"These two are of high status, and they manage their subordinates well? The people they captured are so loyal to them, father and son. They're not simple." Zhu Qiuyu commented calmly as the father and son were surrounded and approached.
"The master, mistress, and young master are very capable. What do you know?" The woman glanced sideways at the eldest brother.
Zhu Qiuyu glanced at the other woman, somewhat wanting to take back the three rabbit pelts he had given away. This woman had taken his favor, yet she always talked back to him, which annoyed the senior brother.
Before long, the hairy monster and his son arrived with about ten people. They maintained a safe distance, with the group surrounding the father and son as if they were afraid that Zhu Qiuyu and his two companions might suddenly attack and hurt them.
"Who are you, and what is your relationship with Chaimu Village? Did the village chief of Chaimu Village pay you to deal with us?" The one who asked the question was a long-haired boy with a clear and pleasant voice. If you didn't see his long hair covering his head and back, anyone would think he was a handsome and sunny young man just by listening to his voice.
“The village chief of Chaimu Village doesn’t have the power to persuade us. We were just passing through Chaimu Village and staying there for the night. The reason we followed you here is not to cause trouble, but to find out some things.” Zhu Qiuyu thought his tone was polite and calm.
But the refined-looking man kept a wary eye on them. After listening to his words, he sneered, "I don't care why you found this place. I just hope you leave as soon as possible and never come back. Otherwise, none of you will have a good ending."
The refined man's voice was incongruous with his appearance; his voice was hoarse and rough. After saying a few words, he began to cough and wiped his lips with a handkerchief made of animal hide. His demeanor was quite effeminate.
"We have no ill intentions," Zhu Qiuyu emphasized again.
"No one outside is a good person. Just because you say you have no ill intentions doesn't mean I should believe you. People in this world are always so hypocritical, and they're all ungrateful wretches." The refined man was better off not speaking, because the more he spoke, the more his character flaws became apparent. This man didn't trust anyone and was hostile to every outsider he encountered.
"Don't get agitated. We'll leave as soon as we figure out one thing," Zhu Qiuyu said, having been watching the refined man's expression closely. She noticed his face growing increasingly gloomy and his eyes becoming unfocused, which was very unusual. "I want to know if Fang Yuniang came here thirty years ago, and whether she's still alive?"
Zhu Qiuyu's question only made things worse. The moment Fang Yuniang's name was mentioned, the refined man suddenly became extremely agitated and roared, "Kill them! Kill all three of them! Don't let them leave alive!"
After shouting, the group of people quickly escorted the father and son away, disappearing into the woods. Zhu Qiuyu and the other two were stunned. When they came to their senses, they saw that the people who had been standing behind them had also run into the dense forest and disappeared.
"That woman was standing right next to me, and I didn't even notice when she left," Zhu Xichen said, somewhat annoyed.
“They are very familiar with the terrain here, which is why they were able to hide in such a short time. But what are they trying to do? That person just ordered us to be killed.” Zhu Chumo frowned, unable to figure out what was going on.
“There’s a trap, listen.” Zhu Qiuyu listened intently to the roars of wild beasts coming from afar. “It sounds like a large number of wild beasts are rushing this way. Could it be that those people from earlier attracted them? The roars sound very chaotic, with wolf howls, bear howls, and tiger roars.”
"No matter what comes, just kill it with one sword." Zhu Chumo said coldly. He carried a lot of poisons with him, which would come in handy later. At this moment, he regretted his previous soft-heartedness and the fact that he hadn't used poison on those people.
After analyzing the situation, Zhu Qiuyu suspected that those people had attracted the beast tide. However, he wondered how they managed to lure all the wild beasts in the forest to one place at the same time. Did they have some special skill or some kind of secret medicine?
Before he could sort out his thoughts, several bamboo rafts suddenly flew in from all directions, their sharpened bamboo spikes aimed at them. If they were hit, they would be seriously injured even if they didn't die.
These traps are extremely powerful; even large insects, bears, and wolf packs would not fare well against them. Zhu Qiuyu and his companions were having a hard time dealing with them because there were simply too many traps and the attacks were too frequent.
Another point is that the bamboo used to make the traps is extremely tough; it cannot be cleaved in two strokes with all your might.
"This won't do. We need to break out and get out of here first," Zhu Qiuyu said decisively.
"You guys go first, I'll cover the rear," Zhu Xichen shouted.
"I'll cover the rear, and I'll administer the medication," Zhu Chumo said.
"Your medicine is useless for breaking these traps. No need to say more, leave now." Zhu Xichen pushed the man aside, not giving his fourth junior brother a chance to dawdle.
Just as Zhu Qiuyu and Zhu Chumo were about to find a way out, all sorts of traps suddenly disappeared. The next moment, the refined man reappeared, this time with only two burly men.
“My mother wants to see you,” the refined-looking man said.
"You say your mother wants to see us, so we have to go see her?" Zhu Chumo snorted coldly, pointing his sword at the other party, showing an unwillingness to make peace.
“My mother is Fang Yuniang. Don’t you want to know her whereabouts?”
Zhu Qiuyu and Zhu Chumo: "?" What's going on? Just now we couldn't even mention it, and now they're saying Fang Yuniang wants to see them?
But whatever the reason, since we're here, we can't just give up halfway, so let's meet.
To avoid any traps, the three remained vigilant throughout the journey, but nothing unexpected happened until they entered the village. The refined man led them to his home, which had a large courtyard with various wildflowers and herbs growing under the fence.
Zhu Chumo immediately recognized that there were many medicinal herbs planted in the yard. The long-haired monster stood under the fence and picked a small white flower. He turned around, probably looking at them, but did not say anything. He just quickly ran into the house.
The refined-looking man led them into a room filled with a strong smell of medicine. The room was well-lit, and they saw an elderly woman with white hair lying on a couch inside.
The old woman was dressed in animal skin clothing and covered with a blanket made of animal skin. She had her hair tied up and her expression was gentle. Although her face was full of wrinkles, a closer look at her features revealed that she must have been a beauty in her youth.
"You've come! Please sit down, let me see you," a woman in her early thirties said, supporting her with a considerate gesture and expression.
“Mingyue said you are good people. You’ve been providing good food and drink for the villagers these past two days, and you’ve even bandaged the wounds of the injured. Mingyue has always had a good eye; he won’t be wrong. I believe him.” The old woman’s voice was frail, and she smiled slightly as she spoke.
Seeing the puzzled expressions on Zhu Qiuyu and the other two's faces, it was clear they were asking: Who is Mingyue? This person has been following them for two days, and they didn't even notice?
Then the old woman gently beckoned to the long-haired stranger, "Mingyue, come to Grandma's side."
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