Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

The rain has not stopped.

Just as the bandits were about to stuff Maki into the sack, a rift suddenly appeared in the space between the two groups.

A purplish-black rift appeared out of nowhere, and light burst forth in the dark rain, illuminating the surroundings.

In the light, three figures, along with a small white dog, slowly emerged from the crack.

"Who goes there!" the bandits cried out in alarm.

Hayato's pupils contracted instantly.

He couldn't be mistaken—it was a space-time ninjutsu.

In the ninja world, there are only a handful of ninjas who can use space-time ninjutsu, and each one is a genius treasured by the major ninja villages.

Minato Namikaze, who earned the nickname "Yellow Flash" on the battlefield during these three wars, was such a figure.

The purple-haired girl in front of them, dressed in strange clothes, could be a noblewoman at the very least, even if she wasn't an elite from a great ninja village.

Hayato's expression was unpredictable as he stared intently at Sirin and the other two.

Although he was just a rogue ninja who couldn't even reach the level of a genin in the major ninja villages, he still had some insight after traveling all over the country for so many years.

A genius capable of using space-time ninjutsu is someone someone of his lowly status can't afford to offend.

But his ordinary bandits clearly lacked this insight.

Their gazes swept over Sirin and her group, and their eyes instantly revealed a greedy look.

These newly appeared girls were all outstanding in appearance, even prettier than the girl in linen clothes in front of them.

The bandits exchanged a glance, greed overpowering their fear.

"Boss! Three more top-notch girls have arrived! After this, we'll make enough money to live comfortably for the rest of our lives!"

"You bunch of idiots!"

Hayato shouted to stop him, raindrops dripping down his gloomy face.

"Didn't you see how hard it was raining? Didn't any of the three of them get wet at all?"

The bandits were taken aback, and then realized something was wrong.

The rain was still pouring down, but the three people and the dog were as dry as ever, as if the rain was blocked by an invisible layer.

"Release them, or wait until I take action," Xilin said.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the rain, carrying a sense of pressure that seemed out of place for her age.

Those golden eyes shifted slightly, landing on the hand that was gripping the collar of the maki-e dress.

If it weren't for the fact that I was with my little niece Lu Yao and didn't want a six-year-old girl to see a bloody scene, I would have done better.

She couldn't even be bothered to waste words with these people.

Hayato straightened up, swallowed hard, nodded repeatedly, and turned to shout at his subordinates.

"Release them! All of you, get out of the way!"

Although the bandits were unwilling, no one dared to disobey Hayato's orders.

The bandit suddenly let go of Maki's hand, and the girl fell into the muddy water.

Hayato dared not linger, not even daring to glance at Sirin, for fear she might change her mind at the last minute and lead the retreat from the abandoned village.

The seven figures quickly disappeared into the gray rain.

Seeing this, Xilin looked away, glanced down at Peipei who was curiously looking around at her feet, and then looked around at the trembling refugees around her, her brows furrowing slightly.

But she didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

"Sir, please wait a moment!"

A hoarse and urgent voice came from behind.

Xilin turned around.

As Maki struggled to her feet from the mud, not bothering to wipe the mud off her face, she staggered over to Sirin and knelt down with a thud.

Seeing this, Bella immediately stood in front of Celine, not believing that this girl who couldn't even stand properly was capable of hurting Her Majesty the Queen.

But she didn't want Celine to get splashed with the mud.

Maki's thin body trembled, her soaked linen clothes clung to her small frame, and rain streamed down her face, indistinguishable between rain and tears.

"Cough cough... My lord, I beg you, please save us!"

Maki's voice was choked with sobs as she slammed her head into the muddy water with a dull thud.

"We are refugees who fled from the Land of Rain... Our home was burned down, and we encountered bandits on the road... We have nowhere to go. Please, sir, have mercy and take us in... I... I will serve you like a slave to repay your kindness!"