-minded. I shouldn't have doubted you wanted to harm us.""Jinxiu elder sister, I beg you, please don't throw me out of the village. Now things are so chaotic outside, we have nowhere to go.""If you t..."The lights are out!"

"Could they have found us"

"Impossible."

"Late at night, who are they, what are they doing down here in our mountains"

"Wouldn't they want to come into the village"

"Erzi, you stay here and keep an eye on these people. I'm going to find Zong San Ye and tell him."

"Okay, go quickly and come back soon. I'm afraid to stay here alone."

"Look at you, such a spineless fellow. Didn't you used to patrol the mountains with Zong Yu How is it that you learned nothing"

Reputation...

It seems Fang Mingxia wasn't lying, this really is the village where the Zong family resides.

"Jinxiu, what are you looking at" Fang Mingxia was so scared her legs went weak.

Her younger sister was getting more and more spaced out. It was pitch black all around, yet she stood there staring up at the mountain, as if she could see something.

"It's nothing, let's go up the mountain."

She lifted the long hem of her skirt and tied it into a knot, Fang Mingxia tremblingly imitating her.

"Are we really going to go into the mountains at night We could actually just sleep in the carriage and wait for dawn."

"The mountain path is easier to walk in the morning."

Fang Jinshi ignored her, tidied up her skirt, and strode towards the mountain.

Fang Mingxia sobbed a few times and hurriedly followed.

Since she had confirmed this was the Zong family's residence, Fang Mingxia's role here was over.

Fang Jinxiu turned her head and glanced at her trembling figure, unable to help but say.

"If you're afraid, just stay in the carriage, or go back on your own."

After saying that, she quickened her pace and left first.

Fang Mingxia stood rooted to the spot for two seconds, then hurriedly lifted her skirt and gritted her teeth to follow.

Seeing her come over, Fang Jinshu was still a little surprised.

"Why are you still with me like this"

"You're right, there are a lot of wild animals on this mountain. I just saw signs of them, and a poisonous snake was just darting across the trees over there."

Fāng Míngxiā shivered uncontrollably while gripping her tightly.

"I, I'm your sister. Something big happened to you, and I have to know what's going on."

"Hold on, there's still something. You promised me a big reward afterward, and I wouldn't follow you if you weren't going to deliver. What if you disappear and don't keep your word"

Fang Mingxia really wasn't used to saying those mushy things.

She hadn't been any better to her two younger sisters than their parents had been to her. Jinxiu might not even have received as much affection from her.

"Very well," Fang Jinshi said with a snort, "for your own good, you'd better keep up."

"If you get bitten by a wild animal or venomous snake, I won't help you, don't hold me back."

While she was saying this, her hand secretly picked up a pinch of insect repellent powder and sprinkled it on Fang Mingxia's body.

In the Nozomi Inn, the grand hall of the resplendent Kinryo Villa atop a secluded mountain peak was brightly lit.

Zong Ping sat down in the old rattan chair that Fang Jinxiu often used, with a thick layer of animal fur padding on top.

He, wearing a coat and looking irritated, stared at the few people kneeling before him.

"What a trifling matter, to dare disturb this old master's sleep!"

"Didn't I say that, whoever wants to run into the mountains, bring them all to the trap and kill them."

"Are you guys deaf or are you just trying to piss me off"

"You don't want to work on the mountain anymore, do you"

All the people kneeling on the ground were villagers. Ever since Fang Jinshu and Zong Yu went missing, the Zong family had changed drastically, and the village had been in turmoil for a long time.

Zong Lao San seized control of the Zong family during this opportune moment.

All the villagers depended on the clan for food, and they didn't want someone like Elder Third to be in charge. But there was nothing they could do. If they disobeyed him, he wouldn't give anyone food.

Every family has the young and the old, and after enduring the cold winter, life must go on.

"Yes, but we really can't kill people."

"We, we can just scare them away, right"

Elder Three was furious and slammed the teacup in his hand to the ground. This teacup had been brought back from Luoshui City by Fang Jinxiu before, carried on someone's back!

"Scare them away"

"Do you know what's going on outside If others knew that our village has food, water, and everything we need, do you think they would leave this good place alone"

"A bunch of idiots!"

"In short, those people going up the mountain late at night must have no good intentions. They might even know there's a water source hidden in the mountains and came here specifically for it."

"No, I have to go and handle the person myself. It's best not to leave it for later."

Zong Lao pondered over and over, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

The world is getting more and more chaotic, he finally waited for a great opportunity, heaven actually let Zong Yu and Fang Jinxiu, these two evil spirits, die outside.

He did not come by his good fortune easily. People outside the mountains couldn't even get clean drinking water, while his family lived a life like landlords in the hills.

Fang Jinshu originally had enough food in the cellar to last him for several years.

After several years, the war outside would surely stop. He held such a large expanse of mountains and so many laborers in the village.

If he were so inclined, he could live out his days here in this mountain hollow like a king of the soil.ao Xingzhou saw Fang Jinshi in the carriage and hurriedly stopped the coachman from getting down. He rushed to her face with urgency.He grabbed Fang Jinshu's wrist without saying a word and pulled her...