The silent standoff slowly spread, neither side speaking. The old woman from the Meng family wanted to leverage her age, intending to return to her eldest grandson with a stammer. The younger one wanted to take advantage of the opportunity, to eat a bite if he could. He hadn't eaten his fill since the exile, he was starving. He had long forgotten what shame was.
However, they had miscalculated. Qi He and Nian Zi's gazes met in the air, neither of them considering the other as anything significant.
Though the two of them were not old, one was an official, and the other was the son of a chief. In the past, the Meng family would never have paid attention to these two statuses.
Now, they were two immovable mountains pressing down on them. The two with insufficient confidence unconsciously quickened their breathing.
Nian Zi: With just this much capability, you still want to learn from others to rob and take advantage. Bah! The two of you combined couldn't rob me.
Qi He: Whether you can snatch food from them depends on whether I agree.
The crackling sound of burning flames overlapped with the rain outside. The sound of human breathing seemed rather thin.
"Crunch, crunch." Jiang Tou'er's sound of eating a radish was particularly abrupt.
"Jiang Tou'er, share a bite with us." The dark-faced man watched the small old man opposite him eating with relish and eyed him enviously.
"Yes, boss, this radish looks so pleasing. Save a bite for a few of us!" Da Zhuang also followed with a longing gaze.
"Yes, yes, it looks delicious." The Guan Hu brothers also opportunistically joined in.
"Hmph, look at yourselves, how old are you all, only knowing how to eat all day." Jiang Tou'er said dismissively, but his hands were honest as he peeled more than half of the radish and handed it to the dark-faced man.
After another scramble, it was the dark-faced man who finally used his knife to divide the radish into several equal portions, and everyone got a piece.
"Mmm, this radish tastes really good," the dark-faced man said sincerely. The others beside him nodded, but secretly grumbled that there wasn't enough.
The two from the Meng family, seeing that they could gain no advantage, muttered something and left. Seeing the two walk away, Luo'er and Ke'er's tensed backs finally relaxed.
The rain continued, and the sky seemed to grow darker.
"Hmm, what's that smell?" Qi He wrinkled his nose and took a deep breath.
"Yes, brother also smells it. It must be delicious." Nian Zi looked around, trying to locate the source of the smell.
Qi He also searched around like him. Fu Xin Ci covered her small mouth and secretly chuckled. Are your noses decorations? You're looking everywhere when it's right in front of you, so silly.
However, before she could speak, the dark-faced man's expression suddenly changed. He looked towards the temple gate and signaled to Jiang Tou'er, "Boss, someone's coming."
"How can anyone come in this weather?" Jiang Tou'er also smelled a charred aroma. He was just about to go to Fu Ya'er for food when he was interrupted by the dark-faced man, feeling a bit impatient.
"There are quite a few people, with carts and horses." As the dark-faced man spoke, the sound of bells and horse neighs were heard from afar.
Hearing these sounds, Jiang Tou'er's expression also became solemn. He exchanged a look with the dark-faced man and saw the same worry in his eyes, yet neither of them spoke.
The other officials, seeing Jiang Tou'er's unusual expression, also put away their smiles.
"Boss...?"
Jiang Tou'er waved his hand, not speaking, and pricked up his ears to listen.
A tense atmosphere immediately enveloped the dilapidated temple. Meng Qingping had already taken Yu'er into his arms when the dark-faced man alerted Jiang Tou'er, and then asked Fu Xin Ci to bring Xiao He and Ke'er to hide behind him.
Qi Shan immediately understood his second uncle's meaning, holding Qi Ren and pulling Qi Tian to sit beside his second uncle.
Luo'er also sensibly sat down.
Qi He...?
Everyone's faces grew increasingly grim. Especially some of the Meng clan members. They were now the most lowly exiles and would be the first to be abandoned if danger arose.
The bandits and outlaws in Beizhili were known to be fierce; murder and robbery were common occurrences. The thought of possibly being killed made their hearts hang in suspense again.
However, they had learned their lesson this time. They did not make a fuss, clustering together to minimize their presence, only hoping that at the crucial moment, these officials would not abandon them out of consideration for their obedience.
Qi He, having grown up in the countryside, did not have much worldly experience, but he saw everyone's expressions at this moment and knew it was unusual.
"Grandpa Meng?" He quietly asked Grandpa Meng without disturbing others.
Meng Qingping's nerves were on high alert. He did not answer, but merely gestured with his chin, implying he should not talk too much.
For a moment, the dilapidated temple was terrifyingly quiet. Everyone could only hear the sound of the rain, the fire, their own heartbeats, and the breathing of those around them.
Fu Xin Ci disliked this suffocating feeling. She preferred to fight back if provoked.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before the sound of carts and horses grew closer. They also heard someone shouting loudly, "Hurry up, everyone! We're almost at the dilapidated temple where we'll be staying tonight."
This shout was unremarkable to most people, but Jiang Tou'er and the dark-faced man immediately relaxed.
"Boss?" Da Zhuang, who was beside him, saw Jiang Tou'er smile with relief and his tense posture also relaxed.
"It's alright, these should be traveling merchants." Jiang Tou'er's words lifted the alarm. The Meng clan members also breathed a deep sigh of relief, their hearts at ease. They were no longer in mortal danger.
The clamor gradually approached. The loud voice that had shouted earlier rang out again, "Huh, there seem to be people in this dilapidated temple, quite a few of them." It was clear that the newcomers had seen the firelight emanating from the temple through the rain curtain, and it wasn't just a small one.
Hearing the loud voice say there were people in the temple, everyone paused, unsure whether to approach. A hint of wariness appeared in their eyes.
The loud-voiced man was experienced in traveling. Before his companions could speak, he raised his hand to signal everyone to stop advancing.
His two brothers, seeing this, immediately stepped forward to shield him, "Big Brother."
"Follow me." The loud-voiced man pushed up the bamboo hat he wore on his head, preparing to scout the dilapidated temple first.
However, before he could approach the temple gate, he saw a dark-faced man in a black robe, with a saber at his waist, standing at the entrance.
Seeing an official emerge, the loud-voiced man's eyes lit up, and his worried heart settled. He immediately put on a smiling face and stepped forward to greet the dark-faced man, "Officer."
"En."
Seeing that this official, despite his fierce appearance, spoke with relative kindness, the loud-voiced man immediately stated their intention to seek shelter from the rain in the temple.
The dark-faced man did not make things difficult for them, waving his hand in assent.