Thinking of those disgusting displays of affection, Bai Ren, who had spent years licking blood off his blade, unconsciously brushed away the goosebumps on his skin.
"Cut the nonsense and hurry up to take shelter from the rain," he said.
What with the Fifth Imperial Brother and the Ninth Prince, she had no leisure to rekindle past ties—right now, she only wanted to find shelter before the heavy rain arrived.
Seeing that Bai Junjun was determined to go back, Bai Sasa no longer said anything and obediently fell silent, following along.
Bai Ren led the two kids back the way they had come, and after a while, they saw the jungle they had hastily passed by earlier in the day.
Without a thought, Bai Ren led them into it.
In no time, the figures of the three kids disappeared into the dense jungle.
After an unknown amount of time, Bai Ren came across a huge tree hollow, which was more than enough to fit three kids.
Seizing the time before the rain fell, Bai Ren instructed the two kids to squat there while she went to gather some firewood.
The little brats seemed to be quite afraid of their elder sister: as soon as she spoke, they immediately squatted down obediently, without a hint of doubt.
Seeing this, Bai Ren nodded in satisfaction and quickly left.
In the tree hollow, Bai Lingyu, who had escaped death, stared blankly at the pitch-black sky and said, "Sister Shi Yi, will our elder sister abandon us?"
"..." Bai Sasa didn't answer; she didn't know either.
She was eight years younger than her elder sister; when her elder sister was proclaimed the World's Number One Talent Girl at eight years old, she was just learning to talk.
To her, the elder sister, who was adorned with the family's glory, was like a deity, despite the later misfortunes that befell their family. She would never forget the grand birthday banquet of her elder sister when she was thirteen.
Her elder sister appeared like a Celestial Maiden, draped in fine silks and satin, the sound of her ornaments tinkling, while the princes and sons of the Shi clans brought continuous streams of birthday presents like a flow of dragons.
Since childhood, people around her had told her that being born a concubine's child was like being half a servant, with no control over her life or death. The only thing they could do was to rely on their elder sister. If their elder sister was honored and pampered, they would be too; if their elder sister was shamed, they would also suffer.
Her aunt was a former handmaid of the Eldest Madam, and her devotion to the Eldest Madam and the elder sister—her former masters—was even greater than her love for her own daughter. Under her aunt's subtle influence, Bai Sasa was also very loyal to Bai Junjun.
This loyalty even extended to a sense that it would be right and proper to die for her elder sister if necessary.
So when their elder sister decided to sell her and Bai Lingyu as two-legged sheep to a refugee group, Bai Sasa felt desolate inside but didn't dare to defy her.
Now that their elder sister had suddenly changed her mind and even risked her life to rescue them, Bai Sasa was still both excited and anxious.
However, whether or not the elder sister would decide to abandon them again, she couldn't be sure...
After all, they were too young, and without the refugee group, they would only become a burden to their elder sister.
Just as the two of them were blankly pondering in the tree hollow whether their elder sister would return, they suddenly heard a "rustle rustle rustle" sound.
Years of fleeing had made them vigilant, and upon hearing the sound, they instinctively froze.
Looking up, they indeed saw a Flower Snake, faintly glowing in the moonlight, slowly passing by outside the tree hollow.
"!" Both siblings were stunned at once.
In the past, the sight of a Flower Snake would have terrified them, but in these war-torn and famine-stricken times, seeing a Flower Python thicker than their wrists didn't scare them; instead, they involuntarily swallowed their saliva.
If only they could roast it and eat it...
But neither had ever caught a snake before; usually, whenever there were snakes or pests around, the refugees would swarm them, leaving no chance for the children.
Just as the two awkwardly searched for any weapons at hand, suddenly a sharpened Wooden Spear flew out of the night like an arrow and shot forward.