Xu Yi was indeed in a predicament at this time.

There were far more bandits hiding in the mountains than he had imagined.

He was outnumbered and outmatched; he fought with all his might and, although he didn't fall into the hands of the bandits, he was covered in injuries.

What's worse is that he's been running around everywhere trying to avoid these bandits, and now he's lost his way.

As night fell, the sky was dotted with stars. Xu Yi looked up at the sky, his ears filled with the rustling of leaves in the wind and the faint roars of animals.

A faint smell of blood wafted from his nostrils, and he reached down to touch his lower back.

He felt a warm, sticky sensation in his palm, and without even looking, he knew the wound was bleeding.

He had many wounds, large and small, and although he wouldn't bleed to death, if the bleeding wasn't stopped quickly, the smell of blood might attract wild animals from the mountains and forests.

Then there will be wild beasts and bandits, and Xu Yi has no confidence that he can defeat either side.

After finding a place to sit down, Xu Yi tore off his outer robe and tightly wrapped the wound.

Although it hurts a bit, this way the bleeding will stop.

After doing all that, he suddenly paused for a moment. He still hadn't gone back yet; Man'er must be worried.

From the moment Qian Dayong started solving the case, Xu Yi had a vague feeling that something was wrong and had been keeping a close eye on Qian Dayong's actions.

He would tell Fu Man'er if he found anything wrong, so now that he had suddenly disappeared, Fu Man'er would probably guess what was going on.

Xu Yi's biggest worry right now is that they didn't know there were so many bandits on the mountain. If they rashly bring people up, not only will they fail to rescue anyone, but they will also suffer losses.

Coupled with her own anxieties, Fu Man'er might act impulsively.

Thinking about this, Xu Yi felt that the most important thing he should do at this moment was to find a way out and reunite with everyone.

But looking around, every place looks the same, and the darker it gets, the more lost you feel.

After a moment's thought, Xu Yi decided to try to return along the same route he had taken, even though there was a high chance of encountering bandits.

If a large number of people arrive from the foot of the mountain soon, these bandits might not bother looking for themselves and would turn their attention to the people coming up the mountain.

Xu Yi wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to follow the bandits, so that he would have a chance to meet with the government officials.

I just hope that Fu Man'er won't be so impulsive as to bring people up the mountain directly.

Just as Xu Yi had thought, Fu Man'er was indeed going to lead people up the mountain.

When the county magistrate arrived with his entourage, the foot of the mountain was already teeming with people.

"Why are there so many people?"

Fu Man'er looked at the crowd behind her, "They're all going up the mountain to look for someone."

"Now that the magistrate has arrived, let's set off."

"Hey, wait a minute..." the county magistrate hurriedly called out to her, "Are you going up the mountain?"

"Yes." Fu Man'er was anxious and didn't bother to talk to the magistrate. She took a step forward and walked away. The magistrate couldn't stop her even if he wanted to.

"If I get hurt or bump into Xu Yi while going up the mountain, won't he blame me?"

The county magistrate only regretted that he did not possess martial arts skills, otherwise he could have stopped Fu Man'er.

“With me by her side, she’ll be fine.” Lu Sheng walked up from behind, following closely behind Fu Man’er.

Two women charged ahead, giving the county magistrate a headache; he had no idea these two women were skilled in martial arts.

They could only hurriedly send people into the mountains to catch the bandits and find the missing people, and also to keep an eye on Fu Man'er's safety.

He didn't want to find Xu Yi only to be scolded by him.