Chapter Sixteen: An Encounter with Human Traffickers on the Road

At this moment, Tao Ming realized that they were still inside the Chaos Blood Silk, so there were no clothes to dress Nuonuo in. She instructed the two little ones to play on the bed for a while and got ready to find Tao Banxia to leave this place. As soon as she stood up, the door opened and Tao Banxia entered, holding a roll of fabric in her arms.

Seeing that the two children were awake, Tao Banxia said, "Mingming, there's an inventory list in each box, and I've marked the value of everything. Look what I found!" With that, she unfurled the fabric.

Before her eyes was a piece of black cloth, thin and smooth, with faint starlight shimmering across its surface. Tao Ming asked, "What is this? Mom, stop keeping me in suspense, you know I don’t understand any of this."

Tao Banxia spread the fabric on the bed and said, "This is Starry Sky Gauze, a treasure money can't buy."

"What’s so special about it?" Tao Ming, honestly, had no clue about such things.

"It’s impervious to water and fire, warm in winter, and cool in summer. Isn’t that remarkable?" Tao Banxia caressed the cloth, clearly reluctant to let it go.

"Impervious to water and fire? So if it gets dirty, just throw it into the fire and it’ll be clean in no time?" Tao Ming’s logic was a little unusual.

Tao Banxia was momentarily speechless before finally responding, "Well, that does make sense! But no one would ever do that, it’s too precious to even risk."

"If you like it, you should keep it." Tao Ming was incredibly generous.

Tao Banxia glared at her, "I was planning to make clothes for you all. A saintess returning deserves to look the part, doesn’t she?"

Not wanting to disappoint her mother, Tao Ming replied, "Alright, I’ll find you a few designs to follow."

"No need for pictures, I plan to make you dresses. Little girls should wear dresses," Tao Banxia said, measuring the fabric with her hands before looking up at Tao Ming. "There's something I’ve never understood. Since you were a child, you never liked wearing dresses, and you never bought any for Ruanruan either. Why is that?"

Tao Ming looked up at the ceiling and said, "Dresses are so inconvenient, there are so many things you can't do in them!"

"What things can’t you do?" Tao Banxia was genuinely puzzled.

"You can’t do a handstand in a dress, can you?" Tao Ming blinked.

Tao Banxia was once again at a loss for words, finally grinding out, "Why on earth would you want to do a handstand?"

Softly interjected, "Grandma, I want to wear a dress. Lots of my friends do."

"Alright, alright, I saw some other fabrics just now. Grandma will make you both lots of pretty dresses," Tao Banxia said joyfully. She hadn’t sewn in ages.

Tao Ming said nothing—after all, she’d have the final say in what she actually wore. Her mother couldn’t follow her everywhere.

Lost in her thoughts, she heard Nuonuo say, "I’m hungry."

Tao Ming snapped back to reality, remembering the two little ones hadn’t had lunch yet. Of course, they’d be hungry by now. She quickly said, "Mom, let’s head out, they need to eat."

"Alright, alright. Put away everything except those boxes of fabric. The inventory is right on top, take a look." Reluctantly, Tao Banxia put away the Starry Sky Gauze.

Tao Ming entered the next room and glanced over the inventory. The thick stack of white paper was filled with ancient script, most of which she couldn’t recognize. Clearly, she’d need to study anew. With a sigh, she stowed the jewelry box away into the Spinning Starlight space.

With the three of them, she exited the Chaos Blood Silk and returned to the house where she’d lived before marriage to find clothes for Nuonuo. She often brought Ruanruan here to play, so there were always some clothes ready.

After dressing Nuonuo, Tao Banxia gave Tao Ming a once-over and said, "You should change into something new as well. What you’re wearing now is too sloppy."

Tao Ming nodded, thinking she’d go out for a stroll after lunch—staying home all weekend would be a waste.

"What do you two want to eat? There’s some leftover dishes and porridge at home," Tao Ming asked the two little ones, who were huddled together, whispering.

"We want grilled gluten skewers!" they chirped in unison, then looked at each other and burst into giggles.

Tao Ming sighed, thinking her future days would be far from peaceful—she used to have one little chatterbox, and now there were two. Wouldn’t her ears be filled with endless noise?

"Mom, I’ll take them out to eat. Do you want to come?" Tao Ming asked Tao Banxia for her opinion.

"No, I’ll stay home and sew. But how will you explain the two of them if you run into someone you know?" Tao Banxia looked at the two girls with a hint of worry.

Tao Ming thought for a moment before saying, "I’ll just say Nuonuo used to live with her father and now she’s moved back."

"That works. They look like twins anyway, so it makes sense," Tao Banxia nodded.

Tao Ming took the two children downstairs, only to realize there was just one car seat in the back. Nuonuo, ever quick-witted, said, "Mommy, we’re both very capable now. Let Ruanuan use it instead."

Tao Ming, seeing Nuonuo’s deliberate attempt to please, patted her head and said, "Nuonuo, I told you that you’re Ruanuan’s little sister, so I’ll treat you both the same. You don’t have to be so careful. Just be yourself—do whatever you want, and ask for whatever you need, just like Ruanuan."

Nuonuo looked at Ruanuan, who grinned and said brightly, "Don’t worry, as long as it’s a reasonable request, Mommy will always say yes!"

Well, well, Ruanuan remembered her words perfectly!

Nuonuo nodded and, excited, jumped straight into the back seat.

Tao Ming’s heart skipped a beat, hoping she wouldn’t leave a hole in the car!

Thankfully, nothing of the sort happened.

They drove straight to the mall, the two little ones chattering away in the back. Most of it was Nuonuo asking what a mall was, what a supermarket was, and Ruanuan’s outrageous explanations made Tao Ming smile in spite of herself.

Tao Ming was in high spirits. She’d wanted to have a nice meal and do some shopping yesterday, but after a night and a morning of anxiety, a shopping trip was just what she needed to unwind.

They circled the parking lot a few times before realizing both upper levels were packed. With no other choice, she drove down to the third basement level. Even there, it was nearly full, but at last she found a spot in a corner. After parking, she led the two little ones to the elevators, following the signs.

They hadn’t gone far before a group of people surrounded them. An elderly woman grabbed Tao Ming’s arm and said, "Daughter-in-law, you can’t just run off with the kids—every couple has their arguments."

A man chimed in, "Honey, I was wrong. Please forgive me."

Tao Ming looked at the circle of people—six men and one old woman—and said, "I don’t know any of you. Are you trying to kidnap my kids?"

"What are you saying? You’ve lived together for years. How could I not recognize you? All couples argue, but it blows over by morning," the old woman said, feigning concern.

As she spoke, two men stepped forward and tried to drag the children away.

Tao Ming struggled to stay on her feet, but her phone was in the backpack behind her, making it impossible to call the police. All she could do was shout, "Help! Someone’s trying to take my children!"

She called for help several times, but no one came. Glancing around, she realized this was a blind spot for the security cameras. These people must have scoped out the place in advance, waiting for the right victim.

The man who had claimed to be her husband grabbed her from behind, saying, "Let’s argue at home, not in public. Don’t embarrass us."

Tao Ming wanted to use her powers but was afraid of causing trouble. While she hesitated, Ruanuan shouted, "Don’t bully my mommy! Here comes my super little fist!"

With a wave of her hand, Ruanuan sent the man holding her flying, landing two or three meters away. Then she punched the man holding Tao Ming in the leg. He yelped, let go, and crumpled to the ground.

Nuonuo followed her lead and hurled the man beside her away as well.

Seeing that they couldn’t control Tao Ming, the old woman suddenly slumped to the ground, beating her thighs and wailing, "Oh, the tragedy! Striking your own father—I see this family is truly broken!"

The two men who’d been thrown aside scrambled up, shouting to the others, "All at once! Grab them and go!"

All six men rushed at Tao Ming, intent on overpowering her. Tao Ming, her anger flaring, told the two girls, "Break their legs—don’t let a single one get away!"

Ruanuan and Nuonuo, hearing their mother’s command, shouted, "Here come our super little fists!" and promptly knocked down all the villains.

Looking at the groaning figures strewn across the ground, Tao Ming asked, "Did you break their legs?"

Nuonuo answered, a little aggrieved, "No, I was afraid I’d lose control and kill them."

Ruanuan nodded anxiously in agreement.

Tao Ming considered that if these people talked, the girls’ abilities would attract the wrong kind of attention—trouble would surely follow. She quietly asked Nuonuo, "Is there any way to punish these bad people without involving us?"

She would have handled it herself, but as a mere sixth-rank Star cultivator, she was hardly a match.

Nuonuo and Ruanuan exchanged a look and said, "There is. We can tamper with their memories a little."

They discreetly cast a spell. Suddenly, the seven people’s eyes changed, and they began fighting amongst themselves. Pushing, kicking, soon the nearby cars’ alarms were going off, the shrill sounds echoing throughout the garage, creating utter chaos.

Seeing security guards heading their way, Tao Ming quietly slipped away with the two girls.

The next day, the news headlines blared: "Human Traffickers Turn on Each Other Over Unequal Shares, Brawl Erupts."