The sound of fighting shook heaven and earth.

From all directions, the entire mountain forest seemed to have fallen into chaotic battle. There were people everywhere, killing shouts everywhere. Here arrows fell like rain, there rocks tumbled like thunder, and there were even wild boars charging wildly through it all.

The charging wild boars had thick hides and tough flesh—even with bodies full of arrows they could charge forward and knock over seven or eight people.

The mountain forest in the darkness was like an ocean raising wild waves.

Tie Ying, who had not yet approached, reined in his horse. He naturally had no fear of such scenes, but he was very shocked.

“What’s going on?” he said. “Where did reinforcements come from?”

A person ahead was also shocked: “We’ve been guarding the road entrance the whole time and haven’t seen any government troops.”

True or false? A bluff? Tie Ying spurred his horse to turn in place, pressing the long blade at his waist, his expression grave: “I don’t believe they can have many reinforcements. Even if they do, I can still capture her alone—”

He was about to spur his horse forward when a shout came from behind.

“The garrison troops from Chen County have assembled and seem to be coming this way.”

The nearest garrison troops nearby were in Chen County. Tie Ying was alarmed. Chen County was some distance from here.

“How could news have leaked so quickly?” he asked in shock. “Didn’t you say not a single person was allowed to escape?”

“Absolutely certain—not one person escaped from here,” that person reaffirmed. “And even if someone had escaped to report, in such a short time it wouldn’t be enough to go back and forth.”

That meant the nearby garrison troops were also watching Chu Zhao’s movements?

If the garrison army also rushed over—

It wasn’t that he feared these government soldiers. What he feared was exposing the heir.

Right now the court and Prince Zhongshan hadn’t torn off their masks yet—they were waiting for an opportunity, or rather, evidence—

After all, previously when the heir had instigated Chu Lan to kill the Imperial Grandson, there had been no evidence. Chu Zhao also couldn’t push out her uncle to his death.

If at this time Xiao Xun was caught surrounding and attacking Chu Zhao, then the court could immediately proclaim to all under heaven that Prince Zhongshan was treasonous and dispatch troops to punish him.

Perhaps this was also a trap deliberately set by Chu Zhao and the court, using herself as bait to lure Prince Zhongshan—wasn’t the last time falling into water at Chu Garden also this tactic?

Horse hooves scraped the ground and turned.

“Let’s go!” Tie Ying said.

Those around him acknowledged, waving the torches in their hands. After a moment, the men and horses rolled away like black clouds, following Tie Ying as they disappeared.

……

……

When hazy blue light enveloped the mountain forest, the sounds of slaughter had already disappeared. Only the mountain fires still crackled and burned.

Chu Zhao and A’Le moved among the wounded, doing their utmost to provide aid. Every life they could save meant one more. Their bodies and faces were covered in blood.

When Xiao Man ran over, she almost didn’t recognize them.

Chu Zhao had already seen her and opened her arms, throwing herself forward: “Xiao Man, I’m so glad you’re alright.”

Caught off guard, Xiao Man was embraced fully. Though they’d been together day and night for some time now, they didn’t talk much and weren’t familiar!

“You, you—” Xiao Man reached out to push her, looking at the smile on the girl’s blood-stained face. The words at her lips turned into a mutter: “How could anything happen to me!”

She snorted and turned her head away.

“This is nothing, just a small matter.”

Chu Zhao shook her head while nodding repeatedly: “Yes, yes, Xiao Man is too amazing.” As she spoke, tears fell.

She must have been terrified. It truly had been very dangerous. Where had Chu Zhao ever experienced such fright? Though that night of chaos in the capital had also been perilous, compared to this time, it really wasn’t much.

She must have been terrified, so scared that she was hugging her and crying—she could only hug her and cry. Actually…

Xiao Man couldn’t help looking back.

Chu Zhao noticed and asked: “What are you looking for?”

She followed Xiao Man’s line of sight. In the mountain forest where torches burned and night still flickered, many people walked about in disorder—some familiar, some unfamiliar.

But Chu Zhao’s gaze inexplicably fell on one particular figure.

Not too far away, that person stood beside a large tree. The flickering firelight made the person appear and disappear, seeming real yet illusory.

Although, but—this seemed to be a woman?

Besides Xiao Man, A’Le, and herself, another woman had come?

“That is—” Chu Zhao couldn’t help asking.

Who?

But the instant she spoke, the firelight wavered and that figure disappeared, as if turning to busy themselves, blinking and mixing into the crowd moving chaotically through the mountain forest, no longer visible.

“What?” Xiao Man asked from beside her, her voice seeming impatient.

Chu Zhao withdrew her gaze and looked at her, asking: “Where did you find these people?”

Xiao Man said “Oh”: “These are people I encountered in the mountain forest—hunters.”

……

……

As morning sunlight scattered down, light and shadow flickering, birds who knew nothing of human tragedy had recovered their calm, hopping and chirping crisply among the forest, not caring at all about the blood everywhere on the ground.

Ding Dachui led the remaining survivors to gather with the survivors from the other two strongholds. When they’d first met, their eyes had been red with hostility. Now their eyes were also red, but not from looking at each other—from exhaustion.

They didn’t attack each other either, but rather squeezed together as survivors, supporting each other, their gazes all looking toward a group of people not far away.

About a dozen people or so.

These dozen people looked very odd.

There was a girl, people who obviously carried the bearing of government soldiers, and those who couldn’t disguise their rough bandit air. No matter how one looked, these people shouldn’t be together.

This group was the big job the new boss had mentioned?

Ding Dachui looked down at the ground beneath his feet dyed red with blood. Last night’s robbery had truly been too intense. Their three strongholds had lost nearly half their numbers—they’d finally caught a fat sheep.

But that girl who had clearly thrown herself into the new boss’s arms crying, how was she now standing together with these fat sheep, spouting complete nonsense?

“At the time I was anxiously running out to find the authorities, then I encountered them—they said they were hunters in the mountains. These kind-hearted people heard we’d met bandits and acted with righteous indignation, seeing injustice and drawing their blades to help—”

She used up all the words she knew, then bowed to Ding Dachui and the others in courtesy.

“Thank you all, fellow villagers, for saving us.”

The scene was completely silent.

The villagers being thanked didn’t repeatedly say “no need to thank us, this is what we should do.”

Chu Zhao and Old Bai’s gazes fell on the weapons in the villagers’ hands—swords, spears, halberds—everything was there. Mountain hunters’ hunting equipment was quite complete indeed.

Deep mountains, nighttime, so many hunters—how was that possible?

Chu Zhao and Old Bai didn’t need to guess to figure out their identities.

Bandits.

They were real bandits.

How interesting—fake bandits wanted to kill her, real bandits saved her.

Though she didn’t know how Xiao Man had persuaded these bandits to come save her, it certainly wasn’t any “seeing injustice and drawing blades to help.”

However, since Xiao Man was unwilling to say, there was no need to press and ask.

After a moment of awkward silence, Chu Zhao bowed solemnly: “Thank you all, fellow villagers, for saving us. This great kindness must be repaid. You will all be heavily rewarded with gold.”

Hearing the words “heavily rewarded with gold,” Ding Dachui and the others’ gazes sharpened.

“My family has vast wealth. My parents treasure me like a jewel. You didn’t just save me—you saved my entire family.” Chu Zhao continued loudly. “Besides money and goods, whatever needs you have, my parents will certainly fulfill them. Even so, it will still be difficult to repay your life-saving grace to me and my companions.”

She bowed deeply once more as she spoke.

These were sincere words.

If not for these bandits, her life in this world would have ended here.

So she wouldn’t pursue why they came or what they were plotting. She only needed to thank them.

Old Bai and the others also all bowed in courtesy, calling out in unison: “Great kindness and virtue will never be forgotten for as long as we live.”

Though their numbers were few, their unified shout was rather intimidating.

Ding Dachui and the other bandits were startled. Hearing these grateful words, seeing these people’s solemn deep bows, they didn’t know what to do for a moment.

And the new boss had gone who knows where. During the night battle they’d been able to see her the whole time—when charging forward she was at the front splitting mountains and cutting seas, and when they felt timid, she would appear behind them, severing their thoughts of fleeing.

The new boss’s people were mixed among them—someone poked him from behind.

Ding Dachui was an alert hunter—bandit. He immediately stammered: “You’re, you’re too kind.”

His gaze also couldn’t help looking toward that girl called Xiao Man.

That girl also looked at him and suddenly raised her eyebrows at him.

“Big job,” she mouthed.

Ding Dachui’s expression changed for a moment. He roughly understood. Actually, this wasn’t unusual either.

First plant a mole among the fat sheep, then when the fat sheep encounter danger, charge out to save them. Though most of the time it was taking advantage of a fire to rob, there was also a tactic of playing the good person to gain the fat sheep’s trust, and then after that—

Put plainly, it was playing the long game to catch big fish.

Looking at the tragic scene, this girl’s group had actually been fiercely surrounded by so many people. The more dangerous, the greater the profit.

Perhaps the new boss suddenly robbing their several strongholds wasn’t truly just to dominate this mountain, but was for this very moment.

Such deep planning and foresight—

One could see this truly was a big job.