Chapter 23: As for Mountains, She Has Plenty!

The rough-looking man examining the wounds might have overlooked them if he hadn’t been standing so close; only the tiny tear in the deceased’s outer garment caught his eye. Even then, despite finding the chest wound, the bandits scoured the ground thoroughly but found no murder weapon.

“Big brother, that man just killed over ten of our brothers in one strike! Damn it, we have to chase after him and avenge our brothers!” one bandit shouted.

“Silence!” The leader’s face darkened further. Gritting his teeth, he ordered, “Bury the body and return to camp!”

“Big brother! Just let those bastards go like that?!”

“Look at those two wounds before you speak! If we catch up with him, it won’t be revenge — it’ll be a death sentence!”

The rough men and the rest of the bandits who followed fell silent. On the ancient Yudu Path, every hilltop held a bandit camp; they were just one of many. Though notorious for their brutality and cold-bloodedness, these bandits were nothing but a rabble, and the truly formidable fighters could be counted on one hand. Facing a master who could easily take on ten men, they were mere amateurs. Who isn’t afraid of death?

Those lying dead on the ground had simply met their fate.

After digging pits on the spot to bury their comrades, the bandits left quietly, as if nothing had happened.

The Su family had no idea they had narrowly escaped another disaster and kept their heads down, pressing forward with all their might. But this time, they felt somewhat more confident. With a master escorting them along the way, having help nearby, the fear and panic diminished.

“Hero, how many bandits are there on this Yudu Path? This road feels so eerie, it gives me goosebumps. Do they… do they attack anyone they see?” Su Er, impulsive and somewhat familiar in manner, had walked alongside the hero for some time and now spoke freely.

The man in purple replied calmly, “There is a bandit camp on every peak. The Yudu Path has thirty-three peaks in total. Without a master escort, very few ordinary travelers make it out alive.”

“Oh my goodness! Does that mean we’ll encounter even more bandits ahead?!” The Su family’s faces paled, nausea rising again. One bloody ordeal was enough to shake them—did they have to endure countless more?

“Though the bandit camps on the ancient path operate independently, they keep each other informed. The incident in the withered forest has likely spread to every peak by now. They won’t recklessly come out to invite disaster. Bandits are afraid of death, too,” the man in purple explained. “Besides, you have nothing worth taking on you. They have no reason to risk their lives for nothing.”

The Su family was speechless. Thank you.

Sweet Treasure was nestled warmly in her mother’s sling, cozy in the bundle and dozing off. The chatter in her ears was like a lullaby, and she closed her eyes, sinking into the space.

Beneath the ancient pear tree marking the entrance to the space lay a scattering of pear needles, stained with spots of blood.

Sweet Treasure picked them up and calmly washed the blood off with water from the nearby stream.

After her family had nearly been bullied at the border station, Sweet Treasure discovered she could manipulate objects within the space as weapons. Since then, whenever she had time, she immersed herself in studying the space.

These pear needles were her first attempt.

They required no strength, just some concentration.

Crafting a single pear needle had taken her nearly half a month, so after use, she carefully stored them back in the space, determined not to waste any.

They were reusable.

As for killing someone, Sweet Treasure felt no particular emotion. In her previous life, she had been locked in a laboratory as a test subject, enduring endless pain whether awake or asleep. No one taught her right from wrong there. Besides learning the locations of joints and lethal organs in the human body, she learned only indifference.

Indifference to humanity.

Indifference to life.

She tossed the cleaned pear needles back beneath the pear tree, tilting her head thoughtfully. Wait, she had also learned how to stab people.

She knew exactly where it hurt most, where it could blind, where it could kill.

Those villains deserved death, and she had stabbed them all to death.

Thinking this over, Sweet Treasure felt a twinge of regret. If only she had had this ability in her past life, those lab people wouldn’t have lasted so long.

Standing up and shaking the water from her hands, Sweet Treasure turned her head to glance through the space entrance at the man her second uncle was chatting with.

He was a bit annoying. With him around, it was inconvenient for her to bring food to Grandfather and Grandmother.

She wasn’t afraid, but Grandfather and Grandmother worried someone might notice her unusual nature and feared she might be taken away… Sigh, she couldn’t let them live in fear.

“Hmph.” Sweet Treasure pouted in grievance and spoke to the fish swimming around her feet, “Stay here and behave, eat well, get fat. The meat will taste better that way.”

The fish scattered in an instant, their plump bodies darting desperately into the cracks between stones.

Sweet Treasure wasn’t the only one worried; the Su family was also troubled at this moment.

They had traveled all night over rough terrain, stumbling along. The little food they had eaten the previous evening at dusk was long gone. Now, they were both exhausted and hungry.

But the wooden cart was empty—there was nothing to eat. The three little children were already clutching their bellies, crying out in hunger.

The family stopped midway for a brief rest, avoiding the man in purple, each showing sour, worried faces.

The man in purple noticed their plight but said nothing, assuming they were simply hungry.

“Wait here.” With that, he turned and disappeared.

The Su family dared not move or make any sudden moves and obediently waited.

The old Su woman worried her little granddaughter might throw something out again, which would surely be hard to conceal. Taking advantage of the absence of others, she held the child close and repeatedly warned her.

Within half a moment, the man in purple returned, carrying two scraggy gray rabbits, which he tossed at the family’s feet. “Food.”

He was a man of few words.

After a night together, the Su family was no longer so afraid or unfamiliar with him. Seeing the wild rabbits, their eyes brightened. The three children jumped up in joy.

“Rabbits! Hero, where did you get these?”

“From hunting on the mountain,” he replied.

Su Da and Su Er understood and stepped forward without a word, each taking a rabbit to prepare.

No need to look for water either; the path was covered in snow. When they needed to clean the meat, they simply rubbed it with fresh snow.

Su Da laughed, “Hero, your hunting skills are amazing. I used to hunt in the mountains too, hoping to catch some wild chickens or rabbits. It usually took a whole day or more. Sometimes, spending a whole day waiting wouldn’t even get a sighting.”

Su Er added, “We were just rushing to get through. If we had more time, we could have hunted some food along the way.”

“That’s just flattering yourself,” the man in purple said. “You think food just appears whenever you see a mountain? In winter, many are starving and desperate, risking the mountains to fill their stomachs. Anything worth eating in the mountains has long since been taken.”

What was said without intent was taken to heart.

Sweet Treasure opened her eyes slowly and turned them thoughtfully.

Mountains mean food?

Wild chickens and rabbits can be found?

She had the mountains, after all!