An Er covered his swollen face and looked at the guards who were still fine so far, and a sense of grievance arose in his heart.

Everyone was saying the same thing: why did this old hermit beat him up? Did he look that deserving of a beating?

After hearing the old immortal's words and seeing An Er's face gradually swelling, the other guards immediately understood that the old immortal still did not believe what they said.

The fourth guard immediately explained, "Old Immortal, we really didn't lie to you. We came here to rescue our master's beloved. We'll leave after we've rescued her."

Xu Jinhuan asked in a low voice, "So, your master's sweetheart was kidnapped by bandits?"

The guards all shook their heads, indicating that it was not true.

Xu Jinhuan then asked, "So she didn't go up the mountain voluntarily, but was captured by bad guys and brought here?"

The guards shook their heads in unison again.

Xu Jinhuan sneered at them, "Since she wasn't forced up the mountain, what are you all doing here to save her? Are you planning to gang up on her on the mountain?"

The guards exchanged wry glances, realizing they had no choice but to reveal that Xu Youyou had been exiled.

“Old Immortal, this emperor is foolish and listens to slander, exiling many virtuous people to the frontier. Our master’s beloved is among those exiled, which is why our master wants us to rescue her.”

After experiencing the silver mine incident, the fourth guard was afraid that the old immortal would be displeased, so he quickly explained the whole story.

Xu Jinhuan snorted coldly, "If you rescue the others as well, I might think more highly of your master."

I'm making this clear today: as long as I'm alive, you will not be allowed to lay a hand on the exiles!

After saying that, Xu Jinhuan kicked An Er hard again. He had found this guy an eyesore during the previous competition, and now he was even more of an eyesore.

"ah!"

Caught off guard, An Er once again stumbled and fell flat on his face in front of the guards, losing the last bit of face he had managed to maintain.

An Er was practically in tears. What had he done to offend this old god? Even if you're going to fleece someone, you can't just fleece him!

Xu Jinhuan ignored An Er lying on the ground. She walked over to the other guards and slapped each of them, being perfectly fair.

Those guards who were hit seemed to have had their vital points struck, their faces pale as they knelt respectfully in front of the air, constantly admitting their mistakes.

"Old Immortal, I know I was wrong."

"Old immortal, please forgive us."

Xu Jinhuan looked at the scene, which resembled a temple where people prayed to gods and Buddhas, and shook his head with amusement.

Although she was smiling, her voice remained cold.

"This slap was just a warning to you. If you continue to go your own way, don't blame me for actually taking action."

Xu Jinhuan said this, but in reality, regardless of whether the guards went to rescue Xu Youyou or not, they would never be able to return to the Fifth Prince's residence!

The guards had no idea of ​​Xu Jinhuan's plans. At this moment, they all had long faces, kneeling respectfully as they replied, "Yes, old immortal, we understand!"

Amidst the kneeling worship of the crowd, Xu Jinhuan left the cave. As she went out, she saw the villagers of Dawang Village returning with their luggage.

"Are we sure this is okay? I heard the county constables are related to those two village chiefs. What if they come after us?" The village chief of Dawang Village muttered to his son.

Wang Fugui looked helpless. "Dad, you're always thinking about the future, but our life right now is already very difficult."

"This rain is so heavy, I don't know when it will stop completely. If we don't have roofs to cover our heads, we won't even have to wait any longer; we'll all die from the cold."

The village chief of Dawang Village was speechless after being rebuked by his son, and could only chuckle sheepishly.

“Fugui, you’ve really grown up. You think more about things than your father does. From now on, the position of village chief will be handed over to you.”

To everyone's surprise, Wang Fugui waved his hands dismissively, "Dad, forget it. Our village is such a remote and desolate place. Not only is the land bad, but we also have the fewest people among the surrounding villages. It's really not interesting."

"I'd rather be a waiter in a restaurant in the county town than be the village chief in our village."

The village chief of Dawang Village didn't say anything after hearing this, but just sighed helplessly.

Xu Jinhuan heard so much in just a short while, but she had no intention of investigating the villagers of Dawang Village. So she quickly left the cave and headed towards the mountain stronghold.

Upon returning to the mountain stronghold, Xu Jinhuan first went to the kitchen and took out some of the spoils she had emptied the capital city—various kinds of meat—and placed them next to the stove.

Xu Jinhuan planned to have Liu Dani give them a special meal tomorrow morning. They were about to embark on their journey again, and she needed to nourish her body. After all, she was still at the age where she was growing, and who knew she might grow a few more centimeters.

After doing all this, Xu Jinhuan lay down on his bed, yawned, and slowly fell asleep.

Before we knew it, it was the next morning.

Before Xu Jinhuan was fully awake, his ears twitched.

"Ao Wu, this can't be eaten raw. Give it to me quickly, and I'll make you some bone broth!"

"Awoo!"

"Ao Wu, if you don't behave, I'm going to tell Boss Xu, and she'll deal with you."

"Awoo~"

Hearing the voices, Xu Jinhuan finally opened her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and slowly got up to get dressed.

After getting dressed, she opened the door and saw Ao Wu standing there looking aggrieved, and Liu Dani, who had already walked to the kitchen door, exuding a victorious joy from her back to her hair.

"Awoo~" Ao Wu pouted and acted coquettishly towards Xu Jinhuan.

Xu Jinhuan smiled and patted Ao Wu's head lightly, then said seriously.

"Ao Wu, you used to eat raw meat because you had no other choice, but now it's different. We can choose different dishes. Were the dishes you ate before delicious?"

After thinking for a moment, Ao Wu nodded vigorously.

Xu Jinhuan continued to coax, "Since it tastes so good, why do you still eat raw meat that has no other flavor besides the smell of blood?"

Think about it, raw meat only has one flavor, but vegetables can be prepared in many different ways. Take pork, for example; it can be stewed, stir-fried, or grilled. Isn't that better than eating it raw?

After listening to Xu Jinhuan's words, Ao Wu seemed to be caught in a dilemma. Finally, after smelling the aroma of food coming from the kitchen, he made a decision.

From now on, he will no longer eat raw meat, but will eat more delicious cooked vegetables!

"Awoo~" While thinking this, Awoo let out a joyful cry.

Xu Jinhuan shook her head helplessly; she felt like she was raising a pet.

"Alright, Dani, hurry up and finish cooking. Go to Ma Wencai's room and wait for dinner."

After hearing Xu Jinhuan's instructions, Ao Wu obediently nodded and walked towards Ma Wencai's room.

Xu Jinhuan looked at the raindrops falling from the sky, a look of confusion flashing in his eyes.