"Xiao He, Xin Ci, since the crossbow bolts have been found, you two should head back."
Old Jin said this, personally selected two gentler horses, and handed the reins to them.
"Hurry back, or your second uncle will worry about you."
Old Jin then specifically told them, "You can ride these two horses home, no need to return them to the garrison. If anyone asks, just blame it on Uncle Jin, say they are your spoils of war, and Uncle Jin is taking the credit for gifting them to you."
"Hehehe." With it all cleared up, they could finally ride horses home openly. Qi He was so happy he was almost dizzy.
Fu Xin Ci was even happier. From now on, she wouldn't have to drag Qi He around anymore.
The two of them thanked Uncle Jin together.
"No need to thank me, Uncle Jin should thank you." Thinking of the two horses the children had captured before, they had brought considerable convenience to the garrison.
He urged the two children, "You should hurry back. With these two horses, you can get back faster."
Qi He wanted to stay, but Fu Xin Ci noticed that Uncle Jin and the others seemed to be hiding something from them, so she tugged on Qi He's sleeve.
Qi He obediently followed along.
As soon as the two little ones rode their horses around a bend in the mountain path and Old Jin could no longer see their backs, he coldly ordered, "Search their bodies for anything valuable." Then he made a throat-slitting gesture.
"Yes." Everyone had been waiting for this command.
Old Jin looked at the Tartars lying on the ground, barely alive, and said hatefully, "They came to Liaodong to burn, kill, and plunder. If I let you bastards return alive, I would be letting down my ancestors and the land beneath our feet."
Fu Xin Ci's senses were very keen. Uncle Jin's voice, fragmented by the wind, reached her. She smiled silently.
If it were her, she would do the same.
Qi He looked back. Seeing that the adults were no longer visible, he began to nag Fu Xin Ci.
"Sister Fu, my aim isn't good enough. Out of thirty crossbow bolts, I only hit ten Tartars, and half of them weren't fatal hits."
"It's okay, we'll get better with more practice." Fu Xin Ci shared some of her techniques and insights with Qi He, who listened attentively.
Fu Xin Ci felt a bit dry-mouthed and was about to seize an opportunity when Qi He wasn't paying attention to take a sip of water to moisten her throat.
Her peripheral vision caught sight of an eagle circling in the sky. She knew something was wrong and immediately turned her horse back.
"Sister Fu, where are you going?"
"I'm going to tell Uncle Jin that a large group of Tartars might be heading this way."
"Ah? I'll go with you."
"Okay." Fu Xin Ci spurred her horse forward, and Qi He also turned his horse, following closely behind.
On the side of the open road, Old Jin had just finished dealing with the bodies of the Tartars with the garrison soldiers when he saw Fu Xin Ci galloping towards them.
"Uncle Jin, everyone quickly retreat. It seems a large number of Tartars are heading in our direction."
"Xin Ci, how do you know?"
"Uncle Jin, look, Little Black is afraid to fly in that direction."
Everyone looked in the direction Fu Xin Ci was pointing. "Chirp chirp~" Little Black flapped its wings and circled, gradually retreating.
Old Jin immediately ordered the garrison soldiers to pull the captured warhorses and retreat.
Once everyone had retreated into the mountain path, Old Jin immediately ordered, "Archers, find cover and provide support."
"Yes."
"Prepare the horse traps."
"Understood."
Seeing Uncle Jin calmly directing the soldiers on their next actions, Fu Xin Ci dismounted with Qi He, tied the horses in a hidden spot, and pulled Qi He up the mountainside.
Qi He looked around and chose a large rock to hide behind.
Fu Xin Ci also took the opportunity to change into clothes that matched the surrounding colors. Qi He looked at her, confused, then saw Fu Xin Ci toss him a piece of clothing and signal him to change.
Qi He's heart pounded violently. He carefully put on the clothes and looked down. He saw Uncle Jin kneeling on one leg, his ear pressed to the ground on the road, listening intently.
As Uncle Jin's expression grew more somber, Fu Xin Ci couldn't hold back any longer. She channeled her wood elemental ability, climbed higher, found an angle where Qi He and the others couldn't see her, and took out a telescope from her spatial dimension.
When she truly saw the dark mass of people galloping towards them through the telescope, she couldn't help but frown.
She couldn't help but curse inwardly, "They really are a bunch of damn turtles that can't be killed. We just finished off over a hundred, and now even more are coming."
Fu Xin Ci didn't know that the Tartars would cry injustice if they knew they were being cursed.
They hadn't intended to travel this far. They had originally planned to grab some grain and go back.
Who knew that the Ming people had gone mad this time? Not only were the garrisons chasing and beating them, but even small groups of soldiers from various garrisons were like they had eaten something wrong, relentlessly chasing them.
They had fled in panic and desperation, eventually getting lost.
Damn it, they had sent so many people out to scout an hour ago. Can anyone explain where those bastards went? How could they just disappear while scouting?
Could it be?
Thinking of a certain possibility, their hearts grew even more uncertain.
Fu Xin Ci didn't care what the Tartars were thinking. She quickly wrote a note and then brought out Little White.
Little White was very reluctant to have a paper roll tied to its little chubby leg again.
"Squeak squeak squeak." This White is tired and wants to rest. See how strong the reason it found is.
"No. Little White, you have to listen to me. You need to go with Little Black to find Uncle Qi and ask them to bring reinforcements quickly to save us. If they are too late, our home will be lost."
"Squeak squeak squeak." Little White heard that if they didn't find someone to save them, their home would be lost, and that wouldn't do.
"Squeak squeak squeak." This White is going now.
"Chirp~ Chirp." Little Black is very scared. What if it gets shot down by those bad guys?
"Squeak squeak squeak." This time, without the humans speaking, Little White would persuade the eagle.
"Squeak squeak squeak."
"Chirp chirp chirp."
"Squeak squeak squeak."
Without the humans wasting their saliva, Little White managed to convince Little Black on its own.
It seemed that whether they were humans or mink, they all wanted a stable home.
After Little Black and Little White flew away, Fu Xin Ci slid down. With a few drops, she landed in front of Old Jin.
"Uncle Jin, I just wrote a note and had Little White and Little Black take it to Uncle Qi."
Old Jin, who had been stern and seemingly ready to face death, heard the little girl's words, and his old face instantly transformed, as if a mountain full of chrysanthemums had bloomed.
My heavens, the change was too sudden. Fu Xin Ci was a little slow to react, stunned for at least fifteen seconds before coming to her senses.
Old Jin was overjoyed, completely oblivious to the girl's expression.