They walked through the dense forest for nearly two hours before finally emerging.
When they stopped to rest, everyone took off the cloths covering their faces, except for Yun Shiyi.
Lin Yinan asked Yun Shiyi, "Where are we now?"
After thinking for a moment, Yun Shiyi said, "We should be in Dongshui County right now."
"Ah! We've gone this far!" Qianwu exclaimed in surprise.
Yun Shiyi nodded. "Let's go a little further and continue up the mountain. We'll try to find a cave to spend the night in before dark."
After drinking some water and eating some dry rations, they continued on their way.
They continued walking through the woods, but there were clear signs that humans had lived there before.
Someone used to chop firewood here!
The Chika sisters were so tired from riding their horses that they were starting to feel drowsy.
Lin Yinan had been paying close attention to her surroundings when suddenly her ears twitched.
Yun Shiyi, who was riding alongside her, noticed her movements and was about to ask her a question when Lin Yinan gestured for him to be quiet and pointed outside the woods.
"There's movement!"
Upon hearing this, the guards behind them all drew their swords from their waists in a flash, startling the Chika sisters so much that they almost fell off their horses.
The group continued on their horses and soon emerged from the woods into a vast, open field.
Crops are planted in the field, and rows of corn seedlings are almost half a person tall.
In the distance, in a cornfield, a group of villagers were chasing some kind of animal with hoes and shovels, trampling down a large patch of corn, and shouting loudly.
The animal being chased kept making grunting noises; it was a wild boar!
As they got closer, the wild boar, driven mad by the chase, immediately stopped, turned around, and glared fiercely at the villagers chasing it.
It roared a few times and charged at the villagers with its long fangs.
The villagers were thrown into chaos, screaming and fleeing in all directions.
The battle turned in an instant. The villagers' shouts greatly aroused the wild boars, and they all chased after the villagers who had scattered.
"Oh no! A wild boar has attacked someone."
Lin Yinan immediately pulled out the crossbow hanging on the horse's back, tore off the cloth bag covering it, filled the crossbow box, and leaped off the horse.
Before leaving, she reminded the Chika and her sister to stay where they were.
"Protect the lady!" Upon seeing this, Yun Shiyi and his guards drew their swords and gave chase.
The closest villager was tripped by a clod of earth in the ground. The wild boar, which was in hot pursuit, was about to point its sharp tusks at the villager's stomach.
At this critical moment, an arrow gleaming with cold light flew swiftly, piercing the wild boar's neck with a soft thud. The immense force knocked it to the ground, and before it could react, the boar struggled to its feet.
"Whoosh!" A second arrow pierced its eye.
An intense pain struck, and the wild boar let out a terrible scream.
Lin Yinan touched the ground with her toes, drew her dagger, and slashed the wild boar's neck with force. Then she drew two arrows and put them into the quiver at her waist.
All of this happened so fast that the villagers didn't realize what was happening until Lin Yinan was far away. He kicked the dead wild boar with his foot, a smile of relief spreading across his face.
Yun Shiyi and the guards, with Lin Yinan at the center, dealt with the wild boars running around them to prevent them from hurting her.
Lin Yinan acted swiftly and decisively, quickly dealing with the two wild boars that had attacked the villagers.
She stepped forward, pulled out the last arrow stuck in the wild boar's body, wiped the blood off it, and put it back in the quiver.
Hong Mu pushed away the wild boar that was pinning him down and struggled to his feet.
His eyes sparkled as he stared at the woman dressed in black, who looked like an ethereal being, and he uttered words of gratitude.
Lin Yinan frowned, her gaze sweeping over the man who wore a short-sleeved jacket, had a dark, healthy complexion, and a muscular chest.
She tried to communicate, "Are you talking to me? I... I don't understand what you're saying?"
After speaking, she turned to leave, but Hong Mu stopped her, pointing at the wild boar on the ground, then at her, still speaking in a language that Lin Yinan couldn't understand.
"No need for thanks. I don't want the wild boar, you can take it." Lin Yinan waved her hand at him and gestured.
The remaining wild boars were frightened and ran back into the forest.
Lin Yinan pointed to the bleeding wound on his arm, "You're injured, go get it bandaged."
Hong Mu was about to say something more when Yun Shiyi and his guards blocked his way with their swords drawn.
Just then, the villagers, carrying tools, walked towards them.
"It's better to avoid trouble during the National Day holiday; let's not get into a conflict with them," Lin Yinan advised.
"Yes, Madam!"
The villagers walked up to Hong Mu and looked at Lin Yinan and the others who had helped them kill the wild boar.
An older man, who was leading the group, said something, and the villagers immediately put down their tools, knelt down one by one, and kowtowed repeatedly to them.
Hong Mu walked up to the old man and whispered something in his ear, and the old man's eyes lit up.
He then stepped forward and bowed to Lin Yinan and the others.
He said in broken Chinese, "Thank you so much for your help!"
"It was nothing, no need to thank me," Yun Shiyi said politely.
Not wanting to waste too much time here, Lin Yinan turned to leave, but Hong Mu hurriedly stepped forward to stop her.
"Where are you headed, my benefactor? You've hunted down so many wild boars, why not have a meal before you go?" the old man asked again.
Hong Mu stared at Lin Yinan and nodded to her, indicating that he wanted her to agree to stay for dinner.
Lin Yinan glanced at him and said in a cold voice, "Old man, we are heading to Chi'an and cannot linger here for too long. Thank you for the invitation!"
Hong Mu patted the old man's chest and mumbled something.
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