"Which village?"
Xu Hu pointed at Carpenter Zhao and the others:
"Their village."
Qin Sang walked over and explained how she had notified the neighboring villages one by one before entering the mountain. The Village Chief frowned:
"Should we take them to the settlement with us?"
Qin Sang didn't want to:
"The settlement can't accommodate too many people, and the supplies in the mountains are limited. How can three mountain peaks support so many people?"
Although Qin Sang had the Mall and could support them, with so many eyes, she didn't want to be exposed and killed as a monster.
Moreover, with more people, there would be more problems. Everyone in their own village knew each other well, but who knew if there were bad people from other villages, like Tian Yuanshan and Tian Jinshui?
If they implicated the entire village, it wouldn't be worth it.
The Village Chief pondered, gripping his staff tightly:
"Da Zhuangs Mother, why don't you come with me to take a look?"
Qin Sang didn't refuse; it was good to go and see.
Many others went along, all strong men from the village, about twenty of them. Led by Xu Hu, they crossed half a mountain. Qin Sang saw a group of villagers with dry lips and chapped hands, confronting the Tian Family Village Patrol Team.
The two sides stood a short distance apart, both holding weapons. However, the Tian Family Village's weapons were more uniform, all long blades, with axes tucked into their waists, a clear distinction from the motley weapons held by the opposing side.
Leading the charge on the other side was an old man in his fifties, with many other strong men beside him:
"This mountain isn't yours, why won't you let us pass?"
"That's right, you're too overbearing. Why can only you use this path?"
"Our two villages are close; I even know your Village Chief Tian. If you don't believe me, call him over."
Qin Sang walked over first:
"Sirs, it's me."
As soon as Qin Sang appeared, she was recognized:
"Oh, it's you! If you hadn't notified us about the Rebel Soldiers that day, we might have suffered greatly."
"It really is her. Last night, when she said the Rebel Soldiers were coming, I didn't believe it. I secretly ran to the head of Tian Family Village to take a look. Good heavens, those hundred-plus Rebel Soldiers were ferocious; it scared me so much I turned and ran."
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. We also came into the mountains to escape disaster. Everyone, put away your weapons."
Under the call of their Village Chief, the other side put away their kitchen knives, wood-cutting knives, and other weapons. With the tension gone, everyone approached to talk:
"We really have to thank you for yesterday. If you hadn't reported it, our village would have been in trouble."
Qin Sang politely said:
"No problem, it's what I should do. Village Chief, please don't be so polite. It's good that everyone is safe."
The other party sighed and said:
"Village Chief Tian, you really had foresight. You entered the mountain early. Look at us, we just hastily packed two sets of clothes and some food and entered the mountain, completely unprepared. Oh, right, are you heading this way?"
The Old Village Chief nodded:
"There's no other way; the Rebel Soldiers came quickly, so we could only go deeper into the mountains. How much can one bring into the mountains? We don't even know where we'll settle yet."
Qin Sang listened as the two village chiefs exchanged veiled remarks. Speaking was indeed an art.
The neighboring village's chief implied that their village was in difficulty, and that Tian Family Village, being prepared, must be having an easier time in the mountains.
As for the Old Village Chief, his words implied they were in the same boat, with no surplus grain.
Someone from the other side sniffed:
"Are you rendering fat? It smells so good."
"Yes, I smelled it a while ago. It's really fragrant."
The Old Village Chief's fingers, stroking his beard, paused. He secretly thought he had been exposed. How could he control the fragrant smell of oil wafting out?
His eyes flickered, and he sighed:
"Alas, bad luck. We just arrived here today and encountered a herd of wild boars.
Old fellow, you didn't see how dangerous it was. Several people in our village were injured. In the end, we finally drove them away, and only the smallest wild boar was killed.
So, everyone said we couldn't waste it, so we had to render the fat.
It's a pity for those handsome young men in our village; I don't know if they'll make it."
After speaking, he even wiped the corner of his eyes with a pained expression.
Qin Sang silently gave the Old Village Chief a thumbs-up in her heart for his wisdom and sagacity.
Hearing about the wild boar herd, the people from the other village became nervous, looking towards the surrounding forest, fearing a sneak attack by wild boars.
However, these words still didn't dissuade the people from the other village; instead, it strengthened their resolve to follow:
"The mountains are indeed dangerous. How about this, old fellow, I'll tell you the truth: can we join your group?
This way, with more of us together, we can look out for each other."
The Old Village Chief saw the other party's obvious intention and felt somewhat awkward, because they were considering Tian Family Village, and even offered to help each other. It wouldn't be appropriate to refuse again.
The Old Village Chief looked at Qin Sang for help, and Qin Sang smiled slightly:
"Yes, that's fine. If you're willing to come along, that would be great. It's just, will it bring you unnecessary trouble?"
"Trouble? What trouble?"
Qin Sang asked:
"Did any of you see the big fire in Tian Family Village last night?"
Someone in the crowd on the other side spoke up:
"I saw it; it burned for quite a while."
"Yes, I saw it too."
"Those Rebel Soldiers are too heinous. Robbing is one thing, but they also set fire to houses. Your village won't even have a place to live when you go back."
Qin Sang nodded sadly and said in a deep voice:
"That's right, why did those Rebel Soldiers go to our Tian Family Village first, instead of your village? Actually..."
Qin Sang deliberately hesitated, as if she had something difficult to say.
The other party was clearly very curious:
"Actually what?"
Qin Sang was full of pain, seemingly unwilling to bring up the matter:
"Actually, it's because some of the Rebel Soldiers have a grudge against our village. They knew our village had a big family that collected medicinal herbs, and they thought our village had a lot of grain and money, so as soon as they arrived in Songbai Town, they headed straight for Tian Family Village."
This was reasonable, and many people in the neighboring village also knew:
"That's right, that widow's family in your Tian Family Village collects medicinal herbs and even lets Carpenter Zhao collect them on their behalf."
"The old saying goes, 'wealth should not be flaunted.' That widow's family was too high-profile, exchanging money for herbs. If not her family, whose would they rob?"
"Did her family also enter the mountains? Then will the Rebel Soldiers not rob us poor folks after robbing her family?"
Qin Sang was displeased to hear this, but she didn't show it. Not many people from the neighboring village had seen her or interacted with her, so no one recognized her. She continued to act:
"Yes, our village was implicated by her. Now that they know we've entered the mountains, they will definitely pursue us.
I'm just worried that if there are too many of us, we'll move slowly and be easily found by them. Then those Rebel Soldiers, with old and new grievances... if they misunderstand that you are from the same village as us, they will kill you all."
After Qin Sang finished, her tone shifted again:
"But it shouldn't be that unlucky, right? How about your village comes into the mountains with our village?
We'll lead the way for you, so everyone together can look out for each other.
Our group is not far ahead; you can bring your people over. Then just follow us."
Qin Sang enthusiastically invited them. The Old Village Chief and the others, trusting Qin Sang, also made inviting gestures, signaling them to come over and travel together.