Upon hearing this, no one responded. At this point, no matter what was said, the incident was still bound to happen.
Lu Chuan had been thinking that things might be calmer down at the foot of the mountain in the next couple of days, and he wouldn't need to guard the entrance or the mountain every day. But as soon as this news came out, he quickly changed his mind.
“Then starting tomorrow, my master and I will not come back for meals. We will stay outside and keep watch until the conscription is over.”
The Taoist priest replied, "We're on the same page, so let's start tomorrow."
Xu Han, still worried, instructed, "There are many people in the mountains, so you must be extremely careful in your actions."
The Taoist priest confidently raised his chin. "Girl, don't worry. Apart from being more numerous, the people in the mountains don't pose any threat. With our skills, they can't hurt us. If we're careful, they won't even notice us."
Xu Han and Grandpa Zhao had witnessed the two men's skills firsthand and trusted them completely. Hearing their explanation, they didn't say anything more.
Sometimes Xu Han would think that with the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao's abilities, it was really a waste for them to stay in these deep mountains.
What merit do I possess to have these two great figures stay deep in the mountains to serve as my bodyguards and doctors?
However, Xu Han immediately suppressed this thought as soon as it popped up, because from the beginning, Xu Han and Lu Chuan knew that the Taoist priest had come with a purpose.
Although the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao relied on the food from their home during the famine years, they were able to survive thanks to Xu Han's space. Even during famine years, they had water and food and never went hungry.
But then again, they all paid for their meals and drinks, and they've always helped manage the family's fields; no one was eating for free.
Besides, Xu Han also knew that with the status of the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao, they could survive even if they didn't stay here during the disaster year, and they would live quite well, at least they would have enough to eat and drink.
Xu Han and Lu Chuan were aware of all this. Although everyone had ulterior motives at the beginning, as they spent more time together, their feelings for each other naturally deepened, and they all regarded each other as family.
It was assumed that the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao would leave the mountains after the natural disaster ended, but they never mentioned it. Lu Chuan and Xu Han, having benefited from the situation, naturally kept quiet...
After finalizing the arrangements, the group became even more cautious, fearing that their presence would be discovered.
Fortunately, this kind of thing had already happened before the natural disaster, so no one experienced any discomfort.
Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest observed the situation in the mountains for three days in a row. Everything seemed normal, and nothing particularly unusual happened.
On the fourth day, Lu Chuan went down the mountain to inspect the area and clearly found that there were many more soldiers searching. Moreover, unlike before, they no longer only searched the outer perimeter; today they went straight into the deep mountains.
Without warning, a group of farmers hiding deep in the mountains were caught red-handed by the soldiers.
Seeing that things were going badly, the others immediately began to scatter in all directions, and birds flew away in fright, and people and horses were thrown into chaos in the mountains and forests.
Some of the slower-reacting people were caught on the spot, while the faster-running ones ran aimlessly deeper into the mountains.
Originally, the group was hiding on the edge of what wasn't a deep mountain, but after this capture, they disregarded their fear and went straight into the deep mountains.
Lu Chuan watched the arrest from his hiding place and shook his head helplessly.
It wasn't until lunchtime that the officers and soldiers captured about five or six hundred people in the deep mountains before they started to head back.
The frightened people didn't know whether the soldiers had left or not, nor did they dare to come back to retrieve the things they hadn't had time to take when they fled for their lives.
Many people escaped the disaster, but they lost their food, bedding, and other survival supplies.
Helpless, they could only go hungry or find some wild fruits or other food in the deep mountains to fill their stomachs.
Although they were starving, almost no one dared to go home. Going back at this time would be tantamount to walking into a trap. If they were caught, all the suffering they had endured in the mountains for so many days would have been for nothing.
After the soldiers left, Lu Chuan quietly made his way up the mountain. Once he met up with the Taoist priest, he recounted what had just happened.
"I found the same situation on the other side of the mountain. It seems that the government has already begun to take action."
If this continues, they'll definitely go into the mountains to conscript more men tomorrow; we need to be careful.
"Yes, these soldiers aren't as easy to talk to as before when they're arresting people. If anyone tries to escape, they just whip them and threaten them with knives. They've taken enough heads today, they'll definitely come back tomorrow."
The Taoist priest sighed and didn't say anything more. "Let's go home. These people won't dare to go deeper into the mountains anytime soon, so we don't need to stay here guarding. The soldiers will definitely arrive earlier tomorrow than today, so we need to come earlier then."
The two walked home while talking about the conscription.
It was already late afternoon when they got home, and Xu Han was a little surprised that the two of them had returned so early.
"What's wrong? Why are you back so early today?"
After Lu Chuan came in, he closed the courtyard gate and said, "Come on, let's go back inside and talk."
After saying that, he turned to Ze'er, who was counting ants on the ground, and said, "Ze'er, go to the backyard and call your great-grandfather over. Tell him that your father needs to see him."
After receiving the small task, Ze'er threw away the small wooden stick in his hand and ran happily to the backyard.
When Grandpa Zhao heard Lu Chuan calling him at this time, he knew that something must have happened again. Without delay, he immediately put down his book and came to the front yard.
The person who came in asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Xu Han poured a glass of water for everyone and then sat down to listen.
The Taoist priest sighed and slowly explained, "Today, the government troops went into the mountains to arrest people. They arrested five or six hundred people in Xiaochuan, and three or four hundred people here. It seems the front lines are really short of manpower. Their speed of action is truly impressive."
"So fast? What's the situation in the mountains now?"
Lu Chuan downed the water in his cup, wiped his mouth, and said, "Those who reacted slowly have been captured, while those who reacted quickly have run into the deep mountains. However, they are still some distance from us. I wonder if anyone has taken the opportunity to go further in. I don't think they would dare to do that."
Xu Han said awkwardly, "That's not necessarily true. People can do anything when they're pushed to the limit."
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