Lili looked around curiously.

The lake is surrounded by lush trees, with dappled sunlight filtering through, and the occasional clear bird call can be heard.

Apart from the swaying wildflowers and weeds, there wasn't a soul in sight.

"Strange," Lili murmured, still uneasy about the fleeting anomaly she had just witnessed, and got up to walk around the area.

"Lili, what's wrong?" Shen Jiahao finished his naan in two bites, clapped his hands, stood up and went over.

He's a complete stranger in this place, so he'd better keep a close eye on Lili.

Lili followed her intuition and walked forward, passing through the bushes by the lake, going further and further in.

We were almost at the foot of a steep, low hill when we finally stopped in front of a patch of tall, green vines.

Lili stared at the vines with a puzzled expression.

Shen Jiahao caught up with her and protected her, asking, "Lili, what's wrong?"

Lili pointed to the patch of green vines: "Brother, there's someone."

"Huh?" Shen Jiahao looked in the direction she pointed. Green vines cascaded down from the top, intertwined, thick and long, obscuring the view below.

Lili is never wrong, could there really be someone here?

Shen Jiahao looked up and examined it closely. The green vines stretched down from a great height, with several large rocks below, and the ends of the vines loosely draped over the rocks.

The green vines were so thick that the wall was obscured.

Wait, how could there be a wall here?

This is a grove of trees beside the lake, not very dense, with large patches of sunlight shining on the ground. And since this is at the foot of a mountain, how could there possibly be a wall here?

What's with the green vines on top?

This low hill is very steep, and the rocks on the mountainside are very smooth. There doesn't seem to be any path to go up. Surely these green vines can't have grown out of the rocks.

Lili pursed her lips, about to step forward and touch the green vine, when she caught a glimpse of signs that the bottom of the rightmost stone under the vine had been moved.

"Huh?"

Lili squatted down and gestured to Shen Jiahao: "Big brother, look, there are scratches here."

Shen Jiahao squatted down and touched the mark with his hand. He looked around and noticed that the soil in one spot was obviously different from the surrounding soil.

He picked up some dirt from his fingers and gently rubbed it between his fingertips.

Shen Jiahao frowned, and gently picked up some soil from another spot with his other hand to compare it.

Shen Jiahao was startled and whispered, "It's a bit wetter than other places."

The two looked at each other, wondering if this was some kind of cave.

Shen Jiahao was a little nervous. Lili said there were people inside. Should he move the big rock and go inside to check?

He wasn't afraid, but he had Lili with him!

What if they're notorious thieves, bandits, or wanted murderers? He wasn't entirely confident he could successfully escape with Lili.

Lili held Shen Jiahao's hand and comforted him, "Big brother, don't be afraid. The people inside won't hurt us. I think they probably need help."

Besides the usual scents of flowers, grass, and trees, there was also a very faint smell of blood, which became more noticeable when you got close to the green vines.

Shen Jiahao also noticed the smell, which is why he was worried that the people inside might be bad guys.

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiahao realized that since Lili had said she was alright, then she must be alright.

Shen Jiahao observed for a moment and it seemed that only the rightmost stone had been moved, while the other stones showed no signs of being moved.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Jiahao lifted the rightmost stone and threw it heavily to the side.

A slight rustling sound came from behind the thick green vines.

Shen Jiahao shielded Lili behind him, and only after confirming that he had completely blocked her view did he reach out to lift the thick green vines.

As the green vines were lifted, the sounds inside became clearer and clearer.

With a "thump".

The green vines were lifted, and Shen Jiahao and Lili stared in shock at the scene inside.

A little boy covered in blood, looking exhausted, was leaning on a heavy sword. He was kneeling on the ground, his small hands gripping the hilt of the sword tightly, and he was staring at the two people warily with his eyelids open.

Clearly, he had tried to defend himself with his sword, but couldn't hold on and collapsed.

Behind the little boy was a man in armor, who looked to be about thirty or forty years old, lying on the ground with his eyes closed.

It was supposed to be armor, but it was tattered and covered in blood, looking utterly wretched.

"Oh dear, big brother, they are badly injured!"

In the last second before the little boy closed his eyes, he only saw the little girl in the pale yellow dress anxiously and urgently pulling the person next to her inside, the hair ornament on her head swaying back and forth, its reflection flashing...

"Don't come any closer..."

The little boy shouted as loudly as he could, but finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground.

The sword in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

"Why did he faint too?"

Lili squatted down in distress, quickly glanced at the two of them, and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that they were not in immediate danger.

"Is this armor?" Shen Jiahao checked their breathing; it was very weak, but thankfully they still had it.

Lili's gaze also fell on that half of the armor. Last time at the gate of the prefectural government, she had seen the mighty general's soldiers, and they were not wearing this kind of armor.

Even though he was seriously injured and unconscious, the man's muscular physique couldn't hide his murderous aura.

This person must be a member of the military, and his identity is not simple.

As for whether they were soldiers from the Southern Jin Dynasty... that's hard to say.

Hehe, here comes the big brother's teacher!

He looks like a real fighter!

The younger one wasn't injured; the blood all over his body was probably from the man, but he was too weak and fainted.

"Big brother, why don't you carry this uncle over there first? Lili will stay here and watch over this little brother."

Lili's statement meant she wanted to save these two people.

Shen Jiahao immediately agreed: "Okay, then Lili, you stay here and I'll be right back."

"Mmm!" Lili nodded, then emphasized, "Big brother, you have to carry it well, and you must take good care of this uncle!"

This is your teacher!

Shen Jiahao was a little confused, but he still nodded obediently: "Don't worry, Lili, your brother will be back soon."

Shen Jiahao deftly carried the man on his back and walked out of the cave.

After Shen Jiahao carried the man away, Lili squatted down and began to observe the cave.

The cave wasn't large, but there was a burnt fire inside, indicating that someone had been there for some time.

The ground where the man had lain was stained with blood and had turned black.

There were some wild berries and fish bones next to the fire.

It's probably fish caught in the lake next door, but judging from the pitifully few bones, it's likely that the seriously injured man was able to go out and catch fish to eat at the beginning, but gradually couldn't hold on anymore.

My attention was focused on that man, so I didn't notice that this little boy's clothes were quite different from those of Nan Jin.

Long robes with open fronts were extremely rare in the Southern Jin Dynasty.

The seashell necklace around her neck was something never seen in the Southern Jin Dynasty.

The Southern Jin Dynasty loved gold, silver, and jewelry, and of course, they would also have other items as ornaments with special meaning.

As for seashells that hold special significance... perhaps only the Great Jin Dynasty to the south of the Southern Jin Kingdom.

Lili wasn't quite sure how far Dajin was from here, but last time His Highness the Crown Prince took a whole night on horseback to get from the border to the prefectural city.

Although it's more than a hundred miles from the prefectural city, it must be quite far.

Pear puffed out her cheeks and exclaimed, "It really is far away. A seriously injured man and a young child? I wonder how you escaped here and what you went through."

Judging by his appearance, he's probably not even as big as the third brother.

"Miss Lili, are you alright?"

Zhui Feng rushed in.

Lili knew Zhuifeng would come; they didn't recognize the armor. But Zhuifeng definitely would.

Zhui Feng saw that Li Li was unharmed before he went to check on the little boy on the ground.

Zhui Feng glanced at the clothes he was wearing and said, "It really is a Golden Man! How could a Golden Man appear here?"

The Great Jin and the Southern Jin have been living in peace for decades. Now that Great Jin people have appeared in the Southern Jin territory, does this mean that the Great Jin wants to make a move?

"Alright, Brother Zhuifeng, let's take this young man out first."

Zhui Feng hesitated for a moment. The border guarded by Gu Ziyi's maternal grandfather, the mighty general, was the border between the Great Jin and the Southern Jin.

Although the Jin and Southern Jin dynasties often traded, and it was normal for caravans to travel between the two countries, these were soldiers!

Soldiers who discovered the Jin dynasty here should report to His Highness the Crown Prince and the Mighty General.

Lili saw what he was thinking: "Before Brother Zhuifeng wants to report to His Highness, shall we take them to Grandpa Sikong first? Lili wants to save them."

Zhui Feng frowned: "That's a giant golden statue!"

Although the Great Jin and the Southern Jin are currently at peace, decades ago, the Great Jin and the Southern Jin were constantly at war, fighting fiercely and causing the Southern Jin a great deal of suffering.

“There are good people everywhere,” Lili assured him. “Brother Zhuifeng, Lili promises that they won’t do anything bad.”

Lili held up three fingers and smiled sweetly.

After thinking for a long time, Zhui Feng picked up the person on the ground and left.

Lili chuckled and followed behind.

Although Shen Jiaqing had some basic medical knowledge, he went out without any belongings and couldn't do anything.

Zhui Feng rode his horse to the nearest village and bought an oxcart for five taels of silver, using it to transport people.

The oxcart had limited speed. Even though Shen Jiaqing was patting the ox's rump with all his might, the ox only let out a faint "moo" and continued to leisurely take small steps.

Shen Jiaqing: "......"

Fortunately, they were not far from Nanji Village, so the group hurried and finally arrived at Nanji Village.

Lili took out the small piece of paper and walked towards the direction written on it.

"First walk 500 meters north, then 400 meters west..."

The group went up the mountain and circled around for a long time before finally finding the small wooden house where Doctor Sikong lived.

Shen Jiaqing wiped his sweat: "Master is really something. He's so old, yet he still has the energy to go to such a far place to collect herbs... I'm exhausted. Master even hitched a ride on someone's oxcart. I really don't know where he gets so much energy."

Lili was taken aback, and suddenly had a bold guess.

Speaking of which, the people who attacked Physician Sikong back then...

Could he also be someone from Dajin?

What is the connection between that group of people and these two individuals?

The renowned physician Sikong happened to be drying medicinal herbs in the courtyard when he saw the large group of people and was slightly surprised.

You've arrived so quickly?

Lili greeted him with a smile: "Grandpa Sikong!"

Shen Jiaqing excitedly handed him the medical book she was holding: "Master, I've finished memorizing it!"

Physician Sikong casually picked up a nearby earthenware jar, took out two pieces of dried tangerine peel, and gave them to the three children.

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed the person lying on the oxcart, wearing familiar clothes. He paused, and his face darkened.

Lili carefully observed the change in Doctor Sikong's expression in that instant and pondered to herself.

It seems like she guessed right?

Lili pursed her lips. This was a bit of a problem. What if Grandpa Sikong didn't want to treat her?

Before Doctor Sikong could speak, Lili pulled him aside and whispered, "Grandpa Sikong, these two are good people. Could you do me a favor?"

After a long silence, the divine physician Sikong glanced at the pale-faced man and finally nodded: "I really owe you something."

Lili smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandpa Sikong. I knew Grandpa Sikong was the best!"

With no other option, Physician Sikong directed Shen Jiahao and Zhuifeng to carry the people inside and treat them.

*

After treating the two, Physician Sikong found Lili in the courtyard, looking at medicinal herbs with Shen Jiaqing.

"Lili, come here."

"Hmm?" Lili went over, and Doctor Sikong led Lili a little further away.

The divine physician, Sikong, looked down the mountain and said, "You figured it out, didn't you?"

Lili was slightly taken aback: "The Golden Man? Hmm... Was it the Golden Man that hurt you before?"

“That’s right.” Physician Sikong nodded. “During those days, the soldiers of the Great Jin somehow found out where I lived, disguised themselves as a merchant caravan, and asked me to treat their general.”

Lili blinked: "General? It can't be the one inside, can it?"

"No," said Physician Sikong. "The person they asked me to treat is General Wufanman. He is also a valiant general of the Great Jin Dynasty and has made many contributions to the Great Jin. Physicians are benevolent and do not distinguish between countries, but I will absolutely not treat Wufanman."

"More than forty years ago, when the Great Jin and the Southern Jin were at war, I was just a teenager and an apprentice who followed my master around practicing medicine."

When war breaks out, a great plague is bound to occur. My master and I were treating the people of a small town on the border for the plague, while in front of us lay a battlefield where countless people had died.

One night, the general of the Jin Dynasty led a troop on a surprise attack, but the target was not the camp or the city gate, but a town full of sick people.

I will never forget how they stabbed sick and weak children with sharp knives and hacked elderly people to death with machetes...

And then there's Ufanman, he's a complete lunatic. In war between two nations, it's a universally accepted rule not to harm civilians or mistreat prisoners of war!

He slaughtered most of the town just to give the Southern Jin a taste of its power.

If it weren't for the mighty general who arrived with his men, I'm afraid I would also be..."

The divine physician, Sikong, said with resentment, "They were just patients, yet he killed them all without any mercy. I will never forget that day when he held up a blood-stained cleaver and arrogantly declared that he would kill all the people of Southern Jin."