In the end, after Rao Shuang’s persistent persuasion, Xue Qiming and Tang Jinnian finally sat down for a proper talk and agreed on a principle of no more fighting and sharing food.
As for why they managed to swallow their pride and behave, the reasons were quite simple.
"For the child," Rao Shuang said seriously to Xue Qiming.
"For the gourd," Rao Shuang whispered in Tang Jinnian’s ear.
So, the two finally settled down. Although they still found each other annoying, they could at least ignore each other.
But Tang Jinnian, ever observant, gradually noticed something off about Xue Qiming. As the days passed, Xue Qiming seemed increasingly restless, either staring northward in a daze or pacing back and forth, as if he had fire under his seat.
Tang Jinnian was very curious about the source of Xue Qiming’s agitation, but he didn’t care enough to ask. Until the day when the answer came to them on its own.
It was the tenth day since Xue Qiming and Xue Niang had arrived at the Fallen Moon Oasis. On this day, Xue Qiming sat on a rock by the lake, lost in thought. Xue Niang leaned against him, dozing off, her little head nodding repeatedly.
Xue Niang’s eyes suddenly opened. She turned to look at Xue Qiming and whispered, "Someone’s here."
"I've heard them," Xue Qiming replied indifferently, his gaze still fixed on the lake and he didn't turn his head.
Seeing that Xue Qiming didn’t react, Xue Niang leaned back against him and continued to doze off.
Not long after they spoke, clear sounds of hoofbeats and footsteps crunching on dry leaves emerged from the woods, along with faint snippets of conversation.
"We’ve come this far in..."
"Haven’t encountered a single scout from the Ruen Dynasty..."
"Replenish the fresh water, then we leave..."
It sounded like several people had come. Xue Qiming turned his head toward the source of the sounds, and in the next second, two scouts from the Northern Qiang, dressed in leather armor, emerged, leading their horses.
The two, who had been speaking in hushed voices, stopped abruptly upon spotting Xue Qiming and Xue Niang, both momentarily stunned to finally meet somebody.
One scout, who appeared older, was the first to react. Reaching to his lower back, he quickly produced a crossbow and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger.
The crossbow snapped sharply, and the bolt shot swiftly in the direction of Xue Qiming and Xue Niang.
How vicious! Xue Qiming thought as his eyes narrowed slightly. He noticed that this bolt was aimed directly at Xue Niang.
The other, younger scout quickly reacted as well, pulling out his own crossbow and firing a bolt straight at Xue Qiming’s face.
The two bolts came so fast that Xue Niang hadn’t even seen them clearly before the whistling sound suddenly stopped. Xue Niang looked closely and saw that Xue Qiming had clenched his fist in mid-air, with the two crossbow bolts grasped tightly in his hand, their tails still trembling.
Xue Niang blinked, noting that one of the bolts was just above her head.
Xue Qiming fixed a cold stare on the two Northern Qiang scouts, his gaze unfriendly. The two scouts were utterly shocked. A moment ago, they thought the bolts would surely hit their targets, but now this man had grabbed them barehanded. Startled, they had no time to think further and immediately lifted their crossbows to shoot again.
A cold glint flashed in Xue Qiming's eyes. He lifted his hand holding the bolts and flicked his wrist, sending them back even faster than they had arrived!
With two muffled thuds, the two scouts were struck right between the eyes before they could even lift their crossbows and fell dead without a sound.
"Northern Qiang scouts, three to a group"—Tang Jinnian’s voice from the woods, drawing nearer—"with two in the open and one hidden. They cover each other and attack by surprise. If things go badly, one escapes to report back."
Tang Jinnian’s figure slowly emerged from the woods, dragging along a scout dressed in Northern Qiang gear, who seemed to have been knocked unconscious.
Rao Shuang, following behind Tang Jinnian, spread her hands as Xue Qiming looked over and said, "I was gathering firewood in the forest when this guy snuck up behind me, thinking I hadn’t noticed... He’s no match for me when it comes to ambush tactics."
Tang Jinnian walked over and dropped the Northern Qiang scout at Xue Qiming’s feet as if tossing down a sack.
Tang Jinnian glanced at the two bodies beside them and whistled.
"I had no idea, Unbound Bodhisattva, that your hidden weapon skills were this impressive."
Xue Qiming ignored him and checked the neck of the scout at his feet for a pulse. Finding one, he asked, "Why keep him alive?"
Tang Jinnian chuckled. "Aren’t you curious why Northern Qiang scouts would come so deep into Fallen Moon Oasis?"
"Not curious," Xue Qiming replied, patting the dust off his pants as he stood up. "I know the reason."
"Hm?" Tang Jinnian raised an eyebrow, then, as if understanding, asked, "Is this why you’ve been on edge these past few days?"
Xue Qiming didn’t answer. Instead, he raised his head and looked north, muttering, "Northern Qiang... has finally arrived."
Tang Jinnian’s brow furrowed, sensing that the situation was serious.
"Explain yourself... What’s going on?"
Xue Qiming ignored him and simply turned to the little girl beside him with some simple instructions. "Xue Niang, go pack up... it’s time to leave."
"We aren't waiting for that guy?" Xue Niang tilted her head.
Xue Qiming looked northward, his eyes narrowing slightly. "We’re not waiting for him."
Xue Niang, having received a clear answer, got up and headed toward the hut. Xue Qiming followed behind, but just as he was about to enter, Tang Jinnian called from behind, "Unbound Bodhisattva, explain yourself. How can a few Northern Qiang scouts scare you ?"
Xue Qiming paused, slightly turning his head as he replied in a low voice, "The entire Northern Qiang army is on its way... Forsaken Phoenix, you’re on your own." With that, he turned and entered the hut.
"An army..." Tang Jinnian murmured to himself.
Rao Shuang shook Tang Jinnian’s arm, looking at him. "He doesn’t seem to be lying... What about us?"
Tang Jinnian gritted his teeth, finally saying after a moment, "Damn it... let's follow him! That beggar wanders all over the place. If we don’t stick with him, let alone get the gourd, who knows when we’ll see him again!"