She Rebuilt Her Fallen Country With Storage Space-Chapter 169: What a Coincidence, You’re Here for a Bath Too?

Chapter 169: Chapter 169: What a Coincidence, You’re Here for a Bath Too?

Xiang Ying turned around.

Aren had been following the Exile Team closely, his gaze firmly fixed on her.

It was unclear last night, but come daytime, Xiang Ying noticed that the child was really pitifully thin.

He was dressed in ill-fitting clothes, the pants extremely short, exposing everything below the knees.

That angular, green face was, because of excessive thinness, showing slightly dark skin, with only a pair of bright, shining eyes.

Aren tripped and fell while running.

Tao Xue was startled: "Ah, is this child alright?"

They all looked towards Xiang Ying, waiting for her command to help Aren up.

However, Xiang Ying simply withdrew her gaze.

"Don’t bother."

The others fell silent, having no choice but to obey.

It was true that Aren was pitiable, but they were about to head to the Nanyue Imperial City.

There, they would become prisoners at someone else’s feet, with their fate unknown.

Only this child, foolishly risking his own life for a bit of food.

By evening, Jie Chen called the entire team to a halt ahead of schedule to rest.

They found an abandoned, empty tea pavilion as a resting place and set up tents there.

Meanwhile, Jie Chen sent out a team of scouts to check the situation ahead.

If there really was a group of desperate refugees, they would need to be prepared ahead of time.

Xiang Ying stewed a pot of cloud mushroom chicken for the children and Tao Xue, then went off into the nearby forest.

She looked down, searching the ground, and heard footsteps following behind.

In the corner of her eye, Xiang Ying saw Aren’s tall, thin figure hiding behind a tree, peering out at her.

She pretended to be unaware, dropping a bag she had prepared earlier to the ground.

As soon as Xiang Ying walked away, Aren ran over to pick it up.

Inside the bag, there was a steamed bun with minced salted vegetables, and a large chunk of soy sauce beef.

Aren devoured the food ravenously, biting into the meat with big bites.

He ate so hastily that he choked, painfully thumping his chest, his face gradually turning red.

A slender palm suddenly struck his back with a fair bit of force.

Aren coughed and spit out the chunk of beef that had been stuck in his throat.

Xiang Ying crossed her arms and looked down: "No matter how delicious the food, you can’t just swallow without chewing."

Aren recovered, reaching again for the beef he had just vomited.

Xiang Ying glared and slapped his hand away.

"It’s dirty! You’re not allowed to eat it." she said, and then took another bag of meat buns from her sleeve and gave it to him.

Aren quickly said thank you, then ate the buns with bulging cheeks, one by one.

However, when he looked up and met Xiang Ying’s dark, piercing gaze, Aren consciously slowed down.

Xiang Ying nodded in approval: "That’s right, chew slowly like this."

She didn’t dare give Aren too much, fearing he would get an upset stomach.

She only put some vitamin tablets, calcium pills, and energy supplements in his water skin.

After drinking, Aren’s face became rosy, and his eyes brightened.

"Thank you, Big Sister," he said, unexpectedly claiming kinship with Xiang Ying.

It couldn’t be helped; the kid was really clever.

Xiang Ying clicked her tongue: "Calling me big sister is no use; you have to go. Don’t you see we’re all criminals? We’re being escorted to the Nanyue Royal Court; do you understand what that means?"

"I know, it means death," Aren licked his lips, still reminiscing about the taste of the meat buns, but he continued, "I will protect Big Sister, my life for the life of Big Sister’s enemy."

Xiang Ying was taken aback.

Truly a child resembling a little wolf cub.

Xiang Ying stood up to leave: "No need, I don’t need anyone to sacrifice themselves for me."

Aren took a few steps to follow her: "What about your children? Those three children; if they face danger, I will protect them and ensure they escape first!"

Xiang Ying paused in her steps, turning back to look.

Aren’s chest heaved, the deep black contours of his eyebrows and eyes showing unparalleled seriousness.

He took out a Dagger and suddenly cut his own palm.

Xiang Ying stared blankly.

"I heard that Death Soldiers serving the Imperial Relatives would recognize their master this way. I swear by blood that for this life, I am a Death Soldier for Big Sister, protecting her life!"

Aren said this with exceptional force.

The eager will to survive in the young boy made Xiang Ying think she saw her own mentor.

She was somewhat dazed.

When she first met her mentor, he was the same, speaking with confidence always sparkling in his eyes.

He was a spirit that never got discouraged or admitted defeat, and Aren resembled him.

Xiang Ying came back to her senses: "We’ll talk about this later."

She walked quickly, but Aren smiled joyfully.

This was great, Big Sister didn’t say no, so there was hope.

He quickly tied the water bladder to his body and ran after Xiang Ying, so as not to fall behind the Exile Team.

The night was thick, the lingering heat from the summer day had yet to dissipate.

On the parched ground, the criminals felt too hot even to stay near the fire and kept away from it.

Only Xiang Ying, who was roasting mouthwatering skewers, made the surrounding prisoners’ stomachs growl with hunger.

Three children sat obediently on a large rock nearby, listening to Lu Feiyi tell them stories.

Lu Feiyi was saying, "Once when I was leading three brothers on a mountain path alone, we encountered a fierce tiger, which hadn’t eaten for many days."

The three little ones listened with tension, and Xiang Xiuxiu as if she was right there asked, "So, did it eat you?"

Lu Feiyi laughed, revealing his brightly white teeth: "If it had eaten me, how would I be here talking to you?"

He lifted his clothes to reveal the claw marks on his abdomen.

"That tiger clawed me, you could say I narrowly escaped with my life."

Unable to contain their amazement, the three little ones exclaimed while Xiang Ying brought over the skewers to share with them.

Seeing Lu Feiyi’s scars, she couldn’t help but ask, "Was the tiger killed by you afterward?"

"It ran away. Killing a tiger, that would be an absolutely fantastical tale."

Xiang Yuanshuo immediately stood up from the rock, biting into a skewer and said, "My wicked mother is very formidable, she could fight barehanded against bears, tigers would surely be no problem! If you don’t believe me, let a tiger come right now and duel with her!"

Xiang Ying pinched the little one’s cheek.

"Eat your meat properly! Don’t go issuing challenges for your mother! I only went to roast these skewers because you said you were hungry earlier, if you don’t eat them all, I’ll spank you."

Xiang Yuanshuo silently lowered his little head.

Xiang Ying looked up and saw Aren standing behind a nearby tree, watching them.

"Lu Feiyi, give these skewers to that child for me," Xiang Ying did not intend to go over.

Lu Feily looked at her: "You really want to take care of him?"

Xiang Ying’s eyes swept past with a serene expression.

"Just feeding him on a whim, since I’m taking care of so many already, one more doesn’t matter."

"That makes sense," Lu Feiyi laughed, then turned and went.

When night fell, everyone slept soundly.

Xiang Ying couldn’t sleep; she was naturally more energetic than others, without the need for supplements, she could stay fully spirited even if she only slept for four hours a day.

She knew there was a pond nearby, and wanted to go for a swim.

The bathroom in the space was only for showering after all, while the pond allowed her to swim to her heart’s content.

Xiang Ying, who in the apocalypse had never enjoyed a natural, unpolluted pool, was simply irresistible to the lure of the pond.

She left the camp quietly, avoiding the patrolling soldiers, and came alone to the pond on the hillside.

The moon was centered in the sky, casting a solitary light with a faint blue hue.

She wore the thin clothes she had prepared and dived into the water.

The cool sensation enveloped her body instantly, driving away the day’s heat.

As Xiang Ying swam and then emerged from the water, she saw a tall figure sitting beside the pond.

He was cleaning his upper body.

This familiar build, which she had touched everywhere, she recognized him at a glance.

Xiang Ying squinted her eyes.

Jie Chen was also bathing this late? Wasn’t this too coincidental?