Chen Changyuan didn't say anything else. He lowered his eyes, but his mind was racing.
Although he has not yet fully understood An Caicai's identity, but after hearing what Old Li said, it seems that her identity is definitely not simple.
Fortunately, I made a quick decision to hide him, otherwise, if he was caught now, who knows how much trouble he would cause...
"Oh, come to think of it,"
Old Li narrowed his eyes and looked Chen Changyuan up and down, with a hint of suspicion in his tone:
"Changyuan, you're really not here for those three pounds of meat? I see you acting sneaky, are you trying to take advantage of the situation and make some for yourself?"
Chen Changyuan smiled with his face but not his heart.
"I'm just a kid, why would I join in the fun?"
Old Li burst into laughter after hearing this fictitious analogy.
"You're such a slippery person, why can't you change? But to be honest, you did a great job yesterday and didn't bring shame to our villagers!"
Chen Changyuan didn't accept the compliment, waved his hand and said:
"Come on, keep busy arresting people. I have other things to do."
"Okay, okay,"
Old Li picked up the backpack and turned around to mutter something.
"Remember, if these three pounds of meat are really divided among the people in our village, don't say you are ignorant!"
Chen Changyuan stood where he was, watching Old Li, who was hunched over with a backpack on his back, groaning as he moved forward while looking around.
The sunlight shone through the woods in patches. He squinted his eyes, and there was a hint of playful smile in his sharp eyes.
This old man may be rough in words, but he is very shrewd in his heart. If the people he is hiding don't find a way to get rid of him, there is no telling what trouble may arise.
Thinking of An Caicai's conspicuous outfit, Chen Changyuan's heart skipped a beat.
This woman is indeed no ordinary woman. If she were an ordinary woman, she would have been too scared to move if she was targeted by the town’s militia.
But she was so good, not only did she escape from under the noses of the heavily guarded troops, she also went into the mountains as if she was familiar with the route, and calmly trusted a strange man - herself.
This courage and calmness were unlike those of an ordinary person. However, the situation was tense now. Forget her courage. Just based on her face and temperament, she was a sitting duck in this scene of people searching everywhere.
Chen Changyuan's mouth twitched, and his heart skipped a beat. He suddenly realized the seriousness of the situation. If that nagging old man Li really caught An Caicai, what would happen? By then, the whole village would know, and if the news spread to the town, An Caicai's identity would be revealed.
Thinking of this, Chen Changyuan didn't care about anything else and stepped forward to stop Old Li: "Hey, Uncle Li, wait a minute!"
"Um?"
Old Li was a little displeased when he was suddenly called.
Chen Changyuan ignored all that and said with a smile.
"Are you going deep into the mountains like this? But then again, I didn't see a single person on the slope I just came down from. I don't think the fleeing woman went in this direction."
"Oh?" Old Li narrowed his eyes.
Chen Changyuan smiled secretly in his heart, pretending to be serious and continued:
"Think about it, she's a foreign woman who hasn't been running around in the mountains all year. How could she remember this winding path? In my opinion, she's most likely heading for the official road. The official road is wide, the terrain is flat, and it leads directly to several intersections leading to the town. That way, she can quickly lose her pursuers."
When Old Li heard this, he showed a look of sudden enlightenment, then stared at him suspiciously:
"Bullshit! If it's such an obvious thing, why didn't I think of it?"
He said this, but his heart was already wavering.
Chen Changyuan immediately seized the opportunity and added with a blink of an eye:
"You're an experienced person, and I'm just learning from you. Why don't you take a detour along the official road? You might find some clues."
The word "learn" made Old Li's face feel as hot as the back of an iron pot. He sniffed and nodded:
"Hmph, you're quite clever, and your brain works quickly! Okay, I'll listen to you this time and take the official road!"
After saying this, the stubborn old man picked up his backpack and staggered along the path towards the official road on the other side.
Chen Changyuan watched his back disappear in the sound of trees, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Finally, we've gotten rid of them..."
He muttered something under his breath, looked back at the direction where he had hidden his people, and after making sure that Old Li would not turn back, he began to patrol along the mountain road with light steps.
Although he was brave enough, An Caicai's situation forced him to be cautious.
These illiterate militiamen, in order to get the meat reward, could cause chaos in the entire village and even the surrounding villages, not to mention scaring away the wild game in the mountains.
After walking around, he found that the quietness in the mountains was a little unusual.
There were few squirrels and birds that were supposed to be flying around, and even the sound of pheasants flapping their wings was less frequent.
Only the occasional breeze was left, rustling the grass and trees, making people feel inexplicably uneasy.
"Tsk, I'm really impressed by these people."
Chen Changyuan picked up a short branch from the ground and knocked the stone at his feet irritably.
"They didn't catch the bandits, but they scared the wild game out of the mountains and almost made them move away en masse. Well, what a dirty job! 'Clearing the Mountains' is a real stunner."
His mumbling was carried away by the wind among the trees, making him seem a little lonely.
He stood there for a while, making sure there were no people or animals hiding nearby, before turning and walking towards the Tibetans.
As he turned the corner, he slipped on some loose gravel and stumbled.
As he staggered, he suddenly heard a slight sound coming from not far away.
Chen Changyuan immediately raised his head and his eyes quickly swept in the direction where the sound came from.
Chen Changyuan calmed himself down and his eyes sank slightly.
He held his breath and concentrated, fearing that the sound of his breathing would disturb the source of the slight sound.
When he parted the low bushes in front of him, he finally saw the swaying shadow clearly.
A pheasant was standing beside a bluestone on the hillside.
Its gorgeous feathers reflected a flowing luster in the morning sunlight, as if nature had ingeniously painted it with a layer of golden red. Its tail feathers dragged a few dark green ribbons, and every step it took was heroic and majestic.
Chen Changyuan's eyes lit up and he was overjoyed.
Pheasant meat is quite meaty and is fatter than rabbit meat. It is delicious even when cooked in simple salt water to make soup.
He didn't dare to make a sound, but just touched the homemade bow and arrow on his back.
The right hand holds the string and the left hand pulls it fully, the movements are quick and clean.
Then, he held his breath and aimed steadily at the arrogant pheasant.
"Swoosh--" The bowstring sounded lightly, and the short arrow accurately pierced the pheasant's neck!
The noble wild animal trembled, then fluttered its wings and fell into the grass.
Chen Changyuan strode forward, picked up the pheasant with one hand, and looked at it with satisfaction. It was surprisingly fat, thanks to those noisy militiamen.
He looked around and found a few pheasant eggs scattered in the grass.
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