Pei Hanze also came over and said, "Who are you really, and why have you been pretending to be crazy and stupid following us?"
"Because only you can save Nameless Village." Yun Hua’s eyes were very clear at this moment, and her expression was very serious, with no trace of silliness.
Although Qingxia had already known she was not foolish, seeing it in person still somewhat angered her, feeling deceived!
"What exactly is going on in Nameless Village, and who is this man in a black robe?" Pei Hanze demanded.
"A year ago, Nameless Village suddenly became prosperous, every household had meat to eat and wine to drink. The villagers stopped working in the fields, and then, suddenly, people began to develop sores all over their bodies, followed by rumors of a plague."
"Originally, the villagers wanted to seek a doctor for treatment, but just then, they heard that someone planned to burn those inflicted with the plague alive. However, Nameless Village’s doctor said they did not have the plague, yet no one believed him."
"Just a few months ago, a man in a black robe suddenly appeared in the village, causing great fear among the villagers. He made the children eat raw meat, avoid the sun, and eventually, they were taken away."
"Did no one resist?" Qingxia asked, puzzled, for these were their own children, weren’t they?
Yun Hua gave a bitter smile and shook her head, "They couldn’t even take care of themselves, let alone their children."
"How did you come to know about this?" Pei Hanze narrowed his eyes.
"Because my younger sister was bled dry and died!"
Yun Hua’s voice suddenly rose, her tone filled with rage. She clenched her fists, grinding her teeth, "At that time, no one in the village wanted to save her; she was dragged away brutally."
"She was crying and screaming for help, but nobody paid any mind, and ultimately, she fell into despair..."
"These beasts!" Qingxia cursed through her teeth.
"My sister and I were dependent on each other; I must avenge her," Yun Hua’s face displayed firm resolve.
"Right now we can’t even escape, let alone seek revenge," Qing Shan sighed helplessly.
"No, we can get out,"
After finishing her statement, Yun Hua groped along the wall and indeed found a mechanism that she pressed.
The wall slowly opened amid the astonishment of the group, revealing a pitch-black path ahead of them.
"Let’s go, we can leave through here," Yun Hua led the way, with everyone following closely behind.
"Why are there so many secret passages here?" Pei Hanze assisted Ah Mo as they moved forward, his expression filled with wonder.
"This was originally dug as an escape route; very few people know about this secret passage, and I discovered it accidentally,"
No sooner had Yun Hua finished speaking than she suddenly halted and made a silencing gesture.
Everyone could clearly hear footsteps, and it wasn’t just one person.
"Didn’t you say hardly anyone knows about this secret passage? Then why are people coming after us?" Qing Shan whispered.
Yun Hua was also puzzled, but there was no time to think anymore. "Let’s get out first,"
The group quickened their pace, while the footsteps also drew closer. Just as Yun Hua and the others were about to exit, they collided with the approaching group.
Both sides assumed a fighting stance, but froze upon clearer recognition of each other.
"Qingxia, Little Imperial Uncle?"
Seeing Ah Mo severely injured, Pei Huaian hurriedly sheathed his sword.
"What brings you here?" Pei Huaian asked, frowning.
Pei Hanze glanced at him cooly, "If not for you, why would we be here?"
"Are you here to help Nameless Village?" Yun Hua suddenly asked.
Pei Huaian nodded, "Yes."
"Then let’s get out of here quickly,"
Yun Hua took a deep breath, relieved they were not enemies. They had already been heavily impacted and couldn’t withstand any conflict.
Pei Huaian nodded, then something seemed off, "Where’s Shao He?"
Qingxia and Qing Shan had always followed Shao He closely and would never leave her side lightly.
"Miss..." Qingxia and Qing Shan did not know how to respond.
Knowing something was wrong, Pei Huaian pressed urgently, "What exactly happened?"
Qingxia and Qing Shan knelt down, "We failed to protect her, Miss was taken by the man in the black robe."
"What!" Pei Huaian’s pupils shrank as his eyes flickered with a cold gleam.
"How could you fail to protect her!" Pei Huaian barked.
Qing Shan and Qingxia lowered their heads in shame, not daring to say a word.
"It happened suddenly; they didn’t have time to save her," Pei Hanze couldn’t help but argue on behalf of Qing Shan and Qingxia.
"Yes, it was a crisis situation; they couldn’t react in time," Yun Hua followed in agreement.
Pei Huaian took a deep breath, trying to calm his anger, and said gravely, "Let’s leave first."
"Yes, let’s leave first,"
The group successfully exited the cave and found themselves surrounded by trees, with a few thatched huts not far away.
"Let’s rest for a while," Pei Huaian instructed.
"Yes," the guards headed for the thatched huts.
As Pei Hanze and Ah Mo followed, Pei Huaian and Yun Hua trailed at the back.
"Who is that woman?" Yun Hua suddenly noticed a petite female among the guards who seemed familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere before.
Pei Hanze raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "A beauty known to the Fifth Prince from somewhere?"
"Such a beauty would better remain with the Imperial Uncle himself; I don’t need her," Pei Huaian retorted.
"I certainly don’t have your kind of fortune," Pei Hanze joked.
They arrived at the thatched huts and began to rest, with two guards taking turns standing guard.