I survived the famine by scavenging and supported my family.

Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi were both very bright, and the next day they appeared before Wen Zike with perfect knowledge. Wen Zike praised them for their quick wit.

He is at least more perceptive than most members of the Wen family.

Learning the formulas wasn't enough; the two of them had to get up early every day to practice basic skills with their family—horse stance, boxing, and basic swordsmanship.

After practicing for two days, Zhao Ningning was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow at night. When she ate, she found that her appetite had increased!

On the other side, Wang Licun, who was walking ahead, found a recessed stone wall and used it to take shelter from the rain.

When the group left the cave, there were still eighty-seven people left.

They thought the bandits behind them had given up and walked confidently for a day. But after only one day, the jackals caught up with them again.

Wang Licun lost eleven people before escaping with their lives.

Hiding beneath the mountainside, the villagers were all somewhat depressed and anxious.

The village head looked at the sky outside, then at the people in the group, unable to find the words to comfort them.

This time, even his youngest son and his entire family died at the hands of the ruthless bandits.

The village head secretly shed tears.

The space below the mountain wall was cramped. Ning's parents huddled together in the carriage, each holding a steamed bun and taking small bites.

Such fierce bandits blocking the road... Ning's father began to pray that if Ningning and Xiaoqi were still alive, they would never take this road.

What he didn't know was that Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi not only took this route, but Zhao Ningning also killed the leader of the bandits.

At this moment, through the rain, Zhao Ningning and her group were only five miles away from the group from Wangli Village!

The rain intensified as night fell, but by late afternoon, the light was so dim that it was almost impossible to see the path beneath one's feet.

The man in front rode back and said, "Young Master, there's a mountain wall ahead that looks like it's recessed!"

Wen Zike: "Let's go down to the foot of the mountain; tonight, both the livestock and the people can get a good rest!"

The group slowly walked over, and only when they got closer did they see that there was already a group of refugees at the foot of the mountain wall.

Without Wen Zike's instructions, the group turned around and headed elsewhere.

Zhao Ningning, who was standing at the front of the car ready to get off, could only turn around and crawl into the car.

Since this place is occupied, they have no choice but to find another place to go.

As the convoy approached, Ning's mother, sitting on the hood of one of the cars, felt a strange unease. She couldn't help but stand on the hood and look out, just in time to see a little girl whose figure looked a lot like Ningning crawling into the car.

"Ningning!"

Ning's mother leaned forward, holding onto the car door, and called out again, "Ningning!"

"Ningning? Ningning and the others are back?!" Ning's father scrambled out of the carriage and looked ahead to see a convoy of carriages turning around.

No one responded to them.

"Oh, I must be seeing things." Ning's mother said dejectedly, holding Ning's father's hand.

The next second, through the rain, two figures, one tall and one short, were running towards them.

"mother!"

Two voices shouted alternately.

Ning's mother's face lit up with joy. She jumped off the front of the car and ran towards the two people.

Forgetting to even grab the oil-paper umbrella, Ning's father followed closely behind. His precious children were back! Back!

As soon as the four met, Ning's mother reached out and hugged both children. Zhao Ningning quickly handed the umbrella she was holding to Ning's father, saying, "Dad! Mom!"

"Oh! Oh!" Ning's mother was so excited that tears were about to stream down her face. "You...you were so worried about me!"

Ning's father: "Let's go back first!"

It was raining heavily outside, and as they spoke, half of their clothes were soaked.

Coming back to her senses from the joy of reunion, Zhao Ningning took her mother's hand and said, "Mom, this convoy belongs to the Wen family. I want to ask the village head if we should travel with them."

The reason she took a while was to ask Wen Zichuan what he thought.

If they had met by chance, Wen Zichuan might not have acted together with Wang Licun.

But now that Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi are learning martial arts with the Wen family, it won't hurt for Zhao Ningning to ask one more question.

What if the Wen family is willing to go together?

She just asked Wen Zichuan, and Wen Zichuan didn't keep her waiting long before explaining his considerations:

They can travel with Wang Li Village. Except for night patrols and when encountering danger, the Wen family members do not participate in village affairs.

After listening, Ning's mother said, "Deli Zheng and the village chief have agreed."

"Let's go talk to them!" Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi each took one of their parents' hands and walked towards the mountainside.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, the village head and the village chief were also happy that the two children had returned safely.

Zhao Ningning told the village head and chief about the Wen family's high level of martial arts skills and how they had wiped out a band of mountain bandits. The village head immediately approved the Wen family's joining.

They were a group of eighty or so ruthless bandits that no one wanted to mess with, but this group of ten or so killed them!

With them joining, the team will definitely be much safer!

After both sides reached an agreement, Zhao Ningning went back to tell Wen Zichuan.

At the same time, the village head told the villagers that the Wen family had killed all the bandits, and pointed out that the Wen family members were highly skilled in martial arts and that it would be much safer with them in the group.

The villagers all agreed to let this team join.

The villagers whose families had been killed by the ruthless bandits were so excited that they knelt down and kowtowed in the direction where their families were buried, chanting that their great revenge had been avenged.

Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi, along with the village head and chief, went to inform the Wen family. Only then did the Wen family's carriage turn around and move closer to the mountainside.

After approaching the mountain wall, Wen Zichuan got out of the car and followed Zhao Ningning to the front of the mountain wall.

A few drops of rain fell from above, but it didn't affect walking or talking.

After exchanging greetings and names with the village head, Wen Zichuan and the village head officially "joined" the Wangli Village community.

With new faces in the group, the villagers were very curious. Taking advantage of coming out for some fresh air, many people quietly observed the newly joined Wen family members.

The Shang family members who had joined earlier also came over with a small bundle of dried meat to chat.

Zhao Huilan, who was sheltering from the rain at the foot of the mountain, witnessed this scene and felt extremely resentful: There was food available! But they wouldn't give her any more!

The Wen family politely declined the dried meat sent by the Shang family, but they did respond to any messages they received.

Sitting under a makeshift shed made of wooden sticks and tarpaulin, a group of people talked around a campfire.

"When we fought with those bandits, we captured two people for questioning," Wen Zichuan said. "They used to operate near Angu County, where the terrain is higher, and the floodwaters receded two days later."

When the bandits were forced up the mountain by the flood, the village where Wangli Village had originally settled had already been submerged.

This group of people came up the mountain from another path. They used to rob people on a small scale at the foot of the mountain, but as the world became chaotic, they took the opportunity to block a main road and rob many wealthy people passing by.

One robbery was enough for them to eat and drink for a while. After being forced up the mountain by the flood, they blocked a road into the mountain and changed their targets to refugees fleeing to the mountains.

They continued their robbery up the mountain, and by the time they reached the top, the floodwaters had already risen quite high.

"...The floodwaters at the foot of the mountain are rising higher and higher, and the lower hilltops are completely submerged."

Wen Zichuan drew a few simple lines on the ground with a twig.

"If we continue forward, it will be a three-day hike to the highest point of the Baihe Mountains."

"If the water level keeps rising... this is probably the safest place in the entire Shirakawa Mountains."

Upon hearing this news, the others remained silent for a long time.

Ning's father, who had been sitting on the sidelines listening in thanks to Ning Ning, also fell silent.

As they walked up the mountain, they only found the path difficult to traverse, never imagining... that such a scene would unfold at the foot of the mountain.

The area below is so flooded that people who can escape will definitely run up the mountain, and the number of refugees on the mountain will only increase in the future.

—Who wouldn't drown the whole world?

The thought crossed Ning's father's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

When there were nine suns in the sky before, the temperature wasn't so extreme that people would die from the heat as soon as they went outside. This time it's raining... so it definitely won't be.

The village chief used branches to stoke the fire and said in a low voice, "Shall we walk to that hillside that Young Master Wen mentioned, find a spot to hold our position, and observe the water level below before making any decisions?"

Wen Zichuan explained his team's plan: "We originally planned to find a place to stay on that hill ahead, but we didn't expect to catch up with you here by such a coincidence."

The village head nodded: "Let's settle down up ahead."

After discussing how to proceed, the village headman moved the area where Wang Li Village's livestock had been kept to make room for the Wen family's horses.

The Wen family members were able to rest in the carriage, so they didn't have to squeeze into the small spot under the mountainside where they could shelter from the rain, like the people from Wangli Village.

Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi reunited with their parents, leaving Wen Zike's original carriage empty, and Wen Zike went back to sleep in his own carriage.

After Ning's father finished his meeting and returned home, the family sat on the side of the carriage, and Ning's mother lovingly stroked Zhao Qi's hair at the back of his head.

The wound there has healed, leaving a small white scar, and hair will never grow back in that area.

Zhao Qi felt a little awkward. He sat on the hood of the car and said hesitantly, "...It's okay. Ningning applied medicine to my wounds every day, and it's all better now."

"Thank goodness... thank goodness you two are alright!" Ning's mother wiped away her tears, and Ning's father, sitting to the side, also wiped away his tears.

Zhao Ningning: "..."

Ning's father: "You have no idea, after you two stopped seeing each other, your mother couldn't sleep for several days in a row."

Not only could Ning's mother not sleep, but Ning's father couldn't sleep either.

The moment they close their eyes, they are having recurring nightmares about being separated from their children.

Zhao Ningning comforted her, "Alright, alright...we're all back now, we'll never be apart again."

The two adults were laughing and crying, which made Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi shed tears for a while as well.

"Oh, right!" Zhao Ningning changed the subject, "My brother can enter the spatial dimension now!"

When it came to entering the space, Zhao Ningning lowered her voice to a whisper. Sure enough, her parents' attention was drawn to this, and they looked at Zhao Qi and then at Zhao Ningning.

Zhao Ningning nodded, "It's still a matter of permissions. Maybe if we wait a little longer, you can go in too."

Ning's father couldn't help but imagine: "If the whole family could go in... why would we need to flee the famine! We have food and drink at home, we can just hide inside and come out again when things are peaceful outside."

"That's great..." Ning's mother patted Zhao Ningning's head. "It's fine if only the two of you can go in now. You're both small and weak, so if you encounter any danger, at least you'll have a place to hide."

It was too crowded down the mountainside; this wasn't a place to talk. Ning's parents let the two children go into the carriage to rest, while they personally guarded the door.

The awning that used to provide shade on the roof was replaced with a tarpaulin that could keep out the rain, and several places on the body of the vehicle were patched with wooden planks.

Zhao Ningning touched a large hole in the carriage and sighed inwardly: It seems that her parents have had a tough journey.

On their first day back, Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi obediently slept right in the train carriage.

Ning's parents took turns getting up in the middle of the night to check if their two children had really returned.

They were all afraid that the two children's return was just a dream.

The next morning, Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi got up and practiced horse stance with the Wen family members outside, practicing the basics.

Seeing this, Ning's father was extremely curious, and Zhao Ningning dropped a bombshell: "They can fly!"

"What! It can fly?! Lightness skill?!" Ning's father's eyes were practically gleaming; he had grown up reading martial arts novels!

Zhao Ningning nodded, "However, they can't teach you yet."

Ning's father was a little disappointed that he couldn't learn it himself; it was a real loss since he had taken care of himself. "It's alright," he said, "I'm getting old now, and it's probably not suitable for me to learn these things anymore. You two study hard, and then fly for me to see!"

Despite saying that, he still stood to the side with his hands in his pockets, watching the two children with envy.

The Wen family's practice of martial arts also attracted the attention of the villagers of Wangli Village.

However, most of them were just curious, while some felt at ease: with someone in the group who knew martial arts, they wouldn't be afraid of bandits or thieves on their journey!

After a night's rest, the group readjusted and set off again, with the village head and the Wen family leading the way, followed by other families with horse-drawn carriages.

Behind them were people pulling the cart without any livestock.

Traveling in the rain is really difficult.

As they walked toward the highest peak, they encountered two more groups of refugees who had come from other directions.

But their team had a large number of people, and the opposing side was afraid they would steal their food, so they simply went around them.

On the third night, as predicted, the people of Wangli Village arrived at the highest peak.

Because of the trauma from the previous thunderstorm, they dared not stay at the highest point of the mountain, but instead found a slightly flatter spot at the bottom to settle down.

Tell everyone not to rush to build the sheds too well. The village head sent a few people to look for a cave where they could take shelter.

Wang Xiufeng rode his horse, leading two men from the village and two members of the Wen family on a ride around the mountain.

They actually found one!

The cave has a large entrance but is shallow, so if the wind is even slightly strong, rain can easily get inside.

There was also trash and animal excrement left on the ground by the previous group.

But it's still better than having nowhere to stay.

Three people were left to watch the cave, while Wang Xiufeng and another person rode back quickly to inform the villagers to come here.

Upon hearing that there was a cave, the villagers carefully loaded everything they hadn't yet unloaded from the cart back onto it and followed the village head's son toward the cave.

Ningning's family hadn't even started unloading anything from the truck when Wang Xiufeng returned and informed them that they could continue their journey once the mules were harnessed.

The group of people went to the cave that Wang Xiufeng had mentioned. When they arrived at the cave entrance, they found that there were forty or fifty people standing in confrontation with the three men!

Someone wants to rob the cave!