Old Master Shen immediately felt reassured.
His granddaughter has always been decisive, so he knew she must have other plans for doing this, and he stopped worrying.
He obediently followed the refugees up the mountain. He knew perfectly well what was going on.
These refugees were just the vanguard; the real main force of the Northern Desert was still behind.
A direct confrontation would only result in losses; it would be better to go along with the refugees' wishes and see where they intend to take them.
Lin Peirou, who was being held in the middle of the line, was terrified and filled with unease.
In her past life, Shen Qingtang was clearly pushed out as bait to lure away the refugees, so how did everything change in this life?
Not only were she not pushed out, but she and Lu Jin became the focus of the refugees' surveillance!
Unable to hold back any longer, she turned to look at Shen Qingtang, her voice trembling with tears, appearing weak and helpless: "Sister-in-law... you clearly know martial arts, you were able to stab that hero just now, why didn't you fight back? If we're taken up the mountain like this, we're sure to end up badly..." She deliberately mentioned that Shen Qingtang knew martial arts, hoping to make the refugees wary of Shen Qingtang.
It would be best to shift the focus back to Shen Qingtang.
Before the refugees could react, Shen Qingtang spoke first, her voice quick and clear: "Heroes! Did you hear that? She still wants me to resist! She just doesn't want to go with you and wants to take this opportunity to escape!"
The leader of the refugees, who was already holding back his anger, became even more furious upon hearing this.
He raised his hand and slapped Lin Peirou hard across the face, causing her to stagger and bump into Lu Jin, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
The refugee glared fiercely at Lin Peirou, "If you dare to say another word, I'll cut your tongue out!"
Lin Peirou covered her face, tears streaming down her cheeks, and looked at Lu Jin with a wronged expression: "Cousin..."
Lu Jin looked at her swollen cheeks, his heart aching, but he didn't dare to confront the refugees directly. He could only lower his voice to comfort her, "Rou'er, don't say anything, just bear with it..."
He was both angry and anxious, but there was nothing he could do. Now that they were in the hands of refugees, they could only be slaughtered at their mercy.
Shen Qingtang looked at them like this.
A cold smile flashed in his eyes.
In her past life, Lin Peirou used this same weak appearance to sow discord time and time again, making her take the blame for countless things.
In this life, she will make Lin Peirou taste what it feels like to be slapped in public and have no one to turn to for help.
The group continued up the mountain, where the path became steeper and the surrounding trees became denser.
As Shen Qingtang walked, she secretly observed her surroundings. She could sense that the men in black were still following her, and their numbers seemed to have increased considerably.
It seems the real "big fish" is about to make its appearance. The group was taken up the mountain and discovered that there were still many people tied up in the open space next to the dilapidated temple, including prisoners from other exile groups.
Some of the kidnapped civilians passing by were also there; their faces were all deathly pale.
Huddled in a corner, trembling with fear, they hurriedly bowed and scraped to the approaching refugees, lest they invite disaster upon themselves.
"Listen up, all of you!" The leader of the refugees stood on a rock.
Pointing his knife at the crowd, his voice was hoarse, "We're not from the Great Jin, we're from the Northern Desert! From today onwards, you all have to listen to me and do whatever I tell you to do! Anyone who dares to resist or try to be clever will be cut down with one stroke!"
Upon hearing this, a suppressed gasp immediately rose from the crowd.
Falling into the hands of the Northern Desert people, what good can come of it?
Lu Jiaojiao was tied to a pillar, looking at the fierce-looking refugees around her.
Fear and hatred welled up inside her, and she turned to Shen Qingtang and yelled, "Shen Qingtang! You can clearly kill bears and you have silver needles, why didn't you fight these refugees? There were only a few of them! You're a coward! You deserve to die! If you hadn't resisted, how would we have ended up here? Save me!"
She simply couldn't understand why Shen Qingtang, who could even handle bears, would be afraid of these refugees.
But she forgot that when Shen Qingtang was dealing with the refugees, she was fanning the flames and trying to get the refugees to abuse Shen Qingtang.
The officials standing nearby were filled with regret. They had accepted the task of escorting the exiles in the first place.
They had hoped to take advantage of the situation, but who knew they would run into the people of the Northern Desert? Now, not only did they fail to gain any benefits, they were also about to lose their lives. They all hung their heads in despair.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
