The other kid that He Lang had grabbed was also a little girl, perhaps around four years old. Her eyes were wide, filled with fear.

Xiao Qingya bit her lip, feeling sorry for both the little girl and herself.

The possibility of getting saved had evaporated into thin air just like that. If only He Lang and Liu Hei weren’t so perceptive and stayed longer at the grain barn...

She could already guess why the grain barn owner had escaped. The injured man must have released his ropes.

He was gambling whether the grain barn owner would report to the authorities. There was only one reason he would do such a thing: the authorities could save him.

The injured man should be someone related to the court official.

Her mind already conjured some stories about a court official getting assassinated and barely escaping with his life.

She shook her little head. Why should she be thinking about such a thing at this time? She should focus on finding a way to escape.

Xiao Qingya concentrated on finding a responsible adult they might encounter. Alas, soon, she found Liu Hei stuffing her mouth with some cloth. Breathing heavily, she felt a wave of indignation in her chest.

Now, another path has been cut off.

However... if someone saw her having her limbs bound and clothes stuffed into her mouth, they should realize there was something wrong with these men, right?

She could only hope so in her heart, wishing for a brave soul who could handle Liu Hei and He Lang. Fortunately, the third child trafficker was nowhere to be found.

The moment she opened her eyes again, she was momentarily stunned. The surroundings around her had become blurred, and she thought she was hallucinating about Liu Hei groaning in pain on the ground.

[System, tell me. Am I seeing it wrong? Do you also see Liu Hei and He Lang groaning all over the ground?]

The System was a little astonished. When it heard its host asking it questions in her childish voice, it immediately answered.

[No, Little Ya. You didn’t see it wrong. Look who’s holding you...]

At this moment, Xiao Qingya also realized she was in someone else’s arms. It was the injured man with whom she had shared her congee with.

Blood trickled down his mouth, yet he insisted on carrying her and the other little girl. He turned around, taking advantage when He Lang and Liu Hei were still overwhelmed with pain to slip away.

Kicking both of them at the same time while making sure he could retrieve the two little girls safely had exhausted most of his energy. It also has worsened his injuries.

Xiao Qingya was worried she might touch his wounds, so she stayed put, trying her best not to hinder him.

The injured man probably... has lost the bet. The grain barn owner didn’t report the theft and child trafficking to the authorities.

Han Tingxun was also currently questioning his life choices. He didn’t know what had possessed him that he acted so impulsively.

Instinctively, he didn’t want to see the little baby who had kindly shared her congee with him to be sold to these despicable people. He knew quite well some people had weird tendencies.

If Xiao Qingya were to fall to the hands of malicious people, her fate would be worse than death.

Nevertheless, it was also useless to mull over her choice for now. Instead, he had to focus on escaping the two child traffickers. They were healthy while he was covered in wounds.

He wasn’t sure how far he could go. If not for his strong willpower, he probably would have collapsed until now.

"Stop right there, you wretched thing!" He Lang’s unpleasant voice reverberated, scaring the birds away.

Han Tingxun frowned, his steps never ceasing. Some of his wounds had reopened, blotching his garment red.

He resisted the urge to bend over and clutch over his wounds. His sharp eyes always focused on the things in front of him, going over anything that blocked their way.

Unfortunately, soon his steps also slowed down. The effect of losing too much blood had begun to hinder him.

[System, is there no way we can borrow some medicine from the system’s shop first?] Xiao Qingya gradually also noticed Han Tingxun’s increasingly worse condition.

Their survival was tied to each other. If Han Tingxun were to collapse, her fate wouldn’t be much different either.

[Host, unfortunately we can’t. There is a cooldown time since we just paid the last debt.] The System racked its non-existent brain yet it still couldn’t find any solution.

It was also anxious. The victory was not so far off. They just need to make Han Tingxun hold on until they find a populated area and they would have been saved.

"Stop, hand them over." Suddenly, Liu Hei appeared out of nowhere and blocked them.

Han Tingxun managed to stop himself in time from crashing into him. His face was already deathly pale, and cold sweat seeped into his garment, mixed with blood.

It was his last shred of rationality that helped him to barely maintain his consciousness.

It didn’t take He Lang long for him to catch up. Upon seeing prey cornered, he sneered and approached them slowly, like a beast stalking his prey.

Han Tingxun’s hands were quick. He already untied the ropes around the two little girls’ feet and put them down.

"Run!" He ordered them, gasping.

Xiao Qingya sent one last worried look at Han Tingxun and grasped the little girl tightly. They couldn’t waste his good intentions.

Had they stayed, it would make it more difficult for him to protect them. They would only serve as a distraction.

Besides, Xiao Qingya was also sure that at least one of the child traffickers would follow them, lessening the burden on Han Tingxun’s shoulders.

The two little girls ran away with their short legs. Unfortunately, the one chasing them was an adult, and it didn’t take long before He Lang who was cursing and threatening them, finally managed to catch up.

"I got you, two little wretched things! You actually dare to run away from me!"