After pampering two villainous cubs, the rough hunter becomes addicted to flirting with her.

Before long, three men arrived at the tree.

Shen Yu looked down through the gaps in the leaves and saw that one of them was thin and short, another was tall and strong, and the third was of medium height. They were all dressed in coarse linen clothes, but had swords at their waists. They were clearly not good people.

The three of them went straight to where she was digging kudzu roots and squatted down to examine the soil.

"This soil was just turned over, no more than a day ago!" the short, thin man said confidently.

"There really are people on the mountain!" the burly man exclaimed excitedly. "This place is so remote, who would come out looking for food in the dead of winter besides Li Xiaoyun's family?"

The three of them immediately became excited and looked around, but couldn't find their way.

Shen Yu secretly rejoiced that the snow had melted, otherwise her footprints would have given her away long ago.

To her surprise, the three of them actually rested on the spot and even dug up some kudzu roots, peeled them, and ate them raw, just like she did.

"Here, have some too." The man of medium build handed over a piece of kudzu root.

"We've been walking all day and we're starving. Let's eat our fill before we start searching again. Even if it's just an earthworm, we'll dig it up!" the burly man said menacingly.

"Hahaha, that Li Xiaoyun dared to play us! Once we catch his family, we'll make him regret it!"

Hearing them mention Li Xiaoyun, Shen Yu's heart sank to the bottom.

They must be talking about Li Xiaoyun!

These people don't seem to be Li Xinyu's guards, so who sent them? What exactly happened after Li Xiaoyun went down the mountain?

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became, and her stomach started growling with hunger.

I only had a bowl of thin porridge this morning, and now I'm thirsty and need to urinate, so I can only hold it in and hope these people will leave soon.

Just as they finished eating the kudzu root and were about to leave, the short, thin man suddenly went to relieve himself under the tree where she was hiding.

Shen Yu was stiff all over and dared not move. Listening to the pattering water, she felt as if every second was an eternity.

"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and find someone! I don't want to stay in this godforsaken place until night!" the man of medium build urged impatiently.

"Haha, you must have drunk too much pee and are thirsty, right?" the burly man teased.

"Shut up!" the short, skinny man cursed, then suddenly pointed to the marks on the tree trunk and said, "Look, wasn't this bark just rubbed off? Someone climbed this tree!"

Following the direction he pointed, the other two also saw fresh scratches leading upwards.

The three exchanged a glance and revealed a strange smile.

Shen Yu's skin crawled instantly. She knew she'd been discovered!

Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, and she clung tightly to the tree branch, trying her best to stay still.

"You mean the people digging for kudzu are hiding in the tree? I'll go up and take a look!" The man of medium build rolled up his sleeves and prepared to climb the tree.

"What's the rush?" The burly man grabbed him. "Why bother? Watch me!"

As he spoke, the burly man took a few steps back and then kicked the tree trunk hard.

The tree began to shake violently. Shen Yu clung tightly to the branches to avoid falling, but the basket lost its balance.

"Knock knock knock!"

The plump kudzu roots rolled out of the basket and landed heavily on the ground with a crisp sound.

"Wow, look at this luck! Food is even falling from the tree!"

"Look at this kudzu root! It's so thick and strong, it looks very filling. It's really a good thing!"

"A tree that can grow kudzu roots? No way, I have to climb it myself and see what kind of amazing tree it is!"

The three of them were playing around when the skinny, monkey-like man used his hands and feet to climb up the tree like a nimble ape.

Shen Yu didn't care about the remaining kudzu roots in the basket. Her fingertips quickly untied the knot at her waist, and with a flick of her wrist, the entire heavy basket of kudzu roots crashed down like hail.

crackling-

"Ouch!"

"Holy crap!"

The two people under the tree were caught off guard and were hit, causing them to run away covering their heads, gasping for breath in pain.

"Damn it! It's dark! Whether it's a person or a ghost up there, drag her down!"

"I never expected the search for this person to go so smoothly today. It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it come to me effortlessly!"

"Hahaha……"

"I heard that Li Xiaoyun's family has a delicate little cousin who's as beautiful as an angel. Could she be the lady in this tree? Hehehe..."

The foul language from under the tree slithered into her ears like venomous snakes. Shen Yu felt a chill run down her spine and used both hands and feet to continue climbing up the rough tree trunk.

The higher she went, the thinner and softer the branches became, and her body swayed violently. In the end, she could barely maintain her balance and had to cling tightly to a thick branch, stopping in mid-air.

"It's that young lady!"

The short, thin man called Black Night had caught up. He squinted and scanned Shen Yu's figure, immediately recognizing her as a woman, and let out a greedy roar.

"Hahaha...Great! Dark Night, grab her quickly!"

"Watch this!" Hei Ye grinned maliciously, using both hands and feet to approach upwards. Shen Yu's heart jumped into her throat, and her eyes quickly scanned her surroundings.

The tree next to us is so close; if we could use the elasticity of its branches to swing over...

But if you lose your grip, falling will be an abyss of no return!

"Little beauty, don't run away. Let your brother take a good look at you. I've heard you're as beautiful as an angel, just how alluring you are...hehehe..."

The laughter in the darkness was lewd and grating, and the person drew closer, the stench almost overwhelming.

Shen Yu suddenly drew a sickle from her waist, its cold light flashing, and shouted sharply, "Don't come any closer! If you take another step, I'll take you down with me!"

Of course she didn't want to die.

But she didn't want to repeat the mistakes of her previous life and live like a dog, barely scraping by.

At worst, we'll fight to the death. If we can drag these three villains down with us, at least we can keep Ya'er and Li Erlang safe!

At that moment, she suddenly realized that she had already regarded them as her real family.

That deep-seated longing for closeness and protection has long surpassed the initial calculation of simply clinging to someone's coattails and seeking personal gain.

In this life, she finally has someone she wants to protect with all her might.

This realization warmed her heart, and her gaze toward the villains before her became even more resolute.

"Oh! A beauty with thorns, huh? But wait until she's in my hands, let's see how stubborn she is then!"

He dodged the scythe's edge with a sidestep, pushed off with his feet, and pounced upwards again.

But the branches at the top of the tree were too thin and soft. When he exerted force, the whole tree shook violently, almost throwing him off.

Shen Yu clung tightly to the tree branch with one hand and brandished her sickle with the other. Wherever the darkness hid, her blade slashed, and for a time, he couldn't get close.