Qin San Niang still had some principles; after all, she had been a police officer herself, albeit a forensic doctor. She believed in the principle of "people's police serve the people," and her conscience remained. When a group of elderly, weak, women, and children pleaded with her, she found it very difficult to refuse.
And so, that was the decision.
Hearing that he could set off with Liu and the others the next day, Lu Lizheng felt much relieved. He instructed his wife to get up early the next morning to start a fire and cook, and to steam plenty of wild vegetable cakes and yams to take on the journey.
Besides instructing his wife, he also had to visit the villagers, offering advice where necessary—it was his responsibility as the village head. And then there were those with ulterior motives, trying to shirk their duties and freeload—he had to give them a serious talking-to too! Sigh, so tiring!
After saying that, he glanced at Zhao Juhua sitting in the cave, his warning almost overflowing.
Zhao Juhua pouted angrily. She had no interest in going with that woman and her family! There were so many people in their village, why should they depend on these outsiders? Uncle Village Head was getting more and more confused!
Whether she liked it or not, the others were quite happy to oblige. Some kind and cheerful women greeted Liu and her companions from a distance.
The next day, as soon as it was light, everyone got up and packed. They didn't know how far it would be to get out of here, so it was best to set off as soon as possible.
Fortunately, they had their own carriage, which blocked the view of the outside world. Everyone who had only eaten a vegetable pancake that morning was given a palm-sized piece of dried meat by Liu. This meat had been dried in the sun and wind a few days ago, just in case it was inconvenient to cook, so that everyone could take it out and not go hungry.
After munching on the jerky in a few bites, Qin San Niang thought it tasted pretty good. She thought adding more seasoning would make it even tastier, and she would tell her mother about it next time.
Just like when they arrived, Gu Qingshan led the way, followed by Qin Sanniang and her mule cart. Behind them were the more than 140 people from Lujia Village, all following closely behind the mule cart. As for the village head? He no longer dared to come out and lead the way; if he continued, he would probably perish in this deep forest.
Gu Qingshan stopped from time to time to observe his surroundings. Thanks to his excellent instincts, he walked at a fairly fast pace and did not backtrack.
Everyone in the group was completely focused, closely following the steps of the person in front. At this point, if you fell behind, no one would wait for you. Although most of the elders were grateful to the family ahead, there were still a few ungrateful ones who muttered under their breath, wondering if they would get lost. What if they couldn't find their way out?
Qin San Niang naturally didn't hear these voices, and even if she had, she wouldn't have cared at all. If you're so capable, go out on your own, don't follow us like a shadow.
Before the sun had completely set, Gu Qingshan called for a halt.
The terrain here is open, and we're already halfway up the mountain. Tomorrow, we can walk down the mountain and get out, bypassing the section of the official road that was attacked earlier.
Everyone was too tired to talk. They found a spot to start a fire and cook. Although they didn't have much food, they had some wild vegetables and yams along the way, so they could fill their stomachs.
I heard that I can leave the mountains tomorrow, so I'm in a pretty good mood right now.
The porridge made from brown rice and wild vegetables wasn't too conspicuous among the refugees, even though Liu tried to make it as thick as possible, since her family wasn't short of food.
The skillful Wu Chunhua made another large bowl of cold vegetable salad, with Qin San Niang's secret seasoning added.
They're all wild vegetables, but the ones in other people's bowls look so appetizing! Old Mrs. Chen, who was foraging for wild vegetables, thought of her family's mixed wild vegetables and couldn't help but shake her head!
At night, Fatty and her son, along with Qin San Niang, kept watch for the first half of the night, while Gu Qingshan kept watch for the second half.
Although many people were on night watch, Gu Qingshan dared not fall into a deep sleep. He held his bow and arrows close to his side and only needed to rest for a short while. There were no caves for cover here, and encountering wild animals would be very troublesome.
As for Lujia Village, there are also people who keep watch at night, and the village head organizes the men from each family to take turns doing this job.
It must be said that this village head, who is over half a century old, is a shrewd man. However, as a village head, he is indeed qualified, otherwise he would not have been able to lead his people to where they are today! Many of the refugees they encountered on the road have already been separated from their clansmen.
A lone refugee is like a lone goose, with very little chance of survival.
Just after midnight, when everyone was sound asleep, a series of howls suddenly rang out.
Qin San Niang suddenly opened her eyes and poked her head out of the tent. She saw Gu Qingshan looking ahead with a serious expression, the arrow already nocked.
Following his direction, Qin San Niang could hardly believe her old eyes were failing her. There were actually fifteen or sixteen wolves with glowing green eyes. Normally, the green light might have some aesthetic value, but now it was nothing but terrifying!
Sensing the threat, even Big Gray became agitated and retreated, a natural animal instinct. However, the brave Little White was now pacing back and forth around the tent, occasionally letting out low growls—it was unclear whether this was meant to intimidate or to communicate.
In short, the momentum is there! Qin San Niang gives Xiao Bai a thumbs up!
The men from the neighboring Lujia Village had never seen anything like this before. Their legs started trembling, and some of the more timid ones even wet their pants. But no one would laugh at them now; no one was any better than the other.
The old village head, who had never left the county town in his life, was about to have his heart leap out of his chest! But seeing that Gu Qingshan had already set up his troops and that Qin Sanniang was standing calmly at the front, he inexplicably felt a little more at ease and tried to steady his voice.
"Men of Lujia Village, pick up your weapons now, whether it's hoes, sickles, or rakes, or your wives, children, and parents will become food for these wolves!"
The village head's words were like a stabilizing force; more and more men began to pick up their weapons, surrounding the elderly, women, and children. They had come so far; they couldn't afford to perish here. No man wanted to show weakness before his own son's birthday!
Fifteen minutes later, after a long standoff, the wolf pack launched their attack. They were clearly starving and would not let any prey go to waste.
In chaotic times, everyone is short of food!
Before the wolves could get close, Gu Qingshan shot and killed one of the larger wolves. However, this did not stop the wolf pack's attack; instead, the other wolves swarmed forward.
“There are two alpha wolves. These wolves are starving and no longer obey!” Qin San Niang said, trying to comfort Gu Qingshan. At the same time, she took out a dagger and stood back to back with Gu Qingshan to minimize blind spots.
Qin San Niang's style of martial arts was unlike anything Gu Qingshan had ever seen before. It emphasized speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness, with each move being fatal, like an assassin. However, he didn't actually believe that Qin San Niang was an assassin, because she didn't possess any of the other qualities of an assassin.
It must be said that wolves are definitely the most intelligent animals. About two-thirds of their forces were dealing with the two people in front of them, while the other few wolves were focused on breaking through Lu Family Village.
Seeing that Qin San Niang was able to kill wolves at close range, the men were filled with excitement. It turned out that wolves were not so formidable after all.
What else is there to say? Let's get going! How could they possibly be lagging behind a woman?! It's absolutely laughable!
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