The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

The group slowly stepped into the dense forest, with horses moving slowly among the trees.

Xinghua secretly glanced at Da Niu at the front of the crowd.

He was tied to the back of the horse with a rope. There were faint marks from tree branches on his back and legs, and his skin was red and oozing fine blood. Fortunately, he seemed to be in good spirits, and although his steps were messy, they were steady.

The apricot blossoms' anxious heart finally settled down a little.

Gou Ya glanced around discreetly, roughly counting the number of people in the group, while her peripheral vision caught glimpses of figures moving in the distance.

The group was surrounded by sentries and guards.

Do not act rashly.

Xiong Bo, who was ahead, was also secretly observing the two girls at the back of the line, his mind filled with doubt.

These two girls looked thin and small, with a sallow complexion. If they were the boy's reinforcements, what use would these two weak women with sticks be?

Could it be that this guy's wife came along without any plan, simply to die with him?

Gou Ya silently estimated the distance to the stone wall.

They've now confirmed that the place is where the thing they're looking for is buried. The other side has too many people, so they can't wipe them all out at once. They can only take them out one by one as they see an opportunity along the way.

It would be best to take down a group of them before they activate the mechanism.

The rest can be dealt with once we're inside the cave. The cave is too cramped; we can't really use bows and arrows properly. Then we'll have to rely on their electric paralysis devices and entrenching tools.

It is much better than ordinary swords.

Gou Ya quietly nudged Xinghua beside her with her elbow.

Xinghua tilted her head and nodded quickly with a very small gesture. She looked at the black-clad guards walking in front of her with their heads down, gritted her teeth, and suppressed the pounding tension in her chest. Taking advantage of the rustling sound of the dry branches and leaves underfoot, she gently pressed the switch of the electric numbing device in the bamboo basket.

pat.

Xinghua looked down at the inconspicuous little fork in her hand, bound tightly with rope, and took a deep breath.

May the Duck Fairy bless this thing; it must work as well as Nannan said!

Holding the small fork in her hand, she subtly touched the back of the black-clad man's neck with the two protruding metal tips of the fork while using it to push aside the branches blocking her way.

"hiss--"

The person in front suddenly let out a short inhale. Xinghua's heart skipped a beat, but she kept her hand firmly on the back of the person's neck with the fork.

Did it fail? Was it useless?

Both pairs of eyes were fixed intently on the person in front of them.

The guard felt a sudden chill and numbness on the back of his neck, as if he had been stung by a poisonous insect. Just as he was about to raise his hand to pinch the insect off, his mind went blank, his limbs went limp, and he collapsed straight into the pile of decaying leaves.

Become!

The moment the man fell to the ground, the surrounding guards gripped their weapons tightly in alertness, and their bowstrings were drawn back in unison.

"What's going on?"

"Go check on what's wrong with Lao Ba!"

Xinghua reacted quickly, immediately retracting her small fork and turning off the switch in the bamboo basket. She then staggered back two steps, muttering in a panic, "What...what happened to him? Is there a snake?!"

Gou Ya also shrank to the side, trembling all over: "I think I heard a rustling sound in the grass just now too."

"What's all the noise about! Behave yourselves!" the fifth brother shouted sternly, then quickly stepped forward and squatted down to check on the eighth brother's condition.

He was still breathing, but no matter what she did, she couldn't wake him up.

"Come over and lend a hand. Pull up his clothes and see if Lao Ba has really been bitten by a snake."

When Gouya and Xinghua heard that they were going to lift the man's clothes, they immediately blushed and covered their eyes, taking the opportunity to timidly move to the outside of the line where they could see Da Niu.

Apricot Blossom winked quickly at Da Niu through the gap between her fingers.

"There are no external injuries, and it wasn't a snake. How could she suddenly faint? Could there be miasma or poisonous fog hidden in the forest?"

The guard leader frowned and scanned the deep, dense forest; business was more important.

"Move the person to the side of the road, and bring them back when you've finished your business."

"yes!"

The fifth guard helped move the unconscious eighth guard to the side of the road, sprinkled some powder to repel insects and ants, and then went back to the group.

Xinghua and Gouya were once again moved to the back of the group by the guards. The two of them still held small forks in their hands, not hiding them, but openly using them to clear away roadside weeds and vines blocking the way.

The more open and honest you are, the less likely people will notice anything amiss.

The group continued deeper into the forest, getting closer and closer to the stone wall where the treasure was hidden.

On the way, two more guards suddenly went limp and collapsed unconscious without warning.

After losing several men, the leader of the guards, dressed in black, looked extremely grim.

The fifth brother turned back to look at the two trembling village maids, his brows furrowing deeply. He approached the guard leader and said, "Brother, ever since we entered this forest with these two village maids, strange things have been happening one after another. Could the problem lie with them?"

The leader in black didn't stop leading his horse, but subconsciously looked back at the back of the group. The fallen brothers were all at the end of the group, close to the two village maids.

Could it really have been done by those two village maids?

Xiong Bo, who had been following the leader in black, observed the leader's expression and secretly thought to himself that something was wrong.

Da Niu watched as the two whispered to each other and turned to look at the end of the group, their faces dark and their hearts sinking. His gaze fell on the faintly visible mountain wall ahead, and he suddenly shouted, "We're here! We're here, brothers! This is it! That wall in front is where the stars in your drawings are located."

The leader in black gave Da Niu a deep look, his gaze fixed on the corner of the stone wall that was visible in front of him.

"This place is strange. It might hide poisonous stingers or hidden traps. We need to be careful and find the correct entrance," Xiong Bo said at the right moment.

After hearing this, the two could only temporarily put aside their doubts.

As the people and horses drew closer to the mountainside, the sound of their footsteps on the ground suddenly changed.

"Empty!?"

"This is it!"

The guard leader's face lit up with joy. He stepped forward and stomped down heavily, having found the right place!

"Everyone, spread out and search carefully around my location. The first person to find the entrance will be rewarded with ten taels of silver!"

The group of black-clad guards immediately separated, reaching out to tap on the stone walls and feel around in the cracks in the ground, searching for the hidden cave entrance.

Da Niu, holding up his bound hands, said, "Brother, could you untie me? I'd like to help look for it too. If I'm the first to find it, won't I get ten taels of silver?"

Swah——

A flash of sword light, and the knot in Da Niu's hand came undone.

"Okay, you look for one too."

Xinghua and Gouya stood obediently to the side, without moving an inch.

Any further action would be too obvious; the other side isn't stupid.