The soldier described the battle with such earth-shattering, ghost-crying grandeur that the others listened with hearts ablaze, wanting more.
Meanwhile, the family ahead had already crossed the mountain ridge and merged onto the official road.
As they went further, the official road became livelier.
There were those driving donkeys and cattle carts, those carrying burdens on shoulder poles, and those pushing single-wheeled carts, as well as those like Fu Yu driving horse-drawn carriages.
Of course, there were also those on horseback. In short, all sorts of people were present.
The adults of the family were fine, but Ning'er, leaning against Qi He, incessantly peppered him with questions.
By the time the sun began to set, they finally reached the outskirts of Ningyuan City.
Looking at the towering city walls, Fu Xinci recalled the first time they had come here.
"It was Uncle Qi who came to pick us up back then."
"Yes, if it weren't for your Uncle Qi, our family might not have the prosperous life we have today."
Fu Xinci wanted to say: We would still have a life, just not this convenient one.
When the family reached the city gate, each paid two wen for entry and smoothly entered Ningyuan City.
It was an ancient, rustic border town, not very large. It couldn't compare to cities before the apocalypse, but it was considered a bustling city in the northern frontier.
As soon as the family entered the city, they were spotted by those with ulterior motives.
Because this family looked like easy prey.
Looking at the eyes of those people.
Qi He: To consider us easy prey, is that not disrespect?
Yu'er: We'll fight if we have to.
Fu Xinci: Why overthink it? Take them all down.
At the crossroads ahead, Fu Yu was just guiding the horse carriage to proceed when a young lad, dressed in simple cloth and of similar age to Yu'er, suddenly rushed out from the side.
Seeing someone rushing over, Fu Yu quickly reined in the horse carriage. The carriage stopped just short of the young lad, not touching him.
Fu Xinci, sitting in the carriage, watched the young lad's every move. Seeing him close his eyes as if awaiting death, she knew he was a tough character.
Fu Yu also felt something was amiss. Because he wasn't driving fast, and the lad wasn't intentionally crashing into the carriage, this scene shouldn't have happened.
Seeing that the family were all strangers, and with people deliberately converging towards them, in a flash, dozens of people had gathered around.
Then, a shrewd-looking woman in her thirties, holding a little girl of six or seven, ran towards them wailing.
As the woman ran, she muttered.
"Which son of a bitch hit my little one."
But as she pushed through the crowd, she saw that the carriage was still two or three inches away from her so-called little one.
"Uh~"
The woman signaled to the young lad, implying he should fall towards the carriage.
The young lad wanted to, but his eyes flickered towards the boy beside him, of similar age, who was staring at him intently, giving him no chance to fall.
"You, you..."
The woman also noticed the young lad beside her.
But such a small matter couldn't stump her. She was a notorious shrew in Ningyuan City; people she knew would rather take a detour than encounter her.
The reason, of course, was to avoid being extorted.
The woman's plan was simple. Grabbing the little girl she held, she intended to charge towards Yu'er.
"Oh, oh, dear me."
The woman thought that if she bumped into him, the young lad would surely dodge, and she would then fall to the ground. Her husband and brothers would then rush forward. She had her eye on this carriage; it could fetch at least forty to fifty taels of silver.
"Heh heh." Before her smile could reach her eyes, she felt something wrap around her.
She looked down and saw a rope as thick as her thumb coiled around her waist. The other end of the rope was clutched in the hand of a girl in her mid-teens, dressed in green.
Oh my, although this girl wasn't dressed ostentatiously, her looks alone would place her at the forefront in Ningyuan City. If she were sold to Tianxiang Lou, she'd fetch a good few dozen taels of silver.
Fu Xinci, looking at the woman's eyes, knew her thoughts weren't pure. With a flick of the rope in her hand, the woman's body was sent flying uncontrollably.
"Ah~ Plop!" The woman's body landed on two fierce-looking men.
The onlookers were stunned. No one had expected such a delicate-looking girl to act so decisively.
Fu Xinci, however, glanced lightly at Qi He. Qi He understood perfectly; he was to protect their father and mother and brother, while the rest was up to her.
As soon as Qi He saw the two men, he wanted to act. But Fu Xinci didn't give him the chance. The rope in her hand seemed to come alive, directly binding the three of them tightly.
"Mmph~" Just as the ruffians were about to curse, the shoes on their feet, as if possessing eyes, flew into their mouths.
"Mmph~"
"Mmph~"
At this point, some of the onlookers began to understand; this young girl was likely a skilled fighter.
Otherwise, no one could have subdued that entire family of violent rogues in one go.
Fu Xinci, however, didn't want to waste any more time here. Seeing that the onlookers were still not dispersing, she spoke out crisply.
"Everyone, the show is over. Please disperse. We still have a journey to make."
As the girl spoke, no one replied, but they automatically made a path.
The men tied on the ground stared with bulging eyes, wishing they could swallow the girl whole.
The girl smiled as she looked at them. "If you're not convinced, you can go to Eaglebeak Cliff and find me for a fight. My surname is Fu, but think carefully before you come. I will not compensate you if you are killed or injured."
"Eaglebeak Cliff? Surname Fu?" Someone muttered to themselves, then suddenly shouted loudly, "Could she be Miss Fu?"
"Miss Fu?" Someone echoed with disbelief.
"When Miss Fu passed through Ningyuan City years ago, she was only seven or eight and already beat up the madam of Tianxiang Lou."
"Now she looks fourteen or fifteen, even more formidable than a few years ago."
"How could she not be formidable? General Liu personally praised Miss Fu, saying she was always at the forefront when fighting the Tatars and the Japanese pirates."
"Exactly. The second son of our neighbor works as a soldier at Eaglebeak Cliff. He came back a few days ago and said that this time, when the Japanese pirates landed, it was Miss Fu, the garrison soldiers, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard who joined forces to annihilate them all."
"Yes, every time the Tatars or the Japanese pirates come to Liaodong, you're bound to hear news of Miss Fu."
"Oh my, it's been years since we last saw Miss Fu, and now she's grown into a young lady."
"Indeed."
As the crowd chattered, the woman tied on the ground almost burst into tears.
Mother, was she blind? What was she thinking just now? She actually wanted to sell that Miss Fu to Tianxiang Lou.