Chapter 63: Old Master Gu Seems to Know Something

After weighing the pros and cons, Xie Xun made his decision.

Li Mumu looked at him, recalling his look of disgust just moments ago. "You want to follow us—have you even asked if we are willing to take you in?"

Xie Xun was left speechless.

A true man could bow or flex as circumstances required; besides, she was just a little milk-fed toddler, so why should he bicker with a tiny child?

"I am a free man, and I can do many things for you. Anything inconvenient for your family can be left to me."

Li Mumu rolled her eyes. Although the bailiffs were not currently making things difficult for the Gu family, many matters still required their permission, which indeed made certain things inconvenient.

Seeing that the little girl seemed somewhat less resistant, Xie Xun continued his persuasion, "Besides, I won't use any of your provisions. I only need you to heal my injuries and detoxify this poison."

Li Mumu said nothing, and Xie Xun could not guess what she was thinking, as this was his first time dealing with such a young child.

He involuntarily softened his tone. "Umm... if you have any other conditions, just name them."

Li Mumu was not truly a three-year-old child. This young boy was so small, yet he had suffered such severe injuries and contracted a bizarre, lethal poison; clearly, he was no child from an ordinary household.

She was weighing whether saving him would bring trouble upon her own family.

As for this fellow choosing to follow her, on one hand, it was to get his poison cured, but on the other hand, it was probably to escape his pursuers, right?

After all, they were part of a banished group, especially since they were heading north; it was indeed a good place to hide out.

"I will reward you handsomely. Once I recover, whatever you want—as long as it is within my power to grant—I will give it to you."

That was certainly a bold promise. Li Mumu searched her memory of the novel's plot, but she truly could not find a character matching this profile.

Whatever the case, she couldn't just stand by and watch someone die, and this exotic poison also stirred up her competitive spirit. She would save him and put him to work for her first; later on, if his background turned out to be truly formidable, perhaps he could even lend the Gu family a helping hand.

With the idea of forging a broad web of good karma, Li Mumu nodded and extended her finger. "Deal, but if you follow me, you must listen to me."

Xie Xun looked at the chubby little finger poked out toward him, finding it somewhat childish, yet the little girl was remarkably persistent, refusing to pull her hand back until they locked pinkies.

He felt helpless that he had thus become a little follower.

After locking pinkies, Li Mumu immediately broke into a smile and called Chen Dongqing over to help transport this kid, as she certainly didn't want to carry him back on her back.

Chen Dongqing and the others were refugees, and they had brought a flatbed cart along with them. Pushing Xie Xun and accompanying Li Mumu, they returned to the banishment procession.

Seeing Li Mumu return, everyone in the Gu family breathed a sigh of relief. "Mumu, is he cured?"

Li Mumu stepped aside, exposing Xie Xun on the flatbed cart to everyone. "His injuries are a bit heavy, so we have to bring him along."

"But we are exiles... bringing him along... wouldn't it be inappropriate?" Song Qiang said with a troubled expression. She didn't mean any harm; she was simply speaking the truth.

Chen Dongqing wore a troubled look, but Xie Xun struggled to his feet, looked around at the crowd, and immediately spotted Gu Jian. He felt a brief flash of confusion as to why the little girl had brought him to the Gu family side rather than the Li family.

However, thinking that the two families were in-laws and that looking after one another was normal, he didn't dwell on it.

Xie Xun repeated to the group what he had just told Li Mumu, though he omitted the part about the heavy reward.

Elder Gu had been staring fixedly at his face ever since the boy stood up.

As the torchlight flickered on and off, the old man looked thoughtful. "Let him stay. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Besides, if he doesn't follow Mumu in his current state, I'm afraid it's a dead end for him anyway."

A flash of brightness crossed Xie Xun's eyes. "Thank you, Elder General."

Elder Gu's expression paused slightly, and then he nodded. "Child, where do you come from? How did you end up with such severe injuries?"

"I... I am also a refugee. My parents died young, and I was raised by our household servants. But unfortunately, we ran into bandits; our family property was entirely lost, and the servants died tragically. Only I miraculously escaped with my life. Thank you, Elder General Gu, for taking me in."

Elder Gu nodded, his wise gaze deepening somewhat. "What should we call you?"

"I... my surname is Xie, given name Xun!"

Elder Gu took an imperceptible breath, then said nothing more.

The bailiffs watched the torch-wielding refugees, too angry to speak out, yet daring not to voice their discontent. Besides, having one more person didn't make much difference, and judging by the look of it, if they refused, these refugees probably wouldn't agree to it either.

Early the next morning, the banishment procession prepared to set off again.

Chen Dongqing brought all the refugees to see them off. They dropped to their knees in a flurry all at once, a sight that tugged painfully at the heartstrings.

Suddenly remembering something, Li Mumu asked, "Uncle Dongqing, where are you all going?"

"We... we are going to the capital to cry out and seek justice for the Elder General. A good man like him doesn't deserve this."

"That's right, we are going to seek justice for Elder General Gu!" everyone chorused.

Elder Gu shook his head repeatedly. Matters like this were far from simple.

Li Mumu, however, was badly frightened. If they headed toward the capital, they would surely march to their deaths.

"Uncle, your illnesses haven't healed yet. Going to the capital is not suitable for your condition. The medicinal herbs I told you about can only be found if you head south."

"This..." Chen Dongqing's face showed hesitation.

Although Elder Gu did not know what was on Li Mumu's mind, he was well aware that they were suffering from a severe contagion, and going to the capital would be extremely dangerous.

"Dongqing, I appreciate your kind intentions. Get yourselves healed first; only when you are cured can there be a future," Elder Gu said in a deep voice. "Listen to Mumu, go south."

Chen Dongqing gritted his teeth, hot tears welling up, and finally nodded. "Elder General, please rest assured. Once I lead the villagers to a stable life, I will definitely find a way to clear your name."

Watching the departure of the banishment procession, Chen Dongqing led everyone in kowtowing three loud kowtows toward the direction they had left. That debt of gratitude, he would forever keep in his heart.

Lying on the flatbed cart, Xie Xun looked up at the azure sky, dwelling on the hatred of everyone who had died to protect him. He had to live.

Only by staying alive could he avenge those people.

Though his wounds had only gone through a single night, they somehow felt less painful. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but this little milk-fed toddler possessed rather formidable medical skills.

However, having suffered such severe injuries and significant blood loss, he soon fell asleep again. From time to time as he drifted awake, he could feel the bumping of the cart beneath him.

At noon, when he opened his eyes again, he found himself beneath a large tree, surrounded by the sound of people talking.

"Will this medicine be alright? Otherwise, why would they make us drink it?"

Li Mumu rolled her eyes. "Then don't drink it."

She wasn't being particularly kind-hearted either; because they had been in contact with the refugees, it was quite likely they had already been infected, so early prevention was for the best.

Once the members of her family fell ill, not only would it slow down their journey, but internal transmission would also become easy. Otherwise, she wouldn't care a whit whether the Li family lived or died.

Lin Siyan looked down at her belly, casting a guarded and suspicious glare at Li Mumu.