Behind Wang Shi was Sister Yang, and in front of him were soldiers who had come to inform him of the approaching army. They were so anxious that they were pacing around in circles, like ants on a hot pan, scratching their heads and unable to come up with a solution.
Liang Qi, standing to the side, glanced at Sister Yang and said, "We have to retreat. Coming to such a remote place, what will happen to the army afterward is beyond our control."
Sister Yang gave a sad smile, "I have no choice but to leave. I'll go home and pack my things and come back." Liang Qi led the soldier's horse, which he had left on the road, and handed it to Sister Yang.
He said, "Let's lead the horse; at least it can carry Brother Yang and Yang Xu."
Sister Yang led the horse over and whispered to Liang Qi, "Do you think the army might head towards Qixing Mountain? If they can cross Qixing Mountain, they will reach the territory of Chengzhou. From Chengzhou, they can launch a direct attack and take over three counties. It will take less than half a month to reach Longcheng."
Liang Qi suddenly realized that he had been found by the Shiwei people. He only knew that the capital was Longcheng, and that to attack Longcheng, he would have to go through Juli City to Yunzhou, and then from Yunzhou to Muzhou, which would take at least two months to reach Longcheng.
At this moment, Liang Qi and Sister Yang exchanged a glance, and both of them suddenly understood as if struck by a thunderbolt. Earlier, when they heard the army heading into the village, they didn't know whether to leave or stay.
Now, if the army is heading this way and only intends to cross Qixing Mountain, they can stay in the village for at most three days, or they might not even enter the village and go straight over the mountain.
If it wasn't as Sister Yang said, then what could be so important to the garrison in this remote place? There's no food, no lodging. Could it be that they've found an iron ore mine nearby?
But no soldiers or strangers had been seen scouting the village or its surroundings. After much thought, Liang Qi concluded that Yang's idea was correct.
Sister Yang looked at Wang Shi, who was kneeling on the ground, and the soldier who brought the news, and said softly, "Don't let yourselves meet me in your next life."
One man, one sword, and both heads rolled to the ground.
He then pulled out the hidden arrows from the people lying on the road, wiped them clean on the bodies of the dead, and then put them back into the specially made quiver at his waist.
Sister Yang straightened up and asked Liang Qi, "Would you like to come and join me and Danian?"
Seeing that Liang Qi was still hesitating, he smiled and waved to Liang Qi: "Come down with me and take a look. It's not too late to decide later."
He then led Liang Qi into the house, past the bedroom to the inner room. From there, he pushed open a wall, revealing a downward staircase.
Sister Yang went up the stairs first, descended a height of about two people, and entered a corridor about an arm's width wide. She followed the corridor to its end, then pressed a button on the opposite wall, causing the wall to rotate ninety degrees.
A path, barely wide enough for one person to pass sideways, appeared. After walking another thirty steps, a downward passage came into view. Yang's wife followed the wooden steps to the bottom, where a narrow corridor, about an arm's length wide, came out. When she reached the middle section, Yang's wife suddenly bumped into the left side, and a door opened.
Liang Qi was amazed by the basement of Yang's house; the workmanship was so exquisite, and the design so unique. He went inside and found a small study with a bookshelf full of books.
There were geographical records, divination texts, and various kinds of essays in the eight-legged essay style. In front of the bookshelf was a rectangular desk, complete with all the necessary writing materials.
There was a door on the right side of the study. Pushing the door open, there was a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) with a cabinet on it. Yang Danian was playing with Yang Xu.
When Yang Danian saw that it was Liang Qi who came in, he nodded slightly awkwardly and said, "You're here. I haven't thanked you for saving my life yet."
Liang Qi waved his hand and said, "Anyone who runs into this wouldn't ignore it."
After teasing Yang Xu a bit more, Yang's sister-in-law led Liang Qi to push open another door and said, "This is called the kitchen. Don't be fooled by its small size; it has everything you need. Want to come over?"
Seeing that Liang Qi was still hesitant, she pushed open the other door of the kitchen and came out directly from the kitchen. However, this time, Sister Yang did not take him back the way they came.
Remembering that the road wasn't over yet, Liang Qi asked somewhat sheepishly, "What will happen if that road ends?"
Sister Yang looked at Liang Qi and laughed, "At the end of the road, there will be a pit, a big pit, a big pit that you can't get out of once you fall in. You must have seen Xiaoyue's trap, right? I only designed such a big pit because I heard Da Nian talk about Xiaoyue's trap."
As they walked, Sister Yang told Liang Qi about the origins of this road: "Originally, this escape route was built to prevent enemies from coming after us. Construction began the day we arrived at Niukou Village, but in the third year, I discovered I was pregnant, which delayed the project by a year."
Your brother Yang was either out working to earn money or helping me repair this place at home. When I first saw your brother Yang's injuries, I thought it was revenge from my enemies. After finding the leader and confirming it wasn't him, I killed everyone who had harmed your brother Yang and lined them up on the road in town.
Liang Qi then remembered that it was Xiaoyue and Li Lei who picked up Yang Danian in town. At that time, Xiaoyue was angry with him. Liang Qi said that he had heard about it, but he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, so he said "Oh" without confidence.
Sister-in-law Yang smiled and said, "Now that I have a child, my temper is much better." She then asked Liang Qi, "Xiaoyue hasn't left either?"
Liang Qi sighed and said, "I've dragged her into this."
As they talked, they walked to the end of the road. A wooden ladder led upwards to the exit, and the two climbed it one after the other.
Upon reaching the top and lifting the lid, Liang Qi discovered that they had jumped out of a coffin. In the light of Yang's torch, Liang Qi looked around.
They were in a place resembling a grave mound, shaped like a steamed bun. At that moment, Sister Yang twisted the incense burner in front of the coffin, and a door appeared. Liang Qi jumped out of the door.
Seeing that Sister Yang had closed the door again, Liang Qi walked out of the place that looked like a graveyard and found Xiaoyue not far away, also walking in the direction of home.
Liang Qi suddenly patted Xiaoyue's shoulder lightly, then chuckled and picked her up from behind. Xiaoyue was startled for a moment, but when she saw Liang Qi, she started laughing and joking.
Liang Qi looked down at Xiaoyue and asked, "Should we leave or stay?"
Xiaoyue pounded on Liang Qi's shoulder, saying, "Put me down, put me down now."
Seeing that Xiaoyue's face had turned red with anxiety, Liang Qi quickly put Xiaoyue down after taking only a few steps, took her hand and said, "Is this alright now? I won't take advantage of you."
Xiaoyue glared at Liang Qi, then laughed and said, "I'll listen to you. If you say we're leaving, we'll go to Seven Star Mountain. If you say we're not leaving, we'll stay in the trap."
Liang Qi thought for a while and said, "I have the same idea as Sister Yang. I feel that the army is going to cross Qixing Mountain and go to Chengzhou, but it's not certain. If the army is going to cross Qixing Mountain, then the people in the village will be in danger. We should inform the villagers first."
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