Chapter 21: First Encounter with Mu Wanqing

Uncle Sun’s chopsticks trembled slightly at these words, and a trace of imperceptible loneliness flickered in his eyes.

"Oh! My young friends, why are you leaving so soon? Can’t you stay for a few more days?" His tone was full of reluctance, as if he hoped time could freeze at this very moment.

Little Huihui was even more reluctant to part with Luo Yucheng. Like a little kitten, she snuggled into Luo Yucheng’s arms, her small hands clutching tightly at her lapels, and whispered, "Sister Orange, I don’t want you to go. If you leave, who will play hide-and-seek with me?"

Luo Yucheng gently stroked the child’s hair, her eyes slightly reddened. She whispered, "Be good, Huihui. Sister has very important things to do. When I come back, I’ll play with you until your heart's content."

I took a deep breath, firming my resolve, and said, "Uncle Sun, we really must go. There is something we have to do; it is my duty and our mission."

I then gave Uncle Sun a rough account of where we were headed and the reasons behind our journey.

After listening, Uncle Sun fell silent for a moment. He looked at me with a profound gaze, then nodded slowly, a glimmer of approval in his eyes.

"Child, you are doing a righteous deed! Though I am loath to see you go, I know your hearts are set elsewhere. Go, and do what you must."

After the meal, the atmosphere was heavy. No one exchanged the usual pleasantries or jokes, for fear that another word would shake our resolve to leave. An unspeakable silence hung in the air, as if time itself were lingering for our sake.

The next morning, as the horizon just began to pale, Uncle Sun had already risen early to prepare a large supply of food and water for us. Knowing our journey would be long and arduous, he hoped to do whatever he could to help.

Watching Uncle Sun’s busy figure, a wave of warmth washed over me, mixed with a hint of sorrow. "Uncle Sun, please, don’t tire yourself out. This is already more than enough." I stepped forward, trying to stop him.

Uncle Sun waved his hand and smiled. "Child, you can't go hungry on the road; it's always better to have more. You are embarking on a great task, and this small gesture of mine is just my way of supporting you."

We did not refuse his kindness again and silently accepted everything he had prepared. Before departing, I looked back at Uncle Sun and bowed deeply.

Little Huihui ran over, clinging to Luo Yucheng’s leg, crying, "Sister, you must come back!"

Luo Yucheng nodded, fighting back her tears, then turned and stepped onto the path filled with the unknown and challenges. Though her heart was heavy with reluctance, she knew the mission ahead was far more important.

We had not gone far after crossing the mountain ridge when we caught the sound of something unusual coming from the peak—the rustling of grass and trees, like a gale sweeping through the forest, or perhaps some behemoth moving rapidly through the brush.

Our group immediately tensed up, our pace unconsciously slowing as our eyes scanned the surroundings with vigilance.

Jiang Hanchuan’s voice trembled slightly as he whispered in my ear, "It wouldn't be zombie animals again, would it? In these desolate mountains, please, let’s not have any more trouble."

I quickly put my finger to my lips, signaling him to be quiet.

Just then, a group of figures burst out from the dense thicket. Like two speeding trains, we collided head-on.

For a moment, both sides were thrown into a panic.

I blurted out, "Who are you!"

Almost simultaneously, the other side shouted, "And who are you people!"

The atmosphere turned confrontational in an instant. Xu Hanfeng gripped his long sword, drawing it without hesitation. The blade shimmered with a chilling light.

The leader on the other side was a woman with a cold expression and her hair tied in a high ponytail. She held a compound bow with steady composure, an arrow already nocked and aimed directly at Xu Hanfeng, as if it would fly at any second.

We were barely ten meters apart. Although we had the advantage in numbers, they possessed a ranged weapon, and the tension was suffocating.

I glanced at the group behind her—men and women, middle-aged and young, about a dozen in total. Among them was a pregnant woman with a very round belly, looking as if she were carrying a giant watermelon and nearing her due date.

At this critical juncture, Luo Yucheng stepped out from behind us, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Everyone, please don't be tense. We are not bad people. How about this? Let’s both take a step back and lower our weapons to show our sincerity." After saying this, she looked at Xu Hanfeng.

Xu Hanfeng weighed the situation. Seeing that only the woman held a weapon while the others were unarmed—unlikely to be enemies—he nodded and signaled us to lower our guard. Seeing this, the woman also slowly lowered her compound bow.

Just as we were about to ask their identities, the lead woman, followed by her group, shot forward like an arrow released from a string, ignoring us entirely.

However, after only a few steps, the pregnant woman clutched her stomach and let out a heart-wrenching, painful cry.

Seeing that something was wrong, Luo Yucheng quickly said, "She’s going into labor! You cannot keep taking her on a long-distance trek like this; it’s too dangerous."

The man beside the pregnant woman, presumably her husband, was also in a state of utter anxiety, his voice trembling: "Miss Mu, my wife is about to give birth, what should we do?"

Miss Mu? So the woman in the lead was their head.

Xu Hanfeng’s voice was low and firm: "Miss Mu, is it? Our Yucheng is a doctor. There is a village not far back that has a safe place, as well as food and water. Judging by her condition, she won't last much longer."

The leader, Miss Mu, furrowed her brows, looking at the suffering pregnant woman with a flash of hesitation in her eyes.

But then, she spoke decisively: "Lead the way!"

Our group immediately turned back toward Uncle Sun’s house.

Before leaving, Xu Hanfeng instructed Jiang Hanchuan to cover our tracks and carefully erase all our footprints.

I couldn't help but secretly admire him. A leader is a leader, indeed. Not only was his combat ability off the charts, but he was also so decisive and meticulous. If I were a woman, I would have fallen for him already.

I immediately shook my head, gasping inwardly, thinking that such thoughts were dangerous.

Before long, we returned to Uncle Sun’s home.

Jiang Hanchuan shouted loudly, "Uncle Sun, quickly, find a room! There’s a pregnant woman here about to give birth!"

Seeing us return so quickly with a large group of people, Uncle Sun was puzzled, but he didn't ask for reasons. When he heard that a woman was about to give birth, he hurriedly cleared out a clean room to welcome the new life.

Luo Yucheng arranged everything in an orderly fashion. The husband and Jiang Hanchuan went to prepare the necessary supplies for the delivery, and Uncle Sun joined in the bustle. The entire courtyard seemed enveloped in a tense yet orderly atmosphere.

Inside the room, the pregnant woman’s cries of pain came one after another, like wails in a gale, gripping our hearts. We paced back and forth in the courtyard; the very earth beneath my feet seemed to tremble with my anxiety.

My gaze inadvertently drifted toward the woman named Mu, who was standing to the side. Her brows were locked tight, her expression filled with such urgency that she was clearly burning with worry.

I looked toward her and offered some comfort, "Don't worry too much, we are doing everything we can."

She seemed taken aback by my sudden remark, but soon, the tension in her brow eased slightly. Seeing that we didn't seem like bad people, she let down a bit of her guard.

"Uh... my name is Li Linyu!"

She looked up at me, her voice soft but crisp.

"Mu Wanqing."