Chapter 39 – Resting at the Inn

Xiaojiu looked at the group of horses, thought for a moment, and had Cuihua feed each one a gu insect. Then she told Cuihua to take them all back to the cave.

Horses were valuable—she had to keep them!

Watching the group leave into the distance—

The chubby boy asked, “So… are we walking then?”

Without looking back, Xiaojiu replied, “Yes! You’re too fat, you need to lose weight!”

She left one horse for the injured Gu Lao. According to him, once they crossed that mountain, they would arrive at their destination.

The others followed Xiaojiu , trekking through the wilderness.

Zhao Hu and the others knew very well—if not for the village chief today, they would have been the ones dragged behind those horses.

Most of the enemies had been dealt with by the village chief; they were still too weak, and from time to time needed her to step in and save them.

They also realized—the outside world was far from safe. Without strength, their families could easily end up like the families of those blacksmiths.

Everyone was deep in thought.

Da Ya asked Gu Lao, “Do you know which country those people were from just now?”

Gu Lao replied uncertainly, “From their accents, I’d guess Nanling Kingdom. But I haven’t heard of our court being at war with Nanling recently. By rights, they shouldn’t dare to openly seize people from Dongxia here near the border. I have no idea what’s going on in the city.”

Shen Zhiyuan, as the daughter of a county magistrate, had heard her father mention border affairs.

“My father said the border hasn’t been peaceful lately. Nanling has repeatedly provoked us, trying to start a war. But unfortunately, the court is full of useless wine sacks and rice bags—none of them are willing to lead troops to fight.”

“The court’s that weak? In the whole Dongxia Kingdom, there’s no general who can fight?” Xiaojiu asked in confusion.

“Hah!” Gu Lao snorted with disdain.

“In the past, with the Zhenbei Marquis’ family and the Shi family army, no enemy country would dare be so arrogant. But now… sigh…” Gu Lao hid the sorrow in his eyes and let out a long sigh.

“I’ll be a great general in the future!” Zhao Hu said solemnly.

This wasn’t the first time Zhao Hu had said this, but this time, everyone could feel that he truly meant it—it wasn’t just some casual boast.

“Then I’ll be your military strategist. Hah, you’re too dumb, I’ll have to give you advice!” A Dou patted Zhao Hu on the shoulder.

“Who are you calling dumb? Say that again!” Zhao Hu swung a punch at him in response.

The two chased each other forward.

Da Ya held the village chief’s hand and asked, “Village chief, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

Xiaojiu shook her head.

She really didn’t know what she wanted to do in the future. For now, her goal was to be a good village chief for Taoyuan Village—to make sure the villagers were fed, clothed, and not bullied.

But she remembered how, in the apocalypse, many ability users loved building their own bases.

She thought she might one day want to build a base of her own too—where she could be in charge, free from anyone’s control, and have the final say.

But this was ancient times, so that idea was nothing more than a passing thought. In the end, all of Dongxia had to obey the emperor.

“What about you, Da Ya?”

“If I can, I want to become a highly skilled female doctor,” Da Ya said.

She had always loved following Doctor Huang around since she was little, learning how he handled herbs.

Looking at the old man riding ahead, Xiaojiu said, “You’ll definitely become an amazing divine doctor.”

Hearing the village chief say that made Da Ya extremely happy.

Whether she succeeded or not didn’t matter—at least she had the village chief’s encouragement and support.

“In the future, I’m going to the battlefield to treat wounded soldiers.”

When Iron Ox heard Big Girl’s words, he quickly said to the village chief, “I’m going to be a general in the future. I’ll definitely be better than Zhao Hu!”

The chubby boy also came running to join in the fun. “I’m going to be the richest man in Dongxia Kingdom and support all of you.”

…

The group chattered noisily about their future selves.

At this moment, their blood ran hot like the midsummer night’s wilderness — unafraid of time, unafraid of the wind.

…

Dusk gradually approached. The afterglow of the setting sun broke through the clouds, dyeing the sky gold and red, beautiful like a recklessly splashed oil painting.

But the travelers had no mind to appreciate it.

Exhausted, all they wanted now was to find an inn and rest.

“Where are we staying tonight?” the chubby boy panted, asking the old man.

“There’s a small town ahead with an inn,” the old man said, pointing forward.

Upon hearing that there was an inn ahead, everyone’s fatigue instantly vanished, as if they’d just been injected with chicken blood.

“Charge!”

“I want meat!”

“I want fragrant white rice!”

“I want to sleep!”

“…!”

Xiaojiu charged ahead at the front.

Before long, they saw cooking smoke rising in the distance.

She seemed to smell the aroma of food. Her stomach growled — she was starving!

Pushing forward quickly, they finally reached the small town.

It wasn’t big, but it was especially lively.

Every household had lanterns hanging at their doors. People bustled about — children running, old farmers carrying shoulder poles, and hawkers shouting to sell their goods.

“Look, that’s the inn!” the old man said, pointing to a two-story building ahead with a signboard reading “Auspicious Inn.”

Everyone looked over and saw several carriages parked at the door, clearly from other guests staying there.

The chubby boy was the first to dash inside, almost knocking over the shop boy at the entrance.

The shop boy didn’t get angry, but smiled warmly. “Welcome, honored guests! Please come in. Will you be dining or staying the night?”

“Both! Both!” the chubby boy blurted out impatiently, his eyes already scanning for a dining table.

“You’ve come just in time. Our signature dishes have just come out of the pot — guaranteed to satisfy you!” The shop boy led them to an empty table.

Before long, steaming hot dishes were served — the rich aroma filled the air. Bowls of white rice and plates of deliciously fragrant food instantly stirred their appetites.

Starving to the point their stomachs stuck to their backs, they could no longer restrain themselves, eating meat and rice in big mouthfuls without caring about manners.

After the meal, they finally had the energy to look around the inn.

The interior was simple yet elegant, with a few paintings of pastoral landscapes hanging on the walls, adding a touch of poetry to the small space.

The innkeeper was a man with an honest face. In the shop, there was also a curious six- or seven-year-old boy staring at Xiaojiu and her group — likely the innkeeper’s son.

Perhaps he’d never seen so many children arrive at once, so he found it novel and seemed eager to play with them.

Xiaojiu waved at him, motioning for him to come over.

The little boy happily stepped forward.

Xiaojiu asked him, “Why is it so lively here? Why does every house have a red lantern hanging at the door? Is there some celebration?”

The others were also curious. Compared to Qing County, this place seemed more bustling, especially at night.

When they had just passed through the street outside, there were many people around, and a lot of carriages parked near the inn.

The boy happily explained, “Because in a few days, it will be the Xiangyun Town Sacrifice Festival!”

“What is the Sacrifice Festival?” Xiaojiu had never experienced such a thing and was full of curiosity.