Chapter 214 The village was completely looted by the border troops of the desolate country.

The generals were less than two zhang away from the edge of the cave. When they heard what the fairy said, they quickly retreated.

"Fairy, we have already retreated. How should we provide support?" the overseer asked, holding a walkie-talkie.

Ning Jinli told him that the cave was extremely deep, with a complex and fragile structure underneath, and that it was very likely to collapse again. Therefore, no one was allowed to approach this area again. She would send the people she found directly back to the camp. The supervising general's job was to immediately notify the camp so that the doctors could be prepared.

Of the fifteen people, three civilians sustained minor injuries, but the other twelve soldiers shielded the civilians with their bodies during the fall, resulting in them taking a huge impact and sustaining serious injuries.

"Yes, yes, yes! This subordinate understands!"

The supervising general readily agreed.

He knew that Fairy Jinli had the ability to instantly teleport people and objects.

Now that it has been confirmed that the fairy is not in danger and that all the missing persons have been found, we can proceed with the preparations as requested by the fairy.

He then ordered someone to deliver the message, and at the same time led thousands of soldiers and civilians back to the camp.

When the group returned to the camp, the wounds of the three civilians had been bandaged, and the twelve seriously wounded soldiers were out of danger thanks to their timely rescue.

If Ning Jinli hadn't decisively chosen to go down and search herself, and then, after finding the wounded soldiers, instructed the generals to order the camp's doctors to prepare in advance, while simultaneously opening a portal in the cave to connect with the camp and directly sending the wounded over for immediate treatment, the seriously injured soldiers would undoubtedly have died.

Looking back on the whole process, Ning Jinli still felt a wave of fear.

If the old village chief hadn't been helped back then, thousands of lives would probably have been lost at Tiger Slope by now.

After a moment's thought, she decided to properly thank the old village chief.

So he transferred a thousand Xuanjia soldiers from the camp, packed more food, clothes, bedding, and several portable military tents, and personally led the Xuanjia soldiers to deliver them to the people.

The large packages of supplies delivered earlier will help the villagers get through the winter, and these supplies will be enough to ensure they have enough to eat and wear throughout the winter.

After Ning Jinli had everything prepared, she led her troops to the small mountain village, following the route provided by the old village chief.

On the other side.

The old village chief and his group returned to the village at this time.

Amidst the heavy snowfall, the group's cheeks were red from the cold, and they were panting heavily from exhaustion, but their eyes were filled with excitement and joy.

"Fellow villagers! We're back!" a villager shouted.

At that moment, two barefoot boys, about seven or eight years old, ran out.

The old village chief frowned. "Where did those men who stayed behind in the village go? They actually sent their children to pick them up! Quick, take the shoes and clothes out of the package!"

"Grandpa Village Chief!"

"Waaaah! Grandpa Village Chief, you're finally back!"

The two children cried and rushed to the group.

As the old village chief helped them put on their clothes and shoes, he asked, "What's wrong with you two? Why are you crying? Where are the adults?"

The child's chapped face was streaked with tears. He was crying so hard he could barely breathe, and his words were somewhat incoherent, but he was saying that a group of soldiers had come to the village, robbed people of their belongings, and even beat them up.

The men's expressions changed drastically, and the old village chief nearly fainted.

"Where is everyone now?" the old village chief asked, forcing himself to remain calm. "Are the people who robbed us... still in the village?"

The child told him that everyone in the village had been driven to the ancestral hall by those soldiers, and the robbers left about an incense stick's time ago.

The old village chief breathed a slight sigh of relief and quickly led the few people around him to the ancestral hall.

The village was already poor, and even the ancestral hall looked dilapidated, with holes and cracks all over the walls, letting in a howling wind.

More than a hundred people from the entire village were crammed together, and a faint smell of blood lingered in the cold air.

The old village chief was shocked to discover that many people had no clothes left and were huddled in a corner with a pile of dry grass to keep warm, all of them shivering from the cold.

Those who still had clothes were left with only a single garment that could barely cover them.

In addition, some of the able-bodied men who had stayed in the village were found lying naked on the ground, covered in blood, and already dead...

"What's going on... what... what's going on?!"

The old village chief staggered and almost fell.

Several villagers who were with him hurriedly helped him up. Seeing the miserable scene before them, they were all filled with grief and indignation.

After the villagers described the events, the old village chief and others finally learned the details.

It turned out that not long after they left the village...

Dozens of soldiers from the Desolate Kingdom stormed into the village, dragged all the villagers out of their homes and drove them to the ancestral hall, and then looted the entire village.

They not only stole the villagers' meager food reserves, but also slaughtered the two old oxen that the village relied on for farming, cooked some of them on the spot, and continued to plunder while eating.

They didn't spare any clothing or bedding that could provide any warmth, and even stripped most of the villagers of their clothes.

The dozen or so strong men who stayed behind in the village were beaten to death by this group of people for fighting back.

Finally, the bandit-like soldiers, having eaten and drunk their fill, left with all the looted food and supplies...

"Why...why did they come to rob us!" The old village chief was heartbroken and knelt on the ground, wailing loudly.

The villagers told him, while crying, that the soldiers had said that the soldiers of Zhenhuang Pass needed to get through the winter, and that there wasn't enough food and supplies this year. The royal city hadn't sent any over as in previous years, so they had to search for supplies themselves.

The old village chief wiped away his tears, recalling the Fairy Jinli and the Great Xuan warriors he had met. They were all Chinese, yet the differences between the two countries were so vast.

This desolate country deserves to perish!

"Village chief... what... should we do?" a villager asked.

The old village chief snapped out of his daze, "Luckily, we have the things the fairy gave us. Quick... quick, take them all out and distribute them to everyone! Use the clothes and bedding too!"

The group quickly opened the package.

First, distribute some dried meat and chocolate to everyone, then give clothes and shoes to the elderly, weak, sick and disabled, and spread bedding directly on the floor of the ancestral hall, and surround it with a pile of dry grass.

While everyone was busy, Niu San secretly started making plans.

He had thought that he might be able to borrow grain from Zhenhuang Pass or even exchange the women in the village for grain. Although the old village chief scolded and stopped him, he still held onto this idea in his heart.

Zhenhuang Pass is the most important of the several border passes that the Huang Kingdom set up near the Xuanhuang Mountain Range.

But now that even the soldiers of Zhenhuang Pass have to come out and rob the people of their grain, the idea of ​​borrowing grain or exchanging women for grain has to be completely abandoned.

"Village chief, where did you get all this dried meat and these unusual sweets?" the villagers asked in surprise as they ate.

One of the villagers who was with the old village chief blurted out, "We encountered Xuan in the mountains—"

"Don't talk nonsense!" the old village chief immediately interrupted, then said to the curious villagers, "You've all been frightened, so take a rest first."

Someone asked, "Village chief, can we make it through this winter...?"

The old village chief gently comforted everyone, "Don't worry, don't be afraid. We've brought back food and clothes for you all. We'll definitely get through this."

Niu San, hiding in the corner, sneered inwardly.

There's no way they can survive this!

The village originally had some food, and with the supplies given by that Fairy Jinli, it was enough to keep the village's hundred-plus people alive until next spring.

But what about now?

All that's left is what we brought back. How could that possibly feed the whole village for that long? It'd be a struggle to last even a month or two!

It seems the village chief might be planning to wait until he can't take it anymore before seeking help from the Xuan Kingdom's camp.

However, this is wishful thinking.

If you ask for more when the fairy gives you gifts at the beginning, she might agree. If you ask for more later, she definitely won't give them to you.

That stubborn old village chief is inflexible and insists on clinging to his ridiculous so-called virtues. He even shamelessly cursed him out. Now look what's happened; the old man is dragging the whole village down with him.

"Everyone... after we finish eating and rest, we..." The old village chief looked at the eleven corpses on the ground with red eyes and choked up, "we will give them a proper burial and pay our respects. It's a pity they didn't even get to eat a single bite."

For a time, the sound of weeping filled the ancestral hall.

While everyone was immersed in grief, Niu San secretly stole some food from the package and stuffed it into his clothes. He then tiptoed out the back door.

He didn't want to stay here and wait to die.

Moreover, he has found a brilliant way not only to survive, but also to rise above others and live a comfortable life.

As dusk fell.

Braving the increasingly fierce wind and snow, Niu San left the village and chased after a group of Zhenhuang soldiers. After chasing for more than ten miles, he saw the figure of a group of Zhenhuang soldiers.

Judging from the tattered supplies tied to the horses of this garrison of Zhenhuang soldiers, as well as the pieces of fresh beef that had frozen solid, these were the same people who had robbed his village.

"Sir! Sir!"

Niu San was overjoyed and mustered all his energy, shouting as he quickened his pace.

Gradually, he got closer and closer to the group.

Finally, someone in the group heard the shout.

"Who the hell is yelling?" The squad leader turned around at the sound.

The fifty or so people following behind also stopped in their tracks.

"Sir...Sir!" Niu San ran up to them excitedly, panting heavily, "Finally...finally caught up with you!"

Whoosh!

The sergeant drew his sword and held it to Niu San's neck.

The icy, bone-chilling touch sent a shiver down his spine.

"Sir, spare my life! Spare my life!" He knelt down in the snow with a thud, kowtowing as he said, "I had no ill intentions, I came here to seek refuge with you, sir!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

The sergeant slapped Niu San's face with his knife and sneered, "What are you? You think you're worthy to serve me?"

"Look, sir!" Niu San's red hands began to reach into his pocket.

But because it was so cold, my hands were numb, and I couldn't get anything out for a while.

The sergeant looked wary and kicked him away, yelling, "What do you think you're doing, kid! Looking for death?!"

Niu San hurriedly explained, "No... I have something... to offer!"

"Do you think I'm a fool?" the sergeant said viciously. "I can tell you're from that village, kid. You came here to get revenge on me by assassinating me, didn't you?"

After saying this, he stabbed Niu San in the chest with a knife.

In a moment of desperation, Niu San reacted with lightning speed, rolling on the ground to narrowly avoid the blade.

The knife tip tore his clothes.

That's what caused the things he was carrying to spill out.

"Hmm? Dried meat?"

The sergeant used the tip of his knife to pick up a piece, then held it under his nose and smelled it.

The enticing aroma was exceptionally strong even in the cold air, making his mouth water.

He instinctively opened his mouth as if to eat.

"No! Be careful, it might be poisonous!" a subordinate quickly warned.

The sergeant snapped out of his daze, his eyes flashing with malice. "Well, I almost fell for your trick. You really know how to go all out, making such good jerky to ambush me!"

"Sir, you've misunderstood!" Niu San quickly grabbed a piece of dried meat from the ground and wolfed it down, saying as he chewed, "I...I'll eat it to show you! It's not poisonous!"

Seeing how much he was enjoying his meal, the sergeant couldn't help but swallow hard, then looked at the palm-sized piece of jerky on the tip of his knife.

Although they had just slaughtered and cooked the cows while looting a village, this dried meat was glossy, fragrant, and far superior to ordinary meat.

“And this!” Niu San, munching on jerky, pulled out a piece of chocolate.

"Hmm? What is this?" The sergeant's curiosity was piqued by the brightly colored and shiny object.

Niu San tore open the plastic packaging, took out the chocolate, and took a bite. "This is a top-quality dessert called chocolate! Sir, you'll be amazed by its taste!"

After hesitating for a long time, the sergeant said to one of his subordinates, "You, go and try it."

"Huh? Me?" The subordinate was dumbfounded.

The sergeant's face darkened. "What? You're not even obeying my orders anymore?"

The subordinate had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the chocolate from Niu San's hand, smelling it first.

A sweet scent I'd never smelled before wafted into my nostrils.

He gritted his teeth and stuffed the whole piece of chocolate into his mouth.

As the chocolate is chewed and melts, an even richer, sweeter flavor fills the mouth.

His eyes widened in astonishment, and he exclaimed, "This is truly an exquisite dessert! I've never tasted anything so delicious in my entire life! Even if it were poisonous, I'd die happy!"

The others looked at each other, feeling it was an exaggeration, but judging from his reaction, it didn't seem fake.

Niu San emphasized again, "Sir, I swear on my life, these... these are absolutely not poisonous!"

The sergeant was still skeptical, so he gave his subordinate the dried meat that was stuck on the tip of his knife.

Without saying a word, the subordinate grabbed the food and started munching away, his face beaming with excitement and his mouth glistening with oil, like a starving ghost reincarnated.

"Mmm... the dried meat is delicious too!"

"It smells so good! It smells amazing!"

After finishing a piece of chocolate and the jerky, he snatched the remaining half of the jerky from Niu San's hand and ate it all in a few bites.

The sergeant and the others were stunned by his appearance.

"Is there anything else?" he asked Niu San, still wanting more.

Niu San laboriously rummaged through his pocket, "There's only one piece of jerky left."

"Give it to me!" He immediately snatched it and took a big bite.

"You damn well better leave me some!" The sergeant couldn't hold back any longer. He kicked the man over, quickly snatched the last half of the jerky, and stuffed it into his mouth without hesitation.

The others gathered around, swallowing hard and staring at him expectantly, asking if it was really that delicious.

The sergeant's reaction was exactly the same as his subordinates'.

"Damn it! I didn't expect it to be such good stuff!" The sergeant grabbed Niu San and demanded, "Tell me! Where did you get this thing? Do you have any more?"

Niu San secretly breathed a sigh of relief and forced a fawning smile. "Don't worry, sir. I'm just here to deliver these to you. There's plenty more! But... hehe... I wonder if you could grant me a request?"