Liu Hui agreed, Hua Jin let out a sigh of relief, his eyes inadvertently scanned the surrounding wall.
Besides San Huang and White Tail still playing with the children, Big Black and Second Yellow Lightning were completely in a state of alert, their gaze also on the wall area.
Then Liu Hui, having reached a consensus with her cousin, spoke about the ga. Kids, after all, all love gas, especially ones with rewards. Without much need for explanation, they eagerly nodded, readying themselves for the sprint. Following Hua Jin's shout, Liu Hui led the children back ho, accompanied by San Huang, White Tail, and Lightning trailing behind.
And outside the courtyard wall, the black-clad n, unbeknownst to them, had already been discovered, still staring at the wall in astonishnt!
Thinking this place perhaps belonged to so noble family or estate, otherwise why would there be such tall walls?
Precisely because of this, these people beca even more interested, thinking there might indeed be sothing worthwhile here.
Not to ntion, at the very least, food should not be an issue.
The dry rations they carried had long been eaten, unlike the mountain where edible items are readily found. So, presently, this was even more crucial than completing their task.
Once Hua Jin could no longer see Hui Jie and the others, he truly shifted his focus onto the group outside the wall.
They clearly looked like they had traveled a long way, their clothes almost losing their color.
There were quite a lot of them, at least a hundred strong, each a burly man with standardized weapons on them. The uniform clothing and weapons, their large numbers—these all indicated that they were definitely not ordinary folks, and their appearance was indeed puzzling. Looking towards the Qinggu Mountain behind the village, Hua Jin squinted, realizing these people definitely had ill intentions.
Or perhaps they harbored undisclosed motives, otherwise why take the rugged mountain paths instead of the normal roads?
To Hua Jin, these people were certainly suspicious.
If they did look like the Beicang Tartars she had seen before, Hua Jin would suspect that so stragglers had infiltrated Lingyun State.
No matter if they were suspicious or not, as long as they didn't target here, Hua Jin had no desire to bother with them.
Yet, these people kept staring directly at the village wall, unwilling to move away, making Hua Jin increasingly uneasy.
Hence, she sent the children away, so she could calmly watch these folks.
What she least wanted to see ultimately happened. Clearly, these people weren't planning to leave, but started walking along the wall.
Fortunately, they hadn't discovered the back gate of the wall, thanks to Father's later disguise, having a thin layer of bricks and stones added to the door, matching both the inner and outer walls. At first glance, it blended perfectly with the wall. Aside from the villagers, if one didn't look closely, they wouldn't notice it.
When exiting from the back gate, a stone would be placed at a specific corner. Upon returning, the stone would disappear, preventing any incidences of being locked out from inside. Even so, the worst case would be to take a longer route to enter from the front gate.
Seeing them not discover the back gate, but walking towards the village's entrance, Hua Jin didn't stay behind the village but quickly called Big Black and Second Yellow to return to the village.
Even if these people's speed were fast, they couldn't match hers. In monts, Hua Jin returned ho to find her father.
Just slightly slower than her cousin's group, and this slight delay was due to them intentionally slowing down a bit, otherwise, the girl would have been upset for quite a while.
Seeing her cousin jumping joyfully, Hua Jin gave a slight comforting word before pulling her father outside.
Looking at his daughter's serious expression, Hua Chengtian knew sothing was up.
"Is there trouble?" Hua Chengtian affird, "What did you discover?"
As he asked, his mind raced. What's the matter with his daughter being so serious during New Year, especially when her husband was with them, there should be no ti to provoke her. Could it be... the Beicang Tartars had struck again? But was that possible? If any, they should have heard so rumors, given the village patrol was not just for show. Unexpectedly, everyone had a break during the New Year period, Hua Chengtian beca slightly anxious but couldn't think of anything else.
Hua Jin nodded, "At the back of the village, I discovered a group of unidentified people, around a hundred, dressed in uniform attire. Father, they are now running along the wall toward the village's entrance."
"Is that why you sent Hui Jie back?"
No wonder Hui Jie and the kids were clamoring for rewards earlier.
"Yes, Father, I see these people as having ill intentions. Their words showed great interest in our place; we must be cautious."
"Father understands now. I'll gather the people imdiately. Where are they now?"
"They've only covered less than a third of the way; we still have ti."
Hua Village residents lived densely, so recruiting help was quick. Of course, using a gong would be faster, but its loud sound could easily expose them and cause panic among villagers. Hua Chengtian opted for the simplest thod, a human chain, and within monts, hundreds of n gathered with weapons, following Hua Chengtian swiftly to the village's entrance.
Having received the news, Luo Song was among them, closely following his father-in-law, learning the source of the news during the rush, feeling increasingly anxious, as his wife was nowhere to be seen again.
Knowing his wife's character, returning ho was unlikely, without having seen her when he left, considering her courage, Luo Song sped up, leading ahead of the others.
As Father started moving, Hua Jin also quickly reached the village's gate and went outside.
Not to confront the black-clad n, but to head towards Songjia Village at the southeast corner of the gate, previously known as Songjia Gully, settling on the outskirts of Hua Village post-earthquake.
Hua Jin was there to deliver the ssage. Hiding in Hua Village would certainly be too late, given the elders and children moved too slowly. Hiding elsewhere still allowed so ti.
Covering such distance was but a blink for Hua Jin. Arriving at Songjia Village, she rushed straight to Songjia Village's spot, giving no elaborate speeches, only delivering the information about the ard unidentified individuals heading their way. The village chief, who had held the position for decades, wasn't foolish and understood instantly. Thanking Hua Village Chief's granddaughter, he then called for everyone in the village to hide.
As long as they remained silent and the opposition didn't specially search for them, Songjia Village, built in a forested area, wouldn't be discovered. Despite being several hundred ters away from Hua Village's entrance, though the earthquake had damaged many trees causing them to break, most were on the outskirts, keeping Songjia Village surrounded by dense forest cover.
Seeing Songjia Village mobilize, Hua Jin departed. All she could do had been done, the rest relied on themselves; after all, one couldn't always expect others to rescue them, right?
Just as Hua Jin returned to the village, she was pulled into an embrace, eting her husband's concerned and angry face.
Hua Jin paused then smiled, "I'm okay?"
"Don't be reckless?" Even seeing Hua Jin unhard, Luo Song's expression didn't lighten much, saying seriously.
"Alright, alright," Hua Jin agreed, recklessness was not an option. She never acted recklessly and wouldn't let herself be caught in danger unless she had full confidence. After all, she valued her life greatly.
Hua Chengtian smirked, watching Luo Song hugging his daughter. Had he not rembered she was already married, he might have stepped in to separate them. Of course, seeing Luo Song's concern for his daughter, Hua Chengtian felt satisfied inside.
Watching the lovebirds cling to each other, chatting endlessly, Hua Chengtian couldn't resist stepping forward to break them apart, whispering, "Enough, enough, hugging in broad daylight, what decency is this? Everyone's watching."
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