Xie Tianjiao gently scratched the baby's double chin with his other hand. After a while, the baby let go of her teeth, allowing him to smoothly pull his hand out.
The sounds of fighting outside gradually subsided. Wu Ce lifted a corner of the curtain inside the carriage and looked out. He saw that besides Zhang Zhilin, Qi Xuyiao, and Wang Hao, almost everyone else was lying on the ground.
A few others, seeing that the situation was bad, fled up the mountain.
The carriage door was opened, and Qi Xuyiao climbed in.
Without waiting for them to ask, he said, "There were about 50 of them. We've taken them all down, and a few escaped."
"Did those villagers not wake up?" Xie Tianjiao asked.
Qi Xuyiao shook his head. "They were drugged. They haven't woken up."
Xie Tianjiao's eyes were veiled with a coldness. "These people have relied on us all the way. They treated us as their bodyguards and enforcers. Even with the sleeping drug, it's also due to their lack of vigilance."
"It's time to part ways with them," Wu Ce said after a moment of silence.
Xie Tianjiao nodded. "Indeed, it's time to part ways. However, let's head up the mountain first and take down the bandits' lair. Otherwise, leaving them there is a bane."
Qi Xuyiao smiled.
"We were just waiting for you two to say that. Let's go take down the bandits' nest. This can be considered our utmost benevolence to these people."
"After crossing this mountain, the Xiongnu won't be able to cross for a while. At least they'll be safe. As for what happens next, it's up to them to decide. Anyway, this Lord Qi doesn't want to be a bodyguard anymore."
In fact, if the people of Yuḥé Village had been a bit more reliable, they wouldn't have abandoned them halfway.
But these people were useless!
Seeing that they were good at fighting, they wanted them to protect them, yet they had no vigilance at all along the way.
Initially, bringing them along after leaving Yuḥé Village had saved their lives, sparing them from dying under the swords of the Xiongnu.
They didn't owe them anything, so why should they protect them?
It would be better to join a reliable group later.
Since the decision was made, they didn't delay any further and gently woke up their daughter.
"Daddy, I want to sleep... Don't touch Niannian..." a soft, milky voice filled with a hint of grievance echoed in the carriage.
Seeing that the other two in the carriage were reluctant to wake her, Qi Xuyiao decided to take the initiative. He scooped up the little baby into his arms.
The baby's small body leaned against him as if boneless. Her chubby little face rested on his shoulder, her eyes not yet open.
Because she was wearing a bellyband, her plump back was exposed.
"Daddy, don't disturb Niannian..." she mumbled softly.
Qi Xuyiao held the little lazybones with amusement, verbally agreeing, "Alright, alright, I won't disturb you. However, Daddy and the others are about to go fight bad guys and collect treasures. Are you sure you don't want to come along?"
"Huh? Collect treasures?"
The chubby baby's upper body instantly straightened, her big eyes filled with confusion.