Yue Xing took a single step towards the cart, before he stopped and looked down at himself. The darkness made it difficult to make out, but his robes were torn and covered in blood. His blood. If he was dealing with cultivators, he wouldn’t have cared as much. Injuries were common among cultivators, especially blade cultivators.

However, these were mortals. He wanted to save them, not scare them to death. The last thing he wanted to do was make them panic.

With this in mind, Yue Xing took a moment to change out of his bloody robes and into something cleaner. This one didn’t have the warming enchantment, so everything felt colder.

Yue Xing made a mental note to find robes with defensive enchantments. That way, he wouldn’t have to change clothes every time he fought. Maybe a few utility enchantments as well, so he wouldn’t have to keep cleaning them.

Wearing a set of fresh robes, Yue Xing took a moment to compose himself before walking towards the cart. Inside the cage, he found three lumps covered by a thick sheet of cloth. None of them stirred at his approach.

A cold hand gripped Yue Xing’s heart. What if something had happened to them? Or what if they had frozen to death? The prisoners were covered in some kind of cloth, but it was the dead of winter. That wasn’t enough to keep them warm.

Yue Xing’s fist clenched in anger. Not only did the demonic cultivators slaughter an entire village, but they didn’t even bother to take care of the people they kidnapped. A part of him wished he had made the demonic cultivators die more painful deaths.

Reason took over a moment later. Perhaps the prisoners weren’t dead, merely unconscious. After everything they had been through, Yue Xing didn’t blame them. Either way, he needed to check on them before jumping to conclusions.

The cage was locked, but Yue Xing found the key on one of the corpses. He unlocked the cage door, which opened with a creak, before reaching over to touch one of the lumps.

However, before he could, the lump exploded into motion. A boy, either eight or nine years old, leapt towards Yue Xing and latched onto him. He then started attacking him, hitting him in the face and biting him.

Of course, none of this affected Yue Xing in the slightest. His body was tough enough that even an adult mortal would’ve found it difficult to injure him barehanded, let alone a child like this.

“Shu!” the boy shouted. “Shu! Zhen! Run! I’ll keep him distracted!”

“No, Big Brother!”

The remaining lumps moved and removed the cloth, revealing a girl and another boy. These ones looked younger than the first. The girl was either seven or eight years old, while the boy was five or six. The darkness made it difficult to tell, and Yue Xing didn’t have much experience with children.

The other two children rushed towards Yue Xing and “attacked” him as well.

“What are you doing?” the older boy said. “I said run!”

“No!” the girl shouted. “We’re not leaving you behind!”

The younger boy just nodded, a determined expression on his face.

This entire time, the three children kept “attacking” Yue Xing. He was so flabbergasted by this scene that he didn’t know how to react for the first few seconds. In the end, he chose to deal with the older boy first. He was the oldest, and therefore could help handle the other two.

Yue Xing pulled the older boy off of him and held him by the front of his rough-spun clothes. However, that didn’t stop the older boy from trying to fight back. He flailed his limbs in Yue Xing’s direction.

“Stop that,” Yue Xing said in a stern voice. “Before you hit the other children.”

At Yue Xing’s words, the older boy stopped flailing. Instead, he switched tactics.

“Please let my siblings go,” the older boy begged. “I’ll do whatever you want, but please don’t hurt them. Set them free.”

This caused the other two to stop “attacking” Yue Xing as well.

“No!” the girl shouted, her voice filled with fear. “Don’t take Oldest Brother!” She started choking up. “You already killed our aunt and uncle. If you take Liang…”

The girl started crying, her sobbing echoing out into the night. This caused the younger boy to tear up and cry as well. The older boy, a child himself, held out for a few moments. However, he started crying too.

Yue Xing took a moment to consider the absurdity of his situation. One moment he was killing demonic cultivators in cold blood. In the next, he was dealing with three crying children.

“I’m not here to hurt you or take you away,” Yue Xing said in a soft, soothing voice. “I’m here to help you.”

“Liar!” the older boy said. “You’re here to make us your slaves! The others said so.”

He glared at Yue Xing. However, the tears in his eyes made it less effective. In fact, Yue Xing found the sight a little cute.

“I don’t know who you think I am, but I’m not here to make you my slaves,” Yue Xing said, trying not to smile. “I’m here to rescue you. The three of you are from that village, correct?”

Both the older boy and the girl stopped crying and looked at him. Meanwhile, the younger boy continued to cry.

“You’re here to rescue us?” the girl asked in a hopeful voice. “You’re not with the bad men?”

Yue Xing nodded.

“How do we know that you’re telling the truth?” the older boy asked, eying Yue Xing with suspicion.

Yue Xing opened his mouth to say he would show them the corpses, but then he stopped. Right. That wasn’t a sight for children.

“I killed all the bad men,” Yue Xing said. “Listen. Do you still hear them? They’re all gone.”

The older boy frowned.

“Let me see,” he said. “I need to see their bodies before I believe you.”

Yue Xing shook his head.

“No,” he said with a gentle tone. “That isn’t a sight for children.”

“Show me! I’m not afraid of death. I’ve already seen-” The older boy choked up. “They’re gone. They’re all gone.”

The older boy started crying again, this time letting out deep, heart-wrenching sobs. He kept repeating the words “They’re all gone” over and over again. Yue Xing’s heart went out to the older boy, and he pulled him for a hug. The older boy clung onto him, as if clutching a lifeline.

The other two children started crying again as well, or never stopped in the younger boy’s case. Yue Xing bent down to pick them up as well. It was a bit cumbersome but he was strong enough, and they light enough, to make it work.

As he comforted the crying children as best he could, Yue Xing realized that dealing with them might end up becoming more complicated than he first expected. However, he could worry about that later. Right now he had a trio of crying children to comfort.

***

Once Yue Xing managed to calm the children down, or at least calmed them down enough, he bundled them up as best he could. Neither of his storage pouches contained a lot of clothing, but they held enough to keep the children warm for now. They looked a little ridiculous, but at least they wouldn’t freeze to death.

Afterwards, he admonished them to stay in place before he went to loot the demonic cultivators’ storage pouches. They didn’t have much, but right now Yue Xing was a rogue cultivator. He would take everything he could his hands on.

When he finished with that, Yue Xing took the children and fled. If he were a spiritual energy or a soul cultivator, he would’ve hid all evidence of his presence by incinerating the bodies and the tents. However, he lacked that ability as a body cultivator. Burning them using mundane means wouldn’t help.

Once again, Yue Xing cursed his lack of foresight. Then again, he never expected to end up in a situation like this.

Regardless, Yue Xing feared that someone would come looking for the demonic cultivators sooner or later. They were a part of a sect, after all. Sooner or later, someone from that sect would come looking for them.

Not only that, but from the children' s words, Yue Xing guessed that the demonic cultivators had been acting under someone’s orders. When the demonic cultivators failed to arrive, that person would investigate what happened.

In short, Yue Xing and the children needed to leave this place as soon as possible. He could take care of himself, but the children were vulnerable.

So Yue Xing ran into the night, heading towards the nearest cultivator city, carrying the children in his arms. He knew where to go since he had a rough idea of the area. The children snuggled into his embrace, sharing his warmth. If his enchanted robes weren’t torn and bloody, he would’ve bundled them in that.

Hours passed like this, as Yue Xing ran across the snow. Silence blanketed the area, only interrupted by the sound of his footsteps. If it weren’t for the urgent situation, Yue Xing would’ve taken some time to appreciate it.

After a while, when dawn arrived and the sun started to peek over the horizon, Yue Xing reached his destination: Rising Sun City. It was a small walled city located atop a large hill. Yue Xing had been here once before, when he was traveling back to the Celestial Sword Sect after a mission.

The city earned its name because its location gave it a wonderful view of the sunrise. In fact, many cultivators traveled to this city just for the sight. That was why Yue Xing chose to come here. It was better to mingle in with crowds, just in case someone came after them.

They arrived just as the city gates opened for the day. Yue Xing entered the line, looking and feeling a little haggard. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and fall asleep.

Even as a body cultivator, fighting a group of demonic cultivators and then running all through the night took its toll on him. This would change once he reached higher realms, but he had no choice but to deal with it for now.

To Yue Xing’s relief, entering the city proved simple enough. No one gave him and the children any funny looks. He paid the entrance fee, received a temporary permit from the city guards, and entered.

Rising Sun City was just starting to wake up, so the streets weren’t crowded. Yue Xing headed for the most expensive inn in the city, which he had stayed at during his last visit. About half an hour later, he found himself in front of a modest looking three-story building.

Yue Xing rented a room on the top floor for the next few days, before heading upstairs. Once inside the room, he locked the door and activated the room’s defensive formations. This was why he chose this particular inn. He knew its rooms were safe and secure, as well as comfortable.

After ensuring their safety, Yue Xing let out a sigh and relaxed. Now he could get some rest.

First, Yue Xing took a moment to check on the children, who were still fast asleep. They looked a little worse for wear but were otherwise fine. He then brought them to the room’s bed and placed them down, making sure they were comfortable.

Afterwards, Yue Xing laid down on a nearby sofa and closed his eyes. There were still a lot of problems he needed to figure out and deal with, all of them involving the children. However, that could wait until later. Right now, he needed some rest.

Soon, Yue Xing fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

***

Li Zhanhao, leader of the Blood Demon Gang, glared at his subordinate. The two of them were inside the gang’s hideout, a ruined estate that once belonged to a mortal noble. The other members stood off to the side, too afraid to move or speak.

“What do you mean they haven’t returned?” he asked, his voice full of barely restrained anger.

The subordinate, one of the few women in his Gang, shivered.

“They were supposed to be back by dawn, Boss,” she said, her voice shaking. “However, it’s almost noon and they’re still not back.”

Li Zhanhao took a deep breath to calm the anger in his heart. Were all of his people idiots? Why couldn’t they think for themselves?

“Then go find them,” Li Zhanhao said through gritted teeth. “Make sure you bring back good news. Otherwise, I’ll feed you to the beasts. Understood?”

The subordinate nodded and bowed, before she fled. Li Zhanhao gestured for the rest of his subordinates to accompany her. They bowed before fleeing as well.

Once they were gone, Li Zhanhao slumped in his seat. This was an important job. The person who hired him was an influential and powerful figure of the demonic path. Nothing could go wrong. If something had happened to his subordinates, or even worse, the children…

Li Zhanhao shuddered.

On second thought, leaving everything to his subordinates seemed like a poor decision. He was better off checking things for himself.

With that, Li Zhanhao rushed out.