In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

The orders were issued one by one in an orderly manner.

Under his direction, the initially panicked crowd quickly established a temporary, fragile but effective order.

They were like a swarm of headless flies, finally finding their queen bee.

After arranging everything, Qin Shaolang felt his mental exhaustion worsen.

Managing so many people is much more tiring than surviving alone in the wild.

He no longer only needed to consider his own survival, but also the basic needs of nearly a hundred people, including their food, drink, and sanitation, as well as their potential emotional breakdowns.

He walked back behind the boulder, intending to rest against it for a while.

He needed to seize every minute to recover his physical strength and energy, because he knew that the real test was yet to come.

The main force of the government troops was nearby, and their operation to suppress the bandits could begin at any moment. Gunshots and shouts of killing could reach this place, and every sound would be a huge test of the mentality of the people in the valley.

He must be in top condition to deal with any unexpected situations that may arise.

He had just sat down when a figure silently walked over and stopped beside him.

It's Su Jin.

She had already settled Su Tang in and covered her with an old piece of clothing.

"Mr. Qin," she said softly.

"Hmm?" Qin Shaolang didn't open his eyes, but just responded through his nose.

"I just counted all of our water pouches," Su Jin said in a low voice, but her words were clear. "Even if we drink sparingly, we won't last more than two days."

Qin Shaolang suddenly opened his eyes.

He quickly did some mental calculations.

With nearly a hundred people, even if each person is only given a small sip of water to moisten their throats each day, the consumption is still extremely high.

When they escaped, most of them were in a hurry and didn't have much water with them.

This is a fatal problem.

Food can last for a few days, but dehydration, especially under such high stress, can quickly lead to dehydration, which in turn causes chaos and unrest.

At that point, forget about keeping quiet; people might even start fighting over a sip of water.

He focused all his attention on external threats, completely ignoring this most basic and fatal internal crisis.

"I understand." Qin Shao-Lang's voice was a little hoarse.

He stood up and looked deeper into the valley.

It was pitch black there, and the terrain seemed to be slowly rising.

"You stay here and watch over things, don't go anywhere," he told Su Jin.

After saying that, he picked up a stone from the ground, took out the sharp skinning knife from his pocket, and walked silently into the darkness deep in the valley.

Su Jin watched his solitary figure disappear into the darkness, opened her mouth as if to ask him what he was doing, but ultimately said nothing.

She silently returned to her sister's side and sat down, her gaze fixed on the thick, impenetrable darkness.

The night was as dark as ink, completely engulfing Qin Shaolang's figure.

Deep in the valley, it was as if the gaping maw of a giant beast was open, its silence unsettling.

Su Jin sat there, motionless.

She could hear her own heartbeat, one beat after another, exceptionally clear in the cold air.

Time stretched out infinitely in the darkness.

Every minute, every second felt like torture.

She didn't know what Qin Shaolang was going to do, but she could guess that it must be related to water.

But where can we find water in this pitch-black night, in this unfamiliar valley?

What if... what if he encounters some danger?

For example, a lurking wild beast, or soldiers and scouts who haven't gone far?

The moment this thought popped into her head, Su Jin's heart clenched.

She instinctively hugged her younger sister tighter. Su Tang's warm breath brushed against her neck, offering her a small measure of comfort.

Don't panic.

Su Jin told herself.

That man wasn't reckless. Everything he did had its reasons.

From buying the sisters to killing Zhao the Cripple, and then leading nearly a hundred people to hide in the valley.

He has been creating miracles.

This time, it will definitely work too.

She tried to convince herself of this, but her body's instincts betrayed her. Her palms were already covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

She wasn't the only one awake in the valley.

Many people huddled in dark corners, eyes wide open, enduring the torment of fear and thirst.

Time passes little by little.

An hour has passed.

Qin Shaolang has not returned yet.

An uncontrollable commotion began to rise in the crowd.

"Then... why hasn't Mr. Qin returned yet?" A hoarse voice rang out in the darkness, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

"Could it be... that he ran away on his own?" another voice chimed in, filled with malice and panic.

"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting!" Wang Tiezhu snapped in a low voice. "Mr. Qin went to help us figure out a solution. If he wanted to run away, he would have done it alone long ago. Why would he need to drag us along as a burden?"

"But it's been so long... what can we do in this pitch black?"

"Yes, my child's lips are so cracked from thirst..."

Despair, like a plague, spread silently in the darkness.

Food can be endured, but the pain of dehydration is real, constantly crushing people's will.

Even Wang Tiezhu's heart began to pound.

He believed in Mr. Qin's character, but he also knew that in such dire circumstances, human strength was sometimes limited.

Just then, Su Jin stood up.

Her cool voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone nearby.

"He will come back."

Five simple words, without explanation or reassurance, yet carrying an undeniable firmness.

The restless crowd instantly quieted down.

Everyone looked at this woman who had been silent all along, yet was so beautiful that she seemed otherworldly.

In their minds, these were slaves that Mr. Qin had bought, and they were his people.

Her words, to some extent, also represented Mr. Qin.

"Everyone, return to your positions." Su Jin's voice remained cold. "Anyone who dares to speak nonsense and disturb the peace will be the first to be dealt with when Mr. Qin returns."

Her tone carried a kind of authority that was completely at odds with her delicate appearance.

The magnanimity that only those who have long held positions of power possessed was fully revealed at this moment.

The people who were initially restless actually quieted down after her shout, and one by one they shrank back into the darkness.

Wang Tiezhu glanced at Su Jin with some surprise, his awe of this "Madam Qin" deepening even further.

And at this moment, in the deepest part of the valley.

Qin Shaolang was kneeling at the foot of a steep cliff.

He didn't light a fire; he acted entirely based on his sense of touch and the rich geological knowledge he had accumulated in his previous life.

As soon as he entered the depths of the valley, he found that the air here was much more humid than at the valley entrance.

This is a good omen.