TSWPF -Chapter 85 Panic

I never expected the troops of King Nanyan to arrive at Anyang County so quickly—much faster than he had imagined. Could it be that Anyang County had already been taken?

Now that they were staying in the mountains, they really had no idea what was happening outside.

“Xiaoling, did you see them from outside the perimeter of Song Mountain?” Liu Zhi frowned as he asked Li Qingling.

Li Qingling leaned against the edge of the cave entrance and peered through a small crack in the rocks. “Yes, I heard them say they were coming this way to hunt, so I ran back quickly.” Thankfully, Ah Huang was here; otherwise, they would have been in serious trouble.

Facing so many soldiers, it would have been hard for her to escape alone, let alone with several children.

The thought made her break out in a cold sweat.

Hearing this, Liu Zhimou’s frown deepened. He turned to the children, especially Li Qingning and Liu Zhirou. “There are bad people coming to get us. You must not make a sound. If you do, and they will catch you, you won’t see your older brothers and sisters again, understand?”

The older kids nodded; they understood the situation. He wasn’t worried about them, only the two little ones, who didn’t yet know what was happening and might blurt something out.

The younger two shook their heads in fear when they heard they might never see their siblings again, promising to stay quiet.

“Good…” Liu Zhimou reached out to gently rub the heads of the two little ones and praised them. “Xiaofeng, take care of your sisters, got it?” Then he turned to Li Qingfeng and the others.

Li Qingfeng and the others nodded. “Don’t worry, Brother Zhimou. We’ll take care of our sisters.” At such a critical moment, they wouldn’t let the younger ones falter.

This time was different. If they slipped up now, it would really be a matter of life and death.

Liu Zhimou nodded and stood up, walking over to Li Qingling. He took her clenched hands in his, slowly opening her fingers and gently holding them.

Feeling the cold sweat in her palms, he whispered, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Li Qingling let out a quiet breath, closed her eyes briefly, then looked at him. “I’m really scared…” She was afraid the soldiers would find them. She couldn’t protect them.

He squeezed her slightly trembling hands and pressed his lips together. “It’s alright.” At that moment, he didn’t even know what words could comfort her. Any words would feel so pale and powerless.

He hated that he wasn’t strong enough to protect her, that she had to face this fear alone.

Li Qingling shifted slightly, leaning against him, hoping to draw some sense of safety from him. Only then could she stop feeling like she was holding everything up by herself, trembling in fear.

Liu Zhimou draped an arm around her shoulders, full of apology. “I’m sorry I can’t do more.” Compared to Li Qingling, he had done far too little.

Hearing his guilty words, she shook her head. “Don’t say sorry. You’ve already helped me so much. Really, without you, I don’t know what I’d do.” On the surface, it seemed she was holding the family together.

In reality, it was him supporting everything—from teaching the children to handling the household. She had hardly done anything.

He was the one giving more, though he didn’t realize it.

Liu Zhimou’s grip on her shoulder tightened. If he could, he would shelter her from the world and let her live without worry.

But he couldn’t do that yet. He wasn’t strong enough.

Someday, he would. He would definitely do it.

The two of them stayed close in silence. Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhiyan exchanged a glance, then each picked up their own sister and quietly soothed them to sleep.

They hoped the younger siblings would sleep. Only if they slept would they stay silent.

Perhaps they were simply tired. Under the gentle coaxing, the two little ones soon fell asleep.

Carefully covering them with blankets and leaving Dahe and Xiaoxi to watch them, the older two quietly returned to Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou’s side.

“Big sister, will those bad people really come in?” Li Qingfeng asked softly, snuggling close.

Seeing her serious expression, he knew that the Nanyan troops were formidable. If they fell into their hands, it could mean death.

Li Qingling glanced at him and sighed. “If they want to hunt, they will come this way. There’s not much game outside the mountains, so they’ll have to come here to hunt.”

“Big sister, I’ll protect you.” Despite his fear, he straightened his back, determined to protect her.

His father had told him that as a boy, he must protect his sister and be her support.

Touched, Li Qingling reached out and ruffled his hair with a smile. “Thanks, Xiaofeng. But now you have a mission.” Pausing as he looked puzzled, she continued, “Take care of your sisters and don’t let them wake up.” It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Dahe and Xiaoxi, but since the little ones were raised by their younger brother, they would sleep more soundly with him.

Seeing her resolve, Li Qingfeng closed his eyes and reluctantly nodded before returning to the bed.

To keep his sister from worrying, he would watch over the little ones properly.

“You go too,” Liu Zhimou said, looking at Liu Zhiyan standing beside him.

Liu Zhiyan had thought he could escape and stay with his older brother, but he was driven away too.

Once Liu Zhiyan left, Liu Zhimou held Li Qingling close, silently standing by the cave entrance, waiting for the enemy to arrive.

Time passed, and Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou’s feet grew sore and their bodies stiff, but the enemies finally appeared.

“Damn… I saw it first, don’t try to take it from me!”

“What do you mean you saw it first? Clearly, I saw it first! Don’t get any ideas!”

The sudden shouting startled Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou. They instinctively straightened, staring outside.

Soon, several figures carrying spears appeared.

“Is this prey possessed or something? Why is it so hard to catch?”

“Trying to get a snack isn’t easy.”

“If we see the meat, we should be happy. Stop talking nonsense and find that rabbit—where did it run off to?”

The soldiers spoke irritably, constantly scanning the area for the rabbit they had seen earlier.

Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou held their breath, terrified of being discovered.

If they were seen, their whole family would be doomed.

“Bad people…”

In the tense silence, a childish voice suddenly sounded, almost scaring Li Qingling and the others out of their wits.

Li Qingfeng stared at Li Qingning, thinking she had woken, and tried to cover her mouth. But she was still asleep, only talking in her dreams.

He hesitated, unsure if he should cover her mouth. Covering it might wake her.

He looked at Li Qingling for guidance.

She silently mouthed: Cover her.

To be safe, he did, gently covering Li Qingning’s mouth to prevent her from speaking.

Seeing this, Liu Zhiyan also covered Liu Zhirou’s mouth, just in case.

Li Qingling then turned her gaze back outside. Her utterance of “bad people” probably hadn’t been heard by the soldiers.

Just then, one soldier near the cave said, “I think I just heard someone talking.” But he wasn’t sure.

Upon hearing this, Li Qingling and the others’ hearts leapt, palms sweating.

“You heard wrong, right? Who else would be out here in the wilderness?”

“Exactly, everyone who needed to flee already did. I wanted to vent a little, but there’s no woman here for that.”

Hearing this, the soldier scratched his head, thinking he might have misheard. Indeed, no one else should be here.

“Stop talking nonsense and find that rabbit! I don’t believe it can escape our trap.”

“Quiet! The louder you speak, the more the prey runs away.”

Agreeing, the soldiers fell silent and searched for the fleeing rabbit.

“Why do I feel like someone lives here?” One soldier spoke again, noticing footprints on the ground. “Look, aren’t these footprints?”

“Really… Could it be true? Someone lives here?”

Li Qingling bit her lip, not daring to look further. She tugged at Liu Zhimou’s hand. He understood and withdrew his gaze.

Yet their joined hands trembled—they were genuinely afraid of being discovered.

Taking a deep breath, Li Qingling released his hand, wiped the sweat from her palm on her clothes, and picked up her bow and arrow, ready to fight at any moment.

If discovered, she would risk everything to shoot them. Even if survival was slim, she would fight.

“Let’s check if someone really lives here.”

“I hope it’s a woman.”

The soldiers no longer searched for the rabbit but eagerly looked for people instead.

They had been repressed for too long and needed release.

“Doesn’t it look a little strange up there?” The same soldier pointed toward Li Qingling and the others’ cave.

Seeing this, Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou’s hearts sank—they might have been discovered.