Transmigrated Into an Ancient Famine Novel as a Scumbag Alpha (ABO, GL) - Chapter 58

Chapter 58

The bandit standing at the lookout panicked. He shouted his companion’s name while cautiously watching his surroundings.

He grabbed the bow and arrow nearby, ready to shoot the person who had just fired an arrow.

Ye Qing drew her bow again, aiming the arrow directly at the man. After shooting one arrow, Ye Qing quickly fired two more.

The bandit at the lookout took an arrow in the shoulder. Unable to dodge, he took arrows in the chest and forehead, dying moments later.

Ye Qing put away her bow and arrow, quickly walking toward Jiang Jinhuang and the others. The night was too dark, and the winter wind was strong. Ye Qing couldn’t use an oil lamp or candle for light, but luckily, she had picked up two unused torches from the roadside earlier.

Ye Qing lit one torch with a fire starter and said, “Let’s go. We’ll leave this place first.”

“Okay,” Jiang Jinhuang replied, picking up the little one and following Ye Qing.

Ye Qing held the torch in one hand and a long knife in the other, leading the way. Ahead lay a pitch-black forest, while behind them, the stronghold blazed with fire.

Ye Qing walked slowly because Jiang Jinhuang couldn’t move quickly. The night path was already hard to navigate, and descending the mountain made it even more difficult.

“Be careful and stay behind me,” Ye Qing warned.

“Okay,” Jiang Jinhuang answered, holding the little one. She was starting to feel exhausted, her cheeks gradually paling.

After walking a distance, Ye Qing looked back and saw fine beads of sweat on Jiang Jinhuang’s forehead. Ye Qing took the little one from her, worried the torch in her left hand might burn the child. She handed the torch to Jiang Jinhuang and said, “You hold the torch. Be careful.”

“Okay,” Jiang Jinhuang replied, taking deep breaths. Without the little one to carry, she felt much lighter. She took the torch and led the way.

“Ye Qing, is it okay to keep going like this?” Jiang Jinhuang asked, worried the dark night might cause the three of them to get lost in the forest.

Ye Qing thought for a moment and agreed, “Wait a second. Let’s rest here for a bit.”

Then, Ye Qing started searching through her spatial panel. She found a compass, smaller than her palm, costing 1 favor point to redeem.

Ye Qing clicked to redeem it. The next moment, a system voice sounded in her mind, “Congratulations, dear, redemption successful. Current remaining redemption points: 35.”

While Ye Qing did this, Jiang Jinhuang’s gaze studied her. From her angle, Ye Qing appeared to be holding the little one, lost in thought.

Jiang Jinhuang looked at Ye Qing curiously for a while, unable to resist. She waved her hand in front of Ye Qing’s face and said, “Ye Qing? What are you thinking about? You’re so lost in thought.”

Ye Qing, having just redeemed the compass, snapped back to reality. “Nothing. Take this and keep walking in the direction the needle points.”

The stronghold was in the north, so Ye Qing and the others just needed to head south to reach the main road.

Jiang Jinhuang took the object from Ye Qing’s hand. Her fingers lightly touched it, unable to identify its material. Frowning, she asked, “What is this?”

Growing up in the capital, Jiang Jinhuang had seen many strange things, but she had never seen this object before.

“It’s a simple compass. Let’s go south. Watch the direction and don’t get lost,” Ye Qing reminded.

Jiang Jinhuang looked at the compass in her hand, suppressing her many questions. This wasn’t the place to talk, so it was better to keep moving.

“Okay, got it,” Jiang Jinhuang replied. She held the torch in one hand and the compass in the other, leading the way.

Ye Qing followed, carrying the little one. The child was getting sleepy; at this hour, the little one was usually asleep.

The child couldn’t keep her eyes open. Knowing Ye Qing was holding her, the little one felt safe and fell asleep in Ye Qing’s arms.

Ye Qing walked for a while and glanced at the little one in her arms. Her eyes softened with a slight smile. The little one was comfortable, already asleep.

Ye Qing and Jiang Jinhuang didn’t stop. They walked for nearly an hour before descending the mountain. However, neither Ye Qing nor Jiang Jinhuang knew exactly where they were. The night was still too dark.

Jiang Jinhuang, sweating from exhaustion, asked, “Should we keep going?”

Ye Qing thought for a moment and nodded. “Let’s go a bit farther. I set the fire far away, but I can’t be sure all the bandits in the stronghold are dead. For safety, we should keep moving.”

“Okay, but this torch…” Jiang Jinhuang said, as the torch in her hand was nearly out.

Ye Qing reached behind her with her left hand, and another torch appeared in her hand.

Ye Qing handed the new torch to Jiang Jinhuang.

Jiang Jinhuang pinched her brow, too tired to ask where Ye Qing got the torch. She took it, lit the new torch, and extinguished the fading one.

They walked for nearly another hour, reaching the hour of Yin (3 a.m.). Ye Qing, exhausted, said, “That’s enough. Let’s build a fire here, rest, and wait for daylight to keep going.”

“Okay, I’ll gather some firewood,” Jiang Jinhuang said, picking up dry branches nearby.

Ye Qing closed her eyes, then decided to go all in. She summoned the horse and their wooden cart.

If Jiang Jinhuang had suspected Ye Qing had secrets before, now she was certain. Ye Qing had fled the stronghold with nothing, yet now she produced a wooden cart and a horse out of thin air. Anyone would be shocked.

But Ye Qing had no choice. The night was cold and damp. They needed blankets to stay warm and food to regain strength. Her performance at the stronghold had been decent, and Jiang Jinhuang and the little one needed her care. Even if Jiang Jinhuang discovered her secret, she posed no great threat, as they still relied on Ye Qing.

With this in mind, Ye Qing threw caution to the wind.

Jiang Jinhuang returned with a small pile of branches. She looked back and saw Ye Qing holding her sister, but something seemed off.

Jiang Jinhuang pinched her brow and closed her eyes. Opening them again, she scanned Ye Qing, the little one, and the wooden cart and horse nearby.

After walking so far, she was tired, but seeing the cart and horse, her eyes widened involuntarily.

Jiang Jinhuang pointed behind Ye Qing. “A wooden cart and a horse?”

Ye Qing coughed lightly and walked to Jiang Jinhuang’s side. She carefully took the torch with her left hand and passed the little one to Jiang Jinhuang with her right.

While lighting a small fire on the ground with the torch, Ye Qing made up an excuse. “Well, maybe the horse is smart. It probably has a sharp sense of smell and found us by following our scent.”

Ye Qing nearly laughed at her own excuse. She glanced at Jiang Jinhuang, who held the little one, her face practically saying, “Do you think I’m that easy to fool?”

Ye Qing gave an awkward smile and hurried to the cart. She spread two blankets on the ground and took out another to cover them.

“Put Yangyang in the blankets and let her sleep well,” Ye Qing said, smiling at Jiang Jinhuang as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Jinhuang took a deep breath, even checking the shadows on the ground. She recalled folk tales that ghosts had no shadows. Though Ye Qing had always been good to her and Yangyang, if Ye Qing wasn’t human, it would be frightening.

Thinking this, Jiang Jinhuang stepped back. Her gaze fell on Ye Qing’s shadow. Under the firelight, Ye Qing’s shadow was long and normal, like her own.

Jiang Jinhuang relaxed slightly. Her arms ached from holding her sister, and she couldn’t keep carrying her. She walked over, placed the little one in the blankets, and covered her properly.

After settling the little one, Jiang Jinhuang’s gaze shifted to the horse by the cart. The horse had a shadow, too, and was clearly alive.

Jiang Jinhuang discreetly looked away. As she turned, Ye Qing went to the cart to get a pot and bowls.

Jiang Jinhuang asked, “What are you doing?”

“After all this running around, I’m hungry. I’ll make something to eat. You rest over there,” Ye Qing said, moving the iron pot and cutting board to the fire.

Blocking Jiang Jinhuang’s view, Ye Qing took a cabbage, a potato, and a large piece of horse meat from her space. She had grabbed these from the stronghold’s kitchen while taking the oil barrel.

Seeing Ye Qing peel the potato with a dagger, Jiang Jinhuang moved closer.

Her heart was still uneasy. Jiang Jinhuang’s gaze fell on the meat on the cutting board.

As if understanding her concern, Ye Qing explained, “I took these from the stronghold. The horse meat is from a horse killed today. It’s fresh, don’t worry.”

Jiang Jinhuang closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Was she worried about the meat’s freshness? No, she was curious about where Ye Qing got all these things.

But Jiang Jinhuang didn’t ask. She thought for a moment, then grabbed Ye Qing’s wrist, her thumb resting on Ye Qing’s pulsing vein.

Feeling Ye Qing’s warmth and normal pulse, Jiang Jinhuang finally relaxed. If Ye Qing wasn’t a ghost, maybe she had some unexpected abilities.

Comforting herself with this thought, Jiang Jinhuang felt less afraid.

Ye Qing’s gaze fell on Jiang Jinhuang’s hand on her wrist. She asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. Just seeing what dish you’re making,” Jiang Jinhuang said, quickly pulling her hand back.

“I’ll stir-fry some horse meat and make some noodle pieces to go with it,” Ye Qing said, feeling hungrier at the thought. She sped up her food prep.

“I’ll stir-fry the dish. You knead the dough. It’ll be faster,” Jiang Jinhuang said. After running all night, she was truly hungry.

Ye Qing agreed, handing the task to Jiang Jinhuang. She went to the cart, pretending to search, and took out a bag of flour and a clean cutting board from nowhere.

Jiang Jinhuang watched Ye Qing fake-search the cart, nearly laughing. Even now, Ye Qing was pretending in front of her.