Exile? A mad, wicked woman empties the national treasury to escape famine.

"So what do we do? This won't work, that won't work, and if we wait any longer until dawn, we won't be able to escape!"

"Yes, this is our only chance. I really want to leave here. I don't want to die here."

Tonight is their only chance to escape, and everyone seems a little anxious.

Ji Yunshu didn't say much. After confirming that the bandits had all fallen silent, she looked at the moonlight around her and whistled.

The others didn't know what she meant and looked at each other in confusion. Just as they were about to ask again, a dark figure crept over from not far away.

When the person walked up to them, everyone looked closely and realized that it was Ling Yun!

"Huh? Big brother...you weren't captured by them...?"

"Shut up!"

Before the official could finish speaking, Ling Yun roared and stopped him.

That's really bringing up the very thing you shouldn't be talking about.

The officer was yelled at, pursed his lips, and dared not say another word.

The others didn't say anything either; this wasn't the time to gossip, escaping was the priority!

"How is it? Are all the bandits inside asleep?" Ji Yunshu asked.

"Yes, Your Highness, don't worry. I saw them asleep before I came out. I'll move these things outside for you first, then I'll open the door for you. Please keep your voices down and don't wake the bandits inside. If we alert them, none of us will escape!"

As they spoke, Ling Yun began to move the objects blocking the cage one by one, took out a key from his pocket, and inserted it into the lock.

With a click, the lock opened.

He found the key on Wu Lao Er and Li Er Gou.

Then he picked up the other keys and went to the other cages, unlocking all the locks on them.

Seeing that the door was open, everyone eagerly got out of the cage.

They finally came out.

become free.

My God, this is the first time in my life I've been locked in a cage.

The villagers were also very excited. They thought they were doomed, but they never expected to be able to get out!

In their excitement, they made quite a racket, and Ji Yunshu had to remind them to be quieter.

Fortunately, the villagers knew their limits and kept their voices down. Ji Yunshu led everyone toward the village gate.

There were two bandits patrolling the watchtower, but they were fast asleep. Ji Yunshu led everyone to quietly open the gate of the mountain stronghold.

Have everyone line up and leave the village in an orderly fashion.

She was the last to leave the village.

After walking a few steps, they saw Uncle Wu circling around in the same spot.

Ji Yunshu was slightly surprised. Uncle Wu was the one leading the way, so why was he at the back now?

"Uncle Wu, what are you doing here? Weren't you at the front? Come on, I'll take you away with me."

After saying that, she stepped forward to help Uncle Wu and pulled him along.

Uncle Wu stood still, sighed softly, and pressed down on Ji Yunshu's hand that was pulling him.

"No need, Your Highness. I came here at the very back myself. You should go first. I told you before that my wife was taken away by bandits. We don't know if she's alive or dead now. We've been each other's only family for decades."

At this moment, I can't run away alone; I have to check if she's alive or dead.

Uncle Wu was in tears, saying that if his wife died, he wouldn't want to live alone.

Ji Yunshu was somewhat moved by what she heard.

If we let Uncle Wu go back like this, the bandits will definitely find out. Once they find out, how could Uncle Wu, in his condition, possibly outrun those bandits!

"Alright, Uncle Wu, you go and catch up with the others and leave this place together. Someone will come to pick you up up ahead. I'll go back and help you find Aunt Wu. I promise, whether she's alive or dead, I'll definitely bring you the news, okay?"

Uncle Wu waved his hand.

"No, Your Highness, no! You've already helped us so much, risking your life to bring us out of the bandits' stronghold. We're already very grateful. How can we let you do this!"

"I'm just an old man; if I'm discovered, I'll die. But Your Highness, you can't! You're a good person; if anyone should be escaping, it should be you!"

He went back to find his wife with the intention of dying, how could he implicate Ji Yunshu?

She was still a woman, and once captured and captured by those bandits, her fate was predictable.

"Uncle Wu, just trust me. I'll be fine. Look, didn't I lead everyone away from the stronghold quietly tonight? Since I dare to go back, I must have my own way. Don't worry, those bandits can't hurt me."

Uncle Wu wanted to say more, but Ji Yunshu interrupted him.

"Alright, Uncle Wu, it's settled then. You go and catch up with the group, right? If we drag this out any longer, the bandits might find out and cause trouble. In that case, none of us will be able to escape."

After saying that, Ji Yunshu turned and left without waiting for Uncle Wu to speak again.

As he walked, he turned around and waved to Uncle Wu, signaling him to run quickly.

Tears welled up in Wu Bo's eyes, and he wiped them away with trembling hands. Watching Ji Yunshu's departing figure, he cried uncontrollably.

He really didn't deserve to meet Ji Yunshu who helped them!

My dear wife, you must hold on! How can I live without you?

Only after Ji Yunshu's figure had completely disappeared did Uncle Wu turn around and slowly make his way towards the direction where everyone had vanished.

Having spent most of his life in the mountains, he was very familiar with the terrain and soon caught up with the group.

Xie Moyao, carried on Xie Lin's back, kept a close eye on Ji Yunshu's movements. Knowing that Ji Yunshu and Uncle Wu were behind them, he assumed they were just walking a little slower.

After Wu Bo caught up with him, Xie Moyao realized that only Wu Bo had returned.

The other people in the Prince's Mansion had also been paying attention to Ji Yunshu.

Seeing that she wasn't in the group, everyone became a little anxious.

"Uncle Wu, what happened? Wasn't my third sister-in-law always with you? You're back, so where is she? Did she come with you?"

"Yes, where is the princess? Where has our princess gone?"

Uncle Wu lowered his head with some guilt, tears streaming down his face.

"It's all my fault, all my fault! I said I wanted to go back to find my husband, but the princess insisted that I come back. She went back to the bandits' den alone. I'm too old to catch up with her. What am I going to do!"

Now everyone was getting a little anxious.

Xie Moyao's expression was serious. "Uncle Wu, don't be anxious. Tell us what happened. Did the Princess leave any instructions before she left?"

Uncle Wu wiped away his tears, thinking about Ji Yunshu's words, and then excitedly said, "Yes, yes, yes, the princess said that she would definitely be alright, and that those bandits couldn't hurt her. She also said that we should keep going forward and return the way we came, and someone would come to meet us."

Is someone there to meet you?

In this desolate wilderness, who will come to their aid?

The night was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Having just escaped from the bandits' den, they couldn't even tell which way was which.

Listening to Uncle Wu's words, Xie Moyao was somewhat worried about Ji Yunshu, but he also knew that Ji Yunshu was not entirely sure that she would not return to the bandit's den.

With Ji Yunshu's abilities, those bandits really shouldn't be able to do anything to her.

"Since my wife says she'll be fine, then she should be fine. She said someone will meet us up ahead, so someone definitely will. If we go back the way we came, we should be able to run into the rescue team."

……

Ji Yunshu, you must stay safe and sound, don't let me down.

Damn it, she didn't even discuss it with him before going back all by herself!

Where is Xie Mu? Did he go back with her?

But thinking back to how he had previously asked Xie Mu to follow Ji Yunshu, and how Ji Yunshu had gotten angry, he had stopped asking Xie Mu to follow her.

His heart clenched again.

He subconsciously searched for Xie Mu's figure around him, and sure enough, he saw a figure on a tree branch not far away. Judging from the figure, it was indeed Xie Mu.

That means Ji Yunshu went back to the bandit stronghold alone?

Xie Moyao was a little annoyed, but he still organized everyone and led them back the way they came.

It's unclear who the reinforcements Ji Yunshu was referring to actually were.

Moreover, she stayed with them the whole time, even when she was captured and imprisoned with them in the bandit stronghold. How could she have had time to notify reinforcements?

In the village

Ji Yunshu returned to the place where they had been imprisoned without any trouble. The bandits were still fast asleep.

She quietly arrived at the backyard of the village and searched around. In the kitchen, she found several women who were being held captive. They were dressed as rural women and were probably the ones who cooked for the bandits.

Ji Yunshu released everyone and asked them if they had seen Aunt Wu. One of the women said...

"I remember the old lady you mentioned. She was captured that day and forced to cook with us. Those bandits thought she was too slow, so they sent her to work in another courtyard by herself. It's been several days now, and we haven't seen her. We don't know if she's alive or dead."

Ji Yunshu nodded, asked no further questions, and gave them directions so they could catch up with the group ahead.

Several women, together, quietly escaped from the mountain village.

Ji Yunshu continued wandering around the bandit stronghold for a while, and sure enough, in a secluded little place, she found Wu Da Niang lying on the ground. Uncle Wu had described Wu Da Niang's appearance to her, and she recognized her at a glance.

Aunt Wu was lying on the ground, completely unresponsive.

Ji Yunshu was alarmed, fearing she was too late. She quickly stepped forward and checked Wu Da Niang's pulse. Only after confirming that she was still alive did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Perhaps due to exhaustion or dehydration, her lips were chapped and her face was pale. Ji Yunshu quickly retrieved some spiritual spring water from her spatial storage and gave it to her to drink.

After waiting for a long time, Aunt Wu's pulse improved a bit, but she still didn't wake up. Ji Yunshu didn't dare to waste any more time, so she sent Aunt Wu into the space as well.

He got up and continued wandering around the village, trying to see if there were any other people being imprisoned.

They searched the entire village but didn't see any more imprisoned people or find any valuable treasures.

Ji Yunshu pursed her lips. Such a large bandit stronghold, yet there wasn't a single piece of gold or silver. The last bit of money they found was in the bandit leader's room, under his pillow, and it was pitifully little.

It's no use. After being a bandit for so many years, this is all I have. It's embarrassing to even mention it.

No wonder they're so heartless as to capture so many people to fill their stomachs; it turns out they don't have money to buy anything.

Aside from a few small villages, the closest place to them is Dongyang County, where they left earlier.

These bandits couldn't possibly get into Dongyang County, so they committed all sorts of evil deeds and harmed the local people in the mountains.

It's truly outrageous. These people are just unlucky to have run into her today.

She took out several buckets of gasoline from her storage space and poured them all over the village.

Finally, after confirming that there were no other innocent people in the entire village, she took out a lighter, lit it, and threw it directly into the village.

Wherever gasoline is touched, lust ignites instantly, and in a flash, thick smoke billows and flames fill the sky.

Not long after, a commotion and screams came from the bandit stronghold. She watched for a while with a blank expression.

Then, he turned and left.

The flames behind them grew larger and larger, illuminating the surroundings brighter and brighter, and screams could be heard from behind them from time to time.

Many bandits were burned to death, but some managed to escape.

Among them, the bandit leader was the first to escape.

When he woke up, he saw the house engulfed in flames. His first reaction was to run. As he ran, he told his men to put out the fire, while he himself quickly ran out of the fire.

He stood outside the gate, watching his carefully built stronghold burn to the ground overnight.

He was furious.

"Men, investigate this fire thoroughly! Find out who started it! And what about those people we arrested during the day? Tell them to put out the fire!"

If the village can't be saved, I'll slaughter them all! Slaughter them all!

He had just finished yelling when Li Ergou and Wu Lao'er arrived late, both coughing from the choking fumes, their faces covered in filth.

"Cough cough cough... Big brother, we just went to check, all those people ran away!"

"How could this happen? Weren't they locked up securely? How could they have escaped? We've kept people in that cage for so long, and no one has ever escaped before. They didn't have the key, so how did they open the cage door?!"

He couldn't understand why, since he was the one who watched the person being arrested and locked up last night!

He personally watched the door being locked; how could those people have just run away like that!

He touched the keys at his waist and glared fiercely at the crowd.

"Speak! Did one of you let the person escape? Who did it? Who did it? Hand over all your keys! I want to see who's got the guts!"

Many people had the keys to the prisoner cages. He coldly looked at the crowd, gesturing for them to hand over the keys.

At this moment, whoever cannot produce the key must be the traitor who let those people escape!

Then the blame for this fire in the village will definitely fall on him!

Everyone trembled with fear and quickly took out their keys.

Li Ergou and Wu Lao Er exchanged a glance and quickly took their keys out of their pockets.

They both breathed a sigh of relief.

Previously, Ling Yun had stolen their keys and used them to open those doors and let people go. Fortunately, Ling Yun did not take the keys with him. When they returned and saw that the people had been released, and also saw the keys on the doors, they became cautious and took all the keys back.

Seeing that everyone had their keys, the bandit leader was even more puzzled. Could it be that those people really escaped on their own merits?

How is that possible?

The cage was his meticulously designed design, and it had never malfunctioned over the years.

Wu Lao Er was worried that if the bandit leader continued to ask questions, he would not be able to hide the fact that he had left the party midway, and if the trail led back to him, he would be finished. So he quickly changed the subject.

"Big brother, what do we do now? Should we put out the fire first or chase after the people?"

P.S.: Chapter 104 was missing and has been added to this chapter.