Chapter 703: with translation of chapter title

Tuo Ba Yu raised his hand and pulled Gu Er, who was grabbing his arm, off himself, took a breath, and smiled: "Little girl, you didn't just eat sweet melon, did you?"

Tuo Ba Yu raised his hand and pulled Gu Er, who was grabbing his arm, off himself, took a breath, and smiled: "Little girl, you didn't just eat sweet melon, did you?"

Thus line: Tuo Ba Yu raised his hand and pulled Gu Er, who was grabbing his arm, away from himself, took a breath, and said with a smile: "Little girl, you didn't just eat sweet melon, did you?"

Tuo Ba Yu raised his hand and pulled Gu Er, who was grabbing his arm, off himself, took a breath, and smiled: "Little girl, you didn't just eat sweet melon, did you?"

We must keep it as one line.

How are you hungry again? This won't do; if you get fat, you won't look good.

How are you hungry again? This won't do; if you eat and get fat, you won't look good.

Gu Er froze for a moment; though young, she already understood beauty and ugliness. Although she didn't quite grasp what this uncle said, she instinctively felt it wasn't a nice thing to say.

Gu Er froze for a moment; though young, she already understood beauty and ugliness. Although she didn't quite grasp what this uncle said, she instinctively felt it wasn't a nice thing to say.

Wah! Gu Er burst into tears, and the carters pulling the carriage all shuddered in their sturdy bodies.

The little princess is useless at everything except eating, where she's first; the most headache-inducing thing is her loud voice.

Who knows how such a tiny body can hold so much energy?

Instantly the whole convoy was in chaos, people and horses overturned; Tuo Ba Yu was momentarily at a loss, quickly ordering the cavalry to halt.

"Come here! Bring all the snacks and such over, so the princess can pick!"

Tuo Ba Yu worried that on the road this little brat might overeat to death; if the brat fell ill, the journey would be delayed. He had received news from Bai Xiaosheng that Gu Jiu Ling had already reached Xichuan City in the great desert.

Tuo Ba Yu's heart seemed to fly to Gu Jiu Ling's side; he had once wanted to forget, but longing is a carving knife, already deeply etched into his bones.

As time passed, that mark became all the more unforgettable.

Now Bei Di is completely plunged into internal turmoil; the day of his final showdown with Brother Wang has arrived.

He must now return; he can no longer linger idly in Southern Qi, yet he is still unwilling.

At this moment Gu Er's sobs rose and fell; she didn't even glance at the tasty food before her, insisting on eating the fried pancake from the small town they'd just passed.

Tuo Ba Yu ultimately had no choice but to order everyone to stop and rest on the spot, while sending someone back to buy fried pancakes.

Feeling vexed, Tuo Ba Yu got off the carriage, walked aside, and lectured his subordinates, taking out all his resentment on those few people.

Only the two little ones remained in the carriage; Gu Yi looked at her sister and whispered, "Gu Er, I think the purple-eyed uncle isn't a good person."

Gu Er took a bite of a snack, looked blankly at her brother, and said, "He bought me sweet melon to eat; he's a good person!"

Gu Yi gave her sister a disdainful glance: "All you know is to eat, you silly thing."

"You're the silly one!" Gu Er struggled to express her dissatisfaction.

Gu Yi looked at her sister; her innocent expression combined with a serious demeanor oddly seemed cute.

"He said he'd take us to see Mother, but after walking so far we still haven't seen her."

"We haven't seen the wet nurses either; wherever we went before, the wet nurses followed us, but now there's only the purple-eyed uncle—maybe he's deceiving us!"

Gu Er licked her lips, nervously looking at her brother, and asked, "Is he deceiving us so he can eat us?"

Gu Yi looked at her foolish sister and didn't feel like speaking.

Suddenly a strange sound came from outside; something seemed to be stepping not far away, accompanied by sharp cries.

The two little ones hurried to the carriage window to look, but saw the sky suddenly change somewhat.

Just moments ago the horizon had been clear, but now nearly half the sky turned crimson; shortly after, silhouettes of Mo Bei herders galloping on horses appeared not far off.

"Sandstorm's coming! Run fast!"

Tuo Ba Yu had just finished reprimanding his subordinates when the change happened suddenly.

Although he had been sent as a hostage to Southern Qi by his cruel father when he was young, he had heard from an old grandmother in Mo Bei during his childhood that sandstorms occur.

Such weather occurs in Mo Bei only once in ten years, yet he never expected to encounter it today.

Tuo Ba Yu shouted: "Quick! Bring all the horses over to form a circle, with the carriages in the middle, and everyone squat down! Squat down! If you don't want to die, do as I say."

Tuo Ba Yu, who leads the Red Scorpion and has weathered many risks, saw his usually calm and composed expression crack a little as he faced a sandstorm for the first time.

The passing herders, seeing that Tuo Ba Yu's arrangements were decent, didn't linger much; they preferred to have fewer troubles when out and about.

A few herders rode off on their horses, heading forward; after all, the message had already been sent, and these people looked trained, not like ordinary civilians.

They'd better stay hidden; in recent years the nobles of Bei Di have become increasingly outrageous.

Those nobles who casually ravage and massacre tribal civilians often come in gangs to seize poor girls; any slight resistance means death by slaughter.

Now looking at these people, they're no saints either; several herders, knowing full well, hurriedly left this place.

Tuo Ba Yu had just been given a real headache by Gu Jiu Ling's two brats, especially Gu Er.

The little girl's wailing could make heaven and earth furious, sun and moon change color.

He really had a terrible headache; he got off the carriage to catch his breath, and after settling everything, he walked back toward the carriage.

"Little ones, we should be off; Gu Er, Uncle promised your fried pancake—we'll make it for you personally at the oasis ahead, okay?"

Tuo Ba Yu lifted the carriage curtain with a smile, but his smile froze there as he stared starkly at the empty interior.

Tuo Ba Yu felt his scalp go numb, a chill creeping up his spine; in that instant he was utterly unable to move.

Then Tuo Ba Yu reacted, turning sharply and bellowing: "Come quickly! Come quickly! Find the children! Find the children!"

Tuo Ba Yu's roar was instantly drowned by the blowing sand; let alone finding the two missing kids, even the guards standing there could barely keep their footing.

A curtain of sand moved in from the horizon inch by inch; instantly the sky turned reddish-brown, and everyone was buried.

In Shang Jing's palace city, Xiao Yin suddenly woke from sleep; these days he has been worried about his wife and about the child soon to be sent back to the capital.

Logically it should only be a day or two before he sees the child, but the more so, the more his mind is unsettled.

"Your Majesty!" Eunuch Zhao hurriedly entered the inner hall with his attendants and knelt before Xiao Yin.

"What time is it?" Xiao Yin's voice tightened slightly; he raised a hand to rub his temples, his head pounding terribly, that nightmare nearly having done him in.

He doesn't fear how others treat him; he only worries that Gu Jiu Ling and her child might suffer reprisal, and something could happen.

After all, Xiao Yin has always been ruthless, and his opponents are no pushovers.

They would likely strike at those closest to him.

Eunuch Zhao lowered his head carefully, not daring to say more; the master before him was an arrogant, domineering tyrant, ruthless and sparing with words.

Suddenly hurried footsteps sounded outside the sleeping quarters.

Xiao Yin gave Eunuch Zhao a cold glance; Zhao hurriedly led his people out, and shortly returned, flustered, presenting a token to Xiao Yin and kneeling.

I beg to report to Your Majesty! Miss Jiu Yue brings Commander Ling's waist token to request an audience!