A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

Although the missing orphan was found, the soldiers of Wangbei Camp did not relax and continued to conduct a thorough search of the refugee camp.

In a secluded corner of the refugee camp, five men and women hid in the shadows, watching the encirclement gradually advance. They all looked anxious.

"Brother, they're almost here. We can't hide any longer. What should we do?"

A tall, thin young man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, a hint of panic in his eyes, and looked at a middle-aged man with a scarred face among the group.

Although Scarface was extremely anxious inside, he remained calm on the surface. As the leader of the group, if he also panicked, the team would immediately fall apart.

Scarface glanced at the tall, thin youth and sneered, "Fourth brother, what's your rush? It'll take them at least an hour to search this far!"

"Damn it! We've left those orphans where they are, without touching a single hair on their heads, yet these people from Wangbeiying still won't stop. They're going too far!"

Scarface was also furious, knowing that there were thirty orphans in those tents just now!

Moreover, all of these orphans are exceptionally good-looking; if they were taken to the Central Plains, each one would be worth more than ten taels of silver.

Several of them are exceptionally good-looking and are all potential beauties. With a little nurturing, they could even fetch a high price of fifty taels of silver.

There were also several handsome boys, who were highly sought-after treasures by the gentlemen of the capital, and their resale value was also immense.

These were the children they had been eyeing for a long time, carefully selected, and they had originally planned to take them away in the next couple of days.

Before they could even take action, Zhao Daxuan arrived with his men and launched a thorough search, determined to find them.

An elderly woman with kind eyes in the group frowned. Although she looked like an old woman, she spoke in the voice of a young woman.

"Boss, there's plenty of time in the future, we should go now."

Scarface nodded, a hint of reluctance on his face, and sighed softly.

"Sigh... never mind, let's listen to Fifth Brother, there's always another day, let's make our escape!"

Upon hearing that Scarface had agreed to leave, the tall, thin man who had spoken first immediately beamed with joy.

The tall, thin man took the lead, saying, "I'll lead the way!"

As they spoke, they crouched down and darted forward. This was their planned escape route, which they had all familiarized themselves with twice.

Scarface followed, cursing, "Damn, you're the fastest runner, kid. Are you a rabbit?"

The fifth brother and the remaining two glanced back at the soldiers searching their way, then turned and quickly followed Scarface and his men.

The group followed the shadowy corner to the riverbank next to the camp. This place was deep water and there was no one guarding it.

Scarface took a deep breath, then leaped lightly into the river and disappeared. The others followed him, swimming towards the other side of the river.

Since ordering the search, Zhao Daxuan has deployed his sensory domain to keep a close eye on the situation around the camp.

Just as Scarface and his group left the camp and arrived at the riverbank, Zhao Daxuan had already noticed them.

As Scarface leaped into the river, Zhao Daxuan abruptly stood up, a cold smile curving his lips.

"Hmph! Trying to run? No way!"

Zhao Daxuan shouted coldly, "Fu Bao, bring a team with you!"

Zhao Fubao's expression turned serious. After responding, he led his men to follow Zhao Daxuan across the river.

Zhao Fubao asked, "Sir, is there something wrong?"

"There were a few people acting suspiciously, trying to escape across the river. They're probably the kidnappers we're looking for."

Zhao Fubao's spirits lifted, and he exclaimed excitedly, "That's great! We've been searching for them all night. Just wait and see how I deal with them!"

The group crossed the river via the nearest wooden bridge, and Zhao Daxuan led his men toward the spot where Scarface was about to dock.

The river water was now icy cold, and Scarface trembled all over as he swam with all his might toward the other side.

It was already late at night, and the river was pitch black. They relied entirely on the ropes they had placed in the water beforehand to guide their direction; otherwise, without being able to see the opposite bank, they didn't know how long it would take to swim to the other side.

Scarface swam for a full fifteen minutes in the icy river before finally climbing ashore, panting heavily. The tall, thin man and the others followed him ashore.

"Phew~ I'm exhausted. Those damn soldiers, always meddling in other people's business!"

Scarface was soaked to the bone, his clothes clinging tightly to his body. A gust of cold wind blew by, and he couldn't help but shiver.

At this moment, besides his indignation, his face also showed a hint of relief at escaping.

The tall, thin man crossed his arms, trembling and chattering, and said with a laugh, "Big...Big Brother, Zhao Daxuan has gathered all the orphans. It won't be difficult for us to kidnap a few more later."

"There are at least a thousand orphans in this refugee camp. We can pick a few good ones later. It will just take a little more time."

Scarface nodded. "Never mind that, let's find a place to change my clothes first, I'm freezing."

Scarface stood up, looked around, and dared not light a torch. He could only quickly determine the direction before walking away into the distance.

The group pushed through the grass along the riverbank and groped their way forward. Suddenly, the scarred man leading the way stopped, and the tall, thin man following closely behind him almost bumped into him.

The tall, thin man asked, puzzled, "Boss, what's wrong?"

After waiting for a while without receiving a response, the tall, thin man and his companions peeked out. When they saw what was in front of them, they froze instantly.

Ahead, Zhao Daxuan and his men blocked their path, looking at them with a mocking expression.

The tall, thin man stared wide-eyed, exclaiming, "This...how is this possible! How did they get here!"

Their hearts sank lower and lower, and they all felt that they had really failed this time.

Scarface glared menacingly at Zhao Daxuan, and said coldly, "How did you find out?"

Zhao Daxuan's lips curled into a mocking smile: "Want to know? I'm not telling you! Hahahaha..."

A flash of anger crossed Scarface's eyes; he felt like he was being made a fool of.

Since the other party could find him so accurately, the previous search of the camp was just a show.

Zhao Daxuan's plan was definitely to force them to cross the frozen river, making them believe they had escaped, and then capture them when they were full of hope.

A sense of humiliation welled up in his heart, and a flash of anger appeared in Scarface's eyes. He pulled out a forearm-length dagger from his body, gritted his teeth, and charged towards Zhao Daxuan.

"With just a dozen or so of you, you think you can catch us so easily!"

Scarface and his companions were all highly skilled, usually capable of taking on three opponents at once.

Even if Scarface could capture these dozen or so soldiers, he would still break one of their teeth.