TSWPF -Chapter 86 Injured

Li Qingling’s heart skipped a beat as she exchanged a glance with Liu Zhimou. Both of their eyes were resolute. They turned back to peer through the cracks in the rocks at the outside.

Her hands gripping the bow and arrow were drenched in sweat. At this moment, she was truly scared—terrified.

She had only just been given a second chance at life; she didn’t want to die so soon.

Her younger siblings were still small and hadn’t seen enough of the world. She couldn’t bear for them to lose their lives so quickly.

But facing these soldiers, she wasn’t confident she could kill them all.

Even if she did manage to shoot them down, it could draw others over, and then none of them would escape.

Could it be… that today they were really going to die?

She… refused to accept that!

Li Qingling bit down hard on her teeth, her molars drawing blood. She didn’t feel it at all. At this moment, all she thought about was how to survive—and bring her siblings with her.

“Up there? What’s up there? Just cliffs and rocks, right?” one soldier sneered after a glance.

Another soldier frowned, inspecting the area several times. “I feel something’s off,” he muttered. “Let me go check it out.” Without another word, he stepped toward the cave.

Li Qingling bit her lip, nocked an arrow, ready to shoot. At this moment, she had calmed down, no longer as panicked as before.

There was only one thought in her mind: survival.

That thought gave her infinite courage.

She took a deep breath, stepped back a few paces, hid herself properly, and signaled Liu Zhimou to do the same. She planned to shoot the soldier as soon as he moved the stone and peered inside.

This was the only way to kill him with a single arrow.

Li Qingfeng’s children also realized the seriousness of the situation. They hid under the blankets, afraid to move, not wanting to distract their elder siblings.

Just as the soldier was about to climb up, the call for assembly sounded.

“Already calling for assembly? Damn, I haven’t even caught the rabbit yet!”

“Move, move! Stop talking nonsense—hurry before you get punished.”

The soldier shot a reluctant glance, then turned and followed the others. But he was planning to sneak back later to scout.

Once the soldiers were gone, Li Qingling slumped to the ground, utterly shaken. This time, she had truly been terrified.

Liu Zhimou leaned against the rock, took a deep breath, and slowly approached her, wrapping her in his arms and gently patting her back.

He knew she had been scared.

In truth, he was scared too. If they had truly confronted the soldiers, he would have risked his life to ensure the children escaped.

Fortunately, the assembly call came just in time, or they would have been discovered.

Li Qingling leaned against Liu Zhimou, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. Normally, she wasn’t this nervous even facing wild animals. This time, she was on edge to the extreme.

After sitting on the ground for a while, she finally spoke. “Let’s leave here first and hide deeper in the mountains.” She saw the lingering look of reluctance on the soldier’s face and feared he might come back to investigate.

They couldn’t stay here any longer. Staying would risk being discovered.

Liu Zhimou nodded and helped her up, asking if she could stand. She nodded in response.

He then called the children and quickly instructed them on what to do.

The regular training had paid off. Upon hearing Liu Zhimou’s orders, the children rose without question and began tidily packing their things.

They mainly packed food supplies, knowing that during an escape, provisions were the most important.

In the mountains, the temperature difference between day and night could be significant. Li Qingling, worried the younger ones might get cold at night, wrapped up the quilts and placed them aside, ready to take them along.

Once she checked that the children had packed, she said, “Wait here while I scout ahead.” She wanted to ensure there were no enemies outside and avoid running into them.

Liu Zhimou told her to be careful, and she nodded, cautiously moving the rocks aside and stepping out with her bow.

She carefully concealed herself while scouting and found no sign of enemies, allowing her to breathe a small sigh of relief before returning.

She whispered quietly to avoid alerting Liu Zhimou and the others, then slipped inside.

“Let’s go.” Li Qingling hoisted the quilt onto her back, took the items Li Qingfeng carried, and had him hold his sister as they hurriedly moved out.

Once everyone was outside, she moved the rocks back into place.

She hoped they wouldn’t be discovered here. If so, their food supplies would be lost.

Li Qingling anxiously led the group deeper into the mountains.

The path was remote and difficult, but everyone kept quiet, following closely.

Even the youngest, Li Qingning, didn’t make a sound, lying obediently on her brother’s back, her wide eyes curiously observing her surroundings.

Li Qingling exhaled softly, looking at the exhausted but silent children. She said tenderly, “Let’s rest here for a bit.” She set down her belongings, worried that continuing further might overwhelm them. “Here, have some water.” She gave them water secretly infused with spirit energy.

After drinking, the children felt much better.

Liu Zhimou returned the water to her, allowing her to drink. Li Qingling took a sip and then handed it back.

There wasn’t much water left. If it ran out, they would have nothing to drink when thirsty.

They were old enough to endure, but the two younger sisters were the most vulnerable.

“Should we continue further?” Liu Zhimou asked, observing the increasingly desolate mountains. Though uneasy, he trusted Li Qingling—he would support whatever decision she made.

She nodded, saying they must go deeper to avoid encountering enemies.

Though venturing deeper meant a higher chance of meeting wild animals, she preferred that to meeting humans.

These enemies were not good people. If caught, there would be no mercy.

They might not even spare little girls, like the scenes she had seen in films of the Nanjing Massacre, where young girls were tortured to death—a terrifying thought.

Before Liu Zhimou could finish speaking, Li Qingling shushed him, eyes fixed ahead.

Seeing her expression, the others immediately tensed. Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhiyan instinctively covered the mouths of the younger sisters.

Fortunately, the sisters were used to it and did not protest.

“Damn, if we hadn’t heard the assembly call, that tiger would’ve been ours.”

At that moment, a group of soldiers slowly appeared ahead, about a dozen, each carrying captured prey, looking satisfied with their hunt.

“Alright, let’s move quickly. If we don’t return soon, our lives might be at risk.” They had ventured deep, and running back after hearing the call had taken a long time. Hoping that the head would overlook them since they had captured so much.

The thought of their strict leader made them shiver. They quickly ran off, carrying their prey.

Once the soldiers were gone, Li Qingling and the others exhaled slowly. Seeing a dozen soldiers, they hadn’t dared to move a muscle, afraid of being discovered.

They couldn’t rest any longer. Li Qingling gestured, hoisted the supplies, and continued their stealthy trek deeper into the mountains.

The journey was perilous, with several near encounters with enemies, all avoided through careful hiding.

After walking for an unknown duration, they finally came across an injured Ah Huang and stopped.

“Ah Huang…” Li Qingling dropped her supplies and rushed over. Seeing the bloodied wound on its leg, her eyes reddened with pain.

It turned out the tiger injured by the group earlier was Ah Huang.

Ah Bai saw Li Qingling approaching and let out two whimpers, pleading with her to save Ah Huang.

Ah Huang weakly glanced at Li Qingling, letting out a painful whine.

“Let me see the wound.” Li Qingling knelt down and carefully examined it. The injury appeared to be caused by a spear—quite deep.

To have survived such a serious injury, Ah Huang was lucky. But if the bleeding wasn’t stopped, it might die from blood loss.

Li Qingling turned to Liu Zhimou urgently. “Brother Zhimou, help clean Ah Huang’s wound. I’ll go find some hemostatic herbs.” Without waiting for his reply, she ran off.

The children, seeing Ah Huang’s dire state, shed tears of worry.

Ah Huang had grown up with them and shared a deep bond. They feared it might not survive.

“Ah Huang, you’ll be fine. I’ll give you meat.” Liu Zhirou patted Ah Huang’s head, sobbing as she coaxed it.

“Meat…” Li Qingning, lying on the ground, hugged Ah Huang’s head and echoed softly.

Ah Huang extended its tongue to lick Li Qingning’s cheek, replying in its own way.

It had initially fled to the deep mountains, but worried about Li Qingling and the others, it tried to return. Unexpectedly, it ran into the enemies—dozens of them attacking. It barely escaped with its life.

Thankfully, it had run desperately, but dared not seek Li Qingling again, fearing it might bring danger. It could only flee further into the mountains, dragging its injured leg until it collapsed from exhaustion.

It had thought it would die here silently, but unexpectedly, it had encountered Li Qingling and the others.

Seeing them, its despair sparked hope again. It didn’t want to die yet; it wanted to grow up alongside the children.