"Thank you very much, brother." Xu Xinghe nodded in agreement. It seemed that these spies were indeed afraid of alerting the authorities. The words "call the police" hit their weak spot, making them dare not obstruct them any further.
The words had barely left his mouth.
Yi An also came out of the room.
He was still asleep when he heard Xu Xinghe and the man talking, and hurriedly got up. His face still had marks from sleeping, but he still carried a hunting rifle on his back and looked calm.
He didn't ask anything, but just stood silently beside Xu Xinghe, looking like he would leave as soon as she said so, very obediently.
The man's wife got up quickly and deftly heated up the leftover grain cakes from last night. She then filled two jugs with water, put them all into a coarse cloth bundle, and handed it to Xu Xinghe, saying, "Sister, be careful on the road, and walk slowly when you're crossing the mountain."
"Thank you, sister-in-law." Xu Xinghe took the bundle and felt its weight. She breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed they really didn't intend to stop her.
She gave Yi'an a look, and the two of them said goodbye to the man and his wife together.
"Brother and sister-in-law, thank you so much for your hospitality these past few days. We'll be leaving now."
"Have a safe trip!" the man and his wife replied with a smile, watching them walk out of the yard.
Xu Xinghe and Yi An did not linger and quickly walked towards the village entrance.
This time they chose to take the main road back to Lijia'ao, firstly because the main road is relatively easier to travel, and secondly because it is safer.
Throughout the journey, Yi'an remained silent, not asking any questions, and simply focused on her journey.
Xu Xinghe was thinking about what Jiang Linchuan had said.
Judging from his tone and word choice, it seems that the chaos he described is still at least a few days away, giving her enough time to make arrangements for what to do next.
First, we need to go back to Lijia'ao to tell Uncle Li that we are safe and sound. Then, we need to quietly return from Yingzui Cliff and find a secluded place to wait on the outskirts of Shiwa Village.
This way, we can stay away from the village and avoid causing danger, while still being able to get timely information.
In case of any unexpected events, we can find a way to deal with them.
As they approached the entrance to Lijia'ao village, Yi'an suddenly stopped and looked up at Xu Xinghe. "You go back first. I'll take the road by the river to go back. As we agreed, we won't tell anyone that we came back together."
Xu Xinghe nodded, and looking at his silent expression, smiled slightly, "Thank you so much this time, Yi'an. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have been able to find Shiwa Village at all."
Yi An's lips moved, as if she wanted to say something.
For example, asking about her real identity, or mentioning her wish to join the army...
But in the end, he held back, simply shaking his head and saying somewhat stiffly, "No need to thank me, it's my pleasure."
After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned and walked towards the path by the river, his figure quickly disappearing into the shadows of the woods.
Xu Xinghe glanced at it only once before turning around and heading to Lijia'ao.
She needed to finish her business quickly and then go to Shiwa Village.
Xu Xinghe had just reached the gate of the courtyard when she saw Uncle Li.
He was sitting on a small stool in the courtyard, smoking a pipe.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw that it was Xu Xinghe. He immediately stood up, almost dropping his pipe. "Xiao girl, you're finally back! Where have you been these past few days? I was so worried about you!"
He strode forward and looked Xu Xinghe up and down. Seeing that there was nothing wrong with her, he breathed a sigh of relief. "A couple of days ago, someone asked you where you had been, and I told you that you had gone to town to stay with relatives."
"Thank you, Uncle Li." Xu Xinghe felt his concern. "I had something come up and was delayed for a few days, which made you worry. Your explanation to the outside world is correct, as long as it doesn't arouse suspicion from others."
After saying that, she immediately asked, "Uncle Li, in the past two days, besides those inquiring about me, have any other outsiders come to the village? Or has anyone inquired about me and Yi'an?"
Uncle Li thought for a moment, “There was a stranger from out of town who looked quite ordinary. He came to the village a couple of days ago and asked me about him. He didn’t come directly to me; he asked Old Zhang in the village first. Old Zhang knew you were here to take care of me, so he told him you were a distant relative of mine who moved to the village later. Yi’an is a native of our village, and he didn’t say anything else.”
Xu Xinghe breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as she had guessed, the spies from Shiwa Village went to Lijia'ao to find out her identity. Fortunately, Old Zhang and Uncle Li's accounts were consistent, and they did not mention that she had an injured fiancé.
If the other party finds out about this, they probably won't let her leave Shiwa Village smoothly at all, and might even attack her on the spot.
"That's good." Xu Xinghe felt relieved, and then asked, "Uncle Li, there's something else I want to ask you. Is it forbidden to talk about my fiancé outside the village?"
Uncle Li's smile faded slightly, and he nodded. "Yes, after all, this matter... isn't exactly honorable for that girl, A-Cui. Her father is the village chief, and he specifically instructed everyone in the village not to gossip, lest it ruin A-Cui's reputation and make it harder for her to get married in the future. Everyone in the village has to give the village chief face, so no one dares to say anything."
"Uncle Li, I'm a little tired and want to go back to my room to rest." Xu Xinghe rubbed her temples. "I estimate I'll have to go out again tomorrow, and this time it might take a few days. Don't worry, I've made all the arrangements, everything will be fine."
"Are you leaving again?" Uncle Li asked with some concern. "You just got back, shouldn't you rest for a couple more days?"
"No, things are urgent." Xu Xinghe shook her head. "Uncle Li, I came back this time to tell you so you can rest assured. If one day I really have to leave Lijia'ao and never come back, I will definitely come to say goodbye in advance so you won't worry about me for nothing."
Once the military took action, the matter of Shiwa Village was resolved.
She will most likely leave soon, and explaining things to Uncle Li beforehand is a way of making things clear.
Uncle Li knew she had made up her mind, so he didn't try to persuade her any further. He just sighed and said, "Then you must be careful and take good care of yourself. I clean your room every day and air out the bedding. Go back and get some rest."
"Thank you, Uncle Li." Xu Xinghe said thank you and then turned and went into her room.
As soon as she closed the door, the weariness on her face vanished.
Instead of resting, she entered her spatial dimension and quickly organized all the intelligence she had gathered in the Shiwacun cave—the spy list, the layout of the outposts, the location of the dungeon, the vague clues about the child's transfer, and Jiang Linchuan's plan—into clear notes.
After doing all this, she returned to her room, lay on the bed, and closed her eyes.
But she didn't actually fall asleep; instead, she was organizing her plans in her mind.
Tomorrow, everything will proceed as usual. We'll quietly return to the outskirts of Shiwa Village after dark and lie in wait for Jiang Linchuan's movements.
If you really don't need her help, then just stay away and don't move.
In case of any unforeseen circumstances, she believed she could be of help.
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