Chapter 250: Hiding

“Go, hurry back and report,” Da Tie said immediately.

Yan Yu shook her head. “You go first. I’ll check how many there are.”

There was no way Da Tie would let her take that risk.

He turned to Er Tie. “Second Brother, you go. Be careful.”

Without hesitation, Er Tie sprang into action.

Yan Yu had no choice but to follow behind, calling out, “Brother Er Tie, count their numbers, check their weapons, and be careful!”

Before she could say more, San Tie had already scooped her up and placed her on Da Tie’s back.

He then carried Wu Tie on his own back.

Yan Yu didn’t even have the strength to resist. She was afraid that if she struggled, Brother San Tie might just push her down again…

Da Tie and San Tie dashed off with the younger ones in tow.

…

By the time they regrouped with the main party and recalled all the scattered teams, Er Tie had also returned.

“There are six of them,” he reported. “They’re dressed just like us. If they don’t speak, you’d never guess they’re Northern Rong. Each one’s carrying a bow, and they’re damn good shots. They also have knives, but they only take them out when cutting meat. The rest of the time, they keep them hidden in their clothes. About this long.” He gestured with his hands.

Yan Yu thought to herself: They must be hiding the short blades to avoid revealing their identities.

It looked like these people were trying to sneak in disguised as locals from Guanzhou.

Carrying bows… were they pretending to be mountain hunters?

That would make sense. Carrying weapons that way wouldn’t raise suspicion.

But what they probably didn’t know was that there hadn’t been any hunters in the Crouching Tiger region for a long time.

The only ones who hunted in these mountains were the people from their village.

Yan Yu said, “All teams, spread out and search. Once you find someone, return to the village immediately.”

She issued the order on the spot and assigned each team a direction.

Then she turned to the adults still receiving updates. “Uncle Hu Er, let’s head back quickly and warn the villagers. Everyone needs to hide.”

She had already made up her mind. They wouldn’t confront those people head-on.

From what Brother Er Tie had seen, not even a whole herd of wild boars gave them much trouble. Her people were unarmed—going up against them would be a disaster.

The adults had no objections. They were all eager to return.

…

Every group of villagers in the mountains was found. Fortunately, most of them weren’t familiar with the terrain and preferred to stick together, so once you found one group, you found a whole bunch.

Soon, everyone was back in the village.

Upon hearing the news, the rest of the villagers dropped whatever they were doing and rushed to the large stone in the village center.

Village Chief Luo stood atop the stone, scanning the crowd. After several passes, he finally relaxed when he saw that everyone was accounted for.

“Don’t panic. It’ll be a while before those people come down the mountain. If your home has a cellar, hide there. If not, head toward Dashi Bridge, cross the river, and go to Yongning City.”

Village Chief Luo remained calm and composed, which helped settle everyone’s nerves.

Crouching Tiger City was too far. West Bridge Town was just a small settlement with little to no defense—probably even less than their village. Yongning City, the prefectural capital, was the safest bet.

As for what those Northern Rong disguised as Guanzhou locals were up to, that was beyond their concern.

Didn’t Er Tie say each of them had a bow? They all knew just how deadly those things could be.

Yan Yu thought, *Village Chief Grandpa is steady and wise.*

She looked toward her mother.

Li Xuemei gave her a nod.

After luring the pigs to the designated spot, Maomao had been instructed to return home and deliver the message.

“Use the wooden raft at my house to cross the river,” Yan Yu said.

Village Chief Luo nodded and discussed with several elders. They decided to send the children across first.

Especially the really young ones—if they started crying and got discovered, it would be a disaster.

Under the guidance of the village elders, the villagers began moving in an orderly fashion.

They didn’t have many belongings, and those who had fled famine before knew exactly what to take and what to leave behind in times like these.

Surprisingly, quite a few families in the village had already dug cellars.

They went into the mountains often and had gathered plenty of wild vegetables, some nearly ripe fruits, mushrooms from the recent rains, and fish from the river.

To them, a house could wait a few days. But a cellar that could store food? That was essential. Better to dig that first.

The Qi family hadn’t dug theirs yet, so Li Xuemei told them to hide in the Yan family’s cellar.

As for Master Lu and his group, they could either cross the river now or hide in the ice cellar the Yan family had dug.

Yes, the Yan family had dug an ice cellar, along with two connected storage cellars.

They were meant for storing food for the winter.

Who would have thought they’d be put to use before winter even arrived?

Besides the Qi family, Yan Yu also invited Uncle Hu Er’s family to hide in their cellar.

The Hu family had their own cellar, but Uncle Hu Er figured that since all the men of the Yan family were away, the women and children might be scared. So he brought his family over and offered their cellar to others.

Village Chief Luo’s favoritism toward the Yan family was obvious. Luo Da and Yan Er had gone to Crouching Tiger City, leaving Luo Er and Luo San at home. He sent Luo San over to help, along with Er Tie and San Tie, who had volunteered.

Thankfully, the Yan family had dug two cellars. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been enough room for all these people.

The so-called “connected” cellars were linked by a passage just over half a person’s height. Adults had to crouch to pass through, but someone like Yan Yu could walk through it with ease.

Seeing that Uncle Qi Wu and Uncle Hu Er—two of the village’s top fighters—were both present, Yan Yu couldn’t help but start calculating her options.

She had invited Uncle Hu Er here as a precaution.

All the bamboo crossbows had been destroyed, but her family still had one weapon left: a sharper, deadlier iron crossbow.

Only in Uncle Hu Er’s hands could it reach its full potential.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t need to use it. But if they did, Yan Yu hoped it would earn them another victory.

Li Xuemei knew her daughter well.

The moment she saw the flicker of thoughts crossing Yan Yu’s face, she knew that little head of hers was already working overtime.

She thought for a moment, then told Daya to bring Qi Wu, Hu Er, and Luo San over.

“Brother Qi Wu, Brother Hu Er, Brother Luo San—our family’s iron crossbow is here. If things really come to the worst, don’t hesitate to use it.”

Li Xuemei solemnly handed the iron crossbow to Hu Er.

Hu Er felt the heavy weight in his hands, his expression grave. He said nothing.

Qi Wu suddenly spoke up. “I’ve got a few thick boards at home. They might be able to block a few arrows.”

Hu Er immediately replied, “I’ll go with you. Let’s move them nearby first.”

Luo San, who had been holding his pig-slaying knife this whole time, added, “You two handle that. I’ll go scout the situation.”

Er Tie and San Tie exchanged a glance. “Third Uncle, we’ll go too.”

Luo San considered it, then nodded. “You two stay sharp. Don’t run around. Find a hidden spot and watch from a distance.”

Yan Yu watched as the group climbed out of the cellar.

Li Xuemei called out to her, “Xiao Er, come here.”

She dragged her feet over reluctantly.

Without looking at her, Li Xuemei pulled out a sheet of paper and laid it in front of her.

“Where are they… Mark it down.”

Yan Yu understood what her mother meant.

She quickly took the sheet her mother had prepared the day before.

It was the same half-sheet she had torn off when she first discovered something was wrong—probably yanked off in a hurry by her mother. It was a bit crumpled.

She smoothed it out casually, then called over Maomao, who had been crouching quietly in the corner. With a piece of charcoal she always carried, she began sketching a map of the surrounding area.

The Northern Rong are about to enter the village~ Ugh, why does this feel like a scene from an old war movie where the invaders are coming?

Author Note:

Writing this part made me nervous~

This section has to be detailed—it marks our village’s first battle to defend our home in Guanzhou~

Yan Xiao Er, you got this!~

(End of Chapter)