The seventeenth master turned around in alarm, reaching for his short sword, but was met with a kind smile from the peasant woman. She offered him a wild fruit, grinning, "Delicious! Have a taste..."
The Seventeenth Prince was stunned for a moment, then took the fruit, tasted it, and found it to be incredibly sweet.
"Although the leader brought back some food, there are too many people on the island, so there's not enough to go around... When we're hungry, we eat wild fruits to stave off hunger..." The peasant woman didn't suspect who was under the straw hat at all, and just kept talking. She took out a fruit from her bosom, wiped it, and put it in the child's mouth.
"The leader? It seems these people really are from the White Lotus Sect!" Seventeenth Master patiently continued listening. Seeing that Seventeenth Master remained silent, the peasant woman stared at him curiously. Seventeenth Master decisively used sign language to tell the peasant woman that his throat was sore and he couldn't speak.
The peasant woman looked at the Seventeenth Master with a pitiful expression and sighed, "The island is full of pitiful people. Thanks to the leader, we have a place to stay..." The Seventeenth Master nodded awkwardly, and the peasant woman continued, "Do you know that the Qing army outside is attacking the island?"
The Seventeenth Prince remained silent. The peasant woman gave a bitter laugh and lamented, "I really don't know what the Qing emperor was thinking. He didn't even leave us a place to rest in peace..." The Seventeenth Prince was stunned, but he couldn't argue. He could only listen to the peasant woman's complaints: "The leader went to great lengths for us. We finally have a peaceful life. We really don't want to leave here..."
The peasant woman's words made Seventeenth Master fall into deep thought. It was clear that the leader of the Lotus Sect had already purchased food supplies outside, but these peasant women seemed to be working voluntarily, willing to eat wild fruits so that others could have enough to eat.
Speaking of the Qing army, their indignant expressions made it seem as if these people were not subjects of the Qing Dynasty. Although life on the island was hard, they were all content. This made the Seventeenth Prince wonder what kind of person the leader of the White Lotus Sect really was, not only making everyone so loyal and subservient to her, but also uniting her followers so completely.
Time flew by without us noticing, and the sun was so strong it made us dizzy. Fortunately, the farm women seemed to have finished their work and were packing up to leave.
Seventeenth Master gave everyone a hint, and they all followed behind the crowd, walking for quite a long time.
Soon they arrived at several giant rocks. Seventeenth Master followed the peasant woman around the rocks and came to a cave. This cave was extremely well hidden; it was impossible to see from the outside. It could only be found by navigating the maze-like Stonehenge. If someone hadn't led the way, even if Seventeenth Master and his companions had found the Stonehenge, they might not have been able to find the cave.
The last of the peasant women waved for Seventeenth Master and the others to follow. Seventeenth Master had no choice but to bite the bullet and jog after her. He saw her take out a whisk-like object and carefully wipe away the footprints. Seventeenth Master sighed inwardly. No wonder they couldn't find the way. The White Lotus Sect was cunning and shrewd, leaving no detail overlooked. Looking back at the path they had come from, there was indeed no trace left.
Everyone went into the cave, with Seventeenth Master following behind. They walked for quite a while. The cave was pitch black, but the peasant women didn't light any torches or candles. Everyone seemed very familiar with the path.
With great difficulty, a sliver of light appeared ahead. Seventeenth Master stepped through the light, took a deep breath of fresh air, and finally saw the sky again.
When the Seventeens opened their eyes, they saw many houses built on the hills, and the entire area was filled with women, each with their own post. Well-trained soldiers were practicing their drills in the open space, while the other women were busy at work. Smoke was rising from the houses in the distance, making it seem like a paradise.
It turns out the mountain was hollow; those basins were outside the mountain, and this cave was the entrance to the White Lotus Sect…
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