CFSSIR

‧₊˚ 74 ‧₊˚

The incident happened suddenly, and the situation was urgent. Shen Qingyao barely had time to react before being pulled along by Tu Lan, following a few others waiting outside the door as they retreated to the back of the village.

However, Shen Qingyao's emotional upheaval had triggered her heart condition, leaving her weak at this critical moment. Kong Lin, being old, was also struggling. One was elderly, and the other was ill, both entirely dependent on Tu Lan's strength to pull them along. Despite Tu Lan's usual fierce and efficient demeanor, she was still just a slender girl. Dragging one on each side, sweat began to bead on her forehead, and she was gradually becoming exhausted.

"Hurry up! Faster!" The man leading the way ahead shouted urgently as he turned back. Hearing this, Tu Lan cursed under her breath and gritted her teeth, tightening her grip.

Shen Qingyao stumbled, unable to stand straight, but she could only force herself to keep running. In her panic, she glanced back at the village. Although she had never seen it in its usual state, she could still vaguely tell that it was a beautiful place. But now, it was almost entirely engulfed in flames, with faint screams of agony echoing through the firelight.

It was Shen Qingyao's first time witnessing such a scene, and she was stunned, her pace naturally slowing. Tu Lan, anxious to keep moving, pulled her sharply, nearly causing her to fall.

"Hey! Be careful!" Fortunately, Tu Lan had some skills and quickly steadied her. Following Shen Qingyao's gaze, Tu Lan saw the flames as well. Her eyes immediately reddened, and she cursed in the Nanzhao language, which Shen Qingyao didn't understand, her face full of sorrow.

"What exactly... happened?" Shen Qingyao asked.

Tu Lan turned away, not looking back anymore, and continued to pull her and Kong Lin forward. They needed to reach the shelter in the back mountain before being discovered to be safe.

As they walked, Tu Lan explained in a hoarse voice, "Those who attacked are bandits from another village. We used to occupy different hills and, although unfriendly, we coexisted. But a few years ago, their hill was wiped out by the authorities, and they set their sights on our territory. By then, we had already reformed and stopped robbing under Grandpa Kong's guidance, so we naturally refused to join them. They have been causing trouble for us ever since..."

As she spoke, hatred seeped into Tu Lan's words. "My brother was killed by them!" she said through gritted teeth. "Now they've probably lost patience entirely and want to wipe us out to become kings of the mountain. It's just your bad luck to run into this when you just came."

Shen Qingyao opened her mouth, wanting to say something comforting, but given the situation, nothing she could say would help. She was also running desperately, her throat burning, unable to make a sound. She could only look at Tu Lan in shock with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, since we've brought you along, we won't let anything happen to you!" Tu Lan said with a smile, successfully masking her hatred and sorrow. Shen Qingyao felt a mix of emotions. She lowered her head and ran faster, determined not to be a burden to Tu Lan.

"Hey! Girl! Slow down! Your body can't take this kind of running! Do you want to die?" But after just a few steps, before Shen Qingyao could complain about being tired, Kong Lin started shouting, banging his cane on the ground, trying to get Shen Qingyao to stop. She panted heavily, her chest indeed hurting more and more, but she knew they had to keep running.

Sure enough, the leading man, seeing them slow down, urged anxiously again, "We can't slow down! We have to move faster! If we don't hurry, we'll be caught!"

No sooner had he spoken than several tall, burly figures emerged from the side, wielding knives and attacking him without hesitation. Shen Qingyao's pupils contracted, and she couldn't help but cry out, "Watch out!"