Liu Yingying finally breathed a sigh of relief, a rare smile appearing on her face, and raised her wine glass to Meng Renhun.

"Wishing the Boss a speedy success in achieving his grand ambitions!"

"Hahaha!" Meng Renhun liked to hear this and immediately burst into laughter.

After having a few cups of warm wine with her, Liu Yingying excused herself to go to the kitchen to prepare a few more side dishes and left.

In reality, however, he took Meng Renhun's token and went to the cave where the prisoners were being held.

Now the bandits on the mountain all know that she is the leader's woman, and seeing the token in her hand, they naturally dare not stop her.

"Open the door!" she ordered.

The people inside were very excited when they saw her.

Although Liu Yingying never promised them anything, everyone had already accepted that Liu Yingying was the only hope to save them!

"Aunt Liu, it's so late, why did you come here?"

"I've come to find my daughter."

Liu Yingying spoke calmly, her gaze falling on Zhao Di, who had been pushed to the back of the crowd.

Zhao Di was extremely excited, "Liu Niang!"

"Come out here, I'll take you to see the boss!"

It's not the right time to tell these people the truth, otherwise they might cause trouble.

"Okay!" Zhao Di obediently followed Liu Yingying away.

However, the people inside the cave immediately erupted in discussion.

"What's going on? Why did Aunt Liu only take her own daughter with her?"

"Didn't you hear me clearly just now?"

"She's taking Zhao Di to see the head of the gang!"

"But...why is she taking her daughter to see the chief so late at night?"

At this moment, Zhu Dongxi pushed through the crowd and stood out, saying sarcastically, "What else could it be? They must be dragging that little slut Zhao Di along, so the mother and daughter can share one husband!"

"This... can't be right? Aunt Liu doesn't seem like that kind of person to me..."

Zhu Dongxi was unhappy that anyone was speaking up for Liu Yingying, and immediately retorted loudly, "How is it impossible? If she hadn't already sold her body, do you think an old hag like her could freely come and go in this bandit's den?"

"That bandit leader must have gotten tired of her, and in order to save her life, she offered up her adopted daughter as well!"

"I knew it! She's her stepmother after all. If Zhao Di were her own daughter, would she still have done this?"

Zhu Dongxi suspected Liu Yingying of the worst possible intentions.

The others also fell silent...

"Liu Niang, where are you taking me?"

As the path became increasingly secluded, even the slow-witted Zhao Di could see it coming.

This couldn't possibly be the way to see the leader; it looks more like the way down the mountain...

"Don't say anything yet, hurry up and follow me!"

It was Liu Yingying's first time escaping from the jaws of death, and she was very nervous, so she quickened her pace.

At the fork in the road not far ahead, Zhang Hui was anxiously waiting, holding her sleeping son.

After finally seeing Liu Yingying and her son, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Sister Liu, you've finally arrived! Is this your daughter?"

"Yes, Zhaodi, this is Aunt Hui."

Because time was very tight, Liu Yingying only gave them a brief introduction before giving Zhang Hui some very serious instructions.

"You must remember this: after you get down the mountain, go find the county magistrate who has troops stationed at the foot of the mountain, and find a way to get him to cooperate with my operation!"

Zhang Hui nodded. "Yes, I will, but are you really not coming with us?"

The three of them had already escaped here, and Liu Yingying could have left with them.

But if that were the case, the hostages on the mountain would be in even greater danger.

"I still have things to finish, you all need to leave now!" Liu Yingying's tone was very firm, and she added to Zhao Di, "After you go down the mountain, go home, tidy up the house, and wait for me to come back!"

But Zhao Di burst into tears, pleading, "Liu Niang, please come with us! I beg you!"

Liu Yingying's heart softened. She placed Zhao Di's hand in Zhang Hui's, said, "Please!" and turned away, disappearing into the hazy night without looking back...

At this moment, Mount Xijiu was unusually quiet.

She added a generous amount of sleep-inducing herbal powder to the food at today's celebration banquet.

Right now, apart from a dozen or so people scattered around the mountain keeping watch, everyone else, including Meng Renhun, is sleeping like logs.

This also made it easier for Liu Yingying to act.

Although she had asked Hui Niang to seek help from the government, the government in this era was not so trustworthy.

At the very least, she couldn't place all her hopes on the government.

A waning crescent moon hung in the sky.

Like a sharp arrow swooping down, it was surrounded by clusters of dark clouds.

Such a quiet night is perfect for hunting...

The south gate on the mountain has the most guards, with eight people taking turns on duty.

These people are not qualified enough to have dinner with Meng Renhun in the Dragon Tiger Hall.

While others were feasting on meat and fish, they were only given a few roujiamo (Chinese hamburgers).

This made these people feel somewhat unbalanced.

Just as the group was starting to grumble, they saw Liu Yingying walking towards them with a basket on her shoulder, all smiles.

"Brothers, you've all worked hard. This is what the boss just asked me to give you!"

As she spoke, she lifted the burlap lining covering the basket, revealing three layers containing roast duck, braised pork knuckle, and poached chicken...

They all came from poor families and had never eaten anything fancy.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!