Hongmu gestured that they would rest here for the night.

Yun Shiyi nodded to him, then began to instruct the guards to light torches and enter the cave to clean.

After cleaning up, they lit a fire in the cave to drive away the snakes, insects, and rodents.

The cave is not large, but it is clean, and there is a water source not far away.

The guards brought firewood, and the Chika sisters skillfully set up a pot to cook, putting the marinated bones and meat into the pot to prepare a one-pot meal that was both simple and delicious.

Yun Shiyi took out a map, pointed out the location of the mountain stronghold, and tried to communicate with Hong Mu.

How long will it take to get here?

Hong Mu frowned in thought, and after a while pointed to the sky, "The sun!"

"You mean we can arrive when the sun is at its zenith?" Lin Yinan asked.

Hong Mu gave her a thumbs-up and nodded with a grin.

Yun Shiyi said, "They're quite close."

"Then let's get up early tomorrow and set off."

By the light of the fire, Lin Yinan carefully cleaned each arrow from the quiver.

Hongmu, who had returned from gathering firewood, squatted down in front of her, wanting to reach out and take it, but hesitant.

"Don't move! These arrows are incredibly sharp; be careful not to cut yourself," Lin Yinan said calmly.

Hong Mu pointed to the arrow and gave her a thumbs up.

Lin Yinan smiled slightly but didn't say anything; this was a skill she had used to make a living in her previous life.

Seeing this, Qianwu sat down next to him and glanced at him sideways, "Go do your own thing if you have nothing to do, don't always stick to my wife."

Hong Mu blushed at her words. He secretly glanced at Lin Yinan, but seeing that she didn't even give him a look, he got up and left somewhat sadly.

"Hmph!" Qianwu snorted coldly.

Lin Yinan continued polishing her arrows. She had always lived freely, never caring what others thought of her, nor letting others' opinions sway her.

After dinner, everyone went to rest early, as they were all quite tired after traveling all day.

Yun Shiyi and the guards also took turns on night duty.

As dawn broke, the team, led by Hong Mu, continued their journey.

The mountain path was rugged and covered with bushes, making it difficult to walk. Everyone dismounted and led their horses, making the journey very slow.

After walking for nearly two hours, the road gradually became flat.

The group stopped to rest in a grove of trees, and the guards quickly took out water jugs to give the horses a drink.

The weather was extremely hot, so Lin Yinan picked a few large leaves to use as a fan.

When they had rested enough, Yun Shiyi leaped down from the tree and drew his longsword.

Something's up!

Lin Yinan asked, "What's wrong?"

"Something is coming this way from the woods ahead."

Just as Yun Shiyi finished speaking, a huge creature covered in mud darted out of the woods.

It lunged straight at Lin Yinan, and Yun Shixia raised his sword to stab it.

At the critical moment, Lin Yinan raised her sword to block, saying, "Have mercy! It meant no harm!"

Unable to stop his momentum, Yun Shiyi could only slash his sword into the void to dissipate the sword energy.

Lin Yinan moved her feet quickly to avoid being pounced on.

The enormous creature missed its target, turned its head to stare at Lin Yinan, grinned, and wagged its tail incessantly.

"Dali! Are you Dali?"

Lin Yinan could vaguely tell that it was a dog.

Upon hearing Lin Yinan call its name, the powerful dog barked happily a few times.

"It really is you! Dali, where's the titmouse?"

The dog barked a few times in response, then circled around her feet.

Before long, a mountain sparrow, also covered in mud, emerged from the woods carrying a bow and arrows.

When she spotted Lin Yinan in the crowd, she burst into tears and ran towards her, grabbing her around the waist.

"Sister Anan, it's so great to see you here!"

"Shouldn't you be happy to see me? Why are you crying?"

Lin Yinan patted her back reassuringly, completely unconcerned about the mud on her body.

As if remembering something, the titmouse quickly let go of her, wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, and her face, which was not very dirty before, suddenly turned into a little cat's face.

"Sister Anan, please go and see Uncle Lin, he's sick!" she sobbed.

Lin Yinan hurriedly asked, "Where is he now?"

"In the village."

"Okay, I'll go right away. What are you doing here with Dali?"

"I'll go to the village at the foot of this mountain to fetch a doctor."

Is there a doctor in the village at the foot of the mountain?

Lin Yinan glanced at Hong Mu, whose arm was covered in medicine, and met his uncomfortable gaze.

She stepped forward, pointed to his injured arm, and said, "My second uncle is sick. Could you please take my people to your village to fetch a doctor? I'll give you money."

Hong Mu understood, shook his head at her, and then nodded.

Given the urgency of the situation, Lin Yinan didn't want to waste time guessing with him, so she asked Yun Shiyi to bring two bodyguards.

The titmouse had been to the village at the foot of the mountain for an exchange and knew a little of their dialect. She went over and whispered to Hongmu.

Hong Mu gave Lin Yinan a deep look, then turned and led his guards down the mountain.

After the person who went to fetch the doctor left, Lin Yinan had Shan Que mount his horse, and they rode together straight to the village.

"Tiger, tell me, how did my second uncle fall ill?"

When the topic of Lin Shuo's illness came up, the titmouse's tears flowed again.

“It rained heavily the other day, the cowshed collapsed, the cows were scared away, and Uncle Lin went out to look for the cows. He was knocked to the ground by a fallen tree, and he injured his head and bled a lot. He is still unconscious and had a high fever last night.”

“My dad said if the fire keeps burning, Uncle Lin will either go insane, or…”

As she spoke, she began to sob.

After a moment, she continued, "My father and the others originally planned to carry Uncle Lin to Longtan County today, but the road down the mountain was blocked, so I thought of asking the doctor in the village at the foot of the mountain to take a look."

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