The team leader, holding the cornbread in his hand, thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you kowtow to your ancestors a few more times and say some nice things, and see if you can get more food and water?"

Shirakawa sighed and said, "I've tried, but it's no use. They only gave me this little bit. I wanted more food and water too."

Chen Nong chimed in, "I also kowtowed to my ancestor, and he only gave me this little bit of food and water. It's definitely enough for me by myself. What if I make too much trouble and my ancestor gets annoyed and doesn't like me anymore?"

These two are such drama queens.

The team leader actually thought they were right and didn't make them kowtow to try.

The child next to him was stunned. Chen Nong and Bai Chuan were operating the equipment in the corner with their backs to him, so he had no idea where the food and water came from. As for the weapon, he didn't see where it came from either. As he was crying, he saw the child struggling to hold a knife in his hand.

Upon hearing that the food and water were a gift from their ancestors, he wondered if he should try it too, just in case his ancestors would also grant his wish.

As soon as he finished thinking, the child knelt down and kowtowed, begging the ancestors to bless him and give him some food and water.

Chen Nong couldn't help but cover his face and said, "Kowtowing like this is useless. If you want the ancestors to show their power, you must be sincere. Kowtowing three times in front of the ancestral tablets every day, and if you can afford it, offer incense. Keep doing this every day, and only then will the ancestors notice you."

The child said dejectedly, "Kowtowing like this is useless."

At this moment, the missing woman's husband also regained consciousness.

The team leader said, "Your wife and daughter have been found; they're over there."

Then, I told him about their current situation.

After that, more people in the group woke up one after another.

When each person wakes up, the team leader will break off a small piece of cornbread and hand it to him, then squeeze some water from a mineral water bottle for him to drink. There isn't much food or water, so the portions have to be carefully controlled.

Seeing their companions like this, Bai Chuan and Chen Nong felt a little guilty, but they didn't dare to take out too much food and water, as it might cause trouble.

The team leader asked the child, "Do you know anyone here who can help us escape?"

The boy said awkwardly, "There are some I know, people from the same village, but they won't help. Someone tried to escape before, and as soon as the rope was untied, the people from our village noticed and started shouting, which led the bandits in."

Then, pointing to a person on the wooden frame who was covered in blood from being whipped, he said, "Look, that's the person who tried to escape but failed and got beaten like this."

Team leader: "..." How could there be such a person? He's probably a traitor.

Chen Nong and Bai Chuan initially felt some sympathy for the unfortunate man, but upon closer inspection of his face and realizing he was from Peach Blossom Village, they immediately lost their sympathy. He deserved it; he got what he deserved!

The team leader had the kids point out those who liked to shout and drag them aside.

The cave was left with unconscious people. They woke them up one by one. The effects of the sleeping potion were almost worn off, and they could still be woken up by calling out. If someone was a troublemaker, they would be knocked unconscious again.

Meanwhile, Old Man Chen and his companions were wondering which direction to take. They had reached the edge of the precipice and there was no path at all. Even Gouzi and the others were frantic, having lost all leads and unable to find their way.

Old Man Chen guessed that there might be a hidden door nearby, otherwise, with Gouzi's sense of smell, they would have been able to track it down.

"Let's look around and see if there's any hidden door," Old Man Chen said.

They touched every stone in the area, stomped on the ground, and even pulled up some grass and trees, but they still couldn't find the hidden door.

The village chief's wife pressed her ear against the stone wall and listened quietly for a while, then exclaimed in surprise, "It's definitely inside here, I can hear the sound!"

Zhou said, "Try knocking on the stone wall."

The people on the other side of the mountain wall were resting at the gate when they suddenly heard a noise outside.

"They're really overestimating themselves, still trying to break in. Go and call a team of men over. Once they're all exhausted, we'll go out and tie them all up and bring them in."

On Chen Nong's side, the leader had already killed one bandit, but then another bandit suddenly said he wanted to come in and take a woman out. The leader had no choice but to have his men guard the cave entrance, and as soon as the bandit came in, they took care of him.

One of the men said, "Should we rush out now, or they'll become suspicious sooner or later?"

The team leader said, "We're not familiar with the terrain here yet. How about this: one team escapes and gets some fire to set things on fire. Another team tries to get some weapons. The rest of you come with me to capture some hostages to lead the way. The elderly, children, and women should hide for now. We'll all gather together and fight our way out together later."

After making the arrangements, the team leader led his men out.

Chen Nong and Bai Chuan were very anxious. What should they do? A fight was about to break out. Could they win and escape?

Outside the cliff, seeing that everyone had searched for the hidden door without success, the eldest daughter-in-law said, "You all step aside!"

When everyone saw that Chen Laoda's wife was about to make a move, they quickly made way.

With a loud bang, the eldest son's wife punched a hole two people high in the mountain wall in front of them.

The broken rocks, along with the bandits inside the mountain wall, tumbled down the cliff.

"Ahhh—" Instantly, screams echoed through the mountains.

Several bandits who weren't standing in front of the mountain gate were terrified when they saw their companion suddenly being pulled into the cliff by a blasted boulder. Their legs trembled uncontrollably.

Then a group of people burst in from outside the mountain wall.

My God, how did these people manage to break through a stone door that's nearly two meters thick?!

When Old Man Chen saw people inside, he shouted, "Arrest them!"

Several bandits trembled, their legs shook, and they accidentally fell off the cliff.

"It's a pity he fell down; I was hoping to grab him and ask for directions," said Old Man Chen.

Inside the mountain wall is a narrow and rugged mountain path, with the mountain wall on one side and a cliff on the other.

The mountain path was not smooth; the uneven rocks made it easy for people to slip and fall.

Old Man Chen: "Watch your step, everyone walk carefully."

Zhou frowned and said, "This road is so difficult to travel, how do those bandits manage to transport their goods?"

Old Man Chen: "I guess this is a backup plan." Old Man Chen was right; it was indeed the bandits' backup plan.

Halfway there, they came across a large, stinking pit filled with bones, some of them animal bones, but mostly human bones. The top layer consisted of small skullcaps, and there were also rotting, poorly clothed women who had died in a horribly gruesome state.

Everyone looked very upset when they saw this, and the village chief's wife even vomited bile.

"Those damned bandits will get their comeuppance sooner or later!" the second son's wife said angrily.

Seeing so many children's skulls, Zhou's heart ached terribly. "Let's hurry and find Chen Nong."

"Master, something terrible has happened! Everyone in one of the caves has escaped!"

Seeing that there were still fires everywhere outside, the head of the household roared, "Useless! How have you been guarding this place? Get everyone back here right now!"