PFC Chapter 30 Blade Drawn
Chapter 30 Blade Drawn
Xianbao responded to Wenwen's calls from a great distance.
"Hey, you're here!"
Feeling a gust of wind approaching, Wenwen moved to the side.
"Look, star lotus grass."
Xianbao was generous with its praise, showing great support, "Master is so amazing, you were able to find it even though it was so well hidden."
"It was indeed well hidden; my knees went numb from kneeling."
Star Lotus Grass is a perennial sun-loving plant that grows among rocks and rubble. It has short stems but a well-developed root system. Its leaves are slender like willow leaves, and its flowers bloom like countless stars. When used properly, the entire plant can have remarkable effects.
The tender leaves and buds can be steeped in water and drunk as tea, which can refresh the mind and relieve fatigue.
The whole plant is used in medicine as an adjunct to the main ingredient, thus doubling the efficacy of the main ingredient.
The fragrance has a remarkable effect.
Wenwen was eager to find it because of the first two points. As for the third point, she didn't understand it.
In the end, she got what she wanted and found it.
Following the instructions in the picture book, Wenwen carefully harvested the pollen, picked the tender shoots and stored them away, and even dug up a seedling to prepare for transplanting.
With such a good start, Wenwen's luck really took off from there.
Following the prescription written by her second aunt, she searched the medicinal herb field for a long time and found several herbs that she urgently needed.
Of course, this trip up the mountain was very fruitful, and Wenwen learned about several more spiritual plants and fruits.
Just as she was happily calculating her gains...
Wenwen suddenly heard some light footsteps and thought she had misheard.
This is her space; besides the virtual item, it's just her. Could it be footsteps outside?
After realizing what had happened, Wenwen was back beside her grandmother in the blink of an eye.
As soon as she opened her eyes, in the darkness, a pair of hands reached out, grabbed the bundle beside her, and ran away.
"What's wrong?
When Ms. Ren, who was standing beside her, saw her daughter suddenly wake up, she thought that she was not feeling well.
As soon as Madam Ren spoke, everyone around her was startled and looked at Wenwen with concern.
Wenwen suddenly sprang up and chased after the dark figure. As she got closer, in a moment of desperation, she pulled out a dagger and stabbed the figure in the thigh.
A scream woke up the people nearby.
Just then, the shadowy figure hadn't escaped her home's boundaries and collapsed near her father and older brother.
The father and eldest brother reacted quickly, picking up stones nearby and smashing them at the shadowy figure.
The shadowy figure struggled and shouted, "Murder! Murder!"
The dark figure struggled while swinging the bundle around.
Wenwen rushed forward again, and with everyone's help, snatched the bundle. She then slashed the shadowy figure's arm with the dagger.
"Ah..." The scream of the dark figure echoed in the night sky.
The dagger's blade flashed with a chilling light in the moonlight.
Wenwen angrily cursed, "I'll teach you to steal! I'll teach you to steal!"
Seeing that the dark figure had been subdued by his eldest and second eldest brothers, Wenwen's father continued to smash the stone in his hand, aiming it at the spot where she had just been injured.
Unable to break free, the shadowy figure could only shout, "Ah, ah, murder! Murder! Murder!"
In fact, all of this happened in just two minutes. The shadowy figure hadn't gone far after stealing the bundle, and before he could even open it, Wenwen discovered him and preemptively captured him.
It's hard to say whether the shadowy figure deserved its bad luck or Wenwen had indeed made progress, as she could sense the movements outside even from within her own space.
The nearby prisoners were awakened by the cries of the dark figure, and each of them watched the fight with indifference, as if it were none of their business.
The yamen runners on night duty and the soldiers on guard nearby were caught off guard by the fact that the fight was over, leaving them quite bored.
"What's all the noise about? Why are you all still up so late? You're disturbing my sleep! You all deserve a beating!"
Several soldiers came over, cursing and swearing.
Wen Qilin stopped after hearing the soldier's reprimand, and looked at Wenwen's hand in the darkness.
He was certain that what he had just seen was a knife; the blade's reflection was terrifyingly bright.
How could this child still have a dagger hidden away? I can't figure it out at all.
"Wen'er, come to your father."
Upon hearing this, Wenwen silently walked behind her father and sat down next to him.
She was still angry. There were so many people in the family, and yet someone still had their eyes on these few bags. Can you believe how infuriating that is?
She hasn't even had a chance to enjoy it yet, how could she let anyone take it away? She'll fight anyone who tries to steal it.
This one burden activated Wenwen's fighting spirit.
Seeing his daughter was quite angry, the father squeezed her hand and whispered, "Keep it safe."
Upon hearing this, Wenwen straightened up.
Hmm? Did Father see it? It seems she didn't think it through.
Having figured this out, she gave her father a meaningful look and said, "Hmm."
The shadowy figure, unable to move with his hands and feet pinned down, shouted even louder when he heard the soldiers yelling at him, "Sir, come and save me! They're killing people!"
When the soldiers reached the shadowy figure, they picked up their whips and began to lash him without saying a word.
While smoking, he cursed, "You're just bored and have nothing better to do than cause trouble."
Of course, the soldiers didn't distinguish right from wrong, and anyone near the shadowy figure inevitably suffered.
Wenwen felt a sudden darkness before her eyes. Her father turned around and hugged her, shielding her with his back, while her brothers also protected her behind them.
She heard the cracking sound of the whip falling, along with the muffled groans of her brothers.
Wenwen felt a sense of déjà vu about the scene, and her eyes welled up with tears.
The commotion eventually reached Lord Zhu's ears.
Lord Zhu sent his trusted subordinate, Chen, over. Chen had just taken his place when...
The shadowy figure suddenly struggled and screamed hysterically, "Sir, they have knives! They're going to kill us!"
"A knife?" Upon hearing this, Chen, the constable, immediately turned grim.
We were clearly checked when we left the city gate, so how could there be a knife? Could someone have hidden it?
The constable Chen gritted his teeth, "Where is the murder weapon? Hand it over now."
The scene fell silent for a moment.
Wenwen was about to move when her father pressed her shoulder and patted her.
Wen Qilin handed over the stone in his hand, "Sir, we are using a stone. If you don't believe me, you can examine the wound."
Wen Chengjian and Wen Chengbin also handed over the stones in their hands at the same time.
After examining the blood-stained stone and the mangled wounds on the dark figure, Chen, the constable, was unable to make out anything for the time being.
The Wen family is ruthless; to inflict such severe wounds from a stone is truly appalling.
The constable Chen ordered angrily, "Keep the Wen family away, and hurry up."
Seeing that it was all over, the shadowy figure panicked, "Sir, they really do have... ah..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen, the constable, raised his whip and lashed the dark figure several times.
Before leaving, he said, "If you want to live, then shut up."
The soldiers on duty drove the Wen family to a more open area, separating them from the other prisoners by a considerable distance, and added several more soldiers to guard the area.
After Wenwen sat down, her eyes darted around, looking about.
This open space wasn't entirely without merit. Although soldiers guarded the area on all sides, and a fire burned not far away, the family was situated in the middle.
During the day, their family would be the bullseye. But now it's night, so they're in the dark while the soldiers are in the light.
This spot is perfect for having a meal alone at night.
Having reached this conclusion, Wenwen sat down next to her grandmother with great joy.
The Wen family members quickly settled down and sat quietly.
The children are still in the innermost circle, the adults are in the outer circle, and the boys are definitely on the outer edge.
Wenwen opened the bundle she had snatched back. Inside were clothes, medicine for healing wounds, and a large bag of dried meat, which she assumed was from her maternal grandparents.
The jerky tasted a bit like spiced chicken drumsticks, and an idea popped into my head.
Wenwen quietly discussed with her grandmother: "Grandmother, our family's baggage has attracted the envy of others, and it has already caused trouble in just half a day. Why don't we burn some calories?"
Two bright black eyes blinked at Grandma in the night, which was a little frightening.
Upon hearing this, the grandmother pondered it carefully, then whispered among herself and her daughters-in-law.
After a short while, the group of people, as if by unspoken agreement, sat down facing outwards, using their backs to shield themselves from the darkness, and surrounded the children back to back.
Seeing this, my third uncle and uncles followed suit, and also secretly gave my father and eldest brother a few words of advice.
Wenwen understood immediately. She took the bundle, pulled out the dried meat, and of course, also included some chicken legs that she had prepared.
They stuffed everything into a bundle and handed it to their grandmother and grandfather.
Quietly, everyone in the Wen family ate dried meat and chicken legs.
In any case, the meat made their hungry stomachs feel a little better.
Wenwen was in the inner circle with a few little ones. The little ones were half-asleep, chewing on meat, nodding their heads, clearly very sleepy, which made her feel sorry for them.
It seems we'll have to deliver the food in batches tonight, starting with the youngest.
Wenwen brought out some easily digestible pastries for the children and fed them one by one. After eating the pastries, they stuffed their mouths with fruit and patted and coaxed them to sleep. Soon, the little ones started snoring.
Wenwen crouched down and crawled out of the inner circle.