However, the army, with its overwhelming momentum, seemed not to have heard him and charged straight down the fence with their spears in hand.

At that very moment, a plume of white smoke suddenly rose up around them. The smoke was pungent and the stench was overwhelming, causing the soldiers who rushed into the hideout to cover their mouths and noses: "Be careful, the smoke is poisonous!"

Just then, a muffled "whoosh" was heard, and a soldier's throat was slit by a flying knife in the blink of an eye.

The remaining soldiers immediately raised their spears, but the white smoke blinded them, making it impossible to see what was in front of them. Then, a flying knife came from nowhere.

Becoming alert, the soldier dodged to the side, and the throwing knife barely disappeared into the snow.

"Charge!" At someone's command, all the soldiers disregarded everything and rushed forward.

No one in the cabin showed up. The gloomy man seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly became furious: "Damn it!"

He cursed and shoved Luo Xue away. With a light tap of his toes, he turned and tried to run away before leaping into the air!

However, the next second, a figure flashed into the empty forest, descending from the sky with small steps. A cold light fell, and amidst the splatter of blood, the man's arm was mercilessly severed.

The man's eyes widened in horror, his teeth clenched, and he threw a packet of powder from his pocket!

Xiao Bu was prepared. Ignoring the interference of the poison powder, he spun around and delivered a flying kick that sent him flying. The force was so great that he was knocked unconscious on the spot.

Meanwhile, the soldiers rushed into the cabins, only to find that there was no one inside!

"Oh no! They've escaped!"

Not only did the hunchbacked, short man run away, but everyone else also disappeared without a trace.

"Your Highness." A figure in white slowly appeared. Yu Nanqing arrived late, stepping lightly on the snow. Luo Xue curtsied and greeted him.

Yu Nanqing gave Xiaobu a look, and Xiaobu immediately understood, waving his hand: "Chase!"

All the soldiers immediately followed Xiaobu.

Yu Nanqing glanced indifferently at the man who had been knocked unconscious by Xiao Bu, then looked at the man who had been dealt with by Luo Xue and was dead in front of the cabin.

Wen Chen asked, "No hostages?"

Luo Xue lowered her eyes: "They're all dead."

Upon hearing this, Yu Nanqing's expression remained largely unchanged, as if he had anticipated it, or perhaps he hadn't even considered it.

"Ahhh—" Suddenly, a scream shattered the tranquility of the snow-capped mountain.

One of the soldiers who stayed behind to search the area called out anxiously in front of the cabin where the hostages were being held: "Your Highness! There are still people alive!"

Yu Nanqing looked up and saw that Luo Xue was also a little surprised. She had just checked and there was indeed no sign of a living person. Could it be that she hadn't looked carefully enough?

Yu Nanqing stepped forward, and in the firelight, the scene inside the house was clearly visible.

The stench of blood mingled with a strong medicinal smell caused Yu Nanqing's eyes to darken slightly. Inside, body parts were scattered haphazardly on the table…

No, to be precise, they are organs removed from people...

The hollowed-out shells were piled up to one side, and now that it's winter, except for those that have been specially treated in containers, the rest have been frozen into popsicles.

The fact that the room still reeked of blood and medicine proved that they had dismembered other people earlier that day...

The bloodstains all over the room had frozen into icicles, some of which had turned black, while others were still bright red.

In the corner, a disheveled woman clutched her head in terror, tears streaming down her face, but dared not utter a sound.

Her thin clothes were disheveled, and Yu Nanqing's eyes visibly widened in surprise when he saw what she was wearing.

"Your Highness! She was hidden among the corpses."

The pile of corpses was frozen solid; he found her through a gap in the pile.

Yu Nanqing frowned: "Raise your head."

Wen Chen's voice was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, yet it instantly calmed the woman who had been trembling with fear.

She slowly raised her head, and after seeing Yu Nanqing's face clearly, her eyes widened in disbelief: "Brother Nanqing!"

"Is it really you, Brother Yu Qing?" The woman's voice trembled as she slowly stretched out her hand, unable to tell whether it was reality or a hallucination.

Now, Yu Nanqing's brows furrowed even more tightly.

The snow-white outer robe was suddenly ripped off, creating a whooshing sound in the cold, blood-stained wooden house. Then, the robe slowly fell onto the woman, covering her completely.

"Take it back," Yu Nanqing ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the soldier immediately obeyed.

On the other side, the village.

Candles were still lit in every household in the village. Su Wanyan, along with the women of the village, cooked mutton soup to warm the men who were guarding the village entrance.

The amount of mutton was pooled together by each household. According to them, they needed to be full to have the strength to fight the bandits, and who knows, this might be their last meal.

So the villagers aren't going to be stingy with the meat right now.

Su Wanyan said she went to help, but the villagers wouldn't let her do anything and just told her to sit and rest.

For the past two weeks, Su Wanyan has treated them without charging them any money. They are so grateful that they can't possibly ask her to do any work.

Moreover, Su Wanyan has delicate skin and looks like a pampered young lady, so she shouldn't be allowed to do these rough jobs.

Even when serving the meat soup, Su Wanyan didn't have to move an inch.

"Dr. Su, come on, you should eat too." A village woman brought over a bowl of steaming hot meat soup.

Su Wanyan quickly reached out and took it, saying, "Thank you, it's so kind of you."

"Sigh, why don't you leave? Why do you insist on staying in this village and suffering with us?" There weren't many people in the village, and they had all heard about the village chief's advice to Su Wanyan to leave.

A man ladling broth from the pot remarked, "You know, this is pretty much how our lives will be. You guys are different; you're obviously from a wealthy family. If only..."

As she spoke, she sighed, "If the bandits really come later, don't be afraid. This village is built on the mountain, and I know the way well. I'll help you hide so they can't find you."

It would be a lie to say she wasn't moved; Su Wanyan even wanted to tell the whole story about Yu Nanqing going up the mountain to suppress the bandits.

But if she really tells them, what should she say when they ask about her identity? Should she say she's a government official?

But how could the government mobilize the army?

Moreover, this small village is far from the town, so why would government officials come here for no reason? They must have come up with a reason.

To cover up one lie, you need another, even bigger lie to cover it up. Even if it's well-intentioned, Su Wanyan felt it was a losing proposition.

So let's wait until Yu Nanqing returns from suppressing the bandits and let him handle this matter.

When the bandits are wiped out, his words will be more convincing.

"But is it true that the bandits will attack the village tonight? The man who just brought back the soup said there's been no movement yet!"