Top-notch Little Horseman

Seeing that Ye Chen didn't leave, Xiao Yu, who was following behind, looked at him with a hint of doubt.

"Sir, what's wrong?" A-Wu asked directly.

"Something might have happened at Huangchen Pass! Quick, let's go!" Ye Chen said, and took off running.

When the others heard that something had happened at Huangchen Pass, they immediately followed Ye Chen and ran over there.

……

About two hours after Ye Chen and the others left, Qin Mengyao tidied up the entire Desolate Dust Pass again.

She cherishes her new home very much.

Although she was a young lady from a wealthy family, she had already adapted to surviving in harsh conditions during her time in Ye Chen's thatched hut.

A woman should follow her husband wherever he goes, whether he's a chicken or a dog!

Now that she was Ye Chen's woman, she was determined to live a good life with him.

She stood at the door for a while, then turned around to check the supplies she had brought from Ma Ying.

There was rice and meat, which was quite a good amount, but the quantity was a bit small. This was the food that would sustain the 11 of them for the next period of time.

These grains must be hidden well; if they are lost, they will likely starve to death in the desolate pass.

She took a deep breath and turned to walk towards the yard.

I felt I should have something to do, so I carefully arranged the stones in the corner of the yard next to the stove.

Clang!

Just then, the courtyard gate suddenly moved!

It wasn't the kind of movement caused by the wind, but rather by someone pushing it.

The voice was very soft, as if it were a tentative probe.

Qin Mengyao's hand stopped.

She didn't say anything, slowly stood up, and her gaze fell on the courtyard gate.

The door was supported by two wooden beams at an angle. Yesterday, Ye Chen lifted the door panel and propped it up with stones underneath, but it could still be pushed open a crack from the outside.

Immediately afterwards, the gate moved again, this time with significantly more force.

A two-finger-width gap appeared between the door panel and the door frame. Through the gap, Qin Mengyao could see a brown hem of clothing.

She hadn't seen that hem of the garment before, which meant the person who had come was a stranger!

She immediately remembered Ye Chen's instructions before he left, and without hesitation, she set fire to the haystack in the yard.

She then quickly retreated to the main room and closed the door tightly.

The door to the main room wasn't latched, so she had to drag the three-legged table over and use it to block the door from behind.

She retreated in fear to the innermost corner of the earthen bed, her delicate body trembling as she squatted down and hugged her knees.

"Da da da!..."

Soon, footsteps could be heard in the courtyard; judging from the sound, there were probably no fewer than 10 people.

"Damn it, where is this smoke coming from? It looks like the beacon fires from our watchtowers!"

A rough, hoarse voice rang out in the courtyard!

"Who cares! We're starving, let's go find something to eat."

The second voice was even hoarser, like a fishbone stuck in the throat.

Qin Mengyao listened quietly to the sounds outside, and then they walked to the stove.

They kicked the repaired iron pot, making a dull thud.

Then came the sound of it rolling down. It didn't seem to break. It rolled twice on the ground, making a clattering sound.

"Damn it! There's nothing here!"

"Damn it! There shouldn't be no food. It looks like someone lives here, so there should be something."

"Let's go to the side rooms, let's check them out first!"

The group of people, cursing and swearing, walked towards the side room.

That was where the nine horse herders slept last night, and it had all been cleaned up.

The door was pushed open with a creak, and the sound of things being rummaged through came from inside.

"Someone lives here, so why is there so little food? Where did they hide all the food?"

"Since it's not here, it must be hidden in the main house. Let's go to the main house!"

The footsteps moved quickly toward the main house, each one like a heavy hammer pounding on Qin Mengyao's heart.

Qin Mengyao hugged her knees even tighter, her fingers gripping her sleeves.

The footsteps grew closer, and then the door was pushed, but it wouldn't budge.

The table was propped up behind the door, its legs wedged into dents in the dirt.

"Is someone there?" came a soft exclamation from outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, the force of pushing the door increased, and the table wobbled, its legs scraping a shallow groove in the ground with a sharp scraping sound.

Qin Mengyao felt her heart leap like a giant deer.

She stared intently at the door, and through the gap between the door panel and the frame, she saw a hand.

Those fingers were short and thick, and the crevices under their nails were completely black.

The hand gripped the edge of the door and pushed it inwards with all its might.

"There's something blocking it from inside."

"The person is definitely inside."

"Two people, push together with all your might."

Several shadows flickered outside the door crack, as if adjusting their positions.

Qin Mengyao closed her eyes. She knew what would happen to her if this door were pushed open.

She had made up her mind that even if she were to die, she would never let these people defile her body.

She reached out and grasped a small knife, which Ye Chen had left her for self-defense.

However, just then, a loud shout came from the courtyard: "Stop!"

"Who are you people? Stop it, all of you!"

Just when things were at their most critical, Xiao Fei and A Qiang returned.

They were searching the area around the checkpoint when they suddenly saw black smoke rising from inside the checkpoint, and immediately rushed towards it.

No matter what, they couldn't let anything happen to Qin Mengyao, so the two of them rushed to the pass with all their might.

Fortunately, she returned in time and Qin Mengyao was unharmed.

Hearing the explosion coming from the courtyard, Qin Mengyao's tense heart immediately relaxed.

They're back! Brother Chen's men are back, so I'll be safe!

The two hands outside the crack in the door withdrew, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

"Damn it, these are... these are government officials!"

"Judging from the footsteps, there should only be two people. Let's go check it out."

Qin Mengyao listened to the commotion outside but didn't move an inch. She remained squatting in the corner, hugging her knees.

She would absolutely not go out as long as Ye Chen didn't return.

"Who are you? Who gave you permission to trespass into the Desolate Dust Pass?" Ah Qiang brandished a curved sword, staring intently at the ten people approaching.

Afei raised a crossbow bolt, the arrow gleaming coldly, and aimed it intently at the front, at a square-faced man.

The square-faced man looked at the two men in front of him, then waved his hand, signaling his nine brothers to take a step back.

"Brothers, we are refugees from the neighborhood. We were starving, so we came in hoping to find something to eat," the square-faced man said, bowing to A-Qiang Hong.

"Refugees?" A-Fei chuckled and said, "Whether you are real refugees or fake refugees, since you have trespassed into our Desolate Dust Pass, we cannot let you leave."

"If you don't want to suffer the consequences, don't make any rash moves. We'll wait for our captain to return!"

The square-faced man looked at the arrow that A-Fei was pointing at him, then turned to look at the curved knife in A-Qiang's hand.

These weapons were extraordinary, and he dared not act rashly.

"Brother Biao, judging from what he said, they are border troops newly stationed at Huangchen Pass, and there are probably quite a few of them," a thin man, as bony as a skeleton, whispered in the ear of the square-faced giant.

"If they all come back, we might not be able to leave."