"No, no, absolutely not." Cai Lihua and Meng Shaode said almost in unison.
"Oh, then you're not curious about this peach..." A Jiu's words were cut short.
"Not curious, not curious at all. The world is so vast, there are all sorts of strange things, aren't there, old Meng, what do you think..."
Cai Lihua pinched the stunned Meng Shaode hard and whispered through gritted teeth, "Stop talking."
"Ah! Oh... oh yes." Meng Shaode rubbed his lower back vigorously, estimating the area that had been twisted and swollen.
He forced a particularly fake smile,
"Heh heh, what your mother said is right. It's just like those two people I said died, how could their whole bodies be like shattered bones, soft like a half-inflated ball, heh heh, wasn't that also strange?"
A Jiu looked at her animated father and pursed her lips.
She hadn't even mentioned the spiritual spring yet, so the matter of the spiritual spring would be even more bizarre, wouldn't it?
"Old Meng, what did you say? Who died like they had no bones?"
Cai Lihua's attention was successfully diverted, but A Jiu was still frowning in thought.
"Oh, it was just when Old Wu and I went to chase those people early this morning. We found them when we got there."
As soon as Meng Shaode said this,
A Jiu no longer cared about how to explain the spiritual spring, after all, there would be plenty of time later.
"Dad, aren't you a hunter? Didn't you see any signs of a large wild beast attack or anything?"
"What large wild beast?" Meng Shaode realized he had successfully changed the subject and slapped his thigh.
"Small creatures might be able to survive for a while, but large ones require too much food, how could they survive."
"Oh, Dad makes sense." A Jiu bowed her head, lost in thought.
"Uncle, Aunt, I'll head off now to meet the carriage."
Xiao Yan Yan's voice came from behind them.
Cai Lihua opened her mouth, then immediately looked away. She thought the same as her daughter, this person was connected to the bandits.
Meng Shaode, unaware, smiled and saw him off.
"If you can really find the carriage, I'll be extremely grateful, brother."
Brother?
Tuoba Yan's eyes widened. "Uncle, aren't we of different generations?"
As he said this, he looked at the girl behind Meng Shaode. A Jiu was hugging her knees, smiling and talking to her mother.
She hadn't even glanced at him.
Tuoba Yan clenched his fist, heartbroken. One day, he would tell sister A Jiu clearly:
"Uncle, please don't see me off. I will definitely wait for A Jiu... and for you at the foot of Mount Qiming."
After speaking, Tuoba Yan turned and left.
"Be careful on the road. If you don't find us, we won't blame you. You're welcome back."
Meng Shaode still remembered the life-saving grace from that day.
A Jiu turned her head to look. Tuoba Yan was walking alone towards the distant mountains, his solitary figure suddenly turned back.
A Jiu withdrew her gaze. She couldn't understand how someone as simple as Tuoba Yan could be involved with bandits.
"It would be great if this child could really find the carriage."
Meng Shaode sighed.
"Why are you so grateful? Do you know the origin of that carriage? Would you dare to use it?"
Cai Li stood up, slapping the stove, after Tuoba Yan had completely disappeared from sight.
"What... what's wrong?" Meng Shaode hadn't seen his wife throw such a tantrum on the road. He was startled this time.
"Just now, the second-in-command returned." Cai Lihua hadn't finished speaking.
"Ah? Where is he?" Meng Shaode shot up and looked around, preparing to grab his bow.
"He came looking for Tuoba Yan," A Jiu's voice was calm, but her heart was in turmoil.
Meng Shaode was so scared he lost his wits and sat on the ground. "He... came looking for Xiao Yan? And then?"
"You're so stupid. The carriage Tuoba Yan mentioned was prepared by looking for that second-in-command. Do you think you'd dare to use that carriage?"
Cai Lihua added.
Meng Shaode slowly sat down mechanically. He would never have imagined that the child was colluding with bandits.