Lin Qixia gestured for them to be quiet.
He Zhilan also covered Tian Ye'er's mouth, and the group of people nervously hid in the shadows, staring at the direction they had just come from.
The people who had just heard the commotion were walking over here.
As the footsteps drew closer, everyone hiding behind the straw stacks held their breath.
As the man approached, he looked around.
The surrounding courtyard was dimly lit, but the spot he found with his torch was instantly illuminated.
Meanwhile, Lin Qixia, who was hiding in the shadows, led them further into the darkness.
This went on for quite a while, until the man was certain that the surroundings were completely quiet and there was nothing there.
He then turned and walked in another direction, gradually leaving.
"Run!"
At this moment, Lin Qixia seized the opportunity and gestured for them to leave.
Lin Xiao and He Zhilan carefully led the children around the bandits and entered a relatively quiet courtyard that had already been searched by them.
When there was hardly anyone around, Tian Ye'er lowered her voice and said to Lin Qixia, "My mother—my mother has been taken away!"
"Don't worry, I will rescue your mother," Lin Qixia said, pressing her shoulder.
Lin Qixia turned to everyone and whispered, "Big brother, sister-in-law, you should take the children and hide in the cellar first."
As he spoke, he opened the cellar door.
He Zhilan went down into the cellar first to help Tian Ye'er and Lin Yi down.
While the others were entering the cellar, Lin Xiao noticed that Lin Qixia was standing on top and did not intend to go in.
He frowned and asked her, "If you're not going to hide, what are you going to do next?"
Lin Qixia stopped in her tracks, and then frankly told him, "Those bandits who came to the village tonight might be the same group as the ones we encountered before."
“Now that something has happened in the village, I have to step in and find a solution.”
When she saw those people appear, she immediately thought of the group of people she had encountered on the mountain earlier.
Realizing the situation was not simple, and that if she didn't step in, things might get worse, she felt responsible.
After hearing what she said, Lin Xiao, who had already half-entered the cellar, came out again.
"Brother?" Lin Qixia looked at him in confusion.
Lin Xiao said, "I can't let you go alone."
Lin Qixia was stunned for a second upon hearing Lin Xiao's words.
She smiled and nodded to Lin Xiao: "Okay."
Lin Qixia was deeply moved that her older brother was willing to help her so much, especially in such a critical moment.
"I'm going too!" He Zhilan shouted as she poked her head out of the cellar.
However, Lin Xiao and Lin Qixia both said to her seriously, "No!"
"The children need you, so you should stay here."
He Zhilan frowned, "You—"
Seeing their determined expressions, she pursed her lips and finally gave in, "Alright then, be careful and come back safely."
Lin Qixia responded and told her to keep an eye on Tian Ye'er and Lin Yi.
Afterwards, she left together with Lin Xiao and Huo Yanqing.
"Where will those bandits take people? What is their purpose?" Lin Xiao asked on the way.
The entire village was now empty; everyone had been taken away.
For a moment, they even had the illusion that everyone had simply vanished.
As Lin Qixia walked quickly, she analyzed, "Many villages nearby suffered before, but our village was the only one that escaped unscathed."
"This is because Xiahe Village was notoriously poor before, but this year—the news of everyone's bumper harvest has spread."
"In addition, we encountered one of their groups during the day today, which caught their attention."
In the end, Lin Qixia felt a little guilty: "In the end, it's all because of me."
"It wasn't you!" Huo Yanqing suddenly spoke up, not wanting her to blame herself like that.
It was because he didn't completely wipe them out.
Thinking of this, a chilling aura emanated from the young man.
Lin Qixia felt that he was just trying to comfort her, but she didn't want to continue the topic, so she changed the subject and said, "Okay, let's go find them. I think I know where they are now."
"Where?" Lin Xiao asked.
But just as he asked the question, a scream came from not far ahead.
“That’s it.” Lin Qixia’s expression hardened as she stared in that direction.
They quickened their pace until they reached a place surrounded by a group of bandits, where Lin Qixia stopped.
She pointed to a corner of the house next door, suggesting they go there to hide and observe the situation.
At the very least, Lin Qixia wanted to figure out what these people were trying to do.
"What do you want with us after bringing us here?"
Clearly, the villagers of Xiahe Village thought the same thing, so someone asked a question.
The others echoed this sentiment, even though they were terrified by the sudden appearance of these bandits.
Why? Isn't it obvious?
The leader of those bandits, the guy surnamed Cheng, simply addressed a group of villagers who were squatting on the ground.
"Your village has had a rare bumper harvest this year, and the news has already spread throughout Lichong County."
"How can we not share such a good thing with everyone?"
As soon as he said this, everyone else chimed in: "That's right, we're all from neighboring villages. You can't just shut yourselves up and eat meat while everyone else goes hungry, can you?"
Chen Weizhong was quite old, and now he was being held back and standing to the side. Hearing their words, he understood.
He took a deep breath and asked, "How many do you want?"
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