Chapter 617 - 389: Finally Saved

Chapter 617: Chapter 389: Finally Saved

Before long, Ling’er returned to Xiaomi’s side. Seeing others around, she didn’t speak. Xiaomi gently stroked the top of its head, saying, "You’ve worked hard."

She reached into her chest and took out a small pouch, grabbing a handful of grain from it.

Ling’er had already returned to her space, leaving behind Xiao Ba, who immediately lowered its head to eat. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Soon, the sounds of fighting erupted outside, and Wei Ziang and Xiaomi instantly became alert.

A moment later, a group of soldiers ran over from the darkness beside them. Xiaomi fixed her gaze.

"Don’t attack, they’re allies!"

"They’re allies, reinforcements have arrived!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously, Wei Ziang and Xiaomi.

Shortly after, the reinforcements arrived, separating the entrance of the valley from the bandits.

"Great, finally found you. Quick, evacuate from here first."

It turned out to be Song Wu leading the team himself. With his command, a large number of troops rushed into the valley, assisting the wounded in their retreat.

Xiaomi also led the people from the mountain down, and Wei Ziang gave a brief explanation to General Song.

Thus, when Xiaomi came down, General Song looked at her with blame, surprise, and admiration, all at once, probably not even knowing how to express his emotions.

After a while, he patted Xiaomi’s shoulder under her innocent gaze, saying, "Courageous and wise, a true talent!"

It’s a pity she’s a woman.

Xiaomi grinned, just about to speak, when she suddenly smelled a foul odor, glanced over, and inhaled sharply.

The next moment, Wei Ziang pulled her behind him and blocked her view.

"The dead brothers’ remains are placed in the cave. Although the interior is dry, the time has been a bit long."

So, the corpses have started to decompose. Xiaomi accidentally glimpsed one earlier, with maggots already forming.

Xiaomi nodded slightly to indicate she understood.

No wonder she hadn’t seen her side’s bodies earlier; they had all been stored away.

The ones carrying the bodies were clearly accustomed, exhibiting no overt sadness.

The sound of fighting continued ahead, but the people in the valley quickly evacuated, and General Song saw the women and children.

Besides them, there were also some men with delicate appearances, even the children were mixed genders.

General Song clearly understood the situation, only sighing lightly as he spoke seemingly unintentionally to those beside him.

"More people are behind them. Tonight, we must annihilate all of them in Stone Forest; not one can escape!"

His subordinate answered emphatically, "Yes!"

The rescued people heard this, and their faces immediately showed expressions of relief or satisfaction.

Xiaomi followed Wei Ziang, waiting for everyone in the valley to evacuate before leaving with General Song.

Someone sounded a horn, and those ahead quickly retreated with their injured or deceased companions to a larger, safer place.

It’s difficult to fight at night; they needed to temporarily withdraw from Stone Forest and regroup the soldiers early the next morning to combat the mountain bandits!

With General Song as the backbone, Xiaomi and Wei Ziang could finally rest. They moved with the main troop and had just retreated from Stone Forest by midnight.

As General Song had stated, outside Stone Forest, a large force had gathered, and teams were departing from both sides, holding sheets of paper.

General Song had already arranged for others elsewhere; Xiaomi and Wei Ziang were slightly better off, so they stood by watching.

Seeing their confusion, the soldier who had previously opened the gate for Xiaomi explained with admiration.

"Wei Chiliarch, Miss Jiang is truly amazing; she walked alone in Stone Forest for half a day and drafted an entire map, even pinpointing the bandits’ hideouts clearly."

"Now those Centurions and Chiliarchs are holding the map Miss Jiang created. Look over there; someone is copying it to ensure every team has a map, so they won’t get lost in Stone Forest."

Wei Ziang finally reacted, looking at Xiaomi in surprise, "You went into the mountain alone?"

Previously, Xiaomi had sent word that someone was bringing reinforcements. He thought someone had accompanied her.

That soldier continued to add fuel nearby, "Yeah, Miss Jiang tricked us, saying she needed rest and that Xiao Ba would seek help, but she pretended to rest outside Stone Forest, using the horse to block her view and sneaking off herself."

Xiaomi signaled with her eyes so much they nearly cramped, yet the man remained oblivious, still speaking.

"By the time we noticed, half an hour had passed. Our general was furious at the time. Luckily, soon after, Xiao Ba led..."

Xiaomi finally couldn’t take it anymore, stomping her foot in anger, "Honestly, I was kind enough to help you find people, and here you are complaining. Are you the only one who can talk!"

The soldier finally perceived that Wei Chiliarch’s expression seemed less than pleased, perhaps even somewhat angry?

Xiaomi offered an apologetic smile, "Brother, don’t listen to his nonsense. You know me, I’m capable, and with Xiao Ba’s help, there won’t be any trouble, right."

Though she always considered Wei Ziang the little kid she’d raised, seeing him with a stern face, Xiaomi’s heart grew cold, afraid he’d become upset.

Yes, she was worried he’d get upset and harm his health!

Wei Ziang knew in his heart that Xiaomi could surely protect herself, but knowing was one thing, and the fear of aftermath was another.

"You..."

However, just as he opened his mouth, Xiaomi suddenly clutched her head.

"Oh dear, oh dear, I’m so tired. I haven’t rested for three days and nights. Before receiving the letter, I was hunting in the mountains for a full day and night, then rushed here non-stop."

"I’m so exhausted and sleepy, brother. I can’t hold on; I need to sleep."

Saying this, she closed her eyes directly and leaned towards Wei Ziang.

"Xiaomi!" Wei Ziang quickly reached out to catch her.

Upon looking closer, the person in his arms had already closed her eyes, pretending to snooze, even deliberately snoring.

Knowing it was an act, seeing Xiaomi’s dirty face, messy hair, the stench of sweat emanating from her body, and undeniable fatigue on her face.

He felt both heartache and joy, saddened that she wouldn’t rest, yet glad she cared so much for him.

Ultimately, he could only sigh softly and chose to carry her.

"Forget it, let’s not talk about it now. Let’s find a place to rest; we’ll deal with the rest after we sleep."

He, too, desperately needed a quiet sleep to ease his tense nerves from this period.

Xiaomi snickered stealthily from his arms, soon feeling the surrounding sounds quieting significantly, and herself being placed on a mat on the ground.

Shortly after, she entered a real slumber, sleeping soundly.