You Can Have Mine Too

"Rustle, rustle..."

Footsteps suddenly rose, blending together as a group slowly closed in.

Li Qingyue kept her head slightly lowered, her eyes full of panic as she watched the approaching people with a frightened look.

"Huh? Someone's here?"

"And it's a little girl!"

At the sight of Li Qingyue, the group of thirteen immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

But they did not lower their weapons, remaining wary.

The elderly man in the lead frowned slightly and studied Li Qingyue for a moment before asking, "Little girl, where did you come from?"

At his question, Li Qingyue timidly raised a hand and pointed in one direction.

It was the direction those enormous footprints had gone.

Seeing where she pointed, understanding dawned on the thirteen faces, but the elderly man leading them still asked, "What about your family?"

Li Qingyue immediately lowered her head. Only after a long while did she shake it faintly.

Seeing this, their leader sighed softly, seemingly well aware of what she had suffered.

Her clothes alone, so tattered they could barely cover her body, were enough to tell them what she had been through.

Especially since she was covered in dust and dirt and looked far thinner and frailer than an ordinary person.

"We're from Stone Village. Little girl, would you like to come back with us? Don't worry, we'll make sure you have something to eat!"

"Once you've built up your strength, we'll find you a boy to marry and have children with, so you'll have someone to lean on."

The man at the front spoke.

The others, however, looked disdainful at his words.

The girl before them was far too scrawny. Her chest was small, her bottom was small, and her thighs were thinner than their arms.

How could a girl like that bear children?

Li Qingyue raised her head slightly at his words, looked at the old man, and timidly nodded.

"All right, come along with us, then. Put these clothes on!"

The old man leading them took off his coarse cloth robe and placed it before Li Qingyue.

Her eyes remained fixed on the group. Only after watching them for a long while did she reach out, pick up the robe, and hastily slip it on.

"All right, what are you all staring at? Pack up and head back to the village!"

The old man spoke.

Though the girl was frail, she was remarkably pretty. The skin hidden beneath her clothing was fair and tender, as though a pinch would squeeze water from it.

When had these mountain villagers ever seen such a delicate girl?

For a moment, they could not take their eyes off her.

Only when they heard the old man's words did they all burst out laughing to cover their embarrassment.

Li Qingyue was indeed frail. After all, she did not hone her strength the way men did.

Instead, she had refined the essence of her blood and vitality into true qi, using it to nourish her flesh, bones, and sinews.

That was worlds apart from tempering the body.

Though she was slender, her strength was by no means slight.

Had these mountain villagers seen the fairy-like women of the outside world, they would likely have understood just how alluring Li Qingyue looked.

The group bound the Savage Armored Elephant's body with ropes and secured round logs beneath it before pulling together.

The Savage Armored Elephant, weighing several thousand jin, was dragged swiftly forward by just over a dozen people.

Li Qingyue followed behind them without a word, still acting somewhat timid.

It was not these people alone she guarded against. She guarded against everyone.

As a woman in a world like this, she had no sense of safety whatsoever.

Before, she had been seeking death, had her elder brother to look after her, and had disguised herself with dirt while wearing loose men's clothing, so she had not felt it so keenly.

But now she was alone, one of the weakest at the very bottom of this chaotic world. If she did not stay vigilant, she would be the one to die.

Of course, death itself did not frighten her.

The group followed a mountain stream and crossed a ridge. Only around sunset did a village come into view.

From far away, they could see women and children standing outside the village, gazing expectantly toward the mountains.

When the villagers saw them appear, dragging a Savage Armored Elephant, everyone burst into cries of surprise and laughter.

Some of the children bounced about, beside themselves with excitement.

At the sight, Li Qingyue's expression softened slightly.

Night fell.

In the square at the village's center, over a hundred figures gathered around a huge bonfire as the aroma of roasting meat slowly spread.

Even Li Qingyue swallowed at the smell.

For more than a year, she had eaten raw flesh and drunk blood, never touching cooked food.

"Ah, look how hungry this girl's been! Look at these arms-there's hardly a scrap of flesh on them!"

A woman stood before Li Qingyue and pinched her arm, her face full of sympathy.

"Look at her bottom. It's smaller than a boy's! How will she ever find a husband?"

"Exactly. She's so thin a gust of wind could blow her away!"

Several women circled Li Qingyue.

Every so often, their hands reached out to pinch one part of her body or another.

Li Qingyue was left speechless, but she dared not say much and could only keep her head silently lowered.

Every man in the mountain village was tall and powerfully built. Even the eleven- and twelve-year-old children were taller and sturdier than she was.

Their frames were as large as calves'.

How could she compare with them?

"Is any household willing to take her in?"

The old man seated in the middle of the crowd asked.

But no one answered.

She was so thin and poorly suited to childbearing. Who would want to feed her?

"Why isn't anyone saying anything?"

The old man asked again. When no one responded, he shook his head slightly and said, "Little girl, why don't you stay at this old man's home?"

"My name is Shí Pánshān. I'm something of an elder in this village. You can just call me Grandpa."

"Oh, little girl, do you have a name?"

Shí Pánshān asked.

Li Qingyue was just about to speak when she suddenly stopped and silently shook her head.

She did not know which village the neighboring village was.

If the surname Li did not fit, it would only invite needless suspicion. Better not to give her name.

Girls in mountain villages were rarely given names anyway.

"I see! Then you can take Grandpa's surname, Shi."

As he spoke, Shí Pánshān glanced up at the moon and declared offhandedly, "We'll call you Shi Yue!"

"All right, time to hand out the meat!"

At that shout, everyone rose and looked toward the strips of meat roasting over the central bonfire, swallowing in unison.

They only ate like this because the hunt had been successful. Otherwise, what household would be willing to feast on meat so freely?

"Come here, little Yue!"

"This is for you. Think of it as a present from Grandpa."

The village elder was in no hurry. Instead, he had found a dagger somewhere and was whittling a stick into the shape of a hairpin.

At his words, Li Qingyue rose and walked over to Shí Pánshān, reaching out to accept the hairpin and holding it in her palm.

Though most of the villagers were rough-mannered, she had sensed no malice.

Instead, they seemed simple and sincere.

The village elder, in particular, seemed especially attentive to her.

She gradually relaxed a little. With her loose men's clothing on, no one was staring at her anymore, either.

"Put your hair up. It's time to eat!"

Shí Pánshān smiled warmly, his wrinkled face blooming like a flower.

Li Qingyue silently gathered up her hair, twisted it a few times, and secured it with the wooden hairpin in her hand.

Under the pale moonlight and red firelight, a lovely face with skin so delicate a breath might break it was revealed to everyone.

A half-grown boy walking past her abruptly stopped in his tracks.

He had never seen a girl who looked like this.

He did not understand beauty, but her face was prettier than the flowers beside the mountain streams, drawing his gaze irresistibly.

Only one thought filled his mind: How could there be such a pretty girl in this world? She's a hundred times prettier than Erya in our village.

For a moment, he could only stare, spellbound.

She was like a fairy from the legendary Moon Palace.

"Do... do you want some?"

When the boy saw Li Qingyue turn her lovely face toward him, he instinctively offered her the roast meat in his hand.

Li Qingyue studied him briefly, until his dark cheeks flushed red, before giving a slight nod.

She even smiled faintly at him.

In that instant, it seemed as though the entire night had lit up. The boy's eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, he did not know what expression to make.

That beautiful smile was like lovely moonlight, shining straight into his heart and illuminating every corner of it.

Even the other children gathering behind him froze in unison.

Many of the children had the same thought: Why is this girl prettier than the wildflowers in the mountains?

For some reason, the entire gathering fell silent for several long moments.

When movement finally resumed, a group of children rushed forward, scrambling to offer the roast meat in their hands.

With foolish grins, they said, "You can have mine too."

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