Chapter 45: Let's team up, he said

Su Da and Su Er walked at the rear, watching the three little rascals being bullied by their younger sister, and both burst into hearty laughter.

Only after the three children puffed out their cheeks and stomped their feet in frustration did the two men step forward, picking them up one by one, carrying some in their arms and hoisting others onto their shoulders.

"Look at this petty temper of yours. A true man should stand tall and proud with his sights set on the horizon, understand? Are you really going to argue with your baby sister? So you got kicked, big deal! That's just your sister playing with you."

Su An refused to yield. Perched on his father's neck, his little hands frantically tugged at his ears. "I'm not mad at my sister! Daddy, why did you smack my bottom just now? I already got kicked and then you hit me too, you're bad!"

"Bad! Daddy's bad!" Su Wen and Su Wu also revolted against their father, pinching and pulling until Su Er's straight, handsome face was thoroughly distorted.

The two men laughed and begged for mercy.

The kitchen stove was already burning, and black smoke curled up through the chimney, instantly filling the air with the earthy scent of cooking fires.

The crackling of burning firewood, the sizzling sound of vegetables hitting the wok, the clanging of the spatula, mingling with the casual chatting of the women—all the noises inside and outside the house wove together to form a vibrant, flowing painting of ordinary life.

Peaceful and warm.

This was the most mundane of scenes, yet in this dark and chaotic purgatory of the exile land, it was a rare and precious treasure.

"Time to eat!"

Half an hour later, following this call, the tiny courtyard once again buzzed with playful laughter and commotion.

After washing their hands, the adults and children crowded into the kitchen. A small square table had been pieced together from logs, holding two plates of food.

One plate of stewed chicken, and one plate of braised rabbit meat.

Ten people sat around the table in a circle, chatting, laughing, and eating to their hearts' content.

The youngest, Tianbao, remained nestled inside her bamboo basket, quiet, well-behaved, and completely trouble-free—so adorable that it made people's hearts ache with fondness.

While the adults ate, she occasionally played with her tiny fingers, sometimes wiggling her little feet, or rolling and turning over on her quilted mat. When the mood struck her, she would grab the handle of the basket with her little hands, shake and wobble as she tried to sit up, only to flop right back down a moment later from lack of strength, her two short little legs kicking high into the air.

The adults watched her while eating and chuckled heartily.

Sitting on top of the stove was a bowl of thin rice gruel, specially prepared and simmered for little Tianbao.

Not a single person had been willing to eat the half-bag of coarse flour gifted by the Huo family earlier; they had saved every bit of it as rations for Tianbao.

Now that the baby was a little older and had grown tiny milk teeth, she could start eating soft, smooth liquid foods that would keep her full for longer.

Fearing that her little granddaughter might go hungry, Old Madam Su ate exceptionally fast. After sending three or four bites of meat down her throat, she set down her chopsticks, picked up the bowl of gruel, and tested the temperature until it was just right. Then she gathered her granddaughter into her arms, feeding her patiently and meticulously, one spoonful at a time.

During times like this, Liu Yulan always slowed down her eating pace. It wasn't that she didn't want to feed her daughter herself; she simply knew how much her mother-in-law doted on Tianbao and always wished to feed her personally, so she chose not to compete.

To the grandmother, feeding her little granddaughter spoonful after spoonful of porridge and gruel was both a joy and a fulfillment.

When the bowl of gruel was half gone, Old Madam Su clearly sensed the little baby's tiny body grow soft in her arms. She raised an eyebrow and teased, "Oh, Grandma's good baby, were you holding your breath this whole time? Is the gruel not tasty anymore?"

Tianbao blinked, baring her tiny milk teeth, and gave the wooden spoon an eager *ao-wu* bite. After swallowing the gruel, she smacked her little lips to prove just how deliciously she was eating.

Old Madam Su was amused and planted a fond kiss right on her chubby little cheek. "Such a good girl! If you like it, Grandma will feed you more!"

Tianbao ate one spoonful at a time while taking the opportunity to retract the pear-blossom needles from her spatial dimension and toss them back under the ancient pear tree.

The person on the roof of the main house had just left.

She no longer needed to maintain full alertness, which made the food taste even better.

Even though the gruel was plain and not particularly delicious,

eating it with such relish would only make Grandma and the others happier.

For several days running, every morning, a figure would descend upon the roof of the Su family's house.

Doing nothing at all, he would simply lie on the thatched roof to bask in the sun, disappearing only after the Su family finished their midday meal.

He treated the Su family's roof entirely as a holy site for sunbathing, paying a visit every single day without fail.

Aside from Tianbao, the Su family—and indeed every resident of Tubai Mountain—remained completely oblivious to this, continuing with their daily routines just as before.

While this side remained peaceful and serene, the other side was starting to panic in frustration.

"Tell me, what on earth are you thinking? Going over there every day and doing nothing at all, just treating people's roofs like an observatory for sightseeing? Your mission has a time limit! You only have one month, and more than half of it has already passed! May is already here!" The crazy old man stood with hands on hips, pacing furiously inside the ruined temple, cursing at the man sitting in the corner with his eyes closed in feigned sleep. "They've already paid half the silver, and you've pretty much spent most of it by now! When the time comes and the mission fails, will you have the silver to pay it back? Let me tell you right now, don't even think about hitting me up for money; I'm so poor I only have one ragged tunic and a pair of loincloths left!"

After finishing his tirade and noticing that the man showed no reaction at all, the crazy old man rolled his eyes, his tone softening. "How about you tell me what you're thinking? What is the actual plan here? I know you have your principles—you don't harm the old, the young, women, or children, and you don't touch ordinary civilians... If you can't bring yourself to be ruthless, should I step in? Rest assured, I'm not going around killing people randomly; I'll just give them a scare. As long as they cough up the mastermind behind the scenes, I'll guarantee they can continue living in peace."

The man in the corner stirred, his eyelids lifting gently. "There are no martial arts experts in the Su family, and that person is not on Tubai Mountain."

"What do you mean?"

"There are one hundred and sixteen current residents in Tubai Mountain County. Aside from Huo Ziheng and his wife, not a single person knows martial arts. I can hear it."

The crazy old man was left speechless. "..."

Just how formidable Broken Blade's martial arts were, he didn't know, but having lived in the exile land for six years, he had never encountered an opponent who could best him.

Therefore, the crazy old man harbored no doubts about Broken Blade's judgment.

"Could that person have slipped away quietly? Were they really just passing by, drawing their sword in righteous anger at an injustice?" The crazy old man slumped onto the ground, his eyes devoid of light. "We're done for, my Tianshan snow lotus! I'm going to have to steal it again, dammit!"

At that moment, a piece of broken silver was tossed into his lap. He reacted too slowly to catch it, and the silver rolled uselessly onto the ground.

The crazy old man didn't even spare it a glance. "What's this for? Trying to brush me off with pocket change? Gold and silver are like dirt in my eyes; if you're going to pay me, give me the celestial snow lotus—"

"When you go into town to steal things, bring me back a bag of rice and flour, plus one portion each of cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Buy them and bring them back tonight."

"???" *Damn your mother, I wasted my breath.* "What are you trying to do? If you want to cook, do it yourself; all I know how to do is roast birds!"

His only response was the crisp, chilling gleam of Broken Blade's drawn weapon.

Without another word, the crazy old man picked up the silver and bolted.

When you're outmatched and can't win, the best move is to run.

The Su family busied themselves once more under the spring sunshine. Looking at their lush, thriving vegetable garden, every member of the family wore an irrepressible smile.

With the chores done and the meal prepared, the family gathered around the wooden table, chopsticks in hand, ready to begin their meal when an uninvited guest abruptly appeared.

The figure stood rigidly right at the kitchen doorway.

The visitor was so towering and broad that his mere presence blocked out almost all the daylight filtering in.

Before the Su family could spring up in alarm and cover the dining table, a large cloth sack landed right in front of the table. The mouth of the sack happened to come loose, spilling out snowy white rice and flour, with several small jars resting on top.

"Rice, flour, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar," the man spoke, his voice low and carrying the hard, cold texture of solid ice.

"Joining meals," he stated.

The Su family, "..."

"???"