Whether they were terrified or too tired to move, the children didn't react after hearing Cheng Ruyi's words.
The sounds of fighting outside came and went, and Cheng Ruyi was unsure of what was happening. She dared not delay any longer and was about to climb in to find someone.
She crouched down and discovered that the cave was not only small, but also contained an even smaller cave at the very back. The entrance was so narrow that an adult could not possibly fit inside, and the other children were huddled inside.
With a natural sanctuary, an older sister who knew a little martial arts, and Yunle's poisonous thorns, it was probably because of these combined factors that these children were able to survive until the end.
"Sister Xiuwei, Sister Mengmeng, Little Brother Xiaobai, Niuniu, Little Monkey, I told you Mom would come to save me! Look, she's here now! Come out, all of you~~"
Cheng Yunle let go of her mother's little hands and climbed back to the cave entrance, calling out, "Sister Xiuwei, I saw a powerful older sister outside! Is it the Little Fish Sister you were talking about? Come out and see!"
"Little Fish Sister is here? Where's my mom?"
As soon as Yun Le finished speaking, a slightly larger girl crawled out of the cave. Her movements were very clean and efficient; it was probably Luo Xiuwei.
After she came out, the other children also crawled out one after another.
Cheng Ruyi took a closer look and found there were six children in total. The two older girls were about eight or nine years old, while the rest were very young. There was even a chubby little boy who looked only three or four years old and had just woken up.
She carried the thinnest little girl in a baby carrier, then held the chubby boy in her arms with one hand, and held Cheng Yunle's hand with the other. Then she turned to the girl who was leaning on the iron railing and looking around, and said, "You must be Xiuwei, right? Little Yu and your mother are fighting off bad guys. I heard you're very good at kung fu. Could you help take care of the other children? Shall we leave here together?"
"Okay!" As the oldest child, Luo Xiuwei was also very scared, but she quickly adjusted her mindset and helped lead the other children to follow behind Cheng Ruyi.
After Cheng Ruyi led a group of children out of the cave, she found that the fighting outside had long ended. Several henchmen and the burly man were lying unconscious on the ground. Only the faint sounds of fighting could be heard from the passage they had come from.
It turns out that Xiaoyu had dealt with the thugs earlier and then went to help Guo Qinglan out of her predicament.
Cheng Ruyi led the children to hide behind a pile of boxes by the passageway. Just as she was wondering whether she should go in and check the situation, she suddenly heard footsteps coming from another passageway across the way. She immediately retreated and made a "shh" gesture to the children.
"Ma Dazhuang! How the hell are you going to make me wait... Ma Dazhuang!"
Through the gap in the box, Cheng Ruyi saw a short man with a prominent scar on his face walking out of the passageway opposite. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt.
Upon seeing the people lying on the ground, the man immediately drew his broadsword from his back and assumed a defensive stance, warily watching his surroundings. The broadsword gleamed with a dark red metallic luster in the firelight, exuding a chilling aura.
This person knows martial arts, and is probably quite skilled...
Cheng Ruyi was extremely nervous at this moment, and her palms were sweaty!
Seeing that the other person had discovered the box and was walking towards her step by step, she hesitated whether to use an invisibility talisman to lure him away and give the children a chance to escape.
But the next second, the scarred man suddenly jumped up and swung his large knife at her!
Before Cheng Ruyi could think, she instinctively raised the peach wood sword that she had been hiding in her sleeve and fought back with all her might.
When the scarred man saw the wooden sword from the air, he couldn't help but laugh. He had just discovered that the only adult hiding here didn't know any martial arts. He thought that a mere broken wooden sword could block his big knife. It was like throwing an egg against a rock!
However, the bloody scene he had imagined of splitting a person in two with a single blow did not occur.
With a crisp "clang!", his treasured broadsword, which he had carried for many years, broke in two!
The scarred man stared in disbelief at the broken broadsword in his hand, frozen in shock.
Cheng Ruyi was also knocked to the ground by the tremendous force, a deep, bone-revealing gash appeared on her palm, and her peach wood sword was sent flying, falling to the ground some distance away.
In martial arts, the outcome of a duel often hinges on a single night, so losing focus at such a crucial moment is a grave mistake!
Seizing the opportunity, Xiaoyu suddenly flew out from the tunnel behind him and kicked the scarred man in the chest before he could react. Without his weapon and having lost the initiative, he was forced to retreat in a sorry state, dodging and retreating.
"Xiuwei!"
Guo Qinglan followed closely behind Xiaoyu and ran quickly out of the passageway. She immediately spotted her daughter, hugged her tightly, and couldn't help but cry!
"Are you alright? Are you hurt? Waaah, you silly child, why are you running around like that! Do you know how worried I was! Waaah~~"
"Mother... I'm fine. I'm sorry for making you worry..."
Cheng Ruyi was finally relieved when she saw the two of them finally appear. Her head was still buzzing from the shock of the knife, and her arms were completely powerless. If they hadn't appeared, she probably would have been dead!
In a battle between masters, a single flaw can instantly determine the winner.
A few breaths later, the scarred man was knocked to the ground. Little Fish stomped on him with one foot and said condescendingly, "Your meager skills aren't even enough to warm me up. Behave yourself, or I'll stomp you flat!"
"Pah! You filthy women, if my broadsword hadn't broken, you would have been hacked to pieces by now!"
"Hehe, that's hilarious! You blame your weapon when you can't win? Why don't you blame the ground for being too hard? I didn't bring my spear either, but I still beat you down with my bare hands!"
The scarred man felt utterly humiliated to be trampled on and insulted by a woman, so he looked up and said fiercely, "I advise you to be smart and let me go right now, or I'll spare your lives! I'm not someone you can afford to offend!"
After confirming that her daughter was safe, Guo Qinglan finally felt relieved.
Upon hearing the thief's words, she couldn't help but frown, suppressing her anger and disgust. She turned and walked up to the scarred man, staring at him coldly, and said contemptuously, "Such arrogance! Who are you? Tell us and see if we can afford to offend you."
"I'm your father! I'm your... Ah!"
Little Fish didn't even bother to listen to the rest and kicked the other person hard, saying as she kicked, "Can't afford to offend me? Come on! Who's afraid of who! So what if I don't let go? Get up yourself if you dare!"
After those kicks, the scarred man was spitting blood and half-dead, yet he still swore, "If you have the guts, don't fall into my hands again, or I'll make you wish you were dead!"
"you!"
“Miss Xiaoyu, Madam of the County Magistrate, there are only six children here now, which means that more than twenty children have probably already been taken away and their whereabouts are unknown. Time is of the essence, and we should focus on saving lives!” Cheng Ruyi was worried that the other party was stalling for time, so she immediately reminded them.
Guo Qinglan instantly understood, but lacking experience in dealing with such situations, she subconsciously asked Cheng Ruyi, "What you said makes sense, so what do we do next?"
Cheng Ruyi looked at the scarred man on the ground and quickly thought, "Let's knock him out and tie him up first, then split into two groups. Little Fish has the best lightness skills, so please go after them and see if you can find the whereabouts of the other children. Thirty-odd children is not a small number, so they probably haven't gone far. If you find their trail, don't rush to rescue them immediately. You can leave a mark. It would be best to find their hideout and wipe them all out in one fell swoop."
After saying that, he turned to look at Guo Qinglan and said, "We two will take these children back to the Zheng family first. Then, you, the county magistrate's wife, can secretly go out and find help. You can find Registrar Peng or other trustworthy people, and then lead them to force their way in. At that time, with witnesses and evidence, the Zheng family will not be able to deny it!"
Both of them thought the suggestion was excellent and acted on it immediately without hesitation.
Little Fish turned around and knocked the scarred man unconscious with a single palm strike. Cheng Ruyi took the opportunity to retrieve the peach wood sword that had been knocked to the ground and picked up the hemp rope that had been thrown aside. The two of them skillfully tied the scarred man up tightly.
Cheng Ruyi casually unbuckled the scarred man's waistband and stuffed it into his mouth. The little fish girl next to her brightened up and couldn't help but give her a thumbs up!
After tidying everything up, Xiaoyu still escorted everyone to the entrance of the tunnel. After watching them all go up safely, she turned around and left, disappearing into the dark underground cavern in a few breaths.
After everyone returned safely to the Zheng family's room, they discovered that Peng Zhubu and his group had already broken into the backyard. At this moment, the two groups were facing off outside. It was truly a stroke of luck for them!
Seeing the opportunity, Guo Qinglan rushed out of the room shouting, "Registrar Peng! I've found the children! Come help me!"
With the situation settled, Cheng Ruyi finally felt relieved, but then everything went black and she lost consciousness.
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