Xu Yuehuai bent down and pulled Liu Cuiming up. Because of this delay, the two of them fell behind and were surrounded by a group of men carrying long knives and short swords before they could run far.
"stop!"
The leader shouted loudly, and Liu Cuiming was so frightened that her legs went weak and she fell to the ground again.
Xu Yuehuai also lowered her head. These people outnumbered her and were armed, so it would be better to find another opportunity to escape later.
They, along with other captured villagers, were taken to a village on a mountain.
As Xu Yuehuai passed the gate, her gaze paused and fell on one of the bandits.
The surrounding area was filled with dark stone walls, and even the sky was gray. The bandit, dressed in coarse linen clothes, stood in the dirty and messy den of thieves. His eyes were cold and clear, his skin was fair, and his profile was like a finely carved piece of jade. His eyelashes were long and thick, fluttering slightly in the wind like butterfly wings. He was quietly observing the refugees entering the mountains, completely different from the bandits around him who were busy urging them to leave quickly.
As if sensing Xu Yuehuai's gaze, the man suddenly turned his head to meet her eyes, his pupils like a silhouette of a galaxy, scattering starlight.
Xu Yuehuai's pupils dilated slightly, and she suddenly lowered her head, her heart pounding wildly!
At this moment, Xu Yuehuai was shoved by a burly man with bulging eyes, who shouted, "What are you standing there for? Get out of here! If you don't dig the pit on the mountain properly today, I'll kill you all!"
Dig a hole?
Xu Yuehuai was cautious. When she got to the mountain, she saw that there were many other villagers digging pits. These bandits had captured more than one group of villagers.
Judging by the width and depth of this pit, could it have been used for hunting?
By the time they finished digging the pit and were brought back to the village, it was already broad daylight. Exhausted from a night's work, Xu Yuehuai was sore all over, and her hands were blistered.
Liu Cuiming complained softly, "I'm so hungry... ah!"
Hearing her soft hum, the burly man with the copper bell-shaped eyes lashed out with his whip at Liu Cuiming, yelling, "Go to sleep if you're hungry! Do you expect us to cook for you?!"
They won't even give us food!
The arrested villagers dared not speak out in anger! Liu Cuiming even hid tremblingly behind Xu Yuehuai.
Xu Yuehuai frowned and stepped forward, saying, "If you don't give us food, we'll be too weak to work. Rather than starve to death, you might as well kill us now and get a quick death!"
"Yes! Why don't we just kill us!"
The villagers, who had been enslaved for so long, couldn't help but shout in agreement, their eyes red with anger!
Xu Yuehuai continued, “You captured us to work. If we are too hungry to work, we will naturally work slowly. Now that you have found almost everyone around here, instead of going to the trouble of finding other people to capture, you might as well give us some food. It would be better for everyone.”
Copper Bell Eyes frowned, pointed to a small hut and said irritably, "At most, we'll lend you the kitchen. The rest you'll have to do yourself. Don't expect us to cook for you!"
Xu Yuehuai raised an eyebrow, didn't ask for more, and went over to rummage through the pile of ingredients before starting a fire.
Seeing this, Zhou Wan, who was in the crowd, quickly led Jiang Shichen forward to help.
With the seasonings, Xu Yuehuai's cooking tasted absolutely amazing. His copper-bell eyes couldn't help but keep glancing at the kitchen, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
Zhou Wan, who was standing nearby, was drooling.
But they were also very puzzled. Xu Yuehuai had never cooked before, so how could she cook so well?!
She cautiously inquired, "I never knew Mother could cook!"
Xu Yuehuai glanced at her and immediately understood what she wanted to ask, so she said, "It's just that you don't want to do it."
Zhou Wan choked, suddenly remembering how Xu Yuehuai used to make things difficult for her at home, so he always made her cook. No wonder he always complained that her cooking was terrible.
Just then, the aroma wafting through the air attracted a tall, burly man. He glanced into the kitchen and said coldly, "Who's cooking in there?"
The man with the copper bell eyes immediately replied eagerly, "Reporting to Chief Li, it's a young woman we captured today."
Chief Li raised an eyebrow: "Smells pretty good. From now on, let her cook for the brothers in the village. If she refuses, just kill her."
Zhou Wan, who was in the kitchen, trembled uncontrollably with fear.
Xu Yuehuai took the washed vegetables from her and said, "What are you afraid of? Since you want me to cook for them, how can we lack meat? Go and get some. Chen-ge'er and your mother can go together."
Zhou Wan immediately left with Jiang Shichen, feeling embarrassed.
Xu Yuehuai was putting the cabbages into the pot to cook when there was a soft knock on the kitchen window!
She tensed up, on high alert, and turned around abruptly to see a man in black dart in!
Xu Yuehuai's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to smash it down with a shovel, the newcomer reacted quickly and covered his mouth, whispering, "Shh, be quiet."
Even with the mask blocking it out, the voice had a delicate, low-pitched magnetic quality, like the sound of jade being struck.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you."
The tone of his voice... made it seem as if he wasn't one of those bandits.
Xu Yuehua blinked, signaling with her eyes that she wouldn't shout, before the man in black released her.
She slammed the kitchen door shut with lightning speed and whispered, "Have you come to rescue someone, brave warrior?"
Upon hearing this address, Qi Guze's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he nodded, saying, "I've been lurking in this bandit's den for a long time. Some people suspect that they kidnapped an official's son. I had already joined forces with the government and was preparing to arrest all the bandits at noon today, but I didn't expect them to come down the mountain and arrest someone yesterday."
Xu Yuehuai asked in a low voice, "Will it have any impact?"
Qi Guze nodded: "Now there are more variables. We need to find a way to keep the captured people in a safe place to avoid accidental harm."
Today, when he saw Xu Yuehuai outside the mountain gate, he felt that this woman was different from the others. Her eyes were clear and bright, and she did not show the same fear of the bandits as the others. Moreover, that group of people seemed to regard her as their leader, which was why they came looking for her.
"this……"
Xu Yuehuai pondered for a moment and said, "If there were a way to rescue the refugees without firing a single shot and also wipe out the bandits, that would be excellent."
"Not bad." Qi Guze nodded.
While thinking, Xu Yuehuai couldn't help but fidget. Suddenly, she saw the stove, her eyes lit up, and she punched with her left fist and right palm, whispering, "Can you find a way to get some sleeping potion?"
She said cautiously, "It would be best if there was an antidote."
Qi Guze paused for a moment, then immediately understood Xu Yuehuai's idea, nodded, and climbed out of the window again.
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