The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 974: Chapter 951: Honor Amidst Chaos 19

Another day wasted, all the water was consumed. Without water, in this hot weather, even the dry food becomes hard to swallow.

The children all looked particularly unwell, their lips parched and pale, with skin peeling on their faces, making the previously vivacious little girls look like wilted vegetables, which made Anning and the others feel quite distressed.

”Third Brother, what should we do?”

During the noon break, Xiao Jin came over to discuss with Xiao Yuan, ”I’ve inquired around, the rivers nearby are all dried up, we won’t find any water source even if we walk for another day.”

”Is there water in the wells?”

Xiao Ling asked.

Xiao Jin shook his head: ”The wells are dry too. If there was water, people here wouldn’t be fleeing in groups.”

Xiao Ling’s expression was also grim: ”We can conserve further, but there isn’t a single drop now, how can we continue like this? We might endure it, but what about the children?”

Being an uncle, it pains him to see his niece and nephew so thirsty.

Xiao Yuan jumped off the carriage, called Anning, and turned back to Xiao Jin and Xiao Ling: ”You stay here, I’ll go search with your Third Sister-in-law to see if we can find a water source.”

Anning shook her head, nudging Xiao Yuan: ”You stay here, I’ll search on my own.”

Xiao Jin immediately opposed: ”Let Third Brother go with you, it’s too dangerous for Third Sister-in-law alone.”

There are many refugees around, Anning might get bullied searching for water on her own.

Anning tightened her grip on the knife in her hand: ”I’ll go alone. With the children here, I can’t be at ease with you two watching them.”

She held the knife horizontally before her: ”Don’t worry, with the knife here, risking my life, no one would dare bully me.”

Xiao Yuan, aware of Anning’s skills, thought about how if both of them left, the women and children here would be unsettling, and nodded: ”Be careful.”

Anning acknowledged and took two water pouches before departing.

She walked on while cautiously observing the terrain and ley lines.

Anning had cultivated before and served as a Feng Shui Master in several worlds, even as a State Preceptor; finding water was truly no hardship for her.

No matter how dry it is, there are still some unexhausted springs or underground water sources not yet interrupted.

Anning walked and stopped, carefully identifying the ley lines, and soon arrived at a small hill.

This small hill was particularly steep, with the side facing them full of rocks and almost no trees; climbing it was extremely difficult.

Anning stood at the foot of the hill, touched the rock wall with her hand, and quickly smiled.

She turned around to go back and soon saw several refugees gathering around.

Those refugees sized up Anning and whispered among themselves, ”This woman is quite pretty, selling her could fetch quite a sum...”

”What money? Get food instead, I’m starving to death.”

”Tie her up quickly.”

Anning didn’t give those refugees a chance to pounce on her, her eyes cold, her movements swift as she stepped forward, swiping her knife across one refugee’s throat; the refugee didn’t even manage a scream before collapsing.

The others were utterly shocked.

Anning coldly said: ”I’ve heard all your discussions.”

As soon as the word ”discussions” was out, her knife swung again, this time piercing a refugee’s heart directly; when the knife was pulled out, the fresh blood stained its cold blade bright red.

”We won’t dare anymore.”

”We meant no harm.”

The remaining refugees dashed away in terror, even if they hadn’t eaten properly for days, they ran incredibly fast at this moment.

Anning returned with a cold face.

Upon reaching the group, Xiao Ling, sharp-eyed, noticed the blood-stained knife in her hand, recognizing she had killed someone.

”Third Sister-in-law, take a rest first.”

Xiao Ling said nothing, just let Anning sit for a while.

Anning nodded to him, then said to Xiao Yuan and Xiao Jin: ”Drive the carriage forward a bit, I’ll lead the way, follow me.”

The two, knowing she must have found a water source, got onto the carriage and followed her.

As they went along the trail, there were fewer people, and before long, the carriage couldn’t pass anymore.

Anning said to Xiao Yuan: ”You stay here, I’ll take Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother to fetch water.”

Xiao Ling had already brought down everything that could hold water.

The three carried buckets and water pouches to the foot of the hill.

Anning stood at the foot of the hill, glanced at Xiao Ling, and extended her hand: ”Rope.”

Xiao Ling quickly handed Anning a coarse, long hemp rope.

Anning coiled the rope around her waist, then retreated some distance, quickly sprinting forward.

With the momentum, she deftly leaped, grabbing a small tree branch growing in the hill, leapt again to grasp onto a protruding rock.

Xiao Jin and Xiao Ling looked up from the foot of the hill, watched as Anning’s agile movements resembled a mountain-dwelling monkey, in a few jumps she had climbed quite high.

A few more jumps, and her figure was no longer visible.

The two hadn’t yet reacted, but Anning already reached the hilltop and passed down the rope: ”Tie the buckets.”

Xiao Jin and Xiao Ling quickly tied the buckets to the rope.

Anning pulled up two buckets, then had Xiao Ling climb up holding the rope, with Xiao Jin waiting below.

Xiao Ling grasped the rope, climbed up, saw on the hilltop there was a small spring.

The spring was small, but the water flowing out was very clean.

Seeing this spring, Xiao Ling felt relieved.

He hurriedly drank a mouthful of water, then began to fill the buckets and water pouches.

After filling some, Anning lowered them with the rope where Xiao Jin awaited.

After a long busy period, finally filling all the containers with water, Anning let Xiao Ling go down first, retrieved the rope, and descended without assistance, using the terrain to climb down like she did climbing up.

When they came, the three only carried empty containers; they could manage. But now filled with water, it was impossible to carry them all at once, so they transported them in batches.

With water, the children were elated, crowding to drink.

Xiao Yuan didn’t let them drink raw water, instead made a fire to boil the water before drinking.

They dug a pit for the fire, poured out some boiled water into the water pouches to drink later, and stored the remaining in buckets. After boiling the water, they covered the fire pit with soil, extinguishing any traces of embers before leaving.

Before leaving, Anning told Xiao Jin and Xiao Ling: ”We need to hurry from now on; no stopping, as fast as we can.”

Xiao Ling was puzzled: ”Third Sister-in-law, what’s going on?”

Anning pressed her lips: ”In this dry weather, beware of wildfires.”

This area has quite a few hill lands, some dry trees on the hills, and fields mostly gnawed by locusts, though some withered straw remains. In such weather, even a spark could cause a large fire.

If a fire really broke out, who knows how many might perish.