Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 10 Seeking Relatives, Wen Tianzong of Daicheng
"My little benefactor, is this enough?"

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west; another day and night have passed.

Inside a dilapidated temple, Yao Yi rubbed her shoulders to relieve her fatigue and asked a question.

After spending the last two days together, she admired the little doll in front of her even more.

Judging from the other person's appearance, they looked to be at most ten years old, or even younger, but their behavior throughout the journey was not like that of a child, but rather more like that of an adult, a very considerate adult.

As for Xiaolin, she is still a little afraid of Chen Xiuyuan. The scene of Chen Xiuyuan chopping off the horse's head with a blank expression is still lingering in her mind. She is really afraid that the knife in his hand will eventually be used to cut her.

"Not yet."

Chen Xiuyuan sat on the ground, fiddling with the branch in his hand. Hearing Yao Yi's words, he replied in a deep voice.

"It's been a day and a night already, and we've run at least a hundred miles. Haven't we escaped their territory yet?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiuyuan gently shook his head.

"I dare not say the specifics, but one thing is certain: if we let our guard down while this place is still within the territory of Flying Tiger Stronghold, what will happen? You two sisters can probably guess the outcome, right?"

At this point, Chen Xiuyuan's tone turned slightly somber. Although he didn't say anything threatening, a hint of lingering fear flashed in Yao Yi and Xiao Lin's eyes.

"Then let's keep going! We're actually fine, not tired at all."

Chen Xiuyuan looked at the flames in front of him, his thoughts drifting away. At times like these, the truth is often more effective than threats.

"It's been a day and a night already. Even if we want to leave, the horses need to rest. You can rest for half an hour, and then we'll set off again."

Upon hearing this, Yao Yi couldn't help but look up at Chen Xiuyuan.

"Isn't our little benefactor going to rest?"

Chen Xiuyuan turned around and looked over.

"I don't trust you to keep watch at night."

Yao Yi felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this. She was already seventeen or eighteen years old, and now she was being looked down upon by a little kid. A few blushes appeared on her pretty face.

"Yao Yi."

Xiaolin felt a little nervous when she heard this. She tugged at Yao Yi's sleeve and gently shook her head.

Seeing Xiaolin's expression, Yao Yi sighed softly. Chen Xiuyuan had brought them along, so they were already getting a great deal. If they refused to do something as trivial as keeping watch, they would be too rude. However, judging from the other party's expression, they wouldn't be allowed to keep watch, so she had nothing to say.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, my little benefactor."

As the sun rose, Chen Xiuyuan, Yao Yi, and Xiao Lin took another break on the road. They had traveled all night and were now at least 250 li away from Sanyang Village.

“Further ahead should be the border between Qin and Zhao.” Chen Xiuyuan’s tense nerves finally relaxed. Looking up, a city appeared in the distance before him, with two characters on the city gate: “Dai City”.

Along the way, he had inquired and learned that once he passed Daicheng, he would be in the territory of Qin. At present, the two countries were relatively peaceful and there was no war. Daicheng was also peaceful.

"I heard from Sister Xiaolin that one of your uncles does business here. Once we find him, we'll part ways here!"

Upon hearing this, Xiaolin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly thanked him. She had been terrified the entire way with Chen Xiuyuan, fearing that the little boy would draw his sword and kill them.

Upon hearing this, Yao Yi's expression changed slightly. In Daicheng, he was Xiao Lin's uncle, but not her relative. Considering their kinship, Xiao Lin's uncle would naturally help her, but she herself might not.

At this point, being a woman, she was in no better position than being a piece of cargo. Compared to the "uncle" she had never met, she was more willing to believe the little guy beside her.

Although she still didn't know the child's name, and the child's aura of "keep away" made people hesitate, she could sense that the child had his own bottom line, a bottom line far higher than that of ordinary people.

If the other party were truly a cold-blooded, ruthless, and selfish person, then they would never have saved her and Xiaolin. In fact, they might even have helped the people of Sanyang Village take revenge. At that time, the safest course of action would have been to leave quietly.

It's no wonder Yao Yi thought that way. After all, she had already been carried into the house by the commander, and she knew nothing about what happened afterward. If that thin and fierce bandit hadn't entered the room where Chen Xiuyuan was hiding, perhaps Chen Xiuyuan would never have shown up.

But Yao Yi knew nothing of this, so unlike Xiao Lin, she pondered whether to continue following Chen Xiuyuan. However, she then thought that Chen Xiuyuan was just a child. Although he had been careful in his actions along the way, escaping for one's life was different from living. Making a living in this world was not an easy thing. If she really followed him, her future days probably wouldn't be much better. For a moment, she hesitated.

Compared to living a life of hardship and sleeping in the open, she, as a young woman, longed for stability, especially after what happened at Flying Tiger Village.

"Come into town!"

Chen Xiuyuan handed the horse reins to the two women and followed behind them. After all, it would be a bit awkward for a child to lead a horse. Although Yao Yi and Xiao Lin were girls, they were already adults. In addition, after spending the last few days in the open, they had gained a bit of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air about them, so they didn't look so conspicuous.

"Let's go find Sister Xiaolin's uncle first."

After a brief inquiry, the soldiers learned that the group had come to visit relatives. They did not question them further. The border cities were doing well for now, but who knew how many people would die when war came? Therefore, they welcomed almost all the people from Zhao.

For them, these women and children could serve as food even in the worst of times.

In a restaurant, the three ordered a few simple dishes and started eating the flatbreads in their hands. Although Xiaolin knew that she had an uncle who did business in Daicheng, she did not know exactly where he was. Daicheng was a large place, and after searching for a while, the three of them still could not find him, so Chen Xiuyuan brought the two of them to the restaurant.

Generally speaking, such places are frequented by diners and are very well-informed. People come here to eat, partly to fill their stomachs and partly to gather information.

Listening to the words around him, Chen Xiuyuan's gaze remained calm. This place was located on the border, and it was not stable during wartime, so many people living here would complain.

What happened to the Qin state? What happened to the Zhao state? The topics covered various fields, and of course, there were also some rumors circulating in the martial arts world, such as what the Mohists, the military strategists, and the Confucians were up to.

Until he heard a place, his eyes suddenly turned a little strange.

"I heard that in the Taoist Heavenly Sword Tournament, the Heavenly Sect Leader Chisongzi won again, with that Snow-Clear Sword."

(End of this chapter)