Chapter 22 Falling into a Trap

"Thick rope, sesame oil, compass, insect repellent powder, and a tinderbox..."

Ever since Wang Qiang knew that they were from the General's Mansion, he returned to the courtyard and began to pack his things and equipment for entering the valley tomorrow.

Qin Xiangnuan saw him hunched over, searching the room for something useful, and felt a little ashamed. She thought that before leaving, she should take some things from the space and quietly place them in the courtyard to make up for his loss.

Wang Qiang often goes to the Savage Valley to hunt for a living and is fully equipped for survival in the wild.

The next morning, the general's group headed towards the Savage Valley. During the journey, Wang Qiang kept asking Qin Xiangnuan and Liu if they needed to rest for a while. His attentive and caring attitude left Qin Yi and Qin Wen stunned and confused.

"There is a cave ahead where we can stay overnight."

Wang Qiang pointed to the mountain not far ahead, giving everyone reassurance.

After a near-death experience in Savage Valley, everyone in the General's Mansion had been on high alert ever since entering. Any slight movement would send them leaping to their feet and screaming in fear. Even a tiny insect crawling past them seemed poisonous enough to take their lives.

Qin Xiangnuan used a branch to knock on the leaves and grass in front of her and walked slowly in front.

Wang Qiang's eyes lit up as he looked at her. "Miss Qin, have you ever lived in the mountains before? If you were from an ordinary family, you wouldn't know how to use this method to drive away snakes and insects." Qin Xiangnuan couldn't say that she had been on missions before, often squatting in the rainforest for days and nights, and when she was hungry, she even caught two snakes, skinned them, and ate them raw. She just replied vaguely, "I heard Daddy talk about it a little, and I remembered it."

"What did General Qin say?"

Wang Qiang's expression became one of admiration. He looked into the distance and said with nostalgia: "If I have the chance, I really want to be with the general again, fighting on the battlefield, shedding blood and sweat, defending our country, and sacrificing my life!" As he spoke passionately, the officer following behind him couldn't help coughing.

If such remarks were heard by the people in the imperial court, their exile would probably be made more difficult.

The emperor, who was sitting on the dragon throne, was not afraid of the military power in Qin Guang's hands. As a royal family member, he could take back the military order at will. What he was afraid of was the heart of a capable person like Wang Qiang. In the military tent, the soldiers only recognized Qin Guang and not the military order. If there was a war, Qin Guang would naturally be a sharp weapon.

But under normal circumstances, the general who guards the country would become a knife by the emperor's pillow, making him unable to sleep.

Suspicion has always existed in royal families since ancient times, but now disasters are frequent in various places, and the Seventh Prince has issued a military order, which means that he can seize a lot of silver from the general's mansion to fill the national treasury, so the emperor made such a decision. They certainly did not expect that the general's mansion would be emptied by her in advance.

Qin Xiangnuan was lost in thought and missed a step, kicking over two stones.

She almost fell into the ravine, but fortunately Wang Qiang supported her. "Thank you."

Wang Qiang scratched his head in a daze, staring at the ravine. He reminded everyone, "There's an underground river here, flowing and eroding underground all year round. As a result, every place we step on is not completely safe. Be careful, as something might collapse if you step on it."

"It's best for several people to go together so they can look after each other."

Wang Qiang's words made everyone in the general's mansion adjust the walking team arrangement. Qin Feng and Qin Yi were in front to explore the way, the female family members were in the middle accompanying Old Madam Qin and walking slowly, and Qin Xiangnuan and Wang Qiang were in the back to support and protect the team from any sudden attacks.

"Is the cave you mentioned safe?"

Qin Xiangnuan whispered, "There must be many wild beasts in this Savage Valley at night. Will they..."

"Don't worry. The wild animals in Savage Valley hide in their caves during the day to rest. As long as the sun hasn't set, we can continue on our journey. It might not be safe after dark. That cave is where I often stay. It used to be the home of a king tiger. I hunted that tiger, so naturally no other wild animals dared to approach his cave." Wang Qiang said proudly, "My leg was broken at that time."

Qin Xiangnuan looked at his slightly disabled left leg in surprise, but she didn't know the reason.

Being able to fight a tiger alone shows that he has great skills.

"The cave is on a cliff, so it might take some effort to climb up. But I'm here. If the women from the General's Mansion can't make it up, I can use ropes to pull them up one by one. Don't worry, Miss Qin. Since I promised you, I will definitely let you and the people from the General's Mansion get out of the valley safely."

Wang Qiang patted his chest and made a promise, and Qin Xiangnuan smiled at him as a token of gratitude.

Qin Feng walked ahead, feeling somewhat bored. Being a young man, he had expected to encounter many exciting things in Savage Valley, but seeing everything was dull, he felt a bit relaxed. He kept looking back, calling out to Qin Xiangnuan, who was standing at the end of the group, "Cousin, why don't we look around? Maybe there are other Ganoderma lucidum, wild ginseng, or something like that. We could even satisfy our appetite if we find some!"

"I heard that this kind of wild game in the mountains is the most delicious!"

Qin Feng said this simply, his eyes caught sight of a patch of grass ahead, and he instantly fell silent. He waved his hand to signal the people behind him to stop, "It's such a big rabbit, catch it and roast it for my little cousin!"

"Don't act rashly, cousin, these things in the mountains..."

Qin Xiangnuan wanted to remind him, but there were too many people in the team. Before she could finish her words, she heard a scream from the front, followed by a woman's exclamation, "Oh no! Something happened!"

"Here? I'm afraid it's..." Wang Qiang looked around and found the marks on the tree trunks next to him. He slapped his thigh and said, "Don't fall into a trap!"

Qin Xiangnuan looked back as she ran over and saw Wang Qiang's apologetic expression. "A trap?"

"Little cousin! Hurry up and rescue me."

Qin Xiangnuan rushed to the front and saw, as expected, that Qin Feng had fallen into a deep pit that was two people high. He was still holding the gray hare by its ears and said to her proudly, "Look, a roasted rabbit!"

"This... This is a trap I set for hunting wild boars."

Wang Qiang whispered, and quickly took out the rope tied around his waist and tied it to the stone. "Young Master Qin, wait a minute, grab it and climb up."

"Mom, besides cousin Feng, is anyone else injured?"

Qin Xiangnuan saw that Qin Feng was under the supervision of Wang Qiang, and remembered that she seemed to have heard two screams, so she turned around and asked.

Liu's eyes were red as she moved aside. Qin Xiangnuan then saw Old Madam Qin sitting against the tree trunk, a few drops of blood flowing from her temples. "Grandma! What happened to you?"