Grandma Fu realized something, rolled her eyes, and fainted.
"Grandma!" Fu Hong exclaimed, quickly hugging her grandmother tightly. Luckily, they were at the hospital, so she carried her inside to find a doctor.
Xing Zhaozhao ignored her and looked at Ling Xiao with a serious expression, continuing to ask, "What do you mean?"
Ling Xiao pointed to the mountains next to their town and said, "A group of mountain people live in these mountains. It is said that their ancestors were a group of bandits who hid in the mountains during a period of war hundreds of years ago. For hundreds of years, they have often come out to plunder when the world is in chaos, and when there is peace, they hide in the deep mountains and live a carefree life. They do come out occasionally, but they usually blend in with the crowd and are rarely discovered. The biggest problem for them living in the mountains is the lack of women. In the past, when the world was bad, they relied on robbery. Now that's not possible, they find people to help them deceive and abduct women..."
Xing Zhaozhao frowned and said, "Since you all know that there is such a malignant tumor hiding in the mountains, haven't you thought about solving this problem?"
“Because we’ve only heard about it,” Ling Xiao said. “They are very cautious when they come into contact with people. Even I, who was born and raised here, have only heard about them and have never actually had any contact with them. Over time, I’ve even started to wonder if these are just rumors that my elders have heard. However, the occasional mysterious disappearances of people who have wandered into the deep mountains have been a constant reminder that something is indeed hidden in those mountains.”
"Do the higher-ups know about this?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
Ling Xiao nodded: "Right after liberation, some troops went in to look for people, but they didn't find them and returned empty-handed. If possible, I really hope to catch one, take people in, and solve this problem once and for all."
Xing Zhaozhao's face darkened, and she said, "I didn't expect that even with such strict regulations now, there would still be people willing to help with this kind of shady business. Aren't they really afraid of getting caught and shot?"
“Wealth moves people’s hearts, doesn’t it? It’s said that the group inside has amassed a considerable fortune through centuries of plundering, and they are very generous,” Ling Xiao said.
Xing Zhaozhao thought about how Yao Xiaozhuang had given away four watches in one go, which was indeed generous. However, the thought that Fu Lan would have to pay for these four watches with her life made Xing Zhaozhao's heart bleed.
"Let's look in town first," Xing Zhaozhao said after thinking for a moment. "If we really can't find it, I'll go into the mountains to look for it."
Ling Xiao frowned upon hearing this and said, "Going into the mountains? Are you going alone? Are you crazy? Going into the mountains alone is just courting death."
"No, it won't happen." Xing Zhaozhao said with great confidence, "My dad is a hunter, and I grew up in the mountains. I know the forests very well, and I'm also very strong. It's not that easy for me to get into trouble."
Ling Xiao disagreed, shook his head, and said, "I still don't recommend you try it lightly; it's too dangerous."
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid. I won't risk my life. As long as we can find the place, we can bring people in and wipe them all out," Xing Zhaozhao said.
Ling Xiao thought she was being too optimistic: "Let's look around town first and see if we can find them."
Xing Zhaozhao nodded in agreement.
Ling Xiao went back to ask his people for help.
Xing Zhaozhao naturally couldn't sit idle either. Since Grandma Fu and Fu Hong probably couldn't help now, she split up with the remaining Wang Xiaofa, Gao Qingshan, and Gao Dahan into two groups. She took Wang Xiaofa, while Gao Qingshan stayed with Dahan, and they continued to search for people in the town separately.
Gao Qingshan followed Da Han westward, while Xing Zhaozhao led Wang Xiaofa eastward. Not far along, Xing Zhaozhao sensed something was wrong; it seemed as if someone was following them.
Xing Zhaozhao stopped and pretended to ask someone about Fu Lan's whereabouts. She quickly glanced behind her and saw two men, one tall and one short, who had been following her at a distance. When they saw her suddenly stop, they also stopped and looked around as if they were looking for something.
Xing Zhaozhao turned around nonchalantly, continuing to walk forward while looking around. She found the street quite familiar; she had walked it before when she went to Houxi to find Ling Xiao. Not far ahead, there was a three-way intersection. Going left led to a dead end, while going right led to Houxi.
Xing Zhaozhao considered it in her mind for a moment and then came up with an idea.
She gently tugged at Wang Xiaofa's sleeve.
Wang Xiaofa looked over, puzzled: "What's wrong, Sister Xing?"
Xing Zhaozhao leaned close to his ear and whispered, "There are two men following us."
"What?" Wang Xiaofa was startled and instinctively turned his head to look behind him.
Xing Zhaozhao grabbed him, saying, "Don't look back, or you'll alert them."
"Oh." Wang Xiaofa immediately stiffened his neck, a strange excitement rising within him, and asked, "What's next? What should we do?"
"See that three-way intersection ahead? I'll go left, and you go right. If they follow you, just take them to Ling Xiao and have him catch them. If they chase me, quickly bring Ling Xiao over to help me." Xing Zhaozhao roughly explained her plan.
Wang Xiaofa nodded without hesitation: "No problem, I guarantee I'll complete the mission."
"But if they keep chasing after you, Sister Xing, are you sure you can handle it?" Wang Xiaofa asked Xing Zhaozhao with concern.
Xing Zhaozhao raised her fist: "Why don't you try me out first and see if I can handle it?"
Wang Xiaofa thought of the poor guy who had broken his bones from arm wrestling and quickly shook his head: "Let's forget about it then."
“Then I’ll count to three, and we’ll speed up and move forward together,” Xing Zhaozhao said.
Wang Xiaofa nodded solemnly.
“3…” Xing Zhaozhao finished speaking and walked forward quickly.
Wang Xiaofa was stunned for a moment, then chased after her angrily, yelling, "Hey, Sister Xing, why are you cheating?"
Seeing Xing Zhaozhao and Wang Xiaofa quicken their pace and leave, the two people following behind exchanged a glance, realizing they might have been discovered, and quickly chased after them.
At the three-way intersection, Xing Zhaozhao and Wang Xiaofa parted ways, one on the left and one on the right, as agreed.
The two people following behind her followed Xing Zhaozhao almost without hesitation, and then cornered her in that dead end.
The shorter man revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth, cackled, and walked towards Xing Zhaozhao, saying, "Now let's see where you can run to."
When Xing Zhaozhao saw those yellow teeth, she instinctively thought of someone: "Are you Yao Xiaozhuang?"
“Xiao Zhuang has already taken his woman back to the mountain stronghold. I am his brother, Yao Dazhuang,” Yao Dazhuang said.
Xing Zhaozhao's heart sank, and she asked, "Now that we've already got them, why are you still following me?"
Yao Dazhuang quickly looked Xing Zhaozhao up and down and said, "Now that your government is strict, it's hard to find a woman. I haven't found a wife yet. Xiaozhuang likes the one I met today, so I'll give him the one. I thought I had no chance, but the woman I met before mentioned you. Although you're a bit older and have had children, it doesn't matter. I'll make do with you for now."
Xing Zhaozhao narrowed her eyes slightly. So, Lin Wan's sudden departure wasn't because she was afraid of being exposed, but because she had someone come to deal with her? She really hated her. Unfortunately, she miscalculated.
Xing Zhaozhao looked coldly at Yao Dazhuang: "Since you didn't go back with your brother, then don't go back."
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