Chapter 16: A Big Group

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

She chewed slowly and savored the food in her mouth. It was a taste she had never encountered before–a little strange, but delicious, as it had a sweet and fragrant flavor. Sweet food always tasted great.

“That lady is really such a kind soul!”

Qin Yiling smiled. Although she wasn’t looking at them directly, she was sneaking peeks through her peripheral vision. As she observed their actions, she felt an inexplicable sense of warmth in her heart.

Both of them were good and honest people. She had noticed them during the argument last night, and they had stayed in the corner quietly without participating at all.

They had also been silent the whole way today, following behind the group without a word. Even though they were physically weaker, they had not uttered a single complaint. They also happened to be walking right in front of her, so she had noticed them even more.

She had already conducted a careful observation. The two of them were the weakest among the entire group. In addition, she guessed that they had probably run out of food already, which was also why she was willing to help them. When facing this group of people, she had to assess each situation and person separately.

“Alright, let’s go!” Zhang Xing shouted again.

The old lady held her grandson’s hand as they walked behind the group. Seeing that everyone was walking in front, she then turned around and thanked Qin Yiling.

“Thank you, young lady!”

Qin Yiling gave a slight nod in response, not intending to engage in further exchange.

The old lady was a tactful person, so she understood and didn’t say anything else. She kept all of her gratitude in her heart, and silently prayed for Qin Yiling to have a safe and smooth life.

If given a chance in the future, they would definitely repay her.

An hour later, Qin Yiling finally saw a fork in the road. Finally, they no longer seemed to be on a path that only stretched forward endlessly.

Soon, their group came across another group of people who were ahead of them. They too looked like a makeshift group of people who were traveling together because they were heading towards the same place.

As expected, those people looked and were dressed in the same way as the people in her group, except for the different number of patches mended onto their clothes.

In an instant, her group expanded from consisting of ten people or so, into a large group of more than thirty people. They were quite a sight. If only everyone hadn’t looked so disheveled and covered in dirt, they might have even looked imposing and impressive.

Qin Yiling didn’t want to attract too much attention, so she walked slowly and hung behind the group on purpose. This also gave her a better grasp on the whole situation, as she could observe and note everyone’s behavior clearly, preventing any unforeseen events in the future.

The pair of grandmother and grandson had been walking alongside her all this while, not because they also wanted to stay at the back of the group, but because both of them were either old or young, so being on this long journey was a struggle for them.

Another hour later, the group took a break. Qin Yiling’s watch had stopped–it must have been confused by the two different space-time zones of the two worlds. But looking at the color of the sky, it should be around noon.

The group dispersed and everyone busied about on their own.

Some people sat on the ground and ate their rations, while some others took their bottles and went looking for water sources nearby. The rest roamed around, seemingly to look for food in the nearby hills.

Looking around at the surrounding mountain plains, Qin Yiling felt a little weight off her chest upon finally seeing some greenery around. It was no longer the same scenery of withered, barren land.

Previously, she had noticed along the journey that the grandmother and her grandson looked rather weak and weary, especially the little boy who was only a few years old; the fact that he managed to keep up with the adults for so long was a feat in itself.

Hence, she carried the little boy for a while to ease the strain on the old woman. Although she looked gentle and demure, she was actually quite strong..