Chen Shou, along with Cui Laoda, Cui Laoer, and Cui Da Niang, had been walking for most of the day. The path in the mountains was not smooth; they sometimes darted through the woods and sometimes climbed slopes, and the group was quite exhausted.

"Brother, my back hurts a bit, let's rest for a while. Mother can't walk anymore either," Cui Lao Er said breathlessly, his stomach already rumbling with anxiety.

"Let's rest after this generation. This generation is prone to wild beasts, and if we encounter them, it won't be a joke." Seeing that Aunt Cui was also quite tired, Old Master Cui said, "Mother, let me carry you."

Old Master Cui's physique was truly like that of iron; carrying Old Lady Cui on his back, he walked with incredible speed. Chen Shou, accustomed to eating and drinking in his mansion and resting whenever he had free time, simply couldn't compare.

The four of them walked until noon and came to a stream, where they stopped to rest.

"Brother, I really can't walk anymore, and I'm starving. Let's stop and start a fire to cook." Old Cui Er had two wild rabbits he had hunted early that morning on his back.

"Okay, let's skin and wash it here, then roast it and eat it." Boss Cui was also tired, so he stopped when he saw that there was water here.

He first helped Aunt Cui sit down on a large rock, then helped Cui Lao Er skin the rabbit. Chen Shou, meanwhile, gathered some dry branches to start a fire.

"Young man, where are you from?" Aunt Cui asked Chen Shou, having become acquainted with him.

“Auntie, I’m from Sx. When I was little, my family was poor, so I sold myself into servitude as a government slave,” Chen Shou said as he added thin pieces of firewood to the fire.

"Ah, we're all unfortunate people. Our family was poor back then, with many children to feed. My Xiaoyun was sensible and hardworking from a young age. That year, the government came to our little village, saying they would give us silver, that the children could take them with them, that they would have food to eat and work to do, and that they could come back later. My husband and I just handed Xiaoyun over like that. Ah, thinking about it, we really feel sorry for her." The more Aunt Cui walked, the more she missed Cui Niang. She had thought she would never see her again, but now that she was about to see her, Aunt Cui recalled all her memories of her eldest daughter.

“Aunt, don’t feel guilty. Aunt Cui is doing quite well in the palace. Now she serves by our concubine’s side, so she won’t suffer anymore,” Chen Shou comforted her.

The eldest and second eldest Cui washed the rabbit thoroughly, then used a knife to cut two sharp branches, skewered the rabbit, and roasted it over the fire.

To be honest, Chen Shou couldn't get used to eating food like this without any seasoning. But in this desolate wilderness, it was good enough to have something to eat at all; being picky would mean going hungry.

The rabbit meat was roasted quickly, turning slightly black and charred, but it smelled very delicious.

First, Old Master Cui tore off a rabbit leg and handed it to Old Lady Cui. Then, he tore off another rabbit leg and gave it to Chen Shou.

He and his second brother started eating the leftovers. The group was starving, so they didn't care whether there were any seasonings or not and started eating the meat with gusto.

However, unbeknownst to them, the men in black who had been chasing the Cui family were already stealthily closing in. It turned out that the men in black had captured a villager, given him a considerable sum of money, and ordered him to lead the way. Normally, the villagers would go hunting in groups in the mountains, so they knew which paths were safe and which were not. Without that guide, the men in black would never have been able to find them.

"There's smoke coming up over there. Looks like they're over there. We can't let them get away today," said the leader of the men in black, staring at the smoke rising in the distance.

"Grandpa, I've led you to Cui Da and his men. Can I go now?" The speaker was indeed a down-on-his-luck villager. He disliked farm work and preferred to wander into the mountains, often hunting with Cui Da and his gang. He agreed because the men in black offered a large sum of money. Although he didn't know why these men were looking for Cui Da, recalling the massacre of Cui's entire family a few days prior, he knew these men were definitely not good people.

"Fine, you can go now." The man in black glanced at the person.

Seeing that he had agreed, the down-and-out man immediately turned around and walked back, wishing he could fly away right then and there. He also felt a little guilty towards Cui Da, after all, he had betrayed the person he had grown up with.

"Boss, are you really going to let him go?" asked the man behind the leader.

“Of course not, go ahead,” the man in black said.

Having dealt with the guide, the men in black began to approach the smoking spot. Sure enough, it was Cui Da and his group. They had just finished eating rabbit meat and were resting together, completely unaware of the approaching danger.

Chen Shou stood on a rock, looking up at the sky above the woods. The white clouds in the sky were as white as cotton, and a flock of birds suddenly flew up from all around.

"Brother Cui, it looks like something's coming this way. Look at those birds!!" Chen Shou suddenly realized and shouted to Brother Cui.

"Brother Chen, hurry up!" Old Master Cui kicked over the fire, picked up Aunt Cui on his back, and said urgently.

But it was too late. The men in black rushed out of the woods opposite them and surrounded them.

"We must not let them escape again today, or they will all come back with their heads," the leader said.

Chen Shou's knife was still in the bundle on the ground. His hands were empty, and he was surrounded by nothing, with no way to defend himself against the assassins. Old Master Cui had already put down Old Madam Cui and picked up his trident, holding it to his chest. Second Brother Cui took the two kitchen knives from Chen Shou's bundle and brandished them at his chest.

"Second brother, run that way and draw them away. Understand?" Boss Cui whispered.

"Brother, why am I running over there all by myself?" Cui Lao Er wondered, not understanding what Cui Lao Da meant.

“There are some places over there that can hold them off. Fool, don’t you understand?” Old Master Cui was extremely anxious; his second brother was never very quick-witted.

Cui Lao Er understood, and immediately he threw the knife in his hand toward Chen Shou, shouting, "Catch!"

The man in black, unaware of his intentions, hadn't reacted when he saw Cui Lao Er disappear into the woods.

Old Master Cui read Chen Shou's words: "Brother Chen, when I carry my mother on my back and run, you follow behind me and don't make a single mistake, understand?"

Seeing that Cui Lao Er had run away, the man in black said to two of them, "Go after him, don't let him get away."

The two men behind him paused for a moment, then immediately chased after Cui Lao Er in the direction he had run.

"Catch me if you dare!" With that, Old Cui carried his mother on his back and ran in that direction. Chen Shou saw them running and followed.

"Chase them!!" The man in black hadn't expected this, and quickly gave chase.