Those walking around Yao Lie could sense his fear, and no one dared to approach him to comfort him. Instead, they changed the subject, chatting about lighthearted and funny things to try and ease his stress.

"The village upstream should be just ahead. It'll only take half a day to get to Yaojia Village. Let's all keep up the good work," Si Cheng said, looking at the village that had turned into a green field.

Yunqi couldn't help but think of the pregnant woman who guarded the village alone before. Although she was later harmed by the ruthless Dong Ge, the thought that those people were still at large made him feel even more smug.

The walls were still high and the gates were still closed, but there was no one guarding the old observation platform.

Yao Lie was getting anxious, so he rushed to the gate and pounded on it.

But after knocking for a long time, there was no response at all.

Si Cheng figured that the person who worked there might have just left on business; if something had really happened, the gate wouldn't be so tightly closed. Just as he was about to go forward to persuade them, he heard voices coming from inside.

"Who's outside? Don't knock."

Perhaps because of the door, Yao Lie couldn't recognize whose voice it was.

Soon someone appeared on the observation platform. Seeing so many people below the wall, they didn't even have time to ask questions before they quickly struck the gong on the wall.

"Uncle Peng, it's me, Yao Lie." Yao Lie recognized his familiar clan uncle standing on the observation platform and waved and called out happily.

Although Yao Peng couldn't see very clearly, he recognized Yao Lie's voice. "Yao Lie? It really is you! You're finally back. Are they Village Chief Si and the others from Pinghe Village?"

Yao Lie: "Yes! Cheng Ge and the others were just going to the salt village to exchange salt, and they brought me back while they were at it."

Upon hearing that it was an acquaintance, Yao Peng didn't hesitate and shouted towards the outside of the city as he walked down, "Wait here, I'll come down and open the gate for you right away."

As soon as the village gate opened, Yao Lie rushed up and hugged his uncle, jumping up and down excitedly, "Finally back!"

Yao Peng hugged Yao Lie back. The once thin and small boy had grown up quietly over the past few years, even taller than Yao Peng himself.

Yao Peng said, "It's good that you're back. The village was discussing going to Pinghe Village to bring you back. We didn't expect you to come back on your own first. Now your parents can rest easy."

Watching the uncle and nephew reminiscing so engrossed in their conversation, Si Cheng couldn't help but cough, reminding them that there were still so many people waiting.

Yao Peng said, "Look at me, when I get excited, I forget about Village Chief Si and the others. Should we go into the village first, or should I go and inform the village chief and the others?"

Si Cheng raised his chin, gesturing for him to turn around and look. "No need to notify them, they're all here now."

The villagers from Yaojia Village had already come over, each carrying a weapon and looking menacing.

"Dad!" Yao Lie spotted his father in the crowd, called out, and rushed over.

When Yao's father saw his only son, he was so excited that he immediately dropped the machete in his hand and went to greet him.

"Xiao Lie, you're finally back."

When the villagers of Yaojia Village saw the father and son reunited there, they awkwardly put down the weapons they were holding.

Village Chief Yao quickly came over and explained, "I thought someone had come to cause trouble again. I'm so sorry for the intrusion. Please come in and rest!"

Si Cheng glanced back at the crowd, which was even larger than the last time they came. "Let's not go in. There are so many of us. We'll make do here for the night and then we'll set off tomorrow. We'll trouble you to make things easier for us then."

Village Chief Yao didn't insist after hearing what he said, but he did remind them, "If you're spending the night outside, you need to be careful, because wild animals might come by at any time."

Si Cheng said, "It's alright, we've always been like this, we're used to it."

Village Chief Yao then told them something even more surprising: "If you had come a few days earlier, you could have gone back with Village Chief Zheng and the others. That way, at least you would have had company on the way."

Wu Yong asked curiously, "How did Village Chief Zheng and the others end up here?"

Everyone else was looking at Village Chief Yao, completely baffled as to why Village Chief Zheng had come to Yao Family Village.

Village Chief Yao said, "It's all because of that drought. Although they can get water from underground, you know that the water from those salt wells is undrinkable, and the ground is terribly dry, so they can't come this way."

Speaking of this, he glanced at the people of Pinghe Village and said, "They originally wanted to go to your village, but the salt they brought was so popular that everyone in the area who heard the news came and exchanged it all. I saw that there was no point in them going to Pinghe Village again, so I left them in the village. A few days ago, the rainy season just ended, and they packed up and went back."

Si Cheng glanced at Village Chief Yao but didn't expose him. "Just being able to survive in this world is enough. But will our water supply be able to hold up during that drought?"

When Village Chief Yao heard him ask this, he became somewhat proud. "At the beginning, we almost couldn't hold on. Yao Shu had learned some detection techniques from somewhere while he was with the army, and he actually found a water source. The village only had to dig for two or three days before they found a large spring. So many people survived by relying on the spring."

Bai Liangkuan couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, "You guys are really lucky. We've dug and dug all over the villages, but we haven't found a single drop of water."

Upon hearing this, Village Chief Yao dared not continue to stir up trouble and quickly said modestly, "It just so happens that our groundwater flows through here; otherwise, even with the best of luck, there would be nothing we could do."

Si Cheng, however, was more concerned about when Yan Village had set off. "How many days have Village Chief Zheng and his group been gone? How many people are there?"

Yao Shu said, "Today is the fourth day, but they have a lot of stuff, and there are quite a few elderly people and children, so they probably won't walk very fast."

"Will you still come to Yancun with us tomorrow?" Si Cheng asked politely, though he had no hope.

Village Chief Yao shook his head. "We won't go with you this time. With the large batch of salt brought by Yan Village, our village is not short of salt for the time being. We'll definitely go with you again next time if we have the chance."

Si Cheng wasn't surprised by their answer at all; he nodded and said nothing more.

As for the others, they had already skillfully found their own spots at the village entrance and started setting up their temporary rest areas.

Other villagers who were visiting for the first time also wisely found another corner to set up their tents.

Village Chief Yao looked around, his eyes fixed on the Yunnan medicine. "Dr. Yun is here this time too? We just happened to need Dr. Yun's help. I wonder if it would be convenient for him to come into the village with us?"