As a result, not a single person on the other side moved, and their gazes grew much more complicated.
What do you mean by "not that unlucky"? I think your village is the unluckiest of all.
The Rebel Soldiers had only just arrived at the Town before they came to pillage your village; you'd only just entered the mountains when you ran into a pack of wild boars. If we really followed behind you, and the Rebel Soldiers caught up, wouldn't we at the back be the first to die?
Are you inviting us to join you, or are you trying to use us as shields?
This woman's heart is truly wicked.
The few people opposite them exchanged hesitant glances until finally, their village chief spoke up:
"Forget it, forget it. We'll go our own way. Take care of yourselves."
Qin Sang reached out as if to stop them, looking somewhat disappointed:
"Don't go, let's go together."
The village chief hurriedly dodged Qin Sang's outstretched hand:
"Better not. Our village's Hunter said we can find a Cave to hide in."
Qin Sang looked envious and said excitedly:
"Oh, now that you mention it, we could find a Cave too! Is the Cave you're talking about far? Is it big?"
"How about we follow you and hide in that Cave together? We're all so familiar with each other, right?"
The other party looked like they were eating bitter melon but still had to force a smile, while secretly cursing their own loose tongue. Why did they have to mention a Cave?
"It's far away and not very big. I'm afraid it won't even fit everyone from our village. Why don't you look for another Cave instead?"
"These mountains span hundreds of miles; there must be plenty of Caves."
Hearing such a clear rejection, Qin Sang finally looked regretful:
"You have a point. Alright then, be careful on the road."
Despite Qin Sang's strong efforts to keep them, the other party returned to their group without looking back.
They watched them head off in another direction for a long time before Qin Sang and the others looked away.
"They shouldn't follow us now, right?" the Old Village Chief said with some concern.
Qin Sang shook her head:
"Not necessarily. They probably came because they smelled the lard earlier. They might not believe what we said."
"But it's a good reminder. From now on, no one should light a fire during the day. Wait until it's pitch black to cook the day's food. That way, even if the smell drifts out, they won't dare search through the woods at night."
Qin Sang felt a bit guilty; after all, she was the one who had brought out the pigs.
She had originally wanted to give everyone something to look forward to in the mountains and ensure they stayed healthy. If they waited until they were starving and their bodies gave out, it would be too late to nourish them. That's why she brought out the fat pigs so early, but she hadn't expected to attract flies first.
However, it also served as a reminder. In the mountains, the dangers weren't just Rebel Soldiers and wild animals, but also other refugees.
With no food and no shelter, who knew what those desperate people would turn into?
Everyone nodded in unison, all somewhat worried:
"But what if they follow us secretly?"
"These deep mountains are ownerless. If they insist on tailing us, can we really kill them?"
Qin Sang knew that while the others might be able to kill Rebel Soldiers, they definitely wouldn't have the heart to kill innocent villagers, nor was it truly necessary.
"How about this, we'll do this in a moment..."
After parting ways with the people from Tianjia Village and walking for a while, the other village chief slapped his forehead and stopped in his tracks:
"Something's wrong. They probably weren't telling the truth."
The people beside the village chief didn't understand:
"Village Chief, who wasn't telling the truth?"
The village chief shook his head:
"I'm not sure either, but I just feel like something isn't right."
"Are you talking about the people from Tianjia Village?"
The village chief thought for a while longer, then suddenly looked up at them and said:
"They didn't want us following them at all."
The others were all confused:
"That's not right. Didn't they agree to let us join them?"
"Wasn't it you who refused, Village Chief?"
"Village Chief, you aren't regretting it, are you? I definitely don't want to be their rearguard."
The village chief smacked the speaker:
"Use your brain. They entered the mountains last night, so how did they know Tianjia Village was on fire?"
"Besides, those long sabers they have aren't something farmers would own."
"And they encountered a pack of wild boars, yet they didn't think to leave this part of the mountain quickly? They actually rendered lard on the spot? You should know that boars are very vengeful. Aren't they afraid the pack will come back for them?"
It must be said that those who could become village chiefs were no fools.
With a little thought, he sensed the inconsistencies.
A circle of people surrounded the village chief. After hearing his analysis, they were all puzzled:
"Then Village Chief, should we... follow them? Aren't you afraid those Rebel Soldiers really do have a grudge against them?"
The village chief narrowed his eyes:
"A grudge might be real; otherwise, they wouldn't have bypassed so many villages in between to go straight to theirs."
"But the situation might be the exact opposite of what they said. You few, go and follow them quietly to see what's happening. We'll wait for you here."
The group of men looked at each other:
"Village Chief, we'll go look... but what are we looking for?"
These were all villagers who had never been deep into the mountains and had an innate fear of the wilderness. Especially after hearing Tianjia Village mention a pack of wild boars, they didn't want to run into them.
The village chief had an expression of disgust, as if looking at someone hopeless:
"Go see how many wild boars they actually killed. Didn't you smell that lard? Could a single wild boar produce such a strong scent?"
"I bet they've already wiped out the whole pack. If that's the case, shouldn't they give us a boar or two?"
"And that Wealthy Household in their village—if we can get some grain from them, wouldn't life be a bit easier for our people?"
Hearing this, the villagers got excited:
"Alright, Village Chief, I'll go."
"I'll go too."
After gathering ten men, they quickly retraced their steps to the place where they had met before.
They hadn't gone far. After crossing a mountain ridge, they spotted the people from Tianjia Village and hurriedly hid behind some trees.
They heard the village chief of Tianjia Village giving orders:
"Hurry, go and notify the villagers to pack their things and come here quickly."
"You few, remember to follow them closely and don't lose them. They know where there's a Cave, so our village can squeeze in once we get there."
"When the Rebel Soldiers really come charging in, with so many people, it'll take them a good while to kill everyone. At least a few of us will be able to escape."
Qin Sang and the members of Hunter Xu's Patrol Team immediately replied excitedly:
"Alright, Village Chief, I'll go inform the villagers."
"We'll go follow them."
Seeing the people from Tianjia Village split into two groups, with one heading straight toward them, the men didn't dare think of anything else and immediately turned to run:
"Hurry back and tell the Village Chief!"
"Tianjia Village is so underhanded; they actually want to take over our Cave!"
"We absolutely can't let them catch up!"
The men ran back as fast as they could, panting heavily. Seeing their village chief waiting for them at the end of the line, they all started shouting from a distance:
"Village Chief, tell everyone to leave quickly! The people from Tianjia Village are coming after us!"
The village chief's old eyes widened, and he nearly fainted:
"What?"