TSWPF -Chapter 103 Grief

The old man, seeing the situation, turned to Li Qingfeng and the others and shouted, “Go! Quickly, go now…!”

If they didn’t leave immediately, it would be too late.

Tears welled in their eyes as Li Qingfeng and the others turned and ran, crying as they went.

The old man let out a long sigh, picked up a stone from the ground, and ran toward the direction Xiaoxi had fled.

He saw Xiaoxi, darting about in panic as the wolf chased her. Raising the stone, he hurled it at the wolf’s body and—just like Xiaoxi—taunted it loudly, “You stupid wolf! What kind of skill is it to chase a little girl? If you’ve got guts, come after me!”

The wolf, struck in the head by the stone, halted briefly. It turned to glare at the old man, then back at Xiaoxi. After a moment’s hesitation, it abandoned Xiaoxi and lunged toward the old man instead.

Seeing his plan had worked, the old man spun on his heel and began to run with all his might.

“Grandpa!” Xiaoxi cried, tears streaming down her face.

As he ran, the old man shouted back at her, “Xiaoxi, run! Don’t you dare do something foolish—run, quickly!”

If he could exchange his old life for the lives of those children, it was worth it.

Xiaoxi’s tears fell like rain. Ever since her mother died and her father remarried, her life had been miserable. Even though she worked from dawn to dusk, she was beaten and scolded, and going hungry had become normal.

When the drought came, her father and stepmother saw her and Dahe as burdens. They abandoned them, fleeing with the stepmother’s two sons.

She and Dahe had hidden at home, starving and nearly dying, until Sister Xiaoling found them. Sister Xiaoling took them in, fed them, and gave them warmth—so they no longer had to fear starving to death.

When Grandpa arrived, he treated her kindly too. He often encouraged her, teaching her how to recognize medicinal herbs.

These past days had been the happiest time in her life.

She had lived joyfully—and was content.

Wiping her tears with her sleeve, Xiaoxi bit her lip and chased after the wolf.

She didn’t want Grandpa to die. Not at all.

But the old man was old and frail. After running some distance, his steps slowed, his legs felt heavy, and he could barely lift them anymore.

He couldn’t stop yet—he needed to buy more time for the children to get farther away.

He clenched his teeth and forced himself to keep running, but then stumbled— Bang! He fell hard to the ground.

The wolf behind him howled and lunged straight at him.

The old man turned his head, saw the wolf pouncing, and slowly closed his eyes. So, this was the end—he would die in the wolf’s jaws today.

He only hoped those children could live.

Just then, a small figure threw herself over him. Before he could react, he heard a muffled sound—and a spray of warm blood splattered across his face.

The old man’s eyes flew open. He saw Xiaoxi—her face pale, her eyes wide open in shock—her neck clamped in the wolf’s jaws.

“Xiaoxi…” he murmured, dazed.

Xiaoxi tried to smile at him, to say something, but before she could speak, her head drooped, lifeless.

The old man lifted his face to the sky and cried out in anguish, “Xiaoxi!”

How could she be so foolish? Didn’t he tell her to run? Why did she come back?

“I’ll fight you to the death!”

He snatched up a sharp stone from the ground and hurled it at the wolf’s eye.

The pointed rock struck true—bursting the wolf’s eye. The wolf howled in pain, releasing Xiaoxi’s neck, baring its fangs as it lunged at the old man instead.

The old man’s eyes were wide and fierce, fearless even before death. He grabbed whatever he could reach—stones, branches—and hurled them at the beast.

But nothing could stop the wolf’s charge.

As its gaping maw closed in on him, the old man smiled—a look of weary relief—and wrapped his arms tightly around Xiaoxi’s gradually chilling body.

At least, on the road to the afterlife, Xiaoxi wouldn’t be alone.

When Liu Zhimou and Shiyi arrived, they were met with the heartbreaking sight—the old man clutching Xiaoxi’s body, the ground stained with blood.

“Grandpa!” Liu Zhimou shouted.

Whizz!

An instant later, Shiyi’s hidden weapon shot out, striking the wolf’s head. He dashed forward at the same time.

The wolf froze mid-lunge, mouth wide open, drool dripping onto the old man’s face.

The stench made the old man nearly retch. He turned his head aside and pushed against the wolf’s jaw. With a loud thud, the beast collapsed.

The old man blinked in confusion. What…?

Then he noticed the small dart embedded in the wolf’s skull—it was that weapon that had killed it.

“Grandpa!” Liu Zhimou rushed over, but froze when he saw Xiaoxi in the old man’s arms.

“Xiaoxi, she…”

The old man’s eyes reddened, tears spilling down his wrinkled cheeks. “She… she died saving me,” he choked out.

Looking down at Xiaoxi’s lifeless face, her eyes still open, his tears fell faster. He gently tried to close her eyes, but they wouldn’t stay shut.

Choking up, he murmured, “Xiaoxi, don’t you worry. I’ll treat Dahe like my own grandson.”

Only after saying this did he finally manage to close her eyes.

Liu Zhimou clenched his fists, swallowing his grief. He helped the old man to his feet.

“Where are the others?” he asked, heart pounding with fear for the other children.

The old man wiped his face with his sleeve and said anxiously, “Hurry and find the others. I told them to split up and run—I don’t know which way they went.”

They were still so young. If wild beasts found them… it’d be disastrous.

Liu Zhimou’s face paled. Taking a steadying breath, he said, “We’ll go together. We can’t stay here—the smell of blood will attract more beasts.”

The old man nodded and followed, carrying Xiaoxi’s body.

As they walked, Liu Zhimou called out the children’s names, his voice echoing through the forest. But after nearly half an hour, they hadn’t found a single one. His anxiety grew heavier.

“Brother Shiyi, can you project your voice across the mountain?” he asked.

Shiyi nodded, climbed a tall tree, and gathered his inner strength before shouting, “Liu Zhiyan! Where are you? Your brother Liu Zhimou is looking for you!”

His voice rolled across the mountains like thunder.

The scattered children heard it.

Li Qingfeng stopped, clutching Li Qingning tightly. Her face was scratched by branches. “Sister, Brother Zhimou is looking for us,” he said.

He turned, wanting to follow the sound—but hesitated. What if it was a trap?

Liu Zhiyan had the same thought. They both wanted to go back but feared it was a trick from the enemy—if they returned, they might walk straight into danger.

Liu Zhimou realized this after Shiyi’s call and had Shiyi carry him up a tree. He shouted with all his might, letting the echo roll through the mountains: “Xiaoyan! Xiaofeng! Dahe! If you hear my voice, answer me!”

He repeated the call several times before stopping.

The children heard him faintly—their eyes lit up, and they shouted back.

“Brother Shiyi, do you hear them?” Liu Zhimou asked.

Shiyi nodded, pointing southeast.

Relief flickered across Liu Zhimou’s face. “Stay where you are,” he shouted. “I’m coming to find you!”

Then, with Shiyi’s help, he leapt down and ran toward the direction of the voices.

After another half hour, Liu Zhimou finally found Li Qingfeng and Li Qingning. Seeing them safe, he smiled for the first time that day.

When Li Qingning saw him, she broke down and cried—she had held it in all this time, only to release it upon seeing him.

Liu Zhimou gathered her in his arms. “It’s alright now, it’s alright. Big brother’s here,” he soothed, patting her back.

Then he looked at Li Qingfeng, whose eyes were red from tears, and ruffled his hair. “You did well, Xiaofeng. You were very brave.”

These children had done remarkably well to make it this far.

Li Qingfeng trembled as he asked, “Brother Zhimo… where’s my sister? Is she…?”

Noticing his fear, Liu Zhimou quickly shook his head. “Don’t worry, your sister’s fine. Ah Huang and Ah Bai were badly hurt, so she stayed in the cave to treat them.”

Li Qingfeng exhaled in relief, tears spilling again—but this time, from gratitude.

Thank goodness she’s alright…

He wiped his face and noticed the old man behind Liu Zhimou. Seeing the blood on the old man’s face, he rushed over, worried. “Grandpa, are you hurt?”

The old man pressed his lips together and shook his head heavily. “It’s Xiaoxi’s… She… was bitten by the wolf saving me.”

His voice broke; he couldn’t continue.

Li Qingfeng’s gaze dropped—and when he saw Xiaoxi’s lifeless form, he trembled. “Sister Xiaoxi…” he whispered.

But Xiaoxi would never answer again.

Though they hadn’t known her long, he had come to see the hardworking, kind girl as his sister. Now she was gone—never to laugh or play with them again—and grief weighed heavily on him.

If she hadn’t drawn the wolf away to save them, she would still be alive.

“Sister Xiaoxi…” Li Qingning stared at Xiaoxi’s blood-soaked body and murmured, “Pain… it must hurt…” Bleeding always hurt.

Liu Zhimou gently stroked her small head. “She’s just tired,” he said softly. “She’s gone to sleep. Let’s not disturb her, alright?”

“Sleep… sleep…” Li Qingning nodded seriously.

“Yes, sleep,” Liu Zhimou managed a faint smile, then turned to Shiyi. “Brother Shiyi, where’s the next group?”

“Follow me,” Shiyi said, leading the way.

They walked for another quarter of an hour and finally found Liu Zhiyan and Liu Zhirou—not far from where Li Qingfeng and Li Qingning had been.

When Liu Zhiyan saw Liu Zhimou, he could no longer hold back. He rushed forward, throwing himself into his brother’s arms, crying, “Brother!”