Chapter 18: The Reappearance of the Enchanting Shadow (Part 2)

  With the golden words of the saintly mouth, Li Shiyeh returned to the inn with a pleased smile. The people in the inn had been waiting for so long that they were about to burst into flames, but facing the thousands of fierce and murderous soldiers outside, no one dared to make a move. Although he was carrying those mechanical crossbow-launched hidden weapons, the people outside were armed with strong bows and hard crossbows; if they really clashed, it would be a tragic end, turning him into a hedgehog.

  Those people on the Holy Girl Peak also suffered from the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Originally, they hadn't been rude to Qin Yifan at all; on the contrary, they had been quite polite. However, that passing courier hadn't seen any of this, and those approaching troops didn't recognize them either. They were bewilderedly mistaken for people from Sleeping Tiger Manor and surrounded without distinction, regardless of age or appearance. The surrounding soldiers looked at them with eyes that seemed to regard them as a group of weak women waiting to be taken advantage of.

  Although those gazes were unbearable, not a single person from Sheng Nü Peak dared to make a move. None of them had experience fighting against an army of thousands, and even if they did, they wouldn't dare. This time, being surrounded by the large army made them realize Qin Yifan's background even more clearly. The female disciple was right, and she also frankly said that these were all analyzed by Zhang Shu. The master of Sheng Nü Peak looked down on Li Zhuangzhu even more, having such a person under him who still committed such mistakes. No wonder Wu Hu Shan Zhuang had been a second-rate power for so many years.

  Li Shiyeh must have known the officer, otherwise he wouldn't have gone over to talk so casually. Not long after he left, the courier who was familiar with Qin Yifan appeared by the lake in the back mountain, and only returned after getting a positive response from Qin Yifan.

  The army stayed for almost half a day and began to withdraw. The purpose of this mobilization, as announced externally, was a training exercise, but the inside story is known only to a few people. However, this military exercise was not a waste of money and food, not only did it not cost the imperial court a single coin, but also received a donation of nearly 1,000 taels of silver from enthusiastic local gentry, and some villagers in the county town even sent pigs, cattle and sheep on their own initiative, causing the whole army to erupt in cheers.

  As for the people of Wohu Mountain Villa, a group of more than 80 big men had to leave the guest house and go to the nearby mountain forest to cut wood and build houses. The remaining people still lived in the guest house, but they were no longer as arrogant as before, and when they saw Qin Yifan, they were all respectful. Fortunately, Qin Yifan was not in the guest house for most of the time, seemingly annoyed by them, even eating meals brought over by Lin Qilu from those mountain people's homes, equivalent to the guest house still being reserved for them. This is also good, convenient for everyone.

  Zhang Chong and Li Song, they were still in their respective rooms, but they also didn't see anyone during the day except when they came back to sleep at night. The people of Wotou Mountain Villa thought they had already figured out their true nature and were completely off guard against them.

  The people of Sheng Nü Peak were very organized, so they didn't suffer any losses at all. Moreover, they were well-prepared and had taken over all the game from the mountain villagers early in the morning, and even booked enough game for their own living in advance. They treated others with courtesy, had a noble temperament, and coupled with their beautiful faces, those mountain villagers would have liked to fly into the mountains to help them hunt.

  Compared to others, the people of Wohu Mountain Villa are relatively miserable. Not only do they have to build their own houses, but they also have to hunt for food themselves. A batch of people has already set off to the county town to buy supplies, but it will take at least a day. During this time, they can only rely on themselves.

  After what happened earlier, they didn't even dare to do anything to Qin Yifan again. Similarly, the mountain people also didn't dare to do anything, who knows if Qin Yifan would protect his own kind.

  Despite this, the purpose of coming here is still very clear, and there are still a group of lean core personnel slowly searching around. Having learned from last time's lesson, they prepared a lot of wound-healing medicine this time, and even brought a doctor from a mountain village.

  Qin Yifan's warning did not reach Li Zhuangzhu, and for that Li Shiyeh, this trip was really too risky. Those people would rather die than be warned. How could they be so kind as to warn them? Isn't there a ghost here? Take all these guys to the underworld, it's much more convenient.

  The people of Wohu Villa and Shengnu Peak didn't have much conflict, both sides came for the same thing, at least before they found their target, it wasn't time to take action. Everyone sent out people to search, when they bumped into each other, they just hummed a cold sound, then walked away separately, no one would provoke anyone first, keeping enough calmness.

  It's unclear whether it was due to the crowd or the daytime, but there had been no news of accidents. Everyone also knew that practicing here would lead to trouble, and no one dared to practice here. As night fell, those bored men began to comment on the disciples of Shengnu Peak.

  Those who often mix in the rivers and lakes, can they be expected to have good breeding? When evaluating a woman, there will never be a shortage of dirty words and rumors. Moreover, when these big men speak, they are always unscrupulous and loud, their voices carrying far away, inevitably drifting into the ears of the many disciples of Sheng Nü Peak.

  "Don't be rash!" A veiled old nun calmly stopped a young nun: "They are stirring up trouble, don't bother with them, take care of yourself, something is off here."

  As if it were a prophecy, soon, a loud and clear voice came from afar: "He Lao San, don't take so long to relieve yourself, do you? He Lao San? Where did he die?"

  As soon as someone went missing, everyone's nerves immediately tightened. The Wohu Mountain Villa had already lost three people under the leadership of the young master before, and this time they came to solve the mystery and find the mysterious thing that caused injury during practice. Because of what happened earlier, a whole day was wasted, thinking that nothing would happen with so many people, but it started again.

  "Take care of your partner beside you." Both parties gave orders at the same time, and then Li Zhuang led his men to appear at the place where He Lao San disappeared.

  After careful observation, there was nothing around, not even a trace of He Lao San's escape. Just over a dozen steps away was where everyone gathered. If someone could sneak in quietly and take the person away without alarming anyone, it would be almost impossible, especially since this place couldn't be used for such actions.

  Mr. Li looked up and glanced at Uncle Zhang beside him, who knew what he was thinking and nodded heavily. For a moment, even Mr. Li felt a chill on his back, and the eyes around him seemed to carry a hint of hidden fear.

  Is there really a ghost here? Or is it a ghost that doesn't disturb the local villagers?