joyful smiles on their faces and showered the iron pillar with praise."Iron Pillar, you kid, you're really something!""That's right, Tie Zhu Ge, you guys are amazing! You actually managed to kill suc...Zong Hu was emotionally unstable. He insisted on going to the county town to report to the officials himself, entrusting Wang Yan'er and his child to Fang Jinxiu's care.

Feeling a bit uneasy, Mu decided to let her eldest son, Zongyu, put his current work aside for the time being.

"Ayu, why don't you go to the county town with Xiaohu"

After a moment of hesitation, Zongyu nodded in agreement.

At the same time, Fang Jinshi thought of another thing, "How come Tie Zhu hasn't returned after going to the county town to pick up Uncle Li and them"

She even had the caravan people leave a carriage for him. Tie Zhu had already learned to drive, so logically he should have been at the foot of the mountain last night.

It's been more than half a day, and I haven't seen anyone.

She instructed Zongyu, "You and Big Brother Zonghu go to the county town on the road, look for Tiezhu, don't take the wrong path."

Zong Yu nodded, inwardly feeling it was unlikely.

Tie Zhu usually looks silly, but the child is actually quite clever. The road to the county town isn't complicated, it's not easy to get lost.

This road isn't particularly safe, I hear there are still some bandits around from time to time, but they aren't as rampant as before.

He felt that this was the only concealed danger, hoping it was just his overthinking.

Without delay, the brothers Zong Yu and Zong Hu packed their provisions and set off for the county town regardless of the approaching darkness.

Zong Yu originally had good physical strength. Even if he walked at night, he could persevere for several hours without rest. Zong Hu's situation was much more complicated. He was so tired that his body was starting to give out, but he didn't complain about needing to stop and rest.

In the end, Zongyu couldn't bear it any longer. He forcibly pulled him to a stop and built a fire to sit down and rest.

Fang Jinxiu only bought a carriage from the caravan. Zong Hu also couldn't wait for Tie Zhu to return, so the two brothers had to rush all night.

"I haven't seen any sign of Tiezhu along the way. Maybe they're still in the county and haven't left yet" Zong Hu asked unconsciously.

Although he felt extremely heavyhearted at the moment, he didn't want Zong Yu and Jin Xiu to feel like he was incapable of getting better. He still tried his best to appear normal.

Keep all the discomfort buried deep inside.

Zongyu shook his head. “Brother Hu, you should rest for a while.”

Otherwise, Zongyu didn't say much. He gave him food and water, as well as a thin blanket the wife had prepared for them before they left, thinking they could use it on their journey at night.

After all, autumn has arrived. Although the daytime temperature is still high, the night air has already started to get chilly. If you're not careful, your body could easily get sick.

Especially Zong Hu must be feeling very heavy-hearted right now, and he probably doesn't have much energy to think about his own health.

As expected, Zong Yu passed something over. Zong Hu shook his head and refused it.

"I don't have much of an appetite, Ayou. You eat it."

After finishing his story, he stared into the fire, silent and lost in thought. Zong Hu and Zong Yu didn't sleep either. The two brothers rested for a time until dawn began to break with a faint glimmer on the horizon.

"The sky's light, let's go. We should keep on our journey and reach the county office early."

Zong Hu got up and left. Zong Yu's eyes showed a trace of worry. If Zong Hu, the elder brother, kept on not eating or sleeping, his body would soon suffer.

It seems like the only option is to hurry to the county office and report the incident first. When we return to the city, we can rent a carriage. This way, Brother Zong Hu can also rest for a while.

They quickened their pace, but just as they were about to reach the county town, they saw an injured person by the roadside.

Zong Yu originally didn't intend to get involved, but the man stubbornly grabbed his trouser leg and then painfully lifted his head.

"Please, save us, save us."

Zong Yu lowered his head and glanced down, thinking it was another refugee from somewhere else. Unexpectedly, the person lying on the ground turned out to be someone he knew.

"Uncle Li" He squatted down in surprise, helping the man up.

No wonder it took so long for Tiezhu to come back, it turns out something really happened.

"How did you end up like this What about Tie Zhu"

Li Muhai's injury was not serious, mainly due to excessive shock and exhaustion. He spoke with a weak voice.

"I, we just left the city and ran into a group of bandits. Tie, Tiezhu brother chased after them to try and get back what was stolen."

"Zong Hu glared, furrowing his brows. 'This fool, a lost item is just an item! What could be more important than his own life How long has he been chasing after it'"

Li Muhai said, “I’ve been there for two hours already, I, I…”

Before he could finish his words, he fainted. Zong Yu checked Li Muhai's body from head to toe and found that he had sustained some external injuries. If they were not treated properly and left untreated any longer, it would endanger his life.

Zong Yu immediately made the decision to hand Li Muhai over to Zong Hu.

"Big Brother Ah Hu, you take him to the city to find a doctor first, then go report it. I'll go find Tiezhu."the courtyard gate and looked around her property, pointing to a spot that was slightly lower."Well, that's as far as we go.""It would be so convenient to have a small pond right outside our door. We...