Chapter 9: The Tyrant’s Brutality is Terrifying

The scholar tiptoed over to them, and without needing to be urged, he politely took his leave after expressing his thanks.

In the dark of night, Xia Mo gritted her teeth and helped the exhausted, silent Xiao Jingyuan search for a suitable place to spend the night, unsure if her choice was correct.

Although killing this man could be seen as ridding the world of a menace, it was clear that a swift death was not satisfying enough for a tyrant; he probably preferred torture.

Xiao Jingyuan was so violent and ruthless at such a young age that the more Xia Mo thought about it, the more she wanted to run away.

She was exhausted by the time they finally found an abandoned grass shed.

“Let’s spend the night here.”

The wind howled, and this shed was no better than being outside. After laying Xiao Jingyuan down, she tossed him the medicine and flashlight, telling him to tend to his wounds.

She then stepped outside, added some weeds to the roof of the shed, and used a thick stick to weigh it down, hoping to make it less drafty.

With each autumn breeze, the cold intensified, and after tonight’s strong winds, winter would surely set in.

After securing the roof, Xia Mo returned to the shed and saw that Xiao Jingyuan had already treated his wounds and was getting dressed.

He glanced at her indifferently and pushed the remaining medicine back to her.

Xia Mo said, “You’re so prone to injury; you should keep the medicine for yourself.”

Xiao Jingyuan didn’t argue and simply stuffed the leftover medicine into his bag.

“Are you regretting it?”

As she was about to go fetch dinner, Xia Mo paused.

“Regretting what?”

Xiao Jingyuan replied coolly, “I thought you would run away like the scholar.”

To be honest, she really did think about running away like the scholar.

However, given the progression of events, as his subordinate’s family, she would eventually be found by him. She couldn’t bear the thought of being caught by the tyrant’s wrath.

“How could that be?” Xia Mo forced a smile and said, “I know you were ridding the world of a menace. That man was full of lies; he looked no older than twenty. Where would he have an eighty-year-old mother and an eight-year-old child? If we let him go, who knows how many innocent people would die.”

Hearing her say this, Xiao Jingyuan’s expression softened slightly.

“However, I have a small suggestion for you.” She felt quite humble at that moment, as she had indeed been scared earlier.

“You killed him, and that’s that, but could you be a bit quicker about it? If you can finish him off with one strike, then why make so many cuts? It’s quite frightening.”

After saying this, Xia Mo cautiously watched him, and after a moment, he gently nodded.

“Alright, I promise you.”

Xia Mo sighed in relief.

“You must be hungry; I’ll go get us something to eat.”

In no time, Xia Mo had dinner ready.

They needed milk every day; both of them were at the age where they needed to grow, so they should drink more milk.

However, eating buns, bread, and porridge all the time was not right. Tonight, she brought out a self-heating rice box, worried he might think too much, and took out the same dish: braised beef with self-heating rice.

Xiao Jingyuan was astonished, watching her strange operation as the box began to steam and bubble, as if water were boiling.

But there was no fire.

“Is this cooking rice?”

“Yes.”

In his eyes, this was simply magical.

The things from Guanyin were indeed extraordinary.

After a while, the self-heating pot was ready, and Xia Mo divided a portion for him.

“Be careful; it’s hot.”

Cooking rice with magic was different; it was steaming hot without any fire.

The two of them enjoyed the meal to their hearts’ content. Xiao Jingyuan burped, revealing a satisfied smile.

With his hunger satisfied, the tension on his face eased, transforming him into a remarkably refined young boy.

“You have to drink the milk.” Xia Mo inserted the straw and handed it over.

Xiao Jingyuan found it strange. “Why do we have to drink this every day?”

“To supplement calcium. One box every morning and evening helps us grow taller.”

Xiao Jingyuan looked at Xia Mo, skeptical about whether drinking this would actually help with height.

‘He’ was only this tall at fifteen.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Can it really help me grow taller?”

Without any hostility, he looked quite cute, with a naive expression.

“Of course.” As a doctor, she was very certain that pure milk helps with growth.

“But why are you so short?”

Xia Mo: “…”

Was she short? Among women, her height was not considered short, but for men… well, maybe a bit.

“I still have room to grow. It’s exactly because I’m not tall that I need to drink more. You can drink it or not; it’s given by Guanyin.”

Xia Mo tried to grab the milk from his hands, but as soon as he heard it was from Guanyin, he quickly pulled it back.

“I’ll drink it.” If it really helped him grow, and he ended up taller while she didn’t, that wouldn’t do.

She couldn’t let him surpass her.

Xia Mo smiled; the sight of the pure, beautiful boy sipping through the straw was truly delightful.

After the meal, Xia Mo collected all the trash they had left behind and threw it into the convenience store’s trash bin.

This trash bin was also magical; the trash she put in this time would disappear by the next time she came in.

It had automatic recycling.

She had managed to make a makeshift bed with some weeds, so they each had their own spot, and it wouldn’t be cramped tonight.

Turning around, she saw Xiao Jingyuan holding her fruit knife and gesturing with it.

“This knife is nice; it’s easy to handle and very sharp. From now on, it’s mine.”

Xia Mo: “…” You really are not polite.

Anyway, there were more at the convenience store, and she could take one out when she needed it.

But seeing him gesturing with the knife reminded her of how he had just killed someone.

Her heart raced, and she cautiously asked, “Xia Wu, can I ask you a question?”

Xiao Jingyuan glanced at her and then continued to fiddle with the knife.

“If someone deceived you…”

Xiao Jingyuan’s expression quickly darkened.

Xia Mo hurried to explain, “It’s a kind-hearted lie that wouldn’t cause you any harm or affect you in any way. The person deceiving you is doing it out of necessity for their own reasons. Would you hold a grudge against that person?”

She was referring to the original Xia Mo, who had to disguise herself as a man to travel south. The girl wasn’t intentionally deceiving him; it was dangerous for a young woman to flee during a disaster.

Moreover, her disguising as a man wouldn’t harm him.

“If it doesn’t harm me and doesn’t affect me in any way, why would I hate them? I’m not mentally ill.”

Hearing him say this, Xia Mo felt relieved and patted the makeshift bed. “Time to sleep; we need to set off early tomorrow morning.”

Although it was cold that night, it was still better than the previous night when even turning over was difficult.

The next morning, the two woke up early. Xia Mo took out her toothbrush, toothpaste, cup, and bottled water to brush her teeth.

Additionally, she had disposable face towels and baby cream for moisturizing her face.

The weather was getting colder, and it would be unpleasant if her skin cracked from the cold.

She applied some on her own face and then smeared a bit on Xiao Jingyuan’s face.

“Quickly rub it in; it will protect your skin from the cold wind.”