More and more soldiers gathered in the valley, and the noise gradually grew louder.

Those hidden in the forest halfway up the mountain had their midday meal delivered, and gathered together to eat heartily.

“Yinan, how are things outside?” Feng Jiu’er wiped her mouth and asked.

The one who had brought their midday meal up the mountain was Feng Yinan.

Hearing Feng Jiu’er’s words, Feng Yinan leapt down from a tree, landing on the ground.

“Jiu’er, everything’s still going according to plan for now.”

“Good. Go on back.” Feng Jiu’er nodded. “If they ask, tell them things here are also under control.”

“If anything unusual happens later, be sure to let me know right away.”

“Understood.” Feng Yinan cupped his hands and turned.

In the blink of an eye, everyone had already lost sight of him.

Among all these people, Feng Yinan was by far the most familiar with the terrain of the deep mountains and wild forests.

His lightness skill had been learned from Jian Yi. While it wasn’t quite masterful yet, at least few people could keep up with him now.

“Jiu’er, are we going down there?” Xiao Yingtao leaned against a tree stump, a water pouch in hand.

“Do you think these people can really be put to use for us?”

“There are so many of them — if they turn against us later, that would be trouble too.”

“They’re our prisoners of war. If they don’t submit, the only option is death.” Yue Qinchun stood up and walked several steps outward.

She leaned against a tree trunk, looking down at the valley below.

“So many people dying — it’s rather pitiable. Too bad they’re all bad people.”

“Everyone serves their own master. There’s no absolute good or evil.” Feng Jiu’er stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes.

“Still, you two should remember — mercy toward an enemy is, more often than not, harm done to yourself.”

“They only get one chance. Whether they can seize it is up to them.”

Seeing Feng Jiu’er stand, Xiao Yingtao immediately stood up too.

“Jiu’er, are we heading down now?”

“Mn.” Feng Jiu’er nodded slightly. “It’s time.”

“If it were me, I’d definitely turn away from darkness toward the light.” Xiao Yingtao bent down and picked up her sword.

“Our Jiu’er really is the best ruler in the world — even though they’re prisoners of war, she still picked such a fine place for them.”

“We worked so hard to find that hot spring, and I haven’t even gotten to enjoy it myself, and it’s all been left to the prisoners.”

“Let’s go.” Xiao Yingtao walked over and draped her arm over Feng Jiu’er’s shoulder.

Feng Jiu’er glanced sideways at her and pushed the arm off her shoulder.

Xiao Yingtao didn’t mind at all, her large eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled.

Down in the valley, the two groups had finally gathered together.

“Well? Is there an army physician?” The Second Company Commander came up beside the Fifth Company Commander and asked.

The Fifth Company Commander turned and shook his head. “No, but there are a few soldiers with some basic medical knowledge.”

“What he means is, the poison in us isn’t lethal for now, but…”

“Our internal energy will gradually fade away, is that it?” The Second Company Commander drew in a sharp breath.

“Mn.” The Fifth Company Commander nodded, looking at the soldiers behind him. “How are your men doing? Do you still have food?”

“No direct clashes happened — the brothers are doing all right.” The Second Company Commander let out a long breath.

“We have enough food to last a while longer, but we can’t just sit here and wait for death either.”

“The enemy trapped us here — even knowing we’re poisoned, they haven’t moved to slaughter us. Why is that, exactly?”

“Do you all really want to die that badly?” Suddenly, a low voice rang out across the entire valley.

The people in the valley all looked around in every direction.