The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

As dawn broke, the campsite gradually came alive with noise as people started cooking and lighting fires, breaking the silence of the mountains and forests.

The fifth brother sat by the fire, simmering hot soup, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth. He muttered impatiently, "Big brother is really something. That kid is stupid, clumsy, and stinky. He doesn't know anything when we ask him anything, and he won't even let us do anything to him."

"We've searched for so long but haven't been able to find it. There's nothing we can do, brother."

"Let him go out and scout the way today. I want to ask him some more questions. If he still doesn't know anything..." As he spoke, he raised his hand and gestured with his neck, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

Before long, the two men carried food to the earthen pit where the prisoners were held.

Da Niu was given a bunch of random mushrooms and vegetable leaves, while Xiong Bo received a bowl of steaming soup.

Da Niu grabbed a mushroom and stuffed it into his mouth.

The fifth brother, standing to the side, had a cold and sharp gaze, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. "You understood that picture, do you know where it is?"

If the person answers "I don't know," he will immediately draw his sword and take his head.

Da Niu chewed on a mushroom, not even raising his head, and spoke in a muffled voice, both hurried and smug: "Oh, I understand, I understand, brother. Your drawings are too hasty. Next time you should find some scholars to draw them. If they were clearer, I wouldn't have wasted so much time. I stayed up all night, and this morning I finally figured it out."

I know that place very well, I'll take you there!

The fifth brother slowly released his grip on the sword hilt, raising an eyebrow in scrutiny: "Really?"

Da Niu swallowed the last mushroom and patted his chest vigorously: "It couldn't be more true! If I hadn't been there by chance before, I dare say no one in Luan Yun Ridge would have been able to find it! It's extremely remote! Nobody goes there on weekdays, it's damp all year round, and snakes and insects are everywhere."

Even the trees inside look weird and creepy. What are you all doing going there?

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

Da Niu awkwardly shut his mouth.

The fifth brother and another person waited until Xiong Bo finished eating, cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, and left. They returned a short while later, carrying a roll of rope.

"Tie him up and lead the way."

"Brother, could you please not tie me up? My hands are tied, I can't walk steadily. I promise I'll behave myself—"

Before he could finish speaking, Da Niu was kicked hard.

After his hands were tightly bound with thick rope, he was led to the horse and the other end of the rope was tied to the side of the saddle.

Xiong Bo slowly climbed out of the pit with someone's help and followed behind Da Niu.

Only two people remained to guard the camp, while the rest of the people packed up and set off.

The leader in black, carrying a bow and arrows, sat atop a tall horse.

"Walk!"

Zhao Hu nestled in a grassy hollow behind a large rock on the mountaintop. His eyelids were heavy and his body was cold. He hadn't slept all night, and the sudden change from warm clothes had caused his body temperature to drop, so drowsiness washed over him in waves.

He covered his mouth and yawned deeply, then picked up a thin, short twig to prop open his eyelids.

Before he could even open his other eye, Zhao Hu suddenly stopped moving, his ear twitched slightly, as if he had heard a faint disturbance.

He quietly got up, parted the grass, and looked down, but his view was obscured by the trees, and he couldn't see anyone. He listened intently and faintly heard the neighing of a horse?

I'm not sure, let me listen again.

The leader in black raised his hand and lightly patted the horse's back. "Behave yourself!"

Perhaps he stepped on some sharp pebble, for his horse suddenly became restless.

He tightened the reins, and the horse snorted and gradually calmed down.

"Brother, your horse is really handsome! It must be worth over a hundred taels of silver. If I can help you find one, could you give me a foal as a reward? You see, I'm already of marriageable age. If I had a horse as a betrothal gift, wow, girls from all around would be vying to marry into my family."

The ox, which was being led by a rope, suddenly spoke in a loud, obsequious voice.

"What are you yelling about?" the guard behind him shouted sternly.

Da Niu scratched his head, feigning naivety: "Sorry, brother, I was born with a loud voice. Back in the Northwest camp, I was the one who always called everyone to eat."

Before he could finish speaking, Da Niu got kicked again. "Can't stop? Hmph, then shut up. If you keep yelling..."

With his hands bound, Da Niu lost his balance and stumbled to the ground. He was dragged forward by the horses, with stones and branches scraping against his thin clothes. No one stopped.

Xiong Bo frowned, feigning disgust, and said, "You've got him all dragged up, he's filthy and smelly, how am I supposed to walk? Besides, he's supposed to lead the way, how can he tell which way to go while he's being dragged like this!"

The leader in black then reined in his horse, and the procession came to a temporary halt.

Zhao Hu, standing atop the mountain, recognized Da Niu's voice the moment it rang out! Although it was faint and carried far away by the wind, he was certain it was Da Niu.

He is still alive!

He slowly retreated to an excellent concealed position, raised his hand to pick up the whistle on his chest, put it in his mouth, and gently blew out a sharp and short whistle.

-

A clear and sharp voice rang out in the Luanyun Ridge mountains.

The whistle drifted away through the dense forests, its sound becoming somewhat indistinct.

The big ox, who had just gotten up, suddenly widened his eyes in shock.

What was that sound?

"How come I've never heard such a sharp, short bird song before?"

"Who cares what kind of bird it is? It's probably a carrion bird from the deep mountains. It's just making a fuss because the weather is getting warmer."

"I've never heard of that before. It's awful, it's grating on the ears."

The guards whispered among themselves.

Others might not know, but Da Niu did. It was the sound of the whistle on the entrenching tool, the one Tiger had blown. It was Tiger, it was the villagers, they had come looking for him!

Da Niu's eyes welled up with a slight moisture, but he quickly raised his head and blinked hard to suppress the heat.

Don't panic, and don't let anyone notice.

……

Suppressing the urge to immediately go down and investigate, Zhao Hu quietly lay in wait for nearly half an hour. Only when he could no longer hear any sound did he use the cover of the trees to stealthily make his way towards the camp.

Following the marks left by Da Niu, he carried the electric shock device and slowly moved towards the camp.

About half an hour later, they successfully arrived at the outskirts of the camp.

Using the trees as cover, he peered inside and could vaguely see a pit and a few small fires. Further away, there were several drab tents and a makeshift sentry post made of wood.

There was another person on the wooden frame.

Zhao Hu narrowed his eyes and slowed his breathing. He still couldn't confirm how many people were inside and had to wait.

……

Xinghua rubbed her numb and sore calves. There were many insects and ants in this forest, and they had already been bitten many times with red spots.

Gou Ya remained motionless, like a statue.

They had been lying in wait here since the beginning of the Yin hour (3-5 AM), for nearly three hours. From pitch black to broad daylight, no one knew whether this was the place those people were looking for, nor did they know when they would arrive.

Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, they'll wait.

The clatter of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached.

Gou Ya's eyes twitched.

She slowly turned her head and met Xinghua's gaze.

Their eyes gleamed with a burning light; they had waited for this moment!

"Proceed according to plan."

Xinghua stood up.

Gou Ya, holding onto the bamboo basket with one hand, checked the camouflage on her and Xinghua's backs again, nodded, and the two parted the grass and went out.

"Stop! There's some noise ahead."

The leader in black raised his hand, signaling the people behind him to stop. Didn't that country bumpkin say this place was remote and no one would come here? Then what's all this commotion about?

The fifth brother gripped his sword tightly: "I'll go take a look."

A row of guards behind him drew their bows.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the fifth brother returned, followed by two timid, dark-faced girls. "Big brother, they are two lost village maids. They said they were chased up the mountain by their families and were not allowed to return until they found food, so they went deep into the mountains."

The leader in black squinted, looking at the two men's trouser legs, which were soaked with dew. He wasn't lying; they had indeed spent the night in the mountains.

"kill--"

"Let's save it for later." Xiong Bo sighed, looking at Da Niu, who was trembling uncontrollably.

"If there's a trigger mechanism there, all three of them can use it."

Xinghua looked up at the group with some surprise, her gaze lingering briefly on the dazed Da Niu.

They had prepared another excuse, and if that didn't work, they would have to take action ahead of schedule. Unexpectedly, there were people in the group who spoke up for them.

Gou Ya quietly withdrew her hand from the bamboo basket, her eyes quickly filling with tears, her face filled with terror: "Don't kill me, don't... I'll be good."

"Keep up!"

The fifth brother looked at the two thin, ragged village girls and spat in disgust.

These lowly people from the mountains, they're like fleas, jumping out one after another.