The best course of action now is to cross this insurmountable barrier as soon as possible.

Try to get through before the downpour or when the rain isn't too heavy. Otherwise, if the rain gets heavier and you rush forward, it's like gambling your life on luck.

Unfortunately, this treacherous terrain has always been the perfect hiding place for bandits.

A group of robbers were entrenched at the entrance to the formidable barrier.

In the distance, several horse-drawn carriages passed by, and the leader was carrying a spiked club and bragging.

"Look, those cars coming from the front, they're not exactly easy targets, but they're probably about the same size."

The sturdy frame indicates that it is made of good wood.

The canopy on the carriage was also well-made. While other people's carriages had flat roofs, theirs had a ridged roof, which showed that this family was particular about their lifestyle.

When the car gets close, we'll rush out and stop it. If they're sensible, we'll take the money and let them go; if they're not, then they'll lose their lives.

From a great distance, Zhao Changgeng noticed something amiss at the entrance to the natural barrier. It sounded like someone was moving. So he gestured behind him.

The three brothers simultaneously completed their defensive preparations.

The first car was driven by Qingluan, the second by Qingfeng, and the last car was still driven by Zhao Minggeng.

The rest of the men prepared to attack. Bows and arrows were ready.

Once they reached the entrance to the natural barrier and were within range of arrows, everyone in the carriage fired their arrows, and the carriage began to accelerate.

Before the bandits, who were still boasting, could react, a group of them were shot dead.

What's most infuriating is that they actually wiped out several archers.

For mountain bandits, archers were already a scarce commodity. With several of them killed, their fighting strength was greatly reduced.

They wanted to rush down and kill everyone on the carriage, but the Zhao family's carriage was incredibly fast, and the arrows were fired even faster.

Before the person even got close, they were shot into a pincushion.

And so, the Zhao family's three carts, pursued by the bandits, sped across the natural barrier.

Just after Zhao Qianci's carriage passed by, a boulder the size of a football rolled down the mountain and nearly hit the top of the carriage.

Fortunately, the livestock ran fast enough and made it across without any major incident.

Exhausted from their frantic run across this formidable chasm, the livestock were caught in a downpour.

They quickly covered the livestock with the tarpaulin prepared on the vehicle.

They also propped up the tarpaulin that extended from the carriage with wood, so that neither the people sitting inside the carriage nor those sitting on the edge would get wet.

The Zhao family's three vehicles stopped, but the bandits in the chasm did not. Braving the rain, they charged forward, determined to kill these people today or never be bandits again.

The rain was heavy, and the road in the chasm became increasingly muddy. The bandit leader was also falling over one tumble after another.

Even so, they persisted and did not give up.

When the strategist Wei Ran saw his boss fall, he quickly went to help him up.

"Brother, why don't we find a place to take shelter from the rain?"

The rain is too heavy. They're driving a cart, and we're walking. By the time we get out of this chasm, those people will probably be long gone. Maybe we should just go back.”

The bandit leader was furious today.

"How can this be? So many brothers died or were injured. I can't swallow this! I want to see if these guys have three heads and six arms or just extra legs!"

Why are they firing arrows before we've even attacked? That's incredibly unsportsmanlike!

Seeing his eldest brother's current temper, Wei Ran quickly tried to coax and persuade him.

"Brother, since they passed through here, they will naturally return here as well. We will definitely have a chance to deal with them. In this weather, it will be risky for us to go any further."

Look back at our brothers, those who are injured urgently need to go back up the mountain for treatment. We can't delay, brother.

Okay, the bandit leader agreed, let's go back.

But he couldn't swallow this insult. He remembered exactly what the Zhao family's three cars looked like.

As for Zhao Qianci, he had just been running for his life. Although Huang Shi and Zhao Qingyan were protecting him, he still accidentally bumped his head while trying to hold onto the carriage.

The road is uneven, so a bumpy ride is inevitable.

The car stopped, and Huang immediately checked the old man's body, noticing a bump the size of an egg on his left forehead. It was clearly from a collision; in just a short time, it had swelled up to almost transparent.

When Zhao Qingyan saw it, she couldn't help but touch it. "Grandpa, it looks like if you prick this bag, water will spray out."

Zhao Qianci, who had been bumped, really wanted to slap his granddaughter, but it really hurt too much.

"Old man, look at this! Do you still recognize me? Who am I? Am I the most beautiful girl in the village?"

Huang was afraid that Zhao Qianci would be mentally impaired by the accident.

Zhao Qianci was speechless about this.

Although he felt his wife was the best, he couldn't just lie through his teeth; her face was covered in orange peel now.

"Alright, I'm not stupid. Did you bring any medicine? It hurts so much."

Zhao Qian quickly changed the subject.

When Huang saw that the old man said he wasn't stupid, she quickly asked her granddaughter to get medicine for him.

There was no other way; it was such a big bulge, so I had to take out a box of Yunnan Baiyao spray.

This can prevent direct contact with the hands and avoid pain.

After the medicine was applied, Zhao Qianci felt less pain after a while, but he still couldn't open his left eye.

"Old woman, please take a look at my eyes, what's wrong with them? They hurt so much!" Zhao Qianci pleaded for help.

When Huang saw this, her eyes also swelled up.

"My dear girl, take a look at your grandpa's eyes. Is there any medicine we can use?"

Zhao Qingyan shook her head.

"The medicine we just used is the most effective. I estimate the bump on my forehead will go down and I can open my eyes again."

If all else fails, once the rain stops, we can go upstairs and boil some eggs to rub on Grandpa's eyes; maybe that will help.

The grandfather and grandson's conversation veered off-topic.

"My dear, do you think your grandpa's injury counts as an injury? Will it offset the bad luck that will happen when he enters the exam hall?"

When Huang asked, Zhao Qingyan shook her head.

"How would I know? Although there was a bump, there was no bleeding. Think about what kind of injuries my grandfather suffered during the county examination."

Madam Huang sighed, "What are we going to do? I don't know how much suffering your grandfather will have to endure this time. Fortunately, there are three exams this time."

Zhao Qingyan nodded.

Zhao Qianci was incredibly frustrated. He hadn't even entered the examination hall yet, and the grandfather and grandson were already discussing how much suffering he was going to endure. It was too much.

Zhao Qingyan noticed her grandfather's very dejected expression.

"Grandpa, don't be too sad. We don't know if today's accident is related to your scientific expedition. Grandma and I will try our best to help you get through this difficult time with minimal harm."