The tighter the pursuit, the harder Meng Shaode whipped the horses.
The carriage jolted so violently that they couldn't tell east from west, but everyone knew that as long as they kept their lives, any internal organ displaced was of no consequence.
Zhao Di held the child tightly, hoping to lessen the impact, but the baby still cried lustily.
Li Family's wife looked back through the rear window. Seeing that those people were half a *li* behind, she then covered her face and hugged her two children, sobbing, "Old Li, what will I do without you..."
Just moments ago, she had resigned herself to death. Now that they had escaped, a sense of relief mixed with lingering fear washed over her.
Wu Shi was so scared she curled up in a corner, having fainted at some point from fear.
A Jiu was not idle, scanning the windows to the left, right, and rear.
Seeing that they could no longer be caught, she wearily sat down on the cushion, rubbing her face to clear her head.
She had been pretending to be calm just moments ago.
She had wholeheartedly prayed for the small earth dragon in the water skin to emerge and scare away those pursuers, only to have it bitten to death.
If it had died, A Jiu had gambled with her own life. If she had lost, the outcome would have been different.
She quickly lifted the curtain. "Xiao Yan Yan, give me the water skin."
Tuoba Yan had been running alongside the carriage without a hint of breathlessness. He handed over the water skin he had just picked up.
A Jiu hurriedly took it and looked inside.
The small earth dragon inside was still coiled in the water skin, leisurely flicking its forked tongue.
"Hoo..." A Jiu breathed a sigh of relief and used the wooden stopper on the rope to seal it.
The carriage sped south for two to three hours, leaving Wu Dalei, who had been running with them, collapsed on the ground.
Only then did Meng Shaode rein in the horses to stop.
"Brother Wu."
He quickly dismounted to help the man up.
A Jiu also dismounted, after tucking the water skin into her clothes, to check on him.
Tuoba Yan, with his keen eyesight, offered A Jiu his hand as she got down.
A Jiu released Tuoba Yan's hand and rushed to Uncle Wu, who had collapsed from exhaustion behind the carriage.
"Uncle Wu? Uncle Wu..."
Wu Dalei gasped for air and weakly opened his eyes. "Is everyone alright..."
"Everyone is fine. We've shaken off those bandits," Meng Shaode said, quickly rubbing Wu Dalei's chest to help him regain his breath.
The long run, coupled with the earlier fear, had left Wu Dalei breathless.
"That's good, that's good..."
His voice was weak. Wu Dalei clutched his chest and curled up on the ground. "Don't mind me. My chest just hurts a little."
"Daddy, go get a watermelon, cut it open, and give it to him. It has moisture, maybe it will help Uncle Wu feel better after drinking some," A Jiu said.
As soon as she finished speaking, Meng Shaode got up and ran back to the carriage.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, A Jiu took out her acupuncture kit from her space and pricked Wu Dalei's ear.
She was familiar with the process after the first time, and according to the book, a blocked Qi pathway was much like a deviation in the meridians. It had gone where it shouldn't have, and the correct path was missed. It needed to be guided.
A few needles later, a few drops of blood trickled from his ear.
Wu Dalei's breathing immediately became more even. "Girl, what did you just do to me... to me?"
"Ding dong, three merit points added. Keep up the good work, total score thirty-three."
"Old Tuo Fang, ear acupuncture can help regulate Qi."
A Jiu put the acupuncture kit back into her embrace, and with a flash of thought, she was able to place the kit into a pocket in her storage bag.
"I feel much better. Girl A Jiu, you know so much."
Just as Wu Dalei was about to push himself up from the ground, Meng Shaode arrived with a sliced watermelon.
"Brother, have a bite."
A Jiu saw him get up, take a bite of the watermelon, and his face was no longer as pale. She then got up and returned to the carriage on her own.
As soon as she entered, A Jiu was startled.
"Wuu wuu..." Li Family's wife was crying like a drowned rat.
"Auntie Li, what's wrong?" A Jiu couldn't help but ask.
"We've come so far, let alone water, we're lucky not to have starved. Being able to eat watermelon is all thanks to your kindness... If Old Li knew, he would definitely thank your Meng family."
So that was the matter.
A Jiu didn't quite see it that way. Although Auntie Li, like women of this era, focused solely on her husband and children, without her man, the backbone was gone.
Huh? What sound was that?
A Jiu lifted the curtain. She had expected to see Xiao Yan Yan, but instead it was Wang Shi.
"Grandma? Where did you go?" A Jiu felt the carriage was less crowded and realized that Wang Shi had disappeared at some point.