Chapter 8: Trying to Escape

Dong Li'er was about to decline, but she saw Ah Long covering the mouth of his bowl with his hand. Seeing Ah Long's determined look, Dong Li'er had no choice but to stop.

During last night's dinner, Ah Long had observed that Dong Li'er liked to eat meat, especially roasted meat. She had barely touched the meat soup.

Now, watching her devour the last two pieces of meat in her bowl, Ah Long couldn't help but feel pleased. With limited resources, breakfast was quickly finished within the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

After breakfast, the group remained seated by the fire, discussing their next steps.

"What should we do next?" He Fei looked at the others with a troubled expression, appearing lost in thought.

"Shall we go back and look for the remaining beast meat from yesterday?" Yu Hao suggested.

Congwenhu shook his head and replied, "Not advisable. There was quite a commotion last night. It's possible someone has already taken advantage of the situation, or other wild animals might have consumed it."

"What now?" Luxiaoku scratched his head, asking with a hint of guilt.

After a brief contemplation, Dong Li'er spoke up, "In any case, we should leave this place. It's close to a water source, and last night was late. With our large group, most flying and fierce beasts wouldn't dare to approach. But as daylight approaches, wild animals will come out to search for food and water, which is not advantageous for us."

The others found her reasoning valid, and without delay, they scooped some water from the stream to extinguish the fire and prepared to move on.

Meanwhile, Ying Ran's group had already found the concealed cave.

"This is it. You guys stay hidden in the grass. Yue Xue, come with me to explore."

Yue Xue, the girl in rough clothes, was called upon by Ying Ran. Due to her previous suggestion, whether sincere or joking, Ying Ran wasn't comfortable leaving her sister alone with the others. So, she asked Yue Xue to accompany her into the cave.

"Ranran, I'm scared."

Yue Xue didn't want to enter the cave. In the pitch-black darkness, who knew what might be inside? What if there were wild beasts or unclean things? Thinking about this, her tone was hesitant and resistant.

"With me by your side, what is there to be afraid of? Besides, they are all younger than you. Do you want them to go in instead?"

"But..."

"No more buts. Let's explore the situation inside sooner. If there's nothing wrong, we can rest early. If we keep dragging on like this and encounter another group, it might lead to a worse situation," Ying Ran patiently analyzed the pros and cons.

It seemed like there was no other choice. Yue Xue reluctantly nodded and, pulling on Ying Ran's clothes, slowly ventured into the cave.

The entrance was narrow, almost only allowing one person to pass. After walking several tens of steps, the space gradually widened.

Ying Ran felt the cave wall with her hands, taking slow steps. Suddenly, a cool breeze hit their faces, making both of them shiver as if they were in the cold of winter.

"Ranran, let's go back. It's so cold here, and I'm scared. Moreover, I can't see anything in this pitch-black darkness."

Yue Xue, who suddenly spoke, startled both of them. Ying Ran was frightened by Yue Xue's sudden words, while Yue Xue was frightened by the echoes inside the cave.

"Let's go a little further. This cave shouldn't be very deep." Ying Ran comforted.

Yue Xue had already scolded Ying Ran in her heart. She thought Ying Ran did it on purpose. However, her steps did not stop.

If she didn't follow Ying Ran forward, and Ying Ran had to return alone, Yue Xue wouldn't dare to do so either. She could only continue reluctantly.

After walking in the dark for a while, they felt a faint light ahead. With quickened steps, they approached the light source, turning a corner and seeing a spacious area.

Above this open space was a not-so-large cave entrance, covered with some grass and vines. The light was shining through this entrance.

Even more surprisingly, there was a clear spring in this area. Realizing this, Ying Ran was delighted. With a hiding place like this, they could endure until the scheduled return time.

"Let's go. We can bring them in now."

Yue Xue, feeling the joy inside, readily agreed and pulled Ying Ran's clothes as they exited the cave. They covered the cave entrance with grass again, making it look inconspicuous.

"Ranran, I'll go pick some branches from over there. I saw some wild fruits earlier. I'll gather them while I'm at it."

"It's better if we go together," Ying Ran disagreed.

"Just nearby, I'll call you if anything happens."

Ying Ran glanced at Qin Yue Xue, wondering what tricks she was planning again. As long as it didn't threaten the safety of their group, she didn't bother to deal with it.

She nodded and advised, "Come back soon, don't go too far."

"Okay!"

As Ying Ran's figure became more distant, Qin Yue Xue headed in another direction.

If Ying Ran were to look back, she would notice that Qin Yue Xue was heading in the same direction they had used to find the cave.

...

"He Fei, can you still hold on?"

Dong Li'er, concerned, looked at He Fei, whose face was slightly pale.

"I'm fine."

He Fei replied through gritted teeth, although the pain in his feet was piercing.

"We've been walking for most of the day, and we haven't seen a single soul. I'm getting hungry."

Lu Xiao Jiu wasn't tired, but having just enjoyed two meals, hunger struck again.

"That's strange. The more we walk, the fewer sounds of birds and animals we hear. It's as if there's something wrong," Congwenhu pondered.

The others didn't understand what Congwenhu was talking about, but Dong Li'er and Ah Long did.

When they first entered the forest yesterday, they could hear the sounds of birds and animals. However, after walking deep into the forest for most of the day, the sounds diminished, just as Lu Xiao Jiu mentioned – they hadn't seen a single soul.

As they were contemplating, suddenly, Lu Xiao Jiu staggered forward.

"Ah!"

"Be careful!"

Seeing Lu Xiao Jiu about to fall, He Fei and Yu Hao, behind him, reached out to pull him up. However, the force behind Lu Xiao Jiu's fall was stronger, and both of them were dragged down with him.

Congwenhu and Dong Li'er, who were walking on the sides of the group, wanted to help the three in front. However, Ah Long was quicker. Seeing the situation, Ah Long immediately pulled Congwenhu and Dong Li'er backward, stepping back several paces.

After the three stabilized themselves, they realized that Lu Xiao Jiu and the others had fallen into a large pit.

This dense forest was chosen by the black-clad people to bring them here deliberately, indicating some level of planning. Examining the soil in the pit, it was evident that the hole had been dug recently.

Dong Li'er and the others exchanged glances and backed up against each other, alert to their surroundings.

From the bushes, the sound of rustling footsteps grew louder, and soon, they were surrounded by people. To their surprise, these were members of other groups, not all from the same one.

Dong Li'er's mind was working fast, wondering how these people came together and why they dug a pit to wait for them. Was it planned or just a coincidence?

Just as she was pondering, a slightly taller young man with a sinister look stepped forward and shouted, "Hand over your meat, and I'll let them go!" He pointed at Lu Xiao Jiu and the others in the pit.

Hearing this, the group understood.

However, if the girl from the second group was with them, why wasn't she present now? If she didn't tell them about the meat, how did these people know? Dong Li'er considered this, pausing before responding, "What meat?"

The man seemed taken aback by Dong Li'er's question and hesitated before saying, "Stop pretending! You guys hunted a Sealed Boar Beast. Tell us where the meat is!"

"You can see for yourself. If there was meat, how could we not carry it with us? Maybe someone lied, and it wasn't us who hunted the Sealed Boar Beast," Dong Li'er replied calmly.

Although the man found Dong Li'er's response somewhat reasonable, upon deeper consideration, he felt it was unlikely. The girl in coarse clothes might be tall, but she wasn't strong enough to hunt a Sealed Boar Beast. She had explained that these people, the ones in front of him, shared their meat because they pitied her. He had eaten from her hands earlier. Moreover, she had said these people had plenty of meat. That was enough to last until they exited the forest.

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that Dong Li'er and her group were lying.

"Enough nonsense! Hand it over, or we won't be polite!" The man raised a large knife similar to Lu Xiao Jiu's, stabbing it into the soil at the edge of the pit, signifying his intentions.

Dong Li'er thought, "It seems we can't resolve this peacefully," and was ready to take action. This was one of the rules the old man had taught her – when dealing with people who don't understand reason and are unreasonable, using force is the best solution. Once you defeat them, they'll listen to you obediently.

Coincidentally, the man leading the group thought the same way. Seeing that Dong Li'er and the others were only whispering and not responding, he decided it was time to deal with them forcefully. He commanded the surrounding people, "Attack!"

"Be careful yourselves," Dong Li'er quietly warned Congwenhu and Ah Long.

Both nodded, and they gradually approached the direction where Ah Long was, intending to help him ease the pressure.

But the group in front didn't let up. Wielding their weapons, they swung forcefully, and their eyes seemed like they were ready to devour someone.

Little did Dong Li'er and her group know, these people were starving and desperate enough to consider resorting to cannibalism. Having encountered the tall and domineering boy, and with their foraged fruits taken away, they were now threatened to serve as food for these desperate individuals.

Soon, the gaze of the group of people surrounding Dong Li'er became even more intense, as if they were eyeing them like a pile of meat.

"This won't work." Congwenhu dodged attacks with his sword and spoke, "Ah Long, Congwenhu, cooperate with me."

The two understood and subtly moved towards the thicket at the edge of the forest.

When Dong Li'er felt their positions were right, she said, "Now."

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh."

Ah Long's hand flipped, and the darts he held between his fingertips shot out, accurately hitting the vital joints of the surrounding people. However, darts were limited in number. Congwenhu quickly followed up, cutting the vines with his sword and simultaneously thrusting towards the hands and feet of the attackers.

Feeling the pain, the attackers' movements slowed down. Dong Li'er seized the opportunity, using the cut vines to bind them together, tying a neat bow before tossing them aside.

The leader of the group, seeing the situation turning against them, was about to randomly grab someone from the pit and threaten Dong Li'er's group. However, Dong Li'er lightly tapped her toes and leaped into the air, kicking the young man in the chest. He fell to the ground, groaning for a while before struggling to get up.

As he was about to stand up, ready to threaten Dong Li'er's group again, he looked up and saw a pair of delicate and small feet in front of him, wearing shoes whose surface was already indistinguishable. 

"Wanna run?" Dong Li'er, with a mocking expression, asked the young man.

Now, the young man understood how formidable these people were. Hearing Dong Li'er's question, he was scared out of his wits and sat down on the ground, scooting back several steps.

"Now, can we talk peacefully?" Dong Li'er asked with a smirk.

The young man, now terrified, vigorously nodded.

"Who told you we have meat?" Dong Li'er inquired.

"A girl, a girl in a gray coarse cloth. She's about your height. It was her who told us, and it's none of my business!" The young man explained, frightened.

"Did you believe her just like that?" Dong Li'er continued questioning.

"She had a piece of meat in her hand. When we encountered her, she took it out of the bushes. Also, she doesn't seem like someone who could have hunted a Sealed Boar Beast by herself."

Listening to the young man's explanation, Dong Li'er felt puzzled. She asked again, "Where did you meet her? Was she alone?"

"Yes, only her, in that direction, in the woods over there," the young man said, pointing in a direction.

Dong Li'er nodded to show she understood. She then ignored the young man and walked towards Ah Long and the others.

At this point, Lu Xiao Jiu and the others had been pulled up by Congwenhu and Ah Long. They had heard the conversation between Dong Li'er and the leader clearly.

Before Dong Li'er reached them, Lu Xiao Jiu asked, "Why was she alone? What about Miss Ran and the others?"

Dong Li'er sighed, looking skyward. She couldn't help but feel that this person was beyond salvation.